Days With the Duerksens

 The junior class hosted prom at the high school this year on April 2. After some pictures on the golf course, Caiden, Mallory, and a group of friends headed to Stearman Field Bar & Grill in Benton. Jeremy loaned Caiden his Camaro for promenade, and that was that. They enjoyed a fun night together in the "Enchanted Forest!"

Maybe it's because I'm getting ready to teach this poem to 8th grade soon (it goes along with  The Outsiders ), but when we realized that today is Caiden's "golden" birthday, this poem quickly came to mind. It can have multiple meanings, but today, I'm reminded that Caiden's time here with us, as a child, is fleeting. Turning 18 means he is just  about ready to launch into life beyond the walls and roof of this house. 18 years, at times, has seemed like forever, but it also feels as though it has slipped through our fingers so quickly - only an 'hour', maybe?   Happy birthday, Caiden!  Go be your independent, logical, intelligent self and do all the things!  We are looking forward to what this transitional, in-between age holds for you. You were never meant to stay small, of course. It's the beginning of a new golden 'hour' for you!  Goodness, what did we know??!  

 Winter has consisted of a LOT of basketball, with a few other things sprinkled in here and there!  Since Christmas, we have only had 2 full weeks of school. One week was shortened because of Covid, and we've had 3 snow days. Cambry had a week with Covid, and we think Delaney did too, although she tested negative every time. Then, this week, almost 2 years after the pandemic began, I caught Covid on my birthday. Ugghh!   In the midst of all of this, we have been to a lot of basketball games.  Delaney finished her season up a few weeks ago. She gained a lot of valuable experience this year, having to play against a lot of 8th graders!   Delaney, Jenna, Jayley Caiden is nearing the end of his last basketball season - although we hope his team can hold on for at least 2 more weeks!  One highlight for him during the winter was being selected with Skyler to be on the all-tournament team at the Burrton Tournament after they won the consolation bracket. ...

                                          Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning Jesus, to Thee be glory given Word of the Father Now in flesh appearing O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him Christ the Lord! We enjoyed a very relaxing (and strangely warm) Christmas!  The church Christmas Eve program was back in-person (although the kids had recorded their parts early), and we were back at my parents' house afterwards - much different than last year when we met via Zoom.  The only strange thing this year was the weather - mid-70s on Christmas Eve and just slightly cooler on Christmas Day.  We actually ate our lunch outside on Christmas Eve!  We waited until the 28th to celebrate with Chelan's side of the family - minus the CA crew.  Christmas Eve lunch on the deck! gift cards are hard to get to when they are trap...

 The JH Basketball season began in November, and so far, while Delaney doesn't like it as much as volleyball, she is giving it her all - playing quite a bit on the A team and contributing 2 quarters to B team.  She even had two consecutive games with last-second shots (one of them tying the game to send it into overtime)!   It has been fun to see her and her classmates improve.  Having practice every day sure helps!

 We were all thrilled to learn that Caiden received a couple of post-season football honors. His hard work earned him a spot on the Wheat State League first team defense, KSHSAA-covered/Sports in Kansas defensive honorable mention (all-state) and on the Wichita Eagle first team all-state defense team!   A few weeks later, Caiden received word that he is invited to play in the 8-man all-star game in June.  This was somewhat unexpected, but very exciting!  We get to see him play one more time - this time in Beloit with the other top 8-man players from this year.  What an honor for him and a joy for us to experience with him one last time!                                                                                 

Mrs. Schmidt chose a few of her art students to display their artwork at McPherson College's Art Pop Contest.  It was a neat experience to have her art displayed in an actual art gallery, and it has gotten Cambry thinking about  college options!