Days With the Duerksens

As always, May has been incredibly busy! First, we made a weekend trip to Minnesota to celebrate Addi's college graduation. Now, she's off to S. Dakota to begin adulting and using her biology major! This trip also included a stop in nearby Walnut Grove - the setting for Laura Ingalls Wilder's book, On the Banks of Plum Creek. It was also the setting for one of my favorite TV shows, so I really enjoyed the TV room at the museum, with some actual props from the set of the show! We enjoyed staying at a really old farmhouse and hosted everyone for a celebration dinner. May also included the league track meet, which began in Solomon on a Tuesday, postponed because of tornadic weather, and finished in Goessel on Thursday. Delaney had another great meet - setting league records in the 100M hurdles, 200M hurdles, and the medley relay! She also was the league runner-up in the triple jump. And when it was all said and done, she actually had the top 7th grade 200 hurdle time in the st...

 April is off and running with a myriad of activities...in the first week!  April 1: Prom for Caiden and Mallory April 3: 7th grade quiz bowl league champions for Delaney Quinli, Emily, Estela, AJ, Delaney, Levi, (Mrs. Sells, coach) April 5: HS Art Contest for Cambry: 1st place, printmaking; 2nd place, 3D art; merit award, ceramic fountain. Bonus - Goessel hosted, so I got to help out and see how it all works! April 6: first JV golf tournament of the season for Cambry: tied for 21st with her partner, Jasmine. April 6: first JH track meet for Delaney where she broke 4 school records in TJ, 200 hurdles, 100 hurdles, and the medley relay (with Bella, Mackenzie, and Lydia R.)! 100 M hurdles time: 17.18 seconds April 9: HAPPY EASTER - JESUS IS RISEN!

 Even though the 3rd quarter can feel like it drags on and on, Delaney was involved with several other fun things to help it go by a little faster: first quiz bowl meets, a trip to K-State, league music contest, and her first dance! The band and choir both received I ratings. Delaney also earned a I (78/80 pts.) on her French horn solo! ALOHA! Time to Dance! Dance chaperones! The Quiz Bowl team finished in 2nd place at their very first meet! AJ, Emily, Estela, Quinli, Delaney We took a trip to Manhattan to see the Wildcats beat Baylor! We also got to see Caiden working on the floor. This was Quinli's first trip to a KSU basketball game! Starting line-ups Caiden at work The Wabash with Coach Tang!

 As an adult, I've gotten used to birthdays as "no big deal." And really, this year's was equally that. Except for a couple of things: a birthday outing with my mom and sister and my very thoughtful daughters, who like to surprise me every once in a while!  Instead of gifts, my mom, my sister, and I decided to try GROW in Wichita. It's a lovely little place where we were able to choose plants to fill a container of our choice. We had a great time together! After a long day of teaching, planning, and preparing the meal for church, I walked inside the house to a fun surprise - a decorated kitchen, chocolate cake, and gifts! I so appreciated the thoughtfulness that went into creating those surprises! A sampling of the "44 Notes" I received from the girls!