this and that

I finally downloaded some pictures tonight! Now I can share a bit of what we've been up to these last few weeks.

These pictures are from the state spelling bee Bren was in at the end of March. It was located in Sioux City- why a state spelling bee would be located on the northwestern edge of the state is beyond me, but whatever. It was a rather stressful drive to get there. We had gone to Gary's mom's retirement party in Chariton and then jumped into the car at 8 PM and drove in a snowstorm the whole way there. That would have been bad enough, but we had to take a vehicle from Gary's work to the Omaha area so I had to drive our car separately while he drove the work car. I was in tears at one point trying to drive through the snow and wind in the wee hours of the night. We finally arrived at our hotel at 1:30 AM exhausted! The spelling bee began at 9 the next morning. We checked Bren in and the poor thing was a nervous wreck! They gave the kids a practice round and then they had to take a computer test. This weeded the 102 competitors down to 60-70 who would be able to come back after lunch for the rest of the spelling bee. Brennan did not make it past the computer round. He was devastated. We were SO PROUD of him for making it that far! It was tough competition as this state bee put 1st-8th graders all up against each other (which I didn't quite get). There were only a handful of younger ones out of the 102 as most of them were middle schoolers and junior highers. Overall I think it was a good experience, and I hope he will look back at it as a good opportunity. Right now he's still reeling in the devastation of not making it past the first round. We're still not allowed to talk about it around here!

Yes, you are seeing correctly. That is my 14 year old son behind the wheel ready to take his first driving lesson with his father. Even though he turned 14 in January, he took his permit test over spring break. With the horrible snowy, icy winter we've had, I would never have let him drive! But unfortunately (in this case ONLY) the snow melted, and it's time to let my boy grow up. He passsed his test easily the first time, and his first time behind the wheel was in our VERY LARGE EMPTY church parking lot. I was a tad (OK a little more than a tad) nervous as he had Bren's and my life in his hands, but all was well. He only drove into the grass once in our first little adventure! I thought he had a bit of a lead foot as well. I was reflecting back on my first time behind the wheel and I specifically remember thinking, "How does anyone drive 55 mph? That is SO fast!" Needless to say, I don't think that thought was going through his mind! He has been doing very well. I have lightened up and given him several chances to drive, and his father is always willing to hand him the keys. My anxiety level goes down the more experience he gains. But then I start thinking about him driving at night, driving in a downpour, driving in heavy city traffic, driving in the kind of snow I drove in to the spelling bee, driving in unfamiliar areas, and I start hyperventilating... I have determined that it definitely doesn't get easier as they get older. I just need to up my medication : ))

This is career night for ELP class. ELP (extended learning) used to be TAG (talented and gifted) back in my day. Anyway, Bradley had a big project choosing a career of interest, interviewing someone in that career, researching a college that specializes in that major, researching the job responsibilities, pay, and demand and then put the information together on a display board. They were to dress in their career attire (hence the football shirt and shorts) and the parents got to come to school one evening to view the finished projects. He did a career inventory and teaching was one of the careers that came out on top for him. Law was another one, and those are both things he is interested in (although I think the coaching is more of an interest right now than the teaching). He really likes his PE teacher, who will also happen to be his high school basketball coach, so he has a good role model to look to for that. He researched UNI as that is a great teaching school (I know first-hand!). His presentation board may have had a smidge of help from his scrapbooking mother, (hee hee : )but overall I think he did a good job. I must say there were a few rough nights around the Hydorn household trying to get him to complete this task, but I think it was well worth it.

Alrighty enough for now- I have lots I'm hoping to share with you in the next week or so- Easter, a recipe, and I've been documenting a "day in the life of Oreo" for your viewing pleasure. I'm sure you're all waiting with baited breath now for that installment... How exciting can a day in the life of a cat really be anyway?