Tennis seniors: Hope, Chelsea, Castle, Hannah, and Meelim
Ali, Hope, Chelsea, and Castle
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Tennis team dinner at Ruby Tuesday-- 8/16/11
Tennis seniors: Hope, Chelsea, Castle, Hannah, and Meelim
Ali, Hope, Chelsea, and Castle
Match at Granville-- August 15, 2011
Chelsea wins-- 6-1, 6-3
Chelsea hits a great shot!
Chelsea greets her opponent at third singles from Granville.
Athens varsity tennis team-- 8/15/11
Summer Reflections... August 16, 2011
Hi everyone--
I can't believe that summer is almost over. Perhaps more than any summer before, this one has just been a complete blur-- a good blur, but a blur nonetheless...
Let's see... June involved multiple camps (tennis for Chelsea and basketball and soccer for Emmy). I flew down to Florida when Britti ended her professional internship at Disney. We had so much fun during our day in the parks-- we hit all four of them in less than 24 hours :) Afterward, we made the grueling 15 hours home.
We had a great time on our trip to visit family in Nebraska and Colorado. We all LOVED Rocky Mountain National Park (and our nearby cabin), and it was nice to see Grandma A and tour many places that are so special to her. We shared several miles on the road and in the air, and everyone got along well, even though we grew tired and ready for home by the end of our travels. In all, we took over 600 pictures and gathered over a foot of memorabilia that Emmy used in the scrapbook that she made of our trip. She entered it in 4-H competition just a short three weeks after our return, winning county and then placing second in the state-- WOW!! Not bad for her very first scrapbook ever!!
As I just alluded, after our vacation, we launched right into 4-H camp (Britti, Chelsea, and Emmy) and another week of tennis camp and then 4-H competitions. In March, Chelsea had been named an Ohio 4-H State ambassador, and her work began in mid-July. We were very blessed that Chelsea qualified for state competition in skit and that Emmy qualified for state competition with her dog and with scrapbooking and Sports Nutrition. However, between ambassador responsibilities and competitions, we calculated that we commuted to the state fair eight times in 13 days and spent three nights in a hotel as a family and two nights in the state fair dorm for Chelsea. YIKES!!
What a successful few weeks, though... Chelsea made several good friends with fellow ambassadors and enjoyed rich experiences helping with various judgings. (She even got to assist with the creative arts competition, and she saw that Emmy was only two points away from the top score in the state with her scrapbook!!) Chelsea's skit team won Outstanding of the Day, coming in second in the state. Emmy won Outstanding of the Day with her scrapbook, coming in second in the state, and she also won Outstanding of the Day in showmanship with Coco and a silver medal in rally competition. We had high hopes for Sports Nutrition b/c Emmy did so well at the county level, but we didn't know that part of the interview would be over a website instead of her book, and she missed two questions during her interview. Thus, she didn't place, but, wow, what a state fair!
Right after our last trip home from the state fair on August 5, we jumped right into the county fair. Chelsea interviewed for fair queen on July 24 so we had to wait for two weeks before hearing the results on August 7. After winning two second places in the state, Chelsea won top honors when it was most important. We were so excited for her to be named as the 2011-2012 Athens County Junior Fair Queen!!! She handed out awards during all of the shows, and she had a great time.
Chelsea did sooooooo well at the rabbit show as well. This year was truly her's!! After not placing at state last year and not placing in pro showmanship and only winning second place in a prelim class with her rabbit, she had an AMAZING year this year-- topped by second in Pro Showmanship (a personal best) and Reserve Grand Champion Best in Show (another personal best).
Ellie-Kate also got into the act, showing a rabbit, chicken, and hog in various pee wee showmanship competitions. She also won second place with the float that Emmy designed for her in the kiddie parade and fourth place in the chicken pull competition. The little girls loved seeing the animals, riding rides, and watching shows.
During our busiest week of the year, Britti had her own exciting news. After a few months of considering options, she decided to stay in Athens, find a job, and pursue a master's degree in education. Ramon, her boyfriend from Disney, also decided to move to Athens and finish up his undergrad degree. Fortunately, Britti found a full time job with The Summit, an apartment complex, complete with benefits and good pay! She's going to finish her thesis for her MA in history during fall quarter and then start coursework in education in winter quarter. Meanwhile, she's excited about earning money again and having a stable income. She started on Wednesday of fair week-- right after the rabbit show on Tuesday. On Saturday, August 13, I drove her to the airport, and she flew down to El Paso, and she and her boyfriend, Ramon drove back to Athens so that he would have his car. They just got back here today, August 16.
As I write this update, we're shifting gears to fall sports seasons. Chelsea already had her first tennis match, winning 6-1, 6-3 in her singles match against Granville, and Emmy was selected for a traveling soccer team that starts on Monday. I want to say that things are going to slow down, but I just shake my head at the items on our family list as we move into the end of August... college search stuff for Chelsea... the completion of Chelsea's Gold Award project... visiting fairs and festivals as part of Chelsea's fair queen responsibilities... finishing up the summer online classes that Roger and I have been teaching... gearing up for fall quarter... back to school shopping...
As I take a deep breath, I'm overwhelmed by everything that's going on with our family, and I yearn for quiet times playing dollies with Ellie-Kate. Everything's good, but just a lot... However, I'm very, very grateful just to witness all of these special moments for the girls. I remember that my appendix ruptured a year ago tomorrow, and, ever since, I have been very aware that every day is a gift. I'm so grateful that I'm here to cherish these memories and moments... to watch the looks of sheer joy when Chelsea won fair queen and awards with her rabbit, when Emmy came so close to winning the state championship with her scrapbook, when Ellie-Kate laughed as she showed her first hog. It's been busy, but I wouldn't want to miss a thing.
Thanks for continuing to follow our family. We hope that you have enjoyed a great summer as well :)
Christie
I can't believe that summer is almost over. Perhaps more than any summer before, this one has just been a complete blur-- a good blur, but a blur nonetheless...
Let's see... June involved multiple camps (tennis for Chelsea and basketball and soccer for Emmy). I flew down to Florida when Britti ended her professional internship at Disney. We had so much fun during our day in the parks-- we hit all four of them in less than 24 hours :) Afterward, we made the grueling 15 hours home.
We had a great time on our trip to visit family in Nebraska and Colorado. We all LOVED Rocky Mountain National Park (and our nearby cabin), and it was nice to see Grandma A and tour many places that are so special to her. We shared several miles on the road and in the air, and everyone got along well, even though we grew tired and ready for home by the end of our travels. In all, we took over 600 pictures and gathered over a foot of memorabilia that Emmy used in the scrapbook that she made of our trip. She entered it in 4-H competition just a short three weeks after our return, winning county and then placing second in the state-- WOW!! Not bad for her very first scrapbook ever!!
As I just alluded, after our vacation, we launched right into 4-H camp (Britti, Chelsea, and Emmy) and another week of tennis camp and then 4-H competitions. In March, Chelsea had been named an Ohio 4-H State ambassador, and her work began in mid-July. We were very blessed that Chelsea qualified for state competition in skit and that Emmy qualified for state competition with her dog and with scrapbooking and Sports Nutrition. However, between ambassador responsibilities and competitions, we calculated that we commuted to the state fair eight times in 13 days and spent three nights in a hotel as a family and two nights in the state fair dorm for Chelsea. YIKES!!
What a successful few weeks, though... Chelsea made several good friends with fellow ambassadors and enjoyed rich experiences helping with various judgings. (She even got to assist with the creative arts competition, and she saw that Emmy was only two points away from the top score in the state with her scrapbook!!) Chelsea's skit team won Outstanding of the Day, coming in second in the state. Emmy won Outstanding of the Day with her scrapbook, coming in second in the state, and she also won Outstanding of the Day in showmanship with Coco and a silver medal in rally competition. We had high hopes for Sports Nutrition b/c Emmy did so well at the county level, but we didn't know that part of the interview would be over a website instead of her book, and she missed two questions during her interview. Thus, she didn't place, but, wow, what a state fair!
Right after our last trip home from the state fair on August 5, we jumped right into the county fair. Chelsea interviewed for fair queen on July 24 so we had to wait for two weeks before hearing the results on August 7. After winning two second places in the state, Chelsea won top honors when it was most important. We were so excited for her to be named as the 2011-2012 Athens County Junior Fair Queen!!! She handed out awards during all of the shows, and she had a great time.
Chelsea did sooooooo well at the rabbit show as well. This year was truly her's!! After not placing at state last year and not placing in pro showmanship and only winning second place in a prelim class with her rabbit, she had an AMAZING year this year-- topped by second in Pro Showmanship (a personal best) and Reserve Grand Champion Best in Show (another personal best).
Ellie-Kate also got into the act, showing a rabbit, chicken, and hog in various pee wee showmanship competitions. She also won second place with the float that Emmy designed for her in the kiddie parade and fourth place in the chicken pull competition. The little girls loved seeing the animals, riding rides, and watching shows.
During our busiest week of the year, Britti had her own exciting news. After a few months of considering options, she decided to stay in Athens, find a job, and pursue a master's degree in education. Ramon, her boyfriend from Disney, also decided to move to Athens and finish up his undergrad degree. Fortunately, Britti found a full time job with The Summit, an apartment complex, complete with benefits and good pay! She's going to finish her thesis for her MA in history during fall quarter and then start coursework in education in winter quarter. Meanwhile, she's excited about earning money again and having a stable income. She started on Wednesday of fair week-- right after the rabbit show on Tuesday. On Saturday, August 13, I drove her to the airport, and she flew down to El Paso, and she and her boyfriend, Ramon drove back to Athens so that he would have his car. They just got back here today, August 16.
As I write this update, we're shifting gears to fall sports seasons. Chelsea already had her first tennis match, winning 6-1, 6-3 in her singles match against Granville, and Emmy was selected for a traveling soccer team that starts on Monday. I want to say that things are going to slow down, but I just shake my head at the items on our family list as we move into the end of August... college search stuff for Chelsea... the completion of Chelsea's Gold Award project... visiting fairs and festivals as part of Chelsea's fair queen responsibilities... finishing up the summer online classes that Roger and I have been teaching... gearing up for fall quarter... back to school shopping...
As I take a deep breath, I'm overwhelmed by everything that's going on with our family, and I yearn for quiet times playing dollies with Ellie-Kate. Everything's good, but just a lot... However, I'm very, very grateful just to witness all of these special moments for the girls. I remember that my appendix ruptured a year ago tomorrow, and, ever since, I have been very aware that every day is a gift. I'm so grateful that I'm here to cherish these memories and moments... to watch the looks of sheer joy when Chelsea won fair queen and awards with her rabbit, when Emmy came so close to winning the state championship with her scrapbook, when Ellie-Kate laughed as she showed her first hog. It's been busy, but I wouldn't want to miss a thing.
Thanks for continuing to follow our family. We hope that you have enjoyed a great summer as well :)
Christie
Monday, August 15, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Chelsea had a tremendous 2011 fair-- Outstanding of the Day with skit at the Ohio State Fair, 2011 Athens County Junior Fair Queen, First place-- New Zealand Buck, Champion-- New Zealand, Grand Champion-- Class Six, and Reserve Grand Champion-- Best of Show-- WOW!!! Charlie was literally the second best rabbit in the entire barn-- we have never done this well :) Also, Chelsea won second place in pro showmanship-- another personal best :) (She has won all of the other showmanship classes, but pro is reserved for the best of the best!)
Chelsea's awards from the county fair.
Emmy LOVED the swings!
Hannah, Emmy, and Janelle on the scrambler-- 8/13/11.
Ellie-Kate and Emmy-- 8/13/11
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Emmy takes one last ride on the carousel before saying good-bye to the 2011 Athens County Junior Fair.
Ellie-Kate enjoys her fish ride!
Roger and Ellie-Kate ride the carousel-- 8/12/11.
Ellie-Kate enjoys a train ride :)
Chelsea announces herself at the truck pull... and then finds herself in an unexpected interview. Queen Chelsea Meagan handled the surprise interview very well, gracefully sharing her background, the process for becoming fair queen, and her royal responsibilities.
Emmy, Britti, Chelsea, and Laura after the auction-- 8/12/11.
Chelsea poses during the auction-- 8/12/11.
The royalty poses with the reserve champion pig and its new owner :)
The royalty pose with the grand champion goat and its new owner :)
The royalty poses with the grand champion turkey and its new owner :)
Kara, the Fairfield County Fair Queen, and Chelsea pose outside of the auction on August 12, 2011. Both girls also serve as Ohio State 4-H ambassadors.
Catherine, Chelsea, Abbi, Brandi, and Wes smile before working the auction on Friday, August 12, 2011.
Emmy and Chelsea smile after the 4-H awards ceremony-- 8/12/11.
Wes and Chelsea after the 4-H awards ceremony-- 8/12/11.
Chelsea, Rhonda, and Wes after the 4-H awards ceremony-- 8/12/11.
Thursday-Friday, August 11-12, 2011
Ellie-Kate plays around in the grandstands during the annual 4-H Awards ceremony on Friday, August 12, 2011.
Chelsea announces some of the awards during the 4-H awards ceremony-- 8/12/11. During the ceremony, Chelsea won the county-wide award for accomplishments in Drama, and Emmy won the county-wide award for accomplishments in Creative Arts.
Chase and Chelsea smile near the swine barn-- 8/12/11. They must be thinking of the homemade ice cream that they're about to make in Chase's camper with his mom :)
Chelsea presents awards at the conclusion of Ultimate Showmanship on Friday, August, 12, 2011.
Gabby, Emmy, Ellie-Kate, and Janelle enjoy an old-time car ride on the midway-- August 11, 2011.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Ellie-Kate had fun riding a fish :)
Emmy, Ellie-Kate, Abbi, and Gabby after Ellie-Kate won Fourth place in the Chicken Pull contest with Abbi's chicken.
Ellie-Kate was all prepped to scream and yell to get the chicken to pull the weight out of the circle. However, she saw the crowd and froze. Miraculously, the chicken still got inspired to pull the weight out of the circle in about nine seconds, good enough for fourth place in the under 12 division :)
Emmy, Gabby, and Abbi before the Chicken Pull event-- 8/11/11.
Ellie-Kate loves pony rides!
Wednesday-Thursday, 8/10-11/11
Emmy smiles with her award winning scrapbook-- Outstanding of the Day at the Ohio State Fair during Creative Arts Day. We took this pic for the newpaper on 8/11/11.
Ellie-Kate is a natural at showing hogs. She wasn't at all afraid, even when two hogs pushed their butts up against her, and Ryan had to pick her up. She just laughed... Only seven more years until we experiment with hog showmanship for real :)
Kayla, Chelsea, and Kendra with Kendra's Champion Pen of Two-- 8/10/11.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Ellie-Kate and Chelsea Meagan-- 8/10/11
Ellie-Kate REALLY enjoyed hitting the hog with the stick during pee wee showmanship.
Ellie-Kate shows Ryan's hog in pee wee showmanship-- 8/10/11.
Ellie-Kate shows Elena's chicken in pee wee showmanship-- 8/10/11
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011-- Fun at the Athens County Junior Fair
Britti and Emmy ride a ride :)
Chelsea presents a ribbon at the steer show.
Katherine, Wes, and Chelsea at the steer show.
Chelsea SMILES after winning Grand Champion New Zealand and Grand Champion Class Six!!
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