Personal Best

Yesterday was Nathans last official swim meet of his senior year {tear tear for me}. This season has been so so at best.....but man...Nathan sure did fantastic in his last two meets.........Funny...........he did that last year. I   really wanted to see my son end his swim career on a good note. I believe he did this. Nathan was disqualified in one event and made a personal best in another. 

Going strong on his 100 butterfly

 only to be DQ'd on his last 10 yards as his arms became uneven

This was okay though, as Nathan still had his 500 freestyle to go. His best time ever was a 6:30 (last meet Jr year). I was hoping he would give it his all and he did. He started off strong and was able to keep the pace up. At this point I was just wanting to see Nathan get the bell (meaning that he was in first going into the last 50 yards)...He got the bell and we were all excited...however...he came in second {bummer}. He was barely touched out...but had a finishing time of 6:20. I think this was a fantastic way to go out!

Looking at the score board while catching his breath

Senior year and grades half over....

The first half of Nathans senior year has come to an end. It has been busy, exciting and a bruiser all in one. We have had our ups and downs....with me not wanting to let go....and one seventeen year old with severe senioritis and wanting to venture out {SIGH}...

But none the less....we made it through and he managed to finish with a report card looking like this.

This was a first in high school for this......and yet it was accomplished.....Nathan earned straight A's this past semester....and three of the classes were advanced placement. Not that this is a shocker. He is very intelligent. However so, laziness and boredom and have been a fixture for most of his schooling experience.

At the end of last year, we learned that Nathan was about seven or eight slots from being in the top ten percent of his class (currently a class of 730ish). We will have to wait about a month to see if he slipped into one of those slots.

Either way....I am doing the happy dance for a shear moment....and might actually have to put this report card on the fridge when it arrives....that's if he remembers to pull it out of his bag.

Quick summary of year

He has now officially entered his last semester of high school {sob sob}. One more AP class and his first college course to tackle. Two last college trips to finish up within the next months time. Final commitment to be made for his next education destination and experience. Sadly....we encouraged him to decline his acceptance to Cornell College (they just couldn't cough up enough scholarship money to make it a possibility). It was his first choice and his first real adult decision to be made.

His swim season has been so so and it has been a bit of a challenge to keep him enthused. Nathan has had his first girlfriend (official since October). He has continued to work at Gamestop and finally finished up his Eagle Scout Board of review this past November. Nathan was accepted into every college he has applied to...we are now on him to apply for multiple scholarships....feeling generous....the Nathan Wadkins education fund will gladly accept donations {smile}.

Last week, Nathan hit his head pretty good at swim practice and earned his first cat scan. Good news...he still has his brain intact.

This is a bittersweet time for me, as I continue in these next few months of having my son still under my wing. He has grown into a fantastic young man that I am so proud of and eternally grateful to be able to say I am his mom. May the stars be aligned and some more memorable times be had.

Senior Swim Night

The senior swim meet is always supposed to be their moment of fame. A brief summary about the swimmer is read as they walk down the bulkhead. They are given a flower and the parents meet them for a photo. Sadly, there was a lot of chaos with the other swimmers being all over the place and it was hard to see Nathan as it was his moment. Fortunately, I could somewhat hear his presentation and were at least able to get a family shot.

Our senior swimmer

In the past, no one has ever bothered to get photos of all the seniors together. Becky had them all in their parkas and we got a few photos showing them and their personalities.

Back row L-R 
Sebastian Jackson, Nathan Berg, Nate, Bryce Davis, Tyler Sheets, Coach Wang
Front row L-R
Lori Heath, Pam Coyle

We wanted to have a cake that was a bit different than the ones in the past. Becky found an awesome picture of swimmer bodies and we decided that we would attach their faces to. The cake did not look anything like the ordered design...and quite frankly....was sloppy for having been done at a bakery. I think it still turned out original and cute.

Moustrap Car

Let me just say that I really really hate dumb projects. Especially ones that get all of our emotions riled up. For physics (first semester), it is a mousetrap car that provided this excitement. It started off when Nathan and his girlfriend procrastinated until the very last moment.

Now I know my son and some of his weaknesses....and lets say building things like this is a weakness. So mom attempted to help until she realized her efforts were not wanted. Fortunately dad had the time and was willing to assist. There is more to this story that I will not expound on.

The ending goes something like this. We finally got it together....it looked pretty good....the next morning a wheel fell off and Nathan built a new one....he made it to school and it went one meter (had to go five) and then another wheel fell off. It was worth 60% of his grade and now his "A" will be gone.

Feeling Content

I really wanted to have a post today just so I could  have 1-1-11 on my blog {pretty dorky I know}.

Today I am content. No need to make any resolutions that will be broken in a week or two. Just a moment of   enjoying the peace and calmness of today. The holidays and last couple of weeks, I have felt like a normal family. Last night, Steve and I spent a couple of hours playing scrabble with mom and dad. Nathan had a few friends over to ring in the new year. I went to watch the ball drop in my room and must have fell asleep about 11:30...it was all okay though as Steve came in and gave me a kiss at 12:01....he hasn't done that in quite a few years.

So today I will stay relaxed and relish the feelings I am having...because school will soon start (for both guys in the house) and life dramas will return before I know it. Then my angst will surely return.