No longer a beginner, SS earned qualifying score.

It's been five days since I last posted, P took Saturday off, and it just felt wrong for me to go to work. We ended up staying home Tuesday as well. We sure know how to make a pity party last.  But it was a really good break, spending time with a certain clueless little girl and just letting things settle.  We are probably going to get SS's blood work done Friday, my day off. The lab's schedule just doesn't work well with ours. If P can join us fine, but I have done it before with SS and I think we are going to be just fine. I might call in advance because last time they really had to carefully calculate the absolute minimum of blood they could take, due to SS's size. Our girl is a trooper and she will rise to the occasion, then guilt us into buying another treat. I'm going to try my best to post in the next week, but things are going to get busy as we prepare for our little birthday getaway.  The more I think about it, the more I cringe wondering how on earth I ended up agreeing to so much planning and expense, for such a short time.

Today was tournament day, last day of this archery session, although it seems it went by too fast. We really think it was a much shorter session. P texted me that SS earned a qualifying score. That's great, but what does that mean? Until today SS was a beginner, and today's score now qualifies her as intermediate. Here's the thing about qualifying, only tournament scores count. All those bulls eyes during class do not count, it only counts to have a good day on tournament day.  And I'm surprised today was SS's day, because P told me she was a beast. Onward to the Olympics little beast!

I quickly asked P if he took pictures, and apparently it was not possible with our daughter's p*ss poor attitude.  At least it did not impede her scoring. Many kids reach that goal after only their first session. We have seen beginners nail bulls eyes by their second class. For us, the beauty of SS's achievements are measured differently. That Olympics remark was merely making fun of ourselves. We are proud that SS has managed to hold on to that huge bow. We are immensely relieved that she has not managed to make her arrow boomerang into the crowd, getting her mug in the news that evening. We are just happy that she tries, for as long as SS wants to try archery.  Or karate, music, soccer, alpine skiing, snow boarding. OK, the last two just to mess with P, who hyperventilated when he saw SS's look of awe and determination at the female snowboarders and skiers.  He said absolutely NOT, and I said why not, just to see the look on his face. It was almost as good as when I suggested sitting SS on the trunk of that elephant in China.

We do not see archery or whatever activity she is in as the thing that will define SS, but one of the many things she will get to experience throughout her childhood. It feels good to be able to offer her the opportunities (low budget as they are) and watch her find her niche. One day she might find her bliss, and we pray that the activity that makes SS happy, is one she can also master. In the meantime we just watch in awe at the things she by all means should not be doing, but is at least participating. So even in a day with a p*ss poor attitude, we can't help but laugh at the box of chocolates SS has turned out to be. You never know what you are going to get. What we get we enjoy and we treasure.

SS's Lego area, we had to get her table out of JJ's room to give him breathing room.

Cute, but we will be discussing your attitude young lady.