It is March Break—I am so excited to have a week off school!

He said

After a run of two weekends with competitions in the month of February which put me into a couple of seven-day stretches that had me working all through the other two weekends in the month. Thankfully the next (and last) comp of the season isn’t until April. That put us into a rarity this weekend which was a full weekend off without anything that had be done. I didn’t realize just how much I needed that, until we got into Saturday and recognized there really wasn’t anywhere we needed to be at any specific time. And, most notably there wasn’t a two-hour trek down the highway to another comp. As much as we enjoy those weekends, it’s nice to make our own schedule.

This week saw the unseasonably warmer weather continue to give us some wonderful days. Beautiful days especially for cycling! Monday I was off work, and the forecast was for sun, weather in the high teens—it was the perfect for me to get out for a longer ride. I decided to do the big 50km loop of the Thames Valley Parkway that basically takes me from the east end of the city to the west end and gives me the opportunity in a couple of spots to really get flying on the bike with some extended downward grade sections on Sarnia Road and Windermere Road. And, that I did. With the temps hitting 20ºC it felt like we’re well into Spring, and almost at Summer! And, in fact the weather was so nice that Danielle and I went for a ride when she was done her work day. Add another 24km to the already 51km from earlier in the day and I had a great day on the bike.

The second Emelia’s wrestling season wrapped up her focus shifted to rugby which tryouts are already under way. She’s happy that the squad looks bigger–both in numbers and stature which she is hopeful means she can try a new position this year. She was Hooker & Prop last season. She got try Lock in a game and really loved that, and the other position she’s interested in is Flank. She’s excited about this season now that she won’t be a rookie and knows more of what to expect. Her wrestling coach Mr. Harvey coaches the boys team and is the one that really convinced Emelia to play and nudged her into it. Like wrestling, it’s so nice to see yet another sport she’s done well outside of her comfort zone and having fun at it and flourishing too!

This weekend started Emelia’s March Break from school. It couldn’t have come at a more needed time for her as she had been taken down a week or so ago by a bug that seemed to be going through everyone, and since then she has been utterly exhausted. I mean it could also be that the girl burns the candle at both ends what with all that she’s been immersed in the last few weeks with cheer, wrestling, school, work, and a bustling social life. This week off will do her a lot of good to catch up on some much needed rest and allow her to properly recharge—that is if she actually will take it easy and get the rest she needs…

She said

This week for Emelia was mostly about cheer, rugby, time with her friends and the tail end of a bug that has taken her out. Last weekend for cheer they were working hard on upping their stunting and routine, this continued on Tuesday which would be their last practice for a week. Emelia’s cheer gym has a travel team that was heading to Florida so it meant that their team was down a few kids on Tuesday. That didn’t stop them from working really hard on upping their overall impression and adding in more dance motions and working on cleaning up timing, tumbling and their overall routine. Emelia who had been home sick in the day was only doing a modified practice but was happy to be there to have input in the changes the girls wanted.

The real focus for Emelia this week was supporting her teammates from afar for OFSSAA for wrestling, her friends Sienna, Courtney and Cameron plus other teammates were all competing. By all accounts it was a strong showing except the misfortune of one of her friends dislocating his shoulder in the middle of the quarter finals. Thankfully it seems that he has recovered and when Emelia saw him this weekend at a party he was out of the sling. But to make it that far in the competition to be taken out of by an injury certainly sucked. All in all Lucas did better and sent more athletes this year than in years past and Emelia hopes she is one that can be there next year.

Between updates for wrestling Emelia was shifting her athletic focus to rugby. Last season was her first year and she loved it, so much she thought for a while she might want to go further and do summer programs to hopefully play in university. She recently has decided that she would rather stay with her first love post high school and work extra hard on cheer but who knows. Once she is back on the field this spring she might change her mind again and go back to the idea of summer rugby.

Once the week wrapped up Emelia was pretty worn out, I think the physical and emotional drain over the last few weeks plus a virus really hit her and hard. She wasn’t overly sick by the end but crushingly exhausted. She basically came home every night and crashed and slept. She would be up for a bit and back to bed again for the night. She was even worried that this would mean she had to cancel her weekend plans. But little miss social butterfly did everything she could to make sure she didn’t miss out on a party.

Friday night after school Emelia’s friend came over and they started to get ready, they then headed to her friend Carys’ house and the entire group of girls got ready for an early St Patrick’s Day party. And by all account according to Emelia anyone and everyone who mattered was there! All her friends, her extended friend group and a group of boys she has known since she was younger and adding in a few of the ‘most popular’ boys in her grade. From a girl who was always in the shadows she had come far out of that shell and blends in with all this group socially. She is still pretty shy around most boys but with this group she seems to be herself. She tries to tell me she sucks at small talk and doesn’t know what to say, well she marches up to this boys and is fully herself. So she isn’t as shy as she thinks she is anymore. And honestly we could not be happier.

This week should be a bit quieter for us as her parents, she is off on March Break so we have a full break from sports and school runs. What will be replaced is a week of being over all all her friends place and I will bet plans for another St. Pat’s party next weekend.