31 Little Words of Wisdom

Colton's high school football number was 31, so we decided to give him 31 little words of wisdom for graduation.  It's funny when you have one graduating, you hope and pray that you've taught them everything they need to know... and then you find yourself (at least I do) in the middle of the night wondering if you every told him 'this' or 'that'..... 

All I know is that we have people (sometimes strangers that know Colt but not us) tell us what a great kid he is.  We are so thankful for those words of praise for him and it reassures us that maybe he did hear a few things that we've tried to pass along over the years!  

For fun, I thought I'd post them here.  His College football number is 85.  Guess I better get started on his college words of wisdom now!!

1.    Never say something you can't take back

2.      Remember you have 3 siblings that look up to you

3.      Know you will make mistakes.  Pray that you learn from them and grow in the process.

4.     Don't ever make a split second decision that will change your life forever. 

5.      Don't be afraid to have fun!

6.     Always open the door for your girlfriend, wife, etc. 

7.      Learn to cook at least one good thing ;)

8.     Be the type of person you were made to be. 

9.     Work hard.. Play hard (but work first) ;)

10.    Look people in the eye when you speak. 

11.     Have confidence in all that you do, and do it for the glory of God.

12.    Invite God into your day, daily.

13.    Learn to manage your time wisely.  You can't get it back.

14.    Don't get too busy doing life, that you forget to live and enjoy it.

15.    Visit your mother ;)

16.    Learn to say no and not feel guilty about it.

17.    Be Slow to anger -- quick to forgive.

18.    Learn to give grace - you will need it someday too!

19.    It's ok to be a leader that leads from behind. 

20.    Everybody makes mistakes (see 18 above)

21.    Learn to say I'm sorry and really mean it.

22.    Learn to forgive and not hold grudges.  Unforgiveness will make you a bitter person.

23.    Understand that good intended people will hurt you (see 22 above)

24.    Take time to enjoy a sunrise and say a prayer before you start your day. 

25.    Take time to enjoy a sunset knowing that you gave your best to the day.

26.    Stand up for those who can't do it themselves. Defend the defenseless.

27.    Make each day count -- make an effort.  You will never get today back.

28.    It’s better to GIVE than to receive.

29.    Encourage others and help them get ahead.

30.    Never take anything for granted!

31.    Never forget that we love you… no matter what.

Senior Moments

It's official.  We have a 2014 Graduate!  This year has flown by and the last month has been no exception.  Luckily, we've been so busy that I haven't had time to comprehend the fact that our firstborn has graduated and will be heading to college in just 9 short weeks!!!

Colts baseball team went into district playoffs and won their district title. For a "planner" who plans out every last minute and has to figure out how to shuffle 4 kids to where they need to be, this stressed me out a bit.  We had 4 extra games that weren't planned on (one of which we traveled to 3 times [2 hours away] before we actually played the game due to rain postponements and delays-- but wow, talk about a couple of exciting games!! And all the rain in our area made getting all these district games in before the deadline a nightmare.  But this group of guys did it!!!  Unfortunately, we got knocked out in our first round of states, but it was an awesome ride!!!  It was an honor to watch these young men play -- 9 of which were seniors! 

Here's a few pics of the district championship game.   So glad we were all there to share in the moment.

   

Next it was "signing day" at school.  That's when all the student athletes that will be playing a college sport get together (news cameras and all) and sign their letters of intent etc (even though most of these kids didn't really sign anything) :)  it's just a fun day to celebrate all these kids who are heading off to college and playing a sport that they love!   Such an awesome achievement.   

Colton will be going to a private college in Pa and will be playing football.  He will be majoring in physics (yikes, I'm not even sure I can spell that!!).  We are super proud of him and his college choice.  It's a really great school with loads of opportunities. 

Next came graduation -- in the midst of baseball -- well actually we finished up a few days beforehand.   We haven't gotten the chance to officially celebrate, but plan to do so in July!!  Here's a few pics of Colton with grandparents and all of us.  He only was allowed seven guests at graduation ... But no worries .. I have a big enough scream that he definitely wasn't lacking any cheers!!! 

His superintendent spoke about Square One -- and how that's not necessarily a bad or scary thing and that's where most of these seniors are finding themselves.  I can certainly attest to that.  I've personally found myself at square one a few times, and trusting God's plan each time has brought me to the finish line -- not that it was easy and not that I didn't slide back down a few times -- but knowing God has a plan and trusting Him in that is the first step.  

A man’s heart plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps.  - Proverbs 16:9.

We are proud of you Colton~  Can't wait to see what plans God has in store for you!