Senior Sunrise

And the official senior year activities continued with Senior Sunrise for the Class of 2024. Two days before school started, the seniors were invited to Tiger Stadium bright and early to watch the sunrise together in the bleachers, symbolizing the beginning of their senior year and final chapter at Katy High. They enjoyed coffee and donuts while gathering together at the end of their summer, and they were each asked to write themselves a letter with their senior year goals and dreams. 

I was able to volunteer at the event and managed to take a few photos to commemorate the special occasion. Connor and his close friends Sam, Morgan, and Ava had a fun time catching up with classmates and enjoying the start of a very special year together.

When they reach the end of their senior year in May, the Class of 2024 will once again come together - this time for Senior Sunset, where they will watch the sunset on their final year of high school and read their personal letters. What a special way to celebrate their milestone year! I'm sure that day will be here before we know it, sniff sniff.

And So It Begins

Toward the end of the summer, I began getting all kinds of emails regarding the upcoming school year as a parent of a Class of 2024 student. The countdown was on for Connor's senior year, and it just seemed so unreal! 

I can remember way back when Connor was in elementary school when I realized that he would graduate in 2024. I recall thinking it was a cool-sounding graduation year and exactly 30 years apart from my own in 1994. Of course, at the time it felt so far away and an impossibility to imagine. And yet, here we are.

As the emails and announcements for "Senior Parents" began rolling in, I had to accept that the final year of Connor's high school was upon us. I felt such mixed emotions about it, perhaps bittersweet? But the word "bittersweet" seems so inadequate to describe the incredulous-and-anxious-yet-proud-with-excitement type of emotions that were swirling through my mind. I honestly didn't know what to expect with the busy and full year ahead, but Connor's senior year was upon us and there was no stopping now!

First up for senior year activities was the official senior yearbook photo session up at his high school. Gosh, do they know how to punch us parents in the gut with this first big milestone with our seniors! We had no idea what we were doing, but we entered the gym and were whisked from station to station as Connor was dressed and groomed for his senior portraits in the 2023-24 yearbook. After years of looking through the kids' yearbooks and admiring the classic dress and pose of the seniors, I could hardly believe that MY kid was now one of those seniors. Seeing Connor neatly posed and smiling in front of that yearbook backdrop was definitely a shock to my system! 

I should probably pause here to take a moment and mention this kid's hair. Goodness! I hardly know what to say except that apparently this is the "in" style at the moment? Connor couldn't care less about his hair and NEVER styles it whatsoever, so I guess it's a good thing that the messy, flipped up hairstyle is what the guys are wearing these days. He showed up for these pictures in dire need of a haircut and with the Texas heat and humidity in full swing. Looking back at these photos, all I can do is shake my head! When I showed Connor the pictures, his comment was, "that's a lot of hair." Ha!

As we worked our way through the photo stations, Connor had less patience with each minute that passed. He was mostly a good sport about it, but some of the poses and settings were completely out of his comfort zone. I snapped some pics to capture the moment as I chuckled to myself at his misery. For once it wasn't ME making him pose for photos, ha!

As we wrapped up the quick session, I felt like I was in a fog of disbelief that this was actually happening. How could my BABY - this kid that made me a mother - be entering his final year of high school? As for Connor, he was taking it all in stride and seemed excited (and maybe a little nervous) about what was to come.

As for the senior photos? Well, they turned out fantastic! I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw this baby of mine looking so grown up and mature. Connor's senior year was officially underway! And so it begins... 

Summer Fun

Time for a collection of photos with all the summer fun from the Courtright household. As usual, Jeff spent most of his time outdoors puttering and tinkering around the yard. He always made sure to make time for our favorite neighborhood pup, Sadie, along with Sadie's cute little visitors. It's the only time we can get our puppy fix around here! 

There were never any shortage of summer projects outdoors for Jeff to complete, especially with the usual unwelcome visitors (wasps) that love to take up residence in our covered front porch. It always makes me so nervous when Jeff climbs up that 2-story ladder to evict the wasps from their homes, yikes!

And while enjoying the lazy days of summer, Jeff could often be found enjoying a lunch out with his favorite girls. If there's one way Kaitlynn and I are alike, it's that we LOVE food and especially when someone else makes it for us, HA!

Towards the end of the summer in the thick of the insane heat, Jeff also made his usual summer work trip over to Dubai. He didn't seem to mind too much because he was able to catch up with friends and colleagues as well as enjoying his favorite Dubai food spots - Mezza and Maria Bonita, yum!

As for me, you won't usually find me anywhere but indoors, especially during the sweltering months of summer heat. I've really settled into my consulting role and managed to find a great work/life balance these days, usually only working 20-30 hours per week. A huge change from the crazy hours I worked back in 2020-21. I noticed that my business profile photos were quite out of date, and I recruited Kaitlynn to help snap an updated version. She was quite the photographer to capture some good ones around the house!

When she wasn't acting as my photographer, Kaitlynn kept busy during July by taking a summer online course with some friends. She did great managing her workload and self-paced schedule for the course, and an afternoon trip to the waterpark was always a nice reward for getting the assignments completed.

And as the summer continued to wind down, Kaitlynn and Allison's schedule became quite full with their cheer practice commitments with their new Nighthawks team. Kaitlynn was having the time of her life with her new team and was so excited for the new season ahead.

As for Connor, he didn't have much of a summer at all, thanks to the super difficult and time-consuming class he was taking online: AP Art History. It was a lesson learned for all of us that summer AP courses are a recipe for misery. Thankfully, he did a great job managing his busy school and work schedule, and he was able to fit in a little fun here and there with his buddies on the golf course - which was quickly becoming his favorite pastime. 

And towards the end of the summer, Connor pushed through his very first exam review all-nighter where he stayed up for a straight 36 hours to study, work, and study more for his AP Art History final. By pushing through and studying all day/night, he was able to get his exam out of the way so that he could hang out with some of his favorite friends. His long-time buddies Noah and Devon were back in town for an epic weekend together at our house where they took on the Barbenheimer challenge - watching the summer movies Oppenheimer and Barbie in a super late, 6-hour night at the movies. So fun!

Morgan Family Summer Vacation to Broken Bow, Oklahoma

Not long after Kaitlynn returned from Soul Quest, it was time for the highlight of our summer: the Morgan Family summer vacation! This year, we were visiting Broken Bow, Oklahoma and staying at a beautiful cabin home in the forest. Our road trip was relatively short and we couldn't wait to reunite with everyone!

Once at the cabin, we quickly settled in with the amazing accommodations - ensuites for each of the siblings/couples and a great bunk room for all the cousins. The kitchen was a great size and had plenty of space for us to spread out both indoors and outdoors. There was no shortage of activities onsite, from ping pong to shuffleboard and even a hot tub. It was the perfect setup for our crew.

The main attractions of Broken Bow were the nearby parks and lakes that everyone was excited to explore. The weather was gorgeous and Uncle Jeb came prepared with all the gear and equipment to enjoy the outdoors. We had several trips to the nearby Broken Bow Lake and even managed to lose a few of our group (along with a mysteriously busted paddle) on one outing, ha! But there was no shortage of outdoor fun when these close cousins get together. Such awesome memories!

During our stay, we enjoyed many adventures as we ventured out into the nearby town. On one of our outings, we found several nearby shops and thrift stores to explore where the kids found many treasures which they exploited during their annual all-nighter, this time with almost the entire crew staying awake all the way until the 6:00am curfew. On several days, the guys in the group enjoyed (or should I say, played not enjoyed?) a couple days of golf and we all soaked in the days together with no shortage of good food and quality time. Our time in Broken Bow was so much fun full of smiles and laughs all around!

We ended our vacation with an outing to the local Escape Room, where several of us wandered around aimlessly while the kids used helpful clues to escape in the nick of time. We may have escaped, but we sure did need a lot of help, ha! Overall, it was another memorable and special summer vacation with our Morgan Crew, for which we feel so thankful and blessed!