Last November, a vaulting parent and friend nudged me playfully with her elbow and said, "Well, aren't we proud of our little Genevieve?" I had no idea what she was talking about. "You don't know?" Uh, no. "You haven't seen the ranking list?" What's that? My friend pulled out her phone and quickly brought up the United States Equestrian Federation Vaulting Ranking Lists. Genna....was....first....place.....in the whole country........
I can't even think about that moment without my heart pounding again. How did that happen?
Well, I didn't post about vaulting adventures in 2018, but Genna did really well (obviously). Mark and I told her we would only pay for two competitions a year, but Genna really wanted a shot at High Point Winner and in order to do that, she had to compete in at least three American Vaulting Association (AVA from now on) sanctioned competitions. If Genna wanted to participate in a third competition, she would have to earn the money to pay for it. And she did. And because she came in first place for all three competitions, she also went to Nationals in California and came in third place overall for Bronze. There is some chatter that she would have come in first place if her shoe hadn't fallen off.
Her three highest scores added together not only earned her the High Point Award for the region, but she also earned Bronze Woman Champion in the nation. And that is how we ended up in Las Vegas for the Education Symposium and Awards Ceremony.
We had such a fun time. The first day, the coaches took us on a really cool hike to see the petroglyphs in Sloane Canyon. The second day was getting checked in and I worked the AVA information booth to earn my volunteer access to all the clinics and sessions for the following three days. Genna worked so hard all weekend. She worked with famous vaulters from all over the world on different techniques. An hour on handstands. An hour on scissor swings. An hour on jumps. It was amazing.
We have so many great memories from out time in Vegas. Genevieve can't wait to go back again next year. But after how expensive this year is going to be...well, she better either earn a reason to be there or start saving her money!
We've never had this much snow. We had a lot of snow over the weekend-11 inches!- but when the last system came through, we got dumped on. I wish I had an area cleared so I could accurately measure how much snow we got in total without the compaction of the bottom layer. It was at least 17 inches. People nearby had 20-24 inches.
Anytime any kids got too crazy, I sent them outside. Fiona spent the most time outside, but only because she had things to do. She probably enjoyed the peace and quiet of solitude out there. I know I did.
Mark helps Fiona finish her igloo
Almost done!
Kai likes to catch snowballs!
The animals fared well. The turkey netting drooped down to the ground and then froze in place, so the turkeys are able to fly away...if they want. The chickens just stayed in the coop.
Watching the geese traverse the deep snow was hilarious. They didn't even seek cover during the night and let the snow cover them.
Mark rescues one of his "baby" trees. It's not a baby anymore!
The View from my Window
Lucky Ian got to get out during the break in the weather and get "snowed in" at his best friend's house. They played hours of video games, built an igloo, and ate pork-free pizza. We "missed" him.
Pile of snow on the back porch
My van. My poor poor van. The snow is higher than the running board. There is no way I can even get the van out of that spot now, two days after the snow stopped!
I really loved having so much snow. Our home is so beautiful. I felt like I was on a vacation in the mountains with my family, only I didn't have to worry about who was feeding my animals. Mark and the kids work so hard filling our woodsheds (yes, two of them) with firewood. We were never without heat.
After the snow stopped, the branches started to crack and snap. We lost our papaya tree, which isn't even a papaya tree. We've just called it that for so long, the name stuck.
So much snow on the side porch!!!
Our power went out for 22 hours, along with the phone and internet. I don't need power to be content, but my new baby chicks were cold! I had to set a timer on Fiona's Kindle to wake me up every 1 to 1.5 hours all night long to make sure the fire hadn't burned out and they weren't too hot or too cold. I was so tired, but they lived.
It's been awhile. Sorry. I have all sorts of reasons for not writing. I'm busy. My kids don't like me writing about them for other people to read about. My old technology (digital camera, desktop computer) aren't as convenient as a smart phone and Facebook. I actually had to reset my password to this blog because I couldn't remember what it was. I tried to reset it to what it actually was, so I'm getting old and forgetful on top of everything.
But we are in the calm between two (or more) snowstorms and I do like to go back and read old stories of past storms (and other things).
Firewood to last two years worth of snow
I enjoy reading Facebook posts of people that haven't lived here very long. They laugh about Western Washington shutting down over a few inches of snow. But those of us who survived the ice storms of 1996 and 2012 know better and are well stocked with firewood and other essentials.
We have eight to ten inches so far and we are preparing for another eight in the next 24 hours.
Oh, you thought spring was coming?
Just about everything is ready. The only bad thing about this storm is that we thought winter was over. Mark bought me 29 new chicks for my birthday and they were delivered on Friday morning, just an hour before the snow started. They did not have a nice trip. We are down to 14 chicks. Some died during the shipment, some got very cold when our power went out, and one died because it had a crossed bill defect and couldn't drink. When our power goes out, and it has twice in the last 24 hours, we move them close to the woodstove and monitor closely.
The snow is perfect for sledding, so my kids that are still young in heart are packing down the snow for good sledding paths. I also got my old snowboard down.
Ian went snowboarding with some friends after Christmas; I'm sure boarding on our driveway won't be the same. My vaulter is enjoying the ride though.
National Weather Service is forecasting the next system to start in a few hours. I have plenty of time to fill the buckets and get the laundry caught up, right?
Welp, time for my official transcript/record of what we are doing this year...
Ian backed out of Running Start when he found out he was going to have to ride the school bus to the park n ride and take the city bus to the community college. Too bad he didn't study harder last year. He could have been driving. Oh well. Life lessons can be tough ones. He is back at Peninsula High School as an 11th grader, safe in a system where I can breathe down his neck, email his teachers, and make sure he is turning his assignments in on time. Of course I'm not jumping in and rescuing him! This is a punishment! He is taking AP Physics, AP US History, AP Language and Composition, Spanish 3, Pre-Calculus, and Ceramics. He didn't want ceramics, but hey-when you trade your educational freedom in for government school, you don't get to choose your electives! Or your other classes because when you back out of Running Start and your mom has to handle the last minute paperwork, she gets to choose based on what she know you are capable of. See? The joke is on him. And man, I love his hair.
Shane is taking a Biology class with a local homeschool mom/science teacher. He is taking World History, Current Events, and PE at Co-op. And he is using Math-U-See Geometry. I had him using Memoria Press 9th grade, but I changed my mind about using the whole program. He just isn't a Shakespeare/Homer/Virgil kind of guy. He will be using bits and pieces though: Latin, Logic, and Composition. I will be creating his Literature one book at a time. His first read is Animal Farm. I'm looking forward to seeing how his year goes. He was supposed to be a 9th grader this year because I wanted to hold him back due to the late summer birthday, but he really wants to be a 10th grader. So I guess I better backtrack and get a real high school transcript started for him! He is still participating in Sea Scouts and orchestra. He is a great kid to have at home.
Genevieve is using Memoria Press 6th grade even though she is a 7th grader this year. Memoria Press is academically advanced and super challenging. She is getting an amazing education and is on track with the advanced classes at the local middle school. In a month, she will be part of a language arts class with a local homeschool mom whose kids have moved on to university. In addition to her academics here, she is taking choir and needlework at co-op. She is at the age where she just wants to be around people her own age and has started bugging us about going to public school. We won't even have that discussion until high school, so I may only have to plan one more year of curriculum.
Fiona and Daniel are combined in Memoria Press 3rd Grade. Fiona has fallen pretty far behind for several reasons, but this is her year. I just know she is past that late bloomer phase. I am going to finish off this school year with the both of them, but if things don't go well I'm going to reconsider homeschooling these two. Fiona is still doing orchestra and Daniel is a Cub Scout.
All the kids, from Shane to Lula, are in Taekwondo with Mark. Mark started a class just for black belts that meets on Friday nights, just so Genna and Shane and a few select students can have an advanced workout.
Lula, now a first grader, loves learning. She is so excited to sit at the table and do workbooks. I have her using Memoria Press for Language Arts, Math-U-See for math, and all her other learning is at co-op. She has an amazing line up of classes that includes stories and art, science and nature, and geography projects. And she is reading! She isn't my earliest reader, but she is very good at learning phonics and is picking up spelling nicely.
Heidi is PreK age and has some dollar store workbooks for letters and numbers, plus a few fun classes at co-op. Her fun classes are called Multisensory Play and Character Club. I haven't really figured out if I'm going to do anything planned for her and Jason. I really want to use Junior Kindergarten with them from Memoria Press, but I just seem to run out of time. They are such a distraction and Heidi doesn't have Lula's studious personality. We will see which way the wind blows her...
Jason's classes at co-op are Center Time and Character Club. Today was his first day going to class without me. He acted like a total clingy baby, but I was able to sneak out when he was distracted and every time I checked on him, he was fine. But he was totally worn out by the time we got in the van to come out.
What about me? I'm going to keep working my three jobs (Harbor Press, Harbor Health, and Sound View Camp), volunteering as the co-leader for PreK-K at my new church sprout: Waypoint South, going to MOPS and being the table leader for the moms with older kids, going to a once-a-month book club for moms and daughters, and being an admin for several Facebook groups for homeschooling and our local Buy Nothing group.
Sometimes we need to take a long summer break. Last summer Mark wasn't able to run the kids up mountains like he had dreamed because of wildfire smoke and just life. This summer was different!
The first mountain was Elinor on Lula's 6th birthday! See Lula up there? It was her first summit!
The next adventure was just for experienced mountaineers (plus a friend of Ian's)
They got a leetle lost, but not too lost. Copper Mountain. Not for the faint of heart.
Four days later, Mark ran just Fiona and Genna up Mount Townsend.
Five days after Mount Townsend, Mark took Genna, Fiona, and Daniel up Elk Mountain.
As you can see, Daniel gets very grumpy when he hikes. A nice stranger took this picture for them.
Gosh, I hope you kids aren't tired because Dad is ready to go back up again, this time to Mount Rose.
And Mount Rose was special because this trip was Heidi's first trip up the mountain! Lucky girl! And why wasn't Genna on this trip? She was in California! But that is another post...
Mark got brave after his success on Mount Rose. If Lula and Heidi can hike, then maybe...
...maybe Jason can too! He chose a short mountain for Jason's first hike: Mount Zion. And where was Jason's mother? I was in California with Genna!
After Genna and I got home, Mark took Shane on a trip for just the two of them. I'm sure Ian was invited, but he didn't want to go without his friend and his friend doesn't own hiking boots and you can't climb Mt Washington in Vans because it is a Class 3 so...
Mark and Shane at the summit
The next trip was to traversing Grey Wolf Ridge, summitting Mount Baldy and Grey Wolf Peak. The older three kids went on this trip...
Get off your dang phone, Ian!
Mark had one more trip planned to Mount Angeles that got postponed due to smoke. He is just going to have to be satisfied with running until he can get back up in the mountains (he's run 200 miles this summer).
One evening after vaulting practice, Coach Lori held me after the other parents left and said, "We would really like to take Genna to Nationals in California." I asked if she was really that good and Lori nodded- she isn't one to single out one girl over the team-so when she said, "Yes, she is really that good. And we would be happy to take her. She can work for her room and board by helping us with the horses." How could I say no to that?
So off she went! She was down there for several days helping out with setting up the arena and Fun Fest before I met them down there closer to Genna's competition time. I was just in time to give her a quick hug, but her brain was in full competition mode by then.
Harbor View Vaulters: Bronze Women (T, B, and Genna)
The scores for round one compulsories plus freestyle were averaged for a final place for round one. Genna came in 8th place for Compulsories. She had never gotten such a low placing, but this was Nationals after all! Here is her Compulsories video:
We had an entire day off between Compulsories and Freestyle, so we headed off to Moss Landing to see some wildlife and play in the ocean. The girls really needed the distraction.
Genna and B: So silly! You can't take vaulters anywhere without them posing!
We were staying in the Garlic Capital of the World, so we stopped to try out garlic ice cream. It was actually really good! The ice cream tasted normal, but it had a strong garlic aftertaste that was not unpleasant.
As we got closer to the freestyle round, the more nervous we got. There were almost 50 Bronze level women vaulters. Only the top 15 scores get to advance to Round 2. Genna was in 9th for compulsories and that had always been her better score. Genna is not much of a showman. She does better with the restrictions of compulsories. Her goal, she said, was to score in the top five. I told her that her goal should be just being there and happy with whatever place she gets. "How about just having a top 15 goal so you can advance to Round 2?" Nope. Top five.
Genna, B, and T waiting to go into the warm up arena
This was a tough tough morning. We (a teammates's mom and I) felt like all the girls from all the teams were having a horrible morning. Girls were falling off their horses kind of horrible. You could feel the tension. When our three bronze girls went up, T (in blue above), slipped, couldn't catch her balance, lost her place in her music, and quit halfway through her routine and was disqualified. We were heartbroken. All that hard work and money spent, done in 38 seconds. The second girl, B, who has been Genna's partner all year, also had a tiny slip. While this was going on, T was whispering in Genna's ear, "Win this for me." No pressure, right? When Genna was in the middle of the ring, I could see her saying something while they were waiting for the judge to ring the bell to signify the start. I saw Lori lean into hear what Genna was saying and then I saw her smile. I relaxed, even though I didn't know what she said.
Midway through her routine, Genna's shoe fell off and she slipped off the horse, but caught herself and got right back in to her routine. Coincidentally, it was right in time with her music when the lyrics say, "Birds don't just fly, they fall down (slip) and get up..." Too bad it didn't count as music interpretation haha.
A teammate comforting a crying Genna. I love these girls so much.
Afterwards, I asked Genna what she was saying. "Zip ties, duct tape, thumb tacks, and staples. See, I set this arena up when we first got here. I know that that thing over there is held together by zip ties. And that thing is taped to stay up. And all those decorations are just stapled into the wood. When I get nervous, I just remember the arena is just held together by these little things." Wow. Genna ended up in 5th place for Freestyle! We were so excited! A ninth place and a fifth place meant she would probably advance! The placing all comes down to points, so we were so surprised when the Round 1 scores were posted and both B and Genna were not only advancing, but were in 3rd and 4th place! Top Five, just like Genna wanted! It was definitely a See Mom? I told ya! moment.
Can't take them anywhere!
So, here we were. Round 2. Fifteen women/teens/girls. Girls with personal trainers and electronic barrels and fancy ranches and then there is us. Genna and B. Girls from nowhere special with parents who don't fit the stereotype horse people. All year, B won Round 1 in all the competitions, just to narrowly lose the entire competition to Genna on Round 2. The big difference is the compulsories go the opposite direction and all the moves are mirrored. Genna is really good at Round 2 compulsories.
Vaulters are always up early to take care of the horses
She was nervous, but more confident. She still had her mantra. And her new goal: Top Three. I tried to talk her out of it again. I tried again with the be happy you made it to Round 2 talk. And then I had to leave her and go sit in the stands. As we approached her go time, my heart was going faster and faster. I was shaking. I leaned back against the back of the arena (I was in the top row) and something poked me in the back! I turned around and saw... a zip tie! I immediately felt better. And then....
she nailed Round 2. First place!!! And as the last few vaulters were finishing up Round 2 and the judges were entering the scores...Genna was holding first place over all for awhile. I was seriously having a panic attack. I was not ready to have Genna come down to her first National competition and beat everyone at the Bronze level. She had only been vaulting for two years. This couldn't be happening. But she didn't...she came in a decent THIRD place overall.
Coach Lori, Coach Kathy, and Genna.
The cherry on top of the whole trip was getting to meet Mary McCormick. She has been vaulting forever. She is amazing and strong and competes internationally. Her horse's stall was across from Harbor View's horses, so I asked if Kathy would introduce Genna to her. Mary was so sweet. She said, "Genevieve Downen? I've heard your name a lot today! First in compulsories in Round 2? And third overall? Wow! How long have you been vaulting? Only two years?" She looked over at Kathy with a look. "Were you in gymnastics before or just natural talent?" Kathy gives a knowing nod. Genna tells her she also does Taekwondo. I fan girl swoon. Famous people are hearing about my girl.
Mary and Genna
Indy gets a ribbon too!
As soon as the ceremony was over, I had to head back to the airport and wait for my girl to get home with the coaches and horses. This was a trip we will never forget!
