Dear Reader:

John and Mandy have had Eva Cate participating in several mini-day camps to keep her busy and having fun this summer. Most of these are put on by the “Rec” Center in Mt. Pleasant. But Mandy also signed her up for a four-day cheer-leading camp put on by the Jr. Varsity and Varsity Wando High School cheerleaders…a fundraiser for their own camps and programs this upcoming school year.

It concluded yesterday with a parents’ invitation to watch their children exhibit their new cheer-leading skills. Eva Cate asked if I would come see her. So John, Mandy, and I cheered Eva Cate on to victory as she cheered her little heart out.

They were broken down into age groups from 4-11….Eva Cate was in the 7 year-old group (about 25 in each group) I think this “Fund-Raiser” was quite successful. Actually they had done a marvelous job with these little girls in a four-day period. It was very organized and the program was over in half an hour. Considering the number of participants it was nothing short of a miracle.

Yesterday morning…Eva Cate was excited and nervous at the same time…since she was one of the tiniest in her age group…she was on top of one of the pyramids…which she accomplished quite well…standing tall and waving to everyone.

One of Eva Cate’s outfits for the Princess Theme was wearing her Minnie Mouse ears along with her Minnie Mouse t-shirt that said “Who Needs a Crown When You Have a Bow.” (Mandy and I took her to Wild Wings, as a surprise for her successful cheer-leading camp.)

While eating, I found myself staring at the saying on Eva Cate’s t-shirt and I thought to myself…”Who DOES need a crown when you have a bow?”

I still have dreams and goals, myself, and like Minnie they aren’t about gold or riches but my goals fall in the time-and hug categories. I just want more time to hug and kiss my children and grand-children. Every day that I wake up is so glorious that I might as well be wearing a crown.

I told Eva Cate that I was a Junior Varsity Basketball Cheerleader when I was in high school and when I heard my name called out over the intercon I thought my heart would explode. (A little girl’s dream come true. I wasn’t as interested in cheering necessarily as much as getting my “Letter Sweater.”)

Eva Cate started giggling and asked what a “Letter Sweater” was…so when I got home yesterday…I pulled it out of the closet…mothball holes and all, smiled at the fond memories and took a picture of it for posterity. *And I might add…I have gotten the ‘last laugh’…letter sweaters are making a come-back…as seen in this advertisement:

What’s old has become new again—classic, school letter sweaters are back! Neff’s throwback letter sweaters allow students to proudly display their hard earned chenille letters and patches while providing a lightweight alternative to a traditional wool or softshell jacket. 

(I am upper left) Still had braces so never smiled showing my teeth…until they were finally taken off right before my senior picture!)

So until tomorrow…

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* Brooke and I are off to Columbia to see Jackson today…as many of you know she just recently had knee replacement surgery…and we need to “lay our eyes on her” to make sure she is really okay! Will fill you in tomorrow!