Happy 16th Birthday Sam!

Per my usual, this post is late. I'm usually late but this year I'm blaming it on Covid. This year you started high school at Prosper HS. It is a gigantic school with over 4,000 kids. Thankfully, you had Will to help you navigate. The two of you rode to and from school each day. What special memories you made with the regularities of life. Your friendship is sweet. One that I have prayed for you boys. We tell y'all all the time that you always have a friend, an ally, someone who really gets you, because you have each other. You've made some new friends and are still settling in. It's a very big school, easy to get lost in but you're making the best of it. You are participating in track again. I think you really enjoy track much more than xc. I think track is where you find friendships and it is where your work ethic really shows. No matter how tired or how much it hurts, you push yourself to the brink, beyond expectations. You're becoming very strong and determined. In March we took a Spring Break trip to Colorado to ski. You guys are great skiers. This is your second time skiing. The first time, you managed it but your style was a little odd. I just think you were trying so hard not to fall down. This time, you totally had it. You went fast and furiously, not backing down from the scariest of runs. Thankfully we all survived without any broken bones or major accidents. At the end of the trip, word of the Coronavirus began to circulate. The slopes closed right after we left. There were so many unknowns about this virus from China. Hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and toilet paper were quite the commodity. If you found it at a store, you were only allowed to purchase one package per family. Because of this virus and the rate of transmission, you finished your ninth grade year online. It was fine for awhile but you struggled a bit with it. Academically you did fine but socially, it was tough for you. I don't know that you are a social butterfly like Mac but you need that face-to-face interaction. You need variety in your day but with a schedule. The teachers did their best with Zoom calls and such but it just wasn't the same. Many times you would ride with me to the store. You rarely went into the store because of all the germs but you went just to get out of the house. If you did go into an establishment, masks were required. That's the new norm. Thankfully, we managed through and got to summer. This was the second summer doing "Monday Funday" or "Tuesday Put on Your Shoes Day" or "Wednesday Let's Be Friends Day" or "Friday Friyay!" I guess we never did anything on Thursdays because I can't think of what we would have called it.;0 Regardless, we had our fun times all the other week days. This idea started last summer when I was working 3-4 days a week. I realized that we needed to have a plan if we were going to enjoy the summer. I didn't want the whole summer to just drift by. I came up with "Tuesday Put on Your Shoes Day". Most of you hated the name but at least it was something you all agreed upon. Some weeks we had to do stuff on a different day, thus the variety of silly names. This summer we went to the movies, the water park, Top Golf, even had a poker tournament. One day we went to Outback Steakhouse to have steaks because none of you had ever been before. We just don't get that fancy with ya;) We also made our own movie theater at home and watched Toy Story 3. It was a dine in theater. It was harder this summer to do stuff because so much was closed but we made the best of it and purposefully spent time together. That was the point after all. We finished the summer with the annual whipped cream fight. You're a little too big to get in on the fun but you help out and keep the kids in line. Tenth grade started up which was a prayer answered. Many schools delayed the start because of Covid but Prosper pressed on and was the better for it. Of course there were lots of precautions put in place but they made it as safe as we could have hoped for. Will is off to college so your partner in crime is gone. Papa takes you and picks you up from school now. It isn't the same but it is a different kind of good and wonderful memories are still being made. You turned 16 and you got your license!!! You do not love dad and I working with you on driving. Apparently we make you nervous. So, Papa lets you drive to and from school. Pawpaw took you out driving a time or two as well. I give you opportunities to drive but again, you don't appreciate my teaching style;0 For your birthday, you had some of your friends from Frisco over to stay the night and hang out. You are still close with Karl. Unfortunately, due to Covid, he was not able to come but you still had fun with Tyler, Collin, and Brooks. You hadn't seen them in a very long time. I think it did your heart good to catch up and laugh with old friends you grew up with. Sam, you are becoming a wonderful young man. You have a tender heart and that makes some days more difficult for you. That being said, once you figure out how to make that one of your greatest assets, your life will be blessed. You don't like when I talk about how you're a high feeler. Right now that just sounds weak to you. But boy, knowing how you feel, feeling it, and being able to express it will be a gift for your future wife and family. You are precious and stronger than you'll ever know. I love you Sam! Happy 16th Birthday!!!