Happy 19th Birthday Will!!

This post is late. I know. That is how I roll. This was your senior year at Prosper HS. It is a gigantic. You have 811 kids in your graduating class. The school has over 4,000 students. Sam began his Freshman year at Prosper and I am so thankful he had you. You two rode to and from school together, creating many amazing and fun memories from the regularities of life. Your friendship with him is one that I have prayed about. You always have a friend, an ally, someone who really gets you, because you have each other. I pray that all four of you will have that bond with each other that lasts your lifetime. You also still hang out with some of your friends from the xc team but mostly you enjoy just hanging out in your room drawing and creating amazing characters. In March we went skiing in Colorado for Spring Break. You guys are great skiers. This is the second time we have taken you boys skiing. You took to it easily the first trip and the second time around, it was like riding a bike. YOu just got on and pedaled away. I do believe that you went down one run completely backwards but you did it with style so who is to say you didn't intend it to go that way? Even though Mac skis like a streak of light and dad and I are old, we all survived without any broken bones or major accidents. At the end of the trip, news of Covid 19 broke, closing the slopes closed right after we left. Because this was new and coming from China, we had more questions than answers. People were dying and no one knew how to slow it. Hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and toilet paper were in high demand so people were only allowed to purchase in limited quantities. People had groceries delivered and even wiped it all down before it came into the house. Because of this virus and the rate of transmission, you spent the last 3.5 months of your senior year online. It was ok. The school administrators and teachers made the best of a tough situation. People felt really bad that the seniors were being given this for a final semester. So the community rallied around y'all. Families "adopted" seniors to shower them with gifts and attention. The Babb family took really special care of you. The school lined the road leading up to school with senior photo signs. It was really precious. Graduation was held at the football stadium so that families could socially distance. You were each given masks that matched your cap and gown. You were distanced in chairs covering the football field. The ceremony for 800+ kids was long but wonderful. It was a special time because this was the last year that Prosper would only have one high school. The fireworks rivaled any Fourth of July celebration. I was so proud to be a member of the Prosper community. This was a tough year but they went out of their way to make it amazing. They even had project graduation in the parking lot with giant screens for a drive-in movie. It was so sweet. Our extended family came into town to celebrate your graduation. You decided to attend Abilene Christian University in the Fall to study Digital Entertainment Technology. This was the second summer of our"Monday Funday" or "Tuesday Put on Your Shoes Day" or "Wednesday Let's Be Friends Day" or "Friday Friyay!" adventures. We must have been busy on Thursdays.;0 Regardless, we had our fun times all the other week days. Last summer when I was working 3-4 days a week, I was sad because I would spend my days off running errands. I knew we needed a plan if we were going to enjoy the summer. This summer we went to the movies, the water park, Top Golf, and had a poker tournament. One day we went for steaks at Outback Steakhouse. None of you had ever been before because frankly, we're too cheap. Ha! One day we made our own movie theater at home and watched Toy Story 3. It was a dine-in theater. It was hard to coordinate this summer because of Covid closures, your work schedule (AJ Lawncare), and mine. But we made some really fun memories and purposefully spent time together. That was the point after all. We finished the summer with the annual whipped cream fight. You don't get out there and participate but you are always there to help clean-up. Your Freshman year of college started up. Thankfully, ACU has worked to get you on campus and in the classroom. Many colleges are not. I am so thankful that Abilene is. You are going to have an amazing life experience. We are really gonna have a hole here at the house but we wouldn't hold you back from such an opportunity! Will, you are an awesome young man. You have become so much better than I could have ever hoped or dreamed. The world is just revealing itself to you. I cannot wait to see what all God has planned for you. I love you Will! Happy 19th Birthday!!!