Good Morning. Well that was a certainly fast moving weekend. Started out by picking the oldest up at the South Bend Airport Friday late afternoon and from there I rushed her back home to change and then we left for the High School basketball game in which Coloma pretty much was not a factor. They got a whipped like a thoroughbred by a thoroughbred. Lakeshore was rated #5 in class B so no contest. Manda was doing interviews and then dinner with the judges where all the girls get to mingle with the judges and ask questions and just sort of unwind. The funny thing is the dinner that was chosen for the girls was Chicken Wings….ok what kind of sick ass does that? Anyway I am thinking it was to see who was more proper in there eating of the often related to as a snack food and not a main course unless the judges wanted to find out who would order a beer with theirs…Anyway the evening went well for all the girls. The girls that were in the contest had to call it an early evening and we who were not at the same restaurant stayed out and unwound ourselves. The next day was the pageant and Mandy had high hopes of becoming queen. She did look well on stage and carried herself very nicely but, this was not her contest to win I am sadly to say but happy to say it… Sounds almost sour grapiest of me but not really. I wanted Mandy to enjoy herself and not be devastated if she did not win or even make the court. She was a finalist which is an honor in itself. The spring and summer these girls who make the court and the queen herself get run through is too much for Mandy to handle. Oh she would have been brought through the mill with all the goings on and my Mandy is a softball lover and her sport is kicking off in just about 4 weeks. She would have given up a lot of her favorite sport to become the community queen and although she wanted it. I think this was a good fit for her not to be put through it. I know how Jaclyn was devastated the year she won on all the doings and goings on the girls have to do. More so for the queen but her court also does so many things. I will not miss those tears and many, many hard dealings with rushing here or there and being told what to wear. The new queen was one of the very rich families in Coloma and it’s almost fitting for her to be chosen to represent the community of Coloma. But, Mandy perked up at a dinner with her aunts and cousins and many of her friends afterwards and she chose to ride home with me as well as ride to the restaurant with me. I believe she on some things confides in her dad more then mom. Which we had a great conversation on the way home and I mentioned how proud I was of her and also very happy that her spring and summer plans were not laid out for her in advance and now she could focus on her passion. I think she had added stress to live up to Jackie’s expectations of following in her footsteps as a queen like she was, but Jackie did something before the contest in trying to calm the nerves down of all the gals. She purchased a crown off the internet and it was all filled with jewels and sparkled like lights were hitting it from all angles. She held the crown up in front of all the girls and said, “is this what you all want? Well its nothing!” And she preceded to destroy it breaking the marvelous piece of head gear sought after by many girls and looked up to by many little girls. She broke it into enough pieces and said “Here, I want you all to have a piece because to me you are already all queens and now I want you to enjoy who you are and have fun” You know…speeches like that can’t be taught. She must have gotten that from her mothers side…. I have all three daughters home this week and am in seventh heaven and I can’t tell you how good it feels to be the father of three great children who now I can look back and say, Damn we did something right in raising them. You know many kids do many great things and make their parents proud and some do many things to make their parents shake their heads and look for answers to why…There is no right answer and no comforting one in why certain things take place or for what reason. At the end of the day you may have many unanswered questions rolling around in your head and perhaps you don’t. But, when it’s all said and done kids will do what kids will do. All we can do as parents is make sure they know they are loved. Mine I think know…So it’s Monday and the start of the work week again may your week be filled with great things in what ever you set out to do.
A huge hug and a pat
Marty
