Friday, June 27, 2014

Distinguished Young Women

Both of the twins are doing this scholarship program this summer.  DYW promotes and rewards scholarships, leadership, and talent in young women.  Those who participants in this program develop friendships, self-confidence, and other life skills that pave the way for future success.  The girls will be judged by their academics, leadership, and by their talent.  There are 13 girls in our county that will compete against each other from 6 schools.  During the summer they will have rehearsals, learn dance routines, and have mock interviews.  The pageant will be held during the 2nd weekend of August.  Today all the girls went to the photo shoot.  They took pictures that will be in the programs the night of the event and for the web site.  Kinda excited to see the girls grow into young ladies just never thought I would have a pageant girl or never less 2 of them.
 

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Senior Crowns

One of the traditions  at our local high school is the senior crown.  Each senior purchase a crown and decorates it to match their personality.  It is amazing to see what a normal Burger King crown looks like after a creative teenager gets to it.  The seniors wear them during special days all thru out the school year, like homecoming and senior night.  The girls and a few of their friends started their crowns this afternoon.  It looked like craft time throw up glitter all over the camo but I can't wait to see how these will turn out once they are done.
 


Sunday, June 22, 2014

LLA Converse College

After 5 days I finally got my 5 minute call from Jenna.  It was Friday night about 9:15ish.  Sam and I were already down in Spartanburg.  We went down so we could be at the college early Saturday morning.  We were on our way back from dinner.  And my phone rang the Air Force song.  The up beat in her voice was golden.  She said she had a great week and her squadron #2 had been in lead all week long.  She was working with a great guy and they had accomplished everything top notch and had the rabbit to prove it.  A stuff rabbit is awarded to the top squadron each day and the 2 of them had the rabbit everyday.  She then told me the parade would start at 9:15 and to be there early.  We said we are 3 minutes away and we would be there.
 
Sam and I got to Converse College a hour early.  Laid out a bunch of blankets so the rest of our Corp. family could sit with us.  The weather was a little muggy but the cool breezy was
a great welcome.  The 1st part of the morning was a parade.  All cadets march on the field with their flight, squad, and group.  It is a traditional parade were the colors and the cadets are inspected. 
 

 
After  the parade we all went into the auditorium for the awards part of the presentation.  They award ribbons and trophies to the top flight, basic, group, and squad.  It is an amazing ceremony to honor the 323 cadets that graduate from the camp and acknowledge the best. There are 22 schools represented from 3 different states.  This is the only week the Air Force camp is done which means it is an honor to be elected to go. During the ceremony  Jenna received the outstanding squadron leader eagle. 
 
 
 
Our Corp. was very well represented at the awards ceremony as well.  Jenna and a friend of hers help train to get 6 basic cadet and 2 cadre cadets ready for this camp.  Our cadets received high honors yesterday.  One cadet was in the outstanding flight, one cadet was in the top 10 % of the class, one cadet got outstanding basic in his flight as well as top basic male in the camp, and another received outstanding cadre.  It really shows great leadership on  how Jenna and Cooper trained the cadets by how well they succeed.  Sometimes leadership is really shown by how your really treat people. 
 

 
 
After the cadets were released some of our cadets and their families joined us for lunch.  We ate at a diner called Wade's.  It is a place of home cooking southern food.  It was great to see the cadets talk to their families, laugh with their friends, and the peanut butter pie was amazing. 
 
 
This is Jenna's 3rd and last year to attend LLA.  I have watched her grown and become a leader. The 1st year she went as a basic.  The ride home she didn't talk and sleep all the way.  Last year she went as a cadre.  She was awarded the outstanding cadre leader award. She wasn't as tired but had lost her voice from keeping basic's in line and call jodies all week.  So it was a quiet ride home.  This year she was laughing and talked most of the way home.  She only nodded off once.   This is a great program and the kids really seem to enjoy it.  They make friends from all over and represent their school. 
 
AFJROTC

 

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Jenna off to LLA

Jenna left this morning to go to LLA.  This is a week long leadership camp for JROTC in South Carolina.  At this camp there are 22 JROTC Corps. from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.  LLA is Leadership Lab Active.  These cadets that were chosen will stay in the dorms all week, eat in the college cafeteria, began the 6am morning with a run, test on their Air Force knowledge, have room inspections,  and get to meet new friends.  This is Jenna's 3 yr. attending and she is a squadron leader this summer.    The hardest part for me during this week is not being able to talk or text her.  Once they got off the bus this morning at 11 am they took their phones.  We will get a 10 minute phone call Friday night.  These are always rushed calls and you try to see how the week has been and to see where they will be in the line up for Saturday's graduation parade but usually all I remember is the sound of her voice after talking to her.

Jenna started JROTC her freshman year is high school after a family friend talked about how much he enjoyed it.  I knew nothing about the program and wasn't sure if I wanted her to go military.  But this group has help her grow into a young women, learn discipline, and how to work with others. 
The Corp. has become part of her family.  I learned about the brotherhood, how uniforms were to be ironed, heard cadence called all times of day and been called Mama Ann by groups of kids I claim my own now.  I am a proud AFJROTC Mom. 
this is our HS rock the cadets painted before the left

Saturday, June 14, 2014


the beginning

Hey my name is Ann and I am a single mom of 3 beautiful girls.  I am starting this blog to log the triumphs and troubles of the next year.  My oldest, the twins, are seniors in high school.  Deep breath.
I expect there will be lots of ups and down in the next 12 months but I want to document them all.
I asked Tori the other day what is one thing she want to accomplish her senior year?  She asked if she could get back to me.  I said sure but I really wanted to say NO we don't have time to get back with an answer.  If this next year flies by like the past 17 yrs. I am going to blink and it is going to be over.

Yes the girls are twins.  They look nothing a like and have very different views on everything.  Jenna is the oldest (by 13 minutes) she is in the band color guard and very active in the AFJROTC program.
Tori is an officer in FFA.  They are both busy in community service, in our church, and they have jobs.  The fellows with them are their boyfriends. 
We all live on a farm that has been in our family for over 120 yrs. in the mountains of Western North Carolina.  I do not raise them alone I have a very big village but I couldn't have done it without the help and support of my Mom and Dad.
Summer break started yesterday and so did the count down to graduation.  I hope you all will read the updates of the girls as we go through senior pictures, homecoming, competitions, dances, exams, and much more.  Hopefully this will help me get through it all without crying and you can see what it is like to raise twin senior girls in the class of 2015.