I LOVE these children

I Miss My Friend

Lots of things have been happening lately to make me think of Rita and miss her like crazy.  Our wedding anniversaries are a week apart.  Her's is on Valentine's Day so I thought of her then and mine was yesterday.  While Pat and I were looking for a place to have lunch we passed by about a million places that she and I used to eat at and they brought back so many fun memories.  She likes everything foodwise and I like nearly nothing.  She introduced me to so many new food places that I would have never tried by myself.  I would rarely try something new but at least I went into the new places.  Every waitress in town hated us because we took up a table for 3+ hours at a time and lost money for them.  Pat chose Soup Plantation to eat at and halfway through our lunch, Scott, Rae and Wallers came in and sat with us.  In 20 years we have NEVER run into the Schroeders around town unplanned despite living about 2 miles away from them most of that time.  We had a good time reminiscing.  Recently I was asked to be in charge of our stake youth conference.  I immediately thought of all the things Rita and I have done together in our church callings and assignments.  When we first met I was asked to direct and choreograph a stake musical and I was petrified of the directing part.  I begged her to help me and be my stage manager so I could have her by my side all the time.  When I got called to be stake girls' camp director(what?!) I drug her up there with me to do all the music.  When she got called to be stake young womens' president she asked me to be her counselor.  We were both called to be parents in a stake youth conference along with our husbands and then our "families" got pitted against each other in all the competitions.  I'm extremely competitive (in a fun and nice way:)) and she is not at all.  One of her "sons" was my real son, Tanner, who was extremely tall, strong, buff, hot, oops! I digress.  So they ended up killing us in all the competitions using my own flesh and blood to do it!  How I wish she was here to help me with youth conference and go up with me so we could have more of these wonderful memories.  My only daughter has decided to run for class president at her school.  We have NEVER had anyone do anything like this before.  I know Rita has experience in this and I need her to help me with posters and slogans and general campaigning tips.  There are so many times recently I have wanted to tell her something or ask her something and she can't hear me or at least can't answer me.  It has made me treasure and appreciate our friendship even more than I did before.  There is no one else on this earth who is more equally yoked with me, spiritually, academically, emotionally or just personally than she was.  I have female relatives and other acquaintances that I love and respect but no one is "Rita".  I will never have another friend like her and I'm feeling the pain of that pretty badly right now.  I miss you Rita Mesqueeta:(

Farewell, my dearest friend

Yesterday my best friend in the whole world went to live with her Heavenly Father and I am so sad.  I should be happy that she is out of pain and doesn't have to face anymore challenges in this hard life but all I can think about is me, her husband and her four daughters and how much we are all going to miss her.  Memories of all the great times we shared for the past 20 years keep running through my head.  So many holidays spent together.  Game nights where Pat and Scott beat us every time except once.  Gabbing through a robbery at Marie Calendars' and not even knowing it happened.  Trips to Utah where we talked the whole 10 hours, each way.  Me being more excited than she was when her oldest daughter, Nikki, made BYU cheerleader.  Helping Calee throw a surprise anniversary party for her parents.  So many hours gabbing on the phone or at pie places or restaurants.  Our favorite thing to do was talk.  My boys being the only boys at her girls' birthday parties and her girls being the only girls at my boys' birthday parties.  Her girls being my boys' favorite girls in the whole world.  Mine too.  Doing church musicals together, many years of Children's Chorus together, even the Miss Rancho Bernardo Pageant.  Lots of church callings together.  Baptisms, weddings, divorces, grandchildren.  We have shared our whole lives for the past 20 years and been like one big family.  She has told me just about everything that's ever happened to her in her life and shared every emotion possible with me.  I can't help but wish she could tell me all about where she is now and what she's doing now.  Is she with my dad?  I hope so.  They really liked each other.  She told me she was scared but that she would check everything out so she could show me around and take care of me when I get there.  I'm so thankful that I know I will see her again and boy, when I do, that is going to be one heck of a gabfest. I love you Rita McBride Schroeder. I put this entry in your favorite color:)

Oh. My. Gosh.

This interesting character is my very hot teenage quarterback son dressing up for "Nerd" day at school today.  Wow.

You Win Some and you Lose Some

Well, we got to the big show at Qualcomm Stadium (one day after the Raiders beat the Chargers...again) and that was the really fun part.  Losing hard to Oceanside, again, was the not-so-fun part.  I'm really glad we got the opportunity to at least be in the championship game and I will never forget the friends we made this year in football.  The game was televised and we watched it when we got home and I felt much better.  Hunter did many good things and he was dang hot on that huge screen.  One player from each team was given a sportmanship award and Hunter got ours.  His older brother, Jensen, got the award a few years ago when the basketball team made it to the championship game so I am very proud of my boys for that.  We didn't end how we wanted to but it was still an amazing ride and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  We are off to a basketball game tonight.  No rest for the weary.  Go Grizzlies!

WE DID IT!!!

Aaaaggghhhhh!!!

I am so nervous for tonight's game that I don't know what to do with myself so I am letting you all in on it.  It's too early to go freeze at the field but I can't seem to find anything to take my mind off of it so I'm embracing it and writing about it.  Hunter's football team is in the CIF quarterfinals tonight and we are playing Rancho Bernardo.  They have the same record as us, 8-2, and we have beaten them once this year but only by 3.  The paper predicts that we will win by 1 point.  If we lose then it's all over.  No more Friday night lights, no more running for the paper on Saturday mornings to see what they wrote about my son and no more bonding with the greatest kids and parents I've ever had the pleasure to know.  The pressure is ridiculous.  We were in this situation last year but Hunter was a junior so I knew we had a whole 'nother year to have these experiences.  Now he's a senior and this could be it.  I can't seem to wrap my mind around that fact.  3 years ago when he was a freshman he was invited to come up to the varsity team for playoffs.  We made it all the way to the championship game that year.  Unfortunately, he also got picked to be on the varsity basketball team with his senior brother and they had a big tournament on the same night as the championship football game.  Since he knew he would never have the chance to play with his brother again because of the age difference he chose to not participate in the thrill of standing on the sidelines at Qualcomm Stadium.  This is his last chance to make it to Qualcomm and I can't tell you how badly I want this for him.  If any of you read this in the next 3 hours please send a little prayer out for the Mission Hills Grizzlies and especially their quarterback, Hunter Moore.  Thanks!