Today was Paige's last day of Middle School, and it was the last early morning for her and for us! We don't know how she did it, but Paige got up early on her own almost every day and did so with a smile. She would usually be out of bed before 6am and took the time to get herself ready, make her bed, grab a quick breakfast (sometimes) and then go to the bus stop. We got up with her in the beginning, but it was exhausting and I tended to just check on her to make sure she was awake and then I'd text her to come say good morning before she headed out. On the rare occasion that Paige wasn't awake on her own, it'd give her time to rush and get ready, but that only happened a few times over the three years.
We are so proud of your Paige, you've always been our sunshine in the early mornings.
Millie likes to wrestle, and there's nobody that she's fiercer with than Connor. Ever since Connor was assigned to tooth brushing duty, Millie is a little rougher with him than anyone else. Even though Connor doesn't do her teeth any more, she is still wild with him.
Connor doesn't mind, and likes to wrestle with her, they're pretty cute together as long as you realize that Millie's all bark and no actual bite.
Millie's favorite spot lately is in the middle of the house in the living room. She will sometimes sit on the couch and stare out the back window, but she mostly prefers the cushion on the back of one of our new chairs. It actually looks pretty uncomfortable, but she likes to drape herself over the wood frame and have a view out the front door.
For Mother's Day 2024, we met the Gobles, Grandma Alice, and Grandpa Rick at Mojo's for lunch and then invited everyone over to swim. The water was still a bit cool for swimming, but Millie and the kids never mind the temperature much, and we heated up the hot tub so they could warm up if they got too cold.
On Tuesday, May 7th 2024, Andrea and I went with Connor the Tennis Banquet at the Country Club in our neighborhood. Connor was recognized for his contributions to the Varsity team this year, and his coach related the infamous story of how Connor played most of one match in his Crocs. The school and parents put together a nice celebration for the kids and it's a fitting way to end the tennis season.
Connor has been volunteering with Andrea at the Hope Lodge and Paige has recently been going as well. The Hope Lodge can always use donated supplies, so Connor organized a supply drive with his National Honor Society at his school, and many kids brought in donations. Connor collected them all in his car after school on Friday, and today he went with Paige to deliver them to the Hope Lodge.
Paige snapped a pic of Connor with all the loot before they unloaded it.
Paige played in a USTA level 6 tennis tournament at Bartram High School this weekend. Her first match was at 8am on Saturday and she played a match against a girl that hadn't been playing very long. She won her first match 6-2, 6-2. Although Paige didn't play her best, her opponent struggled and Paige won fairly easily.
After her first match, we drove to Creekside High School to cheer for Paige's friend, Sadie, who was competing in a UTR tennis tournament.
After leaving Creekside, went by to hang out with Grandpa Rick for a little while and then the three of us headed back for Paige's second match. Her second opponent at 11am was quite a bit tougher and beat Paige 1-6, 1-6. Paige had some good moments, but it was a hot day and she was not at her best. I think Paige could have won the match in other circumstances on another day, but she was making many unforced errors.
After the second match, we went with Grandpa Rick to BJ's for lunch and then home to wash up.
Paige's final match was Sunday morning at 9am and we were happy to have Grandpa Rick and Grandma Alice join us. Paige played as well as I've ever seen her play on Sunday. Paige's opponent was a good player and hit with pace. They had some tough points, but Paige was playing consistently and she won 6-1, 6-2.
I went for a walk after Andrea and I played tennis on Friday night. Connor brought Millie Mae up so we could go for a walk on the beach. Millie was having fun running around and she managed to convince some boys to chase her. Millie Mae had fun teasing them and darting just close enough to make them dive after her. They were hilarious chasing her up and down the beach, and they went along with us for a good 15-20 minutes before they decided they'd better get back to their parents.
Connor's team made it to the 2024 FHSAA 3A Tennis State Championship and he traveled with his team to Orlando on Tuesday to play for his school. The boys first match was Wednesday against Osceola.
From the www.ustaflorida.com page: For the Boy’s side of things, all eight teams entered with a great shot at winning it all, but extra eyes were on Barron Collier, St. Thomas Aquinas, Osceola, and Lake Buena Vista. Osceola was riding a hot streak of matches and faced off against Ponte Vedra. The two split the doubles matches, putting all the focus on singles. Osceola’s Alessandro De Bernardo took the No. 1 Singles match, but unfortunately for them, that was the only match they took in singles. Grant Price, Christian Miller, and Connor Vernon were able to win their matches and give Ponte Vedra the 4-2 win.
The boys were excited to win their match on Wednesday and progress to the semi final and potentially final matches on Thursday. The girl's team also won their Wednesday match and incidentally both teams were matched up against Barron Collier from Naples, Florida, for Thursday's match.
Aunt Amanda drove up on Wednesday evening to be present for the Thursday matches and I drove up on Thursday morning as well. We were rooting for the boys, but they started off with losses on both doubles lines. Connor went on to play line 4 singles and he matched up well against his opponent. They were both frustrating each other quite a bit and Connor was playing his heart out, which we loved to see. Connor's match had some ups and downs, but he managed to win the first set 7-5. The second match was halfway through when some of Connor's teammates lost and the match was decided. When Connor stopped the second set it was 3-4. Grant was the only one on the team that finished singles with a win, so they fell 1-4 to Barron Collier.
Barron Collier won against both the boys and the girls, so it was the end of the season for all of the PVHS kids. Connor was exhausted after his match and emotional. He definitely put a lot of effort and energy in to the tennis season and while they didn't finish as State champs, it was a successful season by almost any other metric. The Barron Collier team ended up beating St. Thomas to take the crown for the 2024 season, so PV could have had a great chance at winning if they could have made it past Barron Collier.
We're proud of Connor for being a positive teammate, a strong competitor, and a good sport throughout the season.
We barely ever go for bike rides, but I decided to go the other day and decided to take Millie with me. We have a sling for her that we never use, and I stuffed her in it. Paige snapped a pic of me before I left and told me to do an awesome pose while throwing up four fingers. Definitely came out dramatic and cool. Nothing cooler than a dad with socks and Birkenstocks, riding a beach cruiser with a doodle dog.
