Princess number four is on the golf team. She has never golfed before this year and still doesn't feel she is very good. I have golf clubs we bought on Mothers day years ago when I was trying to get into golfing with a womens' group. However, life is good at happening to me and that was short lived.
She signed up for the team with a friend of hers. Princess number four has always wanted to try other sports and things but with summer schedules, dance has been her only option. She was thrilled to get to try something different this year. She said she has improved much but I haven't taken time to go and watch. I have never felt like golf was something I wanted to watch so she has been doing this on her own.
Today, the girls took State. The team returned late and at midnight, they met at a gas station on the edge of town and they rode down Main Street on top of the fire truck. As we pulled up, there were only a few of the team there so we got out and as I was standing there with the camera, I turned to look at the gas station and what did I see glimmering on the ground, a shinny copper looking item. Yes, a penny. I laughed and walked to take a photo of her and the penny. I picked it up and took it to her and she wanted a picture with it. We took this picture of her holding it. You can see it in the picture bottom center above and here she is with one penny.
Then, I pointed toward the station showing her where I found it and not a few feet from us was another copper shimmer. She ran over and picked it up and said she wanted a picture with both.
She kept one for her coin jar and I kept one for mine. We are constantly reminded how much Heavenly Father loves us and takes care of us. I got to visit with the girls there about how the coins have "God's Name" on them and why we don't leave them on the ground and also got to share about my "big wins" (type "big win" into the search bar as there are many posts describing them) when one mother asked if I would be willing to share pictures as she didn't bring a camera and she was commenting on what nice pictures my camera took.
About then, the trophy showed up with the coach and each girl took a picture with the trophy. She was so excited and they did the "kiss the trophy" thing. Then, they started climbing on the fire truck to take their ride down Main Street. All the girls were so cute climbing up onto the truck. There were several there that had never taken a ride down Main on the fire truck as they had never taken state on a team before. My daughter was beaming as you can see by the ear to ear grin. All the girls were just as excited.
The truck was escorted by two police cars. I figured there would be police cars and lights but imagine my surprise and horror to find out that they all drive down main street at midnight with the sirens and lights blaring at top volume! I couldn't believe it. I felt sorry for those living anywhere close to main street. I had driven ahead and parked on main street to get a good picture and video of the girls passing on the fire truck.
Little did I know that part of the tradition is for all the cars to follow the fire truck as you would a funeral procession and honk your horn annoyingly often and in little tunes as you drive behind the truck making sure you wake all the neighborhood as you drive down the length of main.
You will not be surprised when I then tell you that they hit the edge of town, turn around and come back down main street honking and head for the high school parking lot where everyone rendezvous for child pick up.
As you can see by the grin on Darling Princess Number Four here on the top of the fire truck, this was all part of the experience. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
I hadn't planned on blogging about this at all but she said to me, "I bet I know what your blog will be about tonight." How could I not post about it and put up all these cute pictures and our wonderful penny finds after that?
I was standing in the middle of Main street video taping for a full two minutes without any cars in the road. The movie theater was even dark. There was no one around. Small towns go to bed early and ours is no exception. By midnight, you could probably walk the length of main street doing cartwheels and no one would notice or see you.
By the time the lead police car passed, I was trying to take pictures and video tape and I got this lovely blur of the girls passing on the truck.
I asked one of the officers how this tradition came to be as I had never heard of it before moving here. He said he didn't know but they had been doing it since he was a boy. Later, as I pulled across the street to get on the side Princess was sitting on for the return down Main Street, another parent pulled up and he is about my age and I asked him if he knew how it started and he told me that they didn't do it when he was in school but it was soon after as he asked his friend about it who is a few years younger and was told they did it when his friend was in school so it has been a tradition for about 25 years or so best we could find out.
I for one, think it is a great tradition. However, if I lived just off Main Street, I would be VERY annoyed with the tradition if I had baby's sleeping. I guess it isn't that often that they go down Main, only during the school year and maybe a few times during those months. It is exciting for the kids and as Princess was getting off the truck with the lights still flashing, I snapped this cute picture using the red of the lights to capture her huge smile.
Was it worth staying up at a gas station for an hour waiting for all the girls to arrive? (one had a flat on the way home) Was it worth sitting on Main at Midnight? Yes to both. It is worth it posting this blog at O'dark thirty something because she had homework she needed help finishing after getting home at 12:30? Yes.
I have loved living in this small town, it has been a blessing to raise my five dancing princesses here. Who could have foreseen how living in this little corner of America could help shape the girls into the amazing people they have become..... I truly am blessed. Thanks Heavenly Father for the gentle penny reminders tonight to continue to trust You.
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