On Toilet Seats and State Championships: Newberg High School 2016 6A State Champions

Oregon 2016 6A State Champs!

This post is a year late.  A YEAR LATE!  Oh my gosh.  I can't apologize.  Life is full and incredible and flying by at the speed of light.  But this could not go by unwritten about.

Last year our family was THICK into the third year of doctoral school for Curt.  He was so amazing at managing a full time job, full time doctoral school, four kids, and a wife. He basically never slept.  And things that normally got done immediately fell by the wayside while we all continued to adjust.  It was definitely a Put Out the Fires mentality and everything else that was not an emergency got ignored.

My birthday fell on the same day as the water polo state championship.  Our boys (Grant was on the team) played their way right into the state championship game.  I told my family, "For my birthday I want new toilet seats - INSTALLED - on all the toilets in the house and a state championship."

Dane, Zach and Grant after their state semi-final win that put them into the championship game.

The morning of my birthday, I unwrapped four brand spanking new toilet seats with NO stains on them.  Then Curt and Grant promptly installed them.  All the ones the kids use even had slow-closing lids to eliminate the loud slamming.  I felt so loved.

my water polo player

NEW unstained toilet seats

Later that afternoon we all headed to Corvallis to watch the state championship.  We stood in line for an hour to get front row seats on the pool deck.  It was hot. Humid. Sweaty.  Personal Space Invading.  But it was worth it.

space invading sweaty goodness

The state championship game is like no other.  The teams line up on the pool deck and an announcer introduces every single player on both teams.  The stands are packed.  I mean shoulder-to-shoulder, practically sitting on each others' sweaty laps packed.  The atmosphere is electric.  You can feel the tension and excitement.

The boys played Southridge, their arch rival that knocked them out of first place for three consecutive years before they took back the top spot in 2014.  It was a close, physical game.  Grant was the first player off the bench but his coach wasn't making substitutions.  It was way too close to take the starters out.  But in the fourth quarter, one of our key players got rolled on ejections and Grant got put in the game.  He held his own, without making any mistakes.  Great job G!

As the clock ticked down, Newberg beat Southridge 8-6!  State champs for the third consecutive year.  It was SO exciting!!!!!!

I got to tag-team with the reporter for the local Newberg newspaper so I had special Media Privileges and was able to take some really fun photos of the boys celebrating their big victory.

#threepeat

This is what they play for.  And bragging rights.

YES!

After the game we all drove back to Newberg and converged on Abby's Pizza for a big post-game party.  When the athletes walked in, they received a standing ovation and lots of hooping and hollering.  It was so fun.

So last year, on my 42nd birthday I got just what I asked for.  Toilet seats and a state championship.  Thanks Family.  Thanks Newberg High School water polo.  You guys rock.

#statechamps #threepeat #newtoiletseats #newbergnation