She Made It!!!

Lia made Standleader! Lee and I went to Texas this weekend for Klein High School's Variety Show. Lia danced in the show, so we really wanted to go see her do that. But more than that, they were announcing who made Standleader at the end of the show. We decided months ago that we wanted to go, and Lia gave us the ok after she made it through the first round of cuts. I guess you need some background info! Standleader is the most prestigious honor you can receive at her school. It is a group of 42 students who basically serve as ambassadors for the school. They coordinate freshman orientation and things like that along with cheering on every single athletic team at Klein. It's really funny. Their uniform is blue and gold striped socks, a gold shirt, and denim shorts. Cute, right? And Lia got a huge bucket of blue and gold tacky bows and jewelry from her friend who was a Standleader last year that she "gets" to wear. Hundreds of kids tried out for this. The first round of cuts was teacher recommendations. After she made it through that, she had to go to an interview where she had to create a t-shirt that described her. That was right after Easter, so we've been waiting all this time to find out if she got it. As each former Standleader called out a name of a new Standleader, I got more and more concerned that Lia wasn't going to get it. We all were about to throw up out of nervousness for her. Poor Lee was saying prayers nonstop. "Lord, please let this be her." "Lord, please prepare our hearts for this disappointment." We weren't sure what to pray. And her sweet friend Kim, who's in the picture with her, saved her until last to announce. We were so relieved and excited!!!

People who haven't known our family very long probably can't fully appreciate how much this means to all of us. When my family moved to Texas three years ago, Lia was in the ninth grade. And she was miserable. She did not know a single person. She would make my mom drive around the school until the bell rang so she wouldn't have to walk around by herself, and she didn't eat lunch for the longest time because she couldn't figure out how to pay for it. At different times, we were all ready to move back to the Coast so she could go back to her old school. But Lia knew that God had put her in Houston for a reason, and she clung to that belief. So to see her make Standleader is not only a testament to God's faithfulness, it's also a testament to Lia's faithfulness in Him. We couldn't be prouder or more excited if we'd made it ourselves!