First Day of High School for Mark

After a whirlwind of a summer, Mark was ready to start school on August 28th. This year, however, it was a special day for him as he was starting 9th grade--High School! Moreover, he was going back to public school after a year and a half of American Heritage online school. 

Mark literally got home at midnight on Sunday night from a tournament in FL (that's another story) and was at school at 7:30 am. 

His new school is called Crossroads Flex High School. It is a special magnet public school for kids with different pursuits that require more training and traveling than regular public schools allow. They require only 10 hours to be "seat" hours when a student is physically present at the school. Otherwise, kids can just do all the work at home. It's quite an amazing set up as they are super flexible with tournaments and missing school days. This year Mark has school on Mondays 7:30-12 pm, Wednesday 7:30-11:30 and Thursday 7:30-9--that's it. That's three classes in person (English, Spanish and Sports Marketing) and one online (World History). They have maybe 7-15 kids in class, very few kids at the school at a time, but just enough to socialize. We hope that it gives Mark a good high school experience but also prepares him for college with challenging classes (as in I hope they are hard enough). 

We'll see how it goes! After all these years, we've learned that new brave things are not permanent and if we make a mistake, we can pivot. 

Good luck to Mark at the new school! 

 

Mark at Nationals B14s!

This year was the year for Mark to go to all the National Tournaments this summer as this is his "second year" of playing B14s. He had till December of this year, when he turns 15 to compete in this category. Mark went to Clay Courts, Hard Courts and Doubles National Tournaments. 

This year, Clay Court Nationals were held in Dothan, Alabama in early July. 

Mobile, Alabama hosted Hard Courts (just like last year and in 12s) in early August. 

And we went to Orlando, FL for Doubles Nationals at the end of August.  

The tournament organizers in Dothan, tried really hard to make it a fun event for all the boys (and even parents). After the check in and a group picture (and instructions), we were supposed to have a mega swim party at the water park next door, with food and everything. But as we finished the check in, huge thunderstorm rolled in and ruined the plans. They postponed the swimming party for an hour or so, but by then most kids kind of dissipated and so only a few of Mark's friends decided to go play on the slides for a bit. They had a blast! And the parents had a few of the fancy cheeses/fruit/snacks/drinks. 

The next morning, it was anything but fun and laughter--the competition was stiff! This is the strongest players in the country after all. Here is Mark with his draw.

Mark was playing doubles with Connor this year again. 

Mark and Connor did really well until they got to the 3rd round where they lost to Rafa and Everest in the third set. 

In the previous match, Connor was super cramping for a while before the match. It was a miracle he was able to play, but somehow Mark "carried" him and they won a pretty challenging match! Rafa and Everest were a little better this time though, so our boys lost in a third set tiebreak. 

Mark did pretty well winning his first match against Ivan Urbanovich, a boy who beat Mark in Florida in November of last year in a third set tiebreak. But then he lost his second match against Rich Morgan in a pretty tight match. Mark moved on to the consolation and won a few more matches against tough opponents but then was stopped in his tracks by Simon Hernandez who was a seeded player. It was a great tournament for Mark especially because he survived it physically. The conditions were SO hot and humid it was crazy. People were getting sick, cramping, withdrawing....it was tough. So well done, Mark!  

About a month later, Hard Court Nationals welcomed 192 B14s players from all over the USA to Mobile, AL. 

Mark played doubles with Connor again! 

It's a BIG event! Pretty well organized too, full of prizes, free sandwiches and good tournament rates and swag. 

We tried to snap a few pictures but it wasn't always an opportune moment. But here--this is a picture of the winners! They had a few tough doubles matches again but they won a few matches and got through the Round of 16 where they lost to the 1 seed. 

Mark and his trusty cooler that Connor's mom brought in her car as they drove down and we flew. Mark wouldn't have survived without it. The heat index was 113F, I mean, it was so hot that it felt like an inferno. Mark changed his whole outfit after each set and had to drink gallons of water and electrolytes. 

Another day...another early morning warm up before the heat sets in. 

It's pretty cool, but they play the National Anthem before the first matches in the morning. 

A few pictures for fun--our dominant duo of Mark and Connor by the Southern flag. 

Now a little about Singles. Well, there was a lot actually! Mark did so well! He made it to the round of 32 in the draw of 192. In the main draw, he had to play the number 3 seed from CA who had just won Clay Courts. And in the previous match, Mark outlasted another boy from CA in a 4 hour match--it was a third full set. It was absolutely insane! The boy collapsed after the match, cramping and unable to move, so they had to call medical support and get a wheelchair for him. It was very dramatic. And I took Mark straight to a massage therapist who is a Ukrainian from Odessa (that I found through some sudden connections and Varvara, a Russian mom in Mobile). He did a magical massage that made it so that Mark was absolutely pain free and relaxed for the following day! 

After that main draw loss, Mark was moved to consolation where he played two more great matches! And both were against boys from California again! He had to win one match in a third set tiebreaker, but lost the last match while actually playing great (against a boy who later in the year was Orange Bowl finalist!).

We all considered it a great success as Mark definitely put his best effort into this and showed so much physical toughness and resiliency! 

He also got a Sportsmanship award, which is always really cool. Still tough to lose but need to recognize the great effort and progress. 

After Mark finished the tournament, we drove towards Fort Walton Beach to meet up with the Broughs who had just moved to Eglin AFB (where we used to live for Robert's residency). We met up with them at a Smoothie King and had a fantastic chat after all these years! Afterwards, Mark and I drove along the beautiful Emerald Coast, got some steamed shrimp and spent a couple of hours at Navarre Beach--gorgeous as ever (and absolutely worth a trip from anywhere!!!). We then drove to Pensacola and flew home. What a trip! 

But! Our tennis summer was not over!! Mark had National Doubles Championship to play in Orlando for the weekend before school started. That is why we had to say bye to Alex the day before he was flying to Utah--we were leaving to fly to Orlando.

Mark played doubles with...Connor! 

USTA National Campus is the place where they played, right under the flight path of the airplanes headed to MCO.  

The boys competed really well, beating some Florida boys and then a pair from Southern/Midwest, and finally Eastern section (that was a thriller...). 

Mark in his natural habitat after eating yet another poke bowl between the matches. 

They, sadly, lost their fourth match to number 1 seeds (who probably should have just played 16s as the whole tournament was just too easy for them). And on the last day, the boys had to play for the 3/4th place play offs against Mason Vaugh and James Andrew Ross. Unfortunately, they didn't play as well as they usually do and lost 6:1, 6:3. 

It's still quite amazing! A National Tournament and they got FOURTH place! 

Their opponents got bronze ball as a reward. 

And here is a picture with Connor, Dani (Mark's friend from Cameron's) and her partner. Dani got second place (silver ball). 

Posting this picture as this is a picture of Mark's number one fan (and I am wearing my famous skirt that I bought at the BX in Japan). 

It was quite an amazing long weekend at the USTA National Campus. Someday, we'll be back to compete at this highest level! 

Our flight home was on Southwest at 8 pm, and it so happened that Connor and Dani were on our flight. So they all sat together in a row while the moms-Kelly, Jennifer and I all sat behind them. The flight was a lot more fun with friends, that's for sure. All these kids had their first day of school the following morning, so everyone was elated with great results and excited about what's coming next! 

Lyana. 

Alex Preparing to Leave the Nest

This post is one of those memories I would just like to hold on to and keep coming back over and over again. These are the last few pictures we took with Alex before he left for BYU. 

I wanted to make sure we maximize our time together, hug, walk, talk, just sit with each other. 

Although it's hard to tell for sure, Mark will miss Alex very much. 

They don't have the same friends or interests but they have never really fought either. They get on each other's nerves, but they I have never witnessed like a crazy brawl or wrestling between these too. They are 3.5 years apart, and maybe that is the reason. 

***Side note from the future (two months after Alex left). The other day in online seminary, the teacher asked for examples when someone did something for them although it was hard or scary. Mark shared a story about how one time he convinced Alex to go together and get junk food, but they knew I would not approve. So when I asked whose idea it was, after the fact, apparently Alex came forward and said it was all his idea. I laughed out loud. Apparently, that made an impact on Mark-hahaha. Now I see...but I can't remember that instant at all. 

Of course, his mama is going to miss him. And he claims he will miss me too. Mostly my smoothies and salads, I am sure. 

Robert had the privilege of dropping off Alex at BYU this time, getting settled and buying all the stuff for him. They will miss each other a lot! 

Our three strong Watson men! Who is going to be the tallest? Alex is a little taller than 6' 2'', Mark is catching up to him. 

Family selfie...minus Katya. 

Right before Alex left, he joined me on my errands to go get Mark from tennis and then get smoothies from Tropical Smoothies Cafe. 

And then he and I went on a special outing to Chapel Hill to get Merritt's sandwiches for lunch, got some UNC merch at the Shrunken Head store on Franklin St. by UNC...

And even made our way to the outlets in Mebane to get some shoes! Alex actually went shopping with me and we had fun! 

We went on our last Sunday walk on the "boardwalk" and took a few more pictures. 

Mark and I were leaving on the 24th of August, Thursday, to go to Orlando for the National Doubles Championships. So we actually had to say goodbye to Alex the day before he and Robert were flying out to Utah. 

Our handsome boys! 

And a my heart is happy when these two are around (or when I know they are far away but doing their thing). 

And finally, Mark and I had to say goodbye to Alex as he and Robert dropped us off at the airport at 5 am. I know he will do great on his own! He is ready! We all will miss him! 

We love you, Alex!

Lyana. 

 

Alex's Grand Adventure--HXP in Mozambique

Hey! This is Alex. So the summer after I graduated high school, I went on a humanitarian trip to Mozambique through the HXP organization (Humanitarian Experience for Youth). It was an 18 day trip, involving loads of fun activities from a safari to whale watching to whitewater kayaking to sightseeing in the city. Each humanitarian group has 19 youth builders, 2 “counselors” (1 guy 1 girl), and a “trip mom” and “trip dad” (older adults who each have a kid in the group too). These people all became my family. They are all driven, loving, hardworking, and have a desire for continuous learning in life. I love them all.

Our task in Mozambique was to build a school. We were the last group of builders to arrive that summer, so we were in charge of making and finishing the concrete interior floor, painting the interior and exterior, constructing the roof, installing doors and windows, reinforcing the bottom of the exterior with more concrete, and building the ramp that led up to the entrance of the schoolhouse (the other groups earlier in the summer slacked off big time apparently, so we had to cover for them if we wanted to finish the school on time).

To fly there, everybody met up at the Newark airport on July 25th in order to make our 16 hour flight from Newark to Johannesburg. Then, after landing in South Africa, we spent a couple of days as tourists, going to Kruger National Park, some cool caves, eating South African junk food, watching some tribal dances (and also dancing in the tribal dances), holding cool snakes that could eat us but chose not to, kayaking down crocodile-infested rapids, and lots of sleeping. After a few days of this, we drove the bus across the  Mozambican border and towards Matola, where we would be staying and working for the next two weeks.

 Mozambique is actually one of the poorest countries on the planet (3rd poorest, after Somalia and Burundi). The country’s government is riddled with corruption, the life expectancy is over 20 years lower than ours in the United States, crime is rampant, the effects of civil war still linger , the healthcare system is in tatters, and like many other third world countries, there is no official trash collection system, Mozambicans just burn their trash wherever they dump it- in their yards, on the street, random fields, even soccer pitches.

Despite this, the Mozambican people are some of the most giving and charitable folks I have ever met. The LDS church members we met lovingly offered everything that they had whenever we would stop by their houses, offering up every chair, every drink, every ounce of food they had available for us. I felt nothing but love, discipleship and warmth from the saints in Mozambique. The spirit was more than abundant, and dwelled freely in the homes of these saints.

This is when we stopped at a gas station that doubled as a Rhino/Water Buffalo sanctuary.

These are some tough flics I caught of some animals in Kruger National Park.

This is me with some of the guys on the bus.

Me with some of the school kids.

This is me with Jeremias, one of the members in the Matola 2nd ward (the church is actually super strong in Mozambique, they’re building a temple there soon and there are already 2 missions).

Me with some of the construction workers that helped us complete the construction of the school properly.

Best trip ever! Loved it all, would do it again in a heartbeat.