In the Zone

McKenna made VP for her Senior Class at the end of her Junior year last spring.  What she did to run and ultimately win is a whole other story in and of itself.....(will post later).....She has been super busy all summer doing events, getting to know the other officers and preparing for other fall activities as school began.

Because she is very involved, that automatically means Chelta and I are also very involved.  We love it even though it can mean some serious hours at times. 

McKenna is very oriented to art and visual design.  She wasn't really happy with everyone's ideas for this fall's 'Homecoming' dance, so she decided to do her own "thang!"  Everyone seemed to just go along because she brought so much energy to the table.  I really had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.  All I know is that pretty soon there were all manner of large cardboard boxes all over our lawn.   She started cutting huge letters from them and then painted them with gold colored paint.  Then all kinds of other stuff starting showing up from the local salvation army store...knick knacks, picture frames, random baskets and even large wooden pallets.  Gold paint faded into Black....  Weeks went by and I finally started to ask what was going on... my lawn was a disaster...all kinds of horrible paint all over it.  Of course the size and quantity of all these decorations ended up in our garage--meaning, yes, the cars were now parked elsewhere.   Time passed....more and more came....they would go dumpster diving to find the right sized cardboard.  Chelta and I both wondered if all this was actually going to "work".  We had a few doubts.... but went along for the ride as McKenna seemed so sure about everything.

The day came.... Got home with a truck at 4pm... loaded her up along with two minivan's and off to the High School we went...  

Let me begin at the end and work backwards......

We got home at 3am.

Before you think you know where I am going let me just say that it was a total 

BLAST !!!

I will try and describe why...

First: There was the scale:  She wanted BIG... she has never been scared of size or scope.... she only sees what has to be done in whatever space is provided.  

Second: She wanted to decorate like had never been done before....  She wanted every single person who came to have an "experience" not just come to a dance.

Third:  The theme was "Shabby Chic" and so there was a ton of eclectic things going up mixed in with a lot of randomness but that was all part of the vision.

Here are some pics:

Unforgettable was the theme and the goal:  No one would forget!

Fun balloon entrance...yes with random boxes lining the way

The coolest hanging umbrellas ever.....they were floating!

Very interesting things handing all over...random but precise

Cool

Everyone came down the halls to see everything....lots of chatter!

Every star had the names of every couple!  Their own hall of fame... more floating parasols 

Every couple came to find their star

Worm's eye view of floating parasols    

A few balloons

Very creative floating clouds!  

Many hands

Of course this is what you do with boxes, crates and pallets!!! I should have known

  

Random

With lights

So, not necessarily the most spellbinding decorations for sure, but that wasn't what won the night... it might have been what people noticed the most, what they talked about, and what they had fun doing together, but it was what was happening to McKenna inside that was the coolest part of that long night.

Everyone came to her to ask what to do, where to go, what to put where.... pretty soon it was even the teachers and adults.  She had the vision and knew where to direct everyone.  She did it patiently all night long...never an ounce of frustration.  She had everyone's respect.  She was in the "zone".    I watched her closely.  She was riding a monster wave of confidence.  She was having so much fun creating, not directing everyone, but watching everyone's hands piece together her vision and the joy that emanated from her countenance when the result exceeded her expectations it was exquisite to experience.  I remember catching her in a moment and asked her:  "Doesn't this feel extraordinary right now inside?"  She said: "Yeah!"  I told her:  "You will never be the same.... you just grew two years in one night!"  She nodded.  Then I asked her: "Don't you feel like you can do anything in the whole world right now?"  She laughed and said "Exactly!"

It was in that moment my heart leapt for her and at the same time I realized this whole Sr. Class VP experience was fast forwarding her exit from us.  She was increasingly more ready each passing day to go be on her own... to create, spread her wings and to discover on her own... I knew it in my heart that instant.  It pricked me hard... that lump came to my throat in an instant..... one blink of the eye and it was there... as if to prepare me for what would be coming in just a few short months....ick!  I didn't want to face it.  It reminded me of a poem my sister wrote titled: Time, you are a Thief (will deep dive later)

Regardless, to see her in her particular brand of "The Zone" was very special.  Since then she has only ridden that wave even further.  The confidence that comes from knowing who are you  and being ok with that knowledge can create a lot of confidence momentum.  It has lingered in the weeks since this event.  It has only become stronger as she continues to set her sights on what she wants to achieve. 

3am didn't matter anymore.... only the timeless funnel of that wave did... awesome!