The Bee

She did it! She won!

We've been working towards this day for a year now, practicing words over breakfast, over dinner, in the bathtub, doing hair, in the car, in a double decker bus, no, not really, not in a double decker bus. But she's worked so hard, bless her little 8-yr-old self. Her stomach has been doing flip flops all week. Her lunches have gone uneaten. She's tossed and turned at night, yelling out in her sleep.

So, this morning we did her hair up all cute, made her a hearty breakfast of cheese eggs and toast and oj, and sent her off with a hug and a prayer.

And then the moment arrived. 10:35 AM. Mrs. Rasmussen's classroom. Students littered the floor, squirrely and restless. Parents lined the walls, nail-biting nervous and invested.

Her doting father, her practice-mate and biggest fan huddled in the corner, his head down to his knees for most of it. I tried to act nonchalant, an easy, unaffected spectator, I busied myself with keeping her sisters quiet, but I could barely breath. My heart, my pounding, weepy, mother's heart, was in my throat. Her ever-supportive Baba handed us gum and mints, playing hookie from work.

Round 1, round 2, .... she was so calm and collected, round 3, round 4, round 5 and 6. She moved forward with ease: garden, elaborate, millionaire.

And then it was down to six kids. Six kids out of the 75 third graders.

The judges announced that they were moving on to 4th grade challenge words. What? Can they do that?! All the parents exchanged worried looks. We hadn't even looked at the 4th grade list! Mark looked like he was going to charge the judges--the injustice! I gave him a look--keep it together, baby.

Those smart, capable kids faltered under words like microcosm, metamorphosis, silhouette, conscientious. I can't even spell those!

But she did it! Pneumonia, escapade, predecessor.

Where did she get those from?!

And then that was that: our Elle was the last one standing!

And I couldn't even look at her, I just couldn't. The tears were at the ready, bursting behind my proud, flushed face.

I know, I know, it's just a spelling bee. A spelling bee in a small school, in a small town in Utah. But today, it was everything. It was glorious. It was Eleanor at her best and happy as can be. It was hard work rewarded.

It was awesome.