Brittany and the Bee

Brittany participated in the Howard County Spelling Bee last week. In this spelling bee, kids in 3rd-8th grades from different schools around the county come together to compete, and the winner advances to the state competition. This was the third year that she has competed. Her first year (as a 3rd grader), she got out in the second round when "hedonism" tripped her up. In 4th grade, she ended up in a spell-off for first place with another girl. They stood up there spelling words back and forth for around 45 minutes. Neither of us remember the word that she finally misspelled, but she wasn't upset at all. Just happy that it was over and that she had done so well, coming in second place out of so many kids.
So, that brings me to last week. I don't know how many of you have ever had the privilege of sitting and watching your child compete in a spelling bee, but let me just say that it is not the most relaxing way to spend the afternoon! Every time she got up, I felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest. Zach went with us, and the first time Brittany got up to spell, he leaned over and said, "I feel like I can't breathe!" It was so sweet that he was nervous for her, and that he cared so much about whether she got the words right.
She had a great first few rounds, and then she got up to spell again. The announcer then says, "megalopolis" and I was afraid. She stood there calmly and spelled it correctly. The entire audience cheered. It was great! The next round, she got "oregano" and I was relieved. I knew she knew that one. For some reason, though, she ended up saying the "r" twice, and that was the end of this year. She wasn't too disappointed. After that round, there were only three people left. So, she left feeling like she had done well. I think she did GREAT! We're already looking forward to next year!
Congratulations, Brittany, on working so hard! And thank you, Zach, for caring about your sister. :)