This Is 9th Grade

Great Peeps At Peet

We moved to Cedar Falls in June 2017.  The new move meant a new school beginning in Fall 2017.  Bailey would spend 1 year at Peet Junior High as a 9th grader.  Throughout the year she would make new friends and have some awesome teachers in the classroom.  This was evident when her science teacher, Mrs. Schultz, sent all the students in the classroom positive messages one day.  Bailey's note said, "Loves the 90's so she is 'All that and a bag of chips'.  I have seen lots of growth in you this year.  Keep up the great work and tackle the world with confidence'.  Mr. B was her awesome band teacher.  His passion for teaching came through loud and clear as Bailey would share so many stories throughout the year of what Mr. B did in band that day.  The caliber of the concerts was amazing for a middle school band.  Mr. Wolfe, her art teacher, also challenged Bailey to go deeper with her art.  She worked throughout the year on a machine head and personal collage (below) which showed the many facets of Bailey Seegers.  Peet Junior High and her 9th grade year were a breath of fresh air.  Like Mrs. Schultz, I also saw Bailey come into her own again and make lots of growth over the year.

Self Collage

Machine Head

9th Grade Formal

Flashback to May 6, 2017

An annual tradition for the 9th grade class is to hold a 9th Grade Formal in the spring.  This is a way for the 9th graders to say goodbye to their middle school years and celebrate moving onto the high school. 

When we went shopping for Bailey's dress in February, she knew she wanted a red dress.  After trying on about 15 dresses at Hope's Bridal, we struck out.  We headed back to Cedar Rapids for some lunch and I suggested we check out Von Mauer in Lindale Mall.  We hit the jackpot.  She found her red dress!  In true Bailey fashion, she matched her dress with some red Converse shoes.  Classy with a little fun.

The magic fingers of Julie Lensing styled Bailey's hair for the big day.  The weather was a little cool, but comfortable enough to get some pictures on the UNI campus and Hearst Center for the Arts flower garden.  We had so much fun!

Bailey danced the night away and when she arrived home, she was on a high from how much fun she had.  What a great way to cap off a pretty successful 9th grade year!

 

Ariana Grande Concert

A Night To Remember--Part II

Flashback to March 16, 2017
For my Sweet 16 gift to Bailey, I took her to see one of her favorite people in concert, Ariana Grande, or as she likes to call her...QUEEENNN!  When I found out Ariana was performing in Minneapolis and it was the same week we both were on Spring Break, I felt the stars were definitely aligning for us.  How lucky were we that just 2 days earlier we would be at the Panic at the Disco concert in Des Moines?!?  Following the P!ATD concert, I kept telling Bailey that Ariana's concert had a lot to live up to.  But she definitely delivered.  The energy from this concert definitely matched P!ATD's 2 nights earlier. 

Before the concert we stopped at our favorite place in Minneapolis to visit, Mall of America.  While at MOA, we got to see Little Mix perform a couple songs just hours before they would open for Ariana.  The energy from this short concert built us up to the big event just a couple hours later.  The entire day was pretty surreal.  Bailey has loved Ari since her Nickelodean days on Victorious.  To see how much joy she had the entire day made my heart so happy.

One of the highlights from the concert was during the performance of 'Greedy'.  At one point in the song, a confetti cannon shot out dollar bills.  One came floating down to Bailey and when she grabbed it, we saw that it had Ariana's face on it.  Bailey put her "stamp of approval" on the bill with a kiss and this bill is now framed and sits by her bed as a wonderful reminder of such a special concert.  Ariana's encore to 'Dangerous Woman' capped off the concert perfectly.  Bailey's Queen had delivered.

The Bicycle Song

 

Greedy

The Encore--Dangerous Woman

(Listen for Bailey's QUEENNN at the end)

Panic At The Disco Concert

A Night To Remember Forever

Flashback to March 14, 2017
For Bailey's 16th birthday, her Aunt Hope gave her tickets to see Panic at the Disco at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.  She surprised Bailey early with this gift while we were at Cedar Creek Retreat House in Winterset, IA.  Hope had told me about the tickets in advance.  I knew Bailey would love them, but I had no idea how overwhelmed she would be when she received the tickets.  We all cried (we're Seegers women, it's what we do).  Bailey and I had listened to P!ATD's CD, Death of a Bachelor, many times in the weeks leading up to the concert.  To put it simply, the concert was EPIC!  From the opening act of Saint Motel to the encore, it was the best concert I've ever been to.  The energy throughout P!ATD's concert was amazing!  One of my favorite songs on the CD is Halleluia and I loved the performance of that song, but the most moving parts of the concert for me were the sets for This is Gospel and Girls, Girls, Boys.  You got to see all sides of Brendan Urie throughout this concert and I have to admit that I am now a fan of P!ATD.  Bailey and I have shared so many special times together, but this was truly one I will always remember.  Fortunately Bailey captured a couple video clips from the concert on her phone so we can relive these moments.

Opening The Show

This Is Gospel

Bohemian Raphsody