Day 429: Hard but not Easy

I am posting this story with Evan's permission because he agrees it is hysterical and worth remembering.

My dear, sweet son can cook whole meals--well. He can wield a chef's knife, use a wok, and grill a steak. He can follow complex recipes with just a little help. But the other day at lunch we found a major hole:

 Somehow, I never taught him how to make grilled cheese. Burner on high and no butter on the bread. Take two was delicious, though!

Day 428: Snuggle Bugs

As we start to tip-toe out into the world, our animals are having to adjust to us being around a little less. Thankfully, Inks and Tora have become really good friends and snuggle buddies:

It has been so fun to watch them play and just be kittens.

Buddy, however, is not happy Dad is not around as much:

We went to the beach for one day, and he spent the rest of the evening on Brad's lap. He is not sorry; just look at that face:

 

Day 427: A Final Banquet

We had Issa's dance banquet Sunday afternoon. It was in the studio parking lot again this year. The Company came together to recognize seniors, watch the year in review slide show, and do end of year awards. 

Issa received Mrs. Lauren A.'s award for always being mindful to be sure everyone was included and connected, whether they were in the studio or on Zoom:

And it was great fun to see a very pregnant Lauren A. in person:

Issa had a great time celebrating the year with her teammates, which was awesome. It was a bit of a bittersweet banquet since it will be our last at TTP. Issa has decided to step away from Company. While she loves dancing, the focus on competition just isn't for her anymore. She will keep dancing, though, and we are very excited for this next chapter!

 

Day 425-426: A Little Vitamin Sea

Saturday, we took a little day trip to the beach. We have it down to a bit of a science. We leave early so we are there by 10ish. This time, that was almost not early enough! We got one of the very last parking spaces at our favorite free, national park access site. We now take just a few beach toys: a bucket, a few shovels, Ogosport, and boogie boards. We pack a picnic lunch, beach towels, and a change of clothes. We travel in our suits so we can go straight to the water. And Saturday, the water did not disappoint:

The water was chilly when you got in but nice after a few minutes, and it's not at all deep here:

The breeze was cool and perfect:

After lunch and few hours in the water, we drive the five minutes down the road to the aquarium. It was so nice to be back for the first time in nearly two years. And...they have a new otter habitat:

We loved watching them!

We also love the jellyfish:

The aquarium has made a lot of changes and is still not all the way open. but we loved our time there:

 

We are home by dinner. We did invest in a sun tent and beach chairs, which should arrive Saturday. We already have days trips on the calendar every month this summer because sometimes all you need is a little Vitamin Sea.

Day 424: Carpool

 Y'all. I had to remember how to do school carpool lane this morning. I actually dropped Evan off so he could take his end of grade test. He was not at all nervous, and it felt blissfully normal. Not having him here, however, is really bizarre.

Day 423: Super Sleepy

 Last night was a very snuggly night. Both kids woke up feeling great, but by the end of the school day they had hit a wall. For the first time all year Issa missed a night of dance. Bless her heart she was just too exhausted, and I pulled the mom card in hopes that a restful night would make for a better rest of the week.

It was kind of perfect. Last night was Evan's virtual award ceremony and talent show. Although he opted out of doing a talent, he was recognized for all A honor roll. The highlight was a virtual tour of one kiddos farm. The whole thing was so sweet, though, and it was fun to see some of the kids again. 

We spent the evening all curled up on the landing. Both kids feel better this morning, although Issa is still a little tired. We are hoping we will be back to 100% tomorrow, and it is still absolutely worth it.

Day 422: The Countdown is On!

Yesterday was a huge, major step forward to ending this Covid Day count:

Both kiddos have dose one of the vaccine! Our local pharmacy did it, and they were awesome. Both kids feel great this morning, and we are have dose two on the calendar.

As a family, we decided we would stop counting Covid days once the whole family is fully vaccinated. That is quickly becoming our reality, and we are so grateful.
 

Day 421: A Highlight of the Job

 Because the College was a little late announcing when our graduate hooding ceremony would be, one of my advisee's family had already booked tickets for the this past weekend instead of the one before. She was so sad, so we hatched a plan. 

Last night, I put on my whole regalia and went to her front porch. Her family and friends filled the front yard, and we did a mini ceremony--complete with me delivering her diploma and hooding her. 

It was so fun! I love meeting students' families, and I loved being able to help her close this chapter of her life. It's one of those little perks of the job.

Days 419-420: Getting Ready for Summer

The countdown to summer is officially on. We have three weeks left of school, so we started the summer planning this weekend. We booked a house in the mountains for the annual vacation.

Issa and I also did a little shopping downtown. The big find was matching spoon rings:

She might have also picked up a little more summer work while we were down there, too! It's so crazy to think that my baby is old enough to have some actual work.

We also spent some time doing some yardwork. We are still very much enjoying our front porch:

The big thing, though, is we started to plan the kids' summer life. We used to do a pretty traditional summer work plan, but last year we moved to more of a big project type of plan. Issa has decided she really wants to work on some more cooking skills--especially Asian cooking. Evan wants to create his own D&D world and run a game for our little family. We made a trip to the bookstore to pick up some resources and some fun reading for the summer, but Issa couldn't quite wait three weeks:
 

We are really looking forward to a quiet summer. Just three more weeks...

Day 418: Thursday Nights

Thursday nights are our latest nights. Issa has dance until 9:15, and she always comes home ready for a snack.

Last night, I decided to bake cookies. Brad was already asleep when we got home, but the kids and I stood in the kitchen eating cookies and laughing for too long:

They are so funny, and I know they will be launched before I know it, so I'm trying to soak in these late nights around the island while I can.
 

Day 417: A Box by Many Names

Tora has absolutely claimed this little canvas box:

I call it the Snuggle Box:

Issa calls it the Sassy Basket:

Evan calls it the Chaos Carrier:

I think Tora calls it Perfect!
 

Day 416: A Trip to the Middle School

Next week, Evan will actually be going into the middle school to do some end of year testing. His teachers very kindly offered to do individual tours after school for the fully remote students so they could feel more comfortable in the building. Evan thought he would be fine, but we made him go. He is the most reluctant member of our family when it comes to reentering the world, so we are nudging.

I wanted a picture of his first time in the building. This is what I got:

See him walking in:

That little dot in the mirror:

He actually had a great time! He loved actually talking with his teachers, and we were so proud of the way his teachers bragged about him when they brought him back to the car. He actually talked the whole time! 

And then he talked about the tour all night. He finally admitted he was glad he went, so we are counting it as a win.

 

Day 415: Happy Mother's Day to Me!

I had an absolutely glorious Mother's Day. This is how I spent most of it:

 In the bed. Snuggling my cat and my people. I was well-fed and happy. I had asked for a day of rest, and they really delivered.

They also gave me a photo book of the past year. While it was printed, they handwrote notes around the pictures, which is perfect and so funny. My people know the way to my heart, and I'm so grateful for them.

Day 411-414: So much celebrating!

We have been celebrating a certain someone's twelfth birthday since last Thursday:

Although his actual birthday was Friday, Issa couldn't wait to give him her gift, so that started the celebrating on Thursday:

She chose to pre-order a book for him and then gave him this huge camp knife. In addition to being a good survival blade, it has a fire starter in the sheath. He is very anxious to try it out!

For his actual birthday, he wanted a lazy day to play his games and do little else. His big request, though, was a mac and cheese cake for lunch

I'm thrilled with the way it came out, although the candle in the gooey pasta were a little hazardous:

Nana and Aunt Shannon came over for dinner and a few more gifts, including a model car and some great t-shirts:

Evan requested Pasta alla Dad for dinner, and no dessert, so we had to put a candle in his bowl of pasta:

We did end up going to Whitt's for ice cream, too!

Evan said it was the perfect sloth day, and we are looking forward to finishing the celebration when we take him to see Dude Perfect in September.
 

Day 410: Back to the Pottery Studio

I managed to sneak in some time at the pottery studio yesterday. It's been a crazy week already, and having some time to get my hands in clay is incredibly centering:

 My work is still far from perfect, but it is far less frustrating. I've almost gotten myself back into a good rhythm of pieces in each stage of the process, and I am loving having a little break mid-week to recharge.

Day 409: It Felt Like School Again

 Yesterday, work finally felt like school again.

We had our student teachers back on campus doing their final wrap-up classes. I could hear my colleague teaching and their excited chatter down the hall. They popped in on breaks, and I could hear genuine laughter down the hall.

We have some events this weekend, and yesterday we did some run-throughs to make sure we had the kinks ironed out. Colleagues I have only seen online for over a year were back on campus. They worked most of the day, popping in and out.

I got nothing done, and it was lovely. I have missed those five minute conversations in the doorway or hallway. I miss those laughs down the hallway or the occasional shouted question down the hall. Sure we were all masked up, but it felt like one more step forward--a huge step forward--and I'm so grateful.

Days 407-408: To The Beach and Back Again

This weekend, Issa and I headed East for the last competition of the season. We were in Oak Island, and for the first time in over a year we got a hotel room. We were so impressed by how sealed everything in our room was, and they actually wiped all of the elevator buttons in between families.

Issa had a really solid dance day, but the highlight was really the girl time. After the competition, we pulled a Gilmore Girls Chinese order:

We did some online shopping and laughed until I fell asleep. Saturday morning, we got up for a beach walk before making the drive home. We found a horseshoe crab shell and some coral, which was really cool:

It was so, so nice to have some time away with just my girl:

She just cracks me up. Please notice holey jeans make great silverware holders:

When we got back Saturday, we met up with Mom and Shannon for dinner outside at Gatewood. It was a lovely full-circle moment since it was our last dinner our before the world closed down:

We are still only eating outside where we can stay way far apart, but it was so fun to sit and laugh for two hours with really hot, fresh food someone else made.

Yesterday, we had a much calmer day. I did yoga and yardwork, where I found this little friend:

He made it back to his nest, thankfully.

This week is looking to be another busy one, but it shouldn't be too crazy!