tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25325396728520455152024-03-15T21:10:15.435-04:00Little HandprintsThis blog won't capture the major milestones of life. Instead, this is the place where I hope to capture the little day to day realities of life...the little things that I want to remember when the little handprints have faded away.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.comBlogger2165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-84385770418645629792024-03-15T08:25:00.001-04:002024-03-15T08:25:18.979-04:00Happy Pi Day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYzHKMhGcgaHjYS2wKCAdhAWgItSCYNpLXZbXCZEykcuTeHZPNQUvk4_1KXLPRNUgODpzjnIxhFxKVbUyXFcpIzB33oRrGwQfY6a741XENYFNAFNBRubn85KFoKiGRYsRtPkzlEKmoioJ5I4Qs9u2VyqgWR3gkeuY3IOUATFTDcD5-WKe36Mozm-CqM95/s4032/IMG_2254.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYzHKMhGcgaHjYS2wKCAdhAWgItSCYNpLXZbXCZEykcuTeHZPNQUvk4_1KXLPRNUgODpzjnIxhFxKVbUyXFcpIzB33oRrGwQfY6a741XENYFNAFNBRubn85KFoKiGRYsRtPkzlEKmoioJ5I4Qs9u2VyqgWR3gkeuY3IOUATFTDcD5-WKe36Mozm-CqM95/s320/IMG_2254.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> We know I love any reason to celebrate, and this new berry pie is my absolute favorite. It has very little sugar, and it came together so quickly and easily! Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries were a perfect combination. Even Evan said it was his new favorite pie! I have a feeling this will enter the spring rotation.<p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-107120044391037652024-03-14T13:47:00.001-04:002024-03-14T13:47:12.668-04:00It's Spring!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm on spring break this week, and the weather is cooperating. It truly feels like spring, and the trees and bulbs are starting to bloom. I am spending a lot of my break getting our yard spring cleaned.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tuesday, I cleaned out the front flowers beds, and yesterday I mulched all of them:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHZWEF2ir-ayB1BfCHaBcz_WZ4YAqiVaYucowtlduB2uTeVsJ4OvakzxJxDhJcaxzZ6uYIMMx882buK72bwBnxfrMySiyPOaliOJuqPF-9sN5aNPCzKkf4SgjmW20E86-WGxPe6T7Oz6yehWdqduoToirnDixdopasWtsg3Uxi5-lubaFkpw29Jiw_nMh/s4032/IMG_2246.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHZWEF2ir-ayB1BfCHaBcz_WZ4YAqiVaYucowtlduB2uTeVsJ4OvakzxJxDhJcaxzZ6uYIMMx882buK72bwBnxfrMySiyPOaliOJuqPF-9sN5aNPCzKkf4SgjmW20E86-WGxPe6T7Oz6yehWdqduoToirnDixdopasWtsg3Uxi5-lubaFkpw29Jiw_nMh/s320/IMG_2246.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div>It only took me two trips to Home Depot for mulch. The guy was laughing at me because I didn't measure anything. I just trusted my heart, and I was off by seven. But I love the final result:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTA7FJsETDqAXrZdKuv81fln4uK9xkMdkz-VCv-2esP5u2Ip3B7g8We6Xn0K9s1yGZD9XZXtYoP9in9HprFcwOTYbye92NkT1RS5UrhVVan-qrFyrcaxxlNaOqC-iDHq7YOaVNTc4_i29UG8Cp4gg8bCXUS0XVdZIZJpwCUNhYFhB4-sCPeppD1nOrLnFj/s4032/IMG_2247.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTA7FJsETDqAXrZdKuv81fln4uK9xkMdkz-VCv-2esP5u2Ip3B7g8We6Xn0K9s1yGZD9XZXtYoP9in9HprFcwOTYbye92NkT1RS5UrhVVan-qrFyrcaxxlNaOqC-iDHq7YOaVNTc4_i29UG8Cp4gg8bCXUS0XVdZIZJpwCUNhYFhB4-sCPeppD1nOrLnFj/s320/IMG_2247.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I like the black mulch against my purple flowers and the eventual red of the Japanese maples.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today, I started on the back yard:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6s6OfEx6wi2hMAr3MH7BFRGl2eEkVLzCXuhfG04IckQUk6whz1fqsQcb-fxxpWpoLUbj8hDE8x2EfmFw-UQxY2DHwdgVa2L2WE-lPiDJkBjJMgd1NFk44Inz97k8IOtBBYLXeBNYYtOYCcKJlPsktgw7XQ6A0cCRm0NQnLD9Lt9EhyphenhyphenanRgSAJTqvIjaO8/s4032/IMG_2250.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6s6OfEx6wi2hMAr3MH7BFRGl2eEkVLzCXuhfG04IckQUk6whz1fqsQcb-fxxpWpoLUbj8hDE8x2EfmFw-UQxY2DHwdgVa2L2WE-lPiDJkBjJMgd1NFk44Inz97k8IOtBBYLXeBNYYtOYCcKJlPsktgw7XQ6A0cCRm0NQnLD9Lt9EhyphenhyphenanRgSAJTqvIjaO8/s320/IMG_2250.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div>I left the last dump of fall leaves down for the winter to give critters warm homes. Now it's time to rake them up. I got the front section of the backyard finished, which meant I could get the fire pit back set to rights. I'm hoping we use it this weekend!<br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-545198242292929152024-03-13T12:21:00.000-04:002024-03-13T12:21:09.297-04:00She's Home!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My girl is home! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">She had an absolutely fabulous time in London and Paris. It's her story to tell, but I loved getting these pictures and then hearing all of the stories when she was home. Harry Potter was a huge favorite and great way to start the trip.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDT_4Z09132gSv_PqR3V50I-WkiWuV0a6RaX_h3iy0_aWbqQgpOxnWyGf8N3vb7Za1gL7bA43gQsVpvcRORvUQQ6bVYZKhJ8pA2hMeZtBmR-4fvhTZHtAu5dAiMx0a3UeHBcb0coc2DK1I7LBM21e4k7CMCDqMYSMS3oiSDhQ3ERFSeCTMJCM20hH3few/s4032/IMG_1263.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDT_4Z09132gSv_PqR3V50I-WkiWuV0a6RaX_h3iy0_aWbqQgpOxnWyGf8N3vb7Za1gL7bA43gQsVpvcRORvUQQ6bVYZKhJ8pA2hMeZtBmR-4fvhTZHtAu5dAiMx0a3UeHBcb0coc2DK1I7LBM21e4k7CMCDqMYSMS3oiSDhQ3ERFSeCTMJCM20hH3few/s320/IMG_1263.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29yZUdV76R-nDGIk5qKwSrO-p4FJsmIi3i4JeHU1ta77_q5I1I_ZpyEIkoRRHePTsqD9oWcd-JGvCPB1X5KU2Q8zvkVasrplHtPGJ9zrlKRKAYvU7ROTEn2Se9_0io6NWtuML59KZ0WeaxsgkP1LLkiXvl-0_AOTNnIPO0ckvZoOhyphenhyphenAoXGPwQX8j2qcfd/s4032/IMG_7513.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29yZUdV76R-nDGIk5qKwSrO-p4FJsmIi3i4JeHU1ta77_q5I1I_ZpyEIkoRRHePTsqD9oWcd-JGvCPB1X5KU2Q8zvkVasrplHtPGJ9zrlKRKAYvU7ROTEn2Se9_0io6NWtuML59KZ0WeaxsgkP1LLkiXvl-0_AOTNnIPO0ckvZoOhyphenhyphenAoXGPwQX8j2qcfd/s320/IMG_7513.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>She loved the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tt4iEJtueSvNvQ4y-4S0myopynsq8eAUFr1E6e4JWznqwWGaLFjIYVkIpE3rSXRS_si-JOAwMfww-2EQgZkDwWUzes3y2QeupHkT8DNcUHhI5EaCyHxPRuWlN4lU0wAZzvcLxzvz3K-pSy3UDnE8_KF0yKWwqdS0L7ckw87BTShfzUb2BZ8xv1fmcvOh/s3434/IMG_7563.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3434" data-original-width="2575" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tt4iEJtueSvNvQ4y-4S0myopynsq8eAUFr1E6e4JWznqwWGaLFjIYVkIpE3rSXRS_si-JOAwMfww-2EQgZkDwWUzes3y2QeupHkT8DNcUHhI5EaCyHxPRuWlN4lU0wAZzvcLxzvz3K-pSy3UDnE8_KF0yKWwqdS0L7ckw87BTShfzUb2BZ8xv1fmcvOh/s320/IMG_7563.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>I loved hearing how much history she soaked up at those places. She also ate really, really well, which makes her more confident to study abroad:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_knb9KvaChsV9w180AWkLPY83D2UcNgO31U4sHVE8Q-OKuojdAaSQzi8_cxmIrJ__uNZH-CGK5YWCMfPxZLnUzsShG8jxdYD1htbteVB3EueQLVhM5tsVTPfUO_Tmuhgre_l1l_5H_TgTpU8QZrwvM2qvNI20eL_bYZtal9YUTW8AP2A5HCdvZZ_xHZXX/s4032/IMG_7576.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_knb9KvaChsV9w180AWkLPY83D2UcNgO31U4sHVE8Q-OKuojdAaSQzi8_cxmIrJ__uNZH-CGK5YWCMfPxZLnUzsShG8jxdYD1htbteVB3EueQLVhM5tsVTPfUO_Tmuhgre_l1l_5H_TgTpU8QZrwvM2qvNI20eL_bYZtal9YUTW8AP2A5HCdvZZ_xHZXX/s320/IMG_7576.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Europe really does do food allergies so much better than the US.<p></p><p>I'm glad she went to Bath, but she was not as enamored as I was:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFJ4IpJJyXVqoH3-buqi_OEG27biioubDuyzgZiwc_m2Hh2AFmGCg3sSTLLR-Szpkm5X95B7MJxVtiDtqsedwsOiEpQNeEtHKPqMobfQOjqQBmTskwhuyuZc8mn6ly96X-OTS1RAF2Mn-nd7hqQVAvBmTv4jMU72kj4aUbOsPcmsc7oP9KhEKtR8zEZys/s4032/IMG_7594.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFJ4IpJJyXVqoH3-buqi_OEG27biioubDuyzgZiwc_m2Hh2AFmGCg3sSTLLR-Szpkm5X95B7MJxVtiDtqsedwsOiEpQNeEtHKPqMobfQOjqQBmTskwhuyuZc8mn6ly96X-OTS1RAF2Mn-nd7hqQVAvBmTv4jMU72kj4aUbOsPcmsc7oP9KhEKtR8zEZys/s320/IMG_7594.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGNYqzpRvbQVde_tSRAscM9zvgbE1SIfF5yVvlsNi8rqsV3aBBrl0W4U8DYVxYcPv16ogHajArlgH9wa2BKpMVGIVu_JxTRYpKwxe78DV0kG8TyY754MkHIzTrqNktAYvK2gr5yoxqf9vkCH2rnvu1bAGaTAaIWps5n9bTyfB5gpJuxN9-4NembcdOeeY/s4032/IMG_7601.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGNYqzpRvbQVde_tSRAscM9zvgbE1SIfF5yVvlsNi8rqsV3aBBrl0W4U8DYVxYcPv16ogHajArlgH9wa2BKpMVGIVu_JxTRYpKwxe78DV0kG8TyY754MkHIzTrqNktAYvK2gr5yoxqf9vkCH2rnvu1bAGaTAaIWps5n9bTyfB5gpJuxN9-4NembcdOeeY/s320/IMG_7601.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>She did love tea at Sally Lund's:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vGxvE-jOXN9a8XivrLF5kBkf70c2CtP0OVD5qjw99zpSVn2xeH6M6AFeoPjIaHdtY9GqDEJe0QAXHwNFgzF6WIUF8AaJa5lB_HaWN0p3MAnrVGrsr5wZ1tdAhlYTqk2Ij-g4tGsgkR5EwWSn2g8MeAnjhdCet40FmktgccUYEMi-4YkhbFLsJ59qDZCY/s4032/IMG_7606.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vGxvE-jOXN9a8XivrLF5kBkf70c2CtP0OVD5qjw99zpSVn2xeH6M6AFeoPjIaHdtY9GqDEJe0QAXHwNFgzF6WIUF8AaJa5lB_HaWN0p3MAnrVGrsr5wZ1tdAhlYTqk2Ij-g4tGsgkR5EwWSn2g8MeAnjhdCet40FmktgccUYEMi-4YkhbFLsJ59qDZCY/s320/IMG_7606.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>And they got to go into the circle of Stonehenge at sunset:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrtUBOxH42Okfc3r2mlBG3uCFrAIauoNDio_lMkh7-pbGkaAmbdRBhHUekkGRXRPhaM_kZIMN_4Ru5Fvc2dgbgHR7zgIJ6D1qGF0IWpSbZJJCZmh5I6p2ako6PuSrHc3YtJW_mA6wbGApVFh0pzYM-lAxOanIFZ7VK8ioTXE957klvGtU7-7o85f_AfSj/s4032/IMG_1367.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrtUBOxH42Okfc3r2mlBG3uCFrAIauoNDio_lMkh7-pbGkaAmbdRBhHUekkGRXRPhaM_kZIMN_4Ru5Fvc2dgbgHR7zgIJ6D1qGF0IWpSbZJJCZmh5I6p2ako6PuSrHc3YtJW_mA6wbGApVFh0pzYM-lAxOanIFZ7VK8ioTXE957klvGtU7-7o85f_AfSj/s320/IMG_1367.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>She really fell in love with Paris:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQMHZt2zS9BB1IGpNQyPv4hh0flxwJ5PJak4udAMiZS1uuhmmZkxs8lratGCtDwLBVdwodeRibDZGNhQuyzGw85-YZuqLZdYC2A4HtpJby6eZWKBZvnUmLIgakaW_UEh4rpuHSBmcM2ghcJeZy5IzffePIxQfoaDUArH37S7hnPpffLdDjdzjSELg5O-k/s2794/IMG_7721.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2794" data-original-width="2095" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQMHZt2zS9BB1IGpNQyPv4hh0flxwJ5PJak4udAMiZS1uuhmmZkxs8lratGCtDwLBVdwodeRibDZGNhQuyzGw85-YZuqLZdYC2A4HtpJby6eZWKBZvnUmLIgakaW_UEh4rpuHSBmcM2ghcJeZy5IzffePIxQfoaDUArH37S7hnPpffLdDjdzjSELg5O-k/s320/IMG_7721.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlDwpssjTuI89YtEX6clkCMydTieMgGDQqQm1OTVqjiCresBtR-hlwIPpzhPrSDdo85c4pB288R8EpBEHOvjaK5rTAPooFJ9Fk4Pr9cNxuCguDD3871rCFVduwHkl4rZy3Rw0bpMwr6fZ7eFVtUQp9np7wdx277oPtK-x4hGFuTVsMc89_NXf36RcEa_r/s480/IMG_7728.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="480" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlDwpssjTuI89YtEX6clkCMydTieMgGDQqQm1OTVqjiCresBtR-hlwIPpzhPrSDdo85c4pB288R8EpBEHOvjaK5rTAPooFJ9Fk4Pr9cNxuCguDD3871rCFVduwHkl4rZy3Rw0bpMwr6fZ7eFVtUQp9np7wdx277oPtK-x4hGFuTVsMc89_NXf36RcEa_r/s320/IMG_7728.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>But we are all glad she is home, especially Inks:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnoV_FCT1NNGm7RRcibeGCj958_Qi7O2H9jHCxkxsGkt8ZIzOmrNuv7Ff7aUcNKpueLnpEi5pi41M4kpA8hKC61BgdtZfGCkk9xeArCNNpn-Dx_rKRP478Sw5_pbw2ftiylyOCXd-OIL-GX__iVAkpDWsd3Se3rKGE7u23ZRH_i_CjJRHgMqE2UY6giU0/s4032/IMG_2244.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnoV_FCT1NNGm7RRcibeGCj958_Qi7O2H9jHCxkxsGkt8ZIzOmrNuv7Ff7aUcNKpueLnpEi5pi41M4kpA8hKC61BgdtZfGCkk9xeArCNNpn-Dx_rKRP478Sw5_pbw2ftiylyOCXd-OIL-GX__iVAkpDWsd3Se3rKGE7u23ZRH_i_CjJRHgMqE2UY6giU0/s320/IMG_2244.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-27760981245231299782024-03-12T17:57:00.001-04:002024-03-12T17:57:05.713-04:00Weekend with the Boys<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since Issa was traveling last weekend, I got to tag along with the boys! We spent Saturday afternoon at Drive Shack:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjpRuTLPSZGWMHqnriG7uotebRlvlIY352BUbggAzFNhPlCpNGPV5ik5yybV_cP_RXi2aRE3p7wURmOiGF6WY1PbeYLf6WlGgwNtXADk6WajGpAY3Tyj6gyQhX_uNezttyohK8sMjsra6Urtbo_EK_wtR877lrpOBrygF1pe33FQveb6jp_CbxDU2qYfg/s4032/IMG_2229.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjpRuTLPSZGWMHqnriG7uotebRlvlIY352BUbggAzFNhPlCpNGPV5ik5yybV_cP_RXi2aRE3p7wURmOiGF6WY1PbeYLf6WlGgwNtXADk6WajGpAY3Tyj6gyQhX_uNezttyohK8sMjsra6Urtbo_EK_wtR877lrpOBrygF1pe33FQveb6jp_CbxDU2qYfg/s320/IMG_2229.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>I am not a good golfer, but the games made it really fun, and I did get better the longer we played.<p></p><p>From there, we went to see Fluffy:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7zOG2ZDe8GLltDyNJKBUpZu5rHFqr2G-o4-c0swsEd0m75LAM44D_koQfInoh9v16yj3NAVGZLIxRC8f0EEX4FxAZt6J2HMttrxJJgFcjAW7IeWiVlM6cB8o8MS6JdVFNvfU9hDuPKrFezaIwxy3i4Bdg7N3IpreBE_5zF4vBNb8WdY5UeBQ_S-RBmj0/s4032/IMG_2231.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7zOG2ZDe8GLltDyNJKBUpZu5rHFqr2G-o4-c0swsEd0m75LAM44D_koQfInoh9v16yj3NAVGZLIxRC8f0EEX4FxAZt6J2HMttrxJJgFcjAW7IeWiVlM6cB8o8MS6JdVFNvfU9hDuPKrFezaIwxy3i4Bdg7N3IpreBE_5zF4vBNb8WdY5UeBQ_S-RBmj0/s320/IMG_2231.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div>He was so funny:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NkCPEOJm3dURGZM57CbpUl_WrRqN8fMZZ5sHrvNPo1iIpZkYloIjhEPdniHTFxfyvayysx6uF8HVYKQIw8gV0zoY6oXP7BvHzxxpplGj6Fq9S4Y2_sgPW-RIWeMJkfnetWGuUxR9TDOSm7Byzrc6bLJxJa6BzajiiPZ7fQvJBdBnicKdOEYJqNv8um2M/s4032/IMG_2233.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NkCPEOJm3dURGZM57CbpUl_WrRqN8fMZZ5sHrvNPo1iIpZkYloIjhEPdniHTFxfyvayysx6uF8HVYKQIw8gV0zoY6oXP7BvHzxxpplGj6Fq9S4Y2_sgPW-RIWeMJkfnetWGuUxR9TDOSm7Byzrc6bLJxJa6BzajiiPZ7fQvJBdBnicKdOEYJqNv8um2M/s320/IMG_2233.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>He is one of Evan's favorites, so it was fun to see him together:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgSvm-0paeKfauc1Utsyw73mea5wBgOpgqsAvmZZ7TrGFwz_1LYhp8AZ6OkbZP_FPHBz1B7OltH-R4jWtSGVTQV2SdYWm4gxiSxPgrxLLnjSXkRr_mVCa1I2H6zSmv8wfJl5MPeJFs7XIuPljc-YpuCGTiWWegtl1qX20FIP60MxkINWZ2fn9EmItn7v8/s4032/IMG_2234.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgSvm-0paeKfauc1Utsyw73mea5wBgOpgqsAvmZZ7TrGFwz_1LYhp8AZ6OkbZP_FPHBz1B7OltH-R4jWtSGVTQV2SdYWm4gxiSxPgrxLLnjSXkRr_mVCa1I2H6zSmv8wfJl5MPeJFs7XIuPljc-YpuCGTiWWegtl1qX20FIP60MxkINWZ2fn9EmItn7v8/s320/IMG_2234.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>I also finished book 6:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOunkHbEPvyY_BMqtWc6notE2XE0AtfH1ssb8YD34cJRY6OOQlC1Xx_jubfejPz-XpjivM-TSGW3NAxmf6pf3c3LXyaLx4ScshwzLIwpc1D33e0b_oDfNcOocC_u_VWWHMwy3uJpFTRj59h_IDWDtFB0ysJDPKWM83wjljK_SDQP2b1CWq_Qb65XI76NO/s4032/IMG_2243.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOunkHbEPvyY_BMqtWc6notE2XE0AtfH1ssb8YD34cJRY6OOQlC1Xx_jubfejPz-XpjivM-TSGW3NAxmf6pf3c3LXyaLx4ScshwzLIwpc1D33e0b_oDfNcOocC_u_VWWHMwy3uJpFTRj59h_IDWDtFB0ysJDPKWM83wjljK_SDQP2b1CWq_Qb65XI76NO/s320/IMG_2243.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>The Poldark saga is getting more complicated, and I have no idea where we are going next!<br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-64979584875656629842024-03-04T11:06:00.002-05:002024-03-04T11:06:25.943-05:00What a Weekend<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This weekend was a whirlwind that ended with a fabulous launch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made it home very, very late Thursday night, and I have a very full day of meetings on campus Friday, so Friday night I just collapsed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday morning, I was back on campus for our Symposium and a luncheon celebrating 40 years of graduate programs in education. It was so much fun to see so many former students! I ran home, took a quick nap, and then picked up Mom. We headed to the airport to pick up Shannon, and went straight from there to have dinner and see Peter Pan at DPAC. It was a fun show--nothing fancy. I thorough enjoyed the old school theatre magic, though.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The main event was Sunday, though. I spent most of the day helping Issa prep for her senior trip with Aunt Shannon. This is her spring break, so they are headed to London and Paris for a week:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCx-GwsdUgPD26MqYoBTX0h-K5yLIOx_tjuqux8Ixhyphenhyphenw_thc6Jv8BVp7T_LZ5RQrjLst7KQ4CZmqvlyWc6hP4J90WxbgbIAPjOzrldI_Se1tFFjDvwxomO7Uj9_JKbiwpVQleUcrf8h3P6fFhr6iUK7x_pxAP7c1n7hJwKE6AggHqoHEqlovCheu6lGiV-/s843/5D0AB098-7F88-464B-893F-A156B54808F5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="843" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCx-GwsdUgPD26MqYoBTX0h-K5yLIOx_tjuqux8Ixhyphenhyphenw_thc6Jv8BVp7T_LZ5RQrjLst7KQ4CZmqvlyWc6hP4J90WxbgbIAPjOzrldI_Se1tFFjDvwxomO7Uj9_JKbiwpVQleUcrf8h3P6fFhr6iUK7x_pxAP7c1n7hJwKE6AggHqoHEqlovCheu6lGiV-/s320/5D0AB098-7F88-464B-893F-A156B54808F5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's Issa's first time using her passport, and Shannon has thought of every single detail:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIoRzbg87_pivDaCImYLtj0qWuVC1PLdlVmotxis-TOPiZSBTKyiSCLWAfyfoGgKr8Wm3dbrpmx7w7GBjZSJ2mjOYn7ZlMNnSTBq6U_7D11WrxhC4Bsbm8Bmkyup6fzBv6CRIwdaXDeJWSdvz3SFSJ69vYf2Kai8YKFvq-IxdyKjExWPo19I7kCBcsG0b/s2633/IMG_7471.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1974" data-original-width="2633" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIoRzbg87_pivDaCImYLtj0qWuVC1PLdlVmotxis-TOPiZSBTKyiSCLWAfyfoGgKr8Wm3dbrpmx7w7GBjZSJ2mjOYn7ZlMNnSTBq6U_7D11WrxhC4Bsbm8Bmkyup6fzBv6CRIwdaXDeJWSdvz3SFSJ69vYf2Kai8YKFvq-IxdyKjExWPo19I7kCBcsG0b/s320/IMG_7471.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>They landed safely in London and are now at the Harry Potter experience:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcGl9C_8wzovXW14DuPUUXdNlrmKlHE7mra1Fk87n1WY5rsGa7dkXYt5M63gkn-sZSzaojSAVw6zG9rjJqzY1lZM4b1ap8Rv_KzPh9ypRpdidCeF8yunB8RKrv8idf7nwAp0X8A_tlHhisujpBC1UDtOok6YigF9zPUWcJDmY2n9PFdRW2r0uc-GmcDSb/s3088/IMG_7472.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcGl9C_8wzovXW14DuPUUXdNlrmKlHE7mra1Fk87n1WY5rsGa7dkXYt5M63gkn-sZSzaojSAVw6zG9rjJqzY1lZM4b1ap8Rv_KzPh9ypRpdidCeF8yunB8RKrv8idf7nwAp0X8A_tlHhisujpBC1UDtOok6YigF9zPUWcJDmY2n9PFdRW2r0uc-GmcDSb/s320/IMG_7472.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>They are getting to see the sets from the movies, and Issa is having the time of her life! I can't wait to hear all about their adventures!<br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-90951422830461543642024-02-28T07:08:00.002-05:002024-02-28T07:08:44.860-05:00Hyper Focus<p> I spent most of the day yesterday alone in a hotel room. I had a couple of Zoom calls, but most of the day I could just work--and boy did I. It's amazing how much I can get done with zero distractions.</p><p>I've been playing around with a book idea, and I really think if I could lock myself away for a week I could write the dang thing. I just have to be somewhere with no housework, no people to talk with, and nothing else to do.</p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-88484952366009793032024-02-27T08:02:00.002-05:002024-02-27T08:02:53.273-05:00On the Road<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm traveling for work this week. I'm in the foothills of New York doing an accreditation visit. The visit doesn't start until late this afternoon, but it's hard to get here from home, so I spent yesterday traveling. Detroit Airport has gotten fancy:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">'<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3O3jLowP5yW7E_wtREZZ2I_efjCSz9dY9HSGo8Ow4xouDAyOigl9llI1aZ2v9zDTVVxM-xxff_DEtfkvyWfJqYpGPOAGGkG9Uvp04EGruWsSHbqWv5CSeMYqN4GqOKUYMRZLOQpwiQubSw63-PpcDpPpRZbG_ElwltPIvIvKvA8EXm1by_BqARJlKSQy/s3088/IMG_2137.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3O3jLowP5yW7E_wtREZZ2I_efjCSz9dY9HSGo8Ow4xouDAyOigl9llI1aZ2v9zDTVVxM-xxff_DEtfkvyWfJqYpGPOAGGkG9Uvp04EGruWsSHbqWv5CSeMYqN4GqOKUYMRZLOQpwiQubSw63-PpcDpPpRZbG_ElwltPIvIvKvA8EXm1by_BqARJlKSQy/s320/IMG_2137.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>I thoroughly enjoyed watching the fountain dance while a baby grand played by my gate.<p></p><p>I also finished book 5:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfV4nFCZ_bfMs4171wNkRqXx-RUGPp8W9SuJPYk0P6rrm6YEWSVSV8fkOQaCanyBMgNmoYhhTohu8pesAgOfwAcOqAwRyk2axIV3q2WkyKoIQh-RVnYogBjOtAFxSkYS0b7otF_WYb_QhkH2rFIBN_mFvakbXgJtYfK4zhoiGy90VhB0BOt_BXO8089GS/s4032/IMG_2138.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfV4nFCZ_bfMs4171wNkRqXx-RUGPp8W9SuJPYk0P6rrm6YEWSVSV8fkOQaCanyBMgNmoYhhTohu8pesAgOfwAcOqAwRyk2axIV3q2WkyKoIQh-RVnYogBjOtAFxSkYS0b7otF_WYb_QhkH2rFIBN_mFvakbXgJtYfK4zhoiGy90VhB0BOt_BXO8089GS/s320/IMG_2138.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>I had to take a break from Poldark for the next neighborhood book club read. This one took some really interesting twists I did not see coming, and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I was going to in chapter one. Our book club reads a lot of sci-fi, and this is another one. I'm also noticing the genre tends to just end, which I don't love. I could have used one more chapter. That said, I'm glad I read it!<p></p><p> </p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-4509219063938268472024-02-26T15:31:00.002-05:002024-02-26T15:31:29.376-05:00Big Weekend!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Issa had a very big weekend! Friday afternoon, Brad and I took she and Kai to vote for the first time:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcrjB552Eap-oFsAUvA5ovryTsYvb-lKIYU4rc7AyPULa_dYN_X-u0IY8FDwZ_lBeNVnV4ow1hbwDmEen1D2lZBT2wwRg9YBFC4xLOT3SkeTey9voLnUhdm92Z7KXg3Zq5cWZBZfaLJLZVU69VDFnDvU4V7MAs5MqPCGubJLqkJR3cjzoBRxUqH5H-Vu6/s3088/IMG_2127.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcrjB552Eap-oFsAUvA5ovryTsYvb-lKIYU4rc7AyPULa_dYN_X-u0IY8FDwZ_lBeNVnV4ow1hbwDmEen1D2lZBT2wwRg9YBFC4xLOT3SkeTey9voLnUhdm92Z7KXg3Zq5cWZBZfaLJLZVU69VDFnDvU4V7MAs5MqPCGubJLqkJR3cjzoBRxUqH5H-Vu6/s320/IMG_2127.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>We were masked up because Evan had Covid last week. We only tested because the high school sent an email saying they had a major cluster, and Evan's English teacher had announced she would be out all week. It turns out what we thought was allergies was, indeed, Covid. He never had more than a sniffle, and he did not mind hunkering down in his room and having his favorite foods delivered. He is back to school today, and all is well!<p></p><p>We were so proud of how they researched their ballots, and the elections crew made a huge deal of their first time voting, insisting we get a picture of them at the ballot box:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LcmiJbE6_IRnD3ucAOHdakALrOa96odkzvX9bNAMDQ6-DTXl7gL2rwMTpl9f7I5ZXx525onCtnh9epD0_lTLXX87gxVQoLNq7C-WCXn-bj6a8_kKYLmgJo2XSzfgfG5xoipUaEtUoYYH9f43Xx4yC3V-eGAb3e-AzbGophiKRssVCbUy7Cryn2EEj23D/s4032/IMG_2126.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LcmiJbE6_IRnD3ucAOHdakALrOa96odkzvX9bNAMDQ6-DTXl7gL2rwMTpl9f7I5ZXx525onCtnh9epD0_lTLXX87gxVQoLNq7C-WCXn-bj6a8_kKYLmgJo2XSzfgfG5xoipUaEtUoYYH9f43Xx4yC3V-eGAb3e-AzbGophiKRssVCbUy7Cryn2EEj23D/s320/IMG_2126.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>They also thought they were twins, which was hilarious.<p></p><p>Sunday, we had our first dance competition of the season:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiri0OKtdw-oQvKVhANJFLRPmWHT0GKqfUPCqkjyXgDFkHk7vqAwh-w9-21Sgg-dmQyfSReF0mg3hCpcw5WLTSATUWdui3cDZ5E1Br05c3ccmCzGAvFzf3d3LjDzu4XMfjW6HYMUYCN0CML_wSyRNWw8rfdIxquRbLYptJtKN1ahaHKKXH4j-5Wy4vFey1H/s1280/75F3E923-179E-43AA-AF27-067764FB9D46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiri0OKtdw-oQvKVhANJFLRPmWHT0GKqfUPCqkjyXgDFkHk7vqAwh-w9-21Sgg-dmQyfSReF0mg3hCpcw5WLTSATUWdui3cDZ5E1Br05c3ccmCzGAvFzf3d3LjDzu4XMfjW6HYMUYCN0CML_wSyRNWw8rfdIxquRbLYptJtKN1ahaHKKXH4j-5Wy4vFey1H/s320/75F3E923-179E-43AA-AF27-067764FB9D46.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A month ago, we weren't sure Issa would be able to dance. Thanks to a great sports med team and amazing teachers who helped her slowly return to dance, she not only danced but she crushed it yesterday. We will get the photos and videos, but I have never seen her so relaxed and truly happy on stage. She had so much fun. I'm not going to lie: I sobbed through her jazz number. The last time I watched it she went down, and it was so scary to watch her going into that lunge again.<p></p><p>And, her team won top studio:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_FVXXQ8hf21VvtIzYGK3M8gqPYsHH-D1JdglXxcNQ6WjkhMkleWXmHeTIDnvlBU_CECubjzXCcrh1ar4yrOyd9E7Gf0zaaxLzpWJbb0HlsBxRCdnnGq2QYy0R37d4ZzRjeWDzJQhr1jvFidUiN8dq6ym-T7c23LG0ONCDBQc-w3D3zRXf-YF1f3kojUQ/s1280/C3B38E70-9E47-4B3E-9C24-B677178D6C53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_FVXXQ8hf21VvtIzYGK3M8gqPYsHH-D1JdglXxcNQ6WjkhMkleWXmHeTIDnvlBU_CECubjzXCcrh1ar4yrOyd9E7Gf0zaaxLzpWJbb0HlsBxRCdnnGq2QYy0R37d4ZzRjeWDzJQhr1jvFidUiN8dq6ym-T7c23LG0ONCDBQc-w3D3zRXf-YF1f3kojUQ/s320/C3B38E70-9E47-4B3E-9C24-B677178D6C53.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The look between she and Stephanie--I'm so glad someone caught it on film. Issa was the first Monarch, and this season of lasts is something special:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JtNceJ8D75nx4e23487iAC9UASK_HfMheeoT6wQz3Mui77iw66ekrlZNiOCRVggWXyChczR-trymz_yR7P6YLHlpwN_uJsLzd54J2EkBQfgkHrejj8Qywi9loUfRbBH2JuO0zQiz-bdRdUnMRyu3vNlQ-Zez2I4w-nm_QJKszTFvsgjKiDvUR5OKdt0V/s1143/IMG_2135.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JtNceJ8D75nx4e23487iAC9UASK_HfMheeoT6wQz3Mui77iw66ekrlZNiOCRVggWXyChczR-trymz_yR7P6YLHlpwN_uJsLzd54J2EkBQfgkHrejj8Qywi9loUfRbBH2JuO0zQiz-bdRdUnMRyu3vNlQ-Zez2I4w-nm_QJKszTFvsgjKiDvUR5OKdt0V/s320/IMG_2135.PNG" width="232" /></a></div>It was a long day, but I'm so grateful that it was a healthy, fabulous day.<br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-25120789492062898392024-02-23T14:38:00.001-05:002024-02-23T14:38:05.582-05:00Book 4!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished book four of 2024 this morning:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSl4irm8dJcQ1-dHA0ymPK2p3kDuCsfhNm6AXWWQXg5fnUKNT6MCzUo-a4vtcLNbZumnG-WAyXgtRoT9jJ17FncnqD81aDbAehL_wXZMO3nkon3ww8u9JPQSI5jEh5UHguEQqdFrCq-YOkpeK1kzh7XHvIT-mQF2MVn1BBoP0wFfKPeCkbJtNG47aDv12M/s4032/IMG_2125.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSl4irm8dJcQ1-dHA0ymPK2p3kDuCsfhNm6AXWWQXg5fnUKNT6MCzUo-a4vtcLNbZumnG-WAyXgtRoT9jJ17FncnqD81aDbAehL_wXZMO3nkon3ww8u9JPQSI5jEh5UHguEQqdFrCq-YOkpeK1kzh7XHvIT-mQF2MVn1BBoP0wFfKPeCkbJtNG47aDv12M/s320/IMG_2125.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>This is another in the Poldark series, and wow. We are approaching the turn of the century, and a bit more reality has hit the family. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I have no idea where the next book will take us!<br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-80101548028709460662024-02-22T13:31:00.001-05:002024-02-22T13:31:06.479-05:00That Did Not Go as Planned<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As Issa is getting ready to go to college, one of the things that has been making her worry the most is the fear of failure. We had the brilliant idea that they meant she just needed to experience failure. The surest place we could think of was the pottery studio. I got permission to take her in to the studio and give her a lesson. I intentionally started her with a huge lump of clay, which is insanely hard. This is his first throw:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6PFCwQHbZrWtaCBf-7lJUj1GnQYRhCWlfFV28E_rraXLWnE0RhOFNGs9WA_xKSQZ7FBefc_r6iDbUmlGDQiiDiFvN_3gRUN-PGVoKHCZI_6fOdE_kGSqLNuxMS1EhwgbckCHg-bfMfKyeIpsdUf6R5HDwXgz_-YkrnuYj0WXZAj07Ucwb2DqACTtk1hk/s4032/IMG_2121.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6PFCwQHbZrWtaCBf-7lJUj1GnQYRhCWlfFV28E_rraXLWnE0RhOFNGs9WA_xKSQZ7FBefc_r6iDbUmlGDQiiDiFvN_3gRUN-PGVoKHCZI_6fOdE_kGSqLNuxMS1EhwgbckCHg-bfMfKyeIpsdUf6R5HDwXgz_-YkrnuYj0WXZAj07Ucwb2DqACTtk1hk/s320/IMG_2121.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>She initially wasn't sure about the feel of the clay, but she definitely did not experience failure:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2UdE5WbNFuFWA-JrOnKIv9fdQDB2pa5sTxCIovIJkcwQ8DqFmxOKq3uI5Knw3_0ZvDPCVyVG7Xls6G-yE4rp4a2NtcThyphenhyphen2BeZ3mZ6X60K8-RX-UCatS4TTREZ8QKq0PLbrr5F28j7w9y72NN3nF272t03nmQvlVg_YyhuTOMJpPiWwPnrIBBEDJ5iDxV/s4032/IMG_2122.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2UdE5WbNFuFWA-JrOnKIv9fdQDB2pa5sTxCIovIJkcwQ8DqFmxOKq3uI5Knw3_0ZvDPCVyVG7Xls6G-yE4rp4a2NtcThyphenhyphen2BeZ3mZ6X60K8-RX-UCatS4TTREZ8QKq0PLbrr5F28j7w9y72NN3nF272t03nmQvlVg_YyhuTOMJpPiWwPnrIBBEDJ5iDxV/s320/IMG_2122.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>She kept working and tweaking--even when I told her that she could try something but it might cause the vase to collapse. She was thoughtful, and she opted to take the risks, and it paid off. It wasn't the lesson we were going for, but it was an important one nonetheless. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-25774006729821409272024-02-19T10:53:00.003-05:002024-02-19T10:53:50.359-05:00A Very Big Weekend<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had a whirlwind weekend around here!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Friday night, Brad and I went to our favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate Valentine's Day:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTTMh_jWR6V-ZJB8-Hnou67sMMy9fiGB9RpFEY89q-kk4KQ9ThBA2ewZZU7LyJE_xGdpteQalEZktlPThIrKRsNvW4z65VWTHUntGsTKEaQttOUSqSsO9Iiw-9PhuiPJwO-5pQsvrBgrcgy70oV1p9FM4nmVE07hI_GYTKKH3YBeqAZ-OXrsNBsvDXCSf/s3088/IMG_2105.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTTMh_jWR6V-ZJB8-Hnou67sMMy9fiGB9RpFEY89q-kk4KQ9ThBA2ewZZU7LyJE_xGdpteQalEZktlPThIrKRsNvW4z65VWTHUntGsTKEaQttOUSqSsO9Iiw-9PhuiPJwO-5pQsvrBgrcgy70oV1p9FM4nmVE07hI_GYTKKH3YBeqAZ-OXrsNBsvDXCSf/s320/IMG_2105.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>The food is just so ridiculously good, and our waiter was charming. His wife also has celiac, so we felt so safe eating.<p></p><p>Saturday, we had Scholars' Day on campus for Issa:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRO0Oh4y9vNpVOL7H3qW52K5XsQy0ORiudcyTaM-JJPxuruo1P-iGX1xJmvSMPUf7AgRepAobv7CMlsBhIuIYmR0iqb4ehOVUVwpRznRJE_FhOKbBfEkbSRVwitYDXIEOZ0Y0NNrxwzX-CHI1vA22qR9n3MQXqaROIiRauHoFrEKDVNHglVo8TOW9ZCujF/s3088/IMG_2107.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRO0Oh4y9vNpVOL7H3qW52K5XsQy0ORiudcyTaM-JJPxuruo1P-iGX1xJmvSMPUf7AgRepAobv7CMlsBhIuIYmR0iqb4ehOVUVwpRznRJE_FhOKbBfEkbSRVwitYDXIEOZ0Y0NNrxwzX-CHI1vA22qR9n3MQXqaROIiRauHoFrEKDVNHglVo8TOW9ZCujF/s320/IMG_2107.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>She didn't have to interview since she's already been awarded the Teaching Fellows and Scholars' awards, but she did get to meet some of her future classmates, which was fun. She has some new contacts, and she is still really excited to come--even thought the dining hall really blew it and didn't label things. It gives us time to trouble-shoot that before it is her every day.<p></p><p>Saturday night, Issa and I went to the Journey concert:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXlwdCcEaBOzNOU439zkNP-fOvC9nwdcfoNa1rBfh87Lvjw69Sy2Yz_RE80aV41cAcylZOR5g9KdOsVx5gQHdCb9m6kG6dGcgN52T0pmMZUCWyE1QhN-AjZT_mkL1Cs2NfaNDyOOFlp6V1i_oklAM6zgKckS8QxxoHColTU2mZax7Y33lf7LQS2i8TENH/s3088/IMG_2109.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXlwdCcEaBOzNOU439zkNP-fOvC9nwdcfoNa1rBfh87Lvjw69Sy2Yz_RE80aV41cAcylZOR5g9KdOsVx5gQHdCb9m6kG6dGcgN52T0pmMZUCWyE1QhN-AjZT_mkL1Cs2NfaNDyOOFlp6V1i_oklAM6zgKckS8QxxoHColTU2mZax7Y33lf7LQS2i8TENH/s320/IMG_2109.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>Toto opened for them, and it was Journey's fiftieth anniversary tour:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlK49TAYqeT0VTh2Xt1MxMob9oT7AtXWh44EsZcQlcIEW7jDMg8lX7d7lfnxwwJoIx4LWLZz0kH6hidVoBzVpK1gMH2jmD1q9rJfeJNdbWocXXiRR0iZYCbU6uVYa0dFuOdziCzuOSnLoYZQH6ygJWQiOVWfRnPOpJTr9710L_RH_u8BBbUFQiJIHmtOaN/s4032/IMG_1136.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlK49TAYqeT0VTh2Xt1MxMob9oT7AtXWh44EsZcQlcIEW7jDMg8lX7d7lfnxwwJoIx4LWLZz0kH6hidVoBzVpK1gMH2jmD1q9rJfeJNdbWocXXiRR0iZYCbU6uVYa0dFuOdziCzuOSnLoYZQH6ygJWQiOVWfRnPOpJTr9710L_RH_u8BBbUFQiJIHmtOaN/s320/IMG_1136.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>We sang out hearts out, much to the amusement of the gentleman sitting next to us. It couldn't have been more different than our last concert, the Eras Tour, but it was still so good in its own charming way.<div><br /></div><div>Sunday, we girls headed to the ballet:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU0-OFQjjee0pCEart0TH15c3pBX009sFA34C4FTBI_NM5hikaIrd7Psj_d9tfoUzUtxBeIsVJ0oRNJbyWKPj8SgCBnHgmqq7GkVU0CqO7koZOLoyZL9dPdvJ00qTMXBS_u6Y8l9nG1UeKPVSbL9o2lF_X-Y2ZKjrr3c8bMbQ2HXqMkK7bppzqXT-q5Hb/s4032/IMG_1144.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU0-OFQjjee0pCEart0TH15c3pBX009sFA34C4FTBI_NM5hikaIrd7Psj_d9tfoUzUtxBeIsVJ0oRNJbyWKPj8SgCBnHgmqq7GkVU0CqO7koZOLoyZL9dPdvJ00qTMXBS_u6Y8l9nG1UeKPVSbL9o2lF_X-Y2ZKjrr3c8bMbQ2HXqMkK7bppzqXT-q5Hb/s320/IMG_1144.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>We saw three Gershwin pieces, all of which were new and incredible. It was the first time we ever saw a ballet done in character heels! </div><div><br /></div><div>It was a busy weekend, but it was also so very fun!<br /> <p></p></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-20970728066126432832024-02-12T16:17:00.000-05:002024-02-12T16:17:01.093-05:00Once More to Wonderland<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Every four years, the Meredith faculty and staff produce Alice in Wonderland for our students. We put the whole thing together in basically a week, and it only works because we reprise our roles over time. This year happened to the 100th anniversary of this tradition, so it was an extra special event. Most of our department participated, and I was thrilled to reprise my role as the Caterpillar:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQeytlTida2to0pUBPq4neV7RTfmSi95lSxSV9VFa4LTsgw8_y7JqpQ10tn46Q_8tWS5kYmQS4icV6gGg3gsl6s14QRxfc2ZVlGDsXkxVMsdHKxWg1CmyetGvxEX5pJ0UG-bwyGQJqvcmLKKQ9L4eej0en63wOGftpaVq7olmLORnubjguOUXncS-4O7w/s1600/image000000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQeytlTida2to0pUBPq4neV7RTfmSi95lSxSV9VFa4LTsgw8_y7JqpQ10tn46Q_8tWS5kYmQS4icV6gGg3gsl6s14QRxfc2ZVlGDsXkxVMsdHKxWg1CmyetGvxEX5pJ0UG-bwyGQJqvcmLKKQ9L4eej0en63wOGftpaVq7olmLORnubjguOUXncS-4O7w/s320/image000000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The family got to come see it on Saturday, which was really fun:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83D5Ei2xv9sAyp6gPbo6zDOjuoL4MTVP1UUld9Qh1CKYO0C4ZAfwLMs0Y4OT_bKDnvr3PVKF0Fhd4uFOsc3jsKa9baz0pwWpob9s3bbcdNf4PZgjvYP14BTA2H8IMcCaG2a5AgdTRi6y8Dyzh8_od5rWb-wFMNezF4ukcrvb0gEYJWQUTfto7stCyN_mw/s4032/IMG_4272.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83D5Ei2xv9sAyp6gPbo6zDOjuoL4MTVP1UUld9Qh1CKYO0C4ZAfwLMs0Y4OT_bKDnvr3PVKF0Fhd4uFOsc3jsKa9baz0pwWpob9s3bbcdNf4PZgjvYP14BTA2H8IMcCaG2a5AgdTRi6y8Dyzh8_od5rWb-wFMNezF4ukcrvb0gEYJWQUTfto7stCyN_mw/s320/IMG_4272.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Since this was such a big year, we also did an extra matinee performance, so the College provided dinner between the two shoes on Saturday. We were quite the spectacle:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsu2uIrOg1R6lQwkMe0cDcTZ8QQiN68kjx3bfyJ1kLB7j4ak_I5FF3dI30dAdm4wiQlPvClcfsgs4DOT-GWKuuIkspoj-0y2E5-WVryow1gAlQTInib3634jNXHdYG9FfmTEYr15kg1CMxYpYp7xY4Q5wfhZY3sBDWafuTvewyZsqsjGzCl2eCVaI88loI/s2048/IMG_0520.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsu2uIrOg1R6lQwkMe0cDcTZ8QQiN68kjx3bfyJ1kLB7j4ak_I5FF3dI30dAdm4wiQlPvClcfsgs4DOT-GWKuuIkspoj-0y2E5-WVryow1gAlQTInib3634jNXHdYG9FfmTEYr15kg1CMxYpYp7xY4Q5wfhZY3sBDWafuTvewyZsqsjGzCl2eCVaI88loI/s320/IMG_0520.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>There really is something magical about these trips to Wonderland. There is no other time when the faculty gets to spend a week together just doing something fun, and the students love it. It's so fun to watch them realize who we are and sign their books afterwards. <p></p><p>It also takes us three and a half years to recover. It's a long, exhausting, physically-demanding week. But by 2028, I'll be so ready to do it all again...</p><p> </p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-75171789618066438022024-02-07T09:49:00.001-05:002024-02-07T09:49:15.329-05:00Book 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished book 3 of 2024 this morning:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywj3USSZoqnxrFlxj-84VEuUhxY44W0RRI07lVJnsLqR5TSQXiUKXhENEuawGquH3FpcA65TFUMf6BTp9d8D9-msEpijTWMP3s2zyf6ovRyBqiQ7twvcFBTfUangZ0uNFrkxOxh5tH5hQNBXkrqZ_BqfdU9b_xeNLFYPGsifeIE94CIuW0CM49d3hAZsh/s4032/IMG_2082.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywj3USSZoqnxrFlxj-84VEuUhxY44W0RRI07lVJnsLqR5TSQXiUKXhENEuawGquH3FpcA65TFUMf6BTp9d8D9-msEpijTWMP3s2zyf6ovRyBqiQ7twvcFBTfUangZ0uNFrkxOxh5tH5hQNBXkrqZ_BqfdU9b_xeNLFYPGsifeIE94CIuW0CM49d3hAZsh/s320/IMG_2082.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>The Poldark saga continues, and I love that this one was allowed to end in a tangle rather than a neat bow. However, I might feel differently if I didn't have the next one ready to go! It was also very nice to read in my dry sauna again this morning. It was a much softer way to start the day!<br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-29492989589847613152024-02-06T09:48:00.001-05:002024-02-06T09:48:43.915-05:00God is Good and Captain Disaster Wins<p> This morning did not begin as planned.</p><p>Brad was supposed to be traveling to DC this morning. He found out his afternoon meeting today moved virtual, so he was able to delay his flight to this evening since he would have no where to take a virtual meeting early this afternoon if he was traveling.</p><p>I went out to do my yoga this morning, and I heard running water. That is never a good thing in the garage. Sure enough, our hot water heater had sprung a leak. I went to get Brad up--extra grateful he was there. We started moving things, and then I looked up hot to shut down a water heater and narrated the process to him.</p><p>While he drained the tank with a garden hose I called ARS. They were here by 8:15.</p><p>The good news:</p><p>Brad had just redone the garage and the only thing directly on the floor were some mats and weights--all things that are easy to dry.</p><p>ARS is able to replace the water heater today, which is even better since we had to turn water off to the house until it's repaired.</p><p>Brad's meetings for the next two days also moved to a virtual option, so he was able to cancel his trip no problem, which means he will be here for the whole repair/dry out process.</p><p>It is certainly not a fun way to start the day, but we are so grateful that we are able to get it repaired today and that we were both here to deal with the chaos and still get everyone where they needed to be this morning!</p><p>Onward...</p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-89841852740007021362024-02-05T16:25:00.001-05:002024-02-05T16:25:05.884-05:00She Said Yes<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is was a very fast and very fun weekend. Mom, Shannon, and I met Becca in New York to do some bridal gown shopping! We all met up Friday evening, and we had an amazing Italian dinner. I had chingale for the first time state-side, and I was very, very happy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday morning we have breakfast at the hotel before going to Kleinfeld's:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6avBt49Xnj5bNDN0p4ym9BV9N-Y48KkrzdCvIh3NHDPzwjQREy_59sM4X_Gnb_xZx7oVEGaZxSrT0Bh23u7sbqyfcY2pqWO0WOKl26xCyFV0_PVyK5FycW0ehrQOS-pfb5ApccaYw0e6WVNK4IJPltTp5wYAPKp5Vi9M2_KxorPiLMoJk6mhUeXsfikd/s1792/IMG_2056.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6avBt49Xnj5bNDN0p4ym9BV9N-Y48KkrzdCvIh3NHDPzwjQREy_59sM4X_Gnb_xZx7oVEGaZxSrT0Bh23u7sbqyfcY2pqWO0WOKl26xCyFV0_PVyK5FycW0ehrQOS-pfb5ApccaYw0e6WVNK4IJPltTp5wYAPKp5Vi9M2_KxorPiLMoJk6mhUeXsfikd/s320/IMG_2056.PNG" width="148" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These people know what they are doing. Becca was able to share her vision with the consultant while the three of us cozied into a couch. We stayed put, and Becca got to play fashion show! I don't remember exactly how many dresses we tried on, but I do know we found the most perfect dress:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiOsKGT5E87uxi-TlQQ09PO1eeNaWUv8fw9sDneVVqzmhE35kP1Ox5GNmdV9f2I0fiJQz4ww0G6fvZm9y2pX_UFjhN_JTbFUWKuQk0EQ-Cz1Rlr3T1vcko22Bw-M0LDPsPf0N-PBn5S34EXe8x5MKgUTfw23YHSXEoOz6NCvW1wUm-qPQnJ5i1KDm93O7/s2870/IMG_7386.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2152" data-original-width="2870" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiOsKGT5E87uxi-TlQQ09PO1eeNaWUv8fw9sDneVVqzmhE35kP1Ox5GNmdV9f2I0fiJQz4ww0G6fvZm9y2pX_UFjhN_JTbFUWKuQk0EQ-Cz1Rlr3T1vcko22Bw-M0LDPsPf0N-PBn5S34EXe8x5MKgUTfw23YHSXEoOz6NCvW1wUm-qPQnJ5i1KDm93O7/s320/IMG_7386.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Complete with a champagne toast:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmN6HUMbSnBhGKeh-K5tm7uiTFvIwDARK9-yBuopxxn41V-tyQuIwoM56vfDZ6xDG2AMluCkH6PQWkJnYVX3yeyF852pDPSJk8pM39V-M3BKCdpWE_8p-xTMyLMJJ3oawsBn2Ef8dMB9YHXGTT5KZaDnAaW0wT-Jls_W-NpLC4xDVy-_r5mNrEjlwj3-12/s4032/IMG_7384.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmN6HUMbSnBhGKeh-K5tm7uiTFvIwDARK9-yBuopxxn41V-tyQuIwoM56vfDZ6xDG2AMluCkH6PQWkJnYVX3yeyF852pDPSJk8pM39V-M3BKCdpWE_8p-xTMyLMJJ3oawsBn2Ef8dMB9YHXGTT5KZaDnAaW0wT-Jls_W-NpLC4xDVy-_r5mNrEjlwj3-12/s320/IMG_7384.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div>We had lunch at Eataly and did a little shopping before having a super cool dinner at Beauty and Essex. We found a few of the recipes we want to try, including the most perfect tortilla soup with a cheese dumpling and a kale and apple salad that was amazing. <p></p><p>Sunday morning we had brunch before Mom and I flew back. </p><p>We had such a fun weekend catching up and chatting about wedding plans. It was a whirlwind, and I'm so tired, but I am very, very grateful we were able to be together and find the perfect dress!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-60065479635643175792024-01-31T11:21:00.001-05:002024-01-31T11:21:53.668-05:00That Did Not Go As Planned<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sunday afternoon was Monarch's season debut! We had a great morning getting ready and were out the door early:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ijv6ttGI_yAy4GlNU-qNCKyJSoWLEBeIIWusEKgzjerYTDk1jROgLCvnD8JJaOLFUnULc6p_3F6Hzgn8oU_NPMvx2RrF2-dh0Yiv-NY3lsaySlUA4C1n7dV_sl48wGRsR60WR355NdFv5C_D4dUA9jzUihtteCWKQP63Ea7_Mzet91nHPahk7uFLdDG0/s3088/IMG_2040.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ijv6ttGI_yAy4GlNU-qNCKyJSoWLEBeIIWusEKgzjerYTDk1jROgLCvnD8JJaOLFUnULc6p_3F6Hzgn8oU_NPMvx2RrF2-dh0Yiv-NY3lsaySlUA4C1n7dV_sl48wGRsR60WR355NdFv5C_D4dUA9jzUihtteCWKQP63Ea7_Mzet91nHPahk7uFLdDG0/s320/IMG_2040.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>Stephanie snapped a picture of the seniors before the show began:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4QrNpFClHx8KxopnQGcqFr1M0Ccnljw0eYSGowc259hcDc7nSEsFy-jq4SICm4MOWcivwsfNuReB0eY8v4pOlVNngpyJIbyXPxiPRCXQVAXVsiNaJgX6r0kxRGTZwT9CEh1cl3eVvmz5r2jwDbmmnS2FOm7HqVKwH3jDFeeZrRlxjhxxlBrL655SupE2/s1187/IMG_2048.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4QrNpFClHx8KxopnQGcqFr1M0Ccnljw0eYSGowc259hcDc7nSEsFy-jq4SICm4MOWcivwsfNuReB0eY8v4pOlVNngpyJIbyXPxiPRCXQVAXVsiNaJgX6r0kxRGTZwT9CEh1cl3eVvmz5r2jwDbmmnS2FOm7HqVKwH3jDFeeZrRlxjhxxlBrL655SupE2/s320/IMG_2048.PNG" width="223" /></a></div>And then things went south. 16 counts into Issa's first dance she went down. She did it very gracefully and got herself off stage, but I knew it was bad. When I got backstage she was in the wings with Brooke evaluating. Thankfully we have a team mom who is an EMT. She ruled out bone and really, really bad. As a true gift, Stephanie told her she was done for the day, and we were advised to go straight to ortho urgent care. <p></p><p>Our Monarch family stepped up. Vicki all but carried her to the dressing room to change. Her team helped her plan for her littles and stepped into that gap. Moms hugged me and helped me pack. Issa stayed freakily calm, and we headed out:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfuJR4LVJ3lIXG8DG0bVfdH4aP7YqUTIwhKMg5VLVgeC_sD1sAPSbfGAXVKRlXvGnDSAKqrBBvR-CKqMIhprKJ5xnzvRkzkYAabCFbg9c93mW-_BHBbhnf_EIMjO28vs08FVQwbdHqSm3N0gbW5aGazqqQ_JRZuYnRlt1YJwcMkf0SmpI6CXxdsMfbtxX/s3088/IMG_2044.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfuJR4LVJ3lIXG8DG0bVfdH4aP7YqUTIwhKMg5VLVgeC_sD1sAPSbfGAXVKRlXvGnDSAKqrBBvR-CKqMIhprKJ5xnzvRkzkYAabCFbg9c93mW-_BHBbhnf_EIMjO28vs08FVQwbdHqSm3N0gbW5aGazqqQ_JRZuYnRlt1YJwcMkf0SmpI6CXxdsMfbtxX/s320/IMG_2044.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>We received awesome care and a super cool brace:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgViLOIeQmSoXNjvtp5rQrwkrE6S7EmTxEFOizNh6lVLCVmn5c8mRQzVV1BhR7BKOhBN7kj9sKKDqSzDgwyDFF4q3VVcXAjLME8lGZL-sNolH8SLF8j6N8HHpW83pZTwe244XY4O8xPdtMHH3MOjto_Fcfl2n1gI8E2Xca_Oy7tkYFp2kXz9VBjgrWQSWye/s4032/IMG_2046.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgViLOIeQmSoXNjvtp5rQrwkrE6S7EmTxEFOizNh6lVLCVmn5c8mRQzVV1BhR7BKOhBN7kj9sKKDqSzDgwyDFF4q3VVcXAjLME8lGZL-sNolH8SLF8j6N8HHpW83pZTwe244XY4O8xPdtMHH3MOjto_Fcfl2n1gI8E2Xca_Oy7tkYFp2kXz9VBjgrWQSWye/s320/IMG_2046.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>She was diagnosed with an ugly sprain after a lot of images. Given what we were afraid of, Issa was thrilled. She was cleared to dance in the brace as tolerated starting yesterday. She did everything but big jumps and up and down off the floor no problem. Her senior season is going to happen!<p></p><p>And Kai came in clutch. He drove Mom and Evan home and then joined us in urgent care:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFkeUnHFAeQuQ0OM_TuN8MK-4hp4FTeYYt5QJBCNM_xiwCBTZ051_8Ql6G8tyPf9cKS7kXJ7Qaahhp-SkCyicGNvQxrqB08XWDM5QRUuv6X_HJXCRVrpXSQkQROpINdABjbo9eiI24AqATPzZJDuzGGo4KaHTOEfJjnkVHjJuTBbiC6OrV2h6DcXQLOwx/s3088/IMG_3821.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFkeUnHFAeQuQ0OM_TuN8MK-4hp4FTeYYt5QJBCNM_xiwCBTZ051_8Ql6G8tyPf9cKS7kXJ7Qaahhp-SkCyicGNvQxrqB08XWDM5QRUuv6X_HJXCRVrpXSQkQROpINdABjbo9eiI24AqATPzZJDuzGGo4KaHTOEfJjnkVHjJuTBbiC6OrV2h6DcXQLOwx/s320/IMG_3821.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>He is so sweet taking care of her. <div><br /></div><div>Everything could have been so much worse, and we feel so lucky and so loved. I would also like to never do that again thank you.<br /> <p></p></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-16225137662190307762024-01-25T13:17:00.003-05:002024-01-25T13:17:41.304-05:00Extra Cozy and Special<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since it has been cold, the critters have been extra snuggly. Issa is still very much Inks's person:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4RTgfSbzYECwriLbtY0omx3Pkz7gcbesdOah3IjCAT9ZoXhjFz30ttIbKxgqhy8Nn2JItUTcQkcaXsdtP9x6QQDzFvZr0UgK3PPv_NwyPMnlxUi4OmcR9dGGla8DUEhpkMWSL8nQghlnNDGy-s34vtXJlIKpikL5hFb1Kv9ACE544xI6GVujhWwEMkCH/s4032/RenderedImage.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4RTgfSbzYECwriLbtY0omx3Pkz7gcbesdOah3IjCAT9ZoXhjFz30ttIbKxgqhy8Nn2JItUTcQkcaXsdtP9x6QQDzFvZr0UgK3PPv_NwyPMnlxUi4OmcR9dGGla8DUEhpkMWSL8nQghlnNDGy-s34vtXJlIKpikL5hFb1Kv9ACE544xI6GVujhWwEMkCH/s320/RenderedImage.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>And just look at those toe beans:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrhjIZ79U3kN7EjJotF8rUwOnsF8hZj6163vLPAvzAPjENfg5cw3ikixu-tTwYoZtgTya088JTSoW8yIiLuU1YFaMi1XDeLRaCyj1iIw5SPmgXf5WmiI1z3oJk0ywrpiXe2S7zUHJIs0a1SnWoebuO3t3BqDWh49Js9LJW9JzarNJm5-pCgAo1E7sZYMh/s4032/IMG_4188.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrhjIZ79U3kN7EjJotF8rUwOnsF8hZj6163vLPAvzAPjENfg5cw3ikixu-tTwYoZtgTya088JTSoW8yIiLuU1YFaMi1XDeLRaCyj1iIw5SPmgXf5WmiI1z3oJk0ywrpiXe2S7zUHJIs0a1SnWoebuO3t3BqDWh49Js9LJW9JzarNJm5-pCgAo1E7sZYMh/s320/IMG_4188.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>And then there is this knuckle head:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT5E-ZXvalzmWQPPH6OuXhiYrNsKwvzAtwGQbF_QcSLiI0pLuFUmr76zYPg4FgvJTgd3dviqW94QNCwzh1fMOFzwuOZQ2hH43JPTR4g7CiVtYn3hN_s_hc2szqGBB39XOiDVcecGYKfPhA-QotgbT5BndHGPtMJ0Vungxmq5AOHAKjs0zpf3oC19v7RWB/s4032/IMG_0973.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT5E-ZXvalzmWQPPH6OuXhiYrNsKwvzAtwGQbF_QcSLiI0pLuFUmr76zYPg4FgvJTgd3dviqW94QNCwzh1fMOFzwuOZQ2hH43JPTR4g7CiVtYn3hN_s_hc2szqGBB39XOiDVcecGYKfPhA-QotgbT5BndHGPtMJ0Vungxmq5AOHAKjs0zpf3oC19v7RWB/s320/IMG_0973.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Why sleep on the bed when you can be under it!<br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-14135679974574537592024-01-24T16:18:00.001-05:002024-01-24T16:18:04.054-05:00Book 2<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished book 2 of 2024 this week:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyp3y6bvXEbFrFJNCdvmH9RBSgmnnAW2CNCOtxgKq8LXG94H3TFqpc4-hfxckTrHCu6s8jMG3k0HeGsAmh6maEJ6SiJc-upGr42m1b_wtUkO9ZGAQXTM6s4SZIhL9aTN2ZzsjHa2NrzB9GtoiRwYf-yQIywclpLpT3EZaKEN44eDT_6T2BCXxaPdNWBP2q/s4032/IMG_2025.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyp3y6bvXEbFrFJNCdvmH9RBSgmnnAW2CNCOtxgKq8LXG94H3TFqpc4-hfxckTrHCu6s8jMG3k0HeGsAmh6maEJ6SiJc-upGr42m1b_wtUkO9ZGAQXTM6s4SZIhL9aTN2ZzsjHa2NrzB9GtoiRwYf-yQIywclpLpT3EZaKEN44eDT_6T2BCXxaPdNWBP2q/s320/IMG_2025.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>I'm still in the Poldark world, and I'm still loving it. The characters keep growing and shifting in interesting ways, and the story is evolving over the decades. It's just nice to visit somewhere else for a while every morning and settle in to see what is happening with this circle of friends. I am already worried about what I will do when this series ends. Thankfully, I still have seven books left.<p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-48661045912686745392024-01-23T11:10:00.002-05:002024-01-23T11:10:59.347-05:00You Say Yes<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Brad is traveling for work this week, and Issa was at Kai's for dinner last night, so this guy and I were on our own:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiud6e154GZLaaGK4bwQ2LaaafUM2csnxhCIp6tBCLpt6qYmhXj6QeeNNM0AARbXHyGdMym-7PrVXbkUoqKZSRFkw5VAc_Y3qI5uEXc_MVqklxiZY8SID2yFaGt5y3pulxIMoHv_BZI8sI0gyZ_zbuU6lZW0YiVHYQDA6JD0F6gK0-d663hXiWmt0O_zM/s3088/IMG_2028.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiud6e154GZLaaGK4bwQ2LaaafUM2csnxhCIp6tBCLpt6qYmhXj6QeeNNM0AARbXHyGdMym-7PrVXbkUoqKZSRFkw5VAc_Y3qI5uEXc_MVqklxiZY8SID2yFaGt5y3pulxIMoHv_BZI8sI0gyZ_zbuU6lZW0YiVHYQDA6JD0F6gK0-d663hXiWmt0O_zM/s320/IMG_2028.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>Mondays are usually his sacred alone time. He emerges for dinner, but aside from that he kind of does his own thing.<p></p><p>Last night, though, he asked to hang out. He made bean dip for dinner, which we ate on the couch watching TV, and then he asked me to play Madden with him. I lost every game, but boy did we laugh. I'm grateful for the times he wants to hang, and I will always say yes.</p><p> </p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-77095944280359236212024-01-22T11:54:00.001-05:002024-01-22T11:54:09.061-05:00That's a Wrap for the JV Season<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Evan wrestled his last JV tournament for the season on Saturday:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijF0G0UX08Ys9hI99RuYoM5pucHL9Es9lLUKLzHmOhTygFzL5_mIjk3VY0cq_DK08FVGX0MVr0c4HHdzfCDLS77jq1jVioLBhG127_yOpsiNEhGCkUlcNazOssX2KH07nHk1lehPapnIP9YFlhCNYUtM0TQegLwbBKDhdJeL5i1ph8UE_ufO0bbbvYCrv0/s828/IMG_2024.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="828" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijF0G0UX08Ys9hI99RuYoM5pucHL9Es9lLUKLzHmOhTygFzL5_mIjk3VY0cq_DK08FVGX0MVr0c4HHdzfCDLS77jq1jVioLBhG127_yOpsiNEhGCkUlcNazOssX2KH07nHk1lehPapnIP9YFlhCNYUtM0TQegLwbBKDhdJeL5i1ph8UE_ufO0bbbvYCrv0/s320/IMG_2024.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />This was our only tournament that was divided into tiers as well as weight class. Evan was not thrilled to be placed in the top tier, which was mostly upper classmen. He only lost on points in the first round, and that kid pinned everyone else in the first. He was also a junior who usually wrestles varsity. We'll take it! <p></p><p>Now we wait...the varsity team is still wrestling through the play-offs, so we will see if Evan gets more mat time. He is truly fine either way. I think we are all hoping he at least gets to go to see some of the meets as a back-up even if he doesn't wrestle.</p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-11950449269194036212024-01-18T09:11:00.004-05:002024-01-18T09:11:46.327-05:00It's Cold<p> We are freezing down here.</p><p>Brad and I were laughing this morning about how when we were little 18 in January felt warm. Now it's freezing. The kids actually had a three hour delay yesterday because temps were in the single digits. I actually wore my winter coat into work today.</p><p>It's funny how quickly cold becomes relative. We are looking forward to some 40s this weekend, and we are very sad this cold didn't at least bring some snow.</p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-23278258108465131972024-01-16T11:46:00.005-05:002024-01-16T11:46:58.697-05:00A Big Wrestling Weekend<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We spent most of the weekend in a gym! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Friday, Evan started in the varsity tri. He lost on points and then got a pin! Brad and I had a blast sitting with a bunch of other wrestling parents. They are just a fun group. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday morning, we were up way too early to go to a JV tournament. The team had a great day, and Evan took second:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaro2C8vzKxQp0OeB0hrPO84nD0xN1_zhM3iPlJs3pX-vOj_aJwv4Z_hKdzukSlKlhoKrmVgphxOhE5Mv1jjuvLf36IoZH9Z_OG_wENT7GpBCGIZDvbJSTXqPk7DlBPxJtbpdO-97fsaDFQlQ2rGuBPNufoLEj5e8PGua7YTsGGsimhjhGq9cGhHNK2HGK/s1792/IMG_2009.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaro2C8vzKxQp0OeB0hrPO84nD0xN1_zhM3iPlJs3pX-vOj_aJwv4Z_hKdzukSlKlhoKrmVgphxOhE5Mv1jjuvLf36IoZH9Z_OG_wENT7GpBCGIZDvbJSTXqPk7DlBPxJtbpdO-97fsaDFQlQ2rGuBPNufoLEj5e8PGua7YTsGGsimhjhGq9cGhHNK2HGK/s320/IMG_2009.PNG" width="148" /></a></div>He lost by one point to the guy who took home gold, so we will take it:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz48INOjNj8cn-vYqrfJb9V5ptiDX9eLptOEqfhnrUc4gALnVhp7WBUZrKBbtKnq0bfQzTjzIwCf2AffPDjlaOGvzGiQdvc7ofMVoqPv4EpryTS-5jtxaocCHECh_4CSm-zUO2LiiNd0xVBOEo7gw3JFifte2ckZaPlIg0157hTomT0PcAOg_RzUeNACjn/s4032/IMG_2007.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz48INOjNj8cn-vYqrfJb9V5ptiDX9eLptOEqfhnrUc4gALnVhp7WBUZrKBbtKnq0bfQzTjzIwCf2AffPDjlaOGvzGiQdvc7ofMVoqPv4EpryTS-5jtxaocCHECh_4CSm-zUO2LiiNd0xVBOEo7gw3JFifte2ckZaPlIg0157hTomT0PcAOg_RzUeNACjn/s320/IMG_2007.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>He is very excited to have a metal that actually has wrestlers on it. His one medal from last year has a volleyball player on the front even though it says wrestling on the back.<p></p><p>He just keeps getting better every weekend!</p><p> </p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-40521224553459716292024-01-10T10:33:00.002-05:002024-01-10T10:33:45.549-05:00A Big Win<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Evan had a huge wrestling tournament last Friday! He had three matches:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoNs5CVaaPUcWcuC7yXdvDL_JV7MXp1icxBGCRiR-9a5LM2j_-f4vc-X7eWS7znHC84kZJGfXbbHnzVLd0TkB2IX4I2_4t5kndG2HB-u4gjkMF30BH5DL5lt6TDAi7JVBHxtDe2jsUj8Fsf9WgK4lk7COhSXMi0uNIKLgCLLRIrz_JIGXufMBKek4aVle/s885/IMG_1993.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="745" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoNs5CVaaPUcWcuC7yXdvDL_JV7MXp1icxBGCRiR-9a5LM2j_-f4vc-X7eWS7znHC84kZJGfXbbHnzVLd0TkB2IX4I2_4t5kndG2HB-u4gjkMF30BH5DL5lt6TDAi7JVBHxtDe2jsUj8Fsf9WgK4lk7COhSXMi0uNIKLgCLLRIrz_JIGXufMBKek4aVle/s320/IMG_1993.PNG" width="269" /></a></div>He won the first one on points, got a pin on the second, and won the third on points:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHvvHTXa6NvwYnPSdkvKgbmKztMlszOdowVhmtI0LtqmHwLveAwea9_f9TfKVOTYeiTrFZm3jOMGA-84iYmyj1Tn4woRUvFngHT5X-rnZIpOsWI6Zosx2EAFN2_JFAAciXF9b73J2Tup67mcyj_Xto92Ky2OQ5Z5ztdkEyqe1qCklVrh-WoS-ATnrevKL/s748/IMG_1991.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="748" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHvvHTXa6NvwYnPSdkvKgbmKztMlszOdowVhmtI0LtqmHwLveAwea9_f9TfKVOTYeiTrFZm3jOMGA-84iYmyj1Tn4woRUvFngHT5X-rnZIpOsWI6Zosx2EAFN2_JFAAciXF9b73J2Tup67mcyj_Xto92Ky2OQ5Z5ztdkEyqe1qCklVrh-WoS-ATnrevKL/s320/IMG_1991.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>That meant he officially won his bracket:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kUvE8bm1TacsTj0JqpH37DjhO-h10-bF6Fy3VkU0EdUoEOUNrb0xSW1RZwjP3DtDjga60llwTPbQZztZOAWh-zQudoPKFVIc4km0VfBuUm4LdVEqbv1f6Zf8YKowRaWhzX1rIEAxNlAPJLkokic74rVQTE2ZyjynU0456Uk0kxYxqPrId2vQPBUVG77B/s828/IMG_1988.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="828" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kUvE8bm1TacsTj0JqpH37DjhO-h10-bF6Fy3VkU0EdUoEOUNrb0xSW1RZwjP3DtDjga60llwTPbQZztZOAWh-zQudoPKFVIc4km0VfBuUm4LdVEqbv1f6Zf8YKowRaWhzX1rIEAxNlAPJLkokic74rVQTE2ZyjynU0456Uk0kxYxqPrId2vQPBUVG77B/s320/IMG_1988.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>He also got his first black eye:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJM4ZNhAoJVDChEMpfrbvT_HxQP8XoX4ZnkDjqs8oEjwnPukKR-osbTjRxUwQZ_u1Y_dtYw3xjb7jYJ8Wnkx40Y0nC8jbrNlH1WLpXoKgaesC55l4b3emMMYCSCq7tzzFCzYgE15UOSDnAjm9dtBwiKZYbUrA_1LO81GwMLF2NHGCa4jNqGTmRpwej2Ij/s4032/IMG_1989.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJM4ZNhAoJVDChEMpfrbvT_HxQP8XoX4ZnkDjqs8oEjwnPukKR-osbTjRxUwQZ_u1Y_dtYw3xjb7jYJ8Wnkx40Y0nC8jbrNlH1WLpXoKgaesC55l4b3emMMYCSCq7tzzFCzYgE15UOSDnAjm9dtBwiKZYbUrA_1LO81GwMLF2NHGCa4jNqGTmRpwej2Ij/s320/IMG_1989.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>That pictures was when he walked off the mat; it got way worse. He actually ended up with a broken blood vessel, so his eye is pretty gnarly. He thought it was pretty cool until the adrenaline wore off and he actually could feel the pain. <p></p><p>We are so proud of how much he has grown this year, and it was so fun to have such a huge win!</p><p> </p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-27752786518545643912024-01-05T09:33:00.000-05:002024-01-05T09:33:22.876-05:00Slow Reentry<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This has been a gentle reentry into the real world. I'm back to work as of Wednesday, but I have not had to drive in yet. Students don't arrive back on campus on next week, so I have been able to do all of the paperwork and what not from home. It was even warm enough to do some of the work in my tree house:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSt319TutqHan9WcVCnFnZE0k-S7nQUG3VQ8MMtXRgXB8XryjnaVbmsUQ1MGlWMbaRKeD99YIXh3gAf1W8daD8qMjeEX2_75k_NdmRQCAcQk823mHdtL1JGTsOwKRIL3nnOGfM2HV-6SR_hN5Qf-0a173YWEadVgFSH61KKwOrWNWvzYMTMuRyq88QxDq/s4032/IMG_1984.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSt319TutqHan9WcVCnFnZE0k-S7nQUG3VQ8MMtXRgXB8XryjnaVbmsUQ1MGlWMbaRKeD99YIXh3gAf1W8daD8qMjeEX2_75k_NdmRQCAcQk823mHdtL1JGTsOwKRIL3nnOGfM2HV-6SR_hN5Qf-0a173YWEadVgFSH61KKwOrWNWvzYMTMuRyq88QxDq/s320/IMG_1984.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>I still love that space! The wifi is shockingly strong, so it's a nice way to get some fresh air and be productive at the same time.<p></p><p>I also finished book one of the new year:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwREvItfJJJj7IQ-sM-RVHEznb0n66t31nDk5ivffB5zGzg0p6L_C5wnTRkOYmjU1xlbdoQW82gFZETkTQcLlNQ06lJsxmshGjnu7V_JP2FSiM9WOVqHlAhaneoDQu4wr0iLXNJVSRH1Zg6k_rFuvf7sNW0erOjv2w97-FlF6hNDPAv1q1KanW1Bv8hS1/s4032/IMG_1985.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwREvItfJJJj7IQ-sM-RVHEznb0n66t31nDk5ivffB5zGzg0p6L_C5wnTRkOYmjU1xlbdoQW82gFZETkTQcLlNQ06lJsxmshGjnu7V_JP2FSiM9WOVqHlAhaneoDQu4wr0iLXNJVSRH1Zg6k_rFuvf7sNW0erOjv2w97-FlF6hNDPAv1q1KanW1Bv8hS1/s320/IMG_1985.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>I'm still loving the Poldark series. It is now officially past the point where the BBC show left off, so I really have no idea what is going to happen! The show did depart from the books quite a bit, so I've had plenty of surprised up until this point, too!<br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532539672852045515.post-74832050803341190382024-01-03T11:32:00.002-05:002024-01-03T11:32:26.341-05:00A Very Merry Christmas Break<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had an absolutely lovely Christmas break. I literally did not turn my computer on the entire time, so this will be a big catch up!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We started the official festivities the day Aunt Shannon landed on Thursday with our annual sugar cookie adventure. Kai joined this year, and it was his first time making this kind of cookie:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4u8ApG6Kn2SQQoavbQxM7vnahRS7U383lXVonWLq0_NDtgPAo8U_tj9zpVyu5W35os2hLUuHmySyHY9QQVGfn-g3NG8Upte-4GC0X7mX5lHEa1_kPb4gjstmtRIx3D3U0mCQUyN4Y2Ff2OJ227shPH-JLaYwkrF886rJivIbZ2iXZUnSsYpShZc0H_os/s4032/IMG_1851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4u8ApG6Kn2SQQoavbQxM7vnahRS7U383lXVonWLq0_NDtgPAo8U_tj9zpVyu5W35os2hLUuHmySyHY9QQVGfn-g3NG8Upte-4GC0X7mX5lHEa1_kPb4gjstmtRIx3D3U0mCQUyN4Y2Ff2OJ227shPH-JLaYwkrF886rJivIbZ2iXZUnSsYpShZc0H_os/s320/IMG_1851.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The siblings humored me with one decent picture:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTf3O5imVys5in8IvJvVd4lTw82dDfA2sJNnZbX6plAVMcJf4vrPE0SIk4RpBWE66xYUHc6_wL_5s_v1Cv_BCrofq6Ft0qu5JhzuU40e-9EPhPD8_K36sKjA8U_FufgpFoCtfebxnUDgYRhcpDTpiMgJ76t9kRmgmXV5Cz7P0uQEoVVKasTSSP6tft_VN/s4032/IMG_1859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTf3O5imVys5in8IvJvVd4lTw82dDfA2sJNnZbX6plAVMcJf4vrPE0SIk4RpBWE66xYUHc6_wL_5s_v1Cv_BCrofq6Ft0qu5JhzuU40e-9EPhPD8_K36sKjA8U_FufgpFoCtfebxnUDgYRhcpDTpiMgJ76t9kRmgmXV5Cz7P0uQEoVVKasTSSP6tft_VN/s320/IMG_1859.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And we created our usual crazy assortment of cookies:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkOj37JqQUND7gjwzTbcQeif5_3TKehfBEJ4cISA-suUyFACqEyELVWuOZgK2hOAD2lnFYJe9Pf6B5FmC1eOYIjq1ojrA3eKKBj88LrptUP90l80U6V6tXIOe3hHHLQAt09k4IO4ZtT5Uh8eJr9ucQ8BRFC1mh2w_9d15qPuqLRkrH8UUCkrjJpESWAfJ/s4032/IMG_7234.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkOj37JqQUND7gjwzTbcQeif5_3TKehfBEJ4cISA-suUyFACqEyELVWuOZgK2hOAD2lnFYJe9Pf6B5FmC1eOYIjq1ojrA3eKKBj88LrptUP90l80U6V6tXIOe3hHHLQAt09k4IO4ZtT5Uh8eJr9ucQ8BRFC1mh2w_9d15qPuqLRkrH8UUCkrjJpESWAfJ/s320/IMG_7234.heic" width="240" /></a></div>Nana did request one plate of normal ones to take to the neighbors, and we managed to make that happen.<p></p><p>Saturday poor Nana went down with a stomach bug, so Shannon and I took Issa shopping. We did get plenty of dressing room door footage to share, and Issa humored us with a full fashion show! </p><p>Christmas Eve was at Nana's house:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1t2ofzYLvWz9MBn7MIbgXqwQ9EJweVZIY-Bjn4q7jt_G_ikDQ8N_GD5DWTlT3NDLKD3DX0okw2D3FGJbuRw7Ca07ONoK5MwNw2ApuWTFPH8IVfDCsaMUNu9u2CBuv09h8EspYcqnpUixD_BhX-L5Xom3nogWlUQzUPn3mcxtl76A2c1VWiWKGx4hXTFz/s4032/IMG_1913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1t2ofzYLvWz9MBn7MIbgXqwQ9EJweVZIY-Bjn4q7jt_G_ikDQ8N_GD5DWTlT3NDLKD3DX0okw2D3FGJbuRw7Ca07ONoK5MwNw2ApuWTFPH8IVfDCsaMUNu9u2CBuv09h8EspYcqnpUixD_BhX-L5Xom3nogWlUQzUPn3mcxtl76A2c1VWiWKGx4hXTFz/s320/IMG_1913.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our pajamas celebrated Issa's college choice this year:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHz5YRaMKG9HXE9v-Dbgil986_adns1vHgOuvCLKzItR5EJqwzpf3caMkLhTQzdTUZ3Rqsq88uWRR7XGBZgX7yMK_FWMOLqODTXT2RLuBmo7QkxR2qiVdV8PMTDJdXFrr1-FRbIHXipTH3j4UScsEuNbvQ-HrJtNpKetwrjyv7rW1J7QEpPB6Z2SfZXj1/s2802/IMG_7261.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2802" data-original-width="2100" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHz5YRaMKG9HXE9v-Dbgil986_adns1vHgOuvCLKzItR5EJqwzpf3caMkLhTQzdTUZ3Rqsq88uWRR7XGBZgX7yMK_FWMOLqODTXT2RLuBmo7QkxR2qiVdV8PMTDJdXFrr1-FRbIHXipTH3j4UScsEuNbvQ-HrJtNpKetwrjyv7rW1J7QEpPB6Z2SfZXj1/s320/IMG_7261.heic" width="240" /></a></div>We had a great evening of mashed potato bar, gift giving, and watching Frosty the Snowman for research purposes (more to come on that later).<p></p><p>Christmas morning saw Santa's arrival at our place:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMkZnXF_w5XlD8Vat-BbEOZStqvCFVBbhB5MB9aONyITa2dEAEtCsFAcq-dY3rnYeRXUPji1t8hnx-6qBvCwIjspIHH9lR5-3xbU9L3TM8UCgW0QMFaGg6aC50W64h466gzaL3lm5JCPGi9H7HzlExvNfp6FPkEcblUQb-bKF7I01i5p4m-Bm5p98sLHK/s4032/IMG_1961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMkZnXF_w5XlD8Vat-BbEOZStqvCFVBbhB5MB9aONyITa2dEAEtCsFAcq-dY3rnYeRXUPji1t8hnx-6qBvCwIjspIHH9lR5-3xbU9L3TM8UCgW0QMFaGg6aC50W64h466gzaL3lm5JCPGi9H7HzlExvNfp6FPkEcblUQb-bKF7I01i5p4m-Bm5p98sLHK/s320/IMG_1961.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Evan has a pretty big ask, so he was surprised to still see three packages under the tree for him:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTucVKVp_KExcCEawbfbJEU6-swpSnnZw0mf-T89xEID-8LI5Iga4EbuajyIRbdPPSBObZ2j0GcrTvpdpgvc-4xNw7HsqN0vfbLT_VlNOyuPC01puOY40ux_uo37hyphenhyphenYO1_pvYL_z3iu04SQaI_WVXW1vZO1OcDTgND3jljaseP8bo1r80xqJoETpFlWmm/s4032/IMG_1964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTucVKVp_KExcCEawbfbJEU6-swpSnnZw0mf-T89xEID-8LI5Iga4EbuajyIRbdPPSBObZ2j0GcrTvpdpgvc-4xNw7HsqN0vfbLT_VlNOyuPC01puOY40ux_uo37hyphenhyphenYO1_pvYL_z3iu04SQaI_WVXW1vZO1OcDTgND3jljaseP8bo1r80xqJoETpFlWmm/s320/IMG_1964.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Santa brought his requested VR headset along with some video gaming fuel in the form of chips and soda.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Issa's Christmas started her college preparation, and Santa brought her all things coffee, including a Nespresso, pod drawer, and cups:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHxaWi762a27DjiyccIQx631zehcRUrJbAI6jqipRTYkkJbCmqiKn0BvTm1Qlcc3fdsfoeE3nVlJn-jirurL785LjH-XGqOFFMzoYZPxoYq8UoIefKgFkAUBMPI_bnyktZbVygZOUE7VSAL81ehJCtUdaV7WSCbF8Oz541x1IXhH1NuZ3oSVlRm7IKFPM/s4032/IMG_3773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHxaWi762a27DjiyccIQx631zehcRUrJbAI6jqipRTYkkJbCmqiKn0BvTm1Qlcc3fdsfoeE3nVlJn-jirurL785LjH-XGqOFFMzoYZPxoYq8UoIefKgFkAUBMPI_bnyktZbVygZOUE7VSAL81ehJCtUdaV7WSCbF8Oz541x1IXhH1NuZ3oSVlRm7IKFPM/s320/IMG_3773.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Nana and Shannon joined us for a charcuterie lunch:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4UMLgMDmy35WXBKrsu_k3_waQ7e1fvYvaw2EsQwq0WrwreiubRmnawFMt-Kjs1xj8ngRvlLOrYkgdSi85lnlJWKCGAlGiZDQ2OlNFao8J8f8X2gxvtP04AlnFv9dEPg3aOKJPqsKfdV7qnqGhwBploc0yVjw487pgu5sj5JWF3hHXy4YWk2X8eO5xhBT/s4032/IMG_1969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4UMLgMDmy35WXBKrsu_k3_waQ7e1fvYvaw2EsQwq0WrwreiubRmnawFMt-Kjs1xj8ngRvlLOrYkgdSi85lnlJWKCGAlGiZDQ2OlNFao8J8f8X2gxvtP04AlnFv9dEPg3aOKJPqsKfdV7qnqGhwBploc0yVjw487pgu5sj5JWF3hHXy4YWk2X8eO5xhBT/s320/IMG_1969.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We spent the rest of the afternoon playing a Christmas version of Dungeons and Dragons and cooking. Brad smoked turkey and pork belly, and Mom and Shannon brought sweet potato latkes and brussel sprouts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next day Shannon went down with the bug, so our final celebrating was delayed until Thursday when we did a Frosty themed Cake Wars.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Brad and Shannon's team stuck to the central character with their stacked cake pops and rice krispie treat hat:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiJC85jPIOByL4FKvJLiTExGYLQV-WgCDYHeT03JBeTT6NugrgPXiGmLVtab3F52GLNGjRMssPUFOaJEOEpqxyFoi04BdEqooneTajqqSLmdAc-RZRfd1A7piMZJK243xlwuOnuXSDrulEKlI3XF9BpYjW0L7CLX4L-p1coczpOg9dtnPt2ZlBhPabIBe/s4032/IMG_0698.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiJC85jPIOByL4FKvJLiTExGYLQV-WgCDYHeT03JBeTT6NugrgPXiGmLVtab3F52GLNGjRMssPUFOaJEOEpqxyFoi04BdEqooneTajqqSLmdAc-RZRfd1A7piMZJK243xlwuOnuXSDrulEKlI3XF9BpYjW0L7CLX4L-p1coczpOg9dtnPt2ZlBhPabIBe/s320/IMG_0698.heic" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mom and I recreated the green house scene where Frosty saves his friend but melts in the process:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQ4CbTb82q7JqScI2jCACNhscNQlxLeJaU8Z9wiKXjSefm07Mnpxf2mYXCUFCd8Fb6ekfLHe3IzOTW78P98v1D89eM0NJNml2rAkLLpT4zTq3dUhS90ZH0G-1jSA5cJj972X8N7q5DCi7QAyFcjiYIGdPqf-FWFEjOb1wm3lFkeLuEvMg3TL8RYO-Hwup/s4032/IMG_0700.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQ4CbTb82q7JqScI2jCACNhscNQlxLeJaU8Z9wiKXjSefm07Mnpxf2mYXCUFCd8Fb6ekfLHe3IzOTW78P98v1D89eM0NJNml2rAkLLpT4zTq3dUhS90ZH0G-1jSA5cJj972X8N7q5DCi7QAyFcjiYIGdPqf-FWFEjOb1wm3lFkeLuEvMg3TL8RYO-Hwup/s320/IMG_0700.heic" width="240" /></a></div>We had a tough team of judges, but they ultimately awarded Brad and Shannon the win:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhsUCvtrFVYyt6R_taYaldnJV_P4cKIinq8tLvMQ2pvC3eM-DrlIIDCJVpM2Xis_6gn10FTVghoQ9meNFOz6S-9Ik8omX8oGb-Q4JW5Z0Jq5OSUEIOh29nlfMHarA1ebmZ3o-kOB6W80okK_amK7Xc1ZhgSfQVu7lkYp-hWA6t34nMvLb5iw781sY_ZLB/s4032/IMG_1971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhsUCvtrFVYyt6R_taYaldnJV_P4cKIinq8tLvMQ2pvC3eM-DrlIIDCJVpM2Xis_6gn10FTVghoQ9meNFOz6S-9Ik8omX8oGb-Q4JW5Z0Jq5OSUEIOh29nlfMHarA1ebmZ3o-kOB6W80okK_amK7Xc1ZhgSfQVu7lkYp-hWA6t34nMvLb5iw781sY_ZLB/s320/IMG_1971.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>New Year's Eve found us back at our place finishing the D&D campaign while munching all the things: cheesy potatoes, potato skins, and Greek nachos. New Year's Day we finished the whole to-do list at Nana's house before Shannon flew home! I managed to take not a single picture.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The rest of the week was a lovely combination of cozy and chaos. There were snuggly fires:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgv8tF3KsVs2sXNfxBDYqKVCWOFqssDhI6qKHxHRKYVNaWqqg3mP4DLtjmme-lIVxtiJvZ4Y27urrz8FSJuGe4gLQHOUD9JCECfRs_jw85SfGFwpd16yhDVTYK75QP_-QqrBh5jTsykkqES0J1RduicaEsmRobwyoZWpVuZHW9-sVqgf_4RFdkg1D5qDw/s4032/IMG_1867.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgv8tF3KsVs2sXNfxBDYqKVCWOFqssDhI6qKHxHRKYVNaWqqg3mP4DLtjmme-lIVxtiJvZ4Y27urrz8FSJuGe4gLQHOUD9JCECfRs_jw85SfGFwpd16yhDVTYK75QP_-QqrBh5jTsykkqES0J1RduicaEsmRobwyoZWpVuZHW9-sVqgf_4RFdkg1D5qDw/s320/IMG_1867.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>I finished book 37:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmrdid1rE7mdDvwCFBtxyDwLBzXjDAO7yFe4J2ARFqJsI3-o0Be-x408DEZZlgcCdxFYcwsLUBf8CzgS0U-LaN87x34OUnu0s2MxG_0ZVk0GTcOHzr5DEwYSkldhutQ113OraN_ln3ugjkGKx_mr7ncucidHaOiovHzEzQBO6VhYSTMDlJCUSRLgIhPde/s4032/IMG_1912.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmrdid1rE7mdDvwCFBtxyDwLBzXjDAO7yFe4J2ARFqJsI3-o0Be-x408DEZZlgcCdxFYcwsLUBf8CzgS0U-LaN87x34OUnu0s2MxG_0ZVk0GTcOHzr5DEwYSkldhutQ113OraN_ln3ugjkGKx_mr7ncucidHaOiovHzEzQBO6VhYSTMDlJCUSRLgIhPde/s320/IMG_1912.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>I'm still enjoying the series, and it was nice to have some extra time to read! I also started cross-stitching again, which has been lovely.<p></p><p>We also had two wrestling tournaments:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WO3bUo58qE3ycmLg3dYFDwcK7ylLGOcxZP5X9RhKXNj-JI2rLMyBLrRWjWMKJa9-ERuGuZLPYagPXTOqybqWcofQKsI47NaYxXbI0wwGI23RMMEGMERj1droGFepARZAhbFayxPMUDM7yn_I7MXll5Pz1C4RXrWWxYjJV6Km9MvcxcgvELrCoph_i8ZZ/s971/IMG_1975.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WO3bUo58qE3ycmLg3dYFDwcK7ylLGOcxZP5X9RhKXNj-JI2rLMyBLrRWjWMKJa9-ERuGuZLPYagPXTOqybqWcofQKsI47NaYxXbI0wwGI23RMMEGMERj1droGFepARZAhbFayxPMUDM7yn_I7MXll5Pz1C4RXrWWxYjJV6Km9MvcxcgvELrCoph_i8ZZ/s320/IMG_1975.PNG" width="273" /></a></div>Both were two day tournaments with top teams from across the region. Evan learned a lot, but he didn't get a win at either one.<p></p><p>I will be forever grateful for this coaching team, though:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyBhPN57AGWeGUUBb2ecWMB7ccE2hM-aJj5GKyQOZdfeQJbOGZFdcGyLuAgl01X-tXqzLsI7_l3PCVWNc7bHZZpQ8ZOmcEnBTn_Kv1fPDg8WLGaEIjvhefD_QMZT5uSdOembsP7FGeKvxJpmAiyNaQpNjm6DFK-iGzUuQBrBTtcTFlLcJKxEzVxzotIIn/s1122/AFBD4300-9178-4D8B-B47E-5B416C445145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyBhPN57AGWeGUUBb2ecWMB7ccE2hM-aJj5GKyQOZdfeQJbOGZFdcGyLuAgl01X-tXqzLsI7_l3PCVWNc7bHZZpQ8ZOmcEnBTn_Kv1fPDg8WLGaEIjvhefD_QMZT5uSdOembsP7FGeKvxJpmAiyNaQpNjm6DFK-iGzUuQBrBTtcTFlLcJKxEzVxzotIIn/s320/AFBD4300-9178-4D8B-B47E-5B416C445145.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>They have to be exhausted by they just keep showing up and coaching! Evan is still enjoying wrestling, and he's excited to have the varsity starting position at the meet tonight!<p></p><p>Brad and I are back to work, and the kids went back to school today! It's looking the 2024 is going to be a great one...<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04315613047518153492noreply@blogger.com0