All of a sudden, I look up and azaleas are in full bloom, the sun is hot (with a slight cool breeze), kids are in the pool and the Grove is open. Hello spring! I'm reminded that March is gorgeous in north Florida. On Monday I went to clinic and then picked Ellie up early from school. She had the laser gum shaving appointment with Vaughn. April hosted a fabulous book club discussing the Portrait of Marriage. I stayed too late and drank too much wine but it was such a great discussion. Instead of playing in the match in Amelia Island, I dipped out to go to the stake holders SAC meeting at the middle school. I always learn so much at those meetings...just how amazing our school is; and a new science class progression. From there I went downtown to the school board for the DCCPTA meeting. Ugh stupid FL politics has everyone sitting wide eyed at those meetings! The magnet deadline was that day so I double checked I did things right this time. Fingers crossed for Ellie. It was a scramble on Tuesday night, taking my dad to a rotary dinner, going to a Donna for Mayor party, dance pick up then meeting at VDub's Pub for a night cap. Wednesday was a great day. I was very productive. I got 2 vehicle passes for our summer road trip. I was so nervous about this- all the alarms set for the release time, palms sweaty, heart racing...feels like I won the lottery! I ran and did weekly body pump. I met an ole pal from high school for lunch. It was so nice reconnecting with a stay at home mom. Mae saved us for MOPS and gave great tips and reminders on kids behavior. I hit with Steph for a bit then had lunch at TCC. I loved catching up with her. I went to adoration and lunch with my parents on Friday and planted fresh flowers in the front yard. I still need a few days of weed and moss overhaul out there. Abby had a sleepover with her friend, Virginia. We hosted Marly's Birthday party that evening. My sister, nephew and parents met us and Marly's friends at TGIFs to kick off the party. Marly had 4 friends from 4 different schools. She's so cool. Ellie, Marly and her friends and I went to see the new Puss in Boots movie. I was worn out and went to bed early while the sleepover kept going. I took the group to Starbucks and Target then brought the girls home. I took Ellie to her Sleeping Beauty practice and walked listening to my crush, Pete then read in the car when it rained. Phil took the gaggle of girls to Audry's to get ready for Cotillion that afternoon. It was a Luau theme. Marly got called up to babysit for the neighbors that night. Phil and I got in off the waitlist for the Oyster Roast. It's always so good...ended up at the Awful Waffle for an early breakfast. We slept in on Sunday. I picked up Ellie and got gas for the boat. We took the boat to TCC for a relaxing pool day (still too cold for me). I read some and caught up with friends. We made it in time for 5pm mass then dinner at Tijuana Flats. Here are our photos of the week.
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We started off the week with a focus on Lent. Kerri and I played a windy tennis match at home with a quick 2 sets. I met April at Biscotti’s for Fat Tuesday lunch. She helped me through my vacation planning stress as we walked the murals in Brooklyn. I was the least popular carpool driver on Wednesday, making the whole crew wake up early for 6:30 Ash Wednesday mass at Assumption. It was a nice mass and everyone made it to school on time. I did a 36 hr fast with my sister. The hard part was working the fish fry that night. It did make the time fly! Ellie and I were the first two in bed. I finished the Last Apothecary and started Firefly Lane. Still crushing on Peter Attia. Voss had his first baseball practice. He moved up to minors and is on a great team. Hoping to be there for a lot of his season…somehow with Saturdays Sleeping Beauty Rehearsals. I drove out to the Woods to play with Jane in a tennis match. It felt great to keep winning. WD run to prepare for a fun weekend then a dental cleaning for me and a peds appointment for Abby and Voss. They are growing perfectly and looking good. Abby is allergic to something in the park…maybe just don’t play with the moss during the Thursday VD walks. Friday morning my pal, Julie picked me up in her Tesla and we took the scenic drive to Amelia Island. She spanked me in singles (6-2, 6-1) at the gorgeous Omni tennis complex then we had lunch. I promptly forgot it was the first Friday of Lent until dinner! We met up with Kerri and Rachael for doubles, laughing and $hit talking each other (maybe just me). We got cleaned up and had cocktail hour at Kerri’s condo right on the ocean. I mean you watch the sunset over the Atlantic while you take a shower in the master bath, it is heavenly! We had dinner reservations at a fun place on the island talking tennis and politics all night. We took a polar dip in the ocean to see the bioluminescents and then kept talking politics until the morning hours. We played more tennis in the morning, sweating out all that wine. Back to the condo for leftovers and chicken salad lunch. We walked to the Ritz for pool and hot tub time. It turned into a gorgeous spring afternoon. We walked back to the condo and spent the evening talking tennis over wine and charcuterie. Another quick polar dip and then a much earlier bedtime. It truly was a perfect weekend. Phil held it down at home. Ellie had a busy weekend with Charlotte’s Birthday party on Friday night, running in the Ortega River Run on Saturday morning then 2.5 hours of pointe in the afternoon and a babysitting gig on Sunday! Marly also had a busy weekend hanging with Papa all weekend while Mimi and Suzanne flew to Atlanta to check on Aunt Susan. It was nice to spend the day with my dad on Sunday. He came to mass and lunch with us (after CCD) then to the park and butcher shop. Abby and Voss went swimming (Abby has entered a mermaid phase) and then to the park for Len’s Birthday party. Fun meeting new school parents. We had steak tips for dinner (loving the new butcher shop!) then wine in the living room catching up with Hottie Phil. Here are the pics of the week.
I’ve had the first world problem of worrying about vacation plans this week. I’ve failed on a few accounts; celebrating my mom’s Birthday and spring break for the littles. Still trying to come up with plans to salvage but the stress is a lot. Luckily, I’ve done lots of fun things to manage my stress. Vanessa and I have started practicing for the Steeg. Kerri drove us to GA (and then back down to Amelia) in her electric car for our tennis match. We won all 4 lines! We celebrated with lunch at the new restaurant in Avondale, Josaphines. Quite the Valentine’s Day! I made sugar cookies from scratch for the kids afternoon snack…exactly what they did NOT need after all the candy they got at school! We had a sex therapist talk at MOPS on Thursday. Noelle is so amazing! Voss and dad have really bonded over military this week. It’s been pretty cute to see them discussing planes of WWII. We had a quiet Friday night with my dad helping to install our pull up bar. Then family dinner at TCC. Early bedtime and I actually got 5 stars that night of sleep! I’m working on that. Ellie had an early babysitting gig. Afterwords, Marly, Ellie and I met up with the group traveling for their spring break. I first went to the school instead of the library at the beach for the meeting so that’s how my day began. Their spring break trip is going to be so awesome! We ran from there to Ellie’s first sleeping beauty ballet rehearsal. Two and a half hours on pointe! Whew! Marly and I explored Buckees (never again) then had lunch with the Hogan sisters. Marly and I went to the gym then That night we met up with the old swim team gang and tried out the Secret Tiki Temple. It was fun to try but I don’t know that I’ll be back. The spam fried rice was actually pretty good, though. It turned into an epic night with bar hopping. We met up with the Hogans at this new bar opening. From there we hit up Latin House Grill on our way to Krystal’s. I told the Hogans the friendship is over. We can’t sustain this kind of lifestyle! Sunday morning was rough. Ellie and I read, Marly and Abby altar served. We hit up TCC breakfast and had a down day to recover. Voss and I finally put together the model Saratoga. No school on Monday for Presidents Day. Abby spent the night with the Parks. Marly spent the night with the Sutton-Hayes. Both of these led to all day fun the following day. We did a park walk even without dance. It was nice to have a long weekend home. Here are our photos of the week.
Another busy week with lots of happenings. Voss was awarded reader of the month in his class at flag raising. I went to tennis clinic then practiced for my summer road trip (still in the planning stages). I loved my walks during dance catching up with my pal, Tracy. The kids are also loving their adventures in the park, Spot, too. I got to play in two matches this week both ending in wins. Tuesday, Kerri and I spanked our Fernandina friends 6-0 and then 6-2. We stayed after for lunch with Betsy and then her husband met us, too. Thursday, Catherine and I had a tough match and pulled it out in the end. Thanks to Jen's suggestion to switch everything up and do tricks like Australian. It totally worked and we won in the third set 7-5! Voss had his first reconciliation on Tuesday night. He was nervous but did so well. He loved the one on one time with Phil and I, too. We took him to celebrate at Biscotti's afterwards. I did a Walmart run to get the concessions for the middle school dance on Wednesday. Whew! Another body pump video and still listening to Peter Attia. Phil and I went on a date night to the new spa opening at TCC. Romantic dinner for two afterwards. I tried to bake another batch of sour dough bread this week. Not sure what happened but it looked more like the flat Turkmen bread. I'll try the other half next week and see if sticking it in the fridge for a few days helps. I went to adoration with my parents then a late lunch at Trents after dad's speech therapy. It's so nice that the therapist comes to the house now. I tried to donate blood but my iron was too low. Ugh. It was a busy weekend. I went to the middle school dance on Friday night. Phil helped get the younger two to the elementary school dance. Of course they all happen on the same night. I'm grateful John took a truck load of 8th graders out to Marywood after the dance for their confirmation retreat. I love that they had a whole weekend out there. We met up with the Bentons after all our cross city adventures for pizza at Mellow. Marly and Pierce were less than thrilled that they were "shipped off together again" Whitts helped ease that pain. We slept in on Saturday, a rainy day. Marly and I went to Camp I Am Special to serve lunch with some of my old camp buddies. Phil and I went to the gym while my saint neighbor, Linda took the kids bowling. Phil and I went to the 100th Anniversary art reveal party at TCC. A speaker from the Jax Hisorical Society gave a neat talk about the history of the golf course and Venetia neighborhood. The girls altar served at 8:30 mass the next morning. We went to breakfast at TCC (missing Ellie). I finished reading Kristin Hannah's Winter Garden. So sad and had me all over the board with a range of emotions. Still deciding if that makes it a good book or just horrible. Kevin brought a van load of 8th graders home in time to get ready for the company dance recital. My parents and sister came out to support them. It was a quick hour long rectial. We made it to Extreme Wings in time for the Super Bowl kick off. After Rihanna did the halftime show, we came home for bed. Here are our pics of the week.
We started the week with sweet Abigail turning double digits. After tennis clinic I brought her Firehouse subs for lunch and light pink strawberry cupcakes for her class. The last cupcake will forever be a symbol of when someone in our family is not paying attention and then asks a question about something you just explained thanks to a knock down drag out between Phil and I on Tuesday night. We had steaks in honor of Abby on Monday night (her favorite). Tuesday morning, I took my parents and met my sister at dad's neurology follow up appointment. The type of dementia dad has is still somewhat inconclusive. Dr. Mody is recommending a second opinion at either Mayo or UF in Gainesville. She thinks its primary progressive aphasia which is also lopogenic and on the Alzheimer's side. So many different layers to all of this! She suggests some follow up tests to possibly pinpoint more specifics- PET scan and an ambulatory EEG. We are going to table that for now and see what Dr. Radford at Mayo thinks. This appointment in addition to my weight did not get me excited to start drinking again on February first. I decided to try to only drink on the weekends. I did a youtube body pump work out (and am still sore) and started listening to Peter Attia's podcasts again. Voss and Abby both had awards ceremonies this week. Perfect attendance and citizenship and Voss got all A's. I'm hoping Abby taking a seat for that part will get her motivated. Ms. Brown is kicking her butt in math (that's a good thing!) I've started sitting with Marly after school to keep her on task and moving in the right direction. It is not fun although I know she loves that one on one attention. We had a PTSA board meeting for lunch at Tidbits. The bulk of the meeting was recapping the SAC meeting where they discussed the HB1 and book banning. Way to get me fired up for the day! We got a last minute booty call from the Buckleys the play doubles Wednesday night. Phil and I had a date night recap watching Netflix and eating ice cream. That did not bode well for 36 hour fast. The morning of the 3rd day was killer until 10:30am. We had MOPS on Thursday. Our speaker bailed last minute so I talked about marriage. I told a few stories of dos and don'ts then we helped each other work through a few specific issues. I spent the afternoon listening the Dutch House and going through Abby's clothes. Friday I went to adoration with my parents then met my old pal, Hilary for lunch. I wish she lived in town. It was such a nice catch up sesh with her! I picked up a few extra kids from school and started Abby's Birthday sleepover by taking them shopping at Claire's. We came home, had pizza, decorated cupcakes and watched a movie. The older two went with Phil to Keith & Chris' for a nightcap. The girls painted nails then went to bed. I fell asleep before them! Saturday morning Marly made pancakes for everyone. The girls left and we went on a family run and visit to my parents. Voss and Abby played with Zachary in the "swamp". We went to Chipotle for lunch. Ellie went to Audry's. It was a nice, chill day. Ellie's babysat for the Agresti's. Phil and I met up with the Hogans and Strassers at Riverside Liquors. I took it to the base and made up for all my non-drinking. Ugh. This morning was rough. We slept in and went to 10:30 mass after religion class. Another chill day getting ready for the school week. We played family soccer and had tacos al pastor with the Hogans for dinner. Ellie had Confirmation class. Here are our photos of the week.
I just had Monday to get my act together. I went to tennis clinic then spent the day doing laundry and packing. The girls had dance so we walked in the park. I figured out a schedule and put it on the fridge. Carolyn picked Ellie and I up at 4:50am on Tuesday. We were bussed up to DC with 90 8th graders, 4 teachers, 2 bus drivers, 3 tour guides and 11 chaperones. We stopped at McDonalds for lunch and Chipotle for dinner and arrived at our Westin in Old Town Alexandria by 9pm that night. A whole day of driving! Ellie sat with me for the first half then Renee for the second. On Wednesday we were up early touring the Arlington National Cemetery, Holocaust Museum, Air & Space Museum, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial then dinner at Chuck E. Cheese. The next day we drove the Philadelphia. I finally finished Circe. Ugh. We ran up the "Rocky steps" at the Art Museum, had lunch at the Reading Terminal market (Philly cheese steaks!), saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, Washington Square, Ben Franklin's home and grave. Last, dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. We drove back to Alexandria. Friday morning we went to the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and walked along Constitution Gardens and saw the WWII Memorial. We toured Howard University then passed by the White House. We went to the African American History Museum then Outback for steak dinner. We saw the capitol building then the MLK Memorial. Whew! What a busy 3 days! We had an amazing group of teachers who told jokes, danced, sang and made the trip SO MUCH FUN! I also had a great time with the other chaperones, laughing so much my stomach hurt. Sometimes I felt like I was having more fun than Ellie! I do think she had a great time and it was neat to see her in her element with all her friends. Making new ones and flowing through groups....oh middle school! A great team of people helped out at home so I could be away. Lots of help with transportation. Marly made breakfast each morning and stepped it up being the oldest child. Phil was ready for us to be home, but did great on the homefront. He picked us up around 10pm last night. We all got up for 8:30 mass this morning. The Birthday girl, Abby got to stand up at mass. We did a bday family breakfast at TCC. She opened her gifts. Ellie and I unpacked. We played family soccer with the Nixons, Hogans and Strassers along with a few other ringers at the park. Abby got to enjoy a cookie skillet at Lillians afterwards. Her special day ended in tears unfortunately...with a message from her math teacher saying she had 3 lessons due by midnight. Work still needs to be done, even on your Birthday was Abby's lesson today. Here are the photos of the week.
The long awaited day is here! Voss has been counting down all month. Today my baby boy turned 8. He got us up early to open the gifts collected on the dining room table from amazing family. Ellie and I read in mass (although I rehearsed countless times, I butchered the word "Naphtali"), Marly and Abby altar served. Voss was psyked to stand up for his Birthday. Father Pradeep high fived him and asked his age at the procession and he was absolutely giddy. I had a prize basket for my students who could recite the 10 Commandments (and explain their meaning) in my class today. This afternoon the festivities began. We had a caravan of 3 cars headed to Mayport. We had lunch and cake under a pavillion overlooking the jetties. Next, we worked our way onto a ship. First, we got a "no", which almost killed the Birthday mojo. We ran around and had some chaos but thankfully the CO of the USS Indianapolis was super cool and let us tour his ship. It felt like a field trip with question and answer time and snake-like tour of the ship. We spent lots of time in the control tour and took turns practicing driving. I think all the kids loved it (except one who freaked out thinking we were going for a cruise and spent the tour in the van). Voss spent the afternoon playing with all his super cool new toys. We went to dinner at Tijuana Flats and did a family rosary walk on a windy night. Lots of sugar'd up kids to settle down tonight. Talking backwards, we watched the Jags playoff game vs the Chiefs at Lillians. Sitting in my same seat, Phil and friends doing the same touchdown shots was not enough repetition luck for a win...but it was so fun while it lasted. It ended with a cookie skillet for the Birthday boy. We went on a family run on Saturday morning (I really want to get back into those). Ellie and I went out in the rain to audition for Sleeping Beauty with the Jax City Ballet. She got a part but we don't know what yet. Kerri and I won our tennis match on Tuesday vs Pace Island although it took 3 sets! I got a mammogram- whoop whoop. Ellie and I toured my alma mater and she liked it. It's currently her top runner, although we have one more high school to tour. Trying so hard not to be biased. Stephanie and I met up with my friend, Kim and got a night out to hear Allyson Felix at the Florida Forum. She was very inspirational. I loved what she said, "Use your voice, even when it shakes". We had a swim team coffee sesh to talk about the river rats transitioning to a new league. At MOPS we had a self defense training session. It was an important reminder about what to do if...Friday I went to adoration with my parents then brought Voss a Birthday happy meal lunch and donuts for his class. A kick off to the Birthday weekend even with a sleepover with Zachary. We took the girls to a TCC dinner. We were all home by 9. Catching up on sleep and drinking lots of hot tea. I'm enjoying listening to The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. The middle two are settling into their restricted lives NOT on the honor roll. No play dates, sleepovers or time on my phone. It stings. Here are the photos of the week.
We are getting back into the swing of things. January has me sober, going to bed early and trying to make better lifestyle choices. I went to tennis clinic on Monday. It took Kerri and I two 3 sets to win our match on Tuesday. I drove the swagger wagon to Palencia with Kerri and Kim. We had a salad bar MOPS leadership meeting to plan out the second semester of MOPS. My sister, Katie sent me the sweetest Happy Box with treats and a sweet note to celebrate Dryanuary. My parents and I went to Mayport to explore and map out Voss' Birthday party. We had lunch at Safe Harbor. It was a delighful day together. I spent the afternoon watching a team of people trying to rescue a manatee calf to no avail. (It had signs of cold water stress). I met some gal pals for dinner at Bellweather then went to see Aladdin at the theater. The genie made the show! We had a DC trip meeting for Ellie's 8th grade trip. I dipped out early to play with Jane in a tennis match vs the YMCA. It was an easy win. Friday I stuffed packets at the middle school to prepare for tours then took home all the lost & found clothes to wash and organize, to entice kids to claim them. I met my ole pals, Heather and CalLee for lunch. It was a great catch up sesh and lots of travel talk; my fav! Ellie babysat the Agrestis while we met the Hogans out for deep dish pizza. They all went out for a nightcap. The kids and I read and went to bed early. Saturday morning Spot and I went for a walk. I'm listening to The Marriage Portrait and reading Opal & Nev (the next two months of book club). We made a fire and I worked on Voss' Saratoga model. It was such a cold day! Ellie had a play date at Audry's. She, Marly and I picked up my brother from the airport. We visited at the house for a little while then went to my parent's for dinner. Dad and I made Caesar salad together. Matt grilled the steaks. It was a nice dinner. Ellie got a last minute babysitting gig in the middle. We took her to the Agresti's then went to Lillians to watch the Jags in the playoffs vs. the Chargers. What a game! We were down the first half, which was fine bc Jenny, Lauren and I chatted away. After we had caught up we started watching and the Jags took over. It was such a great game! My sister, Suzanne came and met us for a little while then graciously took my kids home. Ellie didn't get home until 2am! We all slept in on Sunday and went to 10:30 mass. We stayed for the Knights of Columbus pancake breakfast. Phil and I got beat in doubles against our friend, Jess and her mixed doubles partner. I picked up Ellie and Charlotte from a Birthday party way out off Beach Blvd then we met up with the group and played family soccer. Matt joined us, too. It's turned into a great Sunday Funday tradition. We did an adult only family dinner at the Brick....a last supper for Matt. We had a nightcap at M&D's with fresh baked cookies and milk. Monday was MLK Day. I went to clinic then took the kids to the parade downtown. The younger two were thrilled with the candy being thrown. Ellie loved the dance groups. Voss loved all the ROTC marching bands. We tried to tour the Orleck and the library (both closed). We headed home and I scrambled to finish reading Opel & Nev in time for book club. The girls had dance so we could get in our therapy walk. I was late to book club at Aubree's trying to get my costume on (complete with a flag on my bottom!) Here are our photos of the week.
It was nice to have a chill week to ease into the new year. The kids were out of school until Wednesday and then the quarter didn't end until Friday. Phil didn't go back until Tuesday. We had time to get back onto a sleep schedule. I went to tennis clinic on Monday and played an epic tennis match on Tuesday with Sally. Bummer that we lost but we played hard and it was fun vs Epping Forest. It helps that the girls we played are undefeated and the team won the other 3 lines. The girls started dance back up for the week, wearing their new leotards from the Bravos. Ellie went to Cora's for a friends NYE party. I had a PTSA board meeting and enjoyed some quiet time having the house back to myself. Suzanne and I did a 36 hour fast and took turns with my dad at Brooks for neurology testing. Abby had a play date with Abigail and Marly had a play date with Addy. We played a white elephant game at MOPS. I took down the Christmas decorations and celebrated the Epiphany. I started planning our summer road trip and we are talking about Steinhatchee. January is a great time to vacay plan! We went to Keith & Chris' for dinner on Friday. Saturday, Ellie and I started high school tours- first at Wolfson, then Douglas Anderson. It was nice to check them off without pulling her out of school. Phil met us for lunch at Moe's. That night, I filled up a minivan with middle schoolers and headed to Blaze pizza then Cotillion. It was fun, yet exhausting chaperoning a middle school dance with 400 7th and 8th graders. Happy to have my pal, Beth alongside and we made a new friend who recently moved from TX. The tooth fairy visited Voss last night. We were a bit late to mass this morning. We talked about the 10 Commandments in religion class then went to breakfast with the Hershorins. We chilled in the afternoon then had a family soccer match with the Nixons and Hogans. Ellie had Confirmation class. Dinner at LaNap with the Hogans follwed by a family rosary on the way home. I'm sewing pointe shoes and listening to Podcasts on Alzheimers prevention. Here are our pics of the week.
We zombied through the first week of Christmas. It was so nice to have a calm week where we could sleep in and recuperate. We played a family soccer game with the Nixons. The middle two spent lots of time with the neighbor's grandchildren. Voss had a sleepover and a few play dates with Zachary, another neighbor’s great grandson. I took he and a few friends to Camp Blanding to see the static displays of planes, Jeeps and tanks. Ellie and I finally made the shortbread rosemary cookies. We went thrifting. We had a few camping planning meetings at Lillian’s. We had dinner with the Norris’, our annual happy hour. The kids played with Christmas gifts and got a few more. On Friday morning we got up, loaded up and caravaned to the Westgate Dude Ranch in Polk County, Florida...in the middle of the state. We camped for two nights with the Nixons, Hogans (and Strassors before they got sick and went home). We grilled hotdogs and s’mores. Ellie and I went line dancing in the saloon. Saturday we rode horses on a trail ride around the perimeter of the ranch. That was my favorite part. We had lunch (with such awful service that our meal was discounted). The kids did wall climbing, putt putt, mechanical bull riding and rode bikes all over the property. That evening we went to the rodeo and saw an amazing fire works display. More line dancing and drinking (get ready for Dryanuary). We rang in the new year by the camp fire with Prosecco and all the camp side fanfare. This morning we cleaned up camp, packed up and headed back to town. Some interesting people watching, a dead truck battery and loading up the bikes. Combos and coke for the road while listening to the Last of the Breed. Another book challenge here we go. Thank you 2022 for a great year! Here are the photos of the week.
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