Hello Maycember! It's here! The last week of April was on fast forward. One great thing about a weekly blog is that it allows me to reflect on the week and acknowledge the highlights. It is amazing how much happens in one week. While rucking on Monday, Tracy gave me props for the scheduling aspect of my motherhood journey. It's insane. We had book club on Monday night to discuss Four Winds, which I listened to on our first road trip and it's still fresh in my mind. Not Kristin Hannah's best, but still a good read. Regan was surprised I left early but this party rock star is getting old. I chose SAC over tennis on Tuesday morning then popped in for the DCCPTA meeting. I made it to a pop up school board meeting on Wednesday after getting to sub in for B. Lots happening with Desantis trying to clean house. Trying to keep my foot in the door and my eyes open. Kona Ice for early release kept the kids entertained so I could be late. We had our last show of the season that night: Mean Girls. Definitely the best show of the season! We went to a fundraiser for the Will King foundation on Thursday. We made it for Holy Shiitake right in time to listen to the monsoon happening outside. Adoration with my parents on Friday was a perfect quiet time to remember I had signed up to bring dinner to a friend who had surgery. Got that together then hugged my sister on her Birthday then went to celebrate Lauren's Birthday at Steph's. She really is the hostess with the mostest. My in laws came in town for the weekend so we welcomed them with Friday night dinner at Trents. Another super Saturday starting with a baseball game for Voss, loved seeing him slide into home for the first time! Phil took some kids and his parents to celebrate Alex' Confirmation with a family lunch. I took Ellie to dance and then popped over to Maggianos for Kathleen's baby shower. I loved catching up with the SHS crew. After dance we got Abu hair cuts then took Ellie to a babysitting gig. TCC threw an incredible 100 anniversary party. Thunderstorms were a bummer that afternoon. Instead the mermaids moved into the bar. It was a prohibition theme with black out curtains, speakeasy, so many flowers, acrobats, robot light dancers, live music, DJ and so much delicious food. I can only party like that every 100 years. Sunday we celebrated Voss' First Communion. We had lunch at the Grove after the celebrate. We had to chill that afternoon to recover and prepare for the first week of Maycember. Here are the pics from the week.
I had another week of tennis. I guess I need to step it up in the weekend parenting going forward...but it was so nice to be in yet another tournament. On Monday I went with Voss on a field trip to see the Magic School Bus musical at the Florida Theater. We had lunch at Boone park after (crashing sweet Franny's 3rd Birthday). It was fun to meet new parents, connect with old ones and spend time with Voss. More afternoon rucking in the park (thankful for the leftover jellybeans for fuel). Spent some time with my dad in the afternoon, adoration and Voss' games. He had one on Thursday and Saturday. He got a hit but wasn't safe on first. He's slowly creeping out of baseball and back into soccer. I think he needs some batting practice. It was dance photo week so we had lots of practice doing hair and make up and getting into and out of costumes. That part is getting easier as they get older. Voss got to go to Luka's Birthday party on Thursday (love the after school parties). Ellie had a babysitting gig (her usual one) on Wednesday and then another on Saturday. She was calm as a cucumber and pulled a metal piece out of a 9 yr olds foot- go girl! Abby got to sleep over at her pal, Virginia's on Friday night. I met with Paxon IB students to kick off a little library project at JWJ. So hoping this works out! I let Ellie skip French class to go thrifting for a semi-formal dress (nailed it). We celebrated Lauren's Birthday at O'rSay then saying no to the full bottle of Josh at Lillians (look at us!) We had a 4 line sweep on Tuesday's match vs Magnolia Point. I was emotional since that was who we played when Sam fell and tore her hamstring last fall. We had MOPS on Thursday but I spent most the time holding babies. I met Jess, Jamie and Steph for a last minute fun lunch. My old pal, Anna had texted me months ago asking to play with her in the San Jose Member Guest. It was so fun to reconnect with her and smash some balls. Who knew we could play tennis together, too?! Their tournament kicked off on Tuesday with a ladies night round robin. It was so fun to get to meet such fun tennis ladies, get massaged, have some drinks and play some tennis. We were lucky with great match times this weekend, too. We won our match on Friday at noon (time for adoration with M&D that morning), great to get out some wiggles then relax and drink and watch more tennis. Phil came up, too for the fanfare after work. I came home for an early night and a good night of sleep to prepare for a full Saturday. Phil helped me take my car in for routine maintenance early that morning. By the time I borrowed dad's car for the day it was already ready. So we had a quick scramble back to pick it up, missing most of Voss' game and just getting to our match in time. And oh what a match it was! We lost the first set 4-6, won the next 6-1. At one point we were ahead in the tie breaker, 5-1 and then there was this bad ball fairy who put them ahead 8-9 and we lost the tie breaker 10-8! Such a bummer! Although we won our super nutty match that night, the team we lost to got to advance to the finals (and won our division!). Sooooo close! But still such a fun weekend. We had a weather delay on Saturday and didn't finish until close to 10pm. Great music, conversations, food and drinks. So fun! We made it to mass and CCD on Sunday morning then I went back over to watch and cheer. I finished off the weekend with a boat ride to the club for swim and dinner. Watching my older two take charge on the boat was super cool. Go girls! Here are the pics from the week.
It's been one of those wacko rainy weeks. It's made tennis complicated. A lot of wait, watch, play, watch repeat. I had a strange forfeit issue in our Tuesday match where I had a stand down with the other team over re-scheduling a third set. I also was bitter over loosing to Epping Forest. We celebrated my parent's 48th wedding anniversary with a nice dinner at TCC. My sister in law had her angel baby, Isidora! She's been great about sending us adorable photos. Our Thursday match was rained out so it allowed me time to get caught up around the house and with PTSA. Tracy, Laurie and I have been rucking. We had an impromptu night out with wine and chocolate (I was aiming for Biscottis but ended at Lillians) with the Hogans and Strassers. Lots of conversations making me thirsty for Bud Light. I went to adoration and lunch with my parents on Friday. It was so nice to get caught up again. We are so proud of Abby for making patrols! I took them out for ice cream after school on Friday. Phil and I were invited to play in a mixed doubles night out that night. We took the kids to a late pizza night at our fav, Moon River. Sally and I played in the member member tennis tournament. Phil played with Jason Kuder. A friend nailed the tournament description in saying it was like everyone took a gummy and took the tournament down a notch. It was all so chill. The music was turned down low and almost like coffee shop station. No parties or late nights. You got your own drink out of the cooler. The times were perfect for us. I got to take Voss to his game on Saturday and Ellie set up with the Hogans for dance again. Phil got to catch the end of Voss' game. I took the kids to mass on Sunday and taught Phil's CCD class along with mine. Sally and I won our first 3 matches and almost got the 4th. We played so well together and had lots of fun. It turned hot summer on Sunday. Phil got too hot and ended up forfeiting his final match. Evenings chilling in the pool with dinner at the Grove and early bedtime. It was nice and much needed. Don't worry, Phil is feeling better, too. Here are the photos from the weekend.
Oh dear and now it's been another two weeks since I've posted! I went to Tallahassee with my friend, Jamie on Sunday afternoon for the PTA Legislative Conference. I knew so little about this process and am concerned with the FL scene. I'm so impressed with the work Florida PTA is doing. Apparently there is a conference in Orlando every summer for PTA board members to attend where we vote on issues in which the advocacy team goes to bat for each year. Who knew? On Monday, Jamie and I dipped out of the conference to check out the capitol (tours and meetings happened the third day of the conference but we missed it). We made a friend in the elevator with a guy from Equality Florida and tagged along with him to see a bill be debated in the senate (HJR 31/SJR 94 (Partisan Elections for Members of District School Boards—the primary focus of school board members/candidates should be the best interests of students, not adherence to political ideologies.) and then again in the house (HB 1423/SB 1438 (Gender Clinical Interventions)—interferes with parent’s right to determine the medical care of their child, in consultation with the child’s medical provider; runs counter to the recommendations of medical authorities in the field.) It was overwhelming and inspiring and infuriating all at once. With that, I failed in my parenting roll and didn't ask friends to help with after school pick up and the first round of after school activities. So it turned into a cluster of an evening. It was also our 19th wedding anniversary. Phil and I fought about kids logistics all afternoon then went to a late dinner at Moon River right before it closed. Ugh. Real life. We had a SAC meeting and a coffee chat at the middle school. Ellie got her braces off, a retainer and bleaching! Her smile is gorgeous! All ready for 14! Phil and I both played in the Steeg Tennis tournament at the Yacht Club. It was a week practicing and then a weekend full of playing. My partner, Vanessa has come a long way with tennis in a year. She is a beast and has me out there playing singles for a warm up. We had some easy matches on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Lots of parties and perfect weather. We accidentally played an April Fools joke on the Birthday girl. We were in two cars going in all sorts of directions with Voss' baseball game that morning, Phil had an early match. We met at breakfast and left Ellie home! She handled it well. I ran back to get her, we were soon on the way. My friend, Lauren helped me get Ellie to dance on Saturday and make her Birthday fun. My parents took all the kids home from Voss' baseball game. Suzanne came to watch tennis, too! Sunday, I felt God's wrath when skipping Palm Sunday mass when I pulled something in my calf. I heard a pop and was in some major pain. I'd love to say that's why we lost that last match, but I think it made me think clearly about my shots so I didn't have to move so much. So I played pretty well (aside from my double faults- oh my!) A super fun weekend and fabulous time with the Hollands. It took me days to recover (not just the calf- although massage and movement have been amazing). I did some assessments of Teach for America on Monday and Tuesday. Tracy and I did some rucking and catching up during dance. We had a PTSA board meeting to prep for the end of the year. Flashback to Voss's baseball game on Saturday, my dad was very weak. So much so that he had to go sit in the car because he didn't have the core muscles to sit on the bleachers. Before Tuesdays game, Abby and I went to check on him and he was bedridden. Just pale and weak. We finally got a call on Wednesday (from his appointment on Monday)that his hemoglobin count was a 3! We rushed him to the ER. Thank you for my pal, Kim who got us in a room quickly. The ER ended up busy and he didn't get his own room upstairs until 2am. In between there was a blood transfussion (4 pints!), CT scan and colonoscopy prep. The next morning we luckily ran into a fellow Blue Devil who did his colonoscopy and esophagoscopy. He had another colonoscopy the following morning. After all that they didn't find any aneurysms or internal bleeding. The guess is that it was an ulcer who was bleeding but has healed on its own. He was finally released to go home on Saturday. What a week! He looks so much better with coloring and energy. Now we just need to find a new primary care doc. How he got to a 3 is scary. In the midst of all of that we hosted Ellie's murder mystery Birthday party on Holy Thursday. I filled up a van load of friends from school and additional friends were dropped off through out the afternoon. They played in the river for the first half then came in to change for the murder mystery. Marly and Abby helped put together a charcuterie board. Marly went to dance. Voss went to baseball. We played Mafia. I think it was a huge hit. Around midnight, I put my ear plugs in and passed out. Friday the party kept going. More time in the river then we wrapped it up and brought the last friend home. We saw Abby's artwork in the library, a self portrait! Then went to visit my dad. We did the station on the cross on our street. Abby went to a friend's Birthday party. We went to dinner at the Freemans. It was so nice of them to host us with a Bodrum veggie dinner, with a gorgeous moon and soul enriching conversations. Just what I needed! Saturday morning we went to an Easter egg hunt in San Marco, visited an Easter bunny then went to confession. We did a family dinner at TCC then a nightcap with the Johnson-Hardisons and Strassers. The Easter Bunny did come that night. There was talks of budget cuts but each Bravo child got a basket full of good things. The animals did, too. Everyone consumed way too much sugar and fun was had by all. The weather turned and now it's cold and rainy. Not usual for us, but still so much to be grateful for. After mass we went to my parents for a late lunch. Lots of laughs, WWII conversations (thanks to Voss) and time together. It was an especially fruitful Easter. Here are the pics from the last two weeks.
Here we are entering the final quarter of school, the home stretch. The same half did not make the honor roll. One smart child needs to make some serious adjustments. It was great having everyone back in school. I got to play tennis on both Tuesday and Thursday and we won both days. Although the Thursday match was not much fun with unfriendly players. Lots of practice for upcoming tournaments, too. Voss had a baseball game on Tuesday and Saturday. No hits but some runs thanks to walking. We are on a fun, undefeated team this season. It feels like a big jump but fun to watch. We had a girls night out to see Jesus Christ Superstar. Not quite what I was expecting, but still good to get out. We celebrated Jessica's Birthday again with a ladies lunch and Aubree's with a happy hour. I worked a bit of the book fair and got books for the younger two. I hit up a PTA meeting on my way home. Saturday was a busy day. After Voss' game Ellie had dance at the Jax City Ballet. Then we went to her friend's Birthday party at Jax Golf park and then to Rise Up. I am impressed with Onie's creation! We had a nightcap at the Hogan's then to bed, I was wiped! I read at mass while Ellie and Charlotte served. Marly and Abby went to a Birthday sleepover. Voss and Phil had a guys sports day. Of course now Voss says he wants to play soccer! Here are the pics from the week.
You'd think with a Staycation for spring break, I'd have time to get caught up on all the things. Alas, it's been 2 weeks since a blog post and I have too many of the things. I try not to glance at May because it stresses me out. I have learned though, that if I don't take those peeks and start planning then life happens and is more stressful because I'm unprepared. Hello to future me when I am sitting in a boring, quiet house....reminisce about this insane time of life and send back some of those zenful vibes! Marly turned 12! I did make her Birthday video so you can see that on the videos page here. I met her at school for a Wawa lunch after tennis. That night, I was invited to go with my friend, Anne to the TPC kick off party. I hadn't been to that on in years (back in my Arena days) and it's still such an amazing party! I saw a few blasts from the past. Tuesday was Marly's actual Birthday. I had a painful loss all the way out at Hugenot at the beach. Kerri and I just couldn't close. I was doing some poor poaching. I broke a string. I did swing by the town center (hate that place) and got Marly's coveted lulu fanny pack she's been wanting. Seeing her face was the happy of the day. That afternoon Ellie threw a temper tantrum over the photos I chose for her yearbook ad and kicked the windshield breaking the glass! Fast forwarded to me being out a van for the day while she's galloping around London. Hoping she learned a lesson (not by galloping around London but by the wrath of her father later that evening). We did have a Birthday dinner for Marly at TCC (where Abby got left at home after math club and Phil and Voss dashed out early for baseball practice). Night cap at the school board meeting (our first one!). I spent Wednesday with my mom taking her to the TPC for an early Birthday celebration. We had perfect weather and walked about 10 miles all over the gorgeous course. The next day we took the younger two to school and then got the older two all packed up for their big spring break trip. We had breakfast at the Fox then took them to the airport. Phil was a nervous wreck but chilled out after a trip to Walmart to buy snacks for the middle school movie night. Yes, awkward that I didn’t have middle schoolers there. I borrowed my nephew, Alex (while Suzanne had Owen at a swim meet [2nd in the state and Olympic cuts!] ) and Abby, Voss and I watched Goonies for the outdoor movie night. Ellie and Marly flew to Chicago (and hung out with Dude Perfect) then London with the school travel club. They were with a group of 21 students and 17 parents and teachers. I'm hoping they can do a special spring break post or video for their trip. They were in London for a few days and then took the train to Paris. It was an incredible trip. I was bummed we weren't able to do a spring break trip with the younger two. By the time we agreed on what to do everything was either sold out or too expensive to stomach. So we did a staycation. You know how I feel about that idea. It didn't seem to bother the younger two and I think that's Phil's ideal vacation. They had Play Day on Friday but the volunteer slots filled up so I volunteered for Pi Day (rounded down) at the middle school. We did a Friday night with Keith & Chris having pizza and wine. Voss had his first baseball game that morning. First time up and he got a hit! No more pitching machine so it's a learning curve. Way more real time! We took the boat to the pool that evening. The weather was perfect and spring (still too cold for the pool for me). Abby is into mermaids now; watching them on TV and becoming them in the pool. The Strassers met us up at the pool. Monday we met the Nixons, Hollands and Agrestis out for ice skating to kick off the Staycation. I took my mom out for manis and pedis. My saintly neighbor took the kids to an indoor bounce park. Abby had a sleepover with the Suter sisters. Voss had a baseball game. I took the kids and friends to an indoor playground. My neighbor took the kids to St. Augustine. I finished reading Firefly Lane. On my mom's actual 70th Birthday we took her to dinner via boat and then home with a sunset cruise. Phil played in the Pirate's Cove Cup- match vs FYC. Suzanne came with me to watch. That night we picked the girls up from the airport at midnight. Ellie accidentally threw her passport away in Miami. We were so lucky she made it home. I guess that was the best time to loose it. Friday was a low key day. It was so nice to have the family together again! It was Jess' Birthday. We did an adult lunch at the Julington Creek fish camp and saw the Michiganders come to surprise her. We had crab legs for dinner to celebrate. Sunday we taught religion class after mass then celebrated Zachary's Birthday. My parents took the older two on base for Birthday shopping sprees. So many Birthdays! They all had one more day off before going back to school. I went to tennis clinic, took Spot for a check up then to book club to discuss Night Tiger. Here are our pics from the two weeks around spring break.
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.
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.
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