I was out of it on Monday and forgot about meeting my high school friend, Alex for lunch. Luckily she was running late and that text prompted me to hop in the car! Tennis clinic was canceled due to rain so I had more time after HIIT and a WD run. No dance this week due to spring break. Abby tried out for track. Marly tried out for swim. I orchestrated afternoon activity pick ups so I could sneak out for a quick girls beach weekend retreat with Rachael and Julie. Rachael’s daughter was sick so I headed out there first on Tuesday afternoon. I enjoyed a nice solo ruc on the beach listening to After the Hurricane. I messed up Marly’s athletic packet to try out so I had to rush and call in favors from my neighbor to help. Julie met me out first. We went out for a sushi dinner. Rachael finally showed up later. We stayed up late chatting. The condo was a perfect oasis in the middle of the week. Wednesday we went on another beach walk, hot tub hopping and a walk to dinner. The moon was gorgeous on the beach on the walk home. We went for an ocean night swim and then more hot tub hopping. Thursday morning we packed up and headed out. Lots of laughs and soul renewal. I drove all the way up A1A and met my pal, Jess and her sister for lunch at Jax beach. Phil enjoyed TPC for the day. Voss had soccer practice, I walked with Laurie and we packed up all our snow gear. We met the crew for after dinner drinks at Lillians. The Bodeck sisters ended up showing up! Friday morning I started at Play Day helping with the mixed up relay. There was drama in the neighborhood on the Westside so there was a lock out at the middle school. That complicated things for pi day. I was still able to get in there, make it happen, love on some teachers and then pull my kids out early. We picked up Ellie a bit early then made it home ahead of schedule. We Ubered to the airport to kick off our spring break trip. We flew to Atlanta for a 45min lay over! Of course the gate was moved so we had to take a tram to the next gate. We made it and guess who was on our flight to Reno? Our ole Michigander pal, Gilbo! We got into Reno around 10pm and walked to our hotel. It was close but still some drama. Lots of tired people so showers and right to bed. The next morning, rocking east coast time zone, I got up, made a coffee in the lobby and walked back to the airport to pick up our rental car. My friend, Heather hooked us up with the discount and we got a nice Expedition with AWD. We stopped at CFA for bfast then Walmart for groceries and headed up the mountain. We high fived Uncle Matt on his way down the mountain (he ended up in the sky lounge with the Freemans!) We spent the first day kina bumming around Heavenly Village. We had lunch on the lake at Riva Grill and played in the snow. That lobster bisque was perfect! We sat in the hot tub and the kids found a super steep sledding hill by Matt’s place. I couldn’t watch and went inside to read One by One, my spring break read. We had an early dinner at Base Camp pizza and walked around the shops. Sunday morning Phil wanted to ski but it was windy and I wanted to avoid the weekend crowd. We went to mass at St. Theresa’s. The kids brought up the gifts. Gorgeous stained glass of scenes around the lake. We built a snowman and had lunch at Yellow Submarine. We did a 2 mile hike to Emerald Bay, just gorgeous scenes with each turn! We sat around the fire pit at South of North Brewery sipping local beers. Phil did some gambling at Harah’s. The kids and I did a little shopping and had another snowball fight on the beach. We had an early dinner at the Tahoe Tavern (fried Salmon yes please!) and then early bedtime. We got up on Monday and headed to the ski rental place and were talked out of renting that day. We went to the Boulder lift and were talked into skiing. It was snowing but then the sun popped out for a bit. We got 3 day lift tickets. Matt’s friend hooked us up with half off passes and then the guy working the window went and grabbed 3 more! We went back to rent gear and made it back to Boulder. The older girls headed up and away. It took me a while to get the younger two geared up. Snow falling made clicking their boots into their skies so difficult. Lots of frustration that first day. It was cold! It was neat skiing through the snow (with like 3 inches on top of the skis!) and gorgeous with the snow falling. It was good to have that first day to get our ski legs back again. We stayed close to Boulder that first day. Ellie was brave and got us to go further up. We skied until close and went back to the house and crashed. We warmed up with chili, hot tub time and early bedtime. Tuesday we were back at it. We spent at least 30min in the parking lot putting boots back on. The gear is the hardest part! Finally on our way. The sky was perfect blue with fresh powder. Gorgeous ski day! We made it to the California side and tried lots of runs. Phil wasn’t feeling as well and spent more time in the lodge. Ellie was the most adventurous. The other kids made their way over, too. We skied until close again and had pizza for dinner at Matt’s place. More hot tub time and early bedtime. The final day of skiing, we were pros. Marly convinced Phil to come up with us and we all did some family skiing on the California run with gorgeous views of Lake Tahoe. Ellie and I went off and tried a black diamond called Ellie (it wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked! I think the blue moguls are worse.) We did runs from the Roundabout on the California side (accidently going on a double black diamond with lots of scary rocks and fallen trees) and made it just in time to the Perimeter on the Nevada side. It was another perfect ski day! Marly even landed a free pizza for lunch. Of course we skied until close and returned our gear. We had enough time to clean up, pack up, refresh sheets and towels for the next guest and eat dinner. We drove back to Reno, returned the car and flew back to Atlanta. Phil upgraded us to comfort plus but we slept through all the perks. Another quick flight from Atlanta to Jax and then Lyft home. We were wiped out! The red eye was brutal. We went to breakfast then took a nice nap. Ellie babysat. Abby went to dance. Voss went to soccer. I went to sleep by 9pm and then overslept and was late to tennis clinic on Friday at 10:30am! Guess I was tired! Spent the day unpacking and doing laundry. We met the Freemans for dinner at TCC and ended up late night at Lillian’s with the Strassers. Saturday I drove Marly and Sophie to Target and the pool then went for a neighborhood walk enjoying all the blooming azaleas. Ellie went to the beach with friends. Phil and Voss played soccer at the park. We went to 5pm mass then met the Freemans at Lillian’s to watch basketball. We are having a quiet Sunday morning now. Ellie is at mass with the Fredlands (since she missed mass with us last night) Marly is babysitting (that’s was prompted us to go last night). I am finally back on east coast time! Abby and Voss are glued to screens. Voss has a soccer game later today and then Phil scheduled family soccer after. Here are the pics of the last two weeks.
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Monday started with a PTSA board meeting at Southern Grounds. Dotting i’s and crossing Ts. I did a day of fasting to prepare for my first colonoscopy. It wasn’t a real fast since I had to drink 64oz of Miralax. It was dicey but I was able to pick up Marly from tutoring and take Abby to her annual. She got another round of HPV and Tdap. All ready for track try outs! Tuesday, Phil and I got up early and he took me for my colonoscopy. Pretty simple, in and out gig. Not bad at all. “The best sleep of my life” was hardly that and only 20min. I had 2 small polyps that were sent off for biopsy. So now I’m all clear. We had Maple Street and then Phil did "driving Miss Daisy" after with a dental cleaning for me (clean from both ends according to my hygienist) and then dance and soccer for the kids. Wednesday was back to normal with early morning Ash Wednesday mass, HIIT class and more fasting. Trombone and dance and quick walk w Tracy. I was grateful Phil picked up the fish fry. Thursday we had MomCo and I moderated the mother in law panel. Always a good meeting…with my arms sore from holding babies! I was inspired to FaceTime my MIL and see baby Izzy. Friday was Marly’s 14th Birthday with a start at Starbucks. HIIT and adoration and then I brought her CFA for lunch. I was crabby by dinner. We tried Biscottis but ended up at TCC after a wait. I escaped to Keith & Chris for an overdue nightcap. Ellie spent the night there. Saturday I brought Ellie to dance then made it in time for Voss’ first soccer match of the season. I’m so thankful my sister brought Ellie home. Voss scored all 4 of the team’s goals. Three in the last 5min of the match! Still
not enough to beat the other team’s 5 but awesome to watch! Phil made it to a tennis match. A few errands running around to prepare and then we hosted Marly’s Pinterest Perfect party. She had this vision of a pink bow theme and I really tried to make it happen! It was a sweet party. My brother, sister and I sat on the porch. Ellie helped run the party games. It was a nice afternoon. Matt took us on a boat ride on the newly fixed up boat. That night Phil, SQ and Matt and I went to Mellow, Intuition and then Mustangs. It was a fun night out. Sunday we sprang ahead and were late to 8:30, as were most. We had the last CCD class for a while and then brunch at TCC amidst the pouring rain! For the first time in -I don’t know how long- I took a nice, long Sunday afternoon nap. The girls and I read Wicked and it put me to sleep. We had pizza for dinner and watched the Americas. All back to sleep for an early bedtime. I guess we needed it! Here are the pics of the week. The week began nice and calm with my usual tennis clinic, WD shopping trip (I started writing the weekly dinner menu on the fridge so people will stop asking me 100 times, "what's for dinner?") and I tried this air compression therapy for my hip. Hoping to alleviate some of the inflamation. I got to go to April's that night to discuss All the Colors of the Dark, enjoy quesadillas and ice cream sandwiches. Such a great book with even better discussion! Marly went early to young life. I headed to middle school for SAC stakeholders then DCCPTA. The superintendent didn't show so the meeting went fast. We learned most schools are going back to 7 classes/ day. A few high schools were carved out and now fighting for our middle school to do a 3:3:skinny schedule. The drama continues! I took Spot for a run and a visit with my brother. Wednesday I went to HIIT then had some time before early release. My brother took Voss camping gear shopping for the weekend prep. I took Marly dance gear shopping for weekend prep. Voss had his one year check up and is looking great. Trombone and dance and walking in the park for the afternoon. Phil played tennis each night this week, which is so good but now he's so sore. Liz and I got to play in a match on Thursday morning. We had a team lunch (first one ever for the season, I believe). Later, Phil and I had two more matches to kick off the Mixed Doubles tournament. I was so nervous then so spent. We won both matches! Me hugging the net and Phil running everything down; it worked! Friday, HIIT, adoration and then a quiet afternoon. Once the kids came home it was a scramble. Ellie was in the French ballet portion of the Multicultural club's dance performance over the weekend. She's had lots of rehearsals and then shows Friday and Saturday. My brother took Voss on a cub scout camping trip to Fort Clinch. They were gone all weekend. Marly signed the paperwork to dance at the arts high school next year! Four kids in four different schools- woopie! Abby lived her best life in a quiet house alone. Phil and I headed up for our third match. Marly got a babysitting gig. We won our third match and crashed into bed early that night. Saturday we were up and at 'em. Phil played two matches with his member member partner. I dropped off Marly for another babysitting gig and then Ellie for her other dance class, watched Phil for a bit then Ellie to high school for a multi show. Phil and I lost our 4th match (he was toast!). I sat and watched some tennis then home to get ready for Ellie's show. It was a long concert but super neat to see all the different dance styles and costumes. We could have done without the MCs in my opinion. We went to dinner at TCC then home all exhausted! Sunday the girls made it to mass on time to serve. Phil rolled in a bit late. CCD then Phil and I had brunch while watching tennis, drinking prosecco in my new champions glass! The older two headed to their winter concert dress rehearsal. Voss came home then to Will's reptile Birthday party. I got in a quick WD run in between. Then we headed to the winter dance recital. We had quite the fan club with my sister, brother, GF and child. We all went out to a celebratory dinner for the concert, Matt's first day as a veteran, celebrating all the things! Here are the pics of the week.
Monday was Presidents Day. Thankfully sand was available to stick my head in and not think about our current situation. I do get sucked in that rabbit hole, but somewhere inside me is an off valve so after forwarding memes to friends I know how to walk upstairs and start Get Sleepy. I did finished another immersion reading experience with Jazz but I accidently bought the abridged version on audible and it didn't match the d/l'd copy from Hoopla. I still loved listening to Toni's voice and the music in the background. I spent the day driving kids: Marly's friend to the beach and to pick up Abby and Ellie and her friend to brunch. Tennis clinic and an ortho appointment in the afternoon. Tuesday, Maureen and I beat the Epping girls again. Not an easy one, but made us think and strategize. I had lunch on the balcony catching up with Steph. Wednesday HIIT, a SAC meeting, trombone, dance and then I split out and met the girls downtown for dinner and Peter Pan. I probably should have given the tickets to Rachael to take her kids but I was still happy to get out for a night on the town. Definitely a kids show...totally reminded me of the girls spring dance recital. It was the same soundtrack. Thursday back to the high school for a PTSA meeting then MomCo for CPR training and then another hour hanging around waiting for my oil change. Friday I went to HIIT, adoration then helped with the book fair. Voss is happy with his WWII and soccer books. I made headway with nominating committee talking to some potential PTA board members. Ellie drove us over to Aunt Suzanne's (So SQ could help me with the dance shuffle in the morning), picked up dinner for them and then for us on the way home. Abby spent the night with the Bertochs (she tends to disappear over there) then Phil and I watched When in Rome and eating Thai. Saturday morning I went to mass with Ann Marie and Charlotte then sat at a retreat ALL DAY discussing how we can better incorporate families into our church. It was fun to get to spend the day with AM, Steph and Meghan...but it was long. I was very happy to be invited out with the Hogans (AM and my brother) for a sunset cruise on the river. Sunday morning we had mass, CCD and then bfast at TCC. I played a pick up match with Julie, Anna and Sally then family soccer with the Fredlands and Brohinskys. The middles and I started reading Wicked together (eh, maybe not appropriate for middle school, but it's my requirement to see the movie). We had fish for dinner; one of Phil's work friends caught. Here are the pics of the week.
I had the week off from driving carpool. It was nice to enjoy my coffee on the porch each morning and having some quiet after everyone left. I took Voss to flag raising on Monday then tennis clinic then WD. I had my annual check up that afternoon with my new Dr. O. I got a Pap smear and my ears all cleaned out. My blood panel has still not come back yet. We had the Southern Steer meal deal for dinner each night so it was all good and easy. I got back into my habit of wine alone in the living room in the evenings. It was nice but bad. Ellie skipped school on Tuesday bc most of the 10th graders take AP Psych and they all got to go on a field trip to Sea World. Somehow Ellie is in journalism instead. She came with me to Paul’s funeral. Sad but I was grateful to have her with me. I met Phil for lunch while Ellie did homework then had a financial advisor meeting at Phil’s bank. Spot and I ran by the Voss estate and saw major tree removal happening. Matt is clearing the place out. I got to sub in for B at the Woods on Wednesday. Leah and I won 6-1, 6-1. It felt great. I met Sunny for lunch at Bodrum after. It was nice to catch up with her. I didn't get in for the Thursday match so I did a HIIT class instead. I overbought for the Valentines dance that afternoon. Now I need to figure out how to sell a bunch of leftover candy. I donated blood and felt pretty dizzy for the first time. Friday I went to HIIT then adoration. I had my check up with the orthopedic PA re my hip. I paid that copay for me to tell him it's all good. I thought it was just inactivity from the week before that was making it better but then this week it was fine. Of course after running on Saturday, the next day I am limping. I got coolers, ice and all the snacks and set up to sell concessions at the middle school Valentines dance. It wore me out. We had a quick PTSA meeting after. I picked up pizza for our own Valentine date. Phil and I watched Only in Vegas. Saturday, I took Ellie to dance and ran with SQ. Marly and Abby hosted book club for I Will Always Write Back. When I came back, I saw them on the porch using my china. Just like what I do when I host! My brother took Voss to the Pinewood Derby race for Cub Scouts. Voss won his age group! Phil won a singles match in Queen Harbor. We were all over the place! Ellie went to Chamblins. Matt came over for a visit. Later, Ellie went to a friend's Birthday party. Marly and Abby babysat Penelope. Phil and I went to Avis' ballroom dancing party. Sunday Ellie filled in to read. We took the Fredland's out for breakfast after mass. Kids table of 9! We all picked up more deals at Southern Steer. I met my pal, Hilary for lunch to catch up. I always love time with her! Family soccer and the blue team won! Yay! We met the Fredlands for beers after dinner. Here are the pics of the week.
I drove carpool this week. After clinic on Monday, I went to Deacon George’s funeral. Deacon Yazdiya gave a great homily honoring his life. It was a packed, beautiful mass. There will be a gaping hole in our parish without him, projects left undone. Very sad. Kerri and I won our match at Oakleaf on Tuesday, a much needed happy. I was organized that afternoon, got dinner done and then Voss and I went to the school board meeting (after getting stuck by a train). I am SO PROUD of Voss getting up for a public comment talking about riding his bike to school and loosing bus transportation for middle school. He was amazing! I went to HIIT class on Wednesday then to BK for my Godson’s official college signing. I’m so proud of him deciding to swim in college and going to Lynn this fall. From there I picked up Marly from school, had a coffee date at Starbucks and then dropped her off for her DA dance audition. Not at all prepared for all the things that afternoon. I had to call in help from my pal, Tracy and luckily Phil was able to drive a leg from trombone and dance and then back to DA. Hard to tell how the audition went, we’ll find this spring. Thursday I crammed in a HIIT class then went to MomCo for sex chat with Noelle. I spent a lot of time immersion reading Beloved. Friday morning I went to HIIT then had coffee with an ole pal, Christine. Lots of Twilight Zone talk. Phil came home early, we packed up, picked up all the kids early from school and headed to Pensacola. We stayed in Katie's new house and watched her 3 beautiful children so she and Steve could go to her pal, Ekta's wedding in Key West. My amazing kids put her kids to bed while the adults went out for a night on the town. We went to dinner at the Oar House then downtown to Seville Square. We had an easy morning enjoying the front porch and park in their front yard then packed up the kids and went to the National Naval Aviation Museum. You know Voss loved that part! We did a quick CFA lunch then the adults headed over to Hattiesburg for my cousin, Caroline's wedding. Only mom was invited to the actual ceremony so we dropped her off and met cousins at the hotel for a round or two. I loved catching up with the SistaCousins! The reception was fun with lots of dancing and cake options. We partied hard for a few hours then SQ drove us back to Pensacola. The next morning we took our 7 children to mass then stayed after for snacks and playground time. My kids put Katie's kids down for a nap then we hit the road. Phil drove a bit, then I got us through Tallahassee then Ellie drove the last leg. We picked up Super Bowl snacks then watched the game and historic halftime show. We zonked soon after. Here are the pics of the week.
I relished the quiet of Monday. Flag raising, tennis clinic, WD and then the afternoon shuffle. I'm doing more afternoon driving to get these kids to stay after for extra tutoring (and before school for Ellie, too). I'm proud of the older two for locking in and bringing up their grades. We're in a good spot right now. I hope it sticks! Marly left super early on Tuesday with the 8th graders and amazing chaperones to spend the week in DC (and visiting the Naval Academy)! The house was much quieter without her and it looked like she had an awesome time. Stay tuned for that video on the video page. I drove the other JWJ kids on Tuesday to go to SAC and then DCCPTA. More doom and gloom conversations. The superintendent did refer to us as his friends...but maybe he was teasing us. Tiger moms unite! I had dinner with some ole Stanton pals, Jacy and Missy (two wicked smart women) that night at a fun Italian place. Loved catching up with them! Abby Cadabby turned TWELVE on Wednesday. She's so laid back and easy going, the Birthday was sweet as ever. She got an early release day for her Birthday. I volunteered at art day with Voss' class- tie dying shirts with powder dye and ice. Then, we went out for ice cream to celebrate Abby. Later we had Sushi Bear (they make Birthdays so much fun!). Abby is excited to sit in the front seat- yay! Brittany and I got to play in a match together on Tuesday at home. We killed it, 6-1 and then 6-0. It was easy peasy and felt great to finally have a win! I spent the afternoon eating chocolate, watching This Means War and trying to take the afternoon off. I ended up fighting with my brother and had two kids come home crying. Humph. Friday I got up early for my blood work then to middle school to surprise teachers with a caffeine cart. Steph had us over for a nice lunch. I dipped out for the literacy parade at the elementary school. Abby had her ole pal, Virginia over for a sleepover. Phil drove Ellie to Camp Weed for the Happenings retreat. I started immersion reading Beloved. Saturday morning I took Abby and her pal zip lining at the Alligator Farm then to CFA. Phil played tennis. Voss played soccer with his pal, Chris. That afternoon I broke the Dryanuary seal at Grace Note's Rock the Dock festival. I probably destroyed any good I just did in January with one day of debauchery. Way too much fun. Marly was mad we weren't rolling out the red carpet for her home coming. Sunday was rough but I took the littles to mass and CCD. Phil and I drove out to pick up Ellie and attend the closing ceremony for her retreat. Marly went to confirmation class. Phil and I zoomed to the Young Life banquet. It was a day church hopping! Late night dinner with the Strassers at Kickbacks. Should we get a locker? Here are the pics of the week.
It was a hard week. It was so cold and dark. The week began with MLK day on the same day as the inauguration. No, I did not watch it and changed the channel from NPR when it began. I went to tennis clinic, very grateful to be on the court not with my friend wearing the MAGA hat. That was the only tennis and basic exercise I did all week. That didn't help anything. It was so cold that the MLK parade was canceled. The best part of the day was book club at Heather's where we discussed a terrible book (only because it was a fiction that seemed a little too real), Chain Gang All Stars. Then Tuesday I spent the morning at the school board sharing views and listening to the options to save money- cutting busses, reducing electives and therefore cutting teachers. It's impossible to have this conversation when this is happening. Lunch with Jamie was a balm, along with that salmon rice bowl at the Brick. The best day of the week was Wednesday. Voss turned 10! The lucky duck did not have school due to a snow day. No kidding. We did not get snow but lots of North Florida did which is so crazy. It was still cold and rainy. We had donuts, watched Birthday videos and working on a really hard puzzle by the fire. Marly and Abby stayed up decorating and were so sweet to him that morning. We had lunch with Uncle Matt at Firehouse and later family dinner at TCC. Again, Marly surprised him with an ice cream treat at TCC and spent the afternoon baking him a Birthday cake (with homemade frosting). The kids getting along is enough to warm my cold heart. Phil got Voss (and totally himself) and XBox. So there goes life as we know it. I tried not to follow all of Trump's executive orders for the week, but I couldn't help but get sucked in. Thursday I volunteered at high school for a round table discussion (talking about going from 8 classes in a block schedule to 7 periods in one day). It was neat to have kids from other schools join in the discussion. More conversations with school board members that day, too. It doesn't help that I've been listening to Octavia Butler books this week on top of all this. Friday I finally made it to the gym for a HIIT class, adoration then lunch with my friend, Susie at a new taco place. My sister came to pick up Ellie and help me with driving for her dance class on Saturday morning. Hot chocolate and puzzle by the fire time. Phil and I ended up on a double date with Matt and his girlfriend, Tara. I tried a non-alcoholic Guinness and Riverside Liquors, NA white wine at Primi Piatti (that owner is the sweetest) and then some delicious chamomile tea with honey at TCC for a nightcap. Saturday we rolled out to Cecil Field to celebrate Voss' Birthday. One of my dad's friends gave us a tour of a new POW museum he is curating. Voss said it was the best Birthday yet...complete with party favors of army bags, helmets and toy planes. It was a sweet group of Voss' friends and then one stayed to play after. We had the Nutcracker board dinner that night. We raised $110K! I can't wait to see how we vote to give it away at our next meeting. We stopped in to Silver Cow for a kombucha and to hear some live music. Then home for an early night. Not Ellie. She was out at a friend's 16th Birthday that resembled more of a wedding! We all read and served at mass on Sunday then had CCD then breakfast at TCC. We played family soccer and had chicken and rice bowls at the Fredlands. It was a great way to kick off a better week! Here are the pics of the week,
A DJ on the radio said Monday was the day most people quit their new years resolutions. I see it. I'm still holding onto Dryanuary and cracking the whip with these kids. Picking up from after school tutor session and calling in for extra chemistry help. It was cold so they canceled flag raising which meant I was able to take Matt and Tara to the airport to fly up to get Matt's car. I was late to tennis clinic but snuck in. I had lunch with Steph at Modrum (enjoy that delicious lentil soup). We got the fireplace up and running with cozy fires each night along with a super hard puzzle. Maureen and I lost our match on Tuesday again in a third set. It was so close the whole time. Incredibly frustrating that this keeps happening to me. I never took my coat off. Heat pad on my hip and I took a spill in the garage this week that left two nasty bruises and some residual back pain. Just grateful it wasn't worse. I spent the morning at the middle school on Wednesday with a meeting for Marly's DC trip and then a PTSA board meeting. And then the afternoon at high school for a SAC meeting and then back the next morning for another PTSA board meeting. I did an almost 40 hour fast this week, too. Especially not fun. I didn't even have the second night of great dreams like I usually do thanks to Mr. Snores. At MOPS we had a white elephant gift exchange where I ended up with some 'merica leggings. Can't wait for an opportunity to wear those! The manatee rescue folks took the day to get a mom and her calf out of the cove due to the water being so cold. Fun to watch! Ann Marie had us over to discuss making our church better. Friday I went to HIIT, adoration then Voss' awards ceremony. He got a citizenship and honor roll ribbon. Looking for things to celebrate here. Phil and I took him out for ice cream after. Ellie went to a friend's house to practice her 16th Birthday dance (how fun is that?!) and Marly went to Marywood for her Confirmation retreat. Abby spent the night with Annabelle. So, we took Voss with us out for pizza with the Strassers. Trying all the NA beers and kombuchas! Saturday I took Ellie to dance (well, she took me) and did a run walk with SQ. Later I went back to pick up Marly and the carpool gang from Marywood. Turns out she had a great time and made new friends. We went out with a crew to see a 90s grunge band at Mustangs again. Sunday we went to mass and then fellowship (no CCD so I could finally go!) I had a sauna appointment to try it out. Basically I think it's a bunch of BS. Isn't being outside in the summertime enough to do the trick? We went out with the Strassers and younger two to Don Eduardos for dinner that night. The older two were at friend's. Here are the pics from the week.
We weren't quite back yet on Monday, the kids still had oooonnnneeee more day of holiday break. I hit the gym (since I was waitlisted for tennis) while whipping them into getting prepped for school on Tuesday. We took down the Christmas decorations. Abby got braces! She was in pain the first few days, but has adjusted now. Voss and Phil went to boy scouts, early bedtime for all! Tuesday was rough but everyone made it to school. Tennis was canceled due to cold weather. I did a barre and pilates class then met friends at a new bookstore for discussion on the 2025 Page Turner Challenge. I am waiting for the hype to die down a bit and start in a few more weeks maybe. We had a fire, burning pieces of the Christmas tree and did some DEAR time and sisters in dance. It was definitely cold all week. Que the seat warmer and blankets in the minivan! I drove the middle school carpool this week. I got to sub in for B on Wednesday and play at home with Anna, then a fun match with Sally, Maureen and Anna. Rachael, Katie and I met at Bellweather for our first show of the year, Mama Mia. It was so nice to have a fun thing in the middle of the week with this dark, cold. Tracy was able to join us for the show after running kids. Having the time of our lives dancing with ABBA. Thursday I went to daily mass in honor of my dad, dedicated by my MomCo group. I ran some errands then went for a cold run with Spot. I actually burnt my hip from the heating pad. We had a MomCo leadership meeting that night at Anne's to plan for the next semester. Friday morning, I met Jess for a walk to catch up on her life amidst the days of grief. I'm proud to know such a strong woman. I met Rachael and her mom for a WJCT lunch & learn. Fun to be with them but the speaker was a salesy chiropractor, not a discussion on stem cells like I thought we were doing. Marly and Ellie babysat, Abby and Voss went to sleepovers. Phil and I met my brother and sister at Tara's for happy hour (really SQ and I drinking soda water). We went to TCC for dinner after and met up with the Freemans and Cochrans then Matt and Tara came later. Fun night! Saturday morning, Ellie and I headed out to dance class. SQ and I went on a walk run. Later, SQ, Matt and I went to Mrs. Jannsson's funeral. It was a sweet service celebrating her life complete with awesome stories from her 3 children about what an awesome mother she was; the original free range parent. The wild brothers growing up in the farms, wrestling their mother in the yard and our old babysitters telling us stories about watching all of us. We left with smiles and warm hearts. That evening, Ellie and Marly went to a 16th Birthday. Abby and Voss had their first babysitting gig together. My siblings and I went out with the Strassers for pizza and live music. SQ, Jenny and I found a new coffee shop with great hot tea. This morning we went to mass and CCD. Now Ellie is at another friend's 16th tea party. Voss is at a friend's house. The middles are at Target with Phil. Marly has confirmation class this afternoon, family soccer and youth group. Here are the pics of the week.
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