A girl getaway

This weekend I decided to take Anna to the beach for a day trip. For several reasons, we just needed to get away and enjoy some time together. The beach has always been a favorite for Anna. The weather looked good and she didn't have any track meets, so we decided to make a break for it. 

I had never been to Kiawah Island and they have a public beach access just before it's closed to visitors. It's a two and a half hour car ride, but we decided to listen to a book on the way there and arrived mid-morning with lots of time to do fun things. Lots of people had the idea and the small parking lot was relatively full, but we managed to find a spot. Our first goal was to take a long walk to look for shells and things. After a quick walk through the beach sitters, we really found lots of room to roam with very few people. Anna's first find was a sand dollar!

She chased the birds, waded through the small tidal streams, found jellyfish and generally kept us moving for several miles. When we were done walking, I shouldn't have been surprised that she was done with the beach. She had checked off all her boxes and the idea of sitting around, playing cards or listening to music was not her jam. This totally make sense for her and makes me laugh too. 

So we looked up the nearest Ben and Jerry's to grab a treat. Little did we know we would find a cute town center with shops and restaurants. It wasn't too crowded so we grabbed a pizza to eat outside and bought a couple of cute necklaces to remember our trip. Anna even treated me to Ben and Jerry's! Not gallbladder friendly, but I managed. Ha!

Bellies full and hearts happy, we made our way back home, but stopped at the outlet malls before getting on the interstate. Anna had stolen my shirt to keep warm and liked it so much she wanted to get one of her own. We also found some shorts which is tough to do for her. 

We listened to our book on the way home, had great, convos and laughed up a storm. It was such a life-giving and affirming day for both of us. I sure do love this stage we are in with her and she's just fun to be around. I could tell she was really grateful for the time away and that it refreshed her. I'm just so glad we had a beautiful day and time to do it! Plus, I'm pretty sure I earned some cool points!

And if you are wondering what the rest of our crew was up to....Paige had soccer practice where they decided their team name would be mountain lions. This seems satisfactory to her. Then she and Patrick took Teddy to Harbison National Forest where they went on a 7 mile hike! Paige says they got lost. Patrick disagrees. Regardless they all seemed happy and tired when we got home. 

Warm weather

I LOOOOOOVE warmer weather and this week it has been in the upper 60s and lower 70s. It's just a big "ahhhhh" to my heart. So we spent several afternoons outside, including picnic lunches, hammock time, track practice and play time with Sally. Paige was especially glad for the last one. Teddy even seemed to have an extra spring in his step although that tongue sure was quick to come out on these warm days. I'm also noticing the grass is shedding, which means all the old grass is finding it's way into my house. Guess I'll be grabbing the broom more!

Grant has mock trial this weekend so we took the opportunity to cheer him on with a giant chocolate chip cookie. I mean do we really need an excuse to make this?!

We've had a few whiplash moments this week. I describe them like this because you think you're headed along just fine and then, whack. Fortunately, we're working through those with prayer, patience and some helpful tools. I'm grateful for the opportunities to lean in to the Lord and for sweet friends who have the specific knowledge to help guide us. 

And then there are school decisions. We've been discussing with the girls a return to school. One of the opportunities to go back will happen next week so we had to decide if we were going to stay home or send Anna back part time. Ultimately, she doesn't have any desire to go back, so she's staying put. Then we had to figure out what to with Paige, especially if Sally's parents decided to send her. Fortunately, they aren't ready to send her, so we're also keeping them home. We're getting to a point where we are more comfortable sending them back, but still wrestling with everything. So it's nice to have some semblance of what is normal to us at least for now. I hear 5 day face to face is on the horizon. So we'll have to think about sending the girls or keeping them all virtual. 

I'm not throwing away my shot!

 We've had a fun and productive weekend. I woke up early on Saturday morning to get in line for my first round of the vaccine. It went smoothly and now my arm is just a little sore. After seeing the volunteers out there in the sunshine, I vowed my next volunteer slot would be on a sunny day!

Meanwhile, Patrick took Paige to her first soccer practice for the season. It seemed to have gone well and she has both some familiar and new faces on her team. Her coach is an 18 year old soccer enthusiast who is doing Young Life training right now, so that's kinda cool. 

With sunnier skies and some warmer afternoon temps, we tackled some yard work, collecting more leaves and weeding. I can feel spring just around the corner! It was nice to get my garden cleaned up and now I just have to decide what I will be planting when the time comes around. 

Teddy enjoyed his outside time. He has taken to letting you know when he wants some pets by putting his cute little face on the chair cushion you are sitting on. He's also being even more dramatic at bed time by just laying down instead of getting up when his leash is on. Such a diva! I'm also noticing I have more pics of the dog than I do of my people. Ha!

Other than that, the girls have been busy with new Legos they bought with their gift cards from Barnes and Noble. I swear they could get lost up in the playroom for hours with those things. Also I'm not sure the Legos have much more real estate for expansions. They are everywhere! Anna and Paige have made a YouTube playlist of songs and I hear them jamming out every now and again. I'm glad they have this time together as March and April look to pick up in terms of soccer and track. Fun things to look forward to!

Paige Student Led Conference

I can NOT believe we are at the point in the school year to hear Paige's Student Led Conference. I can remember last year, meeting at her school with her and Mr. O. It was really one of the last things we did with her before the pandemic started. How can we have been through an entire year already?! In a lot of ways, it seems like a the longest year ever. We're working through school one day at a time and as you know Paige has been home the entire time. What a crazy year!!

Well, I was blown away during her conference last year, but I'm even more impressed this year. She did her entire presentation online and we met virtually with her teacher. It was so good for all of us to see the progress she has made this year as it has been especially difficult this year. Yes, she has grown in knowledge in all of her core classes, but more importantly she has developed amazing skills of perseverance and determination. She's taking more risks and finding her worth in trying, not the end result. I can see how she is growing up and maturing even though it's a slow evolution over the last year. 

As is our tradition, we wrote letters to her at the end of her conference and read them to her. It was sweet to see her bask in our praise and I love the opportunity to speak life over her. Her teacher also commended her on her work and character. We couldn't be more proud! And in the end, I am grateful for the opportunities to grow, even though they have been major challenges. Paige, you are going to do amazing things one day and we can't wait to be there to cheer you on! Also, how do we only have one more student led conference left?! I'm already sad thinking about this. 

My Valentines

With all the rain lately, we had a low key weekend hanging around the house and getting some things done. We're not big celebrators of Valentine's Day, but Paige and I made a delicious breakfast of puff pancake and mixed berry compote. The girls wrote sweet notes to us. And Patrick got each of us girls some chocolate. I even managed to snag him some Reese's hearts for him. He sure loves peanut butter and chocolate. 

One of the most fun things we did this weekend was deliver handmade Valentines to all of our neighbors on the other loop. Anna, Caroline and Brantley have been working hard to make them over the last three weeks. Then Paige jumped in on the action when we realized we were close to giving one to every neighbor in our neighborhood. So we helped Anna complete the rest of the 85 needed for our other loop and delivered them on Saturday. The girls didn't put names on them because they didn't want the recognition, but it's been fun to see the comments pop up on our neighborhood FaceBook page. So cute! 

In other news, a friend and I decided to volunteer at one of the state's largest vaccination clinics on Friday. It's located outside at the fair grounds and they needed help directing traffic. With Patrick home on Fridays, I knew I had some availability and decided to help out. We woke up at 5:30AM and got down there by 6:30AM to stand in the cold (it was 39 degrees!) rain until 1pm in order to direct cars through the line. I was prepared weather wise, thankfully. Wore lots of layers and waterproof except my gloves. Regardless, we were definitely cold by the time we were done. But it was so fun to see all the older people who were happy about receiving their vaccination. At one point, a woman driving through to get her shot sent out an entire box of handwarmers for us to use. It was lifegiving! I'll definitely volunteer again and the good news is I get a vaccine next week. 

Galentine's and Grant Lunch

We're just doing the usual around here. School, work, track, repeat. Sounds like a shampoo commercial. To beat the monotony, we've been having fun with some Valentine's Day stuff. Paige has been sweet to leave us little notes at the breakfast table. I got some fun scratch off Valentine's cards which say 14 things I love about the person. My people have been fun scratching them off every day. 

The girls made a special dessert for dinner over the weekend. Their very own attempt at chocolate truffles. They may have looked a little off, but they sure tasted good!

I say any excuse to have a special lunch is a good excuse. So we used Valentine's Day to plan a special Galentine's and Grant luncheon. Poor Grant. He's always our guy that goes along with whatever we do. At least he's happy to do it!

Anna made red velvet swirl cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I made nachos and I helped Paige make Jello jigglers. You should have heard me try to explain these to them. They just couldn't get over the name and howled with laughter for at least 5 minutes. We set up the table nicely and made some Valentine's for each other. Grant and Sally even brought some beautiful flowers! 

The kids all loved the food. The funniest part was when Anna played a game where I had to guess popular songs based on the instrumental part. All the kids knew exactly what the song was and I had no idea. They just laughed and shook their heads at my uncoolness. I claimed it anyway. Paige tried to be supportive by saying: Don't worry, Mom. You're not uncool. You just need practice. 

Other than that, we've been enjoying some unseasonably warmer days by heading outside. I can hear and feel spring in the air, even if the weather is supposed to be cold and rainy for a week. OK so maybe it's just wishful thinking, but it's positive thinking at least. 

Finally I leave you with these two funny things. Once is Teddy's evening routine. That dog hates to be disturbed from his warm bed. And the other is Patrick on a comedian's Instagram account. In a day where he met with the Speaker of the House and was on our local news station for a panel for an hour, this is the thing that rose to the top. And I am still laughing over it!

Patrick on EddieB. 

Snow (aka wintery mix) and other things

The start to this week was painful after our fun adventures over the weekend. It was so cold and dreary outside on Monday that none of us were very motivated to do anything. But we managed to get school going and Teddy managed to nap. This dog was worn out! Did I tell you that he loves the fireplace. He will sit there until he is literally panting because he is so hot. I even think he was barking at me to turn it on the other day. Good grief!

On Tuesday, I reflected on the one year anniversary of the death of my friend Brooke. What a strange year it has been and I can't imagine if she had been here on earth to experience it. For a few days after she died last year, there were some beautiful sunrises and sunsets. So vibrant pink! I looked for one that morning, but there wasn't anything and then later when Patrick and I went for a walk, we saw a lovely sunset, all pink in the sky. I had to smile, thinking of Brooke. 

In other strange news, on Tuesday I went for a walk with Teddy around 1:30. It was a cold day and I felt a couple of drops of rain, but it made me pause and think. Was that snow?! No, it couldn't be. Sure enough about 30 minutes later, we did get more snowflakes. Now, before we go calling this a real weather event, I should say they were tiny and mixed in with rain/freezing rain. I texted Paige's teacher to let her know the girls were coming late to class because they were in the snow. The next thing I know, Sally and Paige were running back outside because their teacher had cancelled class so they could be meteorologists! This was the same time Grant and Anna ended school. So all the kids were running around in the slushy wintery mix and having a ball. We ended our fun with hot chocolate, gingerbread cookies and popcorn. What a sweet afternoon with a fun surprise. Word on the street is we might see some more snow next weekend, but I'll wait to see it before I believe it. 

With all this cold weather, I have been cooking a lot of soups this fall and winter. They were easy when Anna was running cross country. I love a good homemade soup. It's got a protein (usually), lots of veggies, a starch (usually) and is super healthy, especially for my gallbladder. A one pot meal I can get behind! This week I tried Pioneer Woman's Chicken and Wild Rice soup in the instant pot. It was a hit. Earlier I made a mini meatball minestrone in my dutch oven which we've had before and love. There's at least one night a week we have soup!

When I am not whipping up soup, I've been busy manning the fort and all my other things. This week I have been putting together teacher appreciation goodies for Paige's school, grading for my classes, talking to the 5th graders at Paige's school about interviewing, meeting with a new client to go over her resume, meeting with my boss, meeting with my cohort advisor for a certification I am working on and doing some church stuff for the ministry we are in charge of. Plus, you have to add in all the normal things like laundry, dinner, groceries, homework help, errand running, walking, etc. So needless to say, it's a full and fun week at our place. 

Finally, after much deliberating and doubting and waffling, Anna decided to run track. She's been very non-committal and a little all over the place lately. (read: she's a teenager) So I was a bit surprised when on the second day of practice for the season, she says "OK! I'll do it." I dropped her off at the high school which is still VERY strange and there were a ton of kids out there doing sports. She came home happy as a clam, talking a mile a minute. It's good for her to be around peers and actually moving her body with goals/intentionality. She got her uniform already and said that she's running the 1 mile and 2 mile. I guess they get right down to things for track! Paige will start soccer in  a couple of weeks. So prepare yourself for sports updates because that's about all we have going on right now.