Thankful Thursday

It's February somehow. And it looks like I missed a couple weeks. Sorry. No good or specific reason...just doing our thing here, lol. Let's see...life continues to be lovely. Thankful for many things. This week's list includes:

1. Boys being back at school. So, Asher and Noah's classes (and one of Micah's) finally started back up on January 19. The three of them have varying degrees of in-person classes. Micah now goes to CEC two days a week for a total of three in-person classes and is delighted to see friends again. (His calculus class has only five people on the two days he goes. His business class has about 10 I think and only meets once in-person.) Asher has just the one in-person physics lab. It actually hasn't met yet but will tomorrow. Noah started out all remote but has transitioned to now having one class that meets in-person three times a week, a couple of in-person labs and one hybrid class that meets some in-person and some online. I'm thankful that they're all able to make these conditions work and so thankful for all of the teachers and staff making it happen. 

2. Karate. As you may remember, Micah chose to stop going to karate at the end of August (it's hard on his joints) and we asked Asher to stop at the end of October due to our family preferences regarding exposure in these Covid times. It's been two-plus months without karate...which has been weird for us. But. We recently sent them both back for private lessons. The Yees' son, Adam, moved back to town and is teaching at Karate West again...so Asher and Micah are now meeting with him once a week for personal lesson time (with little to no jumping for Micah and plenty of jumping for Asher, lol). (Adam had been one of their favorite instructors for the first two years they were at Karate West until he moved away.) So far, it's going well and we're comfortable with the compromise...they still get karate (and Asher's so appreciative for the physical activity again), but they don't get a class full of other students to hang out with. Asher's also back to demo team practices...but only with two other boys on the team, no practices or performances with more people. Thankful we're able to make something work and that they have an activity together again. 

3. A bunch of random purchases. I've purchased a number of things lately that I'm thankful for:

• bottle emptier things: One of my pet peeves is pump containers that don't reach the bottom so that I can't get all of the contents out. Hate that. I recently found these, though, and they're working fabulously so far. Yay! (I actually got more than an extra week out of an "empty" lotion bottle already!)
• brownie mix: Found this brownie mix that actually works for Micah...it's both gluten and sugar free and actually yummy.
• mat in basement: When we redid the basement, I got myself this mat to use when I do things like jackknives. (I'd been using loose flooring mat tiles on top of the carpet that was there, and the new flooring isn't as cushioned.) I'd thought about just getting a yoga mat but found this and like it better...it's thicker and folds up easily and quickly.
• candy snap grapes: A couple weeks ago we ended up with some candy snap grapes by accident. (I'm pretty sure that's what they were called. Whoever was pulling our grocery order grabbed those instead of what Nathan had ordered.) They were delicious! Happy accidents!
• The Defining Decade book: I got this book recently for Noah. I read it also. It's got some great stuff, people. I highly recommend it!
• cereal for Micah: Micah decided he was really missing breakfast cereal for some reason. (I don't know why since he never really had cereal growing up in the first place, lol. He's been all about finding more snacks lately, though.) But, finding cereal without gluten or sugar is not the easiest thing. We found this recently and he's been quite happy with it. He's tried two flavors so far. (I can't remember if there were more flavors or not.) Whew.

4. Being done with my Lego eBay listings. Just after my last blog post, I shipped the very last of my 100 eBay listings of Lego stuff. Woohoo! Delighted to be done with all of that and thankful for how very successful my eBay listings were. 

5. Grocery delivery and pick up. Just gotta say that I love delivery and pick up options these days! Not only does it mean that Nathan can avoid time inside the grocery store each week and save that time in the first place, but it also means that when Asher and I decide one night that we just really need Skittles but really don't want to leave the house, we can get them delivered right to our front door two hours later. Sweet!

6. Asher. Asher's been busy off and on with senior year and getting ready for college stuff. He's still got three colleges under consideration...has reserved housing spots, been accepted to the honors programs, and applied for scholarships at each of them. We've "attended" some virtual presentations and have more of those on the calendar. Simultaneously, he's been trying to stay on top of the senior year to do list that comes with being both a high school student and a student at the local community college. As part of that, I convinced him to let me take some senior pictures. He wasn't thrilled and didn't really see the point, lol, but he cooperated. Here, though, are some of my favorite outtakes:

Such a handsome guy. :) Thankful, too, that the clouds parted for just the few minutes we were out to take these. I'll share the keepers later.

7. Nathan and Ted Lasso's biscuits. I don't know if you've seen it, but Nathan and I recently finished season 1 of "Ted Lasso" on AppleTV. It was both hilarious and sweet and we can't wait for season 2. On the show, the title character, Ted Lasso, bakes these delicious biscuits regularly. Nathan, being the fabulous husband that he is, surprised me yesterday with a batch that he'd made after looking up the recipe online. They're awesome!

(Nathan packaged them up just like on the show and welcomed me home with this box. Yum! He's a keeper!)

Okay, that's a lot of catching up for now. Lots of other every day sorts of things happening here. Will try to do a better job of posting more regularly. :) 

Thankful Thursday

Hmmm. Not too much to report from here this week...have just been hunkered down doing what needed doing and going back and forth between trying to follow the news and deliberately stepping away. Not feeling up to tackling all that or even making a list this week. Instead, I'll just share pictures from the outing Micah and I took last Friday morning.

We headed out with a friend of Micah's from his climbing team, a friend who's very familiar with the outdoor climbing options in the area. They let me tag along. :) We picked one of the closest spots and just hung out for a couple hours...

Yes, I climbed, too. Micah and Darwin showed me how to do a couple of warm up routes (similar to the warm up route I did last October). And then they talked me through an actual rated route. It was still a pretty easy route (V2), but it was a real one. :) 

If I'd been by myself, I probably would have talked myself out of doing this. I would have looked at it and tried some of it and told myself I'd come back and try more later. But with two teenage boys egging me on (encouragingly), I just did it. And it felt great. :)

Relatedly, a week or so ago I made myself a list of 21 goals for 2021. I like lists, lol. Some of the things on my list are practical or necessary and some are just for fun. One of the just for fun goals was to send an outdoor boulder problem (to successfully climb a predetermined outside route). 

Done. :) Also, thankful for being in shape enough to be able to enjoy stuff like this with my kid. 

One Little Word

So. 2021 is underway. Traditionally, this is about the time when I pick my word for the year. This will be my 15th word. (Um, okay. Now that I've said that out loud I feel a bit old, lol.) Some years have worked/felt much better than others, but I'm always glad to have picked one. For the sake of having it all in one place, here's a list of my past words (oldest first):

Create
Small
Be
Home
Quote
Try
Build
Purpose
Lighten
Count
Push
Beyond
Hone
Sift 

I've debated a LOT of words for this year. (I often do. Those close to me are kinda sick of listening to me, lol.) Some were related to the fact that this coming year feels transitional. Micah will be gaining more independence when he gets his license, Asher will be heading off to college, Noah will be starting his final year at CSU, and I'll be seeking to rejoin the workforce. Some were related to wanting to be more open to new experiences and ideas...open to change. I want to bravely give things a try. Both of these trains of thought yielded some great words, truly.

But. I readily accept and embrace all of that. I know that's what's coming and where my head's at and feel pretty confident about it. The area I feel I could use a bit of a push in is, well, starting. I know I like to observe and research things. I like to make plans. Actually executing them is something different sometimes. The past year, though, really highlighted the importance of carpe diem...the value of the now since we don't always know what's coming next.

So. My word for 2021 is START. Just start. I find myself telling my boys that the hardest part is often just getting started. I feel, though, that I've been paying attention to 2020 and appreciating and seizing the moment and want to continue that in 2021. I have a list of things I want to do this year. I just need to start. 

Thankful Thursday

Obviously there are plenty of other things to talk and think about this week. I may or may not get to that. In the meantime, lest I get further behind, here's a catching up post.

Thankful for the end of winter break...

1. For sibling rivalry. For the record, Noah was the one who challenged Micah to the arm wrestling. Technically, he voiced the question...asking, "who do you think would win?" Asher wisely announced that he would simply cheat if challenged. Both brothers agreed that would happen and let him go. :) And then, this...

On the top, Noah won. On the bottom, Micah did. They refused to have a tie breaker, lol. So entertaining. :)

2. For Nathan's squirrel head Christmas gift from Asher. Because it's brought us all plenty of entertainment...

They were all pretty freaked out by the giant squirrel head to start with, but most of them have figured it out. The one above learned that he could dump the walnuts out and then ignore the squirrel head. Meanwhile, Nathan's been enjoying documenting his friends...

I admit that I have also...:)

3. For bionicles. Yes. I'm done with the legos and have sold most of them. Somehow, we still have a bunch. Micah and I decided it would be a fun family activity to bring out the remaining bionicle pieces and have everyone build something. We did this on New Year's Eve...

See? Lots of loose pieces still, lol. And this is what we ended up with...

Yes, this is actually how we spent much of our new year's eve. We're crazy party animals like that, lol. Honestly, I think we all had fun. After that, we had what we're trying to make a traditional charcuterie board and some chocolate fondue to go with our sparkling cider as we rang in the new year:

(For the record, Nathan set this out. I did not set out forks. I have no idea what those were for, lol.)

4. For games. This is a new game that Noah gifted the rest of us for Christmas. It's called Betrayal at House on the Hill. It's fascinatingly well done (so many variations and details) and we've played it a number of times already.

5. For outdoor climbing. Micah and a couple friends did some outside bouldering earlier this week up the Poudre Canyon. It was chilly but actually beautiful.

Yes, that's Micah in the tank top. He claims it wasn't cold. You can see the snow, right? ;) In any case, thankful that we have opportunities like this all around us. 

I think that mostly catches up to my camera roll at least. :) 

We took Noah back to his apartment on Monday. Micah started back to school on Tuesday. The other two won't start until the 19th. Beyond that, all the details of their classes are complicated, lol. 

(Micah has two classes that started on Tuesday, fully remote. They'll switch to hybrid--two days in person and the rest remote--after the 19th. His remaining class will start on the 19th, fully remote. Asher will have three classes starting on the 19th. Two will be fully remote, one will be remote but have an in-person lab once a week. Noah will have five classes that start on the 19th. They'll all start fully remote. At some point (2 weeks? 3 weeks?), one switches to in person, one adds an in person lab, and one switches to hybrid--some in person and some remote. After his delayed spring break (mid-April), everything will go back to fully remote until the end of the semester. Confused yet? Yeah. I'm not even positive I got all that right.)

Off now to eat then take Micah for a blood draw...need to monitor certain levels now that he's on this new treatment plan. (The drug is essentially one used for chemotherapy but in much lower doses.) 

2020

Before I figure out my word and goals for 2021, it seemed appropriate to look back at 2020. Incidentally, I don't think I ever publicly shared my word for 2020. It was SIFT. Strangely, it really worked for the year. I did sift through a lot and feel better for it.

Specifically, I sifted through information...

• reading so much news
• learning how to use Zoom
• helping with Asher's college applications process
• refinancing our house
• leading adulting lessons for boys
• learning how to play croquet, pickleball and numerous board games
• following the news about our wildfires

...through feelings...

• sorting out the different aspects of the election and my feelings about all of that
• deciding to take at least some action through letter writing during the campaign season
• realizing the importance of seizing the moment
• struggling to balance public and personal health with teenage activities and wants
• supporting Nathan as he reevaluated his work environment and changed jobs

...and, through stuff...

• (lots of) purging and learning how the local landfill & recycling center work
• going through all the print photos we have and converting them to digital
• getting Noah moved into his first apartment
• sorting and selling legos (obviously, lol)

Also, on that final note, here's our 2020 holiday card:

If you want even more of a wrap-up of the year (and didn't already receive one directly), our holiday letter is here. 

And that was 2020. I'll address 2021 soon...