Thankful Thursday

It's been a full week...plenty to be thankful for...

1. Reel Rock 14. Last Thursday night, Micah and I joined a bunch of other climber types at The Lyric for Reel Rock 14. It was a first for us, but apparently it's an annual thing and was pretty dang awesome. There were a couple of short documentaries/films, a preview for another and then the feature show. Before the feature, there was an intermission with fun giveaways by sponsors and the local climbing gym. (We didn't win anything but they were great prizes and people all around us won stuff.) The shows were all fabulous and we had such a good time! (Also, it was cool that we actually recognized a number of people from Ascent, where we climb. It was also helpful that we'd already seen the movies "Free Solo" and "Dawn Wall" so were familiar with the climbers featured.)

2. Micah's advising appointment. Last Friday, Micah had his advising appointment for spring semester. He's all signed up for classes, his schedule mostly works with Asher's, and it's lovely to have all three boys' schedules set. :) 

3. Campus visit. On Saturday, we drove up to Laramie for Asher's first college visit. The University of Wyoming's Saturday Showcase was well organized and informative. We did the tours with the College of Engineering and had a good time learning about the different program offerings and seeing the new facilities they have. We also got to tour dorm rooms and eat in the dining hall. :) The weather was gorgeous, too...just an all around great day!

(Notice how I'm not all freaking out about starting looking at colleges again? ;) Really, this is just the start for Asher and I'm truly looking forward to seeing where his process takes us.)

4. Date night. After we got home from Wyoming, Nathan and I went to Candlelight Theater for date night. We watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame (fabulous music, singing and sets!). Previously, we had season tickets to The Midtown Arts Center in Fort Collins for our dinner and a show date nights and really enjoyed that. Midtown closed at the end of last season, though, so we switched over to Candlelight Theater season tickets. One of the things we miss about Midtown (aside from the much shorter drive, lol) is the two person tables. We'd always book our tickets for a two person table down front. At Candlelight, though, the tables down front are four person tables. This show was the first time we ended up at a table with strangers, and it was surprisingly nice. We met two lovely ladies and had a great conversation. One of them even introduced me to a cocktail called the Colorado Bulldog that was quite yummy. :) Thankful for pre-scheduled date nights like this!

5. Team Ascent. So. Micah's been doing the Arborists program/classes at Ascent since the start of this school year. It was two nights a week and was with an instructor he knew, who would give Micah additional challenges to work on. Before signing up, we'd discussed trying out for Team Ascent instead (the climbing gym's competitive climbing team)...and Micah had even been approached and encouraged to try out by the coach during the summer...but ultimately decided to do Arborists since we weren't sure about the time commitment on top of also experiencing public school and high school for the first time. 

So, Arborists was going fine (and he had a couple friends sign up, too). But that instructor took a new job last month and Micah was getting a little antsy. He was looking for more of a challenge...wanted to climb with people better than him instead of being one of the top climbers in the class. And, turns out that he's handling the workload of high school just fine. :) 

Given all that, then, Micah decided to ask permission to tryout for Team Ascent, knowing that they generally only do tryouts at the start of terms. After making his case, the coach agreed to conduct a tryout...not wanting to discourage climbing progression and enthusiasm. We went in on Monday and he spent about 90 minutes going through climbing and fitness tests. He did great and was offered a spot on the development team, which was what he was hoping for. He started climbing with them Tuesday and is so excited. 

Being part of Team Ascent means that he now practices three times a week with the team...so seven hours now instead of the four hours a week he was doing with Arborists. (And he still goes in on his own to climb, too.) He's also now signed up to compete in a local competition down in Colorado Springs this weekend. We're still sorting out what this all means but are happy that he's happy. :)  

6. Submitting insurance claim paperwork. Just a little note that yesterday I was finally able to finish submitting stuff for that homeowners claim from the July hail storm. Whew. (Course, now we're in a waiting game for the auto insurance regarding the boys being rear-ended last week...)

Okey-dokey. Hope your week is going well!

Thankful Thursday

Time for another round of gratitudes...

1. The Internet. Yup. I'm thankful for the Internet. I so appreciate being able to look things up when I think of them...being able to communicate with people and businesses near and far from the comfort of my own home...being able to schedule and order things without having to speak to a human, lol. Yup, the Internet is an introvert's friend. :) 

2. Sports & music. Recently, on Facebook, I was "nominated" to post an image of a moment from my kid's life...specifically, as the mom of an athlete/dancer/musician...for ten consecutive days. I mixed it up between all three boys and shared pictures as directed. It was a nice reminder of how thankful I am for the sports and instruments that have been and are part of my boys' lives...for karate, parkour, rock climbing, archery, swim team, gymnastics and soccer...and for piano, guitar, recorder, drums/percussion, chimes, bells, clarinet and violin. Some of those lasted longer than others, but all of them have shaped at least one boy in a positive way. Yay!

3. The library. We've had years where reading has been more prominent in our lives than it is now. Regardless of our lull in reading right now, I'm still so thankful for our local library and the ability to find and borrow books so easily. I'm sure it's saved us tons of money over the years and has encouraged learning about things we might otherwise not have looked into. 

4. Reg. Yes, Reg made my list last week for his winter drivability and safety. This week, he's made my list for being large and sturdy. Last night, you see, Asher and Micah were rear-ended on their way to karate. Fortunately, no one was injured. And Reg only has some bumper damage that should (hopefully) be straightforward to repair. The other driver was lost and it was dark and rainy...the boys were stopped waiting to turn left when he ran into them. His vehicle had to be towed.

Because we have three vehicles thanks to Reg, I was able to get into the van and get to boys within minutes of them calling me. From there, I handled contacting the police and all that (they'd already gotten the vehicles out of traffic and were all waiting inside Karate West where it was warm), and the boys were even able to participate in most of the class they'd been on their way to before the officer arrived and we pulled Asher to fill out the report. Note, I did have Asher help in all the steps of handling things so he could learn what to do and am sure he could have handled things without me if need be, but it helped my mom heart to be able to see them in person to make sure they were okay.

So. Insurance companies have been contacted and now we're just waiting on the other driver's insurance to finish finalizing some paperwork (the other driver had only just purchased the car he was driving...was actually on his way home from doing so...so the insurance company needs the bill of sale to verify before adding the vehicle to his policy). Will hopefully get repairs taken care of before Thanksgiving, though Reg is totally drivable as is. So glad everyone's okay and that I was able to get to my boys so quickly!

5. This blog. I can't even tell you how many times I've consulted a post here to confirm something or figure out when something happened. It's lovely having a record! That's part of why I started scrapbooking way back in 2000. I haven't scrapbooked in years, though, so appreciate having this blog as my digital scrapbook of sorts (though I do acknowledge that I really need to update portions of it, lol). 

Also, happy November to you all!

Nineteen

So. Noah turned 19 yesterday. We picked him up in the morning and spent the day together...opening gifts, playing games, eating here, playing more games, going out to dinner, filling out our ballots (I'll drop them all off today or tomorrow) and playing more games. Yup, just a nice quiet day together. :) I did also make him take some pictures. He was delighted, lol. But, hey, if you're here and I'm feeding you...you cooperate for pictures. :) 

Here, then, are the brother height comparisons over the years...

And this year...

We didn't do our traditional height pictures with Nathan and me...because, in all likelihood, Nathan, myself and Noah aren't growing any more, lol. I did still take some pictures together, though...

And I got a "birthday" photo of the boy...

He's all registered for spring classes already, is enjoying at least half of his current classes, likes his roommate, is still doing his laundry and is just generally doing well at being a college student. :) Yay!

Thankful Thursday

Wow. October flew by, didn't it? Feeling extra thankful and happy today (could have something to do with the extra sugar in my house right now, lol?)...so, here are some things I'm thankful for...

1. The inventor of chai. I'm not a pumpkin spice person (and I don't drink coffee), but I love me a good chai in the fall. I usually get my chai made with coconut milk but had one a couple weeks ago made with spiced apple cider...um...yummmmm. :P

2. The weather last Saturday. Noah, Asher and I volunteered with Habitat again last Saturday. We got to help put on a roof...which was something we hadn't done before and was pretty fun. I'm bummed I neglected to take any pictures! The day started out overcast but ended up sunny and gorgeous (highs in the 70s). At the end of the day, we all helped cover materials with tarps to protect things from the snow that came Sunday through Tuesday. 

3. Zenana Outfitters. I looked online but can't find any pictures. :( But, I bought this awesome oversized fuzzy hoodie by Zenana Outfitters recently (found it at a fun shop in Old Town) and it's been perfect for the chilly days this week. It's like wearing a blanket!

4. Reg. You might remember that we named our most recent vehicle Reg. This week...despite the unanticipated expenses and complications of getting him, paying registration and such, getting the brakes replaced and getting the tires replaced...I'm so glad to have him. :) Having a 4WD vehicle with brand new mountain-rated tires is good and gives us peace of mind when Asher's out on the roads. 

5. CEC calling the night before. Even though *we* were fine on the roads this week, we know many others were less confident. So, it was fine with us when the boys' charter school declared a snow day yesterday. Better still, we were thankful that the school decided that the night before and sent out word (via email, text and calls)...so much nicer than waiting and learning of the decision early the morning of the snow day. 

6. Being almost done with our insurance claim from July. So. After July's hail storm and having the insurance adjuster out, we decided to have two sides of the exterior of the house repainted and all of the gutters replaced. It took until recently to get on the schedule (lots of hail storm claims so packed schedules). But, the painting is now done completely and the gutters are 98% done. (They would have finished Monday but it was snowing.) Will get that finished up soon hopefully and get paperwork submitted and be thrilled to be done. Whew!

7. How cooperative Micah is when shopping. The recent snow storm revealed that Micah lacked waterproof shoes/boots, gloves, wool socks and a coat suitable for the weather. Yeah. Boy just keeps growing. ;P Fortunately, of my three boys, Micah's the most cooperative when shopping. (Which also works out well since he's one who truly needs to try certain things on...like shoes.) So, during yesterday's snow day, I took Micah and he tried on at least a dozen pairs of shoes, and we finally found some that worked (and were even on sale!). Yay! We also found socks and gloves, but the boy stubbornly refused my offer of a coat...insisting that his current jacket is warm enough. Boys.

8. The decision not to buy the inflatable Halloween dragon I wanted. Okay, it wasn't really a decision. I couldn't find it in stock anywhere nearby, lol. It was a 9' inflatable Halloween dragon with wings that flapped and it was on clearance. It would have been awesome! But. Our neighbor across the street did this:

So, my lone dragon would have been sad. Guess it's a good thing I couldn't find one, lol.

9. Halloween pictures. I could be sad about the fact that this is the first year I haven't done any costume shopping/making since having kids. Apparently, my boys have all outgrown trick or treating. Sigh. Instead, though, I'll be happy looking at everyone else's Halloween pictures and this collage I made of our costumes over the years...

Yeah, apparently we reused costumes aplenty when the boys were younger, lol. (And, for the record, we did dress Noah up in 2002 in that Winnie the Pooh costume that Asher's wearing in 2003, but I didn't have a digital camera then, lol.)

Okay, better go finish things up before the trick or treaters start. If you're in the area...we're the good house that's giving out full size candy bars...stop by! :) 

Thankful Thursday

Yup, it's late in the day, but it's still Thursday, lol. So, aside from my awesome girls' weekend...and here's one more picture just because...

...here are five quick things I'm thankful for right now...

1. Date nights. When the boys were younger, we didn't manage date nights very often (though we did have a lovely neighbor who volunteered to watch them once a month or so to let us go out...which we didn't take advantage of often enough, lol). Now that they're older, though, we've been doing a pretty good job of making time for us once a week. Sometimes it's dinner and a movie...sometimes it's shopping together...sometimes it's a play and dinner...sometimes it's just to go for a drive. Regardless, it's the time together that's important along with the fact that we make it a priority. Yay, us!

2. Neighbors. Speaking of neighbors, I love that we know ours. We still live next door to that lovely neighbor and the boys still know that theirs is a safe house to go to in emergencies. Our neighborhood organizes events like summer get to know you gatherings and classes on using fire extinguishers and how to do CPR and the ins and outs of xeriscaping. I say hi to people on the way to get the mail and know that my neighbors will bring my mail to me if misdelivered. Yup. Just generally very happy with my neighbors and our neighborhood. :)

3. The fact that our boys are older. While Nathan was in London last weekish, I was reminded of how glad I am that boys are older now. It was so much easier holding down the fort on my own with mostly self-sufficient kids rather than having to mind small beings, lol. Of course I love babies and toddlers (and am happy to watch them for my friends and family!)...but I'm pretty dang good with having three teenagers right now. 

4. Fort Collins. I had another Climate Action Plan Community Advisory Committee meeting today and again came away just so happy to live in Fort Collins. It's not perfect, obviously, but I so appreciate the work the city is doing to strive for improvement...the level of dedication and planning and consideration. 

5. Heated seats. Because sometimes it's chilly. ;)