Thankful Thursday

Last Thankful Thursday for August. :) Here's my list today...

1. Friends who fly. Last Saturday, Nathan got to go for a flight with my friend Dave (from boot camp). They saw the Flatirons and Red Rocks and a warehouse fire in Denver, lol. Nathan had a fantastic time and took some great photos...

So thankful for Dave and that we were able to make this happen!

2. Time together. Also last weekend, Asher was home from UNC and we enjoyed some family game time (sans Micah). Since we had even numbers, we tried the team play option for 7Wonders...

It was actually really educational for me...working in teams gave me better insight into how others were making their decisions for play. I appreciate that our years of playing games with boys (through homeschooling and otherwise) has led us to moments like this.

3. Opportunities for adventure. While we were playing games and such, Micah went outdoor bouldering with friends...

I'm glad that Colorado has so many opportunities for adventures and that Micah enjoys taking advantage of them.

(By the way, I finally worked out the insurance and specialty pharmacy hoops and have his new medication for him, but he hasn't started it yet. Thankful that the emergency meds were working well enough that he was able to go hiking and climbing last weekend.)

4. Quick trip to Boulder. Last Sunday, Noah and I made a quick trip down to Boulder to bring Micah his passport for some employment paperwork. Yup, Micah got himself a part time job! So...Noah and I drove down, Noah got a quick tour of Micah's new place (he was the only one who hadn't been there yet), we took Micah to lunch downtown, and then he walked the block or so to his new job to fill out paperwork. (His first official day will be tomorrow.) Along the way, Noah and I saw this quote on a building...

Not only do I appreciate the quote, but I found it awesome that Dylan was quoted right alongside Aristotle and others. ;) Proud of Micah for working hard to get this new job and also thankful that Boulder isn't too far away...for when we forget to send things like passports. 

5. Arborists. Earlier this month, we had an arborist out to look at our Aspens in the front yard. He confirmed that the south tree (they're three separate trees, though they look like they're part of a single tree) was dead and needed removing before falling into the pine tree and fence. (It was actually starting to rot at the base. Bleh.) We'll admit that we hadn't really been paying attention. ;) Apparently, the lean of that tree has been getting worse and worse over the years...

Since we're getting ready to have a new tree planted in the front yard next month (to replace the one we planted a couple years ago that died, sadly), we figured it made sense to check if the Aspen needed removing and, if so, if that was better done before we have the new tree installed. Turns out, yes, it did definitely need removing and doing so would be easier before planting the new tree. (We also talked to the arborist about the remaining two Aspens. All of the other Aspens in our neighborhood planted around the same time have been removed already so we weren't sure if it made sense to just take them all out while getting that leaning one. We're hoping, though, that ours have another few years in them. Fingers crossed!)

So, we had a great chat with the arborist to figure out Aspen removal plans. He also was enthusiastic about our choice of new tree for the front yard and had tips for that. And then he and his team were able to come out earlier this week and carefully remove that south Aspen and clean up some of the dead branches in the remaining Aspens. It looks good...

Thankful for knowledgeable people to talk to!

Okay, that's my list for today. Happy end of August to you all...hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

First Day Pictures

Hooray! My beautiful younger sons both sent me first day of school pictures earlier today on their way to their first classes of the year. 

Here's Asher this morning:

Asher's starting his second year at UNC and will have one more after this. He's still pretty happy with his major (Sport & Exercise Science: Physical Education K-12 Teaching), is the treasurer for the UNC PE Club, and is looking forward to another year with the UNC Taekwondo Club. He's living in the same dorm but with three new roommates. 

And here's Micah around lunch time (his classes are all after noon):

Micah's starting his second year at CU Boulder. He's on track to finish his BA in Philosophy in May thanks to all of his college credits during high school. He's considering pursing his Masters after this, though, so it may not be his last year at CU. He's the vice-president of the CU Taekwondo Club, has already been out climbing with friends (and hopes to do more of that this year), and is enjoying living in his rental house with two taekwondo teammates. 

So far, accounts from both boys are good. They enjoyed their first classes and seem excited about the semester. Here's to a fantastic year!

Five on Friday

Happy Friday, y'all! Looks like I haven't really shared much about our August lately. Here are five things to catch you up...

1. Aunt Lill. Toward the start of the month, one of my favorite aunts passed away. She was such a joy and always a favorite with all of her nieces and nephews (along, obviously, with her own four kids and all of their friends). She was married to my dad's big brother (that he farmed alongside) and was great friends with my mom. I wasn't able to make it to her funeral back in Washington, but my mom sent me this picture of my dad's six remaining siblings at the reception. (He had one other brother who died before him. Aunt Lill's husband is the third from the left.)

I'm sad I wasn't able to see everyone but blessed to have so much family still around. And I'm so very thankful for all of the memories that include my Aunt Lill and her amazing smile. 

2. Micah catch up. It's been a busy month, medically, with Micah. He's had his annual eye appointment (where we discovered a small hole in one of his retinas that will need to be closed up surgically next week)...had to go to urgent care for a sub-dermal infection in his legs...had his annual well check (where he also had the infection looked at and deemed "on the mend")...decided he needed to go back on medication (remember that he's been in a research study where he went off all meds at the start of May)...so has been back to Children's to be evaluated again, have bloodwork and get a new prescription (he's changing his treatment plan for practical reasons). So, now I'm in the process of sorting out all the insurance and prescription things to get that in place...hopefully before September? Oy. Fingers crossed that the new medication plan works as well or better as the last one and that we can get it started asap. (Fortunately, we were able to get some "emergency" meds into him in the meantime, though they're not as good as the medication plan so he's still in some discomfort.)

3. Nathan's birthday. With everything else going on, we didn't have a big celebration for Nathan's birthday this year but we did have cake... :)

It was a tiramisu cake from Whole Foods and was delicious! 

4. Karate West. On the 17th, there was another big promotion at Karate West. Mr. & Mrs. Yee, along with three other advanced belt candidates, promoted to higher belts. As part of Mrs. Yee's body of work to merit promotion, there was a demo team reunion with multiple performances. (Over the summer, as many past demo team members as were able were invited to practice together on various dates to work on the routines. Both Micah and Asher joined in.) Given Micah's leg infection, re-emerging arthritis issues and hole in his retina, though, he didn't participate at the actual promotion. Asher performed in all but one of the routines and is always a joy to watch.  

This is a photo of all of the black belts (or higher) who were present. It was truly a testament to Mr. & Mrs. Yee and their influence. So thankful my boys have this community!

5. Asher move in. Yesterday, Nathan and I helped Asher move back to his same dorm room at UNC. Appreciative that the weather was overcast...that Nathan was able to help...and that the process was so simple (so much easier when you're just moving back into the exact same room so you already know what goes where and what will fit). We got him settled, met one of his roommates, got lunch and then left him to it. I'm super bummed that I neglected to take a single photo. (For what it's worth, his room looks pretty much the same as last year, other than a smaller/shorter desk, lol.)

So. That's some of what's been going on around here. We've also dealt with homeowner-type things like sprinkler repairs and consultations about our trees and finding a new tree to replace the one that died. Mostly though, for me, August has been about being incredibly thankful that my guys all ended up going to college within an hour...it makes moving and medical things and whatnot so much easier. Waiting now on a couple more medical things and seeing that class schedules work and getting college bills paid and all of that. And then I can switch from summer mode to fall...

Throwback Thursday

Today's the 17 year anniversary of the day my dad died. I'm thankful every day for the time I had with him and for the example he set. I know the best way to honor his memory is to live a life he'd be proud of and to enjoy his grandkids as he would have wanted to. 

For today's Throwback Thursday, I'll just share this photo of my dad and me from when I was three...

I'll also direct you to this blog post I shared on the 10 year anniversary of his death...with 10 layouts about him. 

Miss you and love you, Dad!

Thankful Thursday

A week into August now and things here are quiet but busy. Here's my list of things I'm thankful for lately...

1. Moving Micah. Last Thursday, we moved Micah down to his rental house in Boulder. It's an older single family home in a nice quiet neighborhood with a straight shot to campus (on the bike Micah bought). It should be a great place for Micah's first time living off campus. I didn't take too many photos on Thursday but this gives you an idea...

Micah has two roommates. They each have their own bedroom and then share the bathroom, kitchen, dining area, living room, garage and large back yard. They're slowly outfitting the house and making it more cozy. I'm thankful he's found good friends and is having this experience. Looking forward to watching his journey! 

While I'm at it, I'm also thankful that August is a month for getting boys' stuff out of the house, lol. Micah took a bunch of his stuff...we were able to give a few things that were also taking up space to one of Micah's friends who will be moving into the dorms in Boulder...and Asher's stuff will head to Greeley with him in a couple weeks. Yay! So much stuff out of the front room and boys' rooms and guest room! :)

2. Nearby fires. I'm definitely not thankful for the multiple wildfires along the front range here in Colorado, but I *am* thankful for the many people who have worked to get them under control and to manage all that comes with wildfires and evacuations. I'm also appreciative for the eeriely beautiful sunsets... 

Nathan took this from the side of the road on our way home from moving Micah last week.

And I'm also glad that our AC issues happened when they did...before the dry, hot (near 100) weather we've been having and while we could still open the windows to cool things off without worrying about air quality.

3. Olympics. I love watching the Olympics, and I'm thankful for the more complete coverage options these days. It's nice being able to learn about and watch some of the events that don't usually make the PrimeTime coverage. :) 

4. Sardines. Okay, I'd never tried sardines before. Ever. Reading about how good they can be for you recently, though, I decided it was time to try. 

I actually like them! Glad to know that and will try to incorporate them into my diet more, as I appreciate how many nutrient goals they help hit. 

5. People. I've just had a number of lovely interactions with people lately and have been trying to take a moment to appreciate them. Shout outs to:

• Jason, our wonderful AC technician from FC Heating & Air who communicated fabulously and went above and beyond to find a way to get our AC working
• Shelly, the rockstar at UC Health's insurance office who helped me sort out some recent unexpected bills (it's awesome to have someone who you trust to actually figure things out and explain them well)
• Dave, a guy in my neighborhood that I met on Saturday walking back from running intervals with Lynne...we had a nice chat
• the phlebotomist at my last blood draw, who was just so competent and fun
• the cashier at Sprouts in Boulder, who had an interesting chat about philosophy with Micah during check out when we were picking up some supplies after moving him in
• Erik, the guy from ABS Irrigation who did a great job with communicating and getting a team out here to repair and replace some of our sprinkler heads recently
• Tim, our neighbor who's also our optometrist, who is so thorough and attentive to our eye health

There are definitely more people to list but that's what I've got for now. :) Thankful, too, for the rain yesterday and today...and the cooler temperatures. Back to watching Olympics now!