Allow me a moment...

As we're finishing out the first half of the year, please allow me a moment to brag on my guys...

MICAH has been volunteering down in Boulder a few times this summer (helping prep the CU stadium for events). He's now an officer with the CU Taekwondo club and has been helping organize these volunteer opportunities that earn the club funds for the coming year. (CU sets aside funds for the groups who volunteer and distributes them based on how many people each club brings.) Really proud of how he's stepped up in this leadership role and glad that he's so enjoying his teammates.

ASHER made the Dean's List at UNC for his first year there! (UNC does their Dean's List by the year rather than by the semester; Dean's List requires a 3.75 gpa or higher during that time.) So proud of the hard work and dedication Asher puts into his schoolwork (and always has). 

NOAH recently got a promotion at work! He's now the assistant manager. Very proud that he's doing such a good job at the bank and that his coworkers have become friends. This time at the bank continues to be a great learning experience, and it's lovely to see his efforts being rewarded.

NATHAN took me to the Candlelight Dinner Theater last night as the final gift in celebrating my birthday. We had a wonderful time, enjoyed our meal and drinks, and were impressed by the performance. So proud of the work this man does to provide for our family and lifestyle! We've had some rough years financially but are in a good place now and we don't take that for granted. 

(This isn't the best photo, as I didn't remember to take one until we were leaving.)

So. Just wanted to acknowledge these things. :) Incredibly proud of all my guys and blessed that they're mine! Here's to the second half of 2024...

Thankful Thursday: Road trip edition

So. Just a few things to wrap up our road trip...

Things I'm thankful for:

1. Snack bag tradition. Years ago I started a road trip tradition of preparing snack bags for each boy. I'd gather candy and snacks that each particularly liked and put them in a gallon sized ziplock bag with his name on it. This system has served us well for many a road trip! It keeps things tidy (trash can just go back in the ziplock bag as it's generated)...it keeps boys from asking for things (as they're free to eat from the snack bag whenever and tasked with spacing things out for the duration of the trip, as bags aren't refilled)...and it prevents needing to reach across the entire vehicle or toss things to people in the back seat. 

Even though it isn't really necessary any more, I prepared snack bags for each boy for this road trip for nostalgia's sake. Thankful to have had them all with us on this trip, as I know those days are numbered.

2. Small hands. I'd never really thought about it before, but did you know that larger hands don't fit inside Pringles tubes? ;) It's not been an issue for me, but apparently Micah and Nathan can't get their hands into Pringles tubes. It was pretty entertaining watching Noah reach right in sitting next to Micah in the backseat. :)

3. Restaurant finds. While we've made the road trip to Washington a number of times for family visits, we don't usually drive the CO-WY-UT-ID/OR-WA route. (We usually go CO-WY-MT-ID-WA.) There aren't as many places to stop along the non-Montana route. So, we were delighted to discover a couple of great restaurants this time on our way to Idaho. Thankful for Wonderful House Restaurant in Rock Springs, WY and for Fat Clarence Pub & Grill in Jerome, UT!

4. Vinnie. Our dear mini van has been with us for 15.5 years now. We got him new and his name is Vinnie, well, Vincent Van Go. He's reliably transported us all over the place. This trip was no exception. He survived 2240 miles and we're very grateful. I know he's not the most stylish vehicle and that one of these days we'll replace him, but I'm ever thankful for the space, convenience and dependability. 

5. Silly faces. Mostly, though, I'm thankful for the time with family! Look at these silly faces...

It was lovely watching all the cousins interacting and just having the time together. So glad we were able to get together with everyone! Happy sigh. :) 

Family visit road trip

So, we got home late Monday from a family visit road trip. We started out last Wednesday and drove and drove. With stops, we were on the road about 15 hours and crashed for the night in McCall, Idaho. Thursday morning, we got up and on the road early again...stopped for a few things and continued the 2.5 hours(ish) to my baby brother's home. We spent the day there...

There were group photos...

The top left is my guys and my brother's eight kids...top right is my mom, us, Joe and his kids...bottom left is me, my mom, my baby sister (Cas) and my baby brother (Joe)...and bottom right is all of us: us, Cas and her two boys, and Joe, his wife Bridget and their eight kids. (It's not a full family photo as we're missing Cas's husband, my other brother, his wife and three kids, and my other sister and her three kids.)

There was a lot of playing...

• my eight year old nephew (Case) challenged Micah to basketball (and won...he also beat Nathan later)
• Micah negotiated with cousins in their capture the flag game (it was all the littles against my three bigs)...the game lasted a good while and involved lots of "jail" time
• the oldest little (Blaze) delighted the youngest two boy cousins with his "roller coaster," pulling them around in the wagon

• swings were swung
• Joe gave some of the kids rides on the tractor
• Blaze started out pulling the wagon with the bike but decided just walking/running worked better
• Asher, Noah and Case had deep conversations
• Asher was enlisted to climb a tall ladder to put a baby bird back in the nest (there was a lot of drama about trying to save the injured bird that had fallen from its nest...and debate about whether Cas would take the bird home (which she did NOT want to do)...and a decision to put the bird back...and then a funeral after the bird fell again and died)
• and sword play.

And then there were just lots of family moments...

• Micah holding Clare (the youngest...she's 4 months and adorable!)
• Tim (3) kissing Clare
• Nathan with Clare
• Nathan with Bobby (almost 2)
• Alice (10), Clare and Sam (7) with Bridget
• Blaze (10) with one of the cats
• Nana with Mary (almost 5)
• Nana with Tim 
• Nana with Clare
• Asher with Bobby

And there was a massive water fight...

Micah later regretted showing the littles that dumping buckets of water worked better than the water guns, lol. All three bigs suffered from that, lol. 

And the girls particularly delighted in climbing and riding Micah...

I also have pictures of whiffle ball and ice cream and more of the sweet littles. (The pictures are heavy with Micah interactions, but Asher and Noah were right in the thick of it also. Asher actually pulled his hamstring early on so wasn't as able to play as he'd have liked but still participated, and Noah got targeted in the water fight, lol.)

We had a fabulous time hanging out and getting to see Joe & Bridget's property for the first time and eating together and visiting aplenty. Yay!

After dinner and dessert, we said our goodbyes and headed out. We drove to Lake Coeur d'Alene and stayed at Cas & Charlie's cabin there. We ended up enjoying some time on the lake with Cas, Charlie and their boys...with Asher and Micah tackling the aqua obstacle course with Case & Blaze and tossing a football and such...and with time on their boat.

While the water near the obstacle course was chilly but warm enough, the water in the middle of the lake was too cold ultimately. Case and Asher both tried wake surfing but we ultimately called it on account of the temperature. (Apparently, it's not been as warm there recently and usually takes another couple weeks before the lake warms up to reasonable temperatures.) Case knows how but was just too cold. (He lacks pretty much any body fat, lol.) Asher had never tried before and got pretty close.

After our time on the lake, we headed about 4.5 hours into Montana and stayed with Nathan's parents. We chatted and ate and played pinochle. It was lovely but I only remembered to take this one photo as we were leaving Monday morning...

And then we were on the road for about 13 hours before finally making it home to Fort Collins. Whew.

That was a lot of pictures and such. I'll be back tomorrow with some wrap up. :)

Continuing my birthday...

Continuing with my birthday gifts...yesterday, I enjoyed two more...

First, Micah took me to get a pedicure. It was also his first ever pedicure. He was a bit overwhelmed by choosing a color, particularly enjoyed the massage chairs, and enjoyed the sugar scrub that smelled of coffee. He's a bit sad about having his calluses sloughed off, though, as he rather likes/needs them for climbing and taekwondo, lol. 

We had a great time and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the experience with him!

After that, I met up with Lynne for happy hour to celebrate my birthday. We both tried one of their happy hour cocktails, enjoyed some eats, and had a lovely visit.

It was a terrific start to the week...so very grateful for gifts of experiences!

Thankful Thursday

Almost half way into June now...let me start by saying a great big thank you to all who wished me a happy birthday last week! As I'm now in my last year before the big 5-0, I'm so incredibly thankful...

1. For a shift in mindset. I realize that some may dread milestone birthdays but I find that I'm looking forward to mine next year. As I'm getting older and wiser, I realize more than ever that this life is a privilege, and I'm so grateful to be here. I'm finding myself less concerned about what others think and just continually thankful for this life I've created.

There have definitely been years where I've been down on myself about weight or appearance or whatever...I think we've all had those moments. Lately, though, I find that I'm genuinely more comfortable with myself and can focus on the progress and the positives. I can be glad for sore muscles because it means I'm working them. I can be proud of my climbing even when the routes aren't the more difficult ones because, hey, at least I'm climbing them.

Given all of that, I snapped this photo after boot camp on my birthday. I think I'm doing pretty well for 49. :) 

2. For beautiful peonies & other flowers. My peonies finally bloomed for my birthday! One of my three bushes really out-does itself every year (top left)...one seems to be comprised of different varieties, though I've had this plant for I think 10 years and it's not done this before (top right)...and one doesn't appear ready to bloom quite yet (apparently I may need to re-plant it less deep) (not pictured). I love peonies. They remind me of my childhood--we always had some growing around the yard and would cut them and make bouquets for Memorial Day visits to the cemetery.

Just after my birthday, I cut a bunch of the peonies that were falling over and made this very full bouquet (bottom left). (Turns out, it was a good thing I cut them when I did, as the skies opened up just after that, lol.) Next year, I must be more attentive and make bouquets sooner. :)

And the bottom right photo is of my monthly arrangement gifted to me by Nathan's parents for my birthday. I love that the flowers are locally sourced when possible and that the shop is woman founded, owned & operated. One of my local friends even grows some of the flowers for this shop!

3. For Percy Jackson. Back when we homeschooled, the Percy Jackson series was one of our favorites. After we finished reading that first series, we read pretty much everything else that Rick Riordan wrote. I loved the laughter and sharing that came from reading those together (sometimes altogether, aloud, and sometimes on our own and then talking about them). 

Recently, Asher started re-reading the books to fill some of his summer downtime. I love that. He's already finished twelve or thirteen of Riordan's books. (He's researched the best order to read the books and has a plan.) I'm also re-reading the books, but we agreed that I had to wait until he was well on his way through the books so that we wouldn't be fighting over a book, lol. I'm now on book three.

For my birthday, Asher got the two of us tickets to a Percy Jackson musical down in Denver at the Aurora Fox Arts Center. The seven person cast was simply amazing and we had a thoroughly good time! (Truly, the innovation and talent was fabulous!) To make it an even more enjoyable experience, we also got lunch and dessert at the Stanley Marketplace before the show and stopped at Buc-ee's for a snack on the way home. (Asher hadn't been to Buc-ee's yet, lol.)

4. For game nights. So, we've been doing weekly family nights this summer while all three boys are home right now. Sometimes we watch a movie; sometimes we play some games. For my birthday, Noah got me a new game...7Wonders. We've been having a lot of fun learning and playing it! I'm ever thankful that we enjoy playing games together and for the time together that it creates. (Noah also got me some lovely rum...and I'm thankful for having sons old enough to buy me alcohol, lol.)

5. For interesting neighbors. Earlier this week, I unintentionally spent almost three hours visiting with my neighbors. :) I'd gone over to ask a quick question and ended up having a great time and sharing some fascinating stories. (Seriously, there were so many stories! I learned heaps.) I'm so thankful for wonderful neighbors and for having the time to just visit with them. 

Okay, that's enough for now. I don't know about you, but it was pretty hot here today (high of 95 degrees)...which also makes me thankful for air conditioning. :) Here's hoping you're enjoying your summer so far!

(PS There will be more on my birthday gifts from Micah and Nathan later...after they happen.)