Go, Go, Goers!

We have such a little smarty pants. According to Ava, "wi-fi" could also stand for wizard-fiction. And if that's the case, we are definitely surrounded by wi-fi! Note: this is not a post about alternates to the traditional wi-fi! On the way to dinner last night, we were discussing Harry Potter; I have finished up the fourth book and Ava's still working on the first one. I have all of the movies, just waiting for us to watch them...and it's been driving me nuts to be so patient! My goal was that I would read the book before watching the corresponding movie (no issue,) but then Ava got into it, so I felt compelled to wait until she was through the book, too. She always has several different books that she's reading at one time, so this is taking her a long while to get through. Yesterday, I decided to proceed with the movie watching.  We had to break it into a few different session, due to the length, but even G stopped playing with his cars at certain momen...

Ava loves creating art. Ava loves to bake. When I found a Living Social for an art/cooking class that we could both attend, it was the perfect match! So, yesterday morning, we made our way up to a small little suburb outside of St Paul, and proceeded to spend a few very fun hours making art and food!  The location is called "THAT Cooking School", and we learned "THAT" stands for Teaching-Heart-Art-Teamwork.  Love the concept! The painting portion came first, and our very own Bloop (our betta fish) gave us the inspiration for the color scheme. Ava's fish ended up looking like it was wearing a princess hat, so we named it Princess Fishy. And, mine is going to be Bloop's girlfriend...her name is Miranda. Not sure why...I don't question these things! Introducing Princess Fishy and Miranda! After we were done with our masterpieces, we moved into the kitchen and made a variety of food that we'll be able to recreate at home. We made apple r...

These last few weeks have been exhausting. After being on vacation for so long, it's been tricky to readjust to coming back to work, plus there has been so much sadness lately. I think I need to take a step back and focus on what's most important to me: family, friends, being healthy, and feeling productive in life/at work. I can't let all of the other "stuff" suck me in. I'm pretty sure that I'm one of the last people around who hasn't read any of the Harry Potter books or seen the movies.  I decided to take the plunge and join the masses. Since Ava is such an avid reader, I decided to make the investment to buy all of the books, so she can read them, as well. I'm almost done with book 4, while Ava is working on book 1. G seems fascinated as books as well, but he may have a few years before he'll be able to follow along! One of my sweet co-workers has been buying Ava super cute socks at Target. We were discussing how the socks in the do...

2017 is not off to a better start.  The election results and high amount of celebrity deaths of 2016 were unfortunate, but this past week, I suffered a personal loss. My friend and co-worker took her own life in the early hours on Friday morning. This came as a complete shock. My friend was always smiling and bubbly, open about the issues she was facing in her life, and seemed to carry her life responsibilities well. We all face issues on a daily basis, but none of us imagined how much she must have been hiding behind her smile and laughter. I'm so sad about this loss...sad for her husband, sad for all of her family, sad for her many friends who loved her, and incredibly sad for the two daughters she leaves behind. Her 13 and 8 year old girls will no longer have their mom to turn to in times of need, in times of joy, and in the times where they just want to get their mom's opinions on life.  I can't imagine my life without my mom's presence, and I can't imagine ...

2016 didn't seem like a bad year until the last 60 days - and then it really went downhill. I think there are two different considerations for this. The campaign and eventual election results cast a large shadow over "normal" life. Everything was tinged with a bit of the hate that became commonplace. This led to the rest of 2016 being dark and angry, where it may not have normally been. From all of this darkness, positive actions have occurred. Groups of individuals have come together to show that the hate will not be tolerated, that is is not acceptable. People have found new friends and have seen the true colors of current ones. Everyone I've spoken with was SO ready for 2016 to be done. They seem to think that the flip of a calendar will make everything right in the world. 2017 will fix it all!  It won't. Celebrities will still pass away.  We will still be inaugurating a new president in a few short weeks. But good news, the power to see the good buri...