Go, Go, Goers!

I celebrated my 50th birthday this past week! When I was younger, 50 sounded reaallllly old. But now that I'm there, I recognize that it's really not. As I mentioned last week, the iron supplements I'm taking for my anemia have kick-started me feeling a million years younger, as well.  We had a wonderful birthday dinner at my parents' house last weekend (complete with my favorite kind of birthday treat - yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Basic, yes, but I love it so much!) I had a really busy week planned at work, so taking my birthday off (Tuesday) was a relief and gave me a chance to slow down and reflect on my life. The weather was sunny and warm (I've had my share of rainy birthdays, so anytime the sun is out on my birthday, I'm grateful.) Scott picked up flowers and a Starbucks gift card for me, so I had breakfast courtesy of Starbucks and read while sitting on our front porch. Pria loved having me home on a Tuesday and wanted to sample some of the goods...

No surprise that we had another busy week! Routines are just humming along, plans are being made, and kids are out with friends. On Friday night, both kids were out of the house (Arya meeting up with a new friend and G at a sleepover), so Scott and I took advantage of the quiet night and went out for dinner. It was peaceful, and we had a nice time decompressing after a busy day. We also kept a close eye on Life30 to watch over for Arya's adventures. (She had fun!) We're having an early birthday celebration for me on Saturday night at my parents'. Can't believe I'll be 50 - how did that happen? Truly blessed to be aging, though...not everyone gets that opportunity. The iron supplements I'm on for my anemia have done a world of good, and I feel a million years younger than I have in the last several years. I am amazed at how much of my fatigue and general unease can be attributed to anemia. Crazy! I picked up a few things at the RHS craft show last week. Actually,...

We celebrated a wonderful Easter Sunday with our small family at home, and then with my parents, Scott's mom, and brother at Deb's house. The sun was shining for the first time in days, which lifted everyone's spirits. The food was great, the conversation was flowing, and it was the perfect way to end the weekend. The Easter Bunny loves these kids! The EB didn't forget Pria! On an Easter egg hunt...looking for the golden egg Lovely tulips from Aldi - they were a bit sad when I brought them home, but fresh water perked them up within a day! Love these two! G had his first jazz band concert this past Tuesday. He had a lot of fun playing the music, but he decided it wasn't really his style. I'm glad he gave it a shot, though! While G was playing jazz licks, Arya was performing in a Solo & Ensemble competition at RHS. She ended up earning a Superior rating, which surprised us, considering she decided to participate at the very last minute and didn't practice...

Our children have poofed! Now that they're back in school, they're off with their friends, or working, or chillin' in their rooms. And that's ok. (I have to keep telling myself this!) So, when a critter came to visit over lunchtime, I had to take a pic...there was no one else around to show! I don't recall ever having a squirrel on a screen before! I was looking through some old pics, trying to track down when we went to the Wisconsin Dells (10 years ago), and came across this gem from Arya, age 8. This tracks with her personality, haha! Due to standardized tests (which, at this point, aren't necessary for the seniors), Arya had a scheduled late start on Thursday morning. She went out to breakfast with a group of friends and made it to school with minutes to spare before the 10am start. I'm glad she opted to do that, because her friends will be scattered all over next year, and this may be one of the few last times they will get to have breakfast together. O...

This past week was a focus on relaxation (for the two youngest members of the family). Arya and G were on spring break this week, and even though we didn't go anywhere fun, we had a nice and relaxing time at home. I took Friday off and took the kids to a local brewery that has added breakfast items to its menu... it was so good! After that, Arya and I ran errands and spent time together before she headed into work.  Recently, we've been spending a lot of time refining her scholarship application essays. We're down to the final two that she'll be applying to for this round; however, this will be an ongoing process while she's in school. I won't lie: this has been taxing on me, as well. I haven't spent this much time on communications refinement in a long time. But if this can help fund some of her college costs, it will be time well spent.  So grown up! G has been busy playing (IRL and online) with a neighborhood friend, so he's been out of the house quit...

G and I have been focusing on hockey recently. We wrapped up the Mighty Ducks franchise and enjoyed recognizing different parts of the Twin Cities throughout the movie. I had fun pointing out a few places on the St. Kate's campus that were filmed while I was a student there. This past Wednesday, we went to the Minnesota Frost game (WPHL) and had a blast! It was such a great experience, and I truly enjoyed supporting women in sports. The Frost won: a 5-0 shutout against the Ottawa Charge. Way to go! Love all of the purple! Had to acknowledge the Mighty Ducks! Winning! After a very short week (shortened by a snow closure on Monday and a violent threat against the district school on Tuesday), the kids kicked off Spring Break on Friday. I took the day off to spend with the kids, and after breakfast, we ran some errands. Arya had to work, so G and I dropped her off and headed to the MoA for our annual spring break trip. It was PACKED. I do not recommend going there when it's so insa...

I've never seen any of the Mighty Ducks movies, and given our recent bout with hockey fever, it seemed like a good plan to watch the three of them this weekend. We knocked the first one off the list on Friday night (we thought it was funny), and we will plan to watch the other two at some point during the rest of the snowy weekend. I had forgotten that I was present for some of the filming of the 3rd movie, since they used St Kate's for some scenes. I remember standing by the chapel, watching them film in (by?) a large tree, in a nighttime shot. Looking forward to sharing that with G while we watch it this weekend! This week flew by. School, work, and prepping for the March blizzard! It's also another week of cheering on our high school at the state level. This time, it's for the girls' basketball team. They made it to the championship game, which will take place on Saturday night. Should be fun to see how they do! Early in the season, Arya played in the pep band fo...

We've had a busy week with school activities, some that we don't even participate in, ha! Arya had the opportunity to play in the pep band at the Rosemount Irish boys hockey games at the state tournament. It was a big deal to be able to go to those games, but she opted not to attend because she had to work during the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon and was at the UofMn for a Concert Band Festival during the semifinals on Friday night. The Wind Ensemble played very well and received high praise during their clinic, directly following the concert. On Sunday afternoon, the Wind Ensemble is playing a concert with the Rosemount Community Band, so we're looking forward to seeing that and then having all of the grandparents over for dinner afterwards.  It was the end of the 2nd trimester for both kids, which meant finals, adjusted schedules, and the last chance to get their grades where they needed to be. Both kids did really well this tri. I can't believe Arya is entering...

...for 2026. They were dashed right away. We started the year with a few different medical issues (me scratching my throat with rosemary (requiring an ER + ENT visit), Scott bruising his ribs (requiring X-rays at Urgent Care), and then me picking up the flu in either the ER or Urgent Care. And then lots of death...a friend of Arya's, coworkers' relatives, friends' pets, celebrities, etc. Let's not even get started with the federal occupation of Minnesota by CBP and ICE. It was horrible, and yes, it is STILL taking place, regardless of the promised drawdown. It's just not being publicized as much. It's been a brutal year so far. There have been moments of joy, but they have been overshadowed by sadness, grief, and despair. I needed to take a break from blogging for my mental health, but I'm going to try to pick it back up. I barely even took any pics of the kids during that time. Sometimes it would be easiest to be a dog without a care in the world Arya's...