Friday, February 7, 2025

High Five for Friday (2.7.25)

 


One

I'm fairly certain that last week (Sunday, January 26th through Saturday, February 1st) was, other than the week of Nutcracker, the busiest week of my entire year. I spent close to 35 hours "on school property" - inside the school building as well as in/around the stadium - working on soccer and musical responsibilities and attending games and shows. I also tallied at least 15 hours of related volunteer work at home, preparing for these responsibilities, games, and shows. 

I'm not complaining. Quite the opposite, actually. I love this kind of work (most of the time), and consider myself incredibly lucky to have the kind of schedule that allows me to be involved in ways that positively impact my kids' and others' academic and extracurricular endeavors. I believe we all play a role in educating our children and prospering our communities ("it takes a village"), and just like we need teachers and counselors and librarians and nurses and accountants and mechanics and plumbers, we need people who can volunteer their time to fill in the human and financial resource gaps within our schools, athletic clubs, fine arts programs, etc. (To be clear, these gaps aren't the fault of school administrators, teachers, or coaches..and they're a topic for another post.) I've admittedly stretched myself w...a...y too thin this year, but I'm still so grateful for the opportunities I've had to do my part. 

Zoom in - the clock says 10:14pm. On this night - one
of three late ones - I didn't actually go home until around 
10:45pm, but I wanted to document the late hour.  


Two

On a related note...

Last weekend my girl took the stage in her first musical since she played "Noah's Wife" in a church musical theater camp four years ago. (She also played Dorothy in a summer drama camp production of The Wizard of Oz a few years before that. The video of her solo as Noah's Wife won't load, but her audition song and one of her solo videos from The Wizard of Oz sure will!)



When auditions were approaching, she truly couldn't decide what to do; there was a part of her that wanted to participate and another part of her that really didn't, and she had a lot of valid reasons, pros, and cons on both sides. In the end, she went for it, but decided to audition only for a non-speaking, non-solo part to get her feet wet and so she wouldn't have to miss too much dance. She was cast as a cheerleader, which is funny because her personality/demeanor is so far from what I think of when I think of a real-life cheerleader (extroverted, outgoing, enthusiastic), but she was perfect for the role and did a wonderful job. 

I'm used to seeing Hallie on stage, but it was so fun to watch her try something new...especially something so scary and intimidating from a social perspective and that would force her outside of her normally VERY small comfort zone. 

I'm grateful that friends snapped all of these pics for me.




Proud of you, kiddo. And sorry for sharing those videos above - it had to be done. 😉


Three

A separate high five goes out to all the friends and family members who supported Hallie - from near and far - last weekend. So many people in her life came to see the show, and those who couldn't sent lots of love in the form of sweet notes and messages and even flowers. Once again, thanks to the friends who took these pics for me - I didn't take hardly any pics all weekend!

Cayla

Abby

Kara came back from Houston to surprise Hallie!
(Hallie actually knew Kara was coming, but it was
still an awesome reunion.)

Avery and Kara

Mr. John and Mrs. Aya
I'll never stop shouting from the rooftops how much it means to Hallie,
her fellow dancers, and the studio's families that these two always show
up for their dancers, not just in the dance realm, but in life.

Jenn and Mandi 

Tom and Will

I always wished they could perform in a musical
together, and while that obviously didn't happen,
at least he got to see her in this one.

Four shows in three days! (And I love that she was repping
the Lads - since she wasn't able to attend their Friday night
game - with her choice of attire.) 


Four

The Lads had a rough week (a tie that could/should have been a win, a medical emergency, and a loss that could/should have been a tie all in the span of four days) last week, but they had a great night on Tuesday and we're hoping things are heading in the right direction now!

Not a great night... (Will was upset, they turned the
stadium lights off on us, and I look super creepy.)

A much better night!


Five

Happiness Highlights

Gorgeous sunset on the musical's opening night.

She kept her gorgeous hair long through
the musical because it worked for her role...

...but then she chopped 7+ inches
off the following week. It's adorable!

Look at how cute he is when he rests on the windowsill. 😍
His one back leg just dangles, and if (when) he falls asleep, the
leg's weight pulls him down s...l...o...w...l...y until he slips off. 

Kristen came back for the crosstown rivalry game! Would it
even be a picture of the four of us if a Findley didn't photobomb?

That's better. 😍

LOVE this pic of the girls varsity soccer team with
their 2025 Lads matracas, custom 3D-printed by Tom!

Happy weekend, friends!

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

The Best

Ok, one more 2024 post... 

I saw this idea, for a "Best of 2024" post, on someone else's social media feed, and decided it would be fun to sort through my Monthly Medleys - as well as my 2024 life experiences - to find the absolute best in each category to share/recommend going into the new year. 

I borrowed the idea for a "Best of 2024" list from @kamphoxy on Instagram, but I made edited her list to make it my own.

~

Best of 2025

Best Purchase (Home): electric balloon pump

Best Purchase (Kitchen): Yarramate oil sprayer

Best Purchase (Personal Care): L'ange Hair Le Duo Grande

Best Purchase (Clothing/Shoes): Adidas Run '70s 2.0 sneaker

Best Book: a tie between The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine and Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Best Streaming Show: a tie between The Perfect Couple and seasons one and five of Fargo (seasons 2, 3, and 4 weren't nearly as good)

Best Syndicated Show: High Potential

Best Movie: WICKED

Best Podcast Episode: Acquired: Costco

Best Podcast Series/Show/Season: The Bakersfield Three

Best Instagram Follow (Entertainment): @the_leighton_show (known for his book What time is noon? and for sharing other ridiculous things teenagers ask)

Best Instagram Follow (Informative): @dr.beachgem10 (a pediatric emergency department physician)

Best Trip - Grand Canyon/Sedona, AZ

Best Experience with Food: jelly donuts from Clark's Market in the Village of Oak Creek, AZ 

Best Recipe: Beef Shawarma Wrap

Best Membership: Wildgrain

Best Thing I Did for Myself: leave the familiar behind to take a chance on something new 

Best Thing I Learned: 

  1. Doing the right thing doesn't please everyone, and what I perceive as the right thing isn't always perceived as the right thing by others. 
  2. Sometimes people are going to dislike me, regardless of what I do or say, and I need to let them.
  3. I can't make people care about others. 

~

Now that we've made it through all (149 L...O...N...G days) of January, I think we can officially wave goodbye to 2024!

In honor of my senior, who will soon wave goodbye
to high school but who is still just this little in my heart.


Friday, January 31, 2025

High Five for Friday (1.31.25)

 


One

High School Musical opened last night! I'm writing this before opening night, but I bet it went really well and you should get tickets for tonight's show (7pm) or either of the shows (2pm and 7pm) tomorrow. Full disclaimer - I won't be in attendance tonight because tonight's show happens at the exact same time as a Lads game. But not just any Lads game - it's a crosstown rivalry double header. Thankfully, Hallie fully understands. And I'll be in the audience for both of tomorrow's shows!


Two

The Lads kicked off district play last Friday night, bringing home a victory against a tough Rudder High School team. Then on a stressful and eventful Tuesday evening, the Lads tied Lake Creek and ended the night with a medical emergency that scared the entire stadium of players and fans. Thankfully this person seems to be alright now, and claims they're ready to "go again."

Apparently this is what I look like in the stands.

Post Rudder

Post Lake Creek 
Hallie didn't actually see this game, but because her musical
rehearsal wrapped about the time the game ended, she joined
us just in time for the medical emergency and the photo.

Speaking of... The Lads go again tonight as part of the above-mentioned crosstown rivalry double header at Tiger Stadium. If you're local, come out and watch the Lady Tigers play at 5:30pm and the Lads play at 7:30pm - it's Staff Appreciation Night, and we'll have games and prizes at halftime, a chance to win two tickets to the musical, and a chance to win an awesome swag basket courtesy of Tiger Club if you attend both games!


Three

Tom and I kicked off our weekend with a pre-Lads game dinner with friends. We decided that this was the best way to spend the two hours leading up to an away game - rather than sitting around panicking (yep, that's what I do before away games), we were sitting around talking, laughing, and indulging in good food and drinks with friends! We took no pictures, not even of our pretty drinks and gorgeous charcuterie board...


Four

On Saturday night, while many of our girls were watching friends in The Drowsy Chaperone at one of our high schools, the mamas went out for Mandi's birthday. Despite enjoying one of our favorite local establishments (Uncorked) for four hours, we only took two pictures...both of which demonstrate how super fun (and kind of old) we are.


Sorry you didn't make it into the "I need readers and a flashlight to read the menu" or the "we can do math" photo, Anne. We know you were there though. 😂


Five

Happiness Highlights

Hanging in Hallie's bestie Avery's car. 

Apparently at around three years old, some cats try to
reestablish dominance in their relationships. Popeye is
in this phase, and he's behaving like the ultimate annoying
little brother. Anyone remember the book, The Pain and the
Great One
? It could have been written about these two.

That's my niece, Lily. 😮

Will's senior year fat head...which looks
nothing like him since he's now basically bald. 

"Don't mind me, Mom. I'm just going to sit here quietly
until you fall asleep, and then I'll start crying for attention."

But he's also SUCH a good buddy.

Happy weekend, friends!

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

2024 in Pictures

The paragraphs and statistics (from last week's post) are no doubt valuable, but as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are about 52,000 words worth of pictures - one picture for each week of the year - and a non-chronological glimpse back on 2024 through the lens of my camera.











































































Ok, so it was more like 75,000 words...

Officially closing the door on 2024!