High Five for Friday: May the Fourth Be With You

I realize I sound like a broken record, but Y'ALL, this semester might do me in. I feel like life is firing ping pong balls at me, one right after another, and while none of the hits hurt independent of the others, when the balls keep coming with no reprieve they start to cause pain. (To be clear, I am beyond grateful that life is throwing mostly ping pong balls and not soccer balls, baseballs, or, I don't know, bowling balls.) These High Five for Friday posts really do make a difference for me in that they motivate force me to find the good in every week. Thanks for stopping by and giving me a reason to keep it up.

Happy May the 4th! Do you have any Star Wars-themed plans for today? I don't, but if the four Ferri can find the time, a Star Wars movie marathon may be on the docket this weekend. That's in between Cinco de Mayo celebrations, of course. 😉

1. Last Friday night we/PTO hosted our first - hopefully annual - Rockin' 'Rangler Picnic for the families at Hallie's elementary school. We offered preorders of meals from a local chicken restaurant, and encouraged families to join us for a picnic dinner, bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, soccer, basketball, and good, old-fashioned Friday night fun at the park. Hundreds of children and their family members showed up, and for a few hours we all disconnected from technology and connected with one another. After the picnic a friend shared, "it's nights like tonight when it's crystal clear I'm where I'm supposed to be"...I agree completely.

2. On Saturday, all four Ferri - for the first time this semester - attended Will's soccer game together. While Will warmed up, Tom, Hallie, and I went on "an adventure" and found bushes full of (nearly) ripe berries, a pond, hundreds of turtles, and a few short hiking trails. Once we returned to the field, Hallie paid little-to-no attention to the game but remained cheerful while Tom and I enjoyed not having to text each other game updates since we were - again, for the first time this semester - watching side-by-side. Following the game we detoured to The Woodlands for lunch and a stop at Trader Joe's; we would have stayed longer and showed the kids more of what the area has to offer, but The Woodlands was hosting the Ironman Texas North American Championship and was therefore hosting an extra million or so visitors. I have no desire to ever compete in an Ironman event - or any kind of triathlon, for that matter - but we had a good time watching those incredible athletes on their quest for Ironman status.

"Hallie's" turtles.

As we were walking back to our car, Will thought aloud, "I should probably start competing in triathlons..."

3. On Sunday we appreciated and enjoyed a quiet(er) day (mostly) at home. I went for a walk, Tom played a round of disc golf, and the kids and I ran a couple of quick errands, but then we worked on school projects, prepped for the week, watched episodes of Full House, and made strawberry shortcake. And Hallie may or may not have had strawberry shortcake for dinner...

4. Hallie "grew" a bubbafly! (Ok, ok...butterfly. But as an itty bitty little girl she called them bubbaflies and the name stuck, at least for Tom and me. Hang on to those last few mispronunciations, mamas, because your heart will break when they finally disappear.)

My animal-loving girl found a caterpillar during Garden Club, and our school's resident Monarch expert set it up in a habitat for her. Hallie watched him/her carefully throughout the last two weeks, and then on Monday morning I discovered that the caterpillar had emerged from its chrysalis. After school that day Hallie proudly set it free in "the wild" of our neighborhood.

5. Happiness Highlights:

Teacher Appreciation Week: Flowers for our Teachers

Teacher Appreciation Week: Treat Tuesday 

It makes me happy to see how much food - and
money, usually change from kids' piggy banks - Hallie's
school collects during the district's annual food drive.

Sometimes it almost seems as though they like each other...

On Sunday evenings I have a glass of riesling, a handful of pita
chips, and a scoop of my favorite cheese while Tom and the kids
play Mario Kart. I enjoy my treat almost as much as I enjoy listening
to them laugh while they race each other around the track.  

While enjoying my Sunday night treat, this memory came across
my Facebook feed. I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I realized
my Sundays haven't changed much throughout the last seven years.

Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

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