High Five for Friday (5.22.20)

One
Though we still have one more week of school, as of today we are officially finished with at-home learning for the 19-20 school year! I honestly can't complain, because all things considered, our district and the administrators and teachers at the kids' schools did a great job of rolling out this new style of learning. But it'll be nice to take a couple of weeks off from worrying about the online learning platform, our internet, submitting assignments, and grades...and then we'll start summer learning, of course. 😂

Two
I have always been a medical gawker. I grew up near a hospital, and the arrival of the med flight helicopter triggered in me the same response most children have when they hear the ice cream truck rolling down the street. I would run out the front door, down the block, and across the street to the helipad, where I could watch - eyes wide and hands clutching the chainlink fence surrounding the helipad - as the medical team transferred the patient from the helicopter to the ambulance waiting to take him or her across the street to the emergency room. I remember never being able to see anything, and feeling so disappointed each and every time.

Fast forward 35 years...I'm still a medical gawker. I love it when people send me pictures of their or their family members' injuries, and most of my friends know this about me.

The son of a friend recently injured his big toe. (We're talking an ambulance ride, surgery, and nearly 20 stitches here - this injury was SERIOUS.) My friend and I talked via text a few times as the emergency unfolded, and she mentioned that his toe was so badly damaged that she - a nurse and fellow medical gawker - could barely look at it. A few days later, when the dust had settled, she sent me the first round of pictures, and yes, if you weren't a medical gawker like me (and Hallie, interestingly), you definitely wouldn't want to see them. But if you were a medical gawker like me and Hallie, you would find such fascination in seeing them. (Especially because by this point we knew he was going to be alright.)

ALL this to say, since that first text my friend has reached out to me almost every night with a new set of foot photos. And I know it sounds silly, but I look forward to this evening "treat" (we all need a little something - however odd - to look forward to during quarantine) and it's been fascinating to see how the amazing human body works to heal itself, little by little...with a helping hand from modern medicine.

Sorry, no photos. I don't want to gross out any of you non-medical gawkers (my sister and Will come to mind), and they're not my photos to share anyway. 

Three
I mentioned last week that our dance studio hosted virtual recitals for each of their classes, but they also set up and made available a little something extra: an opportunity to bring two family members to the actual studio for a special red carpet walk, photoshoot, and solo performance. On Sunday evening we attended Hallie's first Red Carpet Experience, and even though this "recital" differed dramatically from the recital we thought and hoped she would have this year, the experience and her performance still took my breath away. I didn't expect to feel so moved - excited, proud, and thankful - and I know Hallie didn't expect to enjoy herself as much as she did; when we walked out, she exclaimed, "that was AWESOME! I loved that so much!"

Thank you Ms. Bethany, Mr. Patrick, Ms. Christi, Ms. Andrea, Ms. Mariah, Ms. Taylor, Ms. MaryClare, Ms. Samantha, and the rest of the team, for going above and beyond during this challenging time. We are truly grateful to be a part of the Suzanne's School of Dance family.

Four
I have thoroughly enjoyed the addition of avatars to Facebook. After seeing a good 30 or so pop up in my feed throughout the day on Saturday, I finally decided to make my own. I shared it to Facebook, interestingly, at almost the exact same time as my sister shared hers to Facebook. (We didn't talk or text at all that day, and worked on our avatars completely on our own.)

Here's mine:

And here's hers:

Related much? 😂

Five
Happiness Highlights

I'm finding a lot of interesting
photos on my phone these days.

This one might be my favorite.

We starting letting them get out of the cars on our driveway dates.

😂

I made this peanut butter layer cake - with chocolate peanut butter
frosting and Reese's peanut butter cup topping - for a friend's birthday.
I didn't taste it, but it received rave reviews and I can't wait to make one
for Tom and me! (My kids won't touch a peanut butter dessert.) 

A friend of Hallie's started baking and selling scones and they
were AMAZING. I ate more than my fair share of our half dozen.

On Sunday mornings we work on rebuilding our relationship.

Ready for the field...all decked out in the official
jerseys my dad wore as a referee 25-30 years ago.
Luckily the design hasn't changed much (at all?)
and Will is almost the same size as my dad!

Happy weekend, friends!