High Five for Friday (8.30.24)

 

One

A friend and I had been trying to schedule a coffee date for close to a month, but we weren't having any luck finding a morning that worked with both of our work, volunteer, and kid schedules. She came up with the idea of taking our get-together "on the road," so last Friday we caught up while on a hot, sweaty walk. We didn't take a picture (see: hot, sweaty), but we had a great time!

Two

On Friday night, friends and I returned to Primrose Path, our favorite drinks and tapas establishment. Great drinks, great food, and most importantly, great company!

Three

On Saturday, we officially kicked off our 2024 Nutcracker season with our annual Let's Get Crackin' event. It's so fun to feel that excitement in the air once again! (I sure would love to feel that excitement along with a chill in the air, but alas, I live in Texas...)

Four

Also on Saturday, Will's orchestra season started with an Olympics-themed afternoon of games followed by a casual concert (they invite all of the intermediate and middle school orchestra kids and their families to attend) and ice cream social in the school cafeteria. They have a new director this year, and while it was hard for Will to say goodbye to the previous director, who he'd had for three years and really liked, both he and I are excited for what the new director will bring to the program. (Sadly Hallie and I missed this concert - we were still Crackin'.)

Five

Football season kicks off this weekend! 

High school games - at least those in our area of Texas - start tonight, and while our team plays away, our cross-town rival plays at home and we're planning to attend that game...to watch our friends dance at halftime. 

In the college football sphere, my Hawkeyes play their first game tomorrow midday and tomorrow evening we'll watch the Aggies take on Notre Dame and the Michigan Wolverines take on...a team they'll probably beat. And if we make it home from Friday Night Lights in time, I'll try to catch the end of the Wisconsin Badgers game tonight. 

Are you ready for some football?!

Happy weekend, friends!

Bucket List: Museum of Illusion

While not exactly a Texas-specific bucket list item, I've always wanted to visit an illusion museum. I found one in Austin and one in Houston, and so on a free day in July, the kids and I road-tripped to Houston (which is closer and a much more enjoyable and smoother drive than Austin) to check it out. While the museum was smaller and shorter than I thought it would be - we traveled through it more quickly than I had anticipated - we had a lot of fun. I also liked that the kids were old enough to understand the hows and whys of the illusions, and so even though Hallie doesn't like to "learn stuff" during her off months, I think she couldn't help but absorb a bit of the science behind the exhibits.

The Museum of Illusion in Houston is actually in The Galleria mall, which we'd never visited before. When we finished touring the exhibits, we wandered around a bit (Hallie and I planning for a future visit), ate Auntie Anne's pretzels for lunch (I can't say no to those pretzels), and then popped over to a Houston soccer store (College Station doesn't have one) before heading back home. 

We didn't fit in as many day trips as I would have liked this summer - travel to Nashville, Ann Arbor, and Tulsa took up a lot of our days - but the ones we did take were excellent.

High Five for Friday (8.23.24)

 

One

On Friday evening we had a really fun photo and video shoot at Hallie's new dance studio. I'm so excited to see what our marketing magician will do with the videos she took, and I'll definitely share her masterpieces once they're ready. In the meantime, here are a couple of fun photos that I grabbed throughout the evening - teasers, if you will...

Not a great photo quality-wise, but
holy cow did she get air on that jump!

Two

On Saturday morning, we surprised Kara and waved one last time as she and her family headed out of town, bound for Houston. 

She is loved, she will be missed, and she has so many family members and friends cheering her on.

Three

It's officially Nutcracker season! Auditions were held last Saturday, and while Hallie didn't feel like it was her best showing, she didn't feel like it was her worst either. When the cast list came out on Wednesday afternoon, she was happy to learn she had been cast in Snow Corps and Waltz Corps for all three shows and as Lead Spanish for the Saturday matinee show!

AVERY IS CLARA!!!

Four

Also on Saturday (we're not on a summer schedule anymore, Toto - bring on the weekend chaos), Will played his first friendly game with his new club squad. He's wanted to play with this group of boys for a while, and he's excited to be finding his way as a member of their team. 

Big changes for us this year with a new dance studio and a new soccer team (same club, different team) but so far both kids are really happy!

Five

Happiness Highlights

Hallie is trying to teach Popeye how to retrieve a treat
out from under a (lightweight, plastic, easily tipable) cup.

He's not really getting it, but it's sweet to watch his little brain work...
And it's equally sweet to see how excited he gets when Hallie finally
gives in and lifts up the cup for him. He's VERY treat motivated.

Coffee with my Shalom-ies! (The students are definitely back, and
they'd taken most of the tables at what we thought would be an adult-ish
coffee shop. We had to cram in at the bar and then this tiny table.

I think it's clear which season I'm NOT...

Found this in Hallie's room...

Found at my grandma's house, I
believe - that's my mom and baby Will.

Happy weekend, friends!

It's Goodbye for a Little While

13 years ago on the first day of school, I pulled into the preschool parking lot ahead of schedule. The kids and I had left home with plenty of time to make the drive (early is on time and on time is late - that's how I roll), and because we didn't hit any traffic, ours and one other car were the first two in the parking lot. We were two of the first cars in the parking lot almost every day for the rest of that school year, so on occasion, Will, Hallie, and I crossed paths with this gold van's mom and two daughters. Our kids weren't in the same classrooms though, so we didn't really talk other than an occasional hello (or head nod and smile to acknowledge how cool we both were for always being so early to preschool 😂). 

The following year, we all officially met when the "littles" ended up in the same preschool class and the "bigs" started kindergarten at the same elementary school. And the rest - as they say - is history. 

For 12 years, Hallie and Kara - along with Avery, the third member of that preschool trio of best friends - have been as thick as thieves. They have giggled and laughed and disagreed and fought and made up and cried with one another. They have cheered for and supported one another. They have listened to, navigated discomfort with, and suffered in quiet pain with one another. They have learned how to give grace and forgive because of one another. Each are in so many ways who they are today because of this friendship.

And last Saturday, almost 12 years to the day after that official meeting and three years "ahead of schedule," they said goodbye for a little while.

~

A few weeks ago, Kara auditioned for and was accepted into Houston Ballet's year-round training program. This is an INCREDIBLE accomplishment and opportunity for Kara, and we are tremendously proud of her. Becoming a professional dancer is her dream, and she's making it happen. 

But this isn't easy...for the girls who have been each others' rocks for more than a decade, or for their mamas, who love all of them with their whole hearts.

Thankfully, Kara will only be 90 minutes away. We will take Hallie and Avery - and their now fourth, Abby - to visit Kara in Houston, and Kara will come home for program breaks (though not for Thanksgiving or Christmas, because of Houston Ballet's Nutcracker schedule) and hopefully to watch her sister and friends in Ballet Brazos' Nutcracker. We will make it work. 

I was already teetering on the edge of emotional stability (Will started his senior year of high school last week), and Kara leaving isn't helping. But as I sit with these big feelings, I continuously remind myself and Hallie: how wonderful to have had someone in your life so impactful that saying goodbye is so hard.