Flashback Friday: So Says the Universe

Lately a lot of old photos have unexpectedly "presented themselves" to me. It's not out of the ordinary for photos from years past to show up in my Facebook memories, but I've also received - seemingly out of the blue - multiple text messages from family members and friends sharing photos of the kids when they were little as well as a handful of emails from Shutterfly reminding me what we were up to 10 years ago and linking back to photographic evidence.

So today, because it feels like the universe wants these photos seen (and because I've been traveling, which makes writing and posting a little more challenging), I'm swapping out my High Five for Friday post in favor of a (my first in years) Flashback Friday post.

Happy weekend, friends!

From an artistic standpoint, one of my favorite photos of Hallie. 

Not sure another toy was ever loved more than this shark tent at the Lodge.

Driving the pontoon on Booth Lake in Wisconsin.

My parents, circa 1980ish?

Proudly handling the mail.

Will with our friend Neal, back when we lived in Ann Arbor.
Grad school was really hard in many ways, but out of it came
lots of great friends who truly helped us raise our babies. We
"returned the favor" by helping them recognize that they
might not want to have babies during grad school. 😂

A favorite of baby Will.

Another favorite. Man, I miss those curls.

Baby Plié!

Disneyland

We were the FIRST people in the park that day.

Summer hair, don't care.

Summer hair, don't care on steroids. Plus our sweet boy Tux,
riding around in his favorite position on his favorite person.

I kind of miss chalk art...except for when they'd sit down on top of their
art and I'd have to was dark colored chalk out of their light colored shorts.

Watching the USWNT play in Houston a few years ago. He seemed
so old then, but now I look at this pic and think he looks like a baby.

Gramps and his four grands.

When Hallie broke her collarbone and they didn't make a sling
small enough for her, Grandma Susie made her one out of pink toule.

That's Popeye! If you zoom in, you can see
his little stump of a leg before it was amputated.

Will's first friends.

Hallie taking a nap on me on the lake.

Aunt Stacey and Fabio.

Hallie drying Tom's freshly
painted toenails by the fan.

You know what they say about Wisconsin ice cream...

AJ and Will 4th of July date!

Always working.

They'd given up on that day's outing... 😂

With our friends Carrie and Jason at our wedding bar crawl.

"I believe that we will win."

With our first babies, Duke and Clementine.

Enjoy your (flashback) Friday, friends! See you next week!

Texas Bucket List: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum (Again)

My Texas Bucket List began taking shape shortly after we arrived in College Station. At first the list consisted of only a few touristy day trips and experiences (think Six Flags, SeaWorld, etc.) I'd thought of or heard about prior to our move. But as we made new friends, especially new friends who grew up in Texas, we learned from them about the lesser-known - at least to Midwesterners - but not-to-miss sights and sounds of the Lone Star State.

Each time I cross something off my Texas Bucket List I document it here, both because Chasing Roots serves as my Texas journal and because looking back on these posts and "watching" our love affair, if you will, with our now-home state unfold is a beautiful thing.

You can see my full - but ever-growing - Texas Bucket List here. Feel free to let me know what I'm still missing!

~

As I imagine is the case for most Bryan/College Station residents, we've visited the George H. W. Bush Library and Museum quite a few times. I can't say for certain how many times exactly, but at the very least, I know we've toured the museum once as a family; I've taken Tom's grandparents, Tom's parents and grandma, and my parents, all on separate occasions; and both kids have gone on school field trips. It's a fantastic museum, and I've both enjoyed it's offerings - the permanent as well as the rotating exhibits - and learned something new every time I've visited. 

Will solving the world's crises in the situation room.

Hallie reading in Mrs. Bush's library for children.

I also wrote an article for Texas Living about the
three Presidential Libraries and Museums in Texas.

I was nine years old when our country elected President Bush. I paid absolutely no attention to politics back then, and still today only somewhat understand his contributions to our country's political landscape. I can't say if I would have voted for him. I can't say if I would have agreed with him. But I can say that I believe him to have been a good person. Each time I walked the museum's exhibits I found myself acknowledging not what an accomplished politician he was, but what an accomplished human being he was. A kind and generous man with a heart for family and a commitment to service. 

When President Bush passed away, we stood in the rain on a little patch of grass to the side of the road - just as we had done seven months prior when his wife, Barbara, passed away - and paid our respects as he made one final journey across his home state of Texas. We also visited the small cemetery behind the museum, where they were laid to rest.

Shortly thereafter, news broke that President Bush's museum would build a new pavilion where a retired Marine One helicopter and the Union Pacific 4141 Locomotive would be housed and on display for the public to view. I knew we'd visit the museum again to see these additions, and we did so on the 4th.

The museum generously does not charge admission annually on July 4th (and the pavilion is always open and free to the public during regular museum hours), so we were able to see everything the museum has to offer at no cost.

Getting to see - up close and personal - these pieces of our country's history (indoors... 🌞) was a great way to spend part of our holiday.

We ended our 4th of July at the first annual I Heart America Celebration hosted by the City of College Station at Wolf Pen Creek Park. It was insanely hot when Hallie and I arrived at about 7:40pm, but by the time the boys got there at 8:30pm, we were no longer miserable. We didn't take advantage of the food trucks or free watermelon and sausages on a stick (Hallie and I had come straight from the movie theater, where we'd eaten our weight in popcorn), but we did enjoy the band - All Hat, No Cadillac - and thought both the drone show (despite it's technical difficulties at the end) and fireworks were excellent. If we're in town next year, we'll definitely attend again!

Happy belated 4th of July, friends. I hope you and yours had a great celebration!

High Five for Friday (7.12.24)

 

I'm so behind on high fives...which is a good thing, because it means I have lots to high five about, but it also means I'll likely be playing catch up throughout the rest of the summer!

One

In just a few days, Will will compete in the PGDA Junior Disc Golf World Championships in Tulsa, OK. No matter how he plays and where he finishes, we're SO proud of how hard he's worked both to qualify and then prepare for this tournament.

Once the tournament is underway (he'll play rounds on July 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th, and if he makes the finals he'll play on July 20th as well), you'll be able to "follow along" or just check his scores here - his PDGA player number is 227560.

Two

I didn't include any pics or videos of Hallie at Nashville Ballet in my High Five for Nashville post, but she gave me permission to share a couple here. These are just from a regular class - not a showcase or performance - but I love watching her throw herself so completely into what she's come to love.

Three

Also related to Nashville...I spotted a celebrity! While working in Starbucks, I spotted Clea from The Home Edit, who popped in to pick up an online coffee order. I'm 100% positive it was her - she has a very distinct look, and because I was sitting by the door, she had to walk within about five feet of me twice. I didn't want to bother her, but I did discretely snap this photo from a distance to document this sighting...zoom in for verification!

Four

Since returning from Nashville, Hallie has been basically friendless. She has friends, yes, but because of other summer ballet and dance intensive schedules and travel, none of her friends are in town. She's been tagging along with me on lots of errands (not the high five), but also spending a lot of time with Will (definitely the high five). I hoped this would happen, and I'm thrilled that it has. 

Five

After we returned from Nashville, I let our rescue know we were once again "open for business"...and Kiara, Kovu, and Vitani came back! Kiara stayed for a few days before leaving for her forever home, and then last weekend Kovu also left to join his new family. Vitani was posted later than her siblings (since she was slower to adapt to humans), but she's made so much progress and is ready for a family now. 

Six

A bonus!

On Tuesday my dad turned 74 years old. That number isn't a particularly big birthday or significant year in and of itself, but for my dad, reaching 74 was life-changing.

Both his dad and older brother (my grandpa and uncle) passed away when they were 73 years old. As a result, and since his brother died a couple of years ago, my dad truly believed he wouldn't live to see 74. And here's the thing...he almost didn't. A couple of months ago, he had a significant health scare. It was the kind of event that could have gone either way, and because of amazing doctors and nurses (and because of my mom - she truly deserves some of the credit), it went his way and he's still here to tell the tale. 

Happy birthday, Dad. I love you and I'm so grateful you fought your way to 74.

Signing the marriage license for the
(first ever) wedding he officiated in June.

~

Happy weekend, friends.