summer days (drifting away...)

This was officially the non-summer summer for me. Zero real break, and I'm exhausted, but still plenty of fun.

We had a low-key pool day 4th, then ended with fireworks at our usual spot. Lots of cars were in our lot, and we had a great view because the city set the fireworks off on higher ground this year to help people see them from distant spots. It was all great until something happened behind the scenes and a brush fire started. It was far away from us, and nobody was hurt, but the show was short-lived. Regardless, we had truck bed fun anyway!

More summer ... poolside lounging, watching Hamilton on Disney+, sweaty practices, and cooking practice. Emma told me, "I'm probably going to be like Auntie when I grow up."

Emma's softball team actually got to play a full softball season. Her team went 10-0. They won the regular season and won the playoffs ... two big trophies! What a great season for these girls. So much improvement all around. In the championship game, Emma made two great outs at home while playing pitcher. It's fun to see the girls learn the game and really think through the plays! 

 Jim has had a good summer, too. From enjoying softball games to his own version of poolside naps (flip-flop pillows) to playing in the sprinklers out back, he's got it pretty good. 

School starts virtually in a couple of weeks. Everyday presents its own planning challenge, but we keep plugging away. Sara's continuing cheer practices, Emma's got soccer until we add softball back in again ... and despite all of the safety guidelines in place, we're trying to feel as normal as possible when we can. The quiet family-focused, backyard summer has been a pretty good one!

Before & After

Ever since we moved into our house seven years ago, we have wanted to change out the flooring. The timing hasn't been right for one reason or another, but then in February we were ready to bite the bullet. We had planned to have the floors replaced right after spring break ... then COVID happened. We had to push it back, which turned out to be the best thing because we changed course and ended up going with a local company versus a big box - so lots of wins. Here are our before pictures (with most of the furniture/decor already out):

 

 The crews started on July 3rd and finished on July 8th. We did our best to stay/play/work between the backyard and the master bedroom. We were on top of each other and really sweaty, but we made it work! During:

 

 

We are so happy with how the floors turned out. It was almost 1400 sq feet of tile/carpet removed and replaced with wood. It changes our whole house! After:

 Then, in the midst of our big changes, my mother in law suggested that our front door would look good in black. So I tackled that project today!

 I love the way it turned out! It changes the whole front of the house. Sara and I were proud of ourselves for installing all the new hardware, too!

That's probably the end of our big projects for a while. We'll complete this round with a new dining room table in the front room, which has been both play room and then piano room over the years. Now we're ready for it to just serve its purpose. The girls are still hounding us to making the informal family room more of a game space with a foosball table ... but that sounds like a job for Santa!

MN Road Trip: Summer 2020

Our MN plans were finalized last-minute this year, for obvious reasons. Between COVID, Jim's snip-snip, and the fact that I only have a few days truly off of work, we had to get creative, but we made it work! We hopped in the car the morning of June 20th, determined to be in Ames for the night.

 It was a long car day, but everyone did very well. We treated ourselves to dinner and ice cream at Hickory Park, an Ames staple.

 Sunday morning, we spent a couple of hours walking around campus. The buildings weren't open, of course, like they usually are, but it was a nice day and there were lots of people out walking the campus. We had a good conversation about the legacy of Jack Trice.

Regardless of whatever else is going on, this place is always beautiful. We love sharing it with our kids.

 It was Jim's first college visit! Although the main union book store was closed, a t-shirt shop across the street was open so we did our annual load-up before hitting the road for MPLS. The girls and Jim had frappuccinos from the Starbucks next door while Steve paid for the new goods.

 We rolled into Melissa and Adam's, welcomed by a heavy rainstorm, in time for a fun Father's Day celebration. Sara spent much of the evening counting how many times she could hook the ring.

I had to work here and there during the rest of the week, which was a bummer. But the beauty (?) of our current state of affairs is that really the only thing on our MN agenda besides being with family was being on the boat. And we made plenty of time for that!

 Of course Big Mable was, once again, star of the show! We all had some great rides. I was remembering that last year, Emma was scared to go out of the wake. This year, she did everything in her power to pull Big Mable outside of it and was constantly yelling, "FASTER!"

 

There's no fighting on Big Mable; only love and laughs!

We also enjoyed a couple of hot, peaceful afternoons floating on and around the lily pad!

 

 This picture makes me laugh. Three of us were posing for a family lily pad pic, while Emma fell right over the side (very likely on purpose).

 

Conveniently located just minutes from the boat is the Boathouse Bros. Brewery, which we visited almost everyday of the trip. The girls got ice cream from across the street, so delicious refreshments and good company were enjoyed by all.

 

The girls did take turns feeding Cal, but judging by Emma's face in this pic, you wouldn't know it.

 Really, who can honestly say that they don't love lake life? Not possible.

 

 

 As usual, Emma had to get in some band time. Unfortunately, we had to hit the road before the Saturday night neighborhood socially distanced gig. 

 Of course the highlight of all the highlights was spending time together and with baby Calloway. He's gotten so big! He loves to laugh and smile, and we are all in love with him. 

 COUSINS!!

 Can't forget the canine cousins! These two had a great time together.

Auntie had the girls spend an afternoon helping her make baby food, and they were rewarded with some slip-n-slide time. 

My whole world is in this picture. Love these people.

The week went fast and the goodbye was hard, as always. We headed southbound on the 27th, and allowed ourselves one more stop in Ames. We couldn't pass by without some Great Plains pizza. They were open for dine-in at 30% capacity, and because it was way too hot to leave Jim in the car, we sort of snuck him in. We sat upstairs (first time ever!) and were one of two dine-in tables. We're pretty sure the workers saw him, but they didn't say anything. Yay for summertime college workers!

 We made it to Joplin by Saturday night, then got up Sunday and headed the rest of the way. I always wish for more time, but also appreciate how even a few days with my people - not to mention the welcome change of scenery - help me recharge. And for those wondering if Jim is a good road-tripper...

...he assumed this position for most of the hours. We rolled into the metroplex under the same hard rain that greeted us up north, which meant all the road trip bug guts were gone by the time we pulled into the garage. So, yeah, MN Road Trip: Summer 2020 was successful on all fronts!