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!

Is it already/still June?

A few weeks (months - who knows?) ago, Emma decided she was into origami. We ordered some origami paper and she went crazy making origami everything. Then she took a box from the garage, painted it, and made a little "under the sea" origami diorama. After it sat on our fireplace for a while, she was ready to throw it away ... but I had to take a picture first! I love her creativity.

 Calloway is 7 months! We can't wait to see him very soon. This *keeper* onesie has been waiting for him for SO long. Can't wait to squeeze and spoil this boy!

 The girls and I had to pick him up a new toy when we were at Target the other day. We went after Emma's scrimmage - three things on the list, spent a long time browsing, spent way too much money. It was a fun girls' shopping trip!

 Last Friday, we decided we could practice social distancing at the bowling alley. The girls each brought a BFF, and we had SO much fun. We bowled for a couple of hours, had some popcorn and pitchers, and then came home to swim and grill. We all laughed a lot and had the best time. It's so fun to watch the girls with their friends - especially the ones they've had for years!

This weekend, we are headed out on our MN road trip. I'm disappointed because I have to work quite a bit next week, but it's still my only "off" time this summer, so we are going to take advantage of it. We plan to get out on the boat and spend quality time with family ... plus enjoy a change of scenery. I cannot wait! Plus it'll be Jim's first road trip ... wish us luck!

Summer

Summer is bringing some sense of normalcy. Steve and I are both still primarily working from home, but the girls are in summer routine. We've had living room nest nights, lots of swimming, and even a lemonade stand today (they made $10!). 

 The girls decided they wanted to learn to skateboard this summer, so my mom sent them skateboards. They've been practicing daily on the driveway and the path behind our house.

 Of course they had to cover their boards with stickers!

 Steve is still busy grilling on the flattop. His set up is evolving...

 While we are living in times that are crazy on top of crazy, I think I enjoy the simple things even more. These two fight all the time and push my patience, but then sometimes they just toss balls and giggle. Those are the golden moments.

On Saturday, Emma went to a friend's house to celebrate her birthday. I went back and forth on it, but it was a very small gathering (Emma was the only friend invited), and I knew Emma was needing some social time. She ended up staying and playing for over four hours! In the meantime, Sara and I went to Target to browse. It was the first time Sara had been to a store since spring break - and also Emma's first outing since spring break.

 Sara had a giftcard burning a hole in her pocket. She bought these glasses, some scrunchies, and a plant for her room.

We've been doing a lot of living outside and loving it! We installed a new fan on the porch which works a million times better than the last one, and it's just so pleasant to change our scenery (even if it's still in our yard).

 Emma really wanted to take some selfies last night... 

  Sara has been back at the gym for a couple of weeks now, for just an hour at the time - all independent conditioning and practice, no spotting, stunting, etc. Tonight Emma had her first softball practice since quarantine, and she had the best time. It totally confirmed what I already knew: that 7-year-olds have no concept of social distancing. But it's fine. We're all doing the best we can, trying to make the best decisions for our families, and at some point, we all need normal. The last few days have given us a little taste of that. We won't push it, but we are enjoying a few of our regular pieces falling back into place. 

That's a wrap.

We have finished another school year! Although it was such a bizarre end and it doesn't actually feel over, the girls have made it to their summer. It'll probably feel more real when the new week starts and they don't have to go to Google Classroom to start doing their assignments. At this time, it's hard to know what summer holds. The girls are still scheduled to go to overnight camp in a few weeks (not sure yet if that's still on), our usual MN trip still hasn't been booked, and because of the way my district has rearranged the virtual summer school dates, I'm not actually sure I'll have a break at all...

But we'll make the most of it! A couple of Fridays ago, I got home and found that Steve had been shopping. He was super excited to add this flattop grill out back. In its short time with us, this grill has been the source of lots of entertainment and good food!

Even in the rain, Steve's diner was open.

 

Last Saturday, it was cool and rainy. Although I had a list of a few things to get done around the house, we literally spent the entire day out on the porch watching movies, enjoying the fire, and each other. We all needed a day of rest and it was such great quality time. Outside of quarantine, something like this would probably never happen - or it would feel forced. It's so interesting how this time has completely changed the way we spend time together.

 Jim enjoyed the cold, rainy day outside, too!

 This past week, during the last week of school, Sara received her 5th grade gift. During a Zoom meeting with her grade level, the kids opened the time capsules they had made at the end of 1st grade. Of course Emma's assignment this week was building her time capsule, which was a lot of fun, too!

Last day of school pic - these girls are ready for 2nd and 6th! I'm sad that they won't ever be in the same school again, but I know Sara is ready for middle school and I'm excited to see her blossom there. And I also know that, as much as Emma will miss her sister at school, she'll love the independence of being there on her own, too. Time keeps on slipping ...

 Yesterday, Sara and I took my car for an inspection and oil change. We didn't want to wait in the little waiting area, so we took a walk to Starbucks. I feel like she and I don't get much alone time together - it was so great. We got our drinks and then just walked a ways, chatting about things big and small. Ahhh. When we got home, the girls washed my car (and each other, obviously). One of my coworkers had painted "Principal of the Year" on my back window - very nice, but it was time for it to come off. And with the sunshine yesterday, it was a perfect day for driveway car washing and a great start to summer!

pretty much just more of the same

If you had told me two two months ago that a weekend in quarantine would feel different than any other days of the week, I don't know that I would have believed it. But I totally do now. Work has been so all-consuming (even on the weekends sometimes), but we can all feel a difference when Friday afternoon rolls around ... even if we don't have big plans to go anywhere. While the state has allowed more places to open within guidelines (primarily less than 25% capacity), many places have still opted not to do so, or are doing so very slowly. Regardless, I'm not in a rush to get to those places. Still too many unanswered questions about the 'rona. Plus ... take-out and online shopping ... in the absence of being able to return to work the "real" way, what else could I possibly need?! Sara's gym is going to start holding on-site practices in a couple of weeks, but it'll be conditioning - no stunting or spotting. Still no word at all on Emma's seasons, for good and obvious reasons.

We've been spending a lot of our weekend evenings outside. We enjoyed watching the NFL Draft together a couple of weeks ago. Normally this is a weekend-long event with friends.

 Although it was different, we enjoyed the glimpse into players and coaches' homes and lives. The girls swam and enjoyed the play-by-play. On night one, Emma was sure that the Cowboys would take Tony Romo. We had to do a little Draft education, but she soon caught on. Sara was surprisingly intrigued by all of it!

 I realized that one of my main new hobbies is taking pics of Jim. Ha! When I can, I take my work outside and get some fresh air to help balance the stress. Jim has been a great outdoor work partner.

 I was brought to tears a couple of Fridays ago when my staff surprised me with a drive-by and gifts. They are working SO hard, and here they were honoring me. It was so incredibly humbling. The mental health of my staff has been on my mind throughout remote learning. As teachers, we are not programmed to work this way - none of us like it, and everyone is reacting different from an emotional standpoint. I'll be so glad when we are all back together. I've been working hard to show appreciation in different ways during this time - lots of online games, snail mail, a video tribute, etc. Regardless, I'm supposed to be taking care of them and they have been doing so much for me.

 Another weekend patio/movie night. We all sat outside last weekend and watched "Napoleon Dynamite" - always good for lots of laughs!

 Jim has found a new favorite spot. From here, he can see out the big windows to the path in the back and the sidewalk/street in the front. He especially loves it when the weather allows us to open the windows!

 A 5th grade parent put together an appreciation video for Sara's teachers. This was her photo for it. What an end to 6 years of elementary school!

 Our weather has been very up and down - we've had a handful of hot pool days, coupled with some nights in the 30s ... who knows?! We've taken advantage of the pool and sunshine!

 The teeth keep falling out during quarantine! One day last week, the TF had to visit both girls in the same night! Emma is up to 8 teeth lost and Sara is at 16. Whoa!

 Emma recently stocked up on slime-making materials. When I told her I didn't think they were worth a trip to the store, she countered that they would keep her entertained. Touche. She's making videos of all of her slime experiements ... which got us remembering the time two years ago (two years exactly!) that I had to cut a chunk out of Emma's hair ...

 HA! I remember that this chunk was literally right on top of her head. Luckily, nobody could really tell since her hair always does its own thing anyway.

Like the title says, pretty much more of the same. Another back porch night last night - movie and fire. The temps were perfect for it!

Today I did a workout, will probably take Jim for a walk ... and open the windows thanks to the warming (but not too warm) temps. That's one of my favorite things to do that we don't get to do super often in Texas! We are going to grill some ribs later and I'm going to try a new recipe for oven baked steak fries. Certainly not the most of exciting of times, and although there are parts of normal life I really, really miss, there are lots of things about our continued quarantine that I really, really love.

photo shoot

Last weekend was supposed to have been Sara's final competition for the year, and of course Emma is supposed to have ongoing games. I already know that we'll likely need to find Emma a new soccer team once everything is back up and running, and although Sara plans to continue cheer, it was sad to miss the final competition. So ... I had the girls put on their uniforms and we did a little backyard photo shoot to commemorate the lost seasons!