Rocky Mountain High

We are home from an amazing trip to Breckenridge, Colorado, to celebrate G&G's 70th birthdays! We had beautiful weather, an amazing Airbnb within walking distance to all the entertainment, and the best company.

We rented a car here in Plano and drove to Breck after picking up Sara from cheer camp. We made it to Amarillo by late afternoon for an early dinner at The Big Texan! Definitely a spot we'd been wanting to see and try for years. It was as kitschy as you'd imagine, but actually really cool and the food was delicious!

We had a seat upstairs overlooking the "challenge stage". Steve and I tried their house-brewed Mexican lager - two thumbs up.

I had to take a picture of Sara's "clean plate club" plate. This girl loves her steak!

We had planned to stop in Raton, New Mexico, but when we got there we felt like we had just a bit more left in us. We stopped for the night in Trinidad, CO. Good timing because it was dark and we hit rain. We had a quick sleep and got back on the road in the morning to be in Breck by noon! The extended fam was already there so we wasted no time unloading the car and heading up the mountain in gondolas.

There was so much to do! It was fun to see the ski hills turned into summertime fun. Emma rode the alpine slide and the coaster. She was annoyed to be behind a slow rider on the slide, and said the coaster was awesome.

She and Cal also played mini golf.

Meanwhile, G&G and Sara took a ski lift even further up for views, bags, and snacks.

Steve and I enjoyed tasting the Rockies, as one should in CO!

We stayed less than a block off the main drag, which was awesome. After our gondola fun and several times throughout the week, we spent time in shops and restaurants. The Blue River runs adjacent, and there were lots of great places to stop for a rest and refresh.

Such a cute area!

We got lightly rained on a couple of times for just a bit, and otherwise had gorgeous weather and views. It was pouring rain the day we left ... so it was a good time to hit the road.

One night, we had a professional chef come in and prepare a multi-course meal. It was SO good ... and SO much food. We had a dance party to try unload. Cal was definitely the life of that party!

No downtown would be complete without donuts and ice cream, and the kids had plenty of both during our trip. This was a cute little glow room in the ice cream shop that looked cooler in person than in my photo.

We made a trek to see the troll we'd heard so much about. We were hot and sweaty, but it was worth the walk!

"Yay, mountains!"

A major highlight of the trip was our white water rafting adventure! G&G, Melissa, Adam, and Cal took a calmer ride out of a different location, while the four of us hit Class 3 rapids. It was quite the ride (and workout), and amazingly, we all managed to stay in the raft!

Steve and Adam took a day to try fly fishing. They had a good time and caught several rainbow trout (all returned to the water).

We also got some sibling time out with M&A. Always thankful for the time I get with my sister.

On our last day in Breck, we opted for another ride on the gondola. We'd bought all the souvenirs, tried as many restaurants as our bellies could handle, and we all just wanted a little more mountain time! 

We spent time catching up and reminiscing mountain-side at Robbie's, and then continued down the mountain at Ollie's on the river. This was such a special trip for us to all be able to take together, and I'm thankful for the many memories made. These photos are a fraction of them, but provide a decent summary!

After leaving Breck, G&G were driving back to MN while the rest of us were flying. On the way to the airport, we stopped in Golden for a short visit. 

It was so fun to be back in the spot where Steve and I celebrated twenty years of marriage last summer!

We hit the shops and other important local establishments!

We dropped off our rental in Denver and flew back to MN - primarily for the purpose of attending Angie's wedding! I was so thrilled to be back home to celebrate with my friends of thirty+ years. It was fun catching up with several people from high school, but especially with these ladies who always make me laugh.

While in MN, Sara was lucky enough to get a red car lesson from Grandpa! She did a great job driving it, and looked pretty cute in it, too. 

I have many fond memories of cruising in the red car, and Sara was proud to show off her driving skills in it.

Our MN time was short, as we had to get back for soccer signing, Sara's 4th plans, and getting the girls ready for camp ... life! We ended with a night on the deck at Melissa and Adam's - always a spot filled with good times.

We got to meet their new pup, Whaler. Cal kicked around the big ball we couldn't resist buying, Emma entertained us, and we all enjoyed just being together.

We ended the night with sparklers. To me, nothing says MN summer like this!

There was summer before CO, and there's been some since, that I'll post about at another time. For now, I'm just so happy to have had this trip be part of our summer. Definitely still feeling that Rocky Mountain High!

Year-End Wrap!

As expected, the last month of school was a busy one! Near the end of April, G&G came for a weekend visit on their way back to MN from FL. They were excited for Sara to scoop them some ice cream!

Steve went with college friends on their annual draft weekend trip, and Emma guest-played in a softball tournament. I think she played six or seven back-to-back games at catcher ... whew!

After some rain and lightening delays, the team brought home a win!

Her soccer team also played in a year-end tournament. This team has come such a long way, and it was awesome to see them celebrate an undefeated weekend! We have loved this past year as Plano United, taking a step back from a big club. Proof that the formula works when the right people are in place! Although they won't be Plano United moving forward (and there will be some changes among players), Emma is excited about next year. Already as practices with the new team are underway, we can see that it's going to be a fun year of growth and success for the girls.

Emma isn't the only athlete who was celebrating during the last weeks of school ... we were thrilled to learn that Sara is a Captain for JV Cheer! She had to complete a lengthy application that she literally poured hours into, and she also had to sit for an interview with coaches and admin. She was very nervous, and had to wait several days after her interview to learn that she'd been selected. She called me at school to let me know. I'm so proud of her and her work and dedication to cheer! Summer practices are underway, and her team is already looking amazing!

We celebrated Emma's 5th grade graduation with a nice ceremony at Robinson MS. All of the 5th graders walked across the stage and shared a favorite memory (Emma's was the 5th grade mixer). They also had a photo booth, cupcakes, and all of the kids got a middle school shirt. We were remembering that Sara's group didn't have a ceremony because she was in 5th grade the year we shut down for Covid.

The Daffron Dads did one more morning at carpool - the theme was "remote dads vs. office dads". Steve hasn't been an office dad in several years now, but went with that look just for fun. Emma walked by and strategically snuck into school while he was busy opening a car door so he wouldn't embarrass her (her words) 🙂

Steve captured Emma's last walk to Daffron (wearing her new Robinson shirt). We've had a kid there for ten years ... it will feel weird to just drive by from now on. Regardless, Emma is ready for middle school ...

I did my part to add to the celebrations by making sure the girls had what they needed for last day celebrations with friends!

No rest for this one ... the day after school ended, she was back in tournament mode. No bling this time, but several hard-fought games and lots to be proud of! Honestly, we weren't sad to be done early on Sunday so we could come home and relax in the pool!

As of the last day of school, I was moved out of Plano, and started the following week at my new school in Prosper. I'm technically still on contract with Plano, and floating between the two places, but pouring my energy and learning into Prosper. Right off the bat, I attended their annual two-day leadership retreat at the Holdsworth Center near Austin. It confirmed that I'm making the right move - I have to go to grow, and I'm excited about the new challenge.

Finally, the last metal-free smile from this one for a while. Last Friday, she got bottom braces. We're waiting on a couple top baby teeth to come out, and then the top ones will go on later in July. Luckily, she should only need the one set and be done by 8th grade!

I'm on summer schedule, working M-Th, which is great! The girls are enjoying sleeping in, seeing friends, and of course keeping up their practice routines. We have several busy weeks ahead - but it's "summer busy", so lots of things we're looking forward to ... just trying to soak it all up! 

☀️☀️☀️

Swinging into Spring

Easter weekend started with, of course, tradition. While the girls aren't as excited about dying eggs as they once were, they do indulge me for a bit. Certain things will just always have to happen no matter what, because Mom says so!

Emma's team had an egg hunt at softball practice. She gave away her eggs with candy and kept the ones with money. Who can blame her?

I didn't manage to get a photo of the "before" baskets ... just the aftermath.

As always, Jim was happy with his treats, too.

The following weekend, we had Sara's freshman year cheer banquet. It had an eclipse theme, and it was a really special event.

We were SO proud of Sara for receiving the "Leader of the Pack" award. As her coach was talking about the characteristics of the person who would be receiving it, several team members looked at Sara.

Her coach described the recipient of this award as the "quintessential cheerleader" in skill and spirit. She said she can rely on this person to learn quickly, teacher others dances and choreography; this person looks great on the sidelines, and more importantly has blossomed as a leader on the team. So very many nice things ... and then she said Sara's name!

Love these coaches!

A few of Sara's freshman besties!

This squad has been so amazing and influential for Sara. She'll miss the sophomores who are moving onto senior high, but I also know she's ready to fill some of those shoes.

On April 8th, we were so lucky to be in the path of totality! It was a school day, so the girls and I all watched at our respective schools, and Steve watched down at the park. It was AMAZING. We had all of our students outside, and we had told them it would go dark ... but none of us could full comprehend ahead of time what that would mean. Truly indescribable - just nature at its best. What an incredible day. I had little eclipse treats for my teachers, and I'm leaving the photo here, along with one of the Daffron 5th graders, just so we have some reference to the day years from now. Path of totality = highly recommend.

Last week while running outside during PE, Emma slipped off the sidewalk and basically tore all the skin off of her right shin starting at the knee. She still managed to play four soccer games that weekend with a heavily bandaged leg ... but it took it all out of her. Practice ended up getting cancelled earlier this week due to rain and Steve sent me this picture from when she got home from school. I think a combo of her schedule and injury took it all out of her.

Back at it this weekend with the Swinging into Spring softball tournament! Her leg still has a lot of healing to do, so she can't play catched like she'd like to, but she's rocking it in other spots. Today she had some great hits, including an RBI that won the game against a tough team. She also made two amazing catches in the outfield to end innings. Five games today and we're heading back tomorrow for the championship!

Aside from our allergies going crazy and no time at all to deal with the weeds in our yard, we're loving spring so far!