March Madness

Go Cyclones! 🏀

 

Wordless Wednesday

SB17

We had the best Spring Break 2017!  Steve was able to join us on our Florida get-away this year, which is always a nice treat.  We had no agenda besides pool, beach, and R&R, and it was perfect.

Upon arrival, first stop: pool!

 Our first beach day was SUPER windy, but fun nonetheless.  We were glad that the wind died down early in the week.

It was fun to watch the girls enjoy the simple pleasure of sand play for days on end.  It was good to unplug!

Of course I had to get my annual fill of Yuengling (and Key West Sunset Ale).

 It was nice to have downtime with this guy without the stress of our typical day-to-day.

 Of course the girls couldn't spend time at the beach without getting buried!

 One afternoon, we spent a few hours on Neal's yacht.  We enjoyed the beauty of the water and spotted many dolphins.

The girls were so enamored with the interior of the boat, where there is a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and two bathrooms.  They spent some time playing down there, and also enjoyed riding on the bow, where we felt the fresh air and occasional ocean spray.

I mean, really, who could have problems here?  Not us!

 Loved the time with my parents.  They have a very rough life.

 Our beach trips resulted in sand cities, including this masterpiece by the sea.

 We enjoyed seafood and live music at the Monkey Bar, Nauti Mermaid, and the Mucky Duck, where we watched the beautiful sun set over the water. 

 It was a great week - and a much needed vacation - with these people.  Full hearts.

Now we're sort-of-ready to head back to school and work.  Between Daylight Savings and the full moon, it should be an interesting week!

#notmyFebruary

It seems like we always say that the short weeks feel the longest -- even when we have Monday off, the rest of the week seems to drag.  That's how I feel about February right now: the shortest month feels the longest.

Since my birthday at the beginning of the month (which was a good start), I have left my wallet in a cab (see Chicago post) and rear-ended someone (who, in turn, rear-ended someone else).  Not my finest moments.  Not my February.  Both situations have caused a number of residual headaches.  And in both instances, I was totally at fault - I was in a hurry, thinking about something else, preoccupied.  Message has been sent and received: I need to slow down and be present.  My life is going a million miles an hour in as many directions, but I have to find a way to be in the now.  We work so hard with our kids at school about being mindful in their actions and identifying their needs.  It's time for me to take a lesson from my own book.

I have lots of goals, and I'm committed to moving "be present" to the top of the list.  It's a work in progress.  In the meantime, this is #notmyFebruary.  I'll be so glad when it's over.

My Valentines

💘

Chicago

Back in October, my sister and I scheduled a girls' weekend in Chicago for this past weekend, and we'd been waiting impatiently for it ever since!  We had a rocky start as Melissa's flight was delayed, and after a long cab ride from the airport to the hotel, I inadvertently slipped my wallet onto the cab floor instead of into my purse after paying for the ride.  So ... a bunch of phone calls and a lot of stress later, we finally hit the streets.  It wasn't dark yet, so the Chicago Theatre sign is hard to see, but it's in the background!

 My first protest!  We didn't stay to participate, but took in the scene for a few moments.

 On Friday evening, we met cousins Dan and Caroline for a fun night at Second City.  Selfie with Tina Fey's caricature!  Second City was just what I imagined it would be - so, so funny.  The cast was amazing, and nothing was off limits.  We laughed super hard and really enjoyed catching up with Dan and Caroline.

 The weather was great Saturday morning so we got some coffee and headed out walking to enjoy the beautiful city.

 Not much ice on the lake this year.

 Before heading to Chicago, we had toyed with the idea of purchasing tickets to "Hamilton", but they were so expensive.  Instead, we decided to see if we could somehow pick some up for a lesser price once in Chicago.  The concierge at our hotel told us that there would be a lottery at noon on Saturday for tickets that hadn't been purchased, which sounded worth a shot to us.  Around 11:30 on Saturday, we were near the theatre, which was right across the street from our hotel, so we decided to see if we could get in the lottery line.  Turns out we had actually missed the lottery, which took place at 10:30.  However, we learned that lottery winners had until 11:30 to pay for their tickets, or they would be sold to those waiting in line.  Just after 11:30, as we were impatiently waiting in the fifth spot in line, we learned that not all of the lottery tickets had been purchased.  We held our breath, and waited to see if the man behind the window would tell us he had two tickets for us.  He did!  And for just $100 each - a total bargain by "Hamilton" prices!  We were thrilled!  The show was phenomenal - truly, no word or phrase I use here could begin to do it justice.  We both left in tears and had to process for a bit before we could even discuss the show.  When "Hamilton" comes to your city, you have to see it.

We had a little time to kill between getting our tickets and show time, so we headed to Al's Beef for some delicious lunch.  We decided to split a meal, and it's a good thing because it was a whole lotta beef.  It was every bit as good as it looks on the Travel Channel food shows.  Thankfully, we did a lot of walking so we didn't feel too guilty about splurging at Al's.

   We spent Saturday evening walking (so thankful for nice weather), stopping at a few places for drinks and apps, and even catching the ISU game during which they beat up on Oklahoma. Can't complain about that!

 Sunday morning we got to the airport early, knowing I would have to be interrogated by security since I didn't have an ID (refer back to the wallet-in-cab scenario above).  After intense questioning and pat-downs, we were through, and enjoyed breakfast together before heading to our separate gates.  I'm so glad that my sister is my best friend, and that we got to enjoy this get-away together.

February

Well ... so far in February I have not done a whole lot that's super blog-worthy.  I did have a great birthday celebration, and we semi-enjoyed the Super Bowl, but otherwise it's been business as usual.  Today *I think* I solidified my 17-18 budget for school - first go 'round with that!  My initial furniture order deadline for our renovation is February 17, and I will be glad when that date arrives so I can stop thinking about furniture for a little bit.  And while I don't want to get political, I have to acknowledge that navigating emotions (of staff, students, and parents) in a public school during these tumultuous times has been a challenge all its own.  In the meantime, I am so behind at being a mom. I don't have a single item yet for the girls for Valentine's Day, and even though I had big plans of being pinteresty this month, I haven't posted daily affirmations on hearts on the girls' bedroom doors like I thought I might.  Put it on the list of would've-could've-should've.  This is a busy chapter, friends.  Time is flying and we are already almost staring down March (which means I also need to carve out time to buy new spring break clothes for the girls because they are both growing like weeds!).  As tired as I am, though, I probably won't sleep much tonight because tomorrow I'm flying to Chicago for a weekend with my sister!  We've been waiting on this get-away for months and I can.not.wait.  

I'll miss these girls ...

But I sure am excited to see this one ...