Wednesday 21 December 2016

A Week in Review (December 18-24)

A Week in Review (December 18-24)

Watched: Rogue One on Sunday.  I don't like reading spoilers, but I will just say that it was a very intense movie.  If you are a Star Wars fan than I am sure you will enjoy it.  Even if you aren't a Star Wars fan, you might find some things in there to enjoy.  You probably wouldn't get some of the nuances, but I am not sure that would stop you from enjoying the overall film.

Read: I finished up In a Dark, Dark Wood.  This book way to long to grab my attention and then I felt it was rather predictable. I am hoping for better things from the authors second book.  I purchased them both because one was a book club read and the other was a buddy read I wanted to do with my friend.  I am definitely not diving right into the second one.  Instead, I decided it was time to finish up the Sookie Stackhouse series, so I am reading Dead Ever After.  They are generally pretty fast reads and I figured that is exactly what I need this time of year.

Listened
: To a loud pop as I engaged my parking brake, while stopping at the library.  Luckily, it didn't stay stuck on so the car was safe to drive. Sadly the bad didn't know that and was beeping loudly and constantly if I was driving over 5mph. It was strongly encouraging me to disengage the parking brake. Even though we had way too much else that needed done so we could prepare to leave, Nick and Jack tore the car apart to figure out the issue. It, of course, broke in the obscure place so getting a part was not easy. We luckily found one online for cheaper than the dealer would have wanted. I was blown away by the fact that it was delivered so quickly, as to have to ask our friends to pull it in the house for us.  I'm hoping that the actual repair isn't a nightmare for them to complete.  It's awesome that Jack is getting to learn about all the different ways to approach a problem like car repair. 

Made: A race ribbon hanger for my sister-in-law.  I really hope she likes it.  I did hire out the making and placing of the vinyl and the attaching of the hooks and the hanger on the back, but the rest was mine.  I don't do handmade gifts very often, but when I can't find what I am looking for, I am always willing to make it myself.

Felt: So proud of Jack.  On Monday, he finished up a letter he had been kicking around.  He is very frustrated that the Broncos v Chiefs game is on Christmas Day.  He thinks that is real nut kicker!  They learned about persuasive writing this last quarter and so he decided he would try and write one to the NFL commissioner, Rodger Goodell.  We posted it out through Facebook, Twitter, and email.  We even got a response through email. It was very exciting to see the process in action. 

Planned: A day at Chuck E Cheese to celebrate winter break with my boy.  His Aunt Debbie always sends us coupons, so we were able to get 100 tokens for $20.  We were very excited when we went to the machines and saw that it was half price day!  So were able to play 200 games instead.  Plus, the workers were randomly walking around adding credits to machines.  We played for almost 3hrs straight often battling each other.  I am one of the odd moms who actually enjoys Chuck E Cheese with her kiddo, so we both had a great time.

Loved: All the awesomeness that comes with celebrating Christmas. Almost as soon as we arrived at my mom's, we were making Christmas cookies.  A family friend invited us out to a party where he proposed to his girlfriend. We dropped Nora off at my brother and sister-in-law's house. I kind of flipped out when we drove to get her and she is sitting to paws up on the couch as she was supposed to be restricted to the back area of the house. I peeked in the window and there was a ripped stuffed animal on the floor, a torn open Amazon package, and presents in different parts of the floor. I freaked out assuming she'd become destructive inside their home.  Luckily the only thing she had gotten to was a stuffed monkey that had been bought for their boys. I was very relieved!  To end the evening, we decorated the cookies.  Jess's little brother came out and helped us too. The result was some really awesome cookies!  Christmas Eve afternoon we celebrated my brother's 27th! birthday. Our family gave him a fitness watch and then we sent him on a scavenger hunt so he got to spend longer opening the present from my mom.  After lunch, they headed in for Christmas Eve dinner with her family and we played some cards while waiting for them to return.  We then spent the evening opening up gifts from each other. We all go around and guess and see what others have gotten. It takes a while, but it's so nice to just focus on the enjoyment of giving and seeing people's reactions.  We are all blessed beyond measure. 

Here are the pics for the week:

My dates for the movie
 

Jess's Christmas Present
 

Jack's letter to the commissioner 
 
And his response
 

One of the many fun games at Chuck E
 

Bought Nora a Christmas outfit. She dint seem to mind it too bad. Couldn't quite get the hood to stay on and show the antler though. 
 

 

Selfie with mom 

 Doesn't she just look like trouble?

 
 
 

Playing fetch while we wait for everyone to get up and get going. She thought the pile of snow was hilarious. 

 

Monday 19 December 2016

A Week in Review (December 11-17)

A Week in Review (December 11-17)

Watched: A lot of faces brighten up this week.  Without any hardship on my part, I was really able to make someone else's day.  One day it was because I had an old computer part.  Proof that sometimes not purging things you don't need can be useful. I was able to deliver a third week of Christmas goodies to people.  On Wednesday, Nick called me needing to bring him a present for a secret gift exchange at his work.  He had apparently missed the gift being on his desk because he spent most of the week in the Denver office and he didn't want to wait another night, so I put together a cute bowl of beer, jerky, and oranges and dropped it off in his car for him to deliver.  Another day, a friend was listing out what she was going to buy her son.  She listed a magic set.  We just happened to have one in the closet that Jack had never opened because it was geared for a younger audience.  It was a perfect fit and she was able to use the funds to buy him something different now.  I saw teachers smile with relief when I sent their kiddos out exhausted to them too.  It was a great week for spreading Christmas cheer.

Read: I am still working on In a Dark, Dark Wood.  For a mystery novel, it really isn't grabbing me or my reading buddy very quickly.  It has a the case of an unreliable narrator, which I feel is kind of becoming over played.

Listened: To a worker at my eye doctors tell me she broke my frame while trying to cut new lenses for them.  She had such a look of terror in her eyes.  Old Kara would have blown up and tried to make a scene.  New Kara was just glad that they offered a replacement and could make my new glasses work in the same day.  She was so thankful that I didn't yell at her.  I really figured it wasn't in her plan to have to deal with trying to comp out a pair of frames and figuring out how to get the lenses to still work.  She did it and no one really commented on my new frames so they must not look all that different.  I am so glad that I have learned to step back before reacting to a situation.  I am also glad that I  have realized that not everything is worth blowing up over.

Made: A super cute door decoration for Jack's teacher.  When I picked up on Monday, I saw that one of the third grade teachers had her door decorated.  I commented to the mom who had done it and she said that she was working on doors for two of the other teachers, as well.  I couldn't have Jack's teacher be left out just because she isn't in the same hallway.  I came home and tried to think of something fun.  I decided to go with a peppermint theme.  So off I went to the dollar store.  While there, I saw that they had really cute treat bags with good sized peppermints on them and my idea was born.  I bought the bags and cut out the peppermint from each side.  I then glued them onto a paper plate that was cut down to size.  After writing each students name on one, I took each peppermint and wrapped in Saran Wrap to give it the wrapper look.  I am so pleased with how it turned out and it looks very cute on the door too!

Felt: So bummed for Jack.  We had a big Saturday planned, we were going to head up to Highlands Ranch and wrestle.  After a great finish, we were going to get to come home and have his friend come visit while his parents attended a company Christmas party.  Instead, he woke up at 3:30 complaining of stomach pain.  I really thought it was just gas pain again.  When I tried to get him to drink something, everything in his stomach came right back out.  I thought maybe it was a sour stomach from something he ate, but on the second go round, I knew we had met with something more sinister.  We had to cancel both wrestling and his friend.  We all just kind of chilled finishing up the latest season of Fool Us, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, and some KU basketball.

Planned: On pulling out Jack's chilled water bottle and throwing it in his wrestling bag.  However, water ended up splashing all over my hand.  When I got it all the way out of the fridge, it didn't take me any time to realize why it happened.  The light from the fridge had melted the lid and the bottle!  I couldn't believe it!  When we ordered new ones, we went with the shorter 20oz bottle so that we wouldn't run into the same issue again!

Loved:  All the sweet gifts that I got from my fellow teachers and even a couple students for Christmas.  I was debating on whether to get everyone something small or not, but decided against because if they didn't do it, I thought I might make people uncomfortable.  When it became very obvious that they did do it, I sent everyone an email thanking them for their awesomeness.  I love working at a place where the teachers are kind and the kids all seem to have some much fun.  Even during my busy times outside of work, I am always glad for the joy that work provides.  I think that means I have a pretty great gig!  I also decided to do a small roller ball of lavender essential oil with a fun tag to give them upon return of the New Year.

Here are the pics for the week:

The finished door

Last year she was a present under the tree, now she likes to nap by it instead.


Present for Nick's co-worker exchange


Oops!

 
My new frames
 

Sunday 11 December 2016

A Week in Review (December 4-10)

A Week in Review (December 4-10)

Watched: The Chiefs vs The Raider on a big delay on Thursday night.  Our wrestling coaches were falling like flies and I convinced Nick that the club need him to help coach.  This meant that we didn't get to start the game until almost two hours late.  It was very hard on Jack to have to go bed when the game was on.  I sent Nora up to bed with him and didn't hear from him again.  When I checked on him a bit later, I found them snuggled up together.  It was just so cute that I had to snap a picture of it.  She is really getting to be a good dog as she becomes slightly less destructive!

Read: Not very much of In a Dark, Dark Wood.  It just isn't catching me and when I go to read it at night, I am falling asleep quite quickly.  My girlfriend is at least twice my place in the book and I need to rectify this situation!  I'd like to finish it this week so that I can give it away at my book club next week.

Listened: To Jack and his classmates laugh uproariously when the saw "boobs" on the sarcophagus of a Mummy in the exhibit at Denver Natural History Museum on their field trip.  We were really nervous that that they were going to have to cancel it due to weather, but luckily it held out!  My group really did a nice job staying together and enjoying the exhibits.  I felt like we could have spent so much more time there.  We didn't even get to see half the exhibits and had to leave others before we ready.  I asked Jack if he thought just the two of us should go back and he said he didn't feel that would be as fun without a group of kids.  We discussed on the bus that they might want to do a spring field trip and I would be so excited for that.  Keeping my fingers crossed that I would get to go again.

Made: Some more delicious goodies for Week 2 of my Christmas treats.  I made homemade peanut brittle using the recipe found HERE and White Chocolate and Peppermint Dipped Sugar Cookies.  I used THIS for inspiration, but really just used my common sense when making them.  People were really split this week and there wasn't a clear favorite among the recipients.

Felt: So proud of Jack!  He wrestled on Sunday as a second year True Beginner in a National Tournament and played so well!  He didn't get one point scored on him the entire tournament.  You can see his first two matches, which were relatively easy for him HERE and HERE.  His last match was definitely a challenging opponent, but he rose to the challenge.  You can see it HERE.  We purchased a shirt for him and we are getting it customized to say First Place on the back.  They wanted $20 to take his picture on a podium and we just weren't paying that, so we just came home and used his Jayhawk stairs to make our own podium!

Planned:  On last week being a bit quieter, but it was just as busy as the other weeks leading up to it, except I was able to get many things done for the house.  During a Tuesday lunch date with my hubby, I think we settled on what Santa will bring our family.  I think he is going to bring us money to use on cruise tickets!  Jack has been talking about it and I think we would all really enjoy ourselves.  He is getting a bit older and will get that half the point of a cruise is just to chill.  I haven't been on one in almost 13 years so I am looking forward to one myself! What a treat it will be!

Loved: Seeing Jack have a blast at the Wilson and Company kid's party.  It was up in Denver in a place called JungleQuest.  They had a rope jump where you jumped off a platform onto a rope and then had to climb up, a zipline (Jack's favorite), four different degrees of difficulty rock walls, a wobbly bridge, a rope bridge, and an extreme swing.  It kind of stunk to leave the house at 7:45am on a Saturday for something besides wrestling, but we had a great time.  Jack even got to sent on Santa's lap and was given a gift.  He didn't love the gift but that provided an awesome opportunity to talk about how we should still be thankful that they gave a gift.

Here are the pics for the week:

 


Jack and his buddy waiting for the bus to take off


This super creepy monkey that we saw.
 

Waiting for the Zipline
 

Don't they look yummy?
 

Wednesday 7 December 2016

A Week in Review (November 27-December 3)

A Week in Review (November 27-December 3)

Watched: My Broncos lose in overtime to the dreaded Chiefs.  We had a couple of friends over, so our poking at each other was much less than it has been in previous years.  It was a harder match for me to watch because I was so used to ribbing my friend Laurie too.  The game just didn't have the same feeling for me.  I really hope this isn't the year that Chiefs sweep the Broncos, but given the fact that we lost on our home turf, our chances aren't looking great.

Read:  I finished up The Traitor's Wife: The Woman Behind Benedict Arnold and the Plan to Betray America.  I enjoyed this story about a piece of American history that I wasn't all that familiar with. My American History teacher in high school left a lot to be desired and I haven't taken the time to probably fill in the gaps in my knowledge. In my mind, the American Revolution had happened mostly before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In reading this book, I learned that I was so wrong about that. I also learned more about Benedict Arnold. While I knew his name was synonymous with traitor, I really didn't know why. Reading the section, A Note on History and Sources was an excellent way to conclude the journey. If you are an Historical Fiction fan, I think you will enjoy this novel.  Next, I started In a Dark, Dark Wood.  I am doing it as a buddy read with my friend and I am looking forward to sharing a book with her.

Listened: The Killer's new Christmas release.  It made me so emotional.  It really shows the power that a moment can have on you.  It's number 11 on their new Christmas album, which I snapped up right away.  If you want to check it out, you can go HERE.

Made: Round 1 of my Christmas goodies. Rather than making an entire basket of goodies, I decided to do a little bit each week.  I thought maybe people would like a sweet treat rather than getting hammered with all their goodies at once.  I made caramel and rice krispie coated marshmallows.  They were the winner of the week for being the favorite.  You can find the recipe HERE.  I also made chocolate orange cookies and I thought they were great.  I don't know if they were extremely popular with everyone else though. HERE is that recipe if you are interested.

Felt: Relieved when the Holiday Shop and Craft Fair was all done.  It won't be until the beginning of the March that I have another major event and even those are no where close to the last two. I have been event planning since the middle of October and I am glad for a break!

Planned: For most scenarios for the Holiday Shop and Craft Fair.  It went off really well with the kids having a great time shopping and the parents and vendors enjoy the Craft Fair.  It seemed like everything took a lot longer than I thought it was going to, but in the end, it was all worth it.  We even signed a contract so that we can get $150 free in Holiday Shop bucks for the kids who may not be able to shop otherwise.  I love seeing that happen for our families.  Only 364 days until I am doing it again.  :)

Loved: Decorating the tree with my boys.  With the game and all of our company, we did not get a chance to decorate it until Monday night.  I love going through the box and reflecting on each memory the ornament (or the person who gave it to us) brings me.  Jack putting a whole a group of ornaments right together on the tree and rather than space them out, I left right as he put them.  He may one day like his ornaments spaced apart, but I want to remember when he was little and liked them all grouped together.  He attempted to put the star on all by himself this year, but he's just not tall enough yet.  He will great there all too soon!  I also love the way my mantle turned out.  It makes me so happy to look at it.  My mother-in-law bought me a new piece that lights up.  If you look really close at the Believe sign you can see the lights glowing in it.

Here are the pics for the week:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas



Don't they look so yummy? 



A few of the vendors getting set up Friday night
 

Sunday 27 November 2016

A Week in Review (November 20-26)

A Week in Review (November 20-26)

Watched:  Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. I enjoyed that they created such a contrasting setting as compared with the Harry Potter novels.  I felt that the characters were a bit to predictable. If you enjoy the Harry Potter universe, you should definitely check it out.

Read: I finished up Hidden Bodies.  I really enjoyed this follow up to You.  The author reduced the amount of vulgarity in the book, but stayed true to Joe's character. While this book could stand alone, I think you'd be missing out on several nuances. I hope there is plans for a third book in the series. I'd love to see how Joe handles the latest plot twist of his life.  Next I started on The Traitor's Wife: The Woman Behind Benedict Arnold and the Plan to Betray America.  With it being Thanksgiving break, I didn't get a lot of it read.

Listened: To Jack describe how he sees me.  We were talking about the large amount of money I had spent on Monday buying the Thanksgiving meal, new clothes for him, the items for Preschoolers helping preschoolers stocking, and our new mattress and I said that my job would have taken 4 months to make up what I had spent that day. He told me that the way he saw it I had four jobs. When I asked him to describe them this is what he said:
Well your most important job is taking care of me.  Your second job is spending the money. Dad would never have time to do it.   Your third job is the way your help out the PTA so much. Your fourth job is a preschool teacher. 
I asked him if he was planning to be a good hard worker so that his wife and kids could be as lucky as we are and he said he thought so. 

Made: Jack roll his eyes at us when I wrapped my arms around Nick and told him how lucky I was that we had been putting up with each other's shit for 17 years. 17 years is about as long as I went in my life without knowing him well. I am so glad that we had three years of friendship that our relationship was built on. We didn't have to go through any of that time in the relationship where you have to learn the secrets in the closet. We had learned all of those in our friendship so we went with our eyes wide open.  He is an amazing provider for our family. He is a great counter balance to me.  I can't imagine someone better suited to spend my life with. 

Felt: Grateful that Jack was so helpful over his break.  On Monday, we went to Walmart and purchased 103 items (according to the receipt) and then he helped me unload the car and put everything away. We spent Wednesday morning rotating between games and the chores necessary to get the house looking like I wanted.  I am enjoying the man that he is turning into. I know we will have many days where we try each other's patience and plenty of days where we lose patience with each other, so I am grateful all the days we get along so well. 

Planned: On Jack having a bit more drama inside the dentist office, rather than having his drama when he came out of it. He did so well during the whole appointment not even realizing they had given him the shot of Novocain, as he asked at the end when it was coming. However, he hated the feeling of being numb. I don't think he felt that I was taking his concerns seriously enough. He was so highly dramatic about it that it was hard not to laugh at him.  I promised him it would be over after the movie and luckily it was. I don't think he will forget that moment any time soon. 

Loved: That parts of Nick's family were able to come out and visit us for Thanksgiving break.  I decided that we just needed to commit to having a real bed in the guest bedroom so we purchased a new mattress for our room and moved our old mattress over there. (So if you are out-of-town and reading this, know that we have made your staying experience nicer and you should plan a visit out our way soon!) Lee and Denise arrived Wednesday afternoon and we began in on games right away. We played Texas Poker, although Jack has renamed it Joker Poker. Papa Lee and Jack also played some Guess Who after dinner. Thursday we smacked and watched football all day. Our dinner was enough food for 15, but it had all the traditional fixings on it.  I think we ran the dishwasher three times that day!  Thursday we got the good news and that the Roy and his boys were going to drive out on Friday and stay Saturday and drive home Sunday. We went shopping Friday morning where Jack got to pick out his Christmas presents from Lee and Denise. No surprise, he chose two balls. One of them was a really cool Curry basketball. It will look fancy with his shoes!  Once the cousins arrived, it became of a whirlwind of activity in the house. They were so excited to see each other. They got a good 6 to 7 hours of playing in just that night. On Saturday, Keegan wanted to make himself scrambled eggs. Not knowing our stove very well, he set off the fire alarm waking the people who weren't already awake. We had plenty of time for goofing off before we watched the KU vs KSU game. While they didn't get the W, I think they showed lots of improvement. After the game was over, we headed out to HuHot for some dinner. Next it was off to climb Pulpit Rock. While we really enjoyed it, there was a lot of loose gravel that made things a bit tricky. No serious injuries, but we ended up with a few scrapes. The views were just breath taking though.  Apparently they needed more adventure, so we headed off to Dart Warz.  To end our night, we watched some Fool Us and discussed magic with cousins. I am hoping we exhausted them so they take a nap for Roy on the way back.  We loved having everyone here. 

Here are the pics for the week:

The guest bedroom. Good thing it's called a bedroom because that's all there is room for in there!
 

Our Thanksgiving Feast
 

Although we had hung the lights on Sunday, we hadn't turned them on. While we were cleaning up dinner, Nick turned the lights and Christmas music on. It was amazing. 
 

Jack sneaking some Xbox time while I was decorating and everyone else was catching a cat nap on Friday. 
 

Pulpit Rock
 

I was on the wrong side of the mountain so there are too many shadows. 
 

 

 

This is still pretty close to the top just out on a plateau looking away from the sun
 


Tuesday 22 November 2016

A Week in Review (November 13-19)

A Week in Review (November 13-19)

Watched: The Broncos and Chiefs play at the same time. They both squeezed out narrow victories in the final minutes of their games too!  It was nice to have the free afternoon to get some things done around the house. We even had time for Jack to make good on a bet and paint my toenails.

Read:  I still am working on Hidden Bodies.  I am liking it better than the book before it in the series, but with Nick out of town for most of the week, I just don't keep a good bedtime routine like I should.  I need to finish it up next week so that I can get working on my new book club book that came in the mail this week.

Listened: Christmas music a little before the season because I had to make the CD for my classroom. I will admit that I really enjoyed it and can't wait for the month of Christmas carols!

Made: Signs for the PTA craft fair that will run in conjunction with our Holiday Shop. They ended up taking a lot longer than I thought they would, but I am pleased with how they turned out. I've got to enlist Nick's help to stick them in the ground.

Felt: Pleased with my good luck at wrapping. I had a bit of extra time Friday morning and so I decided to get the presents I had bought for my work gift exchanges done. I couldn't believe how perfectly the placement worked on one of them. It just made my heart happy to look at it. I took a picture and texted it to my mom because I knew she would enjoy it too.

Planned: Staying the whole day at wrestling tournament, but Jack's stomach had other ideas. He suffered from really bad gas pain that was leaving him doubled over. I'm not even sure how he wrestled his last match as he couldn't stand up straight before it began.  He ended up losing it, but I think going out there and trying was absolutely amazing. You can see his matches HERE, HERE, and HERE. His first one was three rounds long but I tried to record from the stands and the opposing coaches stood and blocked my view most of the match. I started recording when they sat down.

Loved: Watching the Jayhawks win. In basketball they managed to knock off #1 Duke on a neutral court. Even more exciting was their football win over Texas. Because Nick was needed to coach all day, we watched it behind the rest of the world. Valerie texted me and let me know they had pulled out a victory. I was able to record some clips of him and I think this one is just everyone's favorite. You can watch one very pleased fan right HERE.

Here are the pics for the week:

If only this could happen on a regular basis. 
 

 

 

 

 

Sunday 13 November 2016

A Week in Review (November 6-12)

A Week in Review (November 6-12)

Watched: Days of our Lives in real time. I actually managed to get all caught up and stay caught up in current episodes. It was nice to just be able to take a few minutes and zone out with the people of Salem.

Read: I finished up If You Only Knew.  It was you typical Chic-Lit book. Nothing that really surprised me in the entire book. I always think it's funny when authors make characters from the past and present of the book be connected in ways you might not imagine. Not a bad book, but not one I recommend quickly either.  Next, I started up Hidden Bodies, which is a follow up to You.  I didn't get very far in it, but it looks to be very similar to You.

Listened: To an extremely loud gym at Jack's wrestling match. It was hard to even have a conversation with the noise level.  I guess that just means there were a lot of excited kids and coaches. Jack had B bracket this time. These seemed to be the kids on the easy side of B as he was able to quickly get two pins. You can see his matches HERE and HERE

Made: $20 to Orange Leaf for taking out on of Jack's coaches during the charity poker tournament for the club. I ended up getting ninth overall which wasn't good for much expect knowing I did better than the other people I came with. Haha. Hopefully it brought in some good money for the boys. 

Felt: Disenfranchised with the election results. I can't believe that Trump one. It makes me (and Nick!) very scared for the future of our country. How someone with such a volatile temper and record of hateful speech and lies could be voted on by such a large number of people doesn't seem to bode well for the country.  I tried to eat my feelings with some leftover Halloween candy. When that didn't work, I tried day drinking!  That didn't really work either. I am sure I am just being a pessimist.  I hope that we all take the time to stay involved and make sure we are aware of what's going on in the world. 

Planned: What I would wear for my first book club. Going to a new group of women is a lot like going on a first date. Luckily, the first date was a match. There were lots of laughs and even some good book discussion. We picked our December book and it's a bit lengthy. It is called The Traitor's Wife by Allison Pataki. I've got my copy ordered from Amazon and it should be here next week. 

Loved: Jack's school program. The third graders perform a Veterans Day program each year. It was fun to hear them sing classic patriotic songs. Some of them had partner parts that were new to me, but complimented them excellently.  Jack was very nervous and wouldn't stop messing with his clothes. The stage doesn't appear to be his place of comfort. 

Here are the pics for the week:

Angry goose arms. Haha
 

I saw this meme and really felt it was accurate for my feelings on watching election results. 
Program Night. You can sure tell how nervous he was. 


 


His first place pose
 

Sunday 6 November 2016

A Week in Review (October 30-November 5)

A Week in Review (October 30-November 5)

Watched:  Jack bravely go through the "spooky house" in our neighborhood on Halloween night.  While we were walking over there, he ran into one of his teammates who thought it was hilarious  that Jack was in his actual uniform.  The teammate was dressed as zombie football player.  They walked together for a while, but then we split up again.  He ended up with a pretty good loot for the night.  It was a nice mix of chocolate for me and gummy stuff for him.  He even took a loot bag to his teacher.  She wasn't thrilled because he put a Warhead in there and she put in her mouth in front of the whole class.  She didn't want to lose face by spitting out and so she finished it.  I tried one and it was instantly horrible and I have no idea how she did it.

Read:  I finished up You.  So this book was pretty intense. The language in it was absolutely vulgar though which caused me to drop it a star. It's definitely not a book that I would recommend to someone who is newly in a relationship. You'd really question all your partner's motives. I am going to need to read the sequel. I am anxious to know if it will reveal more of Joe's back story.  I started If You Only Knew next.  I am super excited about why I am reading it.  I was invited to join an in-person book club.  I thought I wasn't going to be able to make it because it was slated for this Friday, which I was already booked with Fall Festival.  Luckily, the hostess had to change so it is next week.  I will have to read it at a mad pace, but I am willing to rise to the challenge to be able to be in a book club again!

Listened: To the unfortunate news that Jack has a cavity. He's really, really not a fan of the dentist or needles so the filling appointment should be just lovely. We are going to try just laughing gas. They only do cavities work from 8-12 because they want to be around if something happens when it wears off. So that is how we will start out our week of Thanksgiving break.

Made: Jack realize that he is still a quality wrestler, even though he took a pin this week.  Unfortunately these beginning tournaments are quite small and he is getting stuck with wrestlers who have properly declared themselves "Advanced". The kid who pinned him has been wrestling since he was 4. He lost another match 2 to 0 to another A kid, who had just as much experience. His only B match was a teammate and he handled that pretty easily.  It's hard to see him get down on himself when it's clear to me that he just needs more time to master the moves. You can watch his matches HERE, HERE, and HERE

Felt:  Overwhelmed by all the little details to think about for the Fall Festival.  There is so much to organize to make sure that the event goes off with as few bumps as possible.  I have to say that I thought it went pretty smoothly. We had lots of volunteers and I saw lots of smiles. We didn't make quite as much as we did last year, but it was still a good chunk of change for my month long effort.  I do it in part to help fund the PTA, but I really do it so that my kid has life long memories of the fun times he had at school with his friends. When we were talking about what he spent his tickets on, it was primarily pieing the specials teachers and principals.  I was very lucky to have a couple of moms text me fun pictures they got of him throughout the night.

Planned: On just a relaxing night in on Saturday, but Jack asked me to invite our friends Katie and Jonathan over. They accepted and we all had a blast together. We played a ton of games and were go, go, go.  We ended the night with Life.  It was funny because the rule of the house is that you have to state who you are marrying and it can't be someone else who is playing the game. I picked Joseph Gordon Levitt, Katie picked Matt Damon, Jonathan picked Natalie Portman, and Nick picked "Ara". What a good guy, huh?  Jack picked, of course, Kate. It's fun to have good people to hang out with. 

Loved:  This year's turkey plate. The day after Halloween, I pulled down all my Halloween decorations and put up my Thanksgiving ones. In 2012, I started a tradition to put his handprint onto a plate and having him decorate it and write his name on it.  We both love looking through at the various years and thinking about what really occupied him that year. This year it was back to football!  I'm going to keep this tradition going as long as he lets me. 

Here are the pics for the week:

The only picture I took of him this Halloween

Look at that loot

 
This year's turkey handprint plate
 

All the years lined up


Fall Festival Fun