Skiing & (In-person) School, & Special Great Grandparents!

February was a pretty typical month full of the regular activities. The girls continued gymnastics, and Brayden enjoyed her field hockey practices and games. I had a great dinner with my my friend, Julie, and a few others for her birthday at Miro as well. Trent went to Big Sky, Montana with five other F3 friends for the second year in a row. They went for six days and skied for four of them. The weather was extremely cold, as to be expected. Naturally, they were all extremely excited to be there again and on the first morning of skiing, they were the first ones in line. One day, it was -7° on their drive to the slopes. They all had a blast and skied about 25 miles each day and were exhausted, as you can imagine.

Each year, we have an annual Super Bowl party and invite our neighbors. This year, being extremely different, we didn’t feel comfortable hosting that large of a get together, so instead, we had just a few close friends come over to relax and chill out. Instead of 40 people, we only had 10. Much safer, but still nice to hang out with others. Hanleigh did her annual Boosterthon school fundraiser, which was called Dance Fit where she danced for 30 minutes non-stop. She raised a lot of money that will go toward building an outdoor classroom and providing supplies for teachers. Thank you to all the family members that helped contribute to this!

We finally decided on the quartz countertops for our kitchen and bar area. The only thing we have left to do now is completely decide on what our backsplash will be. We hope to make that decision very soon. For Valentine’s Day, we really don’t do anything over the top like we used to when we first got married. We ended up grilling some delicious steaks and watching a movie with the kids. My how things change. I’m very content with it all, though. Hanleigh finally started going back to school in person, but only on Monday and Tuesdays. She is virtual the rest of the week. Brayden and I had a great dinner out with my friend, Jen, and her beautiful daughters, Ash and Maddie, who are two of Brayden’s really great friends. We always have such a fabulous time hanging out! Trent donated blood for the first time in decades (he wasn’t allowed to donate blood forever because he lived in Germany during certain years when mad cow disease was around) as well. For Christmas, Hanleigh gave me a painting class that we did from home (watched a YouTube video for the instructions). We spent one afternoon painting beautiful lighthouse landscapes and they turned out great! It was really fun doing this activity together!

Trent and I had a fabulous date night at a restaurant in Waxhaw called Cork & Ale. The environment is super cozy and intimate, but has such a chill and relaxed vibe to it. There are a ton of local craft beers to choose from as well as a very extensive wine list. I didn’t know what to expect from the food, but it was absolutely incredible. We split some Kobe beef sliders and an incredible goat cheese, mushroom, onion, and jam flatbread. Trent’s parents watched the kids that night. It is so wonderful having them close by and they love being involved in Brayden and Hanleigh’s lives! As a thank you, the next morning, we took them to brunch.

Brayden is also now back in school in person. She goes everyday for a week and then is virtual for two weeks straight. She really was dreading going back to school in person because she’s used to being at home for the last year. However, she admitted that she had a really great week and that it was awesome to see friends and teachers. We really enjoyed it for other reasons, though. Specifically, the students use their asynchronous time to get homework done while they are in the classroom, which ultimately equates to Brayden going to bed on time because her homework is done! It is definitely very interesting having two kids on completely different schedules. I have to really stop and remind myself what day it is and who is going where. It’s easy to get confused. I’m definitely ready for it to be back to normal.

I had my annual physical and all levels are spot on, and Hanleigh had her picture day at school. Every year for Christmas, my mom gives me a gift card to have a facial with one of her friends, who is an esthetician. As part of the gift, after the facial, Mom and I go to dinner together. This has been a tradition for the past few years. Well, not only did Mom give me that gift this year, but she also gave it to Brayden. This is Brayden’s first true pampering experience. The two of them went to have her facial and then went to dinner. Brayden definitely snoozed off during the experience and absolutely loved it. I think I’ve got a fellow spa girl to relax with now! So exciting!!! This could be a pricey hobby!

We hung out with the Whitcombs and Farrells one evening and had an absolute blast, as always. They are our peeps!!! We also went to visit GG & Dadaw…this would be our last visit with Dadaw in their house as he is being moved to a higher level of nursing care at the Cypress. It is definitely the right decision, but that doesn’t make it any easier. He will be well taken care of by the staff there and will be just across the street from Mimi, which is very comforting. However, the two of them have been inseparable for 76 years, so adjusting to this new life will be challenging. Alzheimer’s is such a debilitating disease and watching someone go through it, whether it is the person with it or those taking care of them, is super tough. My heart goes out to everyone in the family. Again, it is the right decision and he is in the right place.

I wrapped up the month celebrating my friend’s (Renee) birthday with Julie, Christina, and Megan at a local wine bar. Even if it’s just for a couple hours, hanging out with friends is desperately needed during these times. Aside from live concerts, this is what I miss the most! it’s very nice to see that the pandemic is getting better. Slowly, but surely. Thank goodness!!!

Hanleigh-isms:

• H: Are you glad I’m alive?
• Me: Yes, I’m so glad you’re alive. Why do you ask?
• H: Because I don’t understand. Could I have been a dog if I wasn’t a human?
• Me: Yes, I guess so.
• H: So everyone you meet is alive but not everyone may be humans, like some people are dogs. So God decides whether someone is going to be a human or a dog?
• Me: Something like that.

• B: I had M&Ms today for science.
• H: Why didn’t you give me any?
• B: You weren’t even here.
• H: I was there in holy spirit!

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