We had an extra day in Orlando for Christina’s dance competition, so we went to Sea World. These dolphins looked like they were having so much fun. They reminded me of Pinot, willing to do anything for even just one kernel of dog food, and loving every second of it. The roller coasters were a lot of fun, too – we dared ourselves on all of them and none of them disappointed. The only one Robin didn’t like was the one that went backwards and straight up really fast. She thought it would fly right off the track. Overall, a nice way to spend the day.
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March 7
Robin had her first practice with Cobalt tonight and it went pretty well, other than not being able to practice any stunts because the flyer was hurt. They have a competition on Sunday, so we’ll see how that goes with just this one practice under her belt! She said she liked this team better than her team because they were a lot more helpful. It’s nice when kids can be nice.
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March 6
I am teaching another NAMI course starting next week. It’s been a while since I did one; I’m a little rusty. I remember many years ago when I took my class, they were still doing the videos on DVD, and the technology at the time was a total hassle. You’d think we would have come a long way from there, but it turns out the technology issues don’t improve, they just change. I’m just hoping our venue has WiFi.
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March 5
Robin has a virtual cheer competition tonight. I can’t quite wrap my head around how that works. Apparently they record the performance and submit it online and then… get an email with their score? The gym has to be silent during the recording, which also goes against everything I know about cheer competitions. We’ll see how this goes!
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March 4
Tonight we played That Escalated Quickly, and Christina came up with some hairbrained response that left Billy wrecked with uncontrollable laughter. I truly thought I was going to have to take him to the emergency room, he was laughing so hard. Poor Christina was so embarrassed that she actually left the house, but we won the round, it all worked out, all is good. This is why I love family game night.
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March 3
Not much to say about today. It was Monday. Kind of a disappointing day on the scale and on the treadmill. I ran 25 minutes out of my 30-minute goal. I don’t understand the mental block I have with this. I know I can do it, but in the moment, I don’t care if I can do it. I just don’t want to. I have a race next weekend and I really want to run the whole thing. It is going to take a huge mental push if these treadmill runs are any indication. Try again Wednesday.
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March 2
Considering we started the day on the other side of the state, I did a lot today. Not the least of which was finishing another big piece of the advent calendar. I am finishing the day with overwhelming gratitude. For every time Robin smiled over the weekend, for Christina coming food shopping with me today, for Billy pulling together all our National Parks photos into frames to put on the dining room wall… and so many other things too.
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March 1
Rose Gold finished 4th out of 6, so not the showing we’d wanted. They apparently had a deduction due to a legality issue, so to still place 4th despite that is pretty good. This smile makes me happy, no matter how they finish.
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February 28
We paid off all our debts today. What an amazing feeling! Everything is clicking right now. Things I didn’t think were possible. I’m not sure how this is happening or why, or how long it will last, but I’m going to enjoy every second of it while I can, with heaps and heaps of gratitude for what I’ve been given. Now if Robin can do well at tomorrow’s competition, that would be a nice cherry on top. But I will not be greedy.
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February 27
Pinot is not forgiven, but he is pretty cute. And bendy. And definitely more comfortable than me.
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February 26
Billy bought me a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day, and when I went to have one, I found that Christina had eaten them all. So Billy bought me another box of chocolates, which I kept on my desk in my office so Christina wouldn’t be tempted. Tonight I got home to find that a certain dog who will remain nameless jumped onto my desk, carried the box across the room to my couch, and ate every last one of them. I don’t know how he is still alive. Maybe I’ll have a beer. Pinot hasn’t figured out how to open the refrigerator door – yet.
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February 25
I’m a big fan of all the family time we’ve been having lately. Tuesday family game night has proved to be particularly awesome. It was my turn to pick a game tonight, so I picked Pictionary. Robin and I are kind of a dream team. You should have seen her picture of a harmonica. I have no idea how I guessed it. Magic, I guess.
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February 24
Ten days later, and these roses are just as beautiful as the day I bought them.
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February 23
We attempted an escape room today. Billy and the girls had never done it before and I thought it’d be fun. It turns out we are not all that good at puzzles. It took us almost 20 minutes to solve the first one, which didn’t leave much time for anything else. But I think everyone had fun and now we HAVE to try again.
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February 22
I went out with some friends and we laughed and ate Mexican food and it was so fun. I don’t have many friends here, and those I do have I don’t see very often, so nights like these mean a lot to me. Also today I made the last ornament for the advent calendar. It will surely be done in time for Christmas this year. Next step is to sew on buttons, then add the back and border, and then add dowels and it’s done! Four years of effort. Worth all the time that’s gone into it.
Year in Photos 