Billy took Christina to her dance classes today and I got the afternoon off. It was so nice not having my work day interrupted and getting to have dinner without rushing. I could get used to this.
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January 28
Robin and her team kicked butt at their competition. They looked absolutely amazing. For some reason they didn’t place as high as we expected – they got 6th out of 8. But they came out smiling and should be proud. The competition was really tough and they held their own. The afternoon was hectic, though, since awards were at 3 and tire shops closed at 5. First place I tried didn’t have any staff availability, second place didn’t have the size I needed. We just made it to the third place before they closed and luckily they were able to do it. I was really worried we’d have to stay another night. Then Olive Garden for dinner to celebrate and home by 8. Crazy weekend all around, but definitely could have been a lot worse, and the kids were amazing through it all.
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January 27
Turns out car trouble was just in the cards for me on this trip. I got a flat tire leaving the hotel for Robin’s competition. Luckily I’d left 45 minutes early, but I couldn’t get the lug nuts to budge even a millimeter to get the donut on. So we enjoyed a last-minute Uber to and from the convention center. (Thank you, awesome Uber drivers who both came within two minutes and were incredibly nice.) Then AAA after we got back (guess we were destined for each other after all) and dinner at 8:30pm. How does one get two flat tires in less than a month? But the girls did amazing! This competition is much bigger than any other that I’ve been to so far. It’s like God threw up thousands of cheerleaders and their cowbells in the convention center lobby. But no matter what happens tomorrow, the girls should be proud!
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January 26
This is the first of a long string of weekends we’ll be traveling for cheer and dance competitions. There was a stretch of about 15 minutes that was very tense on the way to Orlando when my gas gauge turned on just before a 15-mile stretch of highway without a single exit. I made it with about ten miles to spare and Christina was none the wiser. Next time, AAA, next time.
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January 25
Everything in my whole day seemed to happen entirely between the hours of 3 and 6 and it felt utterly chaotic. I ended up falling asleep on the couch right after the kids went to bed. I hate being this tired, but some days are just like that, I guess.
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January 24
Not only is this probably my favorite Christmas present this year, but these are also probably the comfiest pajamas I own.
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January 23
I was planning on skipping the school open house, but I’m glad Christina pushed me to go. It’s cool seeing what my kids are doing with their days, to meet their teachers, see their classrooms. Seaside is such a cool school… almost every room had a different essential oil diffusing and all the overhead fluorescent lights were turned off and replaced with Christmas lights and drapery and other incandescents. What a wonderful, inspiring way to teach and learn. Christina is learning about bees and felted this one in her handwork class. Yes, she has a handwork class. They will also be working with beeswax and making bee boxes as part of the unit. I am so glad we found this community.
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January 22
I did not do a good job of balancing things today. I ate almost entire box of chocolate chip cookies (I left three), a donut, three helpings of pasta, and a bunch of pizza rolls, all after 3pm. I used all my free time to do crossword puzzles, to the point that there are only three left in my book of 100. (Granted I did not do 97 in one day, but I’ve only been working through the book for three days.) We got a letter from the bank and our mortgage is almost doubling, thanks to our homeowners insurance being blocked out of the state and the new one costing three times more. Taking a picture to remember this day just seems so stupid. But I guess it’s a good enough starting point for something different. Again.
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January 21
Led the church service this morning. It went ok, but wasn’t my best effort. I explored Tillie K Fowler Park after several recommendations. I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. I had trouble following the trail map, which, ok, is kind of a problem I have everywhere, but it irritated me nonetheless. And then a big part of the trail was completely flooded over, which kind of ruined my mood too. And then I kept getting texts from Robin asking for more tablet time and tunafish and sewing advice. Next time phone is in airplane mode.
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January 20
I spent a lot of time doing crossword puzzles today. Robin wants to sew another bag, so I took a break to cut more fabric and happened to catch the light on this hibiscus just before it was too late. The hibiscus has been putting on a show lately.
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January 19
Some Squishmallows were unintentionally cut out of this shot, but trust they were present at the time of shooting. They joined us on morning car line because Robin took Christina’s bouncy ball and wouldn’t give it back. Sometimes you make trade-offs.
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January 18
I think sometimes I forget how hard it is to be 12. So much is changing all at once – your body, your relationships, school. An entirely new sense of self is developing and it’s so hard to navigate it all, to sort things out. It’s hard to know where to turn, if anywhere. It’s one of those things that you can’t really fix or make right. You kind of just have to go through it. It’s odd seeing it from the other side. I’m not always sure I’m doing the most supportive thing. Maybe the most important thing is to give ourselves the space to get it wrong. I think getting it wrong is probably the best way to get it right.
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January 17
Today I learned that on Wednesdays I have to buy pizza with spinach and onions because that is the only way I’ll get more than one slice.
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January 15
Today didn’t quite go as planned. Too much responsibility and not enough fun. But Christina’s room is clean, which is always a bit miraculous, and I did some knitting for the first time in probably two months. Back to reality tomorrow.
Year in Photos 