I had written these little flowers off as lost during the deep freeze earlier this winter, but here they are! I am going to have to build a garden around them. I am still not feeling quite right. Maybe I need to sleep next to the ocean for a week.
-
March 5
The girls did not finish in the top three this weekend, but they were closer than they’ve ever been. It was the first time I thought they might have had a chance. The judges gave some really constructive feedback with their scores, which is awesome because now the team has some really solid things to work on before their next competition in six weeks. I’m so relieved this one is over, though. These things are so stressful.
-
March 4
The girls did amazing at their first day or competition. They scored 83.6, which really isn’t that impressive on its own, but when you consider that two months ago their score was 61.3, it’s huge. Every competition they have added a few more points to their score, and maybe… they can get into the 90s before the season is over. I have such a perfection complex, this sport is not for me, but I am so proud nonetheless. And look at this happy face.
-
March 3
Remember TGI Friday’s? Apparently no one else does either. Friday night at 7pm… we were one of two occupied tables in the entire restaurant. Could have been worse… could have been mobbed like it was in 1986?
-
March 2
I am just not feeling great these days. Not sure if it is anxiety or stress-related or if it’s more physical, but focus and concentration aren’t really where I want them to be, and I can’t seem to sleep enough. We have another cheer competition weekend coming up and I hope I come back on two feet.
-
March 1
Christina has her father’s temper, alright. She accidentally kicked over this Lego Hogwarts work in progress the other day and instead of trying to piece it back together, she threw it and all the rest of it into the floor, breaking it to pieces. It would have been easy to call it a total loss, I guess, but this shit ain’t cheap, folks, so I swept all the pieces I could find into a Tupperware, brought it to triage, and rebuilt what her anger destroyed. And the best part is that this little girl who never wanted anything to do with this project ever again has spent the last hour and a half helping me track down missing pieces and not only got us caught up with where we were, but passed that into new work. I guess it’s good her mom has more patience than her dad.
-
February 28
There’s not much to say about today. I’m trying to write where I have very little inspiration and I’m taking photos right before bed just to check the box. There was cavatappi pasta and Sondheim and Webber singing and now I am going to pass out from exhaustion.
-
February 27
Today has been a day of intense introspection. Not sure where I’m headed.
-
February 26
It was a long, busy day and I am thoroughly exhausted. Showered, blew my hair straight for the first time in about a year and a half, went to church, went food shopping, baked a cake, cleaned the house, made mango salsa, had my sister in law and her family over, cleaned up, and now it’s now. I don’t know how I am going to make it through the next two weeks until my next vacation.
-
February 25
We finally won the Harry Potter game today! So exciting. I actually can’t remember a single other thing that happened today. That’s how epic that win was.
-
February 24
More than anything, all I wanted for Christmas was the Harry Potter board game. Not so much because I’m a die hard Harry Potter fan (which I’m really not), but because I’d played it with my brother and sister in law and enjoyed it. Billy and I have spent hours and hours of our lives playing this game over the last two months and we have yet to win. We came closer than ever tonight and it was both exhilarating and depressing. I am going to need a day or two to recover. Also today: We went to the girls’ school this afternoon to watch their oratorical festival. They recited poems about all sorts of things that would make our governor want to vomit, which just made me so proud and actually brought tears of joy to my eyes. I am so thankful that they are still able to learn about people like Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. I don’t know how much longer that will be legal.
-
February 23
The marathon of my life continues. A bunch of people backed out of tonight’s church class (that I’m leading) at the last minute and I was so exhausted, I just wanted to cancel it. But there wasn’t enough time to let everyone know before it started. So I went reluctantly and said I’d just plod through. In the end, it was a really good class and I left feeling more energized than I went in (which admittedly wasn’t so hard). As much as I complain about being overwhelmingly busy, I guess it’s good that I am busy. I feel more motivated to do even more things, like get some of my writing published and maybe even make that lucrative enough to quit my “temp” job that I’ve been in for almost 17 years and have never enjoyed. Of course that means I have to write and I have to find publishers who might like my writing, which means even more work, but I guess I might as well ride this motivation wave for as long as it lasts.
-
February 22
There are some nice things in the backyard if you look hard enough.
-
February 21
Back to the grind today. Survived the gym, did some prep for the class I’m leading on Thursday, worked hard all day and accomplished nothing, took the kids to the library, and now I’ve got an entire evening free! What! Also, our backyard is an absolute disgrace. I waited like 15 years to have my own backyard after years in the city, and this is what I’ve let it get to. This spring will require some real love and probably some dollars, but I’m determined to make this the sanctuary I wanted it to be when we first moved in.
-
February 20
The morning started with intense anxiety over absolutely nothing, which led to tears, but then also led to this.
Year in Photos 