Tuesday is game night, and for the record, Christina is a sore loser. Draw 20 is the Uno No Mercy death knell and she fell into it. That nearly ended the game for everyone. But… Robin and I made it to the last two in the game and we went back and forth for half an hour before I finally defeated her. I think she was glad to lose, honestly, because that meant she could have her phone again. For a few minutes, anyway.
Tag: christina
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February 1
Robin’s team did great at today’s cheer competition! They came a long way, even in the last two weeks. We have to keep that energy going into day two! Also, next time, must remember to take off the mascara before going swimming.
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January 25
Christina had a dance showcase tonight, so we went out to dinner afterwards. We decided to do something a little fancier than we usually do, so booked a 7:30 reservation. We did not get served until 9:15. I think I would have been more ok with that if I hadn’t had a splitting headache and been absolutely starving since all I ate all day was some pizza rolls. The management apologized and took 25% off of everyone’s checks, plus free dessert. Not sure what caused the backup, but we’ve eaten there before and never encountered this, plus they made good on it, so we’d still go back. Amazing how my headache went away pretty much immediately after I got some food in my stomach. I was also amazed at how patient everyone at our table was. The kids never stopped smiling. There were worm wars (I still don’t get how to play that one) and tile matching on Billy’s phone, and some indoor planet-gazing using the night sky app. Could definitely have been worse.
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January 14
We played Phase 10 tonight, which Robin reminded us is her absolute favorite game of all time. Christina came from behind and won it all. And Pinot was an excellent spectator.
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January 2
Christina got the traditional balloons, chicken alfredo, cookie dough ice cream cake, some books, a puzzle game, a necklace, and hair cream for her birthday this year. Not a bad haul for someone who has lived for 11 years now. Happy birthday, my growing-up baby.
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January 1
Took a short, one-mile walk on the beach with the girls to ring in 2025. The weather was beautiful, if just a little chilly at 63 degrees. Made pizza dough from scratch and enjoyed garlic knots with a delicious and surprisingly filling strawberry, spinach, chicken, and walnut salad. Christina decided to give Trivial Pursuit another go, and she won twice! Watched some football (Texas and Ohio State won) and did some crossword puzzles. Egg salad and champagne for lunch. Pretty good start to the new year.
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2024 in Review
Reminiscence starts at the end… and the beginning. 2024 has come to an end and 2025 beckons us forward.
I have always looked at the end of the year more as a circumstance than a true opportunity. Beginning a year on January 1 feels arbitrary when every day marks the passing of a year. But then again, why not begin a new year on January 1? And January 2? And every day after that? If nothing else, when the calendar year ends, we get to eat deviled eggs and wear silly party hats and watch fireworks going off in every direction. Arbitrary or not, this year I say, why not? Let’s go for it.
Minutes after midnight Christina took down our 2024 calendar and put up 2025. I have made one every year since 2005. This year’s cover sets the tone with a quote from Abraham Lincoln: “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
Flip to the first page and you get this: “A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.”
I think the sentiments go together. Resolving to create the future we want doesn’t make it happen. We make it happen. Not just on New Year’s Day, but every day. Every day, whether the most memorable moment is the dog sleeping on the couch or going on our first trip without the kids since before they were born. All those moments strung together make a future. We need to make it worth remembering.
So for 2024 we have 366 days of photos, cataloguing a year of our future, and now our past. Nothing very momentous happened this year, but for me, something definitely shifted. I don’t know why. We didn’t have one or two big moments worth remembering this year, but we had lots of little ones that when added together, filled me up in a way I haven’t experienced probably ever in my life.
I gave up the chorus for cheerleading and dance. I got back to the gym and started running again. We didn’t have much money for traveling, so we spent our breaks together redecorating bedrooms and taking a short trip to Charleston. Billy and I saw our first Yankees game in the Bronx in more than 11 years, and we got to share that game with Siggi and Brett. Billy and I came to the absolute brink of disaster this Easter, but with the help of an excellent counselor, found our way back. That change began to bring Robin out of her shell, and while she still hates playing board games with us, she smiles sometimes too. I’ve missed that smile.
We had hard moments too, times where the Universe pushed us to learn from and respect our imperfections. And as hard as those moments were, we hung in it together. For so many years, we lived our lives together but in isolation. This year, we faced our challenges together and came out stronger on the other side. Coming to the brink of divorce forced us all to change the dialogue. Billy had to learn to engage and I had to learn to follow more and lead less. Whatever we did differently this year, it worked.
So now 2025. I don’t expect much to change this year. I hope we continue to grow, lean on, and learn from each other. I want to run a 5k without stopping. I want to win the Harry Potter game. I want to go on more dates. When opportunities come up, I hope we don’t get too comfortable on the couch to jump on them. When opportunities don’t come up, I hope we create them ourselves.
I know we can achieve these things. We have already achieved these things. Maybe we can’t go wherever we want or do everything we want right now, but we can go somewhere and do some things, and for me, I’ll take it.
No. For US, I’ll take it.
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December 31
We finished the year strong with a Penn State football playoff win, deli sandwiches for dinner, a challenging game of Mind the Gap, and party hats. More importantly, we finished – and started – the year together.
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December 21
Today was a lazy day of doing nothing, followed by the Run Santa Run 5k. The girls did the one-mile run (which we walked) and then I did the 5k. I beat my Thanksgiving time by almost five minutes. It was a chilly night (under 50 degrees!). My Santa jacket wouldn’t stay on and my pants kept falling down and I couldn’t fix either because I had my phone and car key in my hand. I ran with Monica, who goes much faster than I do. We hung in together for two miles, but I finally had to set her (and me) free. I think she’s a big part of the reason I finished with such an improved time. We did 60/30 splits, but her running pace during the 60s was over a minute per mile faster than my usual pace. I am so glad I did it, I’m so happy the girls did it, even though Christina was mad at me for not letting her bring her iPad and Robin was too cold to enjoy anything. I feel so good right now, like I can accomplish anything. I kind of already have.
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November 26
Lazy day today. Highlights include: Running the wrong training program on the treadmill, knitting for hours, everyone but me playing Portal Knights, booking hotels for dance and a campsite for spring break, and writing one paragraph in the sermon I may never deliver but feel compelled to write anyway. It hasn’t been the most exciting week off, but I’ve gotten things done. I dedicate the rest of the week to… me.
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November 25
About five minutes after I took this photo, everything went to shit. Robin got sick, we ended up missing cheer practice, and everyone got upset. I think things are on the mend, but ugh.
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November 10
All four of us got haircuts today, and they all look great! For some reason, Christina decided to brush all those beautiful curls out of her hair. She said she wanted to see if they’d stay. Turns out they did not. It was nice while it lasted!
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October 31
Robin kept removing pieces of her attire that got uncomfortable until we were almost home and then she got a briar stuck in her toe and I thought we might have to call an EMT to hold her down while I tried to remove it. Just a few tears shed. Christina punched out early when she had to pee and then she never came back. I think despite it all, everyone had fun. These were some of the most fun costumes we’ve ever done. And even I dressed up! I cannot even remember the last time I wore a costume for Halloween. High school, maybe? It was fun and we got a lot of compliments. And I am so relieved I don’t ever have to wear contacts ever again.
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October 18
It was another stressful day at work, but the good news is I have a week off coming up. Started it off with dinner out as a family for the first time in what feels like forever. Life keeps lifing and getting in the way of living. Hoping we can strike a better balance this week.
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October 3
I wish I could find the dial that controls emotions because mine are always turned up way too high. A walk around the block with the girls and the dogs helped, but I think what I really need is an overnight trek in the mountains. Too bad that is just not in the cards right now.
