Since Billy and Colleen both have to work on Easter, we celebrated Easter Saturday this year. There were a few minor glitches, like the time when Robin took an enormous bite out of the bunny cake before we’d even frosted it and I went crazy because omg now the bunny has only half a head! That ruined it for Robin and she halfheartedly threw some frosting on it before going to her room. Christina and I did our best to fix it and it came out pretty good, but I was sad that my initial reaction killed the Easter Bunny for Robin. But the baskets went over well. The wildcard item was these little $6 ear cuffs for Robin that I wasn’t sure she would be into, but they were the biggest hit. She cried when she thought she lost two of them (luckily we found them). She wore them on her ears and septum and honestly, it looked pretty good on her. Christina got a Squishmallow and bunny slime and well, that works for Christina. Dinner was delicious. I had bought a different kind of ham than we usually get because, well, I didn’t know what we usually get, but Billy of course did awesome with it, and I think it even tasted better this way. Christina made the mashed potatoes and did an awesome job on them! There was good conversation, and it was just great to see everyone. Not too shabby.
Tag: table
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February 14
It was a nice Valentine’s Day. Robin and I made some witty Valentine’s Day cards and left them on cars at the Publix parking lot. Hopefully people found them more endearing than annoying. Christina and I made heart-shaped raspberry jam thumbprint cookies. We splurged and had filet mignon with bearnaise sauce for dinner on a nice fancy table. Billy even had a glass of wine. Billy and I got the kids a little something and we got each other a little something, and now I have some chocolate to keep away from Pinot. I never much liked Valentine’s Day, but it’s a lot more fun with people around to enjoy it with. I am a very lucky person.
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December 25
We had a nice Christmas. Everyone seemed to like their gifts, and then we had a nice dinner with Colleen and her family. We made another turkey roulade for dinner and it was delicious. By the time the kitchen was cleaned up (oh my god so many dishes), I was exhausted and passed out on the couch. Just what Christmas is meant to be.
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May 12
It’s so nice not having cheer practice. Got to take a shower, folded and put away laundry, cooked dinner, and got to eat it together with the family. As Christina would say, not too shabby.
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April 24
I clocked 55 miles on the odometer today, just going back and forth between dance and tumbling. I did this after a full day of work, and then I came home and had dinner and had a Zoom meeting with my NAMI co-facilitator, took a shower, and somehow still felt like I could run around the block at least three times. I don’t know where the energy is coming from, but I hope it never stops.
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February 14
I had fun with Valentine’s Day this year, which is really a testament to how I’ve been feeling for the last six months or so. I’m not sure which switch flipped or how, but this is probably the first time in my life I have actually felt good for more than a week or two. I celebrated Dad on his birthday and ate a heart-shaped brownie. I bought a dozen overpriced red roses. And we have enough boxed chocolate to last at least through tomorrow. I don’t know how long I’m going to get to ride this wave, but I’m going to do my best to enjoy every minute while it lasts.
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December 25
It was a pretty good day. Santa knows what’s up, y’all. There was a game of Poop involved. How could you go wrong with Poop? Dinner was amazing. Maybe not beautiful, but incredibly delicious. We made a turkey roulade with apples, sausage, and cornbread and a side of fried smashed potatoes. Colleen made a kale salad with cranberries and butternut squash that was incredible. Now it’s almost 8:30 and the day is catching up with me. I got about four hours of sleep on account of Christina waking up an hour after I went to bed, just as I was falling asleep. She woke up Pinot and gave him carrots in his crate, which got him worked up. He whined and barked until I finally took him out and dropped him in Christina’s arms as officially her problem. Within 15 minutes, he was running all over the house, barking. Apparently 2:30am is play time. He woke up Robin, and I probably should have just given up then. At some point I must have fallen asleep without realizing it, because I thought I got up to yell at the kids to go the fuck to bed and don’t get up until real, actual morning. They both said that didn’t actually happen, which I guess is good. They were also nice enough to let me sleep an extra 15 minutes after our agreed-upon 7:15am start time. All said and done, a good Christmas. Christmas is morphing for us right now, and it just goes to show that magic flows where it’s needed, in the way it’s needed, and while it’s not always what we expected, it’s still magic.
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May 12
This year we had Mother’s Day brunch out on the back patio with Colleen and her clan. Bagels and lox and mimosas, and Panera even threw in a box of coffee for nothing, which is crazy. So good, so peaceful. And I still have the whole day in front of me.
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March 31
It was not my favorite Easter. Shawn has been hurt and they weren’t up for a family gathering, so it was just the four of us. I tried to keep it special, but Billy seemed to be in another kind of mood. The kids and I did some nearby geocaching, though, the food was good, and the Easter Bunny brought just the right things and did a good job hiding eggs. So, not the best, but certainly not the worst.
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December 25
Christmas was pretty great this year. The kids said a few times that Santa outdid himself this year. They literally loved everything they got. We made homemade pasta carbonara for dinner with family and it was just a nice day. We still have 275 cookies left to eat.
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November 23
Billy made an awesome dinner, including one of the juiciest turkeys I’ve ever had. All in all a pretty good Thanksgiving. Could definitely have gone very differently this year, and I’m kind of glad it didn’t.
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April 9
The last three days have been absolutely exhausting. Fun, but exhausting. I’m really glad it’s over. Back to work tomorrow. I’ll try to enjoy the small amount of downtime I’ve got left.
Year in Photos 