Long-Awaited Girls Weekend

Now that the kids were back in school, I was ELATED to make a special trip to the Austin area for a long-awaited reunion with my childhood besties - Amanda, Dana, and Katherine! The last time we were together was the celebration of our 40th birthday, five years ago. We couldn't believe so much time had passed, and yet - just like always - it immediately felt like no time at all. 

When we first arrived, the nonstop chatter was excited and rushed in an attempt to cover so much ground in our relatively short time together. Dana, ever the practical one, whipped out her iPhone and began quizzing us on all the topics we needed to make sure to discuss throughout our weekend outing. Kids, husbands, schools, jobs, extended families, challenges, joys...no subject was off limits as we began the task of truly catching up.

In the days and weeks leading up to our girls' weekend, amidst the excitement I was admittedly feeling some anxious feelings and trepidation. Let's be honest, the world has shifted and changed in so many unexpected ways in the last few years. Today's societal challenges have divided brother versus brother and bestie versus bestie, bringing strife and discord into the closest and most unified of families and friend groups. Mine have been no exception. Satan has been hard at work pitting us against each other in ways that go far beyond the stereotypical religion and politics. With fear and uncertainty the theme of the day, we have all retreated to our proverbial corners and put up our fists to defend our position and persuade others to our "side", all under the guise of taking care of one another and doing the right thing. To say I have been disappointed in the not-so-subtle shift of our nation - our WORLD - is a profound understatement. 

That being said, I was understandably nervous about reuniting with my dear friends and began internally coaching myself to filter my thoughts and speech in a desire to keep the peace and avoid difficult conversations that could go south, as many discussions these days do. But to my delight and, honestly, a bit of surprise, it was mere moments into our visit that we all realized there wouldn't need to be any such filtering or peace-keeping. While we all have our own unique life experiences and views which shape our opinions, my besties and I were on the same page all along.

These girls... what can I say? The older I get, the more I realize what a true blessing it is to have their encouragement, wisdom, shared experiences, and everything else that comes with such lasting and genuine friendship. We fell right into step with hugs and laughter and just as easily into meaningful stories and sentiment. We commiserated our experiences with aging while tapping into our youthful side with an hours-long session of fumbling around TikTok. We soaked in the gorgeous weather with some long walks, headed out into the city for a little shopping, and soaked in the enjoyment from delicious food. It was a weekend oasis for our decades-long friendship, renewing our hearts and souls of the bountiful joy that life has to offer and that God has chosen to bless us with. Blessed beyond measure!

We snapped several group photos to capture the moments and commemorate our time together. Some may notice the bags, the sags, the crows feet, or the grays, but all I notice are the genuine smiles from restored time together, the twinkle in our eyes from knowing we could dissolve in laughter at any moment, and the closeness and comfort from a near-lifetime of friendship that continues to age like a fine wine. It was long overdue, but our girls' weekend was just what we all needed. Until next time!

Back to School - 10th and 7th grades

Before we knew it, the new school year had arrived and it was time for the kids' first day of school. Connor was entering 10th grade - a sophomore - and somehow this seemed impossible. Truly. He sure looked the part, though, because he was still one of the tallest in his grade. With another difficult schedule of advanced and college-level courses, along with attempting to juggle practices and games for both basketball and baseball, this kid was embarking on a super challenging year. We remind him everyday that he can do hard things, and he proves us right daily!

Kaitlynn's first day of 7th grade looked a little different, because this year she was wearing her cheer uniform as part of her new responsibilities as a junior high cheerleader. She arrived early and stayed late for her cheer duties, on top of her tough schedule of advanced courses while also juggling a demanding practice schedule for her all star cheer team.

We couldn't help but feel so proud of these kids for their ambition and drive to work hard everyday with a new and challenging schedule of classes and activities. Connor began leaving for school each morning before daylight and sometimes not returning home until long after dark. Kaitlynn would leave for school loaded down with multiple bags and what seemed like an endless checklist of items to remember for her various cheer commitments. Jeff and I could hardly keep up with the new schedule, and it wasn't long before it caught up with us all. Here's to the new school year and the upcoming chaos of overcommitted kids, ha!

End of Summer Photos

Here's a collection of some miscellaneous end-of-summer photos from my life these days.

First, the National Charity League (NCL) year of philanthropy for Kaitlynn and I was kicked off in late summer with a back-to-school event to honor the senior class who were celebrating their 6th and final year of NCL. It was nice to meet up with friends and continue learning about the NCL organization and ceremonies.

Throughout the summer, I continued working from home for my new client, PepsiCo, and had some tough weeks with long hours along the way. The ideal work-life balance seems ever-elusive but I never stop striving to achieve that "sweet spot" of hours in my current projects while juggling Mom life with 2 incredibly busy kids. I have developed some amazing client relationships in the past 2 years at my current firm, and it is always such a rewarding feeling to be recognized for my hard work with shout-outs and little tokens every now and then.

Amidst the busy work schedule, I always find a way to carve out much-needed girl time with friends. Even if it's only a few times a year, the conversations and down time with Julie and Michelle are always a highlight of the season.

Phantom Cheer

As the summer wrapped up and school was approaching, Kaitlynn was embarking on a new chapter in her world of all star cheer. After weeks of practices and tryouts, Kaitlynn was informed of her placement on a new team for the upcoming competition cheer season. She jumped two levels from the previous season and was invited to join the new Phantom squad, a small Youth Level 3 team. Awesome!

Kaitlynn was SO excited to achieve this new level, and she couldn't wait to see what her coaches and new team had in store. They wasted no time in gathering the girls for hours of weekly practices as well as multiple opportunities to get to know each other outside of the gym. Our team was even partnered with another team, the Mini Ops, to create Big/Little sister pairs for the girls to mentor and encourage the younger girls throughout the season. 

To officially kick off the season, the entire team and parents were invited to a season-opening party for the girls to get to know each other, swim, eat, and make signs to welcome their new Lil' Sis to the world of cheer. Now that we had a full year of all start cheer under our belts, Kaitlynn and I were feeling much more comfortable and finally understood what was going on - which was the complete opposite from how we felt a year ago!

We are SO excited for the fun year of Phantom cheer ahead and can't wait to see what the season has in store for these talented athletes! Go Phantom!

Cheering for Back to School

Before we knew it, the hectic schedule of back-to-school time was upon us. For Kaitlynn, this meant an abundance of activities for her new role as 7th grade cheerleader. In addition to her scheduled practices, she and her squad participated in numerous activities as the junior high school prepared to welcome back students for the new school year. First up, the cheerleaders were invited to perform at a "welcome back" pep rally for the teachers. While Kaitlynn donned her new uniform, I was excited to attend and wear my "Cheer Mom" shirt for the first time.

The cheerleaders performed well and were excited to experience the perks of student leadership, such as welcoming their fellow students back to school and attending a special luncheon with the school administration. They all looked the part, and Kaitlynn was really enjoying the extra time with her new cheer friends.

With the daytime activities completed, it was soon time for the back-to-school dance for all the junior high kids. I snapped a quick photo as Kaitlynn exited the car and confidently walked into the school to join her friends. I felt immediately transported back in time to the time when I had done the same for Connor years back. How is it that these kids keep growing so fast? My emotions can't seem to keep up!

Jeff's Summer Projects

The kids weren't the only ones having a fun and relaxing summer. Jeff continues to live his best life in retirement, although for some reason he never really tells others that he's officially retired. Likely this is due to the fact that he doesn't FEEL retired because he's running those darn kids around to all of their activities on a 24/7 basis. We are just the HELP at this point, ha!

In his spare time, Jeff has become the ultimate king of his domain. The wildlife may threaten to take over our yard from time to time, but in the end Jeff always wins. This summer, it was a battle between the rabbits and armadillos. To date, Jeff has captured 8 rabbits, 7 armadillos, and a possum in our yard. Crazy! His new morning routine consists of checking his trap and "relocating" these creatures to a spot across the freeway to keep them far away. 

And while he didn't set a trap, he also managed to capture a decent-sized snake on our back patio one summer afternoon. Sadly, the snake would meet a different type of fate than his rabbit and armadillo friends. RIP.

When he wasn't conquering the challenges of home ownership, Jeff managed to meet up with Kevin and other buddies for lunches every now and then. One such special meet-up was an unexpected reunion with a buddy from Dubai, the same buddy who purchased our Jeep from us back before we returned to Texas. It was a bittersweet reunion with Jeff's beloved RJ! What a small world!

Another activity Jeff enjoyed this summer was a return to his youth by riding Kevin's new toy - a dirt bike. They found some cool trails out behind our neighborhood and took Kevin's bike for some joyrides. Hard to believe Jeff used to drive a motorcycle as his main source of transportation to and from work!

One of Jeff's favorite summer projects by far was when he managed to host several of the neighborhood families for a Friday food and game night - all while I was away for the weekend. He organized multiple games with prizes and catered in some Mexican food, and from what I heard, everyone had a great time. I asked him to send me pics and this was all I got, ha! Just goes to show that he was having too much fun to stop and take a photo. It's a full life and we're all lucky for it! :-)