Spring Updates and Photos

In my current role as a change management consultant, I work remotely 100% of the time. My consulting firm along with my current clients I'm supporting (PepsiCo) are both located in the Dallas area. In April, I spent a few days in Plano and Dallas for a client workshop and firm onsite meeting. It felt really strange being in a corporate office for the first time since before Covid struck, and it was even more bizarre to meet colleagues in person that have been on my computer screen for 2 years. 

With an incredibly busy spring of school and other activities, Connor and Marie often had trouble aligning their schedules so they could hang out. On the rare occasion that it worked, we loved having them over to spend time together playing games or goofing off outside. They are too cute!

In his occasional free time, Connor could usually be found playing video games or hanging out in his room. I have no idea why I snapped this photo of him assembling a Lego set, but I suspect it had something to do with the fact that I'm realizing his time living at home with us is running out far sooner than I'll be ready for.

For her part, Kaitlynn can usually be found in her room on FaceTime with friends while simultaneously playing computer games. But she also loves finding activities outside like swimming or trampoline time and attending her regular tumbling classes.

It became obvious that Kaitlynn was hitting a growth spurt this spring when her appetite increased dramatically. She can put away a huge amount of food like kolaches and pizza, but no one has any clue where it ends up except for the 1-2 inches of growth she's had this year alone.

In mid-April, Kaitlynn and I attended the spring Mother Daughter Tea which is an annual event to welcome new members into our Azalea chapter of National Charity League (NCL). It was a beautiful venue and we made sure to snap some pics to mark the occasion.

This girl is growing up so fast and changing into such a mature and beautiful young women right before our eyes. One morning before church, I couldn't resist taking her picture with Jeff because they looked so sweet together.

And finally, on Mother's Day, Jeff snapped a photo at church of me with my babies to mark the special day. Of course, these two clearly no longer resemble anything remotely close to a baby, but little do they know in my mind's eye they will remain those precious babies forever.

Connor's G-Wagon

With Connor's 16th birthday quickly approaching and Jeff returning to work soon, we were worried about being able to juggle the ongoing chauffeuring expectations for our two busy teens. We decided that we needed a 3rd vehicle for Connor to drive, and we tried to speed up our vehicle search to make sure we could find something we were comfortable with. It turns out that 2022 is a terrible year to purchase a used car due to the decreasing inventory and skyrocketing price of cars everywhere. We had to increase our budget 2-3 times just to find a quality vehicle in a reasonable timeframe, but we took a chance and initiated the purchase of a Volvo crossover SUV from Carvana. We waited patiently for it to show up, and soon enough, it arrived right at our doorstep. It was a really cool process to conduct the transaction entirely online and have it hand-delivered while Connor was away at school.

Carvana gave us about 7 days to test drive the car and determine if we were going to keep it, and Jeff wasted no time checking it out. He even drove Kaitlynn to school in the car and picked her up later that day, all without Connor ever seeing it.

Later that night, we were going out for dinner and Jeff asked Connor to drive all of us. Connor had just returned from a long day of school and practice, and he was in NO mood to drive. Standing in the garage, he argued about not wanting to drive and complained about being too tired. But when Jeff told him to take the car in the driveway, he turned and soon realized what was happening. His face lit up when he figured it out! It was a fun surprise on a random April afternoon!

After seeing Connor drive his new Volvo XC90, we were initially concerned that he was too tall for the driver's seat. We debated for a while but eventually decided the car was fine for his (and our) needs. We joked with Connor that he was driving a grandma's car, which was fitting because he actually drives slow and cautious like a grandma as well, ha! Thus the name for Connor's car was born: the G-Wagon!

Bravo Spirit Championship

In mid-April, Kaitlynn had her final cheer competition of the season at the Bravo Spirit Championship in Round Rock hosted at the fabulous Kalahari Resort. Last year at this same event, Kaitlynn's team experienced a come-from-behind win to take home the championship, and so we all arrived with high hopes and excitement to achieve a repeat performance this year. 

Once we arrived, however, we realized that Kaitlynn's Phantom team was missing several key athletes. The coaches had to scramble to find replacements and then quickly teach them the stunts, pyramids, and choreography. Watching them in warmups, it did not look promising, but the girls were having fun and enjoying the beautiful spring day outdoors at the resort.

During the warmups, Jeff arrived to meet us at the venue and wish Kaitlynn good luck. He had spent the earlier part of the day at our Spicewood property and drove to Round Rock just in time to see Kaitlynn and her team head to their performance.

When it was time for Phantom to perform, we cheered them on with all our might. We watched closely to see how the team did with their substitute performers, and despite some last minute modifications to the routine, Phantom nailed the performance and brought down the house! It was a fantastic way to end the season with such a strong showing.

The team was dismissed before the awards ceremony later in the afternoon, so it was on the drive home when we received the competition results. Phantom team had done it... they won 1st place in their division! Team Phantom started the season in the fall with a win and ended the same way. What an amazing season and experience with such awesome athletes and families! There were ups and downs along the way, but our year with Phantom was the most fun and truly set the bar high for years to come. Way to go, Phantom!

Jeff's Birthday

In mid-April, we managed to squeeze in a little birthday celebration for Jeff who turned 59. Yes, 59!! Seems a bit unreal, and he sure pulls it off well! We enjoyed a dinner together followed by homemade chocolate cake and ice cream, Yum! It often feels too rushed but we love soaking in the family time for special occasions such as this.

As has become his birthday tradition, Jeff made sure to accomplish his annual goal to complete as many push-ups as his age. Unlike my dad's birthday goal each year to shoot his age in golf, Jeff's push-up goal actually gets MUCH harder with each new year, ha! 59 push-ups... could he do it?! He sure did, but not without a lot of noise and grimacing!

Jeff received an unexpected surprise for his birthday this year. He was contacted by his former company in Dubai, Shelf Drilling, about taking on some contract work similar to his previous role there. It was out of the blue but definitely a great opportunity for a short-term "side hustle". Looks like this birthday boy would soon be retiring his role as Retiree!

National Honor Society

Not to be outdone by his little sister, Connor's academic achievements were recognized this year with his induction into the National Honor Society. With the high standard of academics in Katy along with Connor's intense and difficult course schedule, we were incredibly proud of his hard work to earn this prestigious honor. Of course, he didn't seem to think it was a big deal and balked at the idea to "dress up" for the ceremony, but we compromised on a collared shirt with jeans - no easy feat if you happen to know this dressed-down kid of ours who thinks collared shirts are an evil inflicted on society.

The auditorium for National Honor Society was much less crowded than the one for Kaitlynn's junior high crowd. It is not easy at all to achieve the 87.5 grade point average at the high school level, and all the parents in attendance were so proud of these kiddos. One by one, they walked the stage to shake the hand of the Principal, Dr. Hull. It was great to see many of Connor's friends walk the stage as well. After the short ceremony, the parents forced the kids into many photo opportunities. Connor and his girlfriend, Marie, were happy to be celebrated together, and I never miss the chance for a photo of them. Connor also posed with his Katy baseball teammates and Principal. It was a beautiful evening to celebrate these students and honor their hard work!