September 21, 2018 - The Kickball Game

I have a very large extended family and I adore them.  I don't always feel like I fit in with them for whatever reason, but I know they are there for me if I need them.  A few months ago, I was invited to play in a charity kickball game with them.  I agreed to go but every cell of my body was telling me to cancel today.  This was TOTALLY out of my comfort zone.  Rick is in Denver so he couldn't go with me and Riley was babysitting my cousin's kids.  My brother refused to go for reasons of his own.  But I went.  And we were terrible.  We lost both games.  We were the only team that even had females on it.  Afterwards, we went out to dinner and then I met Riley at my parents' for a sleepover. 

I stepped out of my comfort zone and I survived.  My new goal is to step out of that zone at least once every week until I find my zone is a lot bigger.

PS, check out my kicking sock! 

September 20, 2018

We had work outreach today at a golf outing for a charity that I enjoy and it included a pretty view of a lake.  It also meant I was home early enough to go to saxophone practice with Riley and then afterwards, we went shopping for a Homecoming dress for Riley because dum dum dum, she got invited to the dance at another school.

One of her friends (and her mama) met us at the mall and helped us eliminate every dress we found.  We also had dinner with them and had some freeze dried ice cream like the astronauts.  It was gross.

September 19, 2018

Our access to the interstate system has been closed for a few days.  Even though I work downtown, I rarely access the interstate and just take back roads.  But this closure has impacted EVERYTHING.  GAH.  It took me an hour to get home yesterday.

September 18, 2018 - Egg Cups

We actually took the time to pre-make some egg cups for breakfast.  These have egg, cheese, sausage and potatoes in them.  I'd like to make some without potatoes and with some broccoli and ham or bacon.

September 17, 2018

Campus has been invaded by scooters.  B was ready to go for a ride!

September 16, 2018

We had confirmation practice this morning.  We are still a couple of weeks out but our church has their big festival next weekend so we won't be able to meet then.  Riley will be doing the first reading as well as the last kiddo to get confirmed.  I don't remember being this excited nor do I remember this much of a lead up when I got confirmed. 

After practice, we took the youth group to a climbing gym.  They had a great time.  Riley is still afraid of heights so she didn't go very high.  She did figure out how to boulder climb and got to the top of that wall and climbed up and over.  I didn't think there was any way she would do that so there is that.

September 15, 2018

Today was the day of Riley's TGC Dance Marathon.  She has been fundraising and pulling her teammates along for the past 12 months.  She came into the fundraising year very house afire but recently, has been feeling a bit overwhelmed and burned out.  I can't blame her.  She has been the President of her DM for FOUR years.  Most people last a year, two at most.  She had a great teammate who helped SO much this year.

Anyway, going in, we felt that we would be lucky to hit $7,000.  I told the foundation that $8,000 would be a miracle.  We, somehow...unbelievably...broke $9,000 and Riley raised $4,200 of that all by herself...well, with my help.

The three of us stopped for dinner after the marathon.  We were all smiling, exhausted and satisfied.  It was a day of tears and laughter.  Pretty much, I can't ask for more than that.

September 14, 2018 - Homecoming

It's 90s day!  My girlfriends were sad she wasn't wearing a NKOTB pin.

September 13, 2018 - Iggy

Joey is so much better than the stick unicorn I attempted the other day.  Most of my animals get named by patients or co-workers.

                                                                                                                                         

September 12 - Uno!

One of my fellow church-goers asked me to drop off some UNO cards at the hospital.  I did so without fuss.  That box was heavy!!

September 11, 2018 - Bessy

I'm branching out a little bit with my animal drawings.

September 10, 2018 - School photos

September 9, 2018

Not enough sleep still couldn't damper everyone's enthusiasm this weekend.  We had a small group in our cabin so I suggested doubling up the mattresses on our beds.  It helped tremendously but I still only got about 4 hours of sleep.  I headed up to the main cabin to work on a slideshow while the girls got ready.  Once we had breakfast, the kids played a game called footsteps.  I would try to explain it but I'm not sure I could.  They also read letters from their sponsors, wrote letters to the archbishop and got to know each other better.  We were back home around 3 after stopping for lunch, just in time to go to Rick's concert.  I may have fallen asleep during the first song but got my groove back and enjoyed the rest of it.

September 8, 2018 - Growing Up

It's no secret that we keep a pretty busy calendar but for the most part, Riley and I stay together in whatever we are doing.   Today, this was not the case.  We were both scheduled to volunteer at the NICU reunion.  I'm in charge of family photography as well as bringing in 25 college students to volunteer as well.  We were both ALSO scheduled to attend a confirmation retreat.  I'm one of the confirmation catechists.  After much deliberation, Riley left with her classmates at 9AM for Camp Rancho Framasa in Brown County and I went to the reunion.  I stayed for a few hours then headed down to meet up with my kiddoes.

The reunion was a bust.  We had torrential rains the entire time.  The reunion, so far, has been amazing.  We did not get back to our cabin until 1AM.  There was a symbol walk and rock climbing, a giant swing, reconciliation, mass, letters to parents, etc.  It was very emotional and draining.  Riley had a lovely, very spiritual, moment so she was a bit of an emotional wreck.  But most of all, these kids fell in "friend" with each other.  We took down 10 classmates and by the time we went to our cabins, they were ten close friends.

That's a lot of rain...but you can't really tell. :)

The retreat