Our kids are growing up. Logan and I both agree that as families grow, traditions need to grow and change with them. A few of our Christmas traditions have been changed, or replaced by new ones. The kids are all involved in our thought process, and this has been a little bit bittersweet. Details are not relevant, but the idea that we can work together and design our traditions has been a theme of the year.
Another tradition that is changing is a bit rough for me to part with. Ever since the year I was pregnant with Evelyn, we have gone apple picking as a family. This began in Cleveland, and has continued at Walter's Fruit Ranch in Green Bluff. This year, the reality hit us that this tradition is not what it used to be. Our quaint little farm has become overcrowded, and over picked. This year we arrived relatively early to find that every single apple had already been picked. The atmosphere has changed as well, and we will probably not be back next year. We definitely reserve the right to change our mind though! Maybe we will do strawberry picking instead, and make some freezer jam. We'll see.
Every year we make it a point to take a family picture in the Autumn air. Here is our most recent picture.
One of our goals this year was to take a long backpacking trip, but the elements were against us! We were flooded out of our destination with no other options in sight. Instead, we took a trip to the Oregon coast. The result? We will probably be back every year. Hooray for new vacation destinations!
Noteworthy mentions:
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| Look! We created a garden in a day. |
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| We have become a theater family. This was on our Hazard Holiday when we saw Les Mis. |
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| The Seahawks are a thing in our family |
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| Logan feels like he is adulting now, for real. He has his FIRST EVER reliable car. |
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| These two are from the fun family reunion in South Dakota with the Hazards |
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| As a family we became acquainted with local climbing groups through service projects at local crags. |
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| We said a sad goodbye to these two as they headed to Germany to serve a 1.5 year LDS Mission. |
On to the kids!
Evelyn
Many of the changes that Evelyn has experienced are clearly visible when you compare last year to this year! Part of her story is more easily shown through pictures.
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Evelyn has had quite the style change this year. It suits her. In a good way.
Now compare the above picture with the following two images. What a difference! |
When Evelyn entered 4th grade she began Stomp, which is a fun musical program where kids get to bang on buckets and make some semblance of music. Little did we know that Evelyn banging on things would become a big part of her sense of self. She has excelled in her school band and is now doing Jazz and Concert band at school. Her ability level stands out and we often overhear people talking (in a good way) about her drumming when we watch school concerts. A few months ago we signed her up for professional lessons at the North Idaho Rock School. Soon afterwards she was involved in the creation of an all-girls band. She is now in two different bands at school, has private lessons, and gets together weekly with her group under the mentorship of Jacob at the Rock School. He is on the look-out for gigs for them as they improve their repertoire of songs.
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| Ev, Vix, and Zoe - The Band |
Evelyn has really dug deep and made it a point to craft her own vibe. She has created a lot of her clothes herself to match the look that she is going for. This really has been working well for her. She is very social and pretty well-known at school, and she makes friends everywhere she goes. From Walmart to Mountain Gear shops she comes away with new friends. At school she goes by the nickname Moth. Her many friends refer to me as 'Moth's mom." I told her I would call her anything she wanted me to, but she said it would be weird if her mom called her Moth. Does that make me old? Ok. Let's move on... As for her grades, she is rocking it! She has straight A's, and when I talked to her about it recently she nonchalantly responded that she is at the top of her class. Her casual attitude belies her studious nature. This balance works for her.
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| National Jr. Honor Society Induction |
I love talking to Evelyn. She definitely has an opinion on things, and it is fun to bring out her thoughts in conversations. I sometimes have to be careful not to ask too many questions, or she can get a bit flustered. I definitely enjoy our conversations.
In June Evelyn will be headed to Washington DC and NYC for her Eighth Grade trip. She has meticulously, and very successfully earned and saved half of the money required to travel! She had $400 payments due every month for most of this year, and she has saved money through babysitting, gift money, selling butter braids for a fundraiser, and selling her earrings. Thank you to all of you who purchased things from her to support her trip! She has paid off her share a month before the deadline. We are pretty proud of her.
One day we were walking out of Walmart and I asked Ev to carry out a large item for me. She was happy to help, but asked for the receipt. She told me that I could easily carry it out, but one look at her and the greeter would definitely not let her pass without proof of payment. And she was right. After this incident I started occasionally hanging back a bit to pay attention to how people at random places looked at Ev. She definitely gets a lot of 'looks.' I just want to tell these people, "Don't judge her by her look. She looks cooler than you, and she is probably more well put together than you ever hope to be." OK. Stepping down from my soap box now...
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| It's a style thing |
Evelyn is growing up. She is becoming more independent, as are Adalie and Jack. Our goal as parents is to make room for this change. As we take ski trips, and have busy weekends together we realize that an insular family group is a byproduct. We recognize this, and at the same time don't want to mess with our time. The balance is real. We understand the importance of friend time, and this importance is increasing as our kids get older.
Evelyn and I have been ski buddies this year We have skied a lot together, and have had some pretty good conversations on ski lifts and while carving down the slopes. I don't want these times to end, but our "Eva" is growing up!
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| Ev at a Nirvana Concert with Logan. Good times. |
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| One day Ev decided to cosplay Logan. Nailed it. |
Adalie
Adalie is our 'doer.' She is a goal setter, and she will rock any goal she sets. If you ask her to read 10 hours for her Silverwood reading sheet, then she will look at you in the eye and inform you that she will not turn it in until she has 25 hours. As soon as a goal is set it is as good as completed. I love her tenacity! Another one of her goals this year was to ski every single time that Logan or I went. A bit of an explanation might be helpful here: At the beginning of the year Logan and I realized that we would be skiing A LOT. We decided to give the kids a bit of flexibility and choice for some of these outings. We created A, B, and C ski trips. All of the out-of-state trips would be 'A' trips (No choice, you get/have to go!). B trips would be excursions where we would like you to come, but it is ultimately up to you, and C trips are completely optional for each person. Back to Addy- She decided that she would go ski every single time. She has not missed a weekend, and she always has a fantastic attitude. When I think of the song lyrics to 'I Hope You Dance' I know that Adalie will always choose to dance! I love this girl.
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| Here's Addy working on a hard climb she set a goal of doing. You can't tell, but she is in frustrated tears after falling on the second-to-last move. No worries- she regrouped and sent on the next try. |
Adalie has a love/hate relationship with pushing herself hard. She is always the one that will happily do hard things with Logan (ie trail running at Vantage and pushing herself to the limit for the last quarter mile). She told me once, "I love pushing myself to the point that I think I am going to die because it feels SO GOOD to come back to life!"
This year Adalie also had a love/hate relationship with cross country running. She had a running goal for every single meet that they did, and she made her goal. For her final race she wanted to break her previous record for the 1.5 mile run. She ran with all she had- gave it her absolute everything...and she not only beat it- she crushed it by a full 45 seconds! That is huge! It felt great to come back to life after that accomplishment. Nice work!
Adalie loves school, but has had a bit of an adjustment to Middle School. Many of her friends attend the other school in Post Falls, and she has missed them. She is very studious and is a straight A student. She enjoys playing the Saxophone in band, and she gets reading recommendations from her teacher and reads voraciously.
One day I received a call from the principal of River City Middle School. Typically, calls from the principal are not a good thing. This one surprised me as Mr. Priess proceeded to gush about how impressed Adalie's teacher was with her gumption. I later found a post card in the mail from that teacher that sang her praises. I am pretty proud of her.
Adalie can get silly. I mean really silly. Her mood is contagious, and all of the other kids feed on it! There is a particular laugh that she has that just spells trouble!
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| That sweet face belies the craziness! |
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Lovely place for a good read!
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| A lot of thought went into this art. It is worth a good look because this is Adalie, created by Adalie. |
Jackson
Jack has had some pretty great changes this year as well! He was the proud recipient of braces, and Dr. Brent did a great job!
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| This is stage one of two. What an amazing difference! |
Jackson loves Middle School. He was extremely excited to start, and I have never seen him so enthusiastic about school. He has had a bit of a wake up call with responsibility this year, and getting work done outside of school hours. I think he has a love/hate relationship with the idea of being responsible for all of his classes. He has been steadily improving, and he is very diligent about attending all of his classes. We gave him the option to go skiing at Silver Mountain and missing a day of school, and he chose school! His favorite classes are Science, Robotics and Band because he finally gets to play the clarinet he has been eying for over a year!
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First day of school EXCITEMENT
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Jackson LOVES to ski hard. He pushes his body, and he does an excellent job. Jackson may be Logan's favorite ski partner of all time. He is fun to be with, and he enjoys pushing himself and skiing hard. This year he has skied some pretty intense lines with some real consequences. He keeps a cool head, and he makes it happen. As parents we keep a cool head by outfitting him in flexible armor to protect his body!
I am impressed with Jack's decision-making ability when doing hard things. This year he found himself on the top of a steep chute at Schweitzer, and he calmly said he was not feeling it. He took another run nearby and met Logan at the bottom. I am glad he is able to have confidence, but also understands his boundaries.
Jackson is a story teller. He loves to write stories, and he is getting more and more proficient at drawing comics. I found out that his best storytelling is done on a computer. I read a handwritten story that he wrote, then a few days later I read a different one on the computer. There was a world of difference! I found out that he has become skilled at using the thesaurus, and other editing tools to go out of his way to add depth and appropriate grammar to his story.
I recently found a paper outline of Jackson's goals and 'to do' list for his garden. Last year he and Maren used the area behind the gym to create a lovely space with a pathway, beautiful plants, a bench, statues, and multiple bird feeders. This year he is planning out his garden, and getting ready to add a birdbath and possibly a pond. He also has plans to add more gnomes. A lot more gnomes. His list made me smile. He is going to make it happen, and I love that it is his happy place.
If you know Jack well, then you know that he absolutely adores chickens. More than a year ago he decided to become 'Non- Chickentarian.' This is a phrase that he coined himself that means he does not eat chicken. Since that decision he has not had any chicken whatsoever. I have figured out some cheat ways to prepare meals for him, and I am glad he likes protein shakes because he has them often as a replacement. I am impressed with his stick-to-it-ness ( I can coin words too!) in accordance with his value system. I know it has been tough for him to pass up some of his favorite foods, but I guess he REALLY likes chickens!
Jackson loves to invent new things. He has gone out of his way to create cool snow forts that require hours of concentration and planning. Also, he discovered the Metal Earth kits and will sit for hours bending tiny angles and fitting pieces together to create tiny sculptures to add to his collection..
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| Tunnels snake through this mound of discarded snow. |
Jackson is definitely becoming a teenager. While Ev and Addy have perfected the eye roll, he has mastered the steely gaze that says, "I won't talk. Period." All three have emotions that are new and different to navigate. Overall Logan and I are loving this time of life with three teenagers who are growing up and becoming fun and interesting people.
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| Jsck spent a lot of time doing scouting activities this year. He seemed to love it, but has recently decided he wasn't into the structure of scouts. We will see what happens there. |
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| Jack at one of his cross country races. He enjoyed pushing himself and improving his time. |
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| This is a common sight. Jack has discovered a love for reading. |
Maren
I love talking about Maren. I think we typically mention her quirky/fun personality whenever we can. This has been a thing since Maren joined our family, and I LOVE IT! I enjoyed searching for pictures of her because she has a lovely and sweet effervescence that simply lights up a room.
Here are some from her sillier side!
Maren shares a garden with Jack, and both of them enjoy spending time out there. Maren's favorite plant is her lemon tea plant. She will often pick the leaves, boil them, add a bit of sugar or honey, and make tea for you. She is proud of her tea, and her thoughtfulness is something that definitely defines her.
Maren constantly thinks about other people above herself. She is the queen of Just Because Presents and will buy them as often as she can. This morning Maren woke up early and made pancakes and scrambled eggs to deliver breakfast-in-bed style to Adalie. No reason other than she just wanted to do something nice. All of her nice things add up, and are definitely a part of who she is.
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| The other four kids got together to get the ultimate Just Because present for Maren to reciprocate some of her thoughtfulness. |
Maren knows exactly what she likes, and what she does not like. She can be very vocal if someone is chewing loudly, or talking with food in their mouth, or making any kind of sound she does not like including singing in the car. This all sounds very familiar! I think I was her when I was young, and sometimes that still shines through. NO. You should not make sounds when you are drinking water....
Maren is quite the entrepreneur. She had the idea a few months ago to buy a tub of ice cream, cones, and toppings to sell by the scoop. Enter "Tim's," her ice cream store. The whole family fell for it hook, line and sinker. Maren's ingenuity has led to her having a lot of money to use for her Just Because Presents!
Living in a large family brings a unique set of dynamics. Tight bonds are constantly shifting, and frenemies can be a thing. As Evelyn has matured and started hanging out with older friends it has created a bit of a separation between her and her siblings. This separation has created a shift in play groups. Ev and Addy used to be connected at the hip, this has shifted a bit to Addy and Maren. These girls are like two peas in a pod. They are together often and their bond has grown tremendously this year. The relationship connections with a family of five kids is enormous, and each bond has its eccentricities. Watching this happen as a parent can be rewarding, and it can be a bit unnerving as well. Maren has really blossomed and come into her own, and I think that is partially connected to her fun connection with Adalie.
Adalie and Maren have been in a hip hop dance class together this year. For the most part it has gone really well. Let's just say that Adalie tends to be a bit of a mother hen. After a lovely incident where Addy tried to take charge, and Maren ended up in a corner "being a turtle," things have gone much better! Maren loves to dance, and they are both looking forward to their end of the year production of Peter Pan. Earlier this year she performed in a number as a nurse.
Maren continues to be a great Bunny Momma! She takes care of those guys every day and she gives them plenty of love. Bunnies are a big part of her life, and she loves ANYTHING to do with them.
Maren knows what she likes, and what she does not like. She does not like any kind of gloves or hats. Ever since we started skiing she has refused to wear these two items of clothing. It was difficult for me at the beginning and I required her to carry some with her, but I have come to realize that she has never worn them, and she has never complained. This year we introduced hand warmers to the kids. They get a pair every time we ski. Maren has never taken a pair, but prefers instead to have only one. I am not sure what she does with this lone hand warmer, but she is content. She knows what she likes, and she makes it work!
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| Look Mom! No gloves! |
Lindsey
This little girl is a smart cookie! She is in second grade, and loves to show off her skills by doing fourth and fifth grade Science, Math, and Spelling. She gets great delight doing the homework of her older siblings- much to their chagrin! She joined challenge (GATE) this year, and I am sure she is a handful for Mrs. Gillette!
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| Lindsey did Invent Idaho as part of Challenge this year. Sea turtles are very important to her! |
Lindsey is a social butterfly, and is our first child that just disappears (with permission) to her friends houses after school. Our house, in the past, has typically been the social meet up place, but Lindsey isn't about to wait for friends to come over. She actively seeks people out to play with, and is successful in her looking!
Lindsey is not about to be left out! She has really come into her own with skiing this year, and the last few resorts have found her seeking out difficult runs to attack with her straight down the hill style! She is fast and furious when it comes to the steeps, but she is slow and tedious when it comes to the flats! She does not have enough weight behind her, and it is almost comical to see her try to get through flat portions of a trail since she has to resort to scooting or skating along. She loves to ski with the big kids and she is more than capable of keeping up!
Occasionally I will find a little love letter left on my pillow, or on my shelf above the sink. Linsey is a sweetheart, and she leaves me sweet notes to remind me of how much she loves me. What a thoughtful girl!
Miss Lindsey can be a bit much! She has a bit of a demanding style about her. I think this is her normal voice, and she can't even tell! This makes it rough trying to get her to be more gentle and polite in everyday requests or conversations.
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| Lindsey's confidence is undeniable! |
I don't want our sweet Lindsey to grow up too fast! Being the youngest of five it is difficult to get a 'young' childhood. There are a few things that she is holding on to! Lindsey loves playing Barbies in the bathtub, LOL dolls, anything Frozen (STILL), dress up, and doing her nails. I had to buy washable nail polish for this girl because she loves doing her nails multiple times per day! On any given day you can check out Logan's toes and they are probably colorful! She will wear lipstick and makeup at any chance I give her, and she wears dresses to school most days with leggings underneath.
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She has a skirt on more often than not when she cruises down the hill
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| Guess who! |
After school I rotate picking up kids for individual dessert dates. Lindsey is, by far, the most excited for these outings. She constantly asks me when her turn is, and she looks forward to it for days! I love this time, and I am glad she loves it too!
Lindsey recently became the proud owner of a house plant from Grandma and Grandpa that they gave her before they left for Germany. This plant sits in the middle of our dining room table, and Lindsey waters it religiously. It is thriving! Every time I check it there is the perfect amount of dampness to the soil. She has been very attentive in her care for this little plant. I think it might lead to her getting a pet fish in the near future! She takes responsibility seriously, and I love that about her.
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| This girl can be pure sweetness. |
Logan and Rachel
Life. Is. Good. This
year was another exceptional year for us. We had a great trip to Red Rock,
which is one of our favorite places of all time. Mondays have been
wonderful because we have had our weekly breakfast date followed by climbing
at our local gym. Both of us have crushed our goals, and worked on some serious
projects. We are looking forward to springtime when we can climb outside locally,
and travel to bucket list destinations to tick off some more classic climbs. Besides
Monday dates we have had many date nights together. We continue to enjoy our
Seahawks outings, and this year we attended our first live game in Seattle! We
will definitely be back. Aside from our time together, both of us have had many
personal goals this year. I think we motivate each other to set and accomplish
things since we are pretty competitive!
Logan
When I look back on Logan's year the biggest specific goal that stands out was in relation to his climbing. In January, we climbed at Vertical World in Seattle, and an idea was born. Logan wanted to climb 50 5.12 climbs in 2021. At the end of December he had ticked off 56 5.12's. As his belayer I can say that I noticed impressive improvement in his climbing over the year. Toward the end he was on-sighting most 5.12a's and b's, and his hardest onsite was a 5.12c. Wherever we went he drew crowds to watch him grace his way up the wall, and he definitely had his share of gawkers when he jumped on bouldering walls and sent entire competition circuits in one session. All in a day's work for this impressive guy, and his skills are such that he made it look easy. On another climbing note, it should be mentioned that Logan has absolutely fallen in LOVE with our home gym Tension Board. He is out there daily just loving life. Training? Not a chance. He plays!
Skiing has become a 'thing' for Logan in the past few years. Every year he pushes himself more and more. This year was full of difficult lines, and runs that require you to be fully dialed in. The mental game was the biggest challenge to overcome, and as experience has progressed, so has confidence and focus- especially when at speed. For climbing it is the mental and physical puzzle-solving that really excites him, and for skiing he enjoys the challenge of managing emotions (fear, mostly) and honing reflexes. Both of these mental challenges create a nice balance.
As we travel, Logan has been ticking off runs that he has been eying at each resort. Jack has been his partner for many of them. Logan's tick list is complete so far except for Corbet's Couloir in Jackson which was, unfortunately, closed during our visit. It is definitely something to go back for next year!
Logan has a fondness for lifting up heavy objects repeatedly for short amounts of time. He isn't quite sure why he finds enjoyment in this, but it is a thing.
Logan always has at least one book that he is reading, and many times will go through a few at a time. This year Logan read his favorite book off all time: "War and Peace." He also enjoyed re-reading "Brave New World" and "1984" at the same time. I read 1984 this year also, leading to some great late-night conversations.
Logan is still loving where he works! This year his office has gone through an overhaul with procedures, and their patient base. Logan is enjoying the technology available at his fingertips. He loves a good challenge, and has many lasting relationships with his patients. He got into his profession for the science and technical aspect paired with the patient connections that he would build. He is still loving both of these things, and he genuinely enjoys going to work. Dentistry is rewarding and brings fun challenges.
Logan has always said that he was confident in his body, and that he could run a marathon any day and at any time. This year he tested that theory. Mark, a dental school friend, came to visit CDA for the fun things to do around here and because he and a friend planned to run a marathon that weekend. They invited Logan to do it with them. Logan had not trained for a single day, and hadn't run more than a couple of miles in over a year. He was up for the challenge though to see if what he always proclaimed was true. He woke up early, and then proceeded to run an entire marathon before checking in at work that same morning. Who does that???? Oh yeah, my awesome husband.
Along with reading books for himself he has been reading books nightly to the kids. I love listening in on the conversation topics that are brought up around each book. I recently received a compliment from Jackson's teacher that he has a very extended vocabulary for a student his age, and she has repeatedly has to define words he uses to the other kids. I think this may be true for our kids, and I think a lot of that credit goes to Logan for the nightly reading and conversation. Here are their favorites for the year:
Evelyn: Animal Farm, Uglies
Adalie: Refugee
Jackson: Words on Fire
Maren: The Unteachables
Lindsey: How to Steal a Dog
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| Logan may have been born in the wrong era. |
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| Logan has an odd preoccupation with goats. This makes for some great Christmas presents. This is a goat from Lindsey that screams when you press it. It currently lives on Logan's desk at work. |
Rachel
I have a yearly fitness rotation that has worked very well
for me, and this year was no different. My cycle begins when school starts in
September. My weight training cycle continues
through fall and winter. As soon as Spring hits it is race training, then racing season
begins and ends with my final "A" race. Then the cycle begins again. This year my
A race was the Priest Lake Olympic length Triathlon. To be honest, this was my
rockiest race to date. I have a lot to learn, and will do much better next time!
I am currently figuring out my training schedule for my next race.
Rock climbing has been a part of my life for fifteen years,
and I have enjoyed it immensely. This year, however, marks a bit of a change
for me. I have begun pushing my limits at the gym, and have been sending climbs
that were previously untouchable. The result? My onsight grade has increased dramatically.
I am curious to bring my gym training outdoors and see what happens. Trad
multi pitch routes are still my favorite, and hopefully I can push the grade
there this Summer!
Skiing is another sport that has been part of my life for
the last few years. In the past, it has been more centered around kids, but there
was a shift this year. The kids are now old enough to ski on their own, so I have
found myself with more time. And, let’s be honest, some of the kids are now
skiing better than me and they are more than willing to be my partner when I
want to push my limits. We are all great cheerleaders for each other!
A few months ago the kids and I took care of my friends’
plants and her cat while she was on vacation. As I walked around and watered
her plants I had the feeling that I was adulting in a new way and I kind of
liked it. I had always considered myself to have a brown thumb when it comes to
plant care. I think this was just an excuse for me being lazy and not wanting
to take responsibility for killing my plants. I decided to try again. I am
proud to say that I have a few small plants that have been with us for a full year
now. I even have a plant that I put in a closet for three months without water
to create a new bloom cycle. Who has even heard of such things!?!? Well, it was
a success. I am learning that the old adage that plants need sun, water, time,
and soil is simply not always true. Now I am working on saving plants from
indoor aphids. Who knew that was a thing?
This section would not be complete if I did not mention
CDAIDE. I have been with the organization for a few years, and this year was the busiest for
me. I had a great team on the Silent Auction Committee, and I enjoyed the goal
setting and organization that was required. Everything went off without a hitch,
and things have since slowed down quite a bit. I have made some great friends there,
and I am glad to be involved.
One of the defining events of this year was moving from my
Sorenson office in Spokane Valley to my permanent at-home office. This has been
an adjustment for the whole family, and I am more than grateful for my detached
home office! I am moved in, and very comfortable. I love my commute, and the
fact that home and work are able to be separate. I recently added curtains, and
am looking forward to decorating and adding furniture to my space
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