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Category Archives: Tom

Martial Arts Graduation

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It sounds like a bigger deal than it really was—he just “graduated” from his after-school introduction to martial arts class of less than three hours. 🙂

But first, his baseball game was canceled (more rain!) so we had time to go out to dinner first. On the way home we saw a rainbow and the kids were excited about following it so it was great that we had the full rainbow in the parking lot of the martial arts studio.

They had a warm up and then showed all the parents and families what they learned and then they got their diplomas and white belts!

Little sister was following along saying “I can do that, too!”

Unfortunately she refused to stay anything resembling still and was back and forth and up and down and making noise and interrupting and being rude…so in the middle of the video you will see her walk in front of the camera and then you’ll hear a cry because she got in trouble and lost her post-graduation treat (after three warnings). 

  
We are letting him continue for a two-week trial just to see what happens. We really think he could benefit from many of the aspects (focus, self-esteem, self-confidence, and coordination) but it will depend on his attitude…and (unfortunately) the cost and time sink. 

Workhouse Carnival, Year 2

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Opening day was the only day we could go, so off we went!

My first carnival ride in who knows how long! It was Owen’s first time on this ride and while he didn’t love it (it went a little fast, he didn’t like going backwards, and he didn’t like the loud siren), he was a trooper!

This is him listening to the ride after we got off:

Katie wanted to do the fun house…amd was super excited ablit it…

Running into it, still excited…

And about 10 seconds later, this is where it ended—when she refused to try climbing up the rope netting to the next level.

So after trying to convince her to just try it, she turned around and walked out. She actually got her tickets back, though, so that was a bonus. Then both kids DESPERATELY wanted to grab the ducks to get stupid cheap crappy toys. Ugh. It was $5 for three ducks, so we chose that—except, of course, if TWO kids want to share grabbing the three ducks, it’s $6. SERIOUSLY? So then they both picked swords. We explained to Owen that this was exactly like Chuck E. Cheese with the dollar store toys that weren’t worth what you paid for them and he could have gotten SIX of the identical swords had we just bought them. Hopefully it sinks in like the Chuck E. Cheese lesson finally did. But they were happy.

Then Katie wanted to go on the carousel. Owen didn’t, of course (they didn’t like any of the same rides), so she did it by herself, sitting on the seat because she wants NOTHING to do with sitting on an animal.

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After which we took our family photo:

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And Katie’s last ride:

And Owen’s last ride:

Of course they didn’t want to leave, but we had blown through $30 in tickets and games in a half hour so we were done. If they really liked the rides I would be more willing to buy more tickets, but they honestly just want the cheap crappy toys so I’m MUCH less willing to pay for that.

Memorial Day cookout at the pool!

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Otherwise known as Day 3 of 3. 🙂

We had a super fun four hours at the pool for the Memorial Day Cookout! We were there as soon as they opened and it was GLORIOUSLY empty—and quiet—as we were the only ones there! (We were there so early because we know the pool gets CRAZY when they offer free food—everyone and their brother who never come to the pool all summer otherwise show up for the free burgers, chips, and pop 🙄 —and we wanted to be sure to get good seats.) The forecast had called for rain all day, so we were excited that the weather held out and was actually very nice. The sun even came out to warm things up just enough for me to take a quick dip in the pool and take some pics with the waterproof camera! It eventually clouded over but it never rained!

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We made her get out of the pool and dry off because her lips were blue and she was very visibly shivering—even though she didn’t want to. Yep, she’s definitely my daughter—that’s exactly how I used to be!

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After two towels and some snacks, she was ready to go again!

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Katie and her friend Ainsley (they will be moving later this summer). 🙁

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The huge crowd (which my pic doesn’t really even do justice)—which we will only see for the cookouts today, July 4th, and Labor Day.

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Saturday Night Dinner…with surprise guests!

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Well, we knew about it ahead of time but the visit in general was a surprise this weekend! Roger and the girls were up visiting his other daughter Amanda for the weekend and she lives about an hour away…so they all came over for dinner! I haven’t seen them since we left Jacksonville in 2014!

Can’t you see us with a daughter this age?! We’d take her in a minute. 🙂 (We could have had one this age if we had a kid two years before we got married…or two years after we met.)

One of the best things to come out of tonight? Getting to recreate one of our favorite Virginia photos!

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The photo Virginia wanted to take—showcasing the two big guys that she can threaten boys with (a running joke for many, many years):

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And just for comparison, the same trio back in 2007:

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The Three Musketeers, together again!

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And a selfie for the road!

My new LuLaRoe Julia dress!

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I bought it without trying it on so it could have been a huge failure…but it fit pretty well (though I could honestly use some Spanx!) and Tom really liked it so that’s a bonus!

If you’re wondering what LuLaRoe is…

They sell women’s clothing (dresses, skirts, leggings, tees, etc.) from at-home parties and pop up boutiques on Facebook—and of course there’s a big market on eBay. The leggings are usually described as “buttery soft” and the best you will every buy/wear. They aren’t cheap but also aren’t outrageously expensive, so I decided to dip my toe in with a pair of plain black leggings. (They are also known for their crazy patterns. And to be honest, most of them are downright fugly to me.) They have sizes from XXS to 3XL so that’s a draw as well.

A friend actually introduced me to LuLaRoe about a week ago (gee, was it only a week ago?!) and for not ever having heard anything about them, I quickly realized it’s an obsession with some people! I actually had a conversation at a baseball game the following night because a friend showed up in one of the dresses and three of us proceeded to talk about wishlists. 🙂

I signed up for a few Facebook groups and the popups seemed overwhelming with people snapping things up super quick so I went to eBay…where I quickly realized there’s a much bigger selection…but the prices are crazy. (If you buy direct, the prices are set. Otherwise, all bets are off.) They only make like 1000 of each pattern (I think, I’m still new at this) so if you see something you like, you need to snap it up. And once it gets rare, the price goes up exponentially. (For example, leggings are $25. I’ve seen some on eBay for $100.) I liked the black ones so wanted to find a cool pattern. But I wanted to make sure I get the ones I really like. So I searched eBay and watched a bunch and once they go past $30-$35, I’m out. (I figure I’ll pay a few extra bucks to get exactly what I want.) But then I actually got the hang of the Facebook popups one night when I was surfing through three of them at the same time (and chatting with a friend who was at the same three). We were sharing pics and getting opinions…and it was like a shopping outing with your bestie without leaving your house and spending hours doing it!

So once you start looking, you kind of get hooked. As I told my friend, they hit on a brilliant strategy—you can’t just go to a store and look at everything. Or a website even. So you get sucked into looking everywhere at everything every time it’s posted in case you find exactly what you want. My friend told me she belongs to 17 LuLaRoe groups. Yeah, she’s addicted. I wouldn’t say I’m addicted, but I ordered two more pair of leggings and this dress from eBay…and I actually won ANY PIECE I WANTED from a popup drawing!! HOLY COW! Of course they didn’t have anything I wanted in leggings, tees, or dresses (!) so I chose a $70 cardigan because I’d NEVER pay $70 for a cardigan!

So, that’s LuLaRoe. 🙂

Owen had a double play!

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Unfortunately, daddy wasn’t there to see it as the garage door broke as we were pulling out of the driveway…so he had to stay and wait for the landlord.

Two of his at-bats (he struck out on his last attempt) and bringing a run in:

And I missed Owen’s best play because it was when he was playing third base and I never record in the outfield… But he caught a pop fly and then tagged a runner out on third! DOUBLE PLAY! The crowd went wild! He was SO excited and so happy!!

Katie was having fun on her scooter—she had never really used it before today and was very tents on it but got progressively better. She’s great about wearing her helmet and puts it on every time!

Family Fun Night at National Harbor!

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We took the kids to National Harbor tonight to ride the Capital Wheel. Neither one was too excited at the thought—they were both scared. And honestly, neither Tom nor I were that excited, either, as neither of us loves heights. But onward and upward, right?!

Here are some pics I found online since I didn’t get good close-up pics:

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Photo Courtesy of National Harbor
Photo Courtesy of National Harbor

First, we tried to get a family selfie with the wheel in the background. Between Katie being a stink and me not able to get us all in the photo, the first few attempts were unsuccessful. I’m posting the outtakes so you can see it takes multiple shots to get something postable. 🙂

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Then Tom took over photo duty (his arms are longer!) and it still took a few tries.

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The best we got!

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Looking up as we were waiting in line.

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Katie was NOT thrilled.

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Owen wasn’t, either, but he was being brave. 🙂 (Truth be told, I was feeling VERY iffy on the first go-round—any little swing of the cabin was disconcerting. I stayed calm, of course, but it wasn’t anything I wanted to ever do again.)

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And then after the first rotation, everyone was perfectly happy! And I’d gotten more comfortable as well, so all was well. I still don’t need to do it again, though!

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Then it was off to dinner. I chose McCormick & Schmicks and…yeah. Let’s just say the one appetizer we ordered (of two) that we actually received was delicious, but overall the whole experience was just bad—completely unlike past experiences at other locations.

But then it was off to the “beach” — a smallish area with sand and a huge sculpture to play on. It’s called The Awakening and is both cool and creepy. These next two are not my photos.

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The night was topped off with ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s. 🙂

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132 pounds in 365 days!

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One year ago today at my highest weight ever, I crossed my fingers and started my attempt to lose weight doing low-carb (the only thing I really knew). Little did I know at the time I’d find my way to Naturally Slim and would end up successfully losing 132 lbs. (thus far—with a few more still to go)! If you’d told me a year ago I’d have lost that much I’d have said you were insane.

I can’t begin to thank everyone who has supported me along the way, but top shout outs go to Tivo friend Brad Nelson (who started the thread on Naturally Slim), Tivo friend Bryan McCullough (who turned out to be THE Naturally Slim guru), and my amazing husband (who supported me every hour of every day—and even joined in).

I owe my life to this program (and these people!) and I’m beyond thankful every. single. day. that I have a new, thinner, and healthier lease on life!! ❤️ 😀 🎉 👏🏻 🍾

Bushes be gone!

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Our bushes have been needing a major trim for quite some time but Tom has just been too busy. He promised me when his night class was over he’d take care of them. Well, he finished his class Tuesday night, so tonight he started trimming them. Katie and I were two doors down hanging with the neighbors. And then I turned around…and saw one entire overgrown bush completely GONE! He said once he started trimming it, all that was left was twigs! And we’ve never liked it, so he just pulled the whole thing out! (We would love to pull out the other ones as well but that’s a lot of work and a lot of expense to fill the space again.) Owen even helped clean up to earn some spending money.

Here’s a before picture (from an old blog post):

The boys and their tools. (Tom just let Owen hold the saw—he didn’t actually get to use it.)

 

Throwback Thursday—Brothers

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I started to clean out the file cabinet and had to stop and post this awesome picture. It’s circa 1997 shortly after Tom and I met.

I showed the picture to Katie and asked who they were. She didn’t recognize either of them. When I told her, she said: “No, those are different guys.” 🙂

Marlins…in the rain.

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It started off overcast and cool… We kept our fingers crossed but eventually it was raining. Not fun. But the kids were all doing great!

Katie had fun playing catch with daddy beforehand.

Montage of Owen’s at-bats and runs:

They did end up calling the game a little over an hour in because it was really coming down. So it was home for warm showers/baths and comfy clothes!

Date night with friends!

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We had Owen take the picture and of course Katie had to follow us out…so Owen told her to get in the picture! 🙂 (I’m also wearing a “borrowed” Le Tote dress!)

Love these guys!

Just out of curiosity, I looked up our last couples selfie (minus the 2015 USMC Birthday Ball) and was shocked to see how close the dates were 11 years apart! (See that post.)

The boys being boys…eating their truffles. 🙂

And pics of the dress after we got home because I forgot to take them before:

Pseudo date night!

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At a USMC retirement party…for a married couple that I learned were BOTH younger than we are! Egads.

Another of my new outfits (well, the dress and the boots—you’ve seen the jacket and necklace before). 🙂

They had a photographer there taking pics of all the guests and they also offered them for sale. It was a decent picture of us, so we bought it!

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