A college tour, some tulips, and it's going to ice so I better get to the store.

We got a little ice last Thursday evening so school was on a two hour delay.  But Sarah had the state swim championships in Raleigh so she headed to school and got on the bus.  Thankfully the roads were clear and she had no problem getting there.

She was only swimming in one event - the Medley Relay.  She was swimming backstroke - her favorite. The girls came in 9th and Sarah was happy because she shaved a second off her time.  A second may not sound like a lot but trust me - it is! :)

Her event was the first one of the meet so she got to relax and enjoy the rest of the competition without feeling nervous for another event.  Even though she didn't get to spend the  night in Raleigh like they normally would, she had a blast.

One of the parents organized a welcome party and we all gathered in the extremely cold parking lot Friday night and welcomed the team bus back to the school.  We had posters, balloons, and cupcakes.  The kids were shocked to see us all standing there cheering for them when they got off the bus.  I wish I had pictures but it was cold and we were all cheering and waving signs so no pictures. 

On Sunday, Dan and Sarah and I headed to Wilmington, NC. Sarah is interested in possible attending UNCW and they are doing in person tours.  Since it's a 3 and a half hour drive we decided to spend the night in Wrightsville Beach.

It rained the whole drive there and the whole evening so we weren't able to walk on the beach (it was also cold) and we weren't able to explore downtown Wilmington.  And since it was Valentine's Day all the restaurants were packed.  We ended up at Mellow Mushroom for dinner and while that wasn't my first choice, it was Sarah's so she was happy.

 

Thankfully, the rain stopped on Monday and we were able to enjoy the campus tour without umbrellas! The campus is very nice.  It's a newer college but all the buildings are built to look like traditional classic old-school college buildings.  That was really nice I thought.  

At 14,000 undergraduates, I would consider this university a mid-sized school and I think Sarah would like that size.  She liked the looks of everything we saw and she definitely likes that the campus is just minutes from the beach so I'd so it's definitely a contender for her. 

Dan got me tulips for Valentine's Day and a little box of chocolates:

Yesterday was Tuesday but felt like Monday allllllllll day so now I'm shocked that it's Wednesday.  And not just any Wednesday but ASH WEDNESDAY!

How is it all ready Lent?  Honestly, I have felt like the whole entire last year has been a Lent so I'm not very ready for actual Lent.  Does that make sense?  I've ordered a book that I'm going to be reading and a few other things I'm going to try to do to make my Lent fruitful.  We'll see how it goes.

The sun is actually out today which I am planning on enjoying.  It has been cold, cloudy, and rainy for a week so to see the sun has been nice.  They are calling for more freezing rain tonight with the potential for a lot of downed trees and power outages so I'm expecting the kids to be out of school tomorrow.  They can do remote learning but if there are a lot of power outages I am predicting that school will just be cancelled as it's hard to log into your remote class if you don't have power.

Peter's been enjoying football practice.  He's been coming home every night with new bruises that he seems proud of.  They are supposed to have a scrimmage on Friday night. Not sure how all the ice and rain will affect that.  It's an away game so Dan and I won't be able to attend.  But parents can attend the home games so at least we can go to those four games.  Our governor is still only allowing 100 people to gather outdoors so only parents can attend.  I think that's ridiculous! It makes me sad that none of the students will be able to attend any of these games.   A petition was started online and has gathered over 38,000 signatures so far.  I doubt it will do much good but at least it's something.

Anyway, I'm off to the store to buy milk and bread ahead of the ice storm!  

 

Swimming, College Frustrations, and a Viral Recipe.

Sarah had some good swims on Saturday.  Her medley relay team did well enough to qualify for States which is a huge accomplishment because they are only taking the top 12 times this year due to COVID.  

She was disappointed in her backstroke time even though she PR'd.  She felt like she should have done better.  I'm proud of her and am so thankful that they even got to have a season at all.  If she had been able to swim this summer and fall, her times would have matched the times she set for herself but given the circumstances the fact that she was still able to obtain a personal record is fantastic!

Here's a picture of her and her friends from the conference meet taken from another mom's facebook page.

And here are some photos from the professional photographer from the regional meet:

Due to COVID, the team isn't allowed to go to Raleigh the night before and stay in a hotel so they will be leaving Friday morning in order to get there in time for warm ups.  Sarah's disappointed because half the fun of Sates is staying in a hotel.

Dan and I will be watching the live stream of her event which is the first event.  Sarah's excited that she is in the first event because that way she can enjoy the rest of the meet without being nervous. 

In other news, we watched the Super Bowl of Sunday.  I am glad Tom Brady won.  I think the Patriots did him wrong the last few years of his time there and I was happy that he got another Super Bowl victory.  There's plenty of time for Patrick Mahommes to work on beating that record.  

Now, we just need the Patriots or the Panthers in the Super Bowl next year.  Ha!  I don't see either one of our teams getting there any time soon!

Peter has been trying to complete extra forms and other requirements for colleges he's been accepted into.  Can I tell you how frustrating it all is?  Each school has their own website and within that website is ANOTHER website for housing and ANOTHER website for financial aid and ANOTHER.... you get my drift.

And each one of these websites requires DIFFERENT passwords and user names and each one has different requirements for length, special characters, etc.  It's very frustrating for an adult that is used to being frustrated by username and passwords but add in a stressed out kid who is trying to apply for housing during school hours because that's when the housing lottery opens and you get a lot of ALL CAPITAL TEXTS FROM SAID STRESSED OUT KID!  

Anyway, he said he got everything completed.  I hope so.  I am already praying for good roommates/suite mates, etc.  A bad living experience can ruin your freshman year in college.

Sarah and I tried the viral pasta recipe that's been taking TikTok by storm. Here's the recipe. 

We doubled the amount of feta and did not raise the temp and bake it for an extra ten minutes as she did in the original.  I wanted to but Sarah did not so...

It was delicious and I would definitely make this again.  It was so good, I would make it for guests.  And did I mention that it was easy?  

This is ours before we crushed the tomatoes and stirred everything up.  SO GOOD!!!

If y'all make this, let me know.

 

Conference Champs!

Last Friday evening Sarah and her team participated in the Conference Meet. And they did great!

Both the men's and women's team won the conference title!  Go Villains!  

Sarah placed first in the two relays she swam in and second in both of her individual events.  And she cut some time off of both.  She was very pleased with the meet.

The team has been working hard this week to prepare for Regionals on Saturday morning.  She's been up early and out the door at 5:15 AM to get to 6:00 AM practice.  I am very thankful that she can drive herself.  

As expected, they are not allowing spectators at the event but it will be live stream so I guess I'll be watching from my couch all day!

Here a picture that the team mom took of the team last week at their last practice before the conference meet.

Not everyone is in the picture as some of the year round swimmers were at their year round practice.

And here is a picture of Sarah's medals. I wanted photographic evidence because I'm sure at some point in the future, they will get tossed.  :)

And here is a quick video of Sarah coming on to the bus with the women's trophy!  Not sure why it is repeated four times but I'm just happy I was able to get it on here...

Heartbroken

I have been praying so hard for my friend Kim's husband, Ken Harris, the last three weeks. He was admitted to the hospital on January 4th with COVID-19 and never recovered. He passed away on Wednesday. Ken was just 56 years old.

He was the pastor at Union Grove Baptist Church and president of Union Grove Christian School and made an impact on so many people in our area. Thousands of people were praying for him all around the country and world. 

I know that God's ways are better than our own and I know that Ken is now where he has always wanted to be but I am absolutely heartbroken for my dear friend, Kim and her 13-year-old daughter, Claire. Please keep them in your prayers.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. - Job 1:21

Time flies...

What's been happening since my last post?  

Well, my prayer list is still long but there is peace in knowing that He is in control of everything.  I'm still trying to write down my thankfuls each day. Some days the list is longer than others but that's life I suppose.  (And some days I forget to write something down and I guess, that's life too!)

Here's some happening from the last couple of weeks.

Dan and I continue to go on our Sunday Night Date Night.  Most of the time we head to our favorite local brewery for a beer and sometimes we even get food from one of the delicious food trucks!

This concoction is smashed potatoes and the item above it is fried banana pudding.  Both were delish!

On MLK day, Dan and I headed to the mountains for a hike. The park we wanted to go to was closed (well technically the road to get to it was covered in ice/snow and was closed) so we continued further and found  Elk Knob State Park.  It was beautiful there but we weren't able to hike due to the fact that we didn't check the weather before leaving home and it was also covered in snow and we weren't prepared (no snow shoes, no parkas, etc.).  It was nice at home so we assumed it was nice in the mountains.  You know what happens when we assume....

It was really pretty there, so I am sure we will head back in the spring to check it out.

Sarah is officially done with her regular season swimming.  I got to time at three meets and Dan got to time twice.  I'm very thankful that she had a season AND that he and I got to see some of it.  The conference championship is Friday.  We won't get to be there but it will be live-streamed so at least we will get to watch it.  Fingers crossed she swims well and can advance to regionals.

Here is a quick picture I snapped of her at the last meet.  It was senior night and as co-captain, she helped the coach recognize the seniors.

In other news, Peter got accepted into NC State!  I hope this is where he will choose to go but time will tell.  He is currently weighing all of his options and he is still waiting to hear from a couple of other schools.  (I am praying hard for wisdom and discernment for him and us as he decides.)

This past weekend, I made the most delicious dessert. It's Oreo Cheesecake Brownie Trifle.  It was so good!  But be warned, it is rich.  A little goes a long way.

And now you're all caught up!

 

Happy New Year?

Is it still okay to say "Happy New Year" when you are 13 days into said new year? 

And also is it okay to say "Happy" when the country is a mess, a friend's husband is in ICU with COVID, another friend is battling brain cancer, another friend is fighting breast cancer, a family member has been laid off from work, and your kids are on plan C (full remote) for the week because too many kids are sick or excluded due to COVID, and I just found out that my MS medication is going to cost me $1400 a month if my specialty pharmacy can't find a co-pay assistance program?

Maybe I should just say "New Year" and leave it at that.

Anyway, not to let you think I'm discouraged, all of this (and man other unmentioned items) have made my prayer list really long and I'm spending a lot (A LOT!) of time with the Lord in prayer.  

One day about a month ago or so, I was complaining to my mom about something that had me stressed out and worried and she said, "Well, this will keep you on your knees where you should be anyway."  Wise words from a wise lady. 

I'm seriously considering some knee pads the longer my prayer list gets.  :)

So in the spirit of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18*, lets list a few things I am thankful for today:

Sarah has had 2 swim meets (at this point she should have had 5) and her times are looking pretty good considering she hasn't had much time in the water in the past year.

The kids are enjoying sleeping in this week since they don't have to drive to school.

The sun is shining and it will be in the 50s for the rest of the week.

Dan's program at work was previously put on hold due to COVID has been started again. 

Our family is healthy and COVID free at the moment.  (Peter had to be tested last week and was thankfully negative.)

Was able to spend some time with a friend before surgery.

We've had lots of beautiful sunrises and sunsets lately:

 This guy:

This cat who keeps me company when I pay bills:

And a pretty dusting of snow that did not last long:

Salmon and a super food salad for lunch:

And these are just a few of the things I'm thankful for today!

*1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

We had ourselves a merry little Christmas.

 Happy New Year's Eve!  

We had a very nice Christmas.  It was very low key but lovely nonetheless. 

We went to the Christmas Eve Lovefeast and Candlelight Service at my mom's church (my church growing up). We were socially distanced and there weren't many people there so that was a little sad but I'm just thankful they had the service and we were able to go.

Afterwards as in previous years, we came back to my house for appetizers and merriment. We were up too late and had to drag the kids out of bed on Christmas morning so that we could get gifts unwrapped and make it to Mass on time.

After gifts and church we had Christmas lunch with my mom and brother and unwrapped more gifts.  We then went to Starbucks (a newer tradition) and had to wait in the drive thru line for 30 minutes and they were closing early so our tradition of going at night turned in to going in afternoon but we still did it!

Then we had a Zoom call with Dan's family and that was our calm but lovely Christmas.  

Here are a few pictures:

Ice day with no remote learning means the kids are sleeping in and I'm writing a blog post.

The kids have an unexpected day off of school today.  Well, it wasn't entirely unexpected as they have been calling for ice/sleet/freezing rain (whatever it is) for today for at least a week.

Last night we got a text saying that school would be delayed two hours with the option to cancel if necessary.  And this morning at 7:00, we got the text saying no school and this would not be a remote learning day.

The kids were really hoping not to have to go to school today but I told them they should wish for this for another day.  School is out until the new year starting on Friday (with just a half day) so why would they want to waste a snow day now.  Especially since it is my understanding that future snow days (if there are any) will be remote learning days.  But you know how kids are.  They are instant gratification machines so they are happy campers.

Sarah was supposed to have her first swim meet tonight (and I was actually going to go as a timer) but that will be postponed because if there is no school, then there are no athletics (practice, workouts, or games).  She has another swim meet on Saturday.  It's an away meet so no parents from our school are allowed.  Sarah said she's fine with not having a meet tonight especially since their new swim suits haven't come in yet.  They are supposed to be here Friday but with all the shipping delays these days, I'm not holding my breath.

Peter has a paper due on Friday that he hasn't even started yet so that's how he will be spending his day off.  Sarah was telling him last night at dinner that he should really get started on it (Dan and I were as well) and a fight ensued.   They are so different personality wise and that causes a lot of  fights disagreements and as a mom, it really is maddening.  But, in  their defense, their way is right for each of them.  

Sarah writes excellent papers but she likes to  take her time, schedule when she's going to do it based on her other work and commitments, and not do it all at once.  Peter also writes excellent papers but he prefers to wait until the last possible minute and while he's writing, he prefers to be doing something else (or usually multiple other things) like watching a football game, texting friends about the game, and listening to music. Both of their methods seem to work for them but as a parent, it is frustrating when only one of them is using MY preferred method.  I'll let you guess which one is the one I prefer. :)

Speaking of Peter, so far he has heard back from 4 of the 7 colleges he's applied too and he's gotten into all four of them.  He's excited and so am I.  At least I know he'll be going somewhere in the fall.  (Hopefully he will actually be GOING. I really think if he has to do remote college from his bedroom he will lose his mind.)  

I am still waiting on quite a few Christmas gifts to arrive but I'm hoping they will all get here by Christmas Eve.   I feel so bad for all the delivery people.  This time of year is always so hectic in a normal year but with so many people ordering packages, it must be insane for them. And the treat basket that I left out isn't going over as well as I had hoped.  Only a couple of things have been taken and I'm wondering if they are afraid to take things because of germs, or if everyone is leaving snacks out for them and they are full, or perhaps they just don't like my snacks.  I get very excited after a delivery of a package when someone actually takes something. 

It looks like I will be wrapping a few gifts today, drinking more coffee, and watching the Bachelorette. Sounds like a perfecting ice/freezing rain/sleet day to me!

Checking things off my list!

So things are moving along nicely over here.  I think I've gotten most of my Christmas shopping done.  I still have a few little things to purchase but hopefully by this afternoon most of those will be checked off my list as well.

I also completed my Christmas cards yesterday and took them to the post office along with gifts for our out of town family members.  So, check and check!

I did most of my shopping online this year.  Not because of Covid but because that's how I do most of my shopping every year!  I did go to some stores because sometimes when you don't know what you want to get someone, you need to go into a store for inspiration.  But since I did so much of my shopping online,  I set up a little goody basket for all the delivery drivers.

I put it out on Monday and only two items have been taken.  I'm a little disappointed but I  know a lot of people do this so maybe they just aren't hungry or maybe it's covid and they don't want to take snacks from someone they dont know or maybe it's because these drivers are just too busy.  And it's not just one of the delivery services, it's all of them.  I've had all of them at my house this week multiple times and none of them seem interested.  I've even added in different snacks to see if that's the problem.  Oh well.  I'm going to leave it out until Christmas and keep trying different things to see what they like.  

Last weekend, I made this chocolate log roll or Buche de Noel for Sunday dessert.  It's a favorite of Dan's.  It always looks so pretty and festive!

You can't go wrong with all that filling and frosting!

While I'm ahead on all my gift purchasing, I'm behind on all my  gift wrapping.  But, I did manage to wrap all the out of town gifts before I mailed them but I have so much more left to do.

While I was wrapping the gifts, I was enjoying a cup of coffee with peppermint flavored creamer and some peppermint and white chocolate covered pretzels and was watching the Bachelorette.  If you don't enjoy something, you should definitely pair it with things you do enjoy to make it better!

On Tuesday, I took Peter's truck to get it inspected and it did not pass because one of his front tires was worn down too far on the inside.  We knew Peter needed an alignment, and that was one of the things I had on my to-do list over Christmas break but a failed inspection changed my plans.  I immediately went to the tire shop to get two new front tires and then headed to an alignment place who squeezed me in and got the alignment completed and then headed back to get the inspection and oil change. 

Whew! I was not planning on doing all that but I was glad to get that done.  I do not like dealing with car issues. I also do like the thought that my kid is driving around on a tire that will not pass inspection!

On a positive note, Sarah not only made the swim team but she is co-captain!  I'm so proud of her.  She has four home meets and several away meets. There will be no spectators at the home meets and I imagine the same for the away meets.  However, they need parent volunteers to time at the home meets so I've signed up to time at the first one. I'm sure there will be a lot of people signing up to time but they are trying to make sure at least one parent can time at one swim meet.  It's so very sad that we can't be there to cheer her on at all of her meets but I'm just thankful she's able to have a season.