Saturday Call Shift

Precovid, the kids and I would visit Dave regularly on his weekend call shifts, when covid hit, those were completely cut off. As hospital life has returned to its new normal, it seems the opportunity doesn't present itself like it used to. The kids are older, we are busier, Dave is busier at work, etc. On this particular Saturday, the kids were determined to bring the old tradition back. Piper even implemented a countdown about 10 days in advance. Instead of just popping over to visit Dave, the kids wanted the whole tour, his office, the Doctor's lounge, where I work, where surgeries take place, where the babies were born, you get the idea. Everyone is older and much more curious. So, we did all of that, we spent over 2 hours wandering the halls and learning about what happens where. The kids had all sorts of great questions. We hooked them all up with the proper attire so they could go anywhere, under Dave's direction, of course. One of the highlights was a baby being born as we got to the Women's Center. We heard this fresh cry and then the music overhead indicating a delivery. The kids talked about it for days. Until next time! 

All scrubbed up! 

Fam fun. 

Future health care providers. 

Dave's office. 

Post visit Habachi, it was a pretty great day. 

Black Hills

We scheduled a quick ski trip to the Black Hills over an extended weekend and watched the weather in fear the snow would all be gone, much to our surprise, it was the exact opposite. What a year for winter sports! I think the Black Hills ended up with more than 90 inches of snow, the most in a long time. We had so much fun. 

We rearranged our schedule and left a day early due to impending snow, which turned out to be the best idea. We left immediately after school and made it to Rapid City for dinner and happened upon a movie trivia night at the restaurant which ended up setting the pace for the whole weekend. We made it to the cabin around 9pm and everyone was giddy with excitement over our cool spot. 

Skiing on Thursday was fun for all. The slopes weren't too busy as we made our way around. Everyone was so brave, even Piper who was 1/2 close lined, but managed to get up and finish the run. We skied until mid afternoon and went back to the cabin to regroup and then to Pizza Lab for dinner and the arcade. It was a great day. 

We opted for a day off the slopes and went for the Roughlock Falls hike in Spearfish Canyon on Friday. It was the best 2 mile hike in the snow, the kids had so much fun, they would step off the trail and be waist deep. Taylor Swift on the bluetooth speaker was the pick me up we all needed when our tanks were low. We all had wet socks and full hearts by the end of the hike. We grabbed lunch and made our way back to the cabin to hot tub and relax before dinner in Lead. 

Saturday was sort of a bust, we attempted to ski but it was cold, windy, icy and just plain terrible. Sully and I tried for one or two more runs, but called it a day just in time, they shut down the lifts shortly after. We made our way back for naps and movies, a great finale to a long weekend away. 

Some highlights include Ben and Jerry's taste test, the hot tub, and the triple threat of the Drew Berrymore and Adam Sandler rom-coms. Can you name all three? After this weekend, the Munce family can! 

Easing into the day. 

Terry Peak fun

Chair lift selfie.

Ready to roll. 

Frozen Roughlock Falls

Impossible to stay on the trail. 

Spearfish Canyon 

Sully living his best life. 

Teaching them how to play pool at Pizza Lab. 

Game afternoon. 

Sully's proud personal Tetris record. 

I'm 43!

I love my birthday, my accomplishment and experiences only come with age, and I'm happy to be here. What's more important than my birthday is my kids' excitement for my birthday. The questions and inquiries about my favorite color, my favorite treats, my favorite things come weeks in advance, and the day of feels like Christmas for everyone, it's fun to see what they all come up with for gift ideas. One of my favorite things is to call to their attention is how good it feels to give vs receive and to make someone else feel special. Thank God for my kids and Dave (and my sis, of course), those are my favorite birthday gifts. 

Here's to 43! 

Sweet crew, taco stuffed animal and all. 

Dinner at Bread and Circus- fave. 

Lottery tickets for my bday- all duds. 

Homemade bday cake/art. 

Excelsior Springs, Missouri

I had the BEST weekend in Excelsior Springs, MO with my college squad. The last time we were together included kids, so having a weekend with gals only, was so fulfilling. We picked Excelsior Springs because of its central location and hotel spa, we didn't anticipate the true small town feel, the whole thing was perfect for us. 

We spent hours catching up, it was so fun. Small town restaurants, the spa, happy hours, weddings, dinners, yoga, etc. The days were long and the nights were so short, optimizing the quality time spent together. I spent some time reflecting on my drive home about the nature of our friendship and how it has progressed to where we are now. I'm so thankful for the net we cast around each other, we aren't physically close, but will always be a solid support system for each other. 

Here's to 25 years! Looking forward to the next! xoxoxo

The crew, missing MClem. 

The wedding dance.