LOR!!!

We were lucky enough to get Lor for an entire weekend! 

We had a laid back weekend of conversations, air hockey, happy hours, burger battles, homemade bread, family gatherings, Rocket League, bowling, and whatever else we could fit into 48 hours. It was so perfect, my heart was full, and completely content. There is something about what Lor does to our family, it brings us together in the best way, we simply want to be near him, his positive energy is contagious. We savor every moment. It was really hard for me to see him go. Until next time! 

Nod to Alexa who is in Germany. 

And off he goes! 

Suz and Greta go west, the rest go east.

Our girl's trip had finally arrived! Greta has been asking for years to go on a Greta/mom only getaway and we finally made it happen, I'm so glad we did. And if you know Dave, you know he can't stay in Sioux Falls for too long, so he made his own fun with the other two in the opposite direction. 

Greta and I flew to Coronado with my mom, it was mostly seamless, but there are always hiccups. This one came in the form of a cancelled flight on United due to Boeings needing to be assessed do to a recent plane malfunction. We changed gears and flew Delta through Minneapolis, only adding a few hours to our itinerary. Everything else was easy. 

We went to museums, candy shops, Starbucks, candy shops again, and Starbucks again (everyday). Greta would wake me up every morning at 6:15 and ask if she could come with me on my walk because she knew it landed me in the vicinity of Starbucks. We made the most of it and I loved it, too. We went to the Natural History Muesum and Scripps Aquarium, Solana Beach, Point Loma and one day on Coronado. We saw insects, gems, dinos, sunsets, an octopus, jellyfish, and got to feed seahorses. One component I didn't appreciate was seeing Greta interact with my parents for 4 whole days. The conversations and questions they asked each other were interesting and unique. One thing I appreciate about both of my parents is their ability to find connections with each person regardless of their age or interest, they are so inquisitive and great conversationalists, in fact we spent the last evening together listening to Taylor Swift's NYU commencement speech just because my dad is wanted to learn more about her because we all love her so much... he even took notes ;). My mom is everything, she is kind, interesting, hospitable, nurturing, generous, and I'm just so thankful for the time we have together. One of my highlights was dancing to a live band with my dad after Greta and my mom had gone back to the condo for the night.

On the other hand, Dave and co had a mega travel adventure. They departed Sioux Falls for Montreal on Friday evening and had terrible delays in Minneapolis. They didn't arrive to their hotel room until nearly 4am, ouch. They made the most of it after a proper sleep in, they wandered around the old town and caught a hockey game, the home team lost in overtime. They had only intended to stay two days but because they lost a day, they decided to extend and they snuck in another hockey game, this time, the Canadiens won!!  Sully and Pip got to celebrate with the mascot after a goal. Otherwise they did some shopping, went to a Children's Museum and ate pizza for most meals. They had a great time, until they missed their flight home and what was suppose to be a 6 hour commute turned into a 34 hour journey which included a stopover in Atlanta. Life. They were so happy to be home and we were all really happy to be reunited. 

Off we go! 

6 foot swells on Coronado, the largest I've ever seen. 

Balboa Park

Checking out the tarantulas. 

Never miss a sunset. 

The Sun Decker at the Del. 

Point Loma sunset. 

Meanwhile...

Greta and my dad. 

Quick facetime to share our 
advenures. 

Scripps 

So cool. 

Greta and my dad doing a science experiment. 

Piper auditions and we FINALLY get a snow day!

Piper, leave it to Piper to challenge us to something new. One of her friends had a roll in a local children's theatre production and after seeing the show, she was committed to being a part of the fun. So we looked into it, and much to our surprise, there was a workshop and an audition right around the corner for a spring show. We signed up for the workshop and Piper walked/ran in with her head high with excitement. She did her homework and practiced her lines and songs and was ready for her audition, until it was time to actually audition. Her emotions were so overwhelming, I had a feeling we would have some hurdles to cross, but it was a lot harder than I anticipated. Her tummy hurt and she was SO scared..."mommy, I want to do this and to be with Khloe so bad, but I just can't." I walked her into the bathroom and had sixty second pep talk with her and we walked out as they were lining up and off she went. She DID it! She was so brave for overcoming that fear. She walked out with a splotchy face and I asked her how it went and she said, "great! I mean, I did almost cry when I was waiting for my turn, but I was able to make it." And that was that, we celebrated with Bread and Circus and ice cream and two days later we got the email...she got a part!!!! She is in the animal ensemble in Cinderella...if the Shoe Fits. She can't wait to get going with rehearsals and to be a part of the fun. Good for you, Piper. I'm bursting with pride. 

We followed up that fun and excitement with back to back snow days. The first one is always more fun than the second, ;) but we are making the most of it! 11 inches...better late than never! 

Measurements and photos. 

Just as the nerves were kicking in, but before I knew. 

Snow day neighbor fun. 

NYE

Nine days in Sioux Falls with a minimal agenda was enough! So...we busted out of town for the New Year to Okoboji for some waterpark fun, although it brought a few blunders (abbreviated hours, minimal establishments open, a lake that hadn't yet froze over), fun was had by all. 

We arrive on 12/31 in time to get a couple hours of water fun in, well Dave and the kids did while I ran to get some snacks for the room. We had a brief happy hour in the hotel room so the kids could shower and snack before we ventured out to find something to do. We landed near Arnold's Park for a freezing photo op and cozy bar with good appetizers and ok wine. We left as the party animals were arriving. We had dinner close to the hotel and made our way back to the hotel room for Taylor Swift name that-tune (because what else would the theme be??), first one to 24 wins, get it? ;) Greta 'won.' Winner got to choose breakfast. We had so much fun. 

The next morning consisted of brunch at O'Farrell Sisters, a much needed nap, and then more water and arcade fun. We made our way back for showers and then pizza and trivia at The Ritz before coming back for an early bedtime. 

It was a great way to ring in the New Year. We are all ready for the newness and the opportunities a new year brings and are looking forward to the fun and memories that lie ahead. My resolution is to consistently fuel my body with good things, with an emphasis on my mental health. To reroute myself as needed, because I am human, after all. 

Cheers! 

A freezing photo op. 

Photo by Pip, 1/10000

Excited for cheese sticks and chicken strips. 

Me and my jeweler. :)

HNY Cheers! 

The sillies are setting in, time for bed!