Happy 50th

We don’t typically celebrate birthdays, but this year, for my 50th, I wanted to go downtown for a nice meal. I made reservations a month ago for an early bird time. Vikki asked, “Was no other time available? Why 5:15?” 

The. Sunset. I wanted to see the sky in all kinds of colors as the sun set. It was not to be, though.

Vikki and Jamie joined us at the restaurant where we had a not-so terrific view of the sunset, but we had a beautiful view of the city at night from the 34th floor. 

We all ordered steaks, had fries tossed in duck fat, and dessert. Who knew fries could be this good? They had me at duck fat. 







After a big meal and a glass (or two) of wine, I was ready for bed. We make 50 and almost 50 look good - even if we have early bed times!

Game Day

Nobody can trash talk like Evan. When he attends Tennessee away games, I’m always a bit nervous. This weekend’s game did not disappoint, nor did the fans’ reactions to Evan cheering for Orange in a sea of blue. 

I’m not sure this is the whole truth because I’ve heard Evan’s trash talk. 

But the good guys came up on top!

Rainbow at the End of a Hard Week

What a week! Friday night Keagan broke his fingers in six places while in the weight room with the team. Madi texted me: I can’t believe this happened. Wait! Yes, I can! 

My feelings exactly!

He was home Saturday to pick up his pain meds from the pharmacy so he could maybe sleep through the night. 

Wednesday night Smokey was hit by a car. Keagan was devastated with the loss. We all are, but especially Keagan. He was the absolute best cat!

After several appointments, he went in for surgery on Thursday morning. 

He had three pins placed in his middle finger. He can’t play video games, do school work, play soccer, or even stay awake without pain. He was back home Thursday afternoon while recovering. 

His long, painful week could not be made better with mango nectar, lemon cake, or oatmeal cookies - all attempts on my part to make him feel better. 

But this came in today’s mail, and it did the trick! I think he said, “Oh. My Gosh!” a thousand times while opening the package.

Atta Boy

I’m so proud of this kid! He was nominated by his freshman capstone professor. 

What a blessing this school has been for Keagan! He has found the perfect fit. 

Sn❄️w Fun Take 2

Today’s snow day looked a little different. Evan had lectures to watch for his winter term; Keagan’s school day was virtual; my online spring math class began today. There was no fun in the snow, but we slept in, ate chicken tostadas, and had cinnamon rolls for dessert. I’m killing it in the kitchen, and my slow cookers are working overtime keeping us all fed. In between kitchen stops, we hunkered down and did this:

Tomorrow it is take 3 (I can’t believe we aren’t going back to school tomorrow) before round two begins on Thursday. Much like today, the boys and I will be doing homework and joining Zoom meetings. The anticipation of getting to sleep past 0430 is the absolute best feeling!

Sn❄️w Fun!

The prediction for this weekend’s snow total have been all over the place: 10, 6, 3, and last night it was 2. This morning we have 3.5 inches and it is still falling. 

After banana pancakes for breakfast, the boys took to it playing World Cup PK shootout. They have the whistles and the crowd cheers down like they are in a stadium. It’s 9 degrees! Why is Germany not wearing underwear?  

I’m not going anywhere in this mess. The gym is closed. We have food to last us until the weekend. I have steak bites in the slow cooker; homemade chimichurri sauce resting in the fridge; cookies in the oven. I’m hanging out with my friend Expedia and  planning vacations this afternoon and I’ll be wrapped in blankets reading a book tonight. There’s nothing better! 

I’m hoping we get another day tomorrow to do it all over again! 

Nottingham

Wes and I started our day in the London borough called Notting Hill at the famous brightly painted Victorian houses on Lancaster Road. 

What a quaint place to live! I can’t imagine how they deal with the crowds! We then walked the sides streets to Portobello Road for the enormous street market. It sold everything from food, to tea sets, to purses, to souvenirs. It was fantastic for the food choices alone - Turkish, Iraqi, Italian. It made my mouth water!

It was a mix of old world and modern architecture, mirroring the variety of items for sale in the stalls. 

We left with a couple of souvenirs and Portuguese doughnuts because why not? 

We picked up the boys at the house and took the train to St. Pancras Station where I finally got to see the famous Christmas tree book nook. You can sit in a nook and listen to a book while you wait for a train. And lots of people were waiting for a train since the Eurostar was closed today due to flooding in the channel. Unbeknownst to us we took the last train to London last night. Thank goodness our trip wasn’t canceled. Otherwise, we would have missed game four in Nottingham. 

Evan has European game day culture down pat; wear your team’s gear, ride the train, and crack a cold one. 

While on the street grabbing dinner from a kiosk, Keagan got interviewed by a local television station. He predicted a Man U win, but was sadly proven wrong with a final score of 1-2. What a disappointment to see your team lose again!

The City Ground is a small stadium; Nottingham Forest is a small club. But the fans were the best we have encountered! So much spirit and enthusiasm. 

The boys got tickets in the Man United section and sat three rows behind the goal. They got to cheer for the Devils and yell all of the chants. What an experience for them! Wes and I sat in the home section where the local fans were electric with their own chants! 

We are headed back to London where we will wake up tomorrow and head for the airport. This trip has been fantastic! It will be difficult to top this trip next year. But Wes and I are going back to work on Tuesday to start saving for next December.