St. Patty's

On St. Patrick's Day eve I was feeling like I wanted to sit around and cry.  My niece had just gone home that morning, and Kitty was off to her musical practice.  Perfect time to sit around and cry.

But then we were invited to a St. Patrick's day festival and I thought maybe that might be better than sobbing all day.  Maybe.

Alright. We ended up having a dandy time.  Kitty was able to run around like a maniac with her friend, and I enjoyed strolling through the sunshine.

Kitty and Mykey even tried their hand at some Highland games.  Mykey commented afterwards that he was certain he had injured his shoulder tossing the giant boulder.  He was trying to impress the woman teaching him and overexerted himself.  The guy forgets he's nearly 50. And why doesn't he ever try to impress me?!

No matter.  It was a fun afternoon.  The next day we celebrated with steak and green mashed potatoes.  Only I forgot to put the food coloring in the potatoes so...

And I didn't put enough green color in the vanilla pudding so it was sickly looking.  Hey, get off my back!  My husband is nearly 50.

No matter.  It was a delicious meal and a relaxing day all around.  

Happy St. Patrick's day!   

Spring Break

When we lived in Oregon, we would usually have visitors for Spring Break.  When we moved to the other side of the moon, I knew our attendance numbers would decrease.

And then there was a Spring Break Miracle.

My niece called and asked if she and her husband could come to our house for Spring Break.  I was giddy.  I was shocked.  I may have peed in my pants a little.  (or a lot)  Even better, their break aligned perfectly with Kitty's.  

A miracle indeed!  

The week flew by like an inconsiderate jerk and I found myself teary-eyed when they departed. I loved the added conversation and the extra bodies milling about the house.  I loved the late nights and laughter. I loved every bit. It was heaven for me.

And we had so much fun. So much! 

We went for a casual Sunday stroll.

And built a paper airplane launcher.

We had delicious ramen.

And went to Dolly Parton's Stampede.  Kitty was chosen to do a rope trick during the show!

We played in the hotel arcade and earned ten million tickets.

And visited Dollywood, of course.  I even had the chance to ride a big'ol roller coaster! (My neck was not pleased afterwards but it was worth it)

We hit up the aquarium.

And had a zorbing experience.  Well, I didn't have a zorbing experience.  Much like the Wicked Witch of the West, I melt in water.  

We walked through a magical light show in the trees.

And stopped by the Relic Room to poke around.

We successfully escaped a fierce headhunting tribe in the Amazon rainforest.

And ate donuts and pretzels at the best place in the universe.

The week was perfect in everyway.  

Man, I love miracles!

Bee's Knees

Kitty's school recently installed a book vending machine.  As a passionate reader, you can imagine the excitement Kitty felt about this addition.  The only way to extract a book from the machine is to earn an award called the Bee's Knees, and a corresponding token from your teacher. The teachers each decide when a behavior or achievement deserves a token.

Kitty mentioned a few times that she really wanted a Bee's Knees award.  Several weeks passed, and I worried she would never visit the holy land.  And then...

Success!

She earned a perfect score on an important assessment and that award was hers!

Kitty was excited about her vending machine selection.

Although I feel that all vending machines should contain chocolate and only chocolate, I'm a proud mama nonetheless.

Congratulations to Kitty!