tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32917937277139586992024-03-14T03:23:04.506-04:00A Little LoughmanKristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.comBlogger1016125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-4303962325527005432018-01-08T15:12:00.000-05:002018-01-08T15:12:20.812-05:00Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy New Year from the Loughman family! I've been thinking a lot about New Year's Resolutions.</div>
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My word of the year is going to be Generosity. The last couple years I've picked a word that was very me-focused. You know, I wanted to "choose joy" or "be intentional" or whatever. But if I'm honest with myself, those words never really stuck. Maybe they're too hard to measure. (I'm a big fan of quantifiable goals.) Too vague. But I'm kind of over all this me-focused stuff. Ugh. I'm so over <i>me</i>. This year I really wanted a word that was less about how <i>I</i> could be better, and more about how I could make other things better.</div>
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So, generosity. I can be generous with my money, obviously. Maybe - taking one hundred dollars a month to spread some random kindness. Pay for the car behind me in the drive-thru. Leave a really generous tip to the stressed waitress. Bless a giftcard on someone at work going through a tough time. Buy a goat.</div>
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I can also be generous with my time. Read that extra bedtime story (without gritting my teeth). Send Matt out for an extra long run (without tabulating all the things I'd rather be doing with that time). Say "yes" a bit more. Find time on the calendar to go ahead and block off for that family time. Generosity to me looks like an attitude - doing the things I might have already been doing, but with a happy attitude. </div>
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What other areas of life can I be generous in?</div>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-11940588666254412642017-12-29T14:24:00.000-05:002018-01-08T14:25:31.889-05:00Holiday Happenings<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So here are a few of the things that happened in December...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girl Scout Ornament Workshop</td></tr>
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<br />Violet's Girl Scout troop took part in an ornament making workshop. The whole event was run by older Girl Scouts. I'm always so impressed when we attend these events. The idea that Violet is a part of an organization that encouraged girls to take on challenges and be leaders... it's cool! The troop is great this year - cookie season is ramping up and the girls are saving up for an overnight cabin camp-out at an official Girl Scout camp. </div>
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One of my family goals this December was to do a faithful job following the advent calendar. I'd say we completed at least 75 percent of the activities! One night the activity was to make hot chocolate and go look at Christmas lights!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking our hot chocolate on the road!</td></tr>
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Another great part of this winter break has been watching the girls play together. Violet can be so creative and inspire Annie to all sorts of imaginative games. They rigged a Halloween candy bucket on a rope and dropped it over the side of the stairs as a makeshift basket. They use that to play some game called "invention" that I haven't quite figured out the point of yet... Other favorite toys and games include legos (Violet is quite the master builder) and their Hatchimals. When I can tear them away from technology, that is.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet girls!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elf Violet!</td></tr>
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I was blessed to be able to go to Violet's Christmas party at school this year. One of the great ironies of being a teacher is that while my own child is just a few steps away, that doesn't make it any easier to actually do classroom things with her. But pulling the strings to find a substitute for a few minutes was worth the effort.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merry Christmas from First Grade!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-52908250733196945862017-12-10T07:42:00.000-05:002017-12-10T07:42:14.388-05:00Winter Wonderland<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backyard golf course view.</td></tr>
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Early Saturday morning, I threw a jacket over my PJs, pulled on my rain boots, and set off into the pristine stillness. It rarely snows here in Georgia. It never snows this early in the season. And who knows if we'll see snow again. So I was intent on capturing my favorite version of a snow day - that early morning calm. Violet came with me, but I made her promise not to talk, ha! We must have gotten at least 3-4 inches of snow and it continued to drift down as we trekked up to the golf course and around to the front of the house. </div>
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The rest of the day was filled with crossing stuff off the holiday to-do list, like wrapping books for all my first graders and doing a little spray painting and hot gluing to finish up the gifts the students are giving their families. We also had time for homemade pizza (Matt is becoming a master at making dough in our new stand mixer) and family movie night (Elf! One of the best!). The snow started melting once the sun came up, although there is still plenty on the ground. What a perfect weekend to enjoy our winter wonderland!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our backyard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frosty!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All is Calm. All is White.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love our new dark gray house color, even more so in the snow!</td></tr>
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Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-83100115000439199972017-12-10T07:25:00.001-05:002017-12-10T07:42:51.083-05:00Snow (Half) Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You know how the weather guys are always making a big deal about "potential" snow here in the South, and then it never amount to anything? They will claim a weather situation is on the way, the news hypes it up, everyone rushes out to buy their usual bread and milk, school closings start scrolling on the television, and then it all amounts to nothing and everyone on social media starts making fun of us for overreacting once again?</div>
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Well, when the murmurings of potential snow started cropping up earlier this week, no one really paid attention to it. Even the official email to school staff on Thursday was "you might want to consider being potentially prepared for possibly moving into our weather plan" but was followed with a "we're definitely not cancelling school though so don't get excited about anything" (paraphrasing entirely my own). However, not one to hedge my bets, I did suggest to the students that they put a spoon under their pillow and wear their PJs backwards. You know, just in case.</div>
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Friday morning, I checked outside and sure enough, it was just rain. Recess rolls around and still, just rain. Not ten minutes later, my phone blows up - look outside! Snow! I immediately called for silence in the room and then whispered to my little friends, "Get your jackets, it's snowing!" </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumped into Violet on the playground, enjoying the snow!</td></tr>
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We got the official email from the county, saying "yes, there's snow but nothing is sticking and the roads aren't freezing so we're in this for the long haul and good luck trying to accomplish anything vital with your kiddos today." The kids enjoyed a snowy ten minutes before we headed to the cafeteria. My students have just all made it to the table and a new message comes blaring over the radio... The powers that be have changed their minds and we're having an Early Release. Whoo hoo!<br />
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Although there was a slight problem. Legally we have to feed all our students lunch. And during a regular early release schedule, everyone will already have their lunches picked up by 11. Now it was almost 11 and lunch was just starting! The cafeteria had basically one hour to feed over 1100 students. God bless those women. Then teachers started scrambling to call parents, figuring out transportation for all the kids scheduled for afterschool activities. God bless our admin. I must have had eight people stop by my room, making sure I had heard back from everyone, making sure we were good to go.<br />
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Since the day was a wash, I threw in the towel and went for broke, passing out the elf hats I'd bought for all my students to get us in the holiday spirit, as if they needed any help! We wrote letters to Santa, asking questions about life at the North Pole. We packed up and loaded buses in the quickest dismissal I've ever seen, then proceeded to hunker down and wait until buses reported back so we could leave as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loading up and heading home in the snow!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone was excited for her snow day!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the time we left the school, snow was starting to stick.</td></tr>
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Talk about perfect timing. Friday is the perfect time to have snow - we had the rest of the day to enjoy it without a) having to deal with online learning and b) having to worry about going in the next day. Instead the girls got to run around outside, start building a snow wall (whatever that is!) and I got an extra three hours in my day. And let me tell you what a gift that is! In those three hours, I managed to get all my papers graded and school work done, I got to enjoy coffee with my husband, I felt relaxed enough to enjoy decorating the gingerbread house with the girls, I made a batch of cookies to share, I even started wrapping presents! We had dinner with the neighbors in a snowy repeat of our very first neighbor dinner together, now almost eight years ago. And the snow just kept falling! I've never seen snowflakes so huge and wet. And due to the fact that no one had really hyped this weather event, no one had really expected it to actually come through, made it feel all the more magical.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_eKFOAQeR_8/Wi0h8iQwNkI/AAAAAAAAdY4/vzqm2bybzeEZcJYIbO_gq9TEi88gsCeQwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_eKFOAQeR_8/Wi0h8iQwNkI/AAAAAAAAdY4/vzqm2bybzeEZcJYIbO_gq9TEi88gsCeQwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5029.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My snow bunnies!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice job, ladies!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9mmUvGyNlt8/Wi0h8sgdCII/AAAAAAAAdY4/YVOlw8oMII8TLlvpwIUJFpTPl3BT3DrbgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9mmUvGyNlt8/Wi0h8sgdCII/AAAAAAAAdY4/YVOlw8oMII8TLlvpwIUJFpTPl3BT3DrbgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5034.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-28160878207496921842017-11-24T07:43:00.000-05:002017-12-03T07:44:16.694-05:00(Half) Marathon Man<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_1V9sabl0bg/WiPlKYHsrII/AAAAAAAAdPY/8x-jmRHjBWYgniWOyaO2IJf-hYv7-UKUgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_1V9sabl0bg/WiPlKYHsrII/AAAAAAAAdPY/8x-jmRHjBWYgniWOyaO2IJf-hYv7-UKUgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4952.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The runners about to head to the starting line. It was just a little chilly.</td></tr>
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This spring, Matt signed me up for the Peachtree Road Race. The day after I found out I'd been lottery-issued a race number, I laced up my sneakers and hit the road to start training. <a href="http://alittleloughman.blogspot.com/2017/03/running-man.html" target="_blank">Remember</a>? Then there was the actual running of the <a href="http://alittleloughman.blogspot.com/2017/07/race-day.html" target="_blank">World's Largest 10k</a> back in July. Well, the oddest thing happened after that race. I just... kept running. Turns out, I kind of like it. It's really good exercise.</div>
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But I'm the kind of person that always does better with a goal. I thrive on New Year's Resolutions. I enjoy a good to-do list. So after upping my mileage to seven miles, eight... I started thinking. Would a half marathon be in the realm of possibility for me? Matt signed up for the Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon and I casually mentioned to my brother that he should run it too. Then he upped the ante by throwing the challenge right back at me. The idea was already in the back of my mind, but once again, I knew I would need someone next to me pounding the pavement. It's all well and good to say Lukas, Matt and I would run the Half together, but "together" would pretty much only go as far as the starting line, then those two would leave me in the dust.</div>
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So I took a leap and put it out on Facebook... anyone want to run a half marathon with me? Lo and behold, I quickly got a reply. It turns out my friend Kelly was looking for a reason to kick up her training. Suddenly it was game on! The long runs slowly increased - nine miles, ten... I got myself some fancy new award-winning running shoes, Matt ordered me some running gloves. The morning I ran 10 miles in 42-degree weather and still felt able to function afterwards, that's when I finally figured this might all actually happen! That week Kelly finished her 10-mile training run and our pace was only five seconds apart. I was hopeful that I wouldn't slow her down too much!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My running buddy. (Thanks for the official photo, Atlanta Track Club!)</td></tr>
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Thanksgiving morning, we were up at 4:30. We picked up Kelly and Lukas and headed downtown. It was dark. And cold. Although the cool thing about this race is that as you heat up and discard layers, the race officials collect the old clothing, clean it and donate it all to the Atlanta Mission for the homeless. Anyway, we hung around the portable heaters, waiting for the race to start, trying to keep from freezing. Finally it was time to take our places. Matt headed up front to Wave A. Lukas was just a few steps behind him. And I had taken a leap of faith and signed up for the two hour pace team to get myself into Wave B with Kelly. The music blared, the announcers were pumping us up, the sky was brightening with every minute. I had this crazy moment of anxiety as we started walking towards the starting line. This was it. My knees had been acting up the last two weeks, I hadn't gotten in the runs I'd wanted to, I didn't want to let Kelly down. I had less fear of not finishing (I figured I could make it to the end) and more fear of <i>how</i> I would make it there. It was almost exactly eight months since I first laced up my running shoes back in March.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving towards the starting line!</td></tr>
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And then we started running. And my muscle memory took over. The familiar songs came through my earbuds, my legs started pumping without me telling them what to do. The miles just started ticking away and my brain just ignored the fact that I'd repeating this motion for two hours. Now and then we'd pass the cheering spectators, little kids holding inspiring signs like "you can do this!" that made me tear up a little - I was oddly emotional during the run. Part of me couldn't believe this was happening while my body just kind of did its thing like it was no big deal. Kelly and I were step in step the whole way, taking on the hills (which were nothing compared the roads I've been training on) and keeping the two hour pace team in sight. When I crossed the 10 mile marker and took one more step I turned to Kelly and announced that I was now officially running more than I ever had before. The familiar music kept pounding in my ears and my legs just kept going.<br />
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It was key having a running buddy by my side. Kelly definitely kept up the pace for me and since she showed no inclination of wanting to slow down or take a walk break, I didn't either, something I probably would have done had I been by myself. Using the same music that I'd been training with for the last few months also helped - my legs had a Pavlovian reaction to the tunes. By mile 11 and a half, my knees were starting to hurt and I was just ready to get to the finish line. We hit a patch of dull pavement sparsely populated by spectators and it was time to put down down my head, watch my feet churning over the pavement, and just grit my teeth and go. By mile 12 I was getting texts from people at the finish line. Finally we rounded a corner and saw the end in sight. Kelly took off, determined to get ahead of the two hour pace team. I started drifting left when I got a text from Virginia saying she and Chitra had formed a cheering section for us just across the finish line.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did it!</td></tr>
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And just like that, it was done! Goal accomplished! It was an amazing feeling, coupled with a sweet medal and bragging rights, made all the sweeter for being greeted by so much family at the end. Who would had thought I'd one day run a half marathon. Who would have thought I'd even want to! The official time came in - 13.1 miles in two hours and two seconds. I'll be honest, that was way better than I thought it would be! I'd been telling people my goal was just to get to the finish line. But to do it in two hours... I must really be a runner!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I showed my students, they were all "You won?!" and I did nothing to change that impression. I DID win!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wmWBnIAeTZI/WiPlKW7xzjI/AAAAAAAAdPY/kLfwv8eA-1QgrsknxKtXx-X1DPbcwsu1wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wmWBnIAeTZI/WiPlKW7xzjI/AAAAAAAAdPY/kLfwv8eA-1QgrsknxKtXx-X1DPbcwsu1wCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4961.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cheering squad!</td></tr>
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So now that I have my half marathon bling, what do I do now? Keep running? Take a break? Sign up for another race? Kelly wants to train for a full marathon but I'm not sure I'm quite there yet. Perhaps the Triple Peach (10k, 10-Mile, Half-Marathon) next year? Who knows... All I know is, I just keep lacing up those running shoes.Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-13047418840859106282017-10-14T07:54:00.000-04:002017-12-03T07:55:35.718-05:00Girl Scout Campout<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our backyard camp site.</td></tr>
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Violet is once more in Girl Scouts this year, and I'm once again co-leader of the troop. Although really I'm more of an assistant to the leader. Honestly I'm just the second adult needed to make things official. Our fearless leader Julie pretty much runs the show and I just do what she tells me!</div>
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This year our Brownies are working on an outdoor journey that involves hiking and camping. Our first foray into camping was to have a backyard campout in October. The majority of the troop had never slept overnight in a tent before and we figured this was a good was to ease into things. There were ten girls and three adults spread over three tents and I'm proud to say we all survived the night!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for s'mores!</td></tr>
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The tents were up by the time the girls arrived, but they were in charge of setting up their own sleeping bags and supplies. We had a fire safety lesson before making s'mores and having a round of joke-telling and camp songs. And mercifully, everyone feel asleep! It was definitely not the most restful night as I drifted in and out of sleep, but the fact that no one bailed and demanded to sleep inside or go home makes it a win in my book!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone had fun!</td></tr>
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The next morning the girls were responsible for serving their own breakfast (just fruit and granola bars... we weren't about to get fancy!) and breaking down the camp site. Then we all went home and took a nap! (Well, the adults did!) Our next goal is cabin camping!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our fearless leaders leads the closing circle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping success!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-55465405211078982472017-10-08T16:25:00.000-04:002017-10-08T16:25:15.806-04:00Disney Cruise - Day at SeaOur last day aboard the Disney Dream was our day at sea. We started by heading to the movie theater to watch Moana. Hey, when awake at 8:30 a.m. you might as well take advantage! While there, we ran into one of the girls from our dinner table, Mia. I invited her to sit with us since she was there alone, and once the movie was done, the girls decided to hit up kids club together since it had started raining. I went back to the room while Matt decided to go for a run, but as soon as I noticed the rain was gone, I grabbed the girls and told Mia to meet us at the pool! Soon her dad and sister joined us, and the girls took off. They rode the Aqua Duck again, hopped in and out of the pools and hot tubs, got themselves ice cream, and basically had the run of the deck. It was fun to watch Violet finally have the confidence to spread her wings a bit and run around with her new friend, and it was nice for me to let her go, knowing there wasn't really <i>that</i> much trouble she could get into. We went to eat at Cabanas and snagged an outdoor table at the very aft of the ship, which was a very relaxing way to eat, shady and full of fresh air. There were plenty of other huge ships on the water to watch as well.<br />
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We forced the girls back to the room to shower and change, then sent them right back to kids club with their new friends, because Matt and I had a date for a martini tasting! There were about 20 of us there, and we got to hear the history of the martini, taste various types, and I even got to head behind the bar to mix up a batch of Sour Apple martinis. Fun fact - as long as it's served in a martini glass, it's pretty much a martini. Other fun fact - the more ingredients it takes to make, the more I'm going to like my martini! While we were there, I got a text through the ship's onboard messaging service informing me that Annie had fallen asleep in kids club... win!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martini time!</td></tr>
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The theme for the evening was (optional) formal night, so I put the girls in cute matching dresses I had bought just for the cruise. Before we went to the final show of the cruise - Disney Believe - Matt and Violet went to the Mid-Ship Detective Agency and started solving the mystery of the missing puppies. The game involved using a QR code to activate various "paintings" around the ship, which would come alive and supply clues once you completed a challenge. Of course, this being Disney, the game, graphics, clues, all of it were pretty impressive!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to watch Believe! (I cried. So good.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solving the case!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The picture came alive!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Activating the next clue!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last stop at the Pumpkin Tree.</td></tr>
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Then we were off to our last dinner, right where we began it all, at the Enchanted Garden. Annie fell asleep <i>again</i>! This girl just couldn't hang! But it was nice chatting to the family we'd gotten to know over the course of our sailing and relieve all the great memories. The next morning, we returned to the same restaurant for breakfast and to say goodbye to our great serving team. I'm not going to lie, I cried a little <i>again, </i>just thinking about what a great trip it had been, how everything had worked out, how relaxed we'd gotten, how now they were kicking me off this beautiful boat to face the reality of report cards and parent-teacher conferences... One thing is for sure. This is not our last Disney Cruise!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a great time!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-11798490310549343142017-10-08T16:06:00.002-04:002017-10-08T16:06:57.565-04:00Disney Cruise - Castaway Cay<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're always cruising with a balcony from now on.</td></tr>
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One of the most-anticipated parts of our itinerary was the stop at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas. We had been warned the night before by the cruise director Trent that rain was in the forecast, but with a little faith, luck, and pixie dust (and a good rain dance) we could hopefully still have a great day on the island. Matt and I were planning to run the Castaway Cay 5K race on the island, so we were some of the first to exit the ship. We dropped the girls off at the island kids club and headed for the starting line with, I don't know, say 100 other passengers. What followed was one of the hottest runs I've ever experienced! The race took us along a paved path cut through the island's greenery and then along the runway to the adults only beach, and back.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running selfies... harder than you'd think! But look at that finisher's medal!</td></tr>
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When we were finished (under 30 minutes, might I add!) we staked out some beach chairs under an umbrella and headed to grab the girls. As luck would have it, we spotted Mickey on the way! There were only a handful of people waiting to meet him, so I told the girls it was now or never! See how overcast the sky was? I said a quick prayer that we'd make the most of our time on the island so even if it rained, it wouldn't be a disappointment. And it never rained! The clouds dissipated and it ended up being a beautiful day!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting Mickey!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas card!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally at the beach!</td></tr>
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The beach was great! There were plenty of chairs and umbrellas, life vests for anyone that needed one, two restaurants serving up lunch of various BBQ options, even the unlimited soda and ice cream machines turned up! Basically the ship's staff get off the boat, run the island, and then pack it all up at the end of the day. It's quite an endeavor! Matt and Violet went on the Pelican Plunge, a rather swift waterslide that drops you right into the ocean while Annie and I explored. After lunch we happened to park it near another family from our county (the running joke was that everyone on the ship was from one of three counties in Atlanta on fall break) and when they headed back to the Dream, they left us their floats that we took to the water. The beach never felt too crowded and like I mentioned, the weather ended up great. Annie even fell asleep in a beach chair for a much needed nap!</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--b220ecRWdE/Wdp80uvDN7I/AAAAAAAAc-A/_qI-7AvYpmAn7zd7liztzQ3ntZqdYCJYgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--b220ecRWdE/Wdp80uvDN7I/AAAAAAAAc-A/_qI-7AvYpmAn7zd7liztzQ3ntZqdYCJYgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4747.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nz2rfeB_-9E/Wdp80mM3TSI/AAAAAAAAc-A/ePJ_9j5WVEgyhlIwIE-rWtCMsfzZ0U7FgCKgBGAs/s1600/FCFD6D98-1C8E-436B-949A-5A37E9DF70A9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nz2rfeB_-9E/Wdp80mM3TSI/AAAAAAAAc-A/ePJ_9j5WVEgyhlIwIE-rWtCMsfzZ0U7FgCKgBGAs/s400/FCFD6D98-1C8E-436B-949A-5A37E9DF70A9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just look at that water! Talk about no filter needed!</td></tr>
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<br />We returned to the ship for Pirate Night! Everyone showered and dressed, then we took the girls to the club while we got a much needed cup of "real" coffee from the onboard cafe. We met up with the kids in D Lounge to watch a family pirate game show, where Annie got picked to help swab the deck in a relay race - she had to push a mop and bucket around. I continued to be amazed at the people working the kids clubs - this was no simple babysitting service. They were always engaged the kids, finding things to play with them, interacting with them. It's no wonder the girls were so willing to return time and time again! After another early dinner via room service, we took the kids up to the pool deck to watch the pirate dance party, where Captain Hook attempted to take over the ship but was thwarted by Mickey and his brave crew!<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yo ho, yo ho!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violet with her class pet, Alfred, who got to spend the week with us. She had to take pictures and write in a journal all about Alfred's adventures... something tells me this might be the highlight of his year!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our Fish Extender gifts was this perfect pirate eye patch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at those scalawags!</td></tr>
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<br />Thanks to Annie's beachside nap, she finally managed to stay awake through dinner, ha! During dinner, our girls and the girls from the family that shared our table hatched a plot to go to kids club before the fireworks, and we were happy to let them. Matt and I walked around the outside of the ship on Deck 4, trying to work off our enormous dinner. We grabbed the girls around 10:30 and brought them back to our room so we could watch the fireworks from our balcony. (Pro tip - get a room on the starboard (right) side if you want an excellent view of Castaway Cay and the fireworks!) And so we went to bed, already sad that the next day would be our last on this beautiful Dream.<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye Castaway Cay!</td></tr>
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Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-1537483001181533882017-10-08T15:20:00.000-04:002017-10-08T15:49:40.743-04:00Disney Cruise - Nassau<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast of champions.</td></tr>
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Just like Mr. Goodluck had promised, we woke up to beautiful calm seas. Our early-rising girls were quickly dressed and ready for action, so we were some of the first upstairs at Cabanas, the buffet on the pool deck. We ate and headed forward, hoping to watch the ship pull into our first port of call, Nassau, Bahamas! It was amazing to watch our huge ship aim for a slot between the breakers and slide into the port, then stop and spin in order to back into its parking space. Impressive! (Although apparently on the sailing after ours, something went wrong and the Dream bumped the dock on the way in, causing quite a bit of cosmetic damage! Oops!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contemplating life with coffee. (Spoiler alert - the coffee was meh.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yxOLnJ7Vnoo/WdoEfTbYqOI/AAAAAAAAc9k/XpWzBF1lrV4t0V7lx2VFGqpNqjugvK8WgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yxOLnJ7Vnoo/WdoEfTbYqOI/AAAAAAAAc9k/XpWzBF1lrV4t0V7lx2VFGqpNqjugvK8WgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4826.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A windy sunrise!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2ni48OrJMGg/WdoEfaEq0zI/AAAAAAAAc9k/zVvFg7RNZAAg1wtBGTDDrn59YZPSMPbsACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2ni48OrJMGg/WdoEfaEq0zI/AAAAAAAAc9k/zVvFg7RNZAAg1wtBGTDDrn59YZPSMPbsACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4647.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passing the lighthouse pulling into port.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T07r9z8wcZs/WdoEfXUVMbI/AAAAAAAAc9k/QbeLOiZ9lmU1KMuoxflXVzC2yDWqJQVjQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T07r9z8wcZs/WdoEfXUVMbI/AAAAAAAAc9k/QbeLOiZ9lmU1KMuoxflXVzC2yDWqJQVjQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4654.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the pools to open.</td></tr>
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We had already decided to stay on board in Nassau. The idea is that the ship will empty out and you'll have the place to yourselves, although more and more people are opting to skip Nassau excursions and I honestly couldn't tell a difference with the crowds. (Although side note, it never really felt that crowded on board. There were a few moments of craziness but for the most part, it wasn't unusual to be the only people waiting for an elevator or walking down the hallway.) Since we were already on the top deck, the girls took a quick paddle around the pools (there is a deeper one and a small kiddie Mickey pool) and then we decided to check out Goofy's Sports Deck and play some mini golf.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uSo-iWYmntw/WdoEfX5RCeI/AAAAAAAAc9k/AZj7yO0378U_qfF-dbG-zl1_LO2fRiw1gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uSo-iWYmntw/WdoEfX5RCeI/AAAAAAAAc9k/AZj7yO0378U_qfF-dbG-zl1_LO2fRiw1gCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4655.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hole in one?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUR2meY7PAQ/WdoEfdApClI/AAAAAAAAc9k/i3ipakoTGpEyLpBUBwFXXPZkcHeTRej_ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUR2meY7PAQ/WdoEfdApClI/AAAAAAAAc9k/i3ipakoTGpEyLpBUBwFXXPZkcHeTRej_ACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4656.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violet's new thing is making a peace sign in every picture!</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HIsOkcpcrEk/WdoEfeJFqKI/AAAAAAAAc9k/cdJm7nu0skYtgwQJVTGSvfMBjU4C2pe1ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HIsOkcpcrEk/WdoEfeJFqKI/AAAAAAAAc9k/cdJm7nu0skYtgwQJVTGSvfMBjU4C2pe1ACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4661.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goofy Golfing Girls</td></tr>
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Then it was time to quickly get dressed for our Frozen Meet and Greet! While there were always plenty of Disney characters and princesses around in the atrium, the girls were never interested in standing in line to meet anyone. But the Frozen princesses could only be accessed via (free) pre-booked tickets that gave you a specific time to show up. The princesses had a few minutes to talk to each visitor (our girls had a conversation about how sisters take care of each other) and then Anna suggested they all hold hands and make a "sister chain" for the picture. So cute! Violet is already skeptical - she informed me she knows that the characters are just people dressed up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v-ZfM8J1wkE/WdoEfUaw7sI/AAAAAAAAc9k/o3YtdxN4qXMKCqPkOaSNNlZMqJuqDuFiwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v-ZfM8J1wkE/WdoEfUaw7sI/AAAAAAAAc9k/o3YtdxN4qXMKCqPkOaSNNlZMqJuqDuFiwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4664.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sister chain!</td></tr>
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We took the kids to kids club to play and then Matt and I checked out the ship's fitness area and hit the treadmills for a bit. It decided to pour buckets at this point of the day, so it's just as well the kids were at the club. We showered and decided to find something grown up to do while they were occupied. There was trivia happening at one of the pubs, and even though we showed up four questions late (and even though these were the most random trivia questions ever) we ended up winning, ha! The prize - two Disney Cruise Line luggage tags and bragging rights! Then it was time to get ready for our Halloween on the High Seas trick-or-treating party! We returned to the room, ordered the girls an early dinner through room service and got everyone showered. We were really hoping Annie would nap but no dice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4eKkIloXmxg/WdoEfTqg2BI/AAAAAAAAc9k/Oz-4m3BFxoQt4ojheclWwZHxJY6_lmtlgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4eKkIloXmxg/WdoEfTqg2BI/AAAAAAAAc9k/Oz-4m3BFxoQt4ojheclWwZHxJY6_lmtlgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4671.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's get some candy!</td></tr>
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Due to the previous rain showers, the trick-or-treating was moved from the pool deck to the atrium, and this was the only time I really felt overwhelmed by crowds. It was almost impossible to get through the hallways as everyone tried to get to the candy stations. But based on the candy haul the girls made, it was worth it! The kids were way more interested in their candy than the dancing characters inside. Then it was time to sail away!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-90kTdvB_vHc/WdoEfUOoTaI/AAAAAAAAc9k/SbGSeNPPcB8Rp2Yr_D5UPlupQ-25igo4gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-90kTdvB_vHc/WdoEfUOoTaI/AAAAAAAAc9k/SbGSeNPPcB8Rp2Yr_D5UPlupQ-25igo4gCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4674.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We escaped the crowds for a few minutes!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_je2Gl3dbzo/WdoEfbxOeDI/AAAAAAAAc9k/GPvGzkc3fqctLRYX4GqAKXWF-DM0e5tzwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_je2Gl3dbzo/WdoEfbxOeDI/AAAAAAAAc9k/GPvGzkc3fqctLRYX4GqAKXWF-DM0e5tzwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4672.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So. Many. People.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4U8IkBpx6-c/WdoEfRX5NkI/AAAAAAAAc9k/Ro-WwABYtX8QMfVaRgYh7VZRxkknfWBcACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4U8IkBpx6-c/WdoEfRX5NkI/AAAAAAAAc9k/Ro-WwABYtX8QMfVaRgYh7VZRxkknfWBcACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4686.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Moana" watching the Dream pull out of Nassau from our balcony.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yrAFDMmziHE/WdoEfS4vtvI/AAAAAAAAc9k/AbYMFrKg0MQiG9CJ4t6qmO9sKukorvcFACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yrAFDMmziHE/WdoEfS4vtvI/AAAAAAAAc9k/AbYMFrKg0MQiG9CJ4t6qmO9sKukorvcFACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4697.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rainbow!</td></tr>
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We headed to our show - a magic show this time - in the Walt Disney Theater, and then I decided to try a new tactic for dinner. Since Annie didn't take a nap, I'd just have to caffeine them up! So we headed to the pool deck (home of the free soda machines) and let them drink their fill while we watched the sunset. At this point, we were sailing on smooth seas, and I was so relieved that we weren't experiencing the wild rocking from the night before.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DkJ6QNvvDGo/WdoEfRViv6I/AAAAAAAAc9k/mQWDpPTC-5cocsufhEOCNI5JQmBfgsp5QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DkJ6QNvvDGo/WdoEfRViv6I/AAAAAAAAc9k/mQWDpPTC-5cocsufhEOCNI5JQmBfgsp5QCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4704.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocean sunset!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z40sbN7wFm8/WdoEfRmHp-I/AAAAAAAAc9k/uhoSMfrfStwb1f1e8iUXCAcNBeX2fgXIwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z40sbN7wFm8/WdoEfRmHp-I/AAAAAAAAc9k/uhoSMfrfStwb1f1e8iUXCAcNBeX2fgXIwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4705.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drink up, me heartys, yo ho!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-43OYNrBK1aU/WdoEfUllT-I/AAAAAAAAc9k/T8_1FmjkCDsG3Ck29JMNuIWPQXqImstjwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-43OYNrBK1aU/WdoEfUllT-I/AAAAAAAAc9k/T8_1FmjkCDsG3Ck29JMNuIWPQXqImstjwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4707.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pool deck, so pretty at night!</td></tr>
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Well, despite my best efforts, Annie could still not make it through dinner. Our wonderful serving team (you have the same waiters the whole trip, they rotate to all the different dining rooms with you) were so sweet and brought out extra tableclothes to serve as blankets. They also cut up the girls' food for them. Hello service! We ate at Animator's Palette, a very cool restaurant filled with giant tv screens that showed various Disney characters. Crush the Turtle from Finding Nemo showed up on ours and proceeded to have a personal conversation with Violet, asking her for her name (and when she was too shy to answer, he asked me!) and where she was from. We made it through dessert and then headed for bed, knowing that the next day we'd be heading to our private Disney island!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Va0tIvzeJ4/WdoEfYWVZVI/AAAAAAAAc9k/YzZDLJ3VWLE26FxaAtcoo_mY_ylEAadagCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Va0tIvzeJ4/WdoEfYWVZVI/AAAAAAAAc9k/YzZDLJ3VWLE26FxaAtcoo_mY_ylEAadagCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_4712.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-73865235042306529922017-10-08T06:51:00.000-04:002017-10-08T06:51:23.956-04:00Disney Cruise!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K6qNfEbdf_w/Wdi8MeRbLFI/AAAAAAAAc9A/z_toPSWuVuUcOKK0Q04dRCJZmyU2Vjp5QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4618.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="565" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K6qNfEbdf_w/Wdi8MeRbLFI/AAAAAAAAc9A/z_toPSWuVuUcOKK0Q04dRCJZmyU2Vjp5QCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_4618.PNG" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, the screen I've been waiting for on my countdown app!</td></tr>
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<br />
I've never considered myself a cruise person. Having never been on one, sure, I don't really have much to compare it to. But being stuck on a boat? With all those people? And what about those horror stories you hear of everyone getting sick? Yeah, it's never really appealed to me.<br />
<br />
Enter our neighbors, who have recently become Disney Cruise professionals! After hearing story after story of their amazing experiences (and knowing there is no <i>way</i> we're taking our kids to the Disney parks any time soon) we started wondering... Next thing you know, we had signed ourselves up for a Fall Break cruise to the Bahamas on the Disney Dream. The countdown was on! I spent basically all summer working on cruise details, joining various Facebook groups (there was even a group for our specific itinerary and it was cool to get to know some people and have a place to share ideas), and planning Fish Extender gifts.<br />
<br />
Fish Extenders are this whole thing where you join a group of ten or so staterooms, and then get little gifts for everyone. During the cruise, you hang a special bag with pockets outside your door on the fish-shaped hook, and then the people in your group leave little presents throughout the trip. It's like putting a stocking up at Christmas time. It's certainly not mandatory, but it adds a little something magical to your trip. Of course I just had to participate, and I knew I had to get it all done this summer because once school started, I wouldn't have time to think about the cruise at all!<br />
<br />
And then, the hurricanes hit. I knew Harvey wouldn't be a problem, and Irma was too early to affect us (although there were fears the Disney Island, Castaway Cay, would be damaged). Jose spun himself silly in the Atlanta before getting close. But Maria. Oh, Hurricane Maria. Our FB group was hot with speculation, concern, prayer. After watching anxiously, things appeared to be okay and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.<br />
<br />
Anyway, all that to say, after weeks of cruise gear growing on the dining room table, we finally had our princess costumes, pirate outfits, Fish Extender gifts, and luggage packed and stuffed in the car, ready to go! After a quick stop in Peachtree City to celebrate Annie's birthday, we hit the road Sunday morning for the long trip to Port Canaveral.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9tubNcXLLvw/Wdi8MSod5BI/AAAAAAAAc9A/Tpv-mAL9q9sXparJH2inmPH2XyeEhZBXACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9tubNcXLLvw/Wdi8MSod5BI/AAAAAAAAc9A/Tpv-mAL9q9sXparJH2inmPH2XyeEhZBXACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4613.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're on vacation!</td></tr>
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We stayed the night at a hotel just minutes from the port; we even had dinner there the night before we sailed off. The entire hotel was packed with fellow cruisers. Annie made quick friends with the family next to us for breakfast who had been on the cancelled Hurricane Irma cruise - they were just happy to be sailing! After we couldn't stand the wait any longer, we headed to the port.<br />
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Let me tell you, Disney has this thing down to a science. A well-organized smooth science. Everyone is assigned a specific port arrival time to keep the lines from getting clogged. We checked it, used our new passports for the first time, and after hanging about the terminal for a bit (it was crowded but not unmanageable) we were finally given the go ahead to take our turn.<br />
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I'll admit, I teared up just stepping onto the ship. I have such a nostalgic connection to Disney from my childhood. I used to say I was going to marry Mickey when I was little, or work at Disney World. My brother and I made it a mission one summer to watch every single Disney animated classic movie. Plus this was such a big trip, had been planned for so long, thought about so hard... When we announced as we walked on board, "Welcome to the Loughman family!" and we walked through a line of clapping Disney cast members into this huge beautiful atrium... it was an emotional experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zg9VTnMMdWw/Wdi8MTbPT3I/AAAAAAAAc9A/3ZOuaUU9BbskRdYmwOM0WhndlnimwZFPQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zg9VTnMMdWw/Wdi8MTbPT3I/AAAAAAAAc9A/3ZOuaUU9BbskRdYmwOM0WhndlnimwZFPQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4621.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minutes away from stepping foot onto the ship!</td></tr>
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From endless previous discussions, we knew the first thing the kids wanted to do upon boarding was head to the pool deck. And why not? We were on board before noon but our room wouldn't be available until 1:30, with luggage delivered even later. So we had our swimsuits on under our clothes in preparation. Day one is a great day to hit the pool as well, because the ship won't be fully boarded until 3 p.m. or so. Might as well grab a spot on deck while it's less crowded, right?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tv2lVPDoNZ4/Wdi8MaNNSWI/AAAAAAAAc9A/r3WSbsQpdjUmnLmBLKtyLBW8A_9ju9YigCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tv2lVPDoNZ4/Wdi8MaNNSWI/AAAAAAAAc9A/r3WSbsQpdjUmnLmBLKtyLBW8A_9ju9YigCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4622.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm on a boat!</td></tr>
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The girls immediately wanted to try out the Aqua Duck, a water slide that wraps all the way around the ship. Annie was <i>juuuust</i> tall enough to ride, which was awesome! I had already emotionally prepared her for not getting to go, but perhaps turning four two days earlier gave her the extra bump she needed! We rode the slide, found the much-anticipated free soft drinks and ice cream machine, and had a blast.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nttXX0bZO90/Wdi8MYSDb9I/AAAAAAAAc9A/Wwm_g5lreBsMKlgtNiuPhKauvKCpUscSwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nttXX0bZO90/Wdi8MYSDb9I/AAAAAAAAc9A/Wwm_g5lreBsMKlgtNiuPhKauvKCpUscSwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4624.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Mickey Pool! See the water slide wrapping around the ship?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-g_6zzAMd0/Wdi8MfE_S9I/AAAAAAAAc9A/zXfHk1NK1GI22K-yTFdvJ5VlEWjIIZtZwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-g_6zzAMd0/Wdi8MfE_S9I/AAAAAAAAc9A/zXfHk1NK1GI22K-yTFdvJ5VlEWjIIZtZwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4625.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for our turn on the slide!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cLWZRP9yWvo/WdjB9ebD9_I/AAAAAAAAc9Q/RMIRXZ3e1msKTTrZU6E3Kb9Ee1maWHW6wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cLWZRP9yWvo/WdjB9ebD9_I/AAAAAAAAc9Q/RMIRXZ3e1msKTTrZU6E3Kb9Ee1maWHW6wCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4797.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt and Annie on the Aqua Duck!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violet on another slide.</td></tr>
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Next we decided to grab lunch. I'd gotten an insider tip that rather than eating at the buffet on the pool deck, we could have a sit-down table-service lunch at Enchanted Gardens, one of the ship's restaurants. It remains one of the highlights of our trip. Something about being just the four of us, in this beautiful restaurant (think greenery, cobblestones, a fountain), being served a lovely lunch complete with the girls' first Mickey Bars for dessert... After the crowds getting on the boat, waiting for the slide, navigating the elevators - it was a beautiful oasis of calm in our day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z6_jArgyfY0/Wdi8MWWcMxI/AAAAAAAAc9A/mtKTA7FVrNAuvmJPWYBEWZwwdo6zt-NxwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z6_jArgyfY0/Wdi8MWWcMxI/AAAAAAAAc9A/mtKTA7FVrNAuvmJPWYBEWZwwdo6zt-NxwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4825.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family Selfie</td></tr>
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We were finally able to check out our stateroom and unpack our bags. One of the first things on the list was decorating our door. Yes, to make it cute. But more importantly, so we'd be able to find it again in a hallway of identical doors! We met our stateroom host, the person in charge of making sure we were taken care of the whole trip (and the person who'd be making those cute little towel animals for our bed every evening) - Mr. Goodluck.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the Fish Extender hanging by the door?</td></tr>
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We visited the kids club area during their Open House hours, went to the required muster drill (safety briefing), and watched the Sail Away Party from the pool deck, where Mickey and his gang come out singing and dancing. Then it was time to get dressed for the show - The Golden Mickeys! - and dinner. At this point, the ship was rocking pretty steadily. Whether it was due to rough post-hurricane seas or the speed of our travel, there was significant motion. People were stumbling in the hallways and the curtains were swaying. It was clear pretty quickly that Annie wasn't feeling good. We arrived at dinner, met the very nice family with two girls we'd be dining with each night, and were basically in crisis management mode with two exhausted girls. Dinner that first night was pretty much a bust. Matt ended up leaving with a crying Annie and Violet and I were out before dessert. Once both girls were asleep, Matt and I ordered dessert via room service and were happy to call it an early night as well, with promises from Mr. Goodluck that the motion of the ocean would by done by morning. He was right!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family picture on the balcony!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-59883965167506278462017-09-23T07:33:00.000-04:002017-10-07T07:34:41.527-04:00Happy Birthday Annie!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Mickey Pirate theme cake before our Mickey cruise!</td></tr>
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This sweet girl turned four! Can you believe it? Annie really feels like a "big" girl now and you can tell how proud she is of herself. She's learning sight words and lowercase letters in school and sits in her "big girl" booster seat in the car, just like her big sister. She is one smart and sassy cookie, let me tell you.</div>
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We celebrated her birthday with our neighbors and Annie got two different costumes, perfect for our Disney cruise. The next day we headed to Peachtree City so we could celebrate with family.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating with the neighbors.</td></tr>
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Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-89376189148304996082017-09-11T10:46:00.001-04:002017-09-11T10:46:49.540-04:00Botanical Gardens<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My girls and the Earth Goddess. Or as my girls insist, Te Fiti from Moana.</td></tr>
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We took advantage of a truly beautiful fall-ish day to visit one of our favorite places in Atlanta, the Botanical Gardens. We have a membership pass, but the middle of the summer is always so hot, it makes it hard to even want to go. But mid-70s on a sunny Saturday in September? Yes, please! </div>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-29210652430398102142017-09-11T10:35:00.000-04:002017-09-11T10:35:31.054-04:00Look How We've Grown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-37820141645653075352017-08-03T10:32:00.000-04:002017-09-11T10:33:26.802-04:00Back to School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And then the summer was over, and we all headed back to school. Somehow I ended up with a second grader! How did that happen?! The days are long, but my how the years are short! Violet once again wants to be a teacher when she grows up. (I'll keep my opinions about that intended profession to myself.) She was totally ready to go - no tears, no whining, no "please walk me to my classroom while I hang onto your leg". I was so excited to learn Ms. Post was her teacher this year - I have a thing for second-year teachers. They're still full of enthusiasm and innovation; they haven't been beaten down by the system yet, haha!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off she goes!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violet and Ms. Post!</td></tr>
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Matt took a "first day" picture with Annie too, even though she officially started a week early due to my pre-planning schedule. She's in Early Pre-K this year, thanks to that September birthday. She just missed the cut-off! This is hopefully our last year of daycare - my school opened up two special needs pre-k classes, and each classroom has two "typical peer" slots for staff kids. We toyed with the idea of trying to get her in this year, but it was too last minute for me to think through properly. Plus there would be no guarantee of a slot next year, which is when she is supposed to go. So, we're with Carrington for one more year. It's not a bad thing, either. Her teacher from last year looped up, so it made for a smooth transition, and we LOVE Ms. Breanna!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first-ish day of Pre-ish K!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie's class... see her self-portrait in the top right corner?</td></tr>
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And as for me... well, the best part of starting this year was not being the new teacher anymore! It's a relief to have a year under my belt at this beautiful school. I know how things work, I know what to expect, I know what's coming up. It makes a huge difference, let me tell you. And although I was sad to see the summer end, it reaches a point where you just want the school year to start and get the waiting over with!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful day to go back to school!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47Q5P8lerIc/WbacEXHmaEI/AAAAAAAAcdQ/HDg9CIEpqCs2ZQJfj53U8tJJWippgJLWgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47Q5P8lerIc/WbacEXHmaEI/AAAAAAAAcdQ/HDg9CIEpqCs2ZQJfj53U8tJJWippgJLWgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4472.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First grade team!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-85980039139410775802017-07-30T10:11:00.000-04:002017-09-11T10:13:53.173-04:00All In the Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Our last adventure before heading back to school this year was the annual (okay, every other year) Loughman family reunion. The location rotates every two years between five different states, and this year it happened to be the Georgia year (so convenient!) While other family members booked their plane tickets and packed their vans for multi-hour drives, we just took our usual trip to Peachtree City! Which worked out well, considering that school was just around the corner. Had the location been half a country away, I'm not sure we could have made it. As it was, I was able to enjoy a few last minutes of summer and lots of family, food, and fun.</div>
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One of the best parts of the trip was watching my girls play with their cousins. (Second cousins? First cousins twice removed? I'm not sure we ever got the exact terminology correct but that didn't seem to bother the kids!) Growing up, we lived too far away and there was too much age difference to do much bonding with my own cousins. So the fact that these kiddos not only met for the first time, but managed to become instant buddies during the weekend was so much fun to watch. There were golf cart rides, water balloon fights, diving contests at the pool... two years is too long between these visits, but hopefully they'll always just pick up right where they left off!</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qebEHb3W_2g/WbaF66as21I/AAAAAAAAcZ8/paC-_y17HzAvQoWb88UQZj3akgUH6gkowCKgBGAs/s1600/B741819B-C879-40FA-A63E-D5D61BB30C73.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qebEHb3W_2g/WbaF66as21I/AAAAAAAAcZ8/paC-_y17HzAvQoWb88UQZj3akgUH6gkowCKgBGAs/s400/B741819B-C879-40FA-A63E-D5D61BB30C73.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The hallmark of these family reunions for me isn't the activities or events planned. Given that this is my city, there wasn't a need for sightseeing, after all. But even in a different location, the main event remains the same - the stories of antics from the past, the memories, the side-splitting laughter and hilarity - all of us just sitting on the porch, sprawling in the living room, the pockets of conversation springing up in this corner or that. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have the Loughman family recreate this family photo on the back porch! I even made Lee Anne close her eyes for continuity!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-2950158663384721962017-07-18T08:53:00.003-04:002017-07-18T08:53:39.008-04:00Call Me MaybeThe firstest of all first world problems has happened to me.<br />
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I'm out of cellular data. A full nine days before Verizon will graciously refill the bucket. I just don't know what to do with myself.<br />
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My phone has just reverted itself back to its most primitive form - a phone. I can use it to call people. And that's it.<br />
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No GPS - I guess I'll have to pay attention on the road now. I totally took a wrong turn on the way home from church the other day and had to wing it. I go East on 285, yes?<br />
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No email. No pulling up coupons on my phone when I go to checkout at Target. No Amazon price comparisons. No weather. No killing time on Facebook while waiting for my kids to finish up gymnastics camp. No posting to Instagram those artfully filtered photos. I'm barely even getting text messages. (You should hear the way my phone blows up when I pull into the driveway and cross the border into our wireless circle. Nine texts, 14 posts, three alerts...)<br />
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My phone is basically worthless at this point. I use it to actually call people, what... nine percent of the time? Who actually talks on the phone anymore?<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LrxyqQM_kNU/WW37wBwy5eI/AAAAAAAAcRI/jsh_P3rEmuoDQvdbItKGaae4mcUuMXCLwCLcBGAs/s1600/nokia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LrxyqQM_kNU/WW37wBwy5eI/AAAAAAAAcRI/jsh_P3rEmuoDQvdbItKGaae4mcUuMXCLwCLcBGAs/s320/nokia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Do you remember your very first cell phone? Mine was this very flashy Nokia brick. And I thought it was so amazing. I got it my sophomore year in college. Before that, the Athens dorms had a special deal where you could call five Atlanta numbers without paying long distance charges. Can you even imagine? Living in the dark ages, we were. The Nokia was a massive step up from the pager I possessed in high school, but would quickly be replaced with the much coveted flip phone. I remember obsessively checking the phone to make sure I was still within my 300 minutes of talking time. Texts weren't even a big thing yet, although the x-amount of texting package was not far behind. I remember carrying around this phone, but not really using it. No one was relying on cell phones yet. We were still arranging our plans in advance, waiting patiently for everyone to show up at predetermined locations.<br />
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Think about how rapidly things have changed. Now we have unlimited talk, unlimited text, free long distance, so much coverage that roaming is barely a thing anymore. Remember the fear of roaming and its massive overage charges? Remember when a new phone meant getting a new phone number and having to somehow update all your friends in the pre-social media days? Good grief, how did we live? How did we come to rely so heavily on our technology? What a transformation we've made, my fellow <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/06/28/xennials_a_23006562/" target="_blank">Xennial Generation</a>, those of us with an analog childhood and digital adulthood.<br />
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I have two more days of cellular blackout before I can once again rejoin the mobile world. It's been educational, trying to explain to Violet how we survived in the pre-wireless age. "I had to call the store and ask for directions, then write them down on a piece of paper and take it in the car with me, possibly stopping along the way at a random gas station to verify I was actually on the right road..." She doesn't get it. Kids these days.<br />
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Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-56755097441785071862017-07-15T17:33:00.000-04:002017-07-15T17:33:02.983-04:00Winding Down, Gearing Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--wBlKS1LNak/WWqFJcxbfcI/AAAAAAAAcPE/OhIzVqiVHAoqrxywYDoS81ZVIhH2k7x-QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--wBlKS1LNak/WWqFJcxbfcI/AAAAAAAAcPE/OhIzVqiVHAoqrxywYDoS81ZVIhH2k7x-QCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4376.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Summer is winding down. Insert sad face here. I can always tell when I feel the imminent end drawing near when I have a sudden compulsion to wear flip-flops and no make-up and all those other things that that will reach their end with the start of another work year. It's like my head is like <i>I could wear a cute sundress and sandals but why waste it?</i> So sports bras and ponytails it is, for another 12 days at least.</div>
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We couldn't let summer slip us by without a roller skating adventure! Violet randomly started begging for roller skates and I was stalling big time, knowing she'd probably never wear them, or at least never wear them without clutching my hand. So my neighbor had the brilliant idea to go rent a pair as a trial run. For her first time, Violet did great! She wiped out plenty but got right back up again. It was a nice, cool activity and Annie actually napped on my lap for the first half of adventure. Of course, once she woke up she insisted on getting her own pair of skates... I'll say this - we had fun and I think the girls would go back, but Violet hasn't asked for roller skates again! Haha!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time on roller skates!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie's attempt!</td></tr>
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Then the day I have been waiting for arrived - the day BOTH my girls could go to camp! Together! For this past week they have been loving the "Rockin' Beach Camp" at our gymnastics place. There were water slides, water balloon fights, crafts, cute "beachy" snacks; it was very well done. Annie was over the moon excited to get to go like her big sister, with a backpack and lunchbox and everything. The first day she barely stuck around long enough to give me a hug goodbye. She is so different than Violet, who I remember having to pry off of me the first time she attended this camp. They both had a blast.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for gymnastics camp!</td></tr>
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And what did mommy get to do with five kid-free hours each day this week? Well, on Monday I got a massage and stumbled upon the best kid's clothing sale at Gymboree (everything on sale and then an additional 50 percent off! I destroyed that place!) Tuesday I took myself to the outlet mall and shopped for myself - some new t-shirt dresses, a new backpack and lunchbox for V, a bunch of stuff from the Disney store (more on why that is important later), a new purse and sandals... Score! Wednesday I had a coffee date, and then I took myself back to Gymboree (seriously, it was the third trip in three days - the deals were that good and Violet loved every single thing I picked out).<br />
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Thursday I actually went up to the school. I know. I know. I've never gone in this early to set up. But I couldn't pass up kid-free distraction-free time. I got a ton of stuff done and I think I'll be good to go once pre-planning starts. I needed to get a head start since we'll be at Matt's family reunion the weekend before I go back to work, so I won't have time then. Don't feel bad, it was good to go up there. Friday I actually went back in so I could put together a new bookshelf, plus I ran a bunch of other random errands, and even wrapped things up fast enough that I bought myself an hour on the couch watching tv before I had to pick up the girls. I am so thrilled that Annie was old enough to tag along with Violet at this camp... it was great to have some time to feel productive/alone before the work craziness starts again.Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-20714243559538895092017-07-06T10:07:00.001-04:002017-07-06T10:07:50.423-04:00Race Day!<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Back in April, when I found out the race entry lottery Matt entered me had indeed yielded me a Peachtree Road Race number, I immediately wished I'd entered the Powerball lottery instead. I kid! I was excited. I haven't run a race since the last Peachtree I ran eight years ago with Matt and my dad. And after watching Matt train so diligently for his half marathon and become quite the runner in the process, I wanted a turn to lace up my own shoes and hit the pavement.</div>
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I've slowly been transforming myself into a "runner" of sorts. There was the downloading of the Nike+ Training app, the trip to Big Peach Running to get professionally fitted for the proper shoes, the purchasing of running related accessories like the ear buds and flip belt. There have been runs around the neighborhood (hilly) and runs at the Greenway (beautiful) and runs in the rain. I even managed to squeeze in runs while both girls were in the water at swim practice. I've done squats and more squats to try to fend off runner's knee injuries. I've picked up a random yoga routine here and there and marveled that I was ever able to do this three times a week - yoga is hard!</div>
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And all this effort, the work, the knee pain... it was all leading to July 4 and the famed Peachtree Road Race 10k. My knees had been bothering me (I sound like such an old lady) so I hadn't been on anything long than a one mile jaunt around the 'hood for the last two weeks, and I'd only managed two or three of those as it was. The longest distance I'd ever hit was four miles, and every big distance had always led to protesting joints. Hit 5k, take two weeks off to heal. Hit four miles, end up on the coach for ten days, etc. While I knew I could go the distance, I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it without crying into my kneecaps. So it was with a bit of trepidation that I watched the days tick down on the calendar.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lBjxr98_ryE/WV1PnInbFgI/AAAAAAAAcIA/Jg4irkJTyLUOwZYjpeenWE8HKrbxSiz_gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lBjxr98_ryE/WV1PnInbFgI/AAAAAAAAcIA/Jg4irkJTyLUOwZYjpeenWE8HKrbxSiz_gCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4349.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Marta, heading to the expo for our numbers. Game faces on.</td></tr>
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We decided to take Marta to the expo as our dry run. We bought our tickets for the next day as well, which proved to be a wise decision when we saw the lines trying to navigate the ticket machines the next day. The expo was crowded, with offerings from running clothes to "energy" jelly beans. Matt picked up his number in the Wave A booth. It had a few fast, fit looking people lined up. I picked up my number in the Wave W booth. The people in line with me, lets just say they didn't look like the people waiting with Matt. Although I figured they would be good company for me and my knees. We took our numbers, signed the wall and headed home.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road would prove to be as crowded as the signatures on the wall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staking my claim.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It pays to be prepared the night before.</td></tr>
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Matt set the alarm for 4:45. That would give us enough time to get up, have our coffee and breakfast (half an English muffin with almond butter, in case you're wondering what an elite athlete like myself eats on race day), get dressed and get to Marta. It was shocking how different the station looked than it had the day before. It was clogged with runners of every shape and size. Families, couples, random dudes, it was packed. Everyone had their race bib on, so it was easy to spot the top runners (seeded, yellow bib, no wave) from my fellow W's. Everyone seemed awake and excited, despite the early hour. We stuffed ourselves into the first train that showed up, packed almost as tightly as we would be in the race later, and took off.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qc5OXA4_85M/WV1PnA3Bc2I/AAAAAAAAcIA/7bu0ERUUBHYbpiahoMrDMF6D0V7ITicdACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qc5OXA4_85M/WV1PnA3Bc2I/AAAAAAAAcIA/7bu0ERUUBHYbpiahoMrDMF6D0V7ITicdACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4362.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the train.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going up!</td></tr>
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Once we spilled out into the sunshine, Matt pretty quickly had to ditch me. His wave was called in one direction, the rest of us were herded in another. We took a picture and then he was off. He would be done running before I even got started! I waited for my friend Sheri, who had graciously agreed to run with me once she found out that I was in need of a friend at the race.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lt8innT3npI/WV1PnO8-p_I/AAAAAAAAcIA/8mi8XYDbJQE4zYaPOHnCEjYm8PK4eRV1wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lt8innT3npI/WV1PnO8-p_I/AAAAAAAAcIA/8mi8XYDbJQE4zYaPOHnCEjYm8PK4eRV1wCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4369.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good luck, Matt!</td></tr>
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Things back in Wave W were decidedly less serious than I'm sure they were in Wave A. Back here there were plenty of costumes, tutus, crazy headbands with streamers. It was definitely more of a party atmosphere. Which was good! It helped me relax and realize that ultimately my goal was just to get to the end and no one really cared overly much about technique and form from where we were. Sheri decked me out in shades and beads, which turned out to be so helpful as we ran - the beads kept clicking together and made it easier to keep track of each other. I could always hear Sheri next to me!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7nB8MR4gvTg/WV1PnO5G2jI/AAAAAAAAcIA/qvBt2agvh3Ya4rMh09yzcWW8Js_ciiiEgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7nB8MR4gvTg/WV1PnO5G2jI/AAAAAAAAcIA/qvBt2agvh3Ya4rMh09yzcWW8Js_ciiiEgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4372.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My running partner and bling bringer!</td></tr>
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We were still hanging out in our staging area when I got the text from Matt that he was already done and hanging out in the Atlanta Track Club members-only tent with his free beer. Jealous! At this point what had dawned as a fairly pleasant morning was rapidly becoming a typical Atlanta summer scorcher. But as we finally starting walking towards the starting line, I got excited that this show was finally on the road.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gTpiJ6_L0Ac/WV1PnPpRd8I/AAAAAAAAcIA/FAhezWGfQM87pbpQ8yxHXnX3PZiOu-lkACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gTpiJ6_L0Ac/WV1PnPpRd8I/AAAAAAAAcIA/FAhezWGfQM87pbpQ8yxHXnX3PZiOu-lkACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4373.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passing under the giant flag at the starting line.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ynUd8ww3xGI/WV1PnApnsKI/AAAAAAAAcIA/QMeXDiZ9pC0JHyXuR0to2Vau3dnWLk42ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ynUd8ww3xGI/WV1PnApnsKI/AAAAAAAAcIA/QMeXDiZ9pC0JHyXuR0to2Vau3dnWLk42ACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4374.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's get this party started!</td></tr>
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The actual running part was part jogging, part dodging the professional walkers all around us, looking for holes in the masses to quick-step through... I probably logged an extra mile just trying to get around people. I one point I turned to Sheri and pointed out that we were pretty much the only people running - everyone else was walking! But that also served to make me feel super accomplished - look at how many people we're passing! While I had warned Sheri that my training had been mainly intervals (run three minutes, walk one), we ended up running three miles straight before taking a potty break. As we told Matt later, the two hours we had to wait before starting meant nature came a'calling in the middle of the race. Had we started when he did, we would have made it to the end without a problem. But we ended up stopping at the perfect time. By the time we made it through the line and were back on the road, we were rested enough to tackle Cardiac Hill. We did make sure to grab water at every opportunity and walk while we drank it so as not to waste a precious drop.<br />
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For all my worries that I wouldn't be able to make it, I feel rather proud of myself. I managed to run basically the whole race, minus our water walks. There was enough going on around us, from the guys dressed as space men and the random dude that offered us beer from the rolling cooler he was running with, to the cheering spectators and encouragement along the way, that it carried me along. I texted Matt as we rounded the corner onto 10th Street and knew that the finish line was coming up. We finished strong and headed through the masses to pick up our shirts, snacks, and finally reunited with Matt. I was tired, but more from the 5 a.m. wake-up call than the actual race. The race kind of kills your holiday, but I would definitely do it again. I better get a higher wave though!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kofJpgrYjcg/WV1PnF7avII/AAAAAAAAcIA/vN6P7gB1Ik4fh3zG-WhfuoZ_7GkOaGe8wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kofJpgrYjcg/WV1PnF7avII/AAAAAAAAcIA/vN6P7gB1Ik4fh3zG-WhfuoZ_7GkOaGe8wCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4375.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finishers!</td></tr>
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Many thanks go out to Matt, for getting me my race number and encouraging me to go out for a job while he watched the girls. Thanks to Sheri for running with me on the big day. Thanks to Virginia and my mom for texting me these last three months to check in on my training progress and my knees. Thanks to Nike+ for all those squats. Thanks to the amazingly organized race and its countless volunteers who run the show. Thanks to America for being born. Thanks everyone!Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-23235247750496757132017-07-05T15:59:00.000-04:002017-07-05T15:59:30.585-04:00AdultingIt's one of our favorite traditions that every summer, we take the girls to "Camp Grandma" and "Camp Mimi". The kids get to spend several days bouncing from location to location, spending the night in one place, going to the pool at the other place, meeting up for joint playdates and meals, then splitting off again for one-on-one time with the each set of grandparents. It's fantastic and they look forward to it every year.<br />
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As do we.<br />
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For while the kids are away, the adults can play. Sometimes we have various house projects we work on, like the time we transformed Violet's room from guest room to "big girl" room to make way for Annie's nursery. Or the time we painted our bedroom. Or was it the dining room? But this summer, without any big projects on the must-do list, we just took the time out to relax.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r3SjwLCUfoM/WV1BhOefiPI/AAAAAAAAcH4/j-GbFRZtGBA03oAFs7MyMt-OQzwW3RA4gCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r3SjwLCUfoM/WV1BhOefiPI/AAAAAAAAcH4/j-GbFRZtGBA03oAFs7MyMt-OQzwW3RA4gCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4331.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sushi. Almost too pretty to eat. Almost.</td></tr>
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First up, we went out to sushi. Why waste it on kids who won't appreciate it, right? Although Violet shows signs of being a sushi-lover. There is a delicious sushi place called Mori House not far from where we live and we basically just tell the sushi chefs to hit us with their best shot. We sat at the bar this time and as they crafted this masterpiece I was silently jealous of whoever lucky customer ordered it, until they handed over and I realized that lucky customer was me. The attention to detail, the plating... it tasted as good as it looked.<br />
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The next day, we headed up to Chateau Elon, the Georgia winery and resort. We were meeting another couple here for a overnight date-night night-golf event. While the rain ended up cancelling our night golf plans, I wasn't overly broken-hearted about it. We enjoyed the pool, headed over to the winery for a wine tasting, indulged at the buffet dinner, and took a morning nature hike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-933dA1P0d_8/WV1BhJKvCmI/AAAAAAAAcH4/CpY5gmFMfBoMtcnE_kNXjxyjQLmCkB_JgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-933dA1P0d_8/WV1BhJKvCmI/AAAAAAAAcH4/CpY5gmFMfBoMtcnE_kNXjxyjQLmCkB_JgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4335.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ieBGBW7Is90/WV1BhH1JROI/AAAAAAAAcH4/PFfuRl59c1sJ0rvZE-uj6poTzx_FVpOFwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ieBGBW7Is90/WV1BhH1JROI/AAAAAAAAcH4/PFfuRl59c1sJ0rvZE-uj6poTzx_FVpOFwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4334.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hot date.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9jAKph6lGak/WV1BhJNchVI/AAAAAAAAcH4/9YjFiSYd68AUOud6vHX4yPoDqjX4uFwugCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9jAKph6lGak/WV1BhJNchVI/AAAAAAAAcH4/9YjFiSYd68AUOud6vHX4yPoDqjX4uFwugCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4337.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks for inviting us, Joyce!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dSjxdVUs384/WV1BhDHmf3I/AAAAAAAAcH4/72IXHVF-WOEC4mT2dLtcggk6ZD_w77j-QCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dSjxdVUs384/WV1BhDHmf3I/AAAAAAAAcH4/72IXHVF-WOEC4mT2dLtcggk6ZD_w77j-QCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4336.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had some generous pours during this wine tasting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XVrsU7UV3mM/WV1BhKAVX1I/AAAAAAAAcH4/BRvF6gmp32QRnKwxB5DGIYim8UDHj042wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XVrsU7UV3mM/WV1BhKAVX1I/AAAAAAAAcH4/BRvF6gmp32QRnKwxB5DGIYim8UDHj042wCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4346.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenes from our nature walk the next morning! A beautiful day!</td></tr>
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The next day, the plan was to go on a 2.5 hour canoeing adventure with the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Alas, the event got cancelled due to poor water quality (again with the cancelled events! Mother Nature was not playing nicely!) But we rebounded quickly with a trip to the "quiet pool" in our neighborhood. We have lived here eight years and I had never once been to this adults-only saltwater pool. See those trees? Just beyond them lies the family pool, full of yelling, splashing kids. But here, do you see that? Just peace and tranquility. We followed this up with a trip to the movie theater to see Baby Driver. Dumb name, great movie! Go see it! So fun!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_QR2cMtfCE/WV1BhGEsMwI/AAAAAAAAcH4/2XZuMBpWzmgbvVtIE6s8aK5tPxkr2aEHACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_QR2cMtfCE/WV1BhGEsMwI/AAAAAAAAcH4/2XZuMBpWzmgbvVtIE6s8aK5tPxkr2aEHACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4356.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, the quiet pool.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TFdQB5xxYbY/WV1BhHJ6XVI/AAAAAAAAcH4/AIjHrws-Q4QvuDInzx_a-8XQHw2MzWTwwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TFdQB5xxYbY/WV1BhHJ6XVI/AAAAAAAAcH4/AIjHrws-Q4QvuDInzx_a-8XQHw2MzWTwwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4347.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shh. I'm at the quiet pool.</td></tr>
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The next day we cooked ourselves a breakfast scramble that featured tomatoes, peppers and basil sourced from our own garden (Mother Nature and I were back on speaking terms) and then headed to the race expo to pick up our Peachtree Road Race numbers. We finished our day with a last dip in the quiet pool and then dinner next door with good friends, before turning in early to get ready for The Race! Ah, adulting. It's so nice.Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-60299683433531839922017-07-01T11:01:00.000-04:002017-07-01T11:01:37.629-04:00Last Swim Meet<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r3Mf7lUT1pY/WVey2jcib8I/AAAAAAAAb-I/cEI_NnVie_M1gWNm-Tcq6ns0hG14wBdKgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r3Mf7lUT1pY/WVey2jcib8I/AAAAAAAAb-I/cEI_NnVie_M1gWNm-Tcq6ns0hG14wBdKgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4297.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful day for a swim!</td></tr>
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Violet wrapped up her first swim team season in spectacular fashion. I could not be more proud of this girl. At our last regular season swim meet, she posted her fastest times yet in both freestyle and backstroke. I volunteered to be the "shepherd" for her age group, so I had the opportunity to be front and center for all her events as I got the girls lined up on the blocks. With a season of meets under her belt, Violet is a pro. She was even telling me how to do <i>my</i> job! It's nice that she has enjoyed swim so much - I never have to drag her to practice or bribe her through the meets. She's happy to hop of on the block, wait for the whistle and take off for the other end. Even if she gets sloppy in practice and bobs the last few feet to the wall, she turns it on in competition.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QLvQOsNDhKU/WVey2vhE3eI/AAAAAAAAb-I/XMrLdcwewX4h20DQP92Afa15XxZtDZcGwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QLvQOsNDhKU/WVey2vhE3eI/AAAAAAAAb-I/XMrLdcwewX4h20DQP92Afa15XxZtDZcGwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4302.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So proud of this girl!</td></tr>
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After we wrapped up our last meet, we had a pizza party to celebrate all our swimmers and say goodbye to our fabulous head coach Blaire. All the kids won a "paper plate" award, with everything from "Most Likely to Be a Princess" to "Best Attitude" and more. Annie got "best attitude" but I wasn't sure if they meant "best" as in having a good attitude, or having, you know, <i>attitude</i>. Haha! And then Violet... she got Rookie of the Year! I had to explain the term rookie to her, and I don't think it meant much in her mind, but Matt and I were thrilled for her! She did make the comment that at her very first practice, the coaches had to help her reach the other side of the pool, but now she doesn't need any help at all (understatement!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gk6EpENlRjk/WVey2k9EafI/AAAAAAAAb-I/ASfR4aU6n8MW4RZGLj2wu7wkMFgy6bzZwCKgBGAs/s1600/2903522B-DF59-46B5-86D7-2F842C1EA495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gk6EpENlRjk/WVey2k9EafI/AAAAAAAAb-I/ASfR4aU6n8MW4RZGLj2wu7wkMFgy6bzZwCKgBGAs/s400/2903522B-DF59-46B5-86D7-2F842C1EA495.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rookie of the Year!</td></tr>
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But before we could officially retire her swim cap for the summer, there was one last thing we had to do. Violet decided (okay well, Matt and I decided) that she would compete at the county-wide swim meet down at Georgia Tech. She was scheduled for four events, two relays and the backstroke and freestyle. In my head, I knew it would be a little intimidating, but it was still a bit of a shock when we walked in. The place was huge! There were so many swimmers! (We're talking something like eight heats of 7-8 year old girls 25 meter freestyle alone!) I could tell Violet was feeling a little overwhelmed, but she gamely jumped in the pool for warm-ups. When she came out, she was very concerned about the fact that the pool was so deep and she couldn't touch the bottom. She said she didn't like looking down at it. Still, all seemed okay. Until the parent volunteer texted me to say that Violet was on her way up to the stands, where she completely freaked out and started crying, insisting we go home immediately. I think the whole day, waking up at 6 a.m., being too nervous for breakfast, everything just crashed down on her. Poor thing. I basically told her she <i>had</i> to swim the relays because her team depended on her. Her sweet coach came to escort her down and promised to jump into the pool fully dressed if need be, which made Violet crack up and calm down. Watching from the stands, I could tell she was nervous on the block but she didn't hesitate when it was her turn to swim the relay. And that first race seemed to get her over her fear, as the parent volunteer reported that she was all smiles after that. She didn't post her best times at the meet, but it was a great experience and I am just so proud of the fact that she got in the water at all, given her initial fear. Hopefully she'll want to come back again next year!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready for the county meet!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-14858513680046345442017-06-19T14:47:00.001-04:002017-06-19T14:47:29.365-04:00Home Run<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A-WKQIbGf8o/WUgYiHfELmI/AAAAAAAAb0k/r29j4OUplqoEB9yP7SxpbP5-7SAxFCsygCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1439" data-original-width="1439" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A-WKQIbGf8o/WUgYiHfELmI/AAAAAAAAb0k/r29j4OUplqoEB9yP7SxpbP5-7SAxFCsygCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4255.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found Bobby Cox!</td></tr>
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So, how's summer going, you ask? We are now more than halfway through June, also known as the month I don't think about school at all. Come July, it starts creeping in. But June is held sacred. Professional Development books to read? July. Open House materials to make? July. Thinking about school in general? July. This year had a slight exception, in that I went to the school's Leadership Retreat a couple weeks ago. We gathered at the new Braves stadium conference center, worked hard, played some hilarious team-building games (there were blindfolds involved - but no trust falls!), and then got to enjoy dinner and the ballgame afterwards. And if you must work in the summer, it's good to be amongst some of nicest, dedicated, top-notch teachers at the school.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D3UG4YKEaI0/WUgYiEeDRUI/AAAAAAAAb0k/CQcCYR9bS5krNOLgTtIE53FGeeCTxO-9ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_4269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D3UG4YKEaI0/WUgYiEeDRUI/AAAAAAAAb0k/CQcCYR9bS5krNOLgTtIE53FGeeCTxO-9ACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_4269.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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We are now two weeks out from the famed Peachtree Road Race 10k happening on July 4. My training has been... varied. See, it turns out my knees start hurting if I run to much. Every time I increase distance (example: first time I broke four miles), I pay for it afterwards, often putting me in a no-run recovery period for up to a week or more. Stupid knees! When it happened for the first time back in May, I was super bummed. So I started doing a bunch of workouts focused on building leg strength (I use the Nike+ Training app). Slowly I added in some runs, most around one to two miles. I've worked out a little system where I take the girls to swim practice and in the 30 minute window while they're both in the water with their instructors, I run around the neighborhood. I've noticed this method has been increasing my pace as well, since I'm so paranoid about getting back to the pool before they're out of the water! My goal has been to do some type of workout/run/both every day leading up to the Big Day (I'm also a little obsessed with closing all my Apple Watch circles). I ran 5k on Saturday while Matt had the girls at the playground, and I figure if I can pound out that distance without too much struggle, I can probably go the full distance on the Fourth, even if I have to grit my teeth and blow out the knees to get there. I've found, as I've gotten better at it, I actually enjoy running. But I'm already wondering how on earth I'll be able to keep it up once the school schedule starts again. Short of getting up at four in the morning, there's no way to squeeze in a run before work. Ah well, it's still June. I don't have to worry about that yet!</div>
<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-43045757003281910342017-06-12T11:13:00.000-04:002017-06-12T11:13:42.760-04:00Kicking Off Summer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UyVHsu9gu9o/WT6TFCYlSnI/AAAAAAAAbv0/tP1WWXxLe8oY7Eop-J9lv-igbwiTX7MXgCKgB/s1600/IMG_0752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UyVHsu9gu9o/WT6TFCYlSnI/AAAAAAAAbv0/tP1WWXxLe8oY7Eop-J9lv-igbwiTX7MXgCKgB/s400/IMG_0752.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BFFs at CAA!</td></tr>
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My favorite way to usher in summer is by forcing my kid to wake up early, pack a lunchbox and backpack, and disappear for the entire day. I kid, a little, but honestly it's kind of nice to keep Violet in a routine to help ease the transition to schedule-free days. We headed back to Camp All American (or as I like to say - Six Flags Over Jesus) and once again it was awesome. Violet went for the first time last year, but this year, being both older and having some experience under her belt, she marched in without a look back! I am always so impressed with CAA. The counselors are 110 percent committed to this camp, evidenced by the wrap-up event on Friday. Their energy is amazing and mind-boggling when you consider that they do this ten weeks in a row! Also I get little flashbacks to my own summer church camp experiences (although they weren't nearly as flashy). Violet is already asking for <i>two</i> weeks at CAA next year, and to me it is worth every penny. Camp gives her something to look forward to every day, they make it a blast with pools, games, camp-wide competitions, the always important opportunity to buy candy at the canteen... Violet says next year she wants to do the Wilderness specialty (you pick a different specialty each week to focus on) and wants to eventually do the ropes course.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oq2Ymt84MNI/WT6TFH-LSqI/AAAAAAAAbv0/n9XLGL3I5OYs_LtJgb_u2ea0PuHAu3yCgCKgB/s1600/IMG_4263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oq2Ymt84MNI/WT6TFH-LSqI/AAAAAAAAbv0/n9XLGL3I5OYs_LtJgb_u2ea0PuHAu3yCgCKgB/s400/IMG_4263.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yay Jesus!</td></tr>
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While Violet was at camp all week, it gave me and Annie some one-on-one time, which happens next to never. Having just one kid at a time, when you are normally used to two (and the whining and competition and fighting that goes along with siblings), is a strange yet wonderful experience. It was nice to be able to focus on just Annie for a bit. She can be so sweet. She was my "coach" during my morning workouts, inserting random helpful statements like "keep going mommy" and "use your strong muscles". Every now and then she would attempt a move, which cracked me up. "Look at my body squats! I'm doing it!" Most days I even got her to take a nap by putting on an episode of <i>Good Eats</i> (she calls Alton Brown her "buddy"). She was a fairly good little errand-runner too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YwHEOfyP9BQ/WT6TFOCey_I/AAAAAAAAbv0/DUK3JB5POZ4v7puTvNSQKNKyAOhjnvjHACKgB/s1600/IMG_4261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YwHEOfyP9BQ/WT6TFOCey_I/AAAAAAAAbv0/DUK3JB5POZ4v7puTvNSQKNKyAOhjnvjHACKgB/s400/IMG_4261.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A no-nap day as we waited to pick up big sister from camp.</td></tr>
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We capped off the week with our neighborhood's first Swim-In Movie Night. It was awesome! I was surprised at how huge the screen was! There was free pizza and popcorn and even free floats to use in the water. I don't know how Violet managed to stay awake through the whole thing, after a week of camp plus the swim meet the night before! Speaking of swim team, Violet has continued to rock it, coming in second overall in the freestyle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j222LJgjhYo/WT6TFIqh9vI/AAAAAAAAbv0/nWIxNFUztVcBt2rIEBZIYlA1W1AUCJzIACKgB/s1600/IMG_4267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j222LJgjhYo/WT6TFIqh9vI/AAAAAAAAbv0/nWIxNFUztVcBt2rIEBZIYlA1W1AUCJzIACKgB/s400/IMG_4267.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Movie Night!</td></tr>
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Finally, I got my yearly haircut, and this time threw a little color in the mix just to make things fun for the summer. I love how the ladies at the salon always insist on straightening my hair. It always looks so different! Fear not, it only lasted until my next shower. And even the stylist admitted that it's way too much hair to straighten on a daily basis.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DuWNce_ET_k/WT6TFAN6GmI/AAAAAAAAbv0/G7Bcpvw8AeUy21pwfFMYw1mEYzTWusFGACKgB/s1600/IMG_4252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DuWNce_ET_k/WT6TFAN6GmI/AAAAAAAAbv0/G7Bcpvw8AeUy21pwfFMYw1mEYzTWusFGACKgB/s400/IMG_4252.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Straight hair, don't care!</td></tr>
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Other than swim practice every morning and the meets on Thursday, our schedule is pretty open this summer. Swim runs through June, and the girls are signed up for gymnastics camp in July. But schedule-free summer has officially started. I've got to figure out a way to limit the girls' technology time and habit of asking for snacks every 20 minutes. I also need to figure out what I want to accomplish this summer. So far I tackled the girls' closets. I sorted ALL the clothes into their respective bins (things to save for Annie, things to donate, things Violet hasn't grown into yet, etc) and found a whole tub of baby clothes in the back of Annie's closet that got immediately driven to my friend's house. The faster I can get stuff out of here, the better! I'm sure I could make another pass through my own closet as well. And of course, I'm trying to train for the big race coming up on July 4. I'm sure we'll find a way to keep busy...</div>
Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-30237222640444269002017-05-29T10:28:00.001-04:002017-05-29T10:28:41.078-04:00School's Out for Summer!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jpZdCU8o57Q/WSwt15uvi7I/AAAAAAAAbok/B__Ek-PXp7cQnIVYRU9H-SwInzO2gEnywCKgB/s1600/IMG_4236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jpZdCU8o57Q/WSwt15uvi7I/AAAAAAAAbok/B__Ek-PXp7cQnIVYRU9H-SwInzO2gEnywCKgB/s400/IMG_4236.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last Day of First Grade! </td></tr>
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We did it! One more year is in the books! I officially have a second grader! Violet has turned into an awesome reader, and her speech has improved to the point that she might get to graduate out next year. Most importantly, she enjoys school. She likes learning. I never get any "I don't want to go to school" complaints from this girl.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look how much she's grown!</td></tr>
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It's been a privilege to have her at the same school where I teach. I saw so much of this girl during the day, passing through the halls, on the playground at recess each afternoon. Next year will be a little different because our paths won't intersect as much. But that's probably a good thing, too.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gjsS3Q4uADk/WSwt14_bguI/AAAAAAAAbok/Q2Wu9aLEXEc9qzWlu0KFQDer0U1rN5q2ACKgB/s1600/E69053E2-0946-4A5C-8F13-3217F90A6FC0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gjsS3Q4uADk/WSwt14_bguI/AAAAAAAAbok/Q2Wu9aLEXEc9qzWlu0KFQDer0U1rN5q2ACKgB/s400/E69053E2-0946-4A5C-8F13-3217F90A6FC0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Day/Last Day with the fabulous Mrs. Lockett!</td></tr>
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It's been such a busy week, what with our end of the year carnival, our first swim meet, the general last week of school busyness of packing up the classroom and setting up our first grade "camp" that I don't think it truly hit me that the year was done until I saw the buses pulling out of the parking lot for the last time. There are always so many mixed emotions to watching the kids load up for the last time - a little bit of sadness, a whole lot of relief, some giddiness thrown in... I'm relieved to have my first year at this new school under my belt and I won't be the new kid on the block anymore. It's been a good ride, but man am I looking forward to summer!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's a wrap!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-60929899219790165192017-05-29T10:17:00.001-04:002017-05-29T10:17:31.053-04:00Go Orcas!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CP14HjXwYF4/WSwjcrj0pCI/AAAAAAAAboU/6Ugxza-lOzMn30MsjefGjR6qY_9BSXUdgCKgB/s1600/28F0EFF4-525F-471D-B6FA-ABC83C0AF566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CP14HjXwYF4/WSwjcrj0pCI/AAAAAAAAboU/6Ugxza-lOzMn30MsjefGjR6qY_9BSXUdgCKgB/s400/28F0EFF4-525F-471D-B6FA-ABC83C0AF566.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suited up for the first meet!</td></tr>
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We signed the girls up for our neighborhood swim team this year. It's a great program, but man has it been intense. All through the month of May (only one of the busiest school months of the year) the girls have had practice every evening, Monday through Thursday. It's forced me to be very organized and diligent about not wasting time at school in order to get out the door on time! </div>
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The girls have loved getting in the pool every day. Considering this is Violet's first time being exposed to official swim strokes and techniques, she has jumped right in with enthusiasm, and I've seen major improvements daily. Annie is on the Junior Orcas swim team and is basically receiving swim lessons. There is a head coach and then tons of middle school and high school helpers in the water and she loves jumping into the pool, practicing blowing bubbles and getting her head wet. She's one of the youngest on the team, but even if she doesn't learn to officially swim this summer, it's great for her water confidence.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IemQuawvtvE/WSwjcjc-XvI/AAAAAAAAboU/Qhxn4TF2wm4IUbodBTKOJMoBClvCVqV2wCKgB/s1600/IMG_4231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IemQuawvtvE/WSwjcjc-XvI/AAAAAAAAboU/Qhxn4TF2wm4IUbodBTKOJMoBClvCVqV2wCKgB/s400/IMG_4231.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And they're off!</td></tr>
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Thursday, the day before our last day of school, was our first swim meet. All week I had been more consumed with this upcoming meet that I was by anything going on in the classroom, which says a lot. What a crazy day to pick to kick off the swim team season! It had rained and poured all week, and although the sun broke through for the event, it was a chilly high-60s forecast. It was a mock meet, meaning we were the only team, but it was a great practice run for the real deal. Violet swam all four strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly). At first she didn't seem to realize the importance of actually touching the wall - she would stall out about three feet from the end, once the water got shallow enough to stand up. But then her competitive nature kicked in and by the last heat, she hit the wall in first place! Annie also got to participate by jumping in from the diving block to one of her teachers, then "swimming" one lap across the pool. Although both kids seemed to enjoy their 47 trips to the concession stand most of all.<br />
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Parents are strongly encouraged to volunteer during meets, and by encouraged, I mean I received three or four emails/texts requesting, asking, and then straight up demanding that I sign up for a slot. I was hesitant to volunteer at first. Being our first time on swim team, I didn't even know what half the jobs were. Bullpen? Shepherd? Concessions seemed safe enough, so I spent my time making popcorn with one ear open for Violet's events to be called so I could dash up to the pool to watch. But there were plenty of other people volunteering and it was a great way to meet other families in the neighborhood. Everyone is super nice and it was cool to see how supportive everyone is of the swim team.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8PQUxnyM9rQ/WSwjcuZoJSI/AAAAAAAAboU/JZsyIApBH0YrnqqRdW7xcO0JVvl9EcPNACKgB/s1600/IMG_4223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8PQUxnyM9rQ/WSwjcuZoJSI/AAAAAAAAboU/JZsyIApBH0YrnqqRdW7xcO0JVvl9EcPNACKgB/s400/IMG_4223.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie "swimming".</td></tr>
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Our first real meet (versus another swim team) is coming up this Thursday. Now that school is out (for kids at least... I'm heading back for two days of post-planning), the girls will have practice every morning Monday through Friday through the month of June. It sounds so time consuming, but honestly my kids are up so early, we'll be itching to get out of house by then anyway. But I might need to invest in some more beach towels!Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3291793727713958699.post-69600163053749338592017-05-21T16:20:00.002-04:002017-05-21T16:20:47.494-04:00Field Day!Can you believe the school year is almost over?! There are only five days to go! That's right, it's the final countdown, the homestretch... we are so deep into survival mode at this point, I actually tried to make Violet drink coffee one morning just to get us to school on time!<br />
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While I contemplate survival strategies, enjoy pictures from last week's field day!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vZj7MjgGclE/WSH2KCS2j6I/AAAAAAAAbiM/SfWXCxvtEqEKOq7QOwhWLDEiiT7-BVDnACKgB/s1600/IMG_4147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vZj7MjgGclE/WSH2KCS2j6I/AAAAAAAAbiM/SfWXCxvtEqEKOq7QOwhWLDEiiT7-BVDnACKgB/s400/IMG_4147.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a beautiful day - overcast enough to keep it cool without the complication of rain.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxMuVeHLkX4/WSH2KGxVlzI/AAAAAAAAbiM/Lpg30GzY8SQaMHt9IvH-CbcOLWiXs9A4QCKgB/s1600/IMG_4148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxMuVeHLkX4/WSH2KGxVlzI/AAAAAAAAbiM/Lpg30GzY8SQaMHt9IvH-CbcOLWiXs9A4QCKgB/s400/IMG_4148.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7huAyI22Igo/WSH2KNT4zoI/AAAAAAAAbiM/0AhLG_8BLZQFLlnrdXrhh27JFHLfWnwWgCKgB/s1600/IMG_4151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7huAyI22Igo/WSH2KNT4zoI/AAAAAAAAbiM/0AhLG_8BLZQFLlnrdXrhh27JFHLfWnwWgCKgB/s400/IMG_4151.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The force is strong with this one.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5U3usSzbRgc/WSH2KIKfViI/AAAAAAAAbiM/5I0ShD32MnkofOyPQpC30eZIu7lSVknjwCKgB/s1600/402EC5BD-AD3B-4614-8EB6-1537F206C03D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5U3usSzbRgc/WSH2KIKfViI/AAAAAAAAbiM/5I0ShD32MnkofOyPQpC30eZIu7lSVknjwCKgB/s400/402EC5BD-AD3B-4614-8EB6-1537F206C03D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violet was very proud of the fact that the girls won tug-of-war. "Best day of my life!" she reported.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OTYH5G_kb_w/WSH2KCY65mI/AAAAAAAAbiM/Eb7F0CjOeIcpHopdah7CLw1BJkgbXImKQCKgB/s1600/IMG_4155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OTYH5G_kb_w/WSH2KCY65mI/AAAAAAAAbiM/Eb7F0CjOeIcpHopdah7CLw1BJkgbXImKQCKgB/s400/IMG_4155.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy even showed up to help out!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14585893261972439671noreply@blogger.com0