Recap in Pics

A couple of days ago, I filled out the whiteboard calendars hanging in the bonus room and realized this last Thursday probably had more written on it than any day thus far. Just lots going on - with plenty o appointments. So, I thought I'd take some pics as I went through the day.

First up - and most significant, was the fact that it was a "Day Off" for just Brayden due to parent conferences. As my day was so packed, we decided to celebrate it by going out to breakfast together. We headed to "The Pump Cafe" in Springfield - and really enjoyed the atmosphere, food, and each other's company. That kid is so goofy...and once you engage - the laughter is hard to stop.



Next up, a trip to WinCo before seeing my mom for a massage. Interesting that when we went into the store (which I did not get a pic of), there were two pieces of french toast in a styrofoam take home container for Brayden to finish later. When we came back, it did not appear that the package had been tampered, however the french toast was missing. Something tells me that Sydney (who was along for the ride) is also a fan of the food from "The Pump Cafe". =)

And, this is a picture of what the massage room in Mom and Dad's house looks like. I thought we'd include Mackie in the picture, because on days I don't bring Syd with us, that's right where Mackie wants to be - on top of me, on top of the bed. Isn't this a tranquil, beautiful place to get "all fixed up"? Dad did a gorgeous job with the add-on to the house we grew up in.

Following that, I dropped Syd and Brayden off and headed to Vero Coffee House to meet with Lauren. I forgot to take pics there too, so this image came from Kaela who was just there recently too - and the pic of Lauren and I was taken a couple of weeks ago on a walk we took together with Sydney. I adore Lauren....and hope her life follows a path that will keep us as friends for years and years to come.


On the way home, these were the leaves in our neighborhood....STUNNING, huh?!

A "Kenady Playdate" was also on the docket - the two of them relaxing after having just returned from the park.

5:30-7:00 - Volleyball Practice. Thursday night's went much smoother than Tuesday's....our first games are tomorrow and while I don't know how ready we are, I'm hopeful that we'll have fun no matter what.

Finally, the day concluded with a visit to Kaela and Amanda's house for Bible Study. As Michele and the girls had already arrived for the weekend stay at our home, I figured a different locale might be a good idea. Amanda led us through a great discussion of 1st Corinthians 4 and I'm already excited for the ideas Heather has in leading us through a "Thanksgiving Themed" meeting next Thursday. Oh how I love these ladies (which is why I did not crop the letters out of the picture)- and oh how wonderful they are in expressing their love to each other. What a blessing.

Busy day! Unfortunately, it ended in a headache - which is all my fault. On the same day Mom "fixes me up" I go and play hard with the girls in a drill during volleyball. Sadly, I've paid for it all day today (Friday). Three times Michele and I made an attempt to get out of the house and do some holiday-prep shopping (which I was looking forward to and making lists for all week). The first time, after getting all primped - I realized I wasn't going to cut it, and returned to bed with ice after having breakfast. About 2 hours later, I put my clothes back on, fluffed up my hair and we got about a half mile down the road, before I turned around to get back in pj's and crawl back into bed with more ice. The third time, another hour later, we made it to the Dollar Store and all the way to Target....but that turned into an emergency bolt out of the store and over to the bushes on the perimeter of the parking lot to throw up. We went through the Target check-out soon after that and once again - I headed to bed with ice. I'm doing better now....still a dull ache - but hopeful it will be gone for tomorrow.

And, speaking of tomorrow, guess who's driving down to Palo Alto for the Ducks vs. Stanford game? John and Travis! They have been debating it through the week and just found tickets cheap enough to make it work (along with a free hotel stay cashed in...). Since Michele is down, they figured I wouldn't be too lonely if the boys took off - and we'll take Stephie in too. I'm thrilled for the boys.

With that going on, Mikayla and I's first volleyball games, and Brayden's championship game on Sunday - it's bound to be a very exciting weekend!