Well That Happened

So Election Day happened. 

Woosh. 

There was some good, though: 

And this made me laugh:

Clay Aiken fan from 2003 checking in! I was so upset when Ruben won. 

I will tell you this: I am surprised, not surprised, and shocked all at the same time by how the results here turned out. Different races, each. 

My biggest curiosity is: how can I get my county to choose a different polling location for me? Ours is awful. It's in a weird spot, not ADA accessible. (Those who can't do stairs call the people inside and have a ballot brought to the car, but how can you really trust they put it in the machine?) Oh, and it's a horrible parking lot. I think there has to be a better option somewhere. 

There was exactly one voting machine that had issues in my county... of course it was mine. The news said it was fixed by 10:00 am and we went about 11:00, but it was moving so slowly that I am not 100% sure it was fixed. But I did wait to see the "Your Vote Has Been Counted" screen, so trust the process I guess. 

Afterwards, Husband and I went out for some emotional support fries. Partly because what fun is a daytime date that lasts 15 minutes, and partly because this was an election I did not feel good about. One race in particular, I genuinely, truthfully thought both candidates were terrible choices. 

Last night I had a gathering with my friends, and it was a nice distraction. I had a very fancy Shirley Temple. 

And that was yesterday in a nutshell. 

Weekend Recap

Friday was a 2 Hour Early Out. So we obviously used this time to carve pumpkins.

Big kids, man... they do all the work, and the adults just get to sing along to the Halloween playlist. 

And they turned out cute. 

And here they are all lit up!

We went trick-or-treating, and that was good. C said so many times, "It's my last Halloween," and maybe he's right. Maybe not. Guess time will tell. 

And then just like that... it's November and C got the Thanksgiving decorations put up. 

Happy November! 

Friday Bragging

Yesterday was a big day. 

Husband won an award. And the award ceremony was yesterday! 

You should absolutely know that not bringing our children was the right move. They would have been BORED. 

I am so so proud of him. It's fun when people come up to me and tell me that "I've got a good one." Yeah. I know. But thanks for recognizing that. He is a good one. 

It was also the first time since August that he was in the same place as his former co-workers and boss. And it was indeed rather awkward. Since he won the award for being so good at the job they didn't think he was good enough for anymore. And really, it's not even a they. It's a she. And she was there. 

Oh and they ALSO rolled out their replacement for Husband. And that was also super weird. 

We kind of flip-flopped. I was brave and bold at the event. And he was nervous. 

And then afterwards I felt a wave of emotions I hadn't felt during this whole time. Anger. It was the first time I really looked at her face and realized her flippant decision that she made in the heat of the moment drastically changed the course of our lives. 

And here's the thing. She knows what she did. And she can take it up with Jesus someday. And I am going to take some time today to pray by the tabernacle for her. 

In the meantime, we are stronger together. And one of these days things will fall into place for us, and we will move on completely. 

Here he is up on stage winning that award. 

It was a good time to celebrate him. And I am glad that we did. 

In full disclosure... I did have that glass of wine sitting on the table the entire time. Not even because I wanted wine. But because my emergency backup plan was to spill it on anyone he didn't want to interact with. "Oops." 

But no need! 

And today is Fall Fling where the middle schoolers are going roller skating, and they are out of uniform if wearing Halloween wear. 

This WAS before M brushed her hair for real, so don't judge that. LOL. But I hope they are having a safe and fun day. 

Happy Friday! 

A Weekend Recap on a Tuesday

Okay, I meant to write yesterday, but honestly, the day got away from me! In all the best ways. So here I am on a Tuesday. 

Friday was, of course... Trunk or Treat. 

The school celebration of Halloween has, in many years, felt like the actual holiday. Because it's spent with my actual community and not my neighborhood. (Or the neighborhood of others.) 

I am actually really sad that this is C's last year. It's the first of the "lasts." So the 8th grade helps with the Haunted Hallway but it's not required. 

We are for sure "fun" Halloween people and not "scary" Halloween people. And C ultimately decided he just wanted to trunk-or-treat and get candy. This turned out to be a wise decision as the rookie teachers in charge used a smoke machine and the entire hallway got shut down by the fire department within a half hour. This led to a lot of 8th graders standing around in black clothes instead of costumes, and the candy had basically run out. 

Without further ado: 

C is of course, Charlie Brown in his "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" ghost costume. Those who got it, got it. He was even given a rock. Then people who didn't recognize him... he took off the sheet and went around again as just Charlie Brown. 

M is of course, a baked potato. Because why not? The only flaw was that she was actually really hot because it was 75 degrees and the brown clothes we bought were pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Most years we are freezing for trunk-or-treat. 

After we left, we went home to have a late dinner, and we watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" because that's mandatory viewing in October and it just seemed right. 

Saturday we went on a family adventure to Menards, where we killed a lot of time and got the things we went for. Furnace filters and a latch for a door, very fancy. We did end up with yard waste bags (which we are going to need anyway) and a purple tub for M's room, which was put to work immediately. Overall, though, not as splurgey as it could have been. 

Then we went home and had a campfire dinner. 

It was definitely a good use of a Saturday night. 

Sunday, I spent the entire afternoon working on the JPII retreat I am helping with this year. And I have no pictures of that. 

And yesterday was another Monday. Rosary. Lunch with a friend. Kids had Pathfinders, which is an after-school monthly group that meets to learn about vocations. The kids had choir right after and we got home about 6:15, had dinner, math homework, and giggled endlessly with M about what slogan for the 6th grade bazaar she should put forward. 

Here is our very "not what we will be turned in AI version" 

But I think the slogan and riffing on the poster could be funny. We will see. All the moms like it. LOL. True story... that movie came out when I myself was in 6th grade, and we were alllllllllll obsessed with it and the song. 

And M stole my phone on the way home from choir and took some pictures. 

That's what we know! 

Friday!

M had a fantastic birthday! 

We took a before-school picture together. 

Her birthday treat was mini cans of Fanta. It was a saga. We went to grocery store #1, and they only had 2 packs. So we went to grocery store #2, and they didn't have any, so Husband convinced her to get a pack of root beer. But I could tell that she was disappointed by that, so we went to grocery store #3. They had mini cans of Fanta, but only the Halloween design. So I bought 3 more packs because, if you know 6th graders, you know that you can't send 10 cans in with Halloween designs and 20 without. 

Did it feel ridiculous? Yes. Absolutely. Will the other 2 packs of mini Fanta go to waste? No. It's my favorite pop too. 

Today is also my friend Marisa's birthday and we went out to lunch yesterday to celebrate. 

It's been good for my soul to see friends. 

After school, my best friend Bennett and M and I sat together for a bit. 

We had Papa Johns because JPII and living liturgically the easy way. 

Then it was time to open presents and girlypop was SPOILED. 

• A Minnie outfit for Gretchen the porch goose. 
• Acrylic Markers
• Sketchbooks
• A pair of shorts
• Jeans and a shirt 
• A sticker printer
• A lighted marquis board
• 4 Nee-Dohs
• A pancake Jellycat
• Minnie Ears
• Stitch Shoulder Pal
• EOS lip balms
• A purple wax seal kit with 3 stamps: M, panda and love. 
• A Disney Switch game
• Film for her camera
• A Barbie

Her friend got her a positive donut. 

And she got right to work printing stickers and coloring them with her new markers. 

It was a very good day. 

And now it's Friday. I will spend the morning running errands. The afternoon at a funeral for my friend's dad. And the evening at Trunk or Treat. A full day. A good day. 

Full of the daily bread I need. One day at a time. 

Thursday!

But not just any Thursday! But the Thursday on which we celebrate that sweet girl of mine! 12! 

Dear M, 

12. 12 seems really big to me. But I am so glad you're mine. 

Middle school set off with a bang. Skirts aren't your favorite, and they don't look as comfy as jumpers, but here we are. Shocking your father and me at conferences last week, you have the second most books read in your whole class. Let's keep that up, shall we? 

At your eye appointment, you officially graduated to the prescription they gave you last year to get over the mental block of reading. Nice for me to not have to buy new glasses. Nice for you to know they're actually working! Still surprising us all that you don't need glasses for distance. Genetics are WILD. And your beautiful blue eyes and freckles are among my favorite things in life... definitely top 10. 

Not surprisingly, middle school has given you the ability to show many teachers how positive you are. And it's been so fun to see you branch out and discover new friendships. Keep it up kid! And I am still so thrilled that boys are just nice friends and not in that boyfriend stage yet. In fact, the "relationships" that exist in your class drive you nuts. 

As much as you've grown, things definitely stayed the same: pandas, purple, jeeps, high-needs sleeper, donuts, strawberries. You are most assuredly still my drama llama who feels any amount of discomfort as pain. But you know what? The consistency makes me so happy. 

You still plan to go to UNI to become an art teacher, and I happily support that goal. Never lose sight of what you are capable of. You CAN do hard things. 

You share your day with JPII so well. He is and always has interceded on your behalf, and hopefully he hears our prayer to find Dad a job. I know that's your biggest birthday wish. My guess is a lot will stay the same between this year and next, but that will hopefully be a change for the better. 

My funny, sweet, kind, and upbeat girlypop, I love you so much! 

Happy Birthday! 

Mom

Wednesday!

Good news!

As of last night... the Halloween costumes are DONE! 

This probably doesn't thrill you the way it does me. But I am glad that they're done and that we have a few days to spare. Trunk-Or-Treat is on Friday. And that's obviously the debut of the costumes. 

You may be wondering what they're going to be... stay tuned. Here are some hints! 

M has continued her "food" costume trend. (See Nerds Gummy Cluster, Nothing Bundt Cake, Mac and Cheese, Grapes) The thing about dressing as food... is it's just fun. It's not scary. It's recognizable. It's an excellent option. 

C has continued his trend of dressing as his special interests. (See Walrus. Penguin. Vector.) Luckily for all of us, this year, even if he's not completely recognizable... the costume still makes sense. 

Happy Wednesday!