Under the Big Top

Marshall and I volunteered on Thursday night to help set up for after prom. It certainly takes a village to set up for these events and I'm so thankful for individuals that give so much time planning for these events. 

This year, they had an open house when you could come and see the final product - they were still setting up when we toured at 8:30, but it was all coming together. Alana and I went over to check it out and then went out for a drink at a new place downtown - Jasmine's. Was a fun little outing on a rainy Friday. 

The circus team was great and I hope Tanner had a nice time. 

Prom 2024

 It turned into a wet and cloudy afternoon for Monarch 2024 Prom, but the rain let up enough for pictures and most of the evening was just light rain/drizzle. A Friday prom meant lots of kids didn't go to school; Tanner went, but cut out early which game him plenty of time to get ready. 

Pictures ended up at a friend's house to help avoid the rain which worked out great. The group of eight boys then headed to Gordon Biersch (a brewery at the mall) for dinner - I think that was a perfect choice. 

Then dance was at the Boulder Theatre in which was great as they didn't have to drive to Denver for anything. The venue looked pretty cool! Tanner made a stop home to change before heading to after prom. 

He looked extremely handsome - the suit we ordered had some small polka dots (which we didn't know when we ordered it), but it really looked sharp and was a nice surprise. A last minute request for a pink tie and pocket square made the outfit complete. Hard to believe junior year is coming to an end - yes, I'm soaking in all the moments. 

Big Little

 Fraternity activities. 

Spring in Colorado

 Mom and Dad were here for five days and were able to see spring in Colorado at its finest. Mom commented on all the pretty, blooming trees when they arrived on Wednesday and she was able to take a call from the back patio. 

While they didn't get to see Tanner play Ultimate Frisbee, they got to spend more time with him due to state testing last week. They went out to lunch at Bob's Diner and looked at patio furniture at Home Depot on Thursday. On Friday, it started snowing and it was definitely a day to stay inside - cards and movies were in order. 

Saturday was still a chilly day, but we did venture out to Target and then did wine tasting at the local liquor store. It was an organic winery in honor of Earth Day and we learned a lot about what that entails. 

Sunday brought weather near 60 so we enjoyed time on the back patio and mom and I watched a bit of Tanner's tryouts for his club team after some more time at Target. 

We wrapped up the weekend with an outing to the melting pot. It was the perfect way to wrap up our time together. 

12 Degrees

 A last minute date downtown after my haircut. We decided to go to 12 Degrees Brewery which  l had  never been to. We had a couple beers and some pizza. Tanner was practicing with the CSU ultimate team which was ver cool. 

Social Circle

 This weekend, we enjoyed an evening out in Louisville with friends. A group of folks went for dinner at Lulu's and sat outside on a night that felt like summer (and yes, there were two other tables there that folks we know). Then some of us headed over to the Louisville Underground to dance the night away with more folks to hits from the 80's. 

Marshall commented that he doesn't know if we are just lucky, but we have a great group of friends here. We have said many times how grateful we are for our community and this is yet another example of that. 

Couple our Saturday night outing with happy hour beers in Friday night for Marshall and me getting together with NWU friends and then pickleball on Sunday afternoon, our social cup was very full. What I do know is that our lives are more full and wonderful thanks to our friends. 

Progress

 This weekend of ultimate frisbee was about growth. The team won two games and definitely showed progress as a team throughout the weekend. They may have only one 2 games, but they started to come together and it was fun to see them string together some plays and work as a team. 

It was two beautiful days for the tournament and Tanner played well. It was fun to watch him coach up the other kids and use his knowledge of the game to help others. Sko yotes! 

One Shining Moment

 The stars (sun and moon really) aligned and Drake was able to see his second full eclipse in his short 20 years. The weather was amazing and his professor let them out of class (I told him to skip it no matter what). 

He said there were an estimated 50,000 people in Oxford!! He watched it on Cook Field and said it was quite the experience (again). It really is something you don't forget. I'm thinking Spain in 2026 (or 2027 or 2028)! 

https://youtube.com/shorts/ceEWo5COcVY?si=0yXwzs6Hg06NBHFc

We watched the partial eclipse from the backyard. Just not the same, but fun nevertheless. 

Make It Miami

Drake's second cousin visited Miami this week as he is in the final stretches of his college decision. He is touring Miami, Michigan State and Arizona. Drake joined Charlie and my cousin Heather for dinner on Thursday night and then the boys hung out for awhile. The official Miami tour was in Friday, but hopefully Drake's insights and input helped Charlie get to know Miami a bit better. Go RedHawks! 

Easter

 Pretty low key this year - a basket with some goodies and we watched Kung Fu Panda 2 after having leftovers for dinner. 

Buc-ees

 While road-tripping back from Florida for spring break, Drake kept us abreast of the pit stops at Buc-ees, a convenience store chain in the south. On Sunday, Marshall and I took the long way home to avoid sitting in traffic. It was a beautiful drive and took us down I25 right by the Buc-ees that just opened about 10 days ago - so we had to stop! 

It is a massive place with so many gas pumps. Apparently, they are known for their beef jerky display, but it was too crowded for us to check it out. We will have to go back I guess!