Junk Drawer - March 2025

Work trips should probably be full of work, but I seem to always find a moment of joy in them.  This past trip I got to meet a 'therapy llama'.  His name was Beni, and he had his own business cards.  Most of all he was super sweet and ate right out of my hand.

Often times when I pick up my dad for a morning outing, he comes to the car with an open coffee cup in his hand.  I shake my head and marvel at his level of crazy:).  Well the other day, I decided to give this a go.  It was risky business indeed.  I am happy to report that no coffee was spilled in the process.

My mom found this cute little frog on facebook marketplace and picked it up for my office.  I love it.  I placed it right next to the picture frame Kendall gave me years ago.  Priceless!

I have discovered that Costco has amazing flower bunches, and they are only $10!  I have made a habit of picking them up each week.  This one was a bouquet of mini carnations.  I bought them with Kendall in mind, as carnations are one of her favorite flowers.  When I first brought the bouquet home, most of them had not opened up yet.  These flowers lasted 2 plus weeks, as we watched all of them slowly open up.

The Adventures of Sid.

 I am forever grateful that Sidney has grown into such an independent young woman.  She is making memories and living life to the full.  I remember a time when I wondered if this would ever be a possibility.  That being said, I know I have mentioned that independence does not come without some bumps in the road, but we are working through those.

Enjoying hikes with her friends.

Shopping and basically goofing around with friends.

Rock climbing.

Fancy brunches.

Winter camp with an old school digital camera.

Road trips to the hot springs.

College Midterm Survival.

Kendall survived another round of CWI midterms.  It may have involved a few naps on the classroom floor. 

Perhaps a number of meetups with Hannah.  It is a true friend that will bring you midterm survival snacks.

What better way to celebrate with dessert from the Cheesecake Factory.

The Life of a Dance Mom.

 ...sort of.  We are about halfway through the comp season.  Only two more travel trips to go.  I am going to miss this time with Kendall.  We went to Portland for the first of two Portland competitions this year.  

Step one, get checked in and run to the grocery store for weekend snacks.  Then stretch out and make yourself comfortable.

Step two, get oriented with the hotel and the competition schedule.  Then get ready for competition by taking a million selfies in the mirror.

Step four, eat most meals in costume on the floor of the ballroom.

Step five, order adult beverages and relish that you have nothing to 'really' do for the weekend other than be the beck and call mom for your dancer.

Although, Kendall will tell you that I have it pretty good.  Since she joined dance later in life, I have never had to learn all of the crazy stuff like how to apply false eyelashes and how to pack a full dance bag, as she has been responsible for all of it.

NWWJS Grand Champion.

Sidney and Pigeon competed in the North Wind Winter Jump Series for the third year in a row.  They have come so far!  The series is five shows long over five months.  The participants earn points for each of their placings.  At the end of the series a Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion are awarded.  Going into the fifth and final show, Sidney was in the running for Reserve Grand Champion.  They had an excellent final show.  When the show organizers were calling out placings, they called out Sidney and Pigeon as winning the Grand Champion.  Sidney had a look of confusion on her face.  Then it settled in, they had won the series.  So exciting!  Both horse and rider were adorned with some amazing prizes.

I have said it before, not bad for an ole ranch horse.  Once this horse knew about jumping, he was all in!

They both look pretty proud!

Jayde and Kaycee also won for the adult division.  It is fun to watch this foursome grow and have fun doing it!

Counselor of the Month.

 Look at this girl, earning the counselor of the month award.  Nice work, Sidney!

Lucky Bailey got to join Sidney for one of the Valentines day enrichment activities.  They put whipped cream on his nose and snapped the cutest picture of him licking it off.

Axis Dance 2025.

I was so excited for comp season to begin that I purchased the Axis professional pictures.  The first one is just a bonus from Kendall, but the rest are a few of the package.  

Production:  Stole the Show

HipHop:  Queen Nicki

Contemporary:  I Miss You

Jazz:  911

Solo:  Grey