Things I’ll Have Pictures for Later

I'm sewing crocheted appliqués (that I made)  to a sweater for Christmas. I dyed purple streaks in Korra's hair. We put up Christmas decorations and are keeping our fingers crossed that the kitten doesn't climb/bite/attack/knock down the tree (too many times). 

Birthday Brunch

Korra had a fancy brunch to celebrate a school  friend's birthday. 

While she was enjoying her eggs, I ran errands and successfully got some much needed crafting supplies. 

Cabin Pictures

 

Extra Time at the Cabin

We were planning to come up to the cabin on Saturday evening or Sunday morning but our Saturday afternoon plans got canceled so we decided to come up early. Korra is very excited for you extra time with her cousins. 

Friendsgiving (at work)

On Thursday we had our monthly work dinner party. This month's theme was Friendsgiving. I ordered a hot meal from Publix (chicken tenders, mac and cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes, and rolls) but when I got there, they had no idea about the order. They were able to fry up the chicken for me and then I grabbed sides from the refrigerated section. The manager at Publix was helpful and apologetic and ended up only charging me $50 for enough food to feed 20 people. When I got back to the office, I had to figure out how to heat up the sides with only one microwave (I went to the office next door to use theirs- and ended up inviting them over for spiced cider!). 

Everyone enjoyed the food and each other's company (they even enjoyed the silly Thanksgiving word searches I printed out). Our gratitude wall was my favorite though:

Bus Rides and Fry Bread

I tried new things today. I took the bus to work because Nate needed to leave really early and it was raining and cold. It was on time and only took about 25 minutes. That's double the time it takes me to bike and the same time it takes me to walk but I also arrived to work warm and dry. 

This evening I made fry bread to go with our black bean tacos. I think it's a forgone conclusion that fried bread is delicious. 

Major F-up

Todd and I were at the O'Hare airport for HOURS yesterday. We got a notification that our flight was delayed by about 20 minutes. We waited and waited and couldn't figure out why boarding hadn't started yet. Then I double checked my boarding pass and discovered we were off by one gate. We ran over and they said it was too late. They wouldn't let us board. The next flight wasn't until this morning at 11. After a bit of crying, I booked a hotel for us. I thought it was right off the train, but no. It was actually a train ride and THEN a bus ride. 

I was so mad at myself. So frustrated. So tired and ready to be home. And I feel so guilty for dragging Todd along with me. We'd been traveling or waiting to travel for 6 hours. 

I had a hard time sleeping but as they usually do, things look better in the morning. I'm thankful they rebooked our flight immediately and without charging us. I'm thankful Todd was with me or it would have been scary as well as  frustrating. I'm thankful I have PTO and a flexible job. 

We got to the airport extra early and not only have we triple checked we're at the right gate, we've also been keeping an eye on the plane. 

Very ready to be home. 

Ponza Rottas

This morning we went for another visit with Grandma and Grandpa. It was hard to say goodbye. 

We comforted ourselves with ponza rottas (deep fried calzones!) from Jimmy's Grotto. 

After watching a little Formula One racing, Julie took us back to the airport. Todd and I had a little time to kill before our flight so we walked around the airport and marveled are the popcorn, cupcake, and Lego vending machines. 

Family visits

We had such a pleasant visit with my grandparents today. Grandpa bought us doughnuts and Uncle David bought us cheese curds. We talked for a while and Grandpa gave us a tour of the whole building, which Todd, Brian, and I all agree is beautiful and cozy and nice. 

We then decided to take a detour to see our first childhood home. (Don't worry- I knocked on their door to let them know what I was doing!)

I planted this tree and named it Bundie 34 years ago. 

We headed back to Aunt Ann's house for a big family dinner (18 instead of 26- a few decided not to come because of the potential stomach bug). It was loud and delicious and there was so much storytelling and catching up and laughing. I love that I got to see both sides of my family today. I only wish Mom and Dad had been well enough to join us. Hopefully they will be better tomorrow (and no one else will get sick!)

Stomach Bug

Late last night my parents both came down with a stomach bug. Now we're anxiously waiting to see if we get it too. 

Still going to try to see my grandparents this morning (wearing masks). 

Wisconsin!

Yesterday Todd and I flew to Chicago where we met up with Brian and my cousin Julie. 

We then drove to Milwaukee where we met up with a family (an aunt, 2 uncles, a grandma, and my parents) for a Friday Fish Fry!  

It’s going to be a cold weekend

It's currently 10 degrees warmer in Milwaukee than in Atlanta.  Tomorrow afternoon, Milwaukee will be 40 colder than it is today. 

A Little Bored

It's 8:21am.  I've been at work for less than an hour and I've already run out of things to do.  Nearly everything on my list requires someone else to do something first.  I'm sure some things will come up once more people start working but for now.... 

Run-Off

It's bad enough that so many people in my state would vote for a man who has verbally and physically abused multiple people, but now that there's going to be a run-off it means the ads will just keep going and going.  

Election Day

Because Korra had a virtual school day, I worked from home this morning. Our 1st grade neighbor joined us for a bit while his home had a doctor's appointment. I baked my now-famous gingerdoodle cookies to bring into the office when I went around lunchtime. 

Korra stayed home by herself for over 2 hours until Nate got home. It's kind of crazy that she's old enough to do that now. 

Once again, I'm thankful for flexibility and autonomy at work. 

Salt Dough Fail

Tonight at Girl Scouts, we attempted to make salt dough. I let the girls follow the recipe. It didn't go well. Flour everywhere. Most of the dough stuck to their hands and the table. We ended up throw the whole batch away. Next meeting I'll make it ahead of time. 

Buford Highway Farmers Market

Yesterday morning we went to the international supermarket. We don't go very often because it's not super close but I wanted to stock up on some ingredients we can't get at our regular grocery stores. We ended up spending 3 times what I anticipated though because Nate and Korra wanted to try so many international snacks and drinks. They are not cheap dates but I love them anyway. 

Family Fun Night

We decided to have a little family date yesterday evening. First we had dinner at El Ponce and then we went next door to the Plaza Theater to see Kiki's Delivery Service. 

Good Office Vibes

There were a good number of staff in the office today and the energy was really great. Spending a few days together last week has really made work more enjoyable.  

10 year check up

This afternoon Korra had her annual check up. She weighs 54 pounds and is 4 feet 1 inch tall. She's in the 2nd percentile for weight and height. Her pediatrician recommended a bunch of tests to make sure there aren't any issues causing her small size. We did some blood work when she was 18 months old but the doctor said it would be a good idea to do it again (and even order a couple more) before she hits puberty. 

Poor Korra got 8 vials of blood drawn today. (Don't worry, she got a milkshake afterwards). Depending on the results, we may also get a hand X-ray at Children's to check on bone age. She was a real champ- read out loud from her book during the whole draw in order to distract herself!

Book Fair!

I took a few hours of PTO today because Korra and I both have doctors appointments, so I decided to volunteer for the Book Fair!

It's definitely different being on the parent volunteer side instead of being the school librarian running the show.