February Update 2016

It was a typical month: school, co-op, a few outings.  Highlights were Valentine's Day, tubing, and the tea fundraiser I posted about.  A few other items of interest . . .

Experimenting for my art class!  This is a page from Wreck This Journal Everywhere.  Floating in water.

Our co-op had a Victorian tea field trip at The Roosevelt Inn.  I went without Kylen, because he's not big on outings with silly girls in frilly dresses, sipping tea and making polite conversation.  ;)

This window reminded me of Beauty and the Beast.  A single rose . . .

My uncle's family invited us to play laser tag.  Greg and Kylen already had plans, so it was just me.  It figures that the one time I go without them, I have my best games ever.  Of the many times I've played, I have MAYBE gotten a third place once.  Never a first.  I also do not do well when there are fewer players than the high 20's.  I got a 3rd out of 30 players the first game, which was amazing in itself.  But the second game . . .

I got a first!  That was a first!  And with only 16 players???  It was like a miracle.  My feet are usually too sore to walk fast enough to keep up with people as they move about, and the fewer the players, the harder to find.  I also have a difficult time going up ramps to the higher levels and often have to hang out on the bottom floor.  This night, my feet were in unusually good shape, and I was more mobile.  Even then, it's remarkable that I did so well.  I don't remember getting a first place even back before arthritis.

This meant a lot to me.  I grew up doing lots of competitive physical activities with family: volleyball, basketball, hockey, soccer, etc.  It's been tough not being able to participate or performing poorly due to disabilities.  I can only explain this as a gift, and I'm going to treasure the memory.  :)

Dessert Tea Fundraiser

I was recently blessed to attend the 2nd annual dessert tea fundraiser for Open Arms Pregnancy Care Center with a friend.  I was SO impressed by this event!  Being someone who enjoys teas, it was a wonderful experience.  From what I heard, the event has grown quite a bit since last year.  People volunteer to host tables where they are in charge of decorations and food preparation.  The theme was Love Life, and many people took a Valentine approach.  I thoroughly enjoyed walking around and seeing the variety of styles.

I had never participated in a silent auction before, but I enjoyed that part as well.  They had an option for purchasing items outright instead of bidding, and the item I most wanted was purchased that way after only a few bids.  I was disappointed, but I still won another item, a basket full of goodies.  And I got it below it's value price!

Our hostess did a wonderful job.  Her table was one of my favorites, and the food was thoughtfully planned.  Truly a feast for the eyes!  She even made the nametags!

Our table didn't have all it's food yet when I took these pics, hence the empty pedestal.  Isn't it pretty though?

Some of my other favorites.

This was the item I was hoping to win.  After I saw it was purchased, I took a picture.  :)

Our hostess.  :)

This gives an idea of the size of this event.  Look at all the tables!  I took this shot from my spot.  Our table was at one of the corners of the room.

I'm already looking forward to next year's fundraiser.  Maybe I'll even host a table!

Tubing On Silver Mountain

When I was a kid, one of the highlights of winter was tubing down my grandparents' hill.  We no longer have access to that hill, but I've been wanting Kylen to experience tubing.  I've had a hard time getting motivated to make it happen, but I finally decided to ask my uncle's family if they would go with us, since they've tubed at ski resorts before.

 

View on the drive up.  There was some fog here, but it was a beautiful clear day at the resort.  We seriously could not have asked for more perfect weather.



Cousin Paul was able to join us!  And just look at that blue sky!  The sun was hurting our eyes!

A huge bonus was riding one of the longest gondolas in the world: 20 minutes each way.  It went fast!  I thought it was cool seeing more snow as we got higher.  One thing to note is that the gondolas really need some TLC.  The windows are very scratched up, and the one we rode going up smelled like someone had spilled a bottle of alcohol inside.  Yuck!

We arrived plenty early at the lodge, so we hung out, ate lunch, and visited.  Even though we brought our own lunches, we shared some yummy fries.

I was pretty nervous about how much walking there might be, but there wasn't much at all.  Riding the "magic carpet" was great.

Unfortunately, it was so regulated that a lot of the fun was taken out.  We couldn't form chains, and there was a guy who told us when we could go down.  It was worth going once, especially when you add in the gondola and hanging out with family, but I don't know that I would do it again.  I'm still hoping Kylen can eventually experience something closer to what I did. 

Silly guys!

We all agreed that we never enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa more.  Something about coming in after two hours of tubing, being cold - it was amazing.  And we had brownies and cinnamon rolls for dipping.  Heaven.

From the gondola on our ride back down.

We stopped at Wendy's for a bite to eat.  Overall, it was a very nice outing!