These days I find myself thinking “when things slow down, I’ll _________.” But surprise! Things aren’t slowing down! A brief March recap:
Emma and I spent 3 nights/4 days in Washington DC with 20 other 5th graders from her school. The itinerary was packed to the gills — my friend Becca said “I think you fit a week of sights into 4 days” — but we both had a great time. I’m really glad I was able to go along as a parent, and already look forward to Charlotte’s turn in 2027. (Although Jose will get dibs on that one if he wants it.)
On the first night, I left the group for a few hours to meet up with Becca for a West Wing tour! No pictures allowed inside, but it was very cool. I also enjoyed dinner that night with several old Georgia Tech friends — it was wonderful.
Other highlights for me were visiting the Capitol, Library of Congress, and Washington Monument. Despite having been to DC several times before, I had never been to those 3 key places! I particularly enjoyed the monument — the views from the top were fantastic, and it was neat to see the monument from the inside.
And I gotta say, it was really fun to spend time with Emma and her friends. This was the first big taste of freedom for most of them — they stayed in a hotel room together, without any adults; they managed their spending money and getting their own food at lunch; they handled their suitcases and packing and putting themselves to bed at a semi-reasonable hour. It was fun to sit back at times, listen to what they talked about, and just be an observer. Pre-teen and teenage years might be tough, but at 10 and 11 years old they are still (mostly) delightful and I just really enjoyed being part of their trip.
When Emma and I got home, there were still 5 more days of spring break, and we filled them with many Houston-y things — the rodeo, Color Factory, Museum of Natural Science, and Children’s Museum. Whew! By the time spring break wrapped up, I was ready for a “vacation from my vacation,” as they say.
The rest of March passed in a blur. I celebrated my birthday — 45! On my birthday, we went out for breakfast, and Jose and the girls got me a Lego Formula 1 car that I enjoyed putting together over several evenings. I also baked myself a chocolate cherry brownie cake that was freaking delicious!
Later that week, we went to Astros opening day, which I also declared was part of my birthday present. Ha. Although they lost the game, it was still fun to be in the crowd and see the pre-game ceremony and player introductions…and any time you get to see a Yordan Alvarez blast is a good day.
April kicked off in high gear as well. Last weekend I got to see my friend Cayce and her family — they were in town to catch a cruise from Galveston. Cayce is a friend from high school, and the oldest friend that I am still in touch with! It was awesome to see her. After seeing them, we hit the annual neighborhood Easter party which the girls enjoyed.
We are looking forward to seeing Jose’s family for Easter this weekend, and then…well, I suppose life will careen into spring and end-of-the-school-year activities and summer travel plans!!
Great fun! So glad you enjoyed such a happy time – children grow up fast, and I miss those times. Happy summer, on the horizon
Teens get a bad rap. But overall I’ve found them to be smart, funny, and keep you in your toes! Only sometimes are they truly terrible! And if you can survive 7th grade you can do anything!