August update

August went by far too quickly. I guess the end of the summer snuck up on us.  We started August with another away horse show. Sophia and one other show team member went. It was a fun show and they did well. Sophia did the trail challenge this time and worked to get her horse Maverick through the obstacles.    watch trail class

We took a trip to Connecticut to visit Linda and her girls. We were there for five days. Sophia had a blast playing with Hollie and Stephanie. Danielle and Gianna came up for a day. It was so nice to see them. We hung out at the house, went shopping, went to the pool and went bowling. We had a nice dinner with Pat, Melissa and Maureen. It was nice to be back in West Haven for the dinner but my mother's presence was missed.  

We also spent a couple of hours with Aunt Philly. She was so happy we went to visit her. She is an amazing woman. I have so many fond memories of her growing up. 

It is hard to believe my mother has been gone two years. Grief is odd. There are times it feels like ages since I last talked to her and other times the pain is so raw it feels like yesterday. I miss our phone conversations. I miss telling her about my day and my life. I miss hearing about her day and about George and Linda. Time doesn't heal the wounds left my her passing.

We celebrated ten years as a family with Sophia and the other families who traveled to China in 2006.   It was a great reunion. The girls all get along so well. I made a slide show of each girl over the ten years and showed it at the reunion. The parents where teary-eyed and the girls giggling as they watched themselves change through the years.

Katlyn, one of Sophia's best friends and "China Sister" was planning on doing an American Ninja Warrior competition the weekend of the reunion. She hurt her back in gymnastics and could not do it but Sophia and two other friends did it. Sophia was amazing. She completed the first round. I could not believe the upper body strength she had. It was hot and a long competition so she did not stay for the second round but wants to go back at some other point to see how far she gets.

watch competition round

All good things must end. Summer did just that. Sophia started school the last week in August but not before Sophia and I had a special lunch at Cheesecake Factory and did some back to school shopping for her first (and second) day outfits.