November 2025

 It is hard to believe you are twenty years old. I have decided I am going to continue making monthly blog posts as long as I can but I am not going to publish them any longer. I am going to continue to create the documents for you. Maybe someday you will enjoy looking back on the things you accomplished.

For your birthday you had lunch with Emma and then came home for dinner. We went to Maggiano's and then had your favorite fruit tart for dessert. It was so nice to celebrate with you.

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The following week we went to the PVDA fall show. You competed third level tests. Wren is still learning his flying lead changes and gets a little too excited in the half pass but you did it. You didn't get the bronze level scores you were hoping for but you both gave it your all. I am so proud of you.

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You competed in the Championship class at By Chance doing Level 2- test 2. You came in 4th place. You much prefer riding in the double bridle, so does he. But you both looked great.

You have been doing more with your Phi Mu sisters. You did a ribbon ceremony, attended study halls, did a bracelet making session and just hung out. I am so glad you got out of your comfort zone and tried this. I think you will make lots of good friends.

You had your winter choir concert. 

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You hung out with Gretchen when she was back for Thanksgiving. You went out to dinner and to see Wicked Part II together. You watched the DWTS finale with her too. It was a great afternoon/evening.

We cut down our tree together. I love this tradition.

We finished off Thanksgiving weekend with a barn family party. It was so much fun. You enjoyed hanging out with everyone including the kids coming back from college. They even had a fun gingerbread decorating contest. We also did a little shopping on Sunday. You bought some clothes that you will need next semester for Phi Mu events.

Our pets are all doing great. They all love it when you are home. 

October 2025

 Another month has gone by and while it was a good one I have very few pictures to prove it!

I went away with Lisa, my very first roommate after college. We taught together after graduating. We were roommates for about four years and have remained friends ever since. We hadn't seen her since Sophia and her son were 3 years old, 17 years ago. We spent the weekend together and picked up like we hadn't missed a beat. It was so nice to catch up. We went to Chadds Ford PA. 

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Sophia is away at college but we spent a couple of weekends together. We went to the 5 Star on show jump day. Sophia and I spent the morning shopping and watching the 3 star riders. Steve joined us there for the 5 star riders. It is so nice to spend time as a family.

Our animals are going to be front and center this entry. They are all doing well. We love them all. 

Looking forward to next month!

September 2025

September meant Sophia was back to school full time, so we saw her a bit less. She did come home a couple of weekends, and during one of them I remembered to take our yearly Referral Day photo. I’ve taken it almost every year on July 1st—Sophia holding the photo we received back in 2005. This year’s was a little late, but I got it! Out of the past 19 years, I’ve managed to capture that photo 17 times. Somehow the date slipped by me a couple of years, but I’m glad we’ve kept the tradition going.

Sophia added some art work her friends sister made for her to the dorm room wall. It looks great.

I had dinner with Angi and Gianna. Angi is moving to Florida with her boyfriend, Jonathan, and I’ll miss having her nearby. I’ve really enjoyed the times we’ve gone out to dinner together—our meals, a craft night, the Howard County Fair. She’s been in the area for about seven years, including college. While we didn’t see each other as often as I would have liked, I’m so thankful for the time we did share. Gi is a bit farther away but still close enough to visit.

I also went to Florida for a scrapbooking retreat with Tracey—it was amazing! It felt wonderful to step away from work and recharge. I even got to visit Dani and her fiancé in their new home, and spent some time with my brother too. It was such a wonderful five-day getaway.

I still love hands-on scrapbooking, though I’ve worried about how much space it takes—especially with the idea of downsizing someday. Shelves of scrapbooks can feel daunting! But I’ve found a great solution: I’ve started photographing my completed scrapbook pages and turning them into digital flip albums that I can download and share. It’s truly the best of both worlds—the joy of paper crafting with the convenience of digital storage.

I also had dinner with my neighbor, Sherry. We’ve been neighbors since 2002, and she’s moving away. The neighborhood won’t feel the same without her. We’ve shared so much—raising kids together, walks, stoop chats, dinners, and more.

This month, I also attended a professional development retreat with Etna, which meets four times a year. These weekends are always enriching and refreshing.

Our furry family members are doing well too. 

Until next month…

August 2025

August was a busy month, even if I don’t have a lot of pictures to prove it.

Sophia and I went shopping a couple of times to get her set up for her new place. She moved into a campus house with five students total—three seniors plus Sophia and her roommate (both sophomores). Sophia and I went out shopping a couple of times for kitchen basics like silverware, dishes, a pan, and utensils. I gave her some of my pots. Since the kitchen doesn’t have much storage, we bought a shelf to help organize things.

Her room is amazing—huge compared to her old dorm! Her roommate’s space is a smaller room off of Sophia’s, and the house has a living room too. The five of them will share one bathroom, but Sophia is thrilled not to be in a tiny dorm with communal bathrooms anymore.

 

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Sophia also went to a lesson at Phoebe’s. Her friend Gretchen drove her and her horse there—first time Gretchen drove a trailer without her mom there. Gretchen is taking her horse to Kentucky for college, and her mom wanted her to get practice. It worked out perfectly since she and Sophia are so comfortable together.

One afternoon while watering, I noticed something move in the planter…turns out there were baby bunnies living in there! We think there were three. We checked on them daily and even caught the mother hopping in to feed them. A couple of times Steve had to scoop them back in when they hopped out and couldn’t get back up. After about two weeks, they were gone—either grown enough to leave or moved by their mom.

A local theater also did a flashback series of all three extended Lord of the Rings movies. Each was over three hours long, and it was my first time seeing them. Steve and Sophia had already watched them before, but it was fun experiencing them together on the big screen.

I finished a knitting project

And all of our pets are doing great.