TTU vs. USC

It's not often Texas Tech comes to our area, so Eric bought tickets for us to cheer them on.  

It was men's basketball, and I have to confess it was my first time to watch for both teams despite all the money and time spent at both schools.  Although I really didn't care who won, I felt myself pulling most for the Red Raiders since we were outnumbered 1,000 to 1 in the stands.

Great game, and super close all the way to the end!  Tech ended up winning 70-63.  One of the game highlights was the loud roar of the crowd about 5 minutes left.  Apparently, Chick-fil-a would give all spectators a free chicken sandwich if Tech missed two free-throws in a row.  Well, the crowd went wild when that opportunity presented itself.  The Tech player at the free-throw line, as well as the entire team and coaching staff, had never heard that much noise in a stadium before and he lost his concentration.  The free throws were lost, the chicken sandwiches won, and the Tech lead sustained itself to a victory.  

Afterwards, we heard the Tech fans were gathering at a restaurant down the street. We decided to join them briefly to celebrate.  Guns up!

MORP

Our son was invited to MORP (opposite of Prom).  It's similar to Sadie Hawkins where the girls ask the guys to the school dance and the girls are responsible for driving and purchasing the tickets.  

She asked in the sweetest, special way because she knew he liked LaCroix sparkling water.







When she arrived, I had to capture the moment they exchanged flowers.

Then I realized the one picture I took of him tying on her corsage was blurry.  So, enjoy another pic of the boutonniere...

Awww, such a nice looking couple!  

It was a masquerade dance, so they had to bring masks.

Hers looks perfect!  We found an old Mardi Gras mask for our son, but the colors didn't go as well.

Before they left for dinner, we thought it would be cute to have them recreate the picture in our living room.  They were totally up for it!  

Then off to dinner and dancing.

Semester Abroad

Ashlyn is having a blast in New Zealand!  I haven't heard much about her internship, but I am hearing about her friends from the US in the program with her and their many adventures.

She loves the fresh markets.  The small dorm fridge in her room is not large enough to hold all her purchases, so she's decided to take over the shared refrigerator at the end of the hotel's hallway.

Her US friends in the program with her are from Colorado, North Dakota, and South Dakota.  When they talk with locals in New Zealand, they all ask if they are from New York.  Apparently, that's the only US city New Zealanders are familiar with.

The weather is warm there this time of year, but on this particular day, it was really overcast.  The wind was pretty strong, too.

Having fun on the beach...

Here's the zip line.  I'm thinking they will eventually start their internships.

Nice picturesque scene of the mountains, except for the overcast clouds covering them up.  We'll have to recreate this in March with our family when we go.  

They decided to take a ferry to the South Island and hike some trails.  Just gorgeous!

Kolaches

Powdersville now has a kolache bakery, and we were determined to be one of the first 20 in the door at their grand opening.  Those first few customers receive free kolaches for a year!

Doors opened at 6am, so we arrived several hours early.  We were prepared for the freezing temps and bundled up!

We were number 6 & 7 in line, and the little one was a trooper.  The owner brought us out hot coffee at 5am.  Very grateful!

Once inside, they took our name and presented us with a coupon book.  We each will receive one kolache (sausage, sausage & cheese, fruit, or cream cheese) per day along with a small coffee or fountain drink.  I am really going to enjoy this!

Super excited!  We met our neighbor there, too.  He was #11 and arrived 5 minutes after us.

My morning routine just added a stop.  I guess my evening routine will also need to add a stop at the gym.

Internship

Our oldest is on her last semester of college and will spend that semester in New Zealand!  She is not only studying abroad, but also doing an internship with an orthopedic physician practice.

Saying goodbye was hard.  She was flying 30 hours away, on the other side of the globe.  She was allowed one free suitcase up to 50 lbs, and it weighed in at 50.05.  Nice job maxing that out!  

She had a window seat, which was nice for sleeping.  Most of the flight was at night.  Her flight arrived in Auckland at 5:55am, so she snapped a picture of the sunrise before decending.

Upon arrival, she and several others from the US were given a 3-day orientation packed full of zip lining, theater shows, local cuisine, and tours.  At one of the restaurants, she found a watermelon drink and had to order it.  Non-alcoholic version, of course.

She begins her internship next week and will be there for several months.  More pictures and exciting adventures to come, I'm sure!

MLK

Each year on Martin Luther King, Jr. day, the kids are out of school and CDS is closed.  It's a great opportunity for a day of community service, so the Little One and I took advantage of that.

 The charity was A Child's Haven, a non-profit in Greenville that serves children with developmental delays due to abuse, poverty, and neglect.  They built a new facility several years ago and landscaped it with beautiful river rocks, but now those rocks have become a safety hazard.  Children are throwing them, ladies are walking over them with heels on (no clear walking path), and spiders (especially black widows) seem to enjoy building webs in them.

We spent about two hours removing the rocks by hand.  The large construction equipment was tearing up the beds, underground irrigation, and plants, so moving by hand was the consensus decision.

Backs are now sore, but we feel good to have made a small difference.  

Apprentice

My love of flying is topped by watching someone else learn to fly!  I was thrilled when my goddaughter wanted to take flight lessons, and I'm glad she let me jump in for the ride.

She's learning to talk with ground control over the radio, how to taxi on the runway, how to climb, descend, turn left & right, and power back for landing.

Her pilot license may take a while to obtain, but I'm in for the long haul if she will let me!  

Girlfriend

The new word in our house is Girlfriend.  They have been dating over a month now, so I guess I need to get used to this idea.  She's beautiful, smart, witty, German, and Catholic, along with so many other wonderful qualities.  My "mom" friends who also have young adult sons tell me to be careful and not get too attached, but I have to admit that I'm finding that part difficult.  She's just an all-around sweet girl.

She joined us one day for a church event, and as is our family routine, we headed to Bojangles afterwards.  Not a fancy place, I'll admit, but it's our custom nonetheless. She had never eaten there before and was totally up for it.  I was proud of her for trying.

Afterwards at our house, the two played cards.  They seem to get along well and really enjoy each other's company.  At one point, I asked what game they were playing.  She replied, Spite or Malice.  I was shocked!!  That was my favorite game to play with my grandmother growing up, so I couldn't help myself and joined in.  I had so much fun!  Staying detached is not going well....