Luke's 21st

 

Luke came home for his 21st birthday, so we had his favorite homecooked meal ready for him (meatloaf) along with a chocolate rum cake.

Eric bought him a champagne confetti bottle....

And he opened several cards that marked his special occasion.  The shot-sized red solo cup on the table may have had something in it.  Kombucha maybe?

Then opened another sweet birthday card that came in the mail.

We were face-timing Ashlyn in Orangeburg so she could be part of the family celebration.

The next day we took him out for authentic street tacos.

Then to a brewery for a beer.

On day 3 of his birthday weekend, he wanted Indian food for lunch, so why not compliment that with alcohol-infused pumpkin ice cream!  Happy birthday, son!  We love you!!

Slingshot

This past weekend, our two oldest kids unexpectedly came home.  Eric has been talking about renting a slingshot car and jumped at this opportunity to do it while Luke was here to enjoy it with him.

Since we only had it for 4 hours, the girls got to enjoy it, too!  It's not a very practical car by any means, but it sure made for a fun trip to the grocery store!

It was so nice having all of us together for dinner, too.  Grilled salmon, baked potatoes, steamed veggies, and fresh French bread appeased everyone's palate.  So thankful for these moments.

ROTC Weekend

On our drive home from Aiken, we detoured through Columbia.  Our son had just returned from a 3-day ROTC training camp and was starving.  We swung by Moe's Southwest Grill to drop off some food.  I was so excited to finally see him in his Army fatigues while I also happened to be wearing my Army Mom shirt!

The other cadets were all hungry too, and really tired, so I felt bad that he got to eat.  I'm sure they gave Luke a hard time after we left.  You could see his fellow cadets in the background sleeping on the ground while waiting for the cadre to arrive and dismiss them.

Luke and his buddies took pictures while on guard duty (night shift).  The cadets had to sleep with their weapon loaded and secured.  Doesn't look very comfortable, though.  I guess after two nights like this, I can see why they were so tired.

During the day, the unit went on rucks (8-12 mile walks).  Good thing he upgraded his boots a few weeks before!

They had weapons training, weapons cleaning, and weapons safety instruction.

They were taught basic land navigation, then tested on those skills.

As a final task, each cadet had to take a rifle qualification test.  It took several attempts, but Luke finally qualified. 😊

As we left and hugged him bye, I reminded him to wash everything really good when he got back to his apartment.  After a hestitant pause, he said, "Um, sure mom. That's the FIRST thing I plan to do."  Something tells me it will be several months before those fatigues see a washing machine. 

Aiken

With the cooler temps of fall finally here, we couldn't wait to go camping.  Ashlyn wanted to go with us, but it would have been a 4 hr drive just for her to join us in the mountains. Instead, we agreed to meet in Aiken, SC.

There's just something about getting away for the weekend to hang out with family and the smell of a campfire.  It's good for the soul.  Ashlyn brought along her suture kit since she was still in her surgery rotation.

Right beside us was a 3-mile hiking path.  We couldn't resist.

The next morning as we drove around the city, we came upon a park with another walking path and trail.  There was not rush to get home, so we stopped.

And played....

And played...

And played.  Yes, they are 23 and 13.

Then we found a rock wall and I had to get in on the action!  

One last brief hike on the city trail before we leave.  Aiken is such a beautiful city!

Fall 2020

With school now in session all 5 days a week, things are starting to feel like fall.  I couldn't wait to decorate!  But as we pulled out the decorations, our scarecrow needed a fresh coat of paint.  That was a fun morning project with my little one.  Next year we'll need to do the butternut squash, too.

And speaking of school, one of the few sports we can still enjoy from both the participant and spectator perspective is cross country.  Our little one has really stepped up her pace this year.  She's run on varsity every meet.  Here are the runners just after the gun start.

About halfway in the race, she's trying to catch up and pass to these two in front of her.  Her PR (personal record) so far in the 5K is 24:02!  Way to go!

Vaccine

As a mother of three and the director of a special needs organization, I'm very familiar with the vaccine debate.  It's unfortunate that so much misinformation is spread on social media and within parent circles.  I, for one, advocate for the protection of our children and the human race from debilitating and/or fatal diseases caused by viruses that can be prevented by vaccines.

So, when given the opportunity to participate in a COVID-19 trial, I jumped at the chance.  It's the Moderna mRNA vaccine.  I was given two injections 30 days a part and had a 50/50 chance of the vaccine vs. a placebo.  It's a blind study, so I wasn't told which injection I'd receive.  They gave me a thermometer and ruler to monitor my vitals and an app to document my symptoms.

After the first dose, I had very little reaction.  There was a slight redness and tenderness at the injection site and a little muscle soreness in my left arm.  It reminded me of a tetanus shot.  To remedy, I used 5 lb weights to do some arm exercises so that the serum was distributed quicker.  

After the second dose, the reaction was a bit stronger.  Again there was a little redness and soreness in my arm, but I was expecting that.  Around 26 hours after injection, I experieced a slight fever that never got higher than 99.8℉ with minor chills.  But instead of lasting for days, these symptoms lasted only about 4 hours.  Without taking any medication, I slept fine and woke up feeling great with a normal (for me) temperature of 97.5℉.  No further temp issues or chills were noted.  By the end of Day 2, I felt one of the lymph nodes in my neck was enlarged.  This was a normal reaction for a human body that's exposed to something foreign, but still worth noting on my app.  I'm now convinced I received the vaccine and not the placebo.

Despite the few discomforts experienced with this vaccine, I would much prefer these brief symptoms than 14 days of pure agony that many people have to endure with COVID-19.  I didn't have to miss a day of work, I didn't have to miss a hug/kiss with my family, and I won't have to bear the guilt of exposing (unintentionally) an immunocompromised individual to this devastating virus.  For those reasons, I'm so happy to have been selected to participate.  

While the study is still not complete, early indications give me confidence that this vaccine (or a similar one) will soon be able to protect our loved ones who are most vulnerable.  In the mean time, I plan to continue to wear my mask in public because (1) others don't know I've been vaccinated, and (2) the efficacy of the vaccine has not been finalized.  Prayers for all who have suffered so much from this disease. 🙏

COLA Walk

Before we left Columbia (COLA, for short), Ashlyn and Luke told us about a river park in town.  Ashlyn used to run this with her UofSC running club, and Luke's ROTC unit does their 12-mile ruck here.  We were eager to ditch our masks and get some fresh air.

The morning weather was really nice and perfect for a 4-mile stroll after breakfast.

This sign surprised us a bit, as we're pretty far inland.  Maybe in Charleston, but not Columiba?!!  Keeping our eyes open just in case.

The family seemed to put up with my contstant pictures quite well.

The Spanish moss was gorgeous!

As I tried to capture Ashlyn doing the leprechaun, I also captured Luke pushing his little sister.  Lovely.  

My heart is with these four, and I'm grateful for them every day.

Best way to spend a long holiday weekend...family time.