Writing this from a markedly “lighter outside” 6 a.m. Monday morning, now that Daylight Savings Time has ended… Yes, we set the clocks back this weekend. I know this can be a big deal to people with little kids + sleep issues, but fortunately, I think we’re past the stage where this ruffles our feathers too much. It’s mostly worthy of a shoulder shrug over here. It is still odd to have it fully dark in the 5 o’clock p.m. hour now, but I personally kind of like that (for a little while- wouldn’t like it year round). I find it cozy.
Weekend Snapshots!
This weekend was low on kids activities (RARE!) yet still felt pretty busy-ish. But in a good way.
Saturday:
*Slow morning working on my Rome trip recap! It was a rainy, blustery day and I really enjoyed carving out some solo time to sit and do this.
*I managed to get my 20 minutes of outside time in (goal for November), despite extremely windy/ rainy conditions. As I was heading outside, Ivan said, “Um, are you sure you want to go for a walk right now??” lol. (The winds were gusting like crazy.) I explained my November goal and he nodded in understanding, and then did not join me. 😆 I also took a selfie to document this for you all, but, turns out it was the World’s Ugliest Selfie. hahahaha. Did not make the cut for a blog appearance.
*We all cleaned the house. I tackled the kitchen, and the boys and Ivan split up other areas.
*I went to the gym for a solid Back/Biceps workout. Asher was at the gym with some friends, too, and he also worked out.
*Saturday evening my parents came for the night. I had bought tickets for the high school performance of Grease and had invited them, knowing they also enjoy that movie. It was….. good. Of course, I am so proud of all the hard work those kids put in, and overall, they were fantastic.
But I feel like Grease is maybe one that I should just stick to the original movie on. It’s my FAVORITE, favorite, and as I said, I know every song, every line, every lyric. John Travolta and Olivia Newton John were….well, John Travolta and Olivia Newton John! Impossible to top. So obviously a high school performance isn’t going to actually compare, but yet I kept finding myself wanting it to. Which is ridiculous!! I also was unreasonably annoyed anytime the school musical strayed from the actual movie plot line/ songs/ order of events/ etc. Like, they sang some other song in the bedroom Pink Ladies sleepover scene (NOT from the original soundtrack….), instead of Look at me I’m Sandra Dee. And then they did the Sandra Dee song later, in a place that it didn’t really make sense. I couldn’t handle that. 😂😂
But we still had a nice time! I can’t help it. Apparently I am a very inflexible Grease fan.
*We went out for a late bite to eat after the show. I finally also gave my parents their 50th Wedding Anniversary gift! (which was back in September….). We had been traveling, they had been traveling and then I had some logistical issues getting this done. But here’s what I gave them:
In the frame, obviously my parents in the middle, my family on the right, and then my sister and her husband on top left, followed by her 3 kids on the bottom left. (Sorry, crossed out their faces!) Then the print on the right is song lyric art from One Hand, One Heart, from West Side Story. This was the song my parents lit their unity candle to at their wedding, and my mom talks about that a lot. So, I thought it would be a special print to put alongside the picture frame on their wall. I’m really happy with how they turned out!
Sunday:
*Ethan had to work at 7, so my parents and I went together to drop him off. Later we swung back through the drive thru to get a drink and say “hi”…. he took my order over the speaker. Once he realized it was me he was like, “Oh hi mom.” hahaha!
*My mom and I spent a couple hours out doing a little Christmas shopping/browsing!
*The Packers played at noon (let’s not talk about them and their now 5 game losing streak….). My dad and Ivan watched the game and my mom and I joined in for the second half.
*I kind of lost interest in the crappy game and ended up going outside to take down my Halloween decorations. Happy to have that done! Though, I will miss my orange lights and spooky guys. Next up… Christmas!! 🙂
*My parents left after the game and Ivan went outside and tackled a bunch of fall yard clean up stuff. He got an impressive amount done in just a couple of hours, and was still working after dark.
*I made chicken tinga tostadas for dinner, and then walked to the gas station (in the dark) to pick up some cheese that we’d run out of.
*I wanted to start reading this book with the boys:
We all have tickets to the Broadway musical Come From Away in a couple weeks, which is based on this book. None of us have read it though, so I ordered the book. It’s not too long, so we should be able to get through it. Ivan even said he’d sit and listen in! I’m excited to put the fireplace on and have “family story time”, haha.
*We didn’t end up starting it last night though, because we decided to watch Rush Hour! I hadn’t seen that movie in forever. It was still really funny! The kids liked it a lot. I don’t think they’d ever seen a Jackie Chan movie, besides the newer Karate Kid movie.
*The night ended with us buying our spring break plane tickets to Costa Rica at 10:30 p.m. We had finally found some decent tickets this weekend (in a sea of BAD flight prices and times). I was in bed, about to go to sleep, when I texted Ivan (who was in the living room): “I think we should buy those tickets now.” There’s no way we would beat this particular price/itinerary combo, and if we lost them, the other options were quite dismal and insanely expensive. So, I turned the light on and we sat on our bed and booked our flights!! Woohoo!!! So excited. (We will have to take an overnight flight on the way down, which isn’t super awesome, but…. for various reasons related to timing/ rental car/ allowing time in the daylight to drive to our first destination upon arriving to Costa Rica, this actually makes the most sense.)
And then, I went to bed at 11 p.m., way too late. Oops.
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for my spice cabinet. I’m in and out of there a lot while cooking, and I am grateful to have a nice little cabinet to store all that stuff in.
GRATEFUL KAE 
Sounds like a very nice weekend! Come from Away is so good! I saw it at the Appleton PAC in 2019. Didn’t even know it was based on a book, so now I am going to read the book thanks to you! You will enjoy it even if your family doesn’t finish the book.
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I hadn’t heard of the book OR the show, actually, until I think last year another blogger shared about the book. I remember thinking that sounded really good and had filed it away in the back of my mind… then I heard about the show coming to town and connected the dots! 🙂 I’m excited to both read the book and see the show!
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I love these little glimpses of Ethan at work. The fact that he greeted you instead of pretending he didn’t know you just makes me so happy! It must be quite wonderful for you to see him being so responsible and working hard! You’re raising him the right way!
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It’s funny- he actually likes it when we stop through the drive thru! My sister in law will go through for a coffee sometimes if she knows he’s working and he gets excited to see her too. 🙂
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I’m also hoping to go to Costa Rica for spring break. would love to hear your rough itinerary!
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Oh awesome!! We can exchange tips! We are planning a fairly basic “first timers” Costa Rica itinerary of La Fortuna/Arenal area (5 nights), Monteverde (3 nights) and then Manuel Antonio (5 nights). Should be a nice variety! I have had lodging booked since early summer because I had heard March was peak season and I was paranoid about everything booking up! Now we have our flights too.. just still need to do the car rental and figure out activities/details. Where will you be headed??
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OH wow you are so on top of things. I have done zero planning. We were supposed to go last spring break but not detoured to Peru to visit a friend living there which was a great choice. We just got back from 2 weeks in Italy so I’m excited to plan our next trip but also….that’s a lot of work with life and 2 kids, right? But you are definitely inspiring me to get a move on so thanks! My kids break is the last week of March/first week of April so hopefully not too crazy crowded?
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You might have heard about that book from me! I heard about it on a podcast. I thought it was amazing and pretty mind boggling. I didn’t think about what all those flights that were in flight did when the airspace was closed. Well most went to that tiny town. I would love to see the musical some day. I think the musical is on one of the streaming services we have so I need to look into it. We watched so much 9/11 content last year during the 20 year anniversary. It’s such a part of our lives since we were on the cusp of adulthood (I was a junior in college) so understood what was happening. Gah. I’ll never forget that day.
Ethan is so cute in his uniform! It must be kind of jarring to have this kid who is old enough to have a job!!
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Yes, I’m 99% sure it was you who I heard about the book from! I never had looked it up, but when you mentioned it I remember thinking “Oh, that sounds really interesting and like a good book!” If I hadn’t heard of that, I’m not sure the musical would have caught my eye either- I happened to hear a radio ad for the show I think saying something about the musical “based on the book about 9/11 and the planes diverted to Canada…” and then it dawned on me that it must be that book! 🙂
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very thoughtful gift for your parents. I think as they age, they appreciate more memories than anything else so your gifts are perfect. I wish my parents celebrate their anniversaries… they never did and I don’t even know when was it. it’s not in asian culture to model romanticism to the kids, nor affection. I hope I get to change that for my girls. having a loving relationship with husband is so important.
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Interesting about the cultural aspect! I didn’t know that that wasn’t a big part of Asian culture. My parents never went too crazy to celebrate their anniversaries when I was a kid, but they did always get cards or a gift, or share a special meal, etc.
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I’ve read that book and would love to see the musical (I’ve heard great things from friends who saw it in NYC). It’s very relevant since Gander is so close; my husband used to work there regularly.
The switch of songs/ordering would drive me CRAZY if I went to see a musical I knew well. Actually, when we saw Alladin on Broadway this year they had extra songs (for Broadway) and it really bothered one family member but I was totally cool with the unfamiliar additions. But if it was something I LOVED like The Sound of Music or something, I’d be livid if they switched everything up.
Like you, we’re past the point of DST making a big impact on our kids. They can read clocks and stay in their room quietly until a set time each day. And I also like the darker evenings because it feels more cozy. But I’d gladly just stick to one time for the whole year…and I hear there are lots of whispers this might finally happen soon.
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Okay, I’m glad I’m not the only one who would be bothered by a musical not matching the original show. I mean, I realize they can’t make it identical, but I personally don’t see why it can’t parallel the original as much as possible! There must be reasons, or maybe they just like to be creative. Who knows. Come to think of it, I think I struggle with this when books are made into movies, too. In those cases, I’m prone to become a bit annoyed when the main character doesn’t match the image I’ve conjured up in my head! hahaha!
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Psst, I will admit, I would probably have been very inflexible about the Grease performance myself. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (RIP) cannot be topped .
You had a fun and full weekend. 🙂
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