Wishes for an 80s Christmas!

My husband and I are both children of the 80s.  We have slightly different memories of the decade since he is five years older than me, but nonetheless, we find ourselves reminiscing about everything from music, movies, fashion, and toys to even commercials--(Where's the beef?!)  For the longest, Little Lewie has been bored with our "tales" of wearing parachute pants (or a pleather skirt with feather earrings) to school, our addiction to MTV music videos, or our Christmas wishlist of toys like Cabbage Patch Kids, Barbie Corvettes, Atari, and boomboxes.  We've also made him suffer through songs by Madonna, Michael Jackson, Boy George, Journey, The Police, Van Halen, Twisted Sister, and Tom Petty, to name a few.  

Then, Stranger Things came out, and the 80s became cool again.  All of a sudden, Little Lewie didn't roll his eyes when I told him I used to rollerskate to the "Ghostbusters" theme song, or Daddy spent countless hours as a teenager learning how to play songs from Metallica's Master of Puppets album.  In other words, Hubby and I became downright "rad," "gnarly," "totally tubular," and "wicked awesome!"

I know fads don't last long, so I decided it would be fun to buy 80s Halloween costumes this year to celebrate the return of our favorite decade.  Lewie liked his 80s jumpsuit but was too embarrassed to actually wear it on Halloween--ahh teenagers!  Still, I did make him promise to wear it for this year's JC Penny's photoshoot.  (We've been going there for Christmas portraits since 2017...)

For the last photo, the photographer thought it'd be fun to have the boys actually pick me up! 
That was a little nerve-wracking.

In all, we had a blast getting dressed for the pictures and hope we managed to capture people's nostalgia for the 80s.  (I wish I still owned a hair crimper!)  I still plan on putting my neon blue tights and fanny pack to good use. ;-)

Wishing everyone a "totally righteous" holiday and an "amped" 2023!!

Lewie Receives the CAPSS Award!

There are some moments in life when we are pleasantly surprised by something out of the ordinary...something completely unexpected and unknown.  For us, this happened to my husband and me when, out of the blue, Lewie's middle school principal called to tell us that Lewie received the Connecticut Association of Publis Schools Superintendents (CAPSS) Leadership Award!

In typical fashion, I missed the phone call, but my husband spoke to the principal and then called me immediately afterward.  "Guess what?" he asked excitedly, "I just got off the phone with Lewie's school principal."

At that moment, I wanted to be excited, but instead, I was worried.  "Oh no, what happened now?" I asked.  You see, this wasn't the first time the school principal called us.  Six months earlier, Lewie was holding the door for a group of students when he accidentally hit the school's fire alarm.  (I KNOW.  If you're thinking, how can that possibly happen, I thought the same thing.)  The alarm resulted in a fire drill with the volunteer fire department coming out.  Poor Lewie was mortified, and his principal called us to let us know about "the incident."  Lewie, of course, wasn't in trouble, but his principal wanted us to know that he gave Lewie some time in his office and the school media center to decompress as he was obviously very upset.

My husband chuckled at my worry.  "Oh no, it's not that.  It's something good.  Lewie received a leadership award at school, and we've been asked to attend an award banquet on December 12th at the Grassy Hill Country Club!"

I had a whole bunch of questions that my husband couldn't answer, but the principal's voicemail on my phone answered them.  Evidently, the CAPSS Award is given to two students from high school and two eighth graders from middle school each year.  In Lewie's case, his eighth-grade teachers voted for him to receive the honor because of being kind, hardworking, and an upstanding role model at school.  His "biography" in the program read, "Lewis is a very positive and genuine student who elevates anyone who sits around him. He always comes to school ready and willing to do his very best.  His behavior, academics, and social abilities are unquestioned." It ends with a list of his extracurricular activities, including his skills in programming, 3D art, graphic design, music, computer technology, and multimedia presentations.

The award ceremony itself couldn't have been more special. Lewie was honored with three other students from our region and 16 other students from other school districts.  The audience was comprised of these fine young students, their parents, their principals, their superintendents, and some of their teachers.  I could see that everyone was genuinely happy to be there to support the students, and their support was out of love and not out of obligation.

Another reason why the ceremony was special is because the other 8th-grade student to receive the award from our school district was Nora, Lewie's friend's sister!  The dinner conversation flowed easily because we already knew Nora's parents (having had their son over our house multiple times for pool parties, sleepovers, amusement park visits, and rollerskating outings).

At the end of the night, we took some final pictures in the foyer, which was festively decorated for the holidays.  Lewie hadn't been to a banquet hall since he was six-years-old (for his aunt's wedding)--an experience he hardly remembers.  Thus, for him, this award ceremony felt like his first formal banquet, and he admitted that it was actually fun to dress up for such a "fancy event."

Daddy Lew, Lewie, and I left the country club grinning ear-to-ear.  It was one of those magical moments we couldn't have ever anticipated--Lewie receiving an award just for being authentically Lewie.  What an honor to be his mom!

Best Vacation Ever - Our Beautiful Excursion through Southern Utah

In June of this year, our family had an AMAZING opportunity to visit Southern Utah! Prior to planning our trip, I visited websites like Trip Advisor and Viator and read family blogs, similar to this one, that posted information about Utah's Mighty Five.  Since we live more than 2,200 miles away in Connecticut, I knew this trip would be a "once in a lifetime" experience, so I wanted to make sure we made the most of it--and make the most of it, we did!

The first decision I made was to have us fly into the St. George Regional Airport, located in the southwest corner of Utah, and drive 5+ hours across the state to Moab.  If our goal was to see the Mighty Five in a week (we had exactly seven days), I wanted to start at the far left side of the state and work our way back to the airport for takeoff on the final day.  Thus, we stayed at four different resorts (Moab Springs Ranch, Capitol Reef Resort, Yonder Escalante, and Cable Mountain Lodge), as we inched our way back to St. George.

 

As one can imagine, going from one resort to the other for only a day or two at a time was a little exhausting.  For one, we never fully "unpacked" because we knew we'd be repacking the very next day.  Often, we lived out of the trunk of our rental car!  Still, I wouldn't have changed a thing.  Going to the four different resorts felt very much like four different trips--each with its own unique environment and traditions.  Hubby and Little Lewie very much balked at the idea of staying at four places in the beginning, but after the trip, they couldn't thank me enough for each of the experiences.  We loved them all!  

To avoid discussing too many details about our trip all at once, my plan is to write four posts for each of the places we stayed.  Hint--they include hiking and UTV adventures, teepee glamping, star gazing, canyoneering, a drive-in movie theater, and a few talks about geology.  Since Earth has been around for approximately 4.5 billion years, there is quite some history found in each of these National Parks.  Oh, if only the mountains could talk!

If you've ever been fascinated by rock layers, Outerspace, and the vast expanses of mountains and canyons--then the Mighty Five is definitely for you.  Out of all of my National Park trips so far, never did I feel so small and inconsequential while also feeling so spiritual and close to God.

October Recap

October flew by in an instant, and yet, it was probably one of the most jam-packed months we had in a while.  It was a month of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with feelings of love, appreciation, anger, sadness, and nervous anxiety sprinked throughout.

October 3 - My birthday.  My mom, Daddy Lew, and Little Lewie surprise me with a small celebration at home. There is some stress, however, because my place of work (my place of work for 21 years) decides to demote me.  I can either accept the demotion or get laid-off.  My choice--to get laid off.  I know in my heart I cannot be my best when I feel totally deflated and unappreciated.  October 4, 2022 ends up being my last day.  I choose to let love steer me forward.

October 11 & 22 - I get a chance to spend some quality time with my mom--first at Mystic Seaport and then at Angevine Farm in Warren, CT.  We shopped until we dropped at Mystic, getting a chance to go into so many cool and unusual gift shops.  We ended our afternoon with a classic seafood dinner so typical of a New England seaport village.  At Angevine Farm, my mom and I had a chance to go into their small gift shop and pick out a few fall treats while taking in the gorgeous autumn scenery; our dog Bruce came for the ride, too.

October 15 - Little Lewie helps his good friend with her Gold Award presentation.  For anyone who is unfamiliar, the Gold Award is the highest achievement within Girl Scouts (similar to being an Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts).  Girl Scouts who receive this honor must research an issue (local or global) they care deeply about and create "an actionable plan" to bring awareness to the issue "with measurable, sustainable, and far-reaching results." 

Lewie helped serve as "film and video editor" for the video part of her presentation.  (He worked with her through Sept. and part of Oct. to put it together.)  On the 15th, we came to support her "in-person" presentation, which was wonderfully received by her church community.  We were so proud and inspired by her passion and hard work!

October 18 - Daddy Lew, Lewie, and I attend our cousin Sarah's big Senior Night for her Ladies' Swim Team award.  We are amazed at watching her compete and are especially emotional to hear all the wonderful things her fellow swimmate (is that a thing?) has to say about her. Sarah's moment ends when she jumps into the pool to swim her very last lap to a song of her choice; her parents greet her at the other end of the pool.  The night, truly, was very memorable and special for all 10 ladies that were honored.  I asked Lewie if he'd ever be interested in joining the swim team in high school next year.  His answer: "Nope."

October 20 - Little Lewie and I have an outing with his best friend Ryan and his mom to see Beyond Van Gogh--an immersive "museum-type" experience, which brings all of Vincent Van Gogh's artwork to life. The attraction begins with a colorful maze, which showcases his personal quotes and informational tidbits about his life.  It ended, however, in a huge 30,000-square-foot space, where his drawings and paintings danced and swirled all around us, making us feel as if we were part of the art itself.  (There were a few moments during the 'immersive experience' where the artwork, quotes, and music brought me to tears.)  My friend and I left feeling inspired while our two boys sort of shrugged and said, "Yea, I guess it was pretty cool."  Oh, let the teenage enthusiasm begin!

October 25 - I interview for the first time in many, many years for a Campus Dean of Students and Faculty position.  The interview is with five other folks on Zoom, and I'm happy to report that I made it to another round.  The group gave me a warm feeling about the college and their commitment to students.

October 21 & 28 - Daddy Lew and I take Lewie and his three friends to Phantom Fall Fest at Lake Compounce and then a Haunted Hayride sponsored by the local Lions Club in Woodbury.  On the 28th, the boys sleep over, and I take them on a hike before I return them safely home to their parents.  The boys had a great time--so evident that they are at an age where they crave "in-person" interaction over just texting and talking to each other through Xbox.

October 7, 13, 22 & 29 - I get a chance to go for a walk, a lunch date, and have two "witch-themed" evenings with some of my lady friends from work and home.  All four days were wonderful reminders of the great friendships and support I have all around me.

October 31 - Halloween.  Lewie decides to go trick-or-treating last minute with a good friend from "the past."  It is the first time that we are not all dressing up and going out as a family.  I am bummed but understand that Lewie is entering a new phase of his life where it's all about his friends... Daddy Lew and I use the time to watch some scary shows together at home.

Yes, October was a SCARY month--in more ways than one.  Still, in between the "fog" of uncertainty, I was reminded about this wonderful light and love that surrounds me each and every day.  I must trust there is a plan for the next chapter--no tricks, though, just treats!