Life Lately - November 2022

Ready for the big GA game

We've spent a LOT of this season cheering for our Vols :) Right before the big game in Athens my dad and his wife sent a picture showing their dedication for "our" team as did my sister -- she was out hiking with friends and wanted to make sure we knew she was cheering them on too :)

My boys were there but this picture is all I got :/ Alas, they lost that ranking -- we were rattled!

One reason I was excited to move to East Tennessee in 2015 was for this -- every football season is extraordinary but this year has been exceptional. SO.MUCH.FUN

Can I remind you that we were lucky enough to be there for the epic Alabama win this year???

We did come back with a big win at home last weekend and hope to plow through these last two games with the energy and skill that preceded the Georgia game.

Can't wait to (hopefully) participate in the post season this year!!

We attended Greek Fest with Erin, the Maxwell's and the Bell's. We got a picture with the Maxwell's because we have been doing this for years and years with them -- such fun memories and traditions we have built together!!

No clue what 22 holds for this girl!! Graduation in May and then. . .what??? Who knows? It will be amazing, whatever it is. She is loyal, fun, smart, full of energy, and always, always remembers her friends' birthdays. She is a WONDER and I love her so much.

Every year there is a "chair picture". I don't know if I have pictures from my baby shower (can you believe there was a time when everyone didn't capture a picture of every event???) and now all the kids get a picture in this chair every year as close to their birthday as possible :)

One month and one year

And this guy is 24 today!! What?!?

I read a blog post last weekend lamenting how quickly time flies. . .how she doesn't have as much to blog about anymore because her kiddies aren't little and their lives are now their own, their stories no longer hers to tell. That hit me just right -- it's so true.

One month and one year

He's still "figuring it all out" and it is a bit hard to watch because we loved the involvement part of parenting so much. . .this takes some getting used to. He is on his own, living with great friends, between jobs this week (I said it's hard to watch), loves his family, and shows up. Those of you having babies today or this week -- it's hard to imagine this.

And he's been getting his picture in that chair all this time!

I found this picture in Laura's one year stack (a picture a month their first year) and adore it:

March 2001 - 2 years and 5 months

To celebrate these kiddos we had a combined party at Maple Hall Lanes here in Knoxville. I had never been there before but when we were trying to decide how to celebrate all the Sept-Oct-Nov birthdays this year, someone suggested bowling and an event was born.

I hope they all had a great time -- I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the kiddos together (I love how they show up for one another) or even more staged pictures. They had some friends travel more than an hour to attend the festivities on Sunday - what great friends they have!

Because we only had the room for two hours, we brought gifts back to the house and had some snacks and then a couple of pizzas delivered.

I did a terrible job of getting pictures. . .oh well. . .capturing a few will bring back the memories.

Most scattered after their second round of nibbles (we had a veggie tray, pretzel bits, chicken strips, and cupcakes at the venue) -- life is full!! Robert and his Cookeville and Chattanooga friends stuck around to play some games and hang out. It was such a good time!

I get to work from home on Mondays (and it's a short day -- usually just 2-3 hours) and this was what it looked like this week:

Truly, this is just a "life lately" post ;)

The sun was out but it was and has been COLD. I.do.not.like.the.cold. I am heading into even colder weather territory this weekend with #3 to visit my mom and dog sit my sister's furbabies.

This is how lean I am on pictures. . .#3 sends me her #OOTD picture every workday and I snapped this back as a reply yesterday since we had picked out similar outfits to wear to work:

No, I can't take selfies and don't bother to practice them - but, again, in "life lately" with an empty nest this is what you get.

And this:

The 10-yr-old is so lonely she hangs out with me in the bathroom in the mornings when I am getting ready. . .

I just finished this book:

Although I haven't heard "great" things about it, we were pregnant at the same time twice and I have watched her career on-and-off through the years. I liked the book -- it was what I expected. I think some people expect a little more of a "white washed" version of such a charmed life but really, that would be fake. We all have our "moments" and Kelly was very open and transparent about who she is and where she stands on lots of issues. We probably wouldn't be "best friends" in real life but I do admire her commitment to family and marriage. And I love her Love Story. . .again, not "perfect" but a good one nonetheless.

And, just to be really real, we are watching too much t.v. I have spent the last 20+ years of my life barely turning it on. . .and now, in the last 6 months, have probably logged more hours then the previous 20 :/. I have enjoyed Renovation Island and all the Love is Blind seasons (I'm not through all of either) and Tom and I do a lot of the home renovation shows like Love It or List It, Help! I Wrecked My House, and are currently watching Chip and Joanna's The Castle. We have always kept up with The Great British Baking Show and The Chosen - both of which have a season finale and season premier (respectively) this weekend when we are gone. I've linked them all if you are interested in seeing more what any of these are about.

I guess that is enough of Life Lately. . .I am living a "slow season" and am learning to embrace it. Lots to look forward to with the holidays around the corner and maybe another career turn. We'll see. . .

To end I thought I'd look for some pictures from one year ago:

The kids' birthdays