8 Years. And a Weekend Wrap-Up.

Hey everybody.

I started writing this post last night.  I wasn’t sure what to write, so I read each of my posts from April 30th the past 7 years.  I couldn't get myself to read the one from May 1st, 2015.

I feel a little like I'm out of words for what to say to acknowledge April 30th, 2023.  My therapist recently asked me to describe my grief journey.  And I told her that basically, at least the first couple years, I grieved with my words.  They flowed out of my brain into my fingers and onto a babygoose blog post…a blog which had a very different purpose before April 30th, 2015. And then there are the 5 million pictures of the sun and sun rays on my phone. And the fact I still cry during the first hymn, no matter what it is, whenever I go to church.

And now, I'm just feeling kind of stuck.

I think part of it is that our life with the girls being so much bigger now is...harder than I expected, to be honest.  With my loss of words, I also feel a loss of control. I assume that is a normal part of the parenting journey, and we are trying to embrace it and learn from it. But it is pretty exhausting sometimes!

The themes of the past 7 years of April 30th posts were: 

1) Gratitude (of course), 

2) Sun rays, 

3) Music, and 

4) What the girls (and all of us) have missed out on.

All this to say, all that is still true.  

1) We have SO much to be grateful for.  So so so much.  

2) My early bird nature allows me so many opportunities for beautiful sun photo-ops.  

3) Music always soothes my soul.  Also, the previously mentioned church hymns.

4) What all of us have missed out on these past 8 years in incalculable.  It's just one of those things you can't let yourself think about too much.  

So.  That is where I am at. And I have these photos I post every year…happy memories frozen in a time that seems so long ago.  

I love you and miss you, Dad. ❤️

And now, a weekend wrap-up to share, because it is Sunday and that is just the normal thing to do.  On this little babygoose blog, that started so long ago.

Saturday

I went for a four mile run, felt great, decided I could probably handle a half-marathon training schedule this summer again, and registered for one at the end of July.

We went to the Dahlen's school carnival and it was delightful.  

Callie and I went to see Les Miserables at the high school, though she sat with friends and I was more of the chauffeur who crashed her party and sat alone.  But enjoyed myself all the same. And even got a reminder about the persistence of the sun. 

Sunday

We went to church, stopped by the cemetery, and went over to Auntie Yoda and Uncle Craigles’ for some art time and lunch. 

Then we all headed to Como Zoo and Conservatory.

Getting a good pic of these four is a challenging task!

Then we went over to Uncle Dan and Auntie Hanna’s for dinner. 

Between seeing family, and hearing from many people throughout the day, I feel well taken care of today. 

Lots of love to you all. Have a good week. 

A Picture Update

Hi all! Happy Friday.

In case you missed out on my Monday pics, click here.

And the only other ones I got were a Chipotle “trunk dinner” and a show choir pic…

…and Maya and Boom at the MOA!

And click here for some Punta Cana videos, along with some school performance clips.

The end of April is challenging, as Sunday is the 8th anniversary of my dad’s death. It feels pretty hard and ridiculous that it has been that long. I will be relieved when we get to May. Hopefully the weather will improve, the sun will start consistently shining and warming up our Midwest world, and the summer countdown will begin. 

Timehop Tuesday

All I got today is a cute one:

Happy Birthday Me!

My birthday fell on a Monday this year, but I decided to take it off since we got back late last night. We came home to birthday decorations! 

So it was a lovely quiet day of laundry and naps, then a pizza dinner and Maya’s concert with Boom…and a chilly but pretty walk before bed.

This is also the day we found out we were having a baby…14 YEARS AGO! And 14 years ago tomorrow I started this little baby blog. Uffda! :)

Thanks for all the birthday love today. I really appreciate it! 

Punta Cana Wrap-Up!!

Hey all! Happy Sunday! At least, I think it is Sunday. Chris and I had the great fortune to spend the last 4 days in the Dominican Republic! Back in January, Chris found out he earned a trip through work. And the week finally arrived. 

We set our alarm for 3:15am on Wednesday morning, first for a flight to Chicago, and then a surprise (to me!) first class flight to Punta Cana.

After landing and a slow slog through customs, we hopped on a bus to our resort…the Paradisius Palma Real. 

We settled in and wandered around the resort a bit. That night was a welcome dinner for all the employees who earned the trip…over a hundred of them plus their guests. It was a lovely time on the beach. 

On Thursday morning I woke up and ran on the beach just in time to see the beautiful sunrise…and then a little rainstorm. 

A bit later, we headed to the breakfast buffet. It was AMAZING. Then Chris had  the one and only work meeting, so I spent some time by the beach, and then the pool, and then back to the beach!

When he was done we went to get a quick snack.

And then it was time for our first excursion…a catamaran tour! The ocean was beautiful and we had a fun time on the boat and in the water. 

We had a bit of time to shower and FaceTime the girls before heading to dinner with some of Chris’ co-workers/friends. We went to a Hibachi place, which was SO FUN and SO DELICIOUS. I even ate some actual real sushi! Later we wandered around the resort and ended up getting dessert at the buffet. YUM. 

My run on Friday morning was once again beautiful. A little dog even joined me for a bit.

Before heading out for our second excursion that morning, we got breakfast. This time I got 2 full plates, because we learned from the catamaran experience the previous day that promised a “light lunch”…that it likely means wonderbread and warm cheese sandwiches. So we didn’t have high hopes for the “light lunch” promised that day. 

The “light lunch” was definitely gross on our FLOATING PARADISE…but we didn’t care because we had a blast! We went on a long snorkel, got short massages, and just relaxed on the floating docks. The water that surrounded us was just gorgeous.

We got back around 2pm, so we went straight to the pool for some more relaxing time before our 4pm couples massage!!

Then we had a very quick turn around and made it to the planned cocktail hour and then dinner. We definitely still smelled like the massage lotions. 

For evening entertainment, we stumbled upon these gymnasts that performed in the pool. 

I went out for my Saturday morning run a bit later (6:15am instead of 5:45…) and decided to go the opposite direction from the beach at the start. I wandered around the other side of the resort and learned it is just massive. But I had to end up on the beach, of course. And then while I waited for Chris to wake up, I enjoyed the view from our balcony. 

After another delicious breakfast, we spent the morning at the beach! 

Chris had fun bartering with local salesmen and we mostly stayed in the shade because the sun was intense.

Then there was an afternoon of watching people play volleyball, shaved ice, lunch, and pool time.

Later in the afternoon, clouds rolled in…and with them, some rain! But nobody cared. The pool water felt warm and wonderful

On our last night, we had some drinks with friends at a bar called Ginger (I had a delicious Espresso Martini), and then were bussed to a different resort for a closing dinner. It included a very sweaty dance party at the end, which was SO FUN.

On Sunday morning I went for a final beach walk. It was a bit cloudy…and then we had breakfast (no photo of that meal…it was the same as every other breakfast!).

We packed up our stuff and hung out in the air conditioned room and then out by the pool for the morning before leaving for our long travel day. 

In fact, if you are reading this when it is posted, we are likely on an airplane. Our expected arrival time back home after two flights is about 11pm.

Meanwhile, our village stepped up to help with the girls and Luna! Thanks to G-ma, Boom, Pa, Auntie Yoda, and Auntie Cat for all their help this week! Callie and Boom even got to take our tickets to Hamilton! And Maya got lots of cousin time 

I’m grateful for the sunshine, relaxation, and time together we were able to enjoy. All of Chris’ coworkers that we met and hung out with were so fun, too. Now back to reality!

Have a great week! 

Happy Birthday Auntie Hanna!

Yay! It’s Auntie Hanna’s birthday!  We love you and hope you have a fabulous day! 

A Picture Update

Hi all! Just a few pics this week:

Corn!

And fun with Auntie Cat.

Have a great weekend! 

Timehop Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!