So it’s already October 23rd, which means that I have already taken my two exams, are nearly done with soccer, are almost to Halloween, and Mom and Dad have already come and gone and time is moving so quick. It’s been a whirlwind, I guess it always is, but geez. The fact that the holiday season is quickly approaching is baffling to me but trying to soak up all of the moments, despite being tired from sickness.
Rewind a bit. I had two exams in just over a weeks’ time from one another. 9 hours of total testing and I came out the other side okay. I guess my body is getting conditioned to it. I feel like the first one, the California Seismic Exam went well, as it should have, but I’m still waiting for my results to come in so that I can get my California PE license. The SE, well the SE is the SE. It’s a toss-up truly. I wish I felt more confident that I did indeed pass this time around but there is just so much unknown to it. It was still a very difficult exam with not enough time. I did finish the exam this time around though and left no question blank. I felt better in general after taking it this time but definitely spent a good week after the exam circling back around to several of the questions that I didn’t feel too hot on. And ultimately, 20 questions are not even counted towards my score, out of 60 total, so if I did well on that portion and not the rest that would skew my feelings on the exam and my likelihood to pass. So while I wait until January to get my results, I will be trying not to think about it and relishing not having to study during all of my available free time.
My parents came in the night of my exam and were here for a nice and long stay of 10 days which was so nice to have their help and company. The girls couldn’t wait for their arrival and got to greet them by themselves while Bryan and I watched the Seahawks lose to the 49ers at home for Thursday Night Football. Despite the bad outcome of the game, the third loss in a row in a very short time, we both enjoyed letting loose a bit with a few drinks and the knowledge that we would have extra adults in the house for some time. We came home to an excited house and got ready for a full week ahead.
Reese didn’t have school the first Friday my parents were here and Brooke didn’t have school that Monday so they each got a little one on one time with the grandparents. Bryan spent the entire week on furlough but also sick as a dog unfortunately. And I continued to work all but the last full day my parents were here. We fit quite a bit into the week and I think had a really good time, with the girls being on and off sweet, I think their feelings just get a bit ramped up with visitors and come out in different ways. Here is a look at what all we did:
- Reese had two soccer practices while my parents were here which also means two sessions at the “big blue slide playground”.
- Reese’s soccer team played the most difficult team to date and unfortunately lost their first game while my parents were here. Reese still gave it her all but was getting increasingly more frustrated at not having scored a goal yet. It was a beautiful Saturday though so the time spent at Jefferson Park after the game was nice to enjoy.
- We watched Texas beat up on Oklahoma on the big screen outside in the backyard. We cooked out some delicious fajitas and used our Solo stove and new popcorn maker for the first time.
- Mom and I played soccer together for the first time in forever. She played on my team, again in beautiful soccer weather, and Mom tied the game 3-3 with a truly beautiful goal. It was so fun to play with her like old days and I’m just still so impressed with what she can do.
- Bryan and I attended the FareStart gala as a guest again and despite both of us still under the weather we managed to look nice and put down some drinks, which maybe set us back a few days afterwards. It was nice to see some friends in this setting and always nice supporting the organization we love so much.
- We all got to go watch Reese in her gymnastics class Monday night where the class was probably the most difficult yet. After the class we walked over to Jackalope for some Tex Mex food for my birthday and then headed home to have Bryan’s legendary chocolate peanut butter cake for dessert. It was so nice having extra singers for my birthday this year.
- We didn’t have much planned for Tuesday night but we wanted to head up to “little park” with Brooke’s friends so Grammy and Grandad could see Brooke and her friends, Halle and Madison, and their cute dynamics. My parents had enjoyed a nice walk/hike in Discovery Park with a picnic during the day.
- On Wednesday my parents took a walk through the Japanese Gardens in the Arboretum and then we got the girls after school and took the new Rapid Ride bus downtown to meet Marika at the exclusive Columbia Tower Club to enjoy its breathtaking views and happy hour drinks and food. The views up there are truly spectacular and none in my family, including Bryan, had ever been up there before. It was also a treat to be able to catch up with Marika whom my parents know fairly well.
- After leaving the Columbia Tower we headed over to the downtown library to marvel at its architecture and get some new library books for the girls. We rode the bus back to our neighborhood, Bryan headed north to have dinner with Philipp, and we got some dinner at our neighborhood favorite Kamp before walking back home with an epic round of Red Light, Green Light for the girls.
- Thursday I was really looking forward to because our plan was to get the girls early and head to the eastside for some wine tasting and barbecue. We picked up Reese and Brooke from school and then went to Novelty Hill first where we enjoyed some tastings and a charcuterie platter. We had the “secret garden” to ourselves and found the all of the wine to be really good. The girls even got to see them crushing and mixing the grapes. From there we headed down the street to J Bookwalter where I had a Yelp Elite tasting for two complimentary and discount for more and we really enjoyed the tasting here complete with some rounds of Uno, candy bags for the girls, live music that was exceptional, and the BBQ food truck Outsider BBQ that I’ve been wanting to try for ages. I can pretty much agree we all left for home in a good mood.
- Mom and I got out on Friday for a day at a spa. We were supposed to have facials but the place called us morning of having to cancel but treated us to a complimentary spa day instead. We took the bus to South Lake Union to Banya 5 not really knowing what to expect but had a wonderful time bouncing from sauna to cold plunge to saltwater pool, to eucalyptus steam room to hot tub and back a few times, getting some tea and stretching in their relaxing room, and really retreating on a chilly wet morning. We walked to get Vietnamese bowls from Sizzle and Crunch before heading home to meet up with the guys.
- Our last night was a nice meal at home that we cooked together after soccer practice. We enjoyed watching one of Reese’s favorites, Hocus Pocus, afterwards with a last slice of birthday cake.
We said goodbye to my parents Saturday morning and the house instantly felt quieter and the girls missed them. And like usual, I have so few photos to show of our visit. Of course life has continued to chug along and I will update the events since their visit on a later date.
Chelsea
