Thursday, January 19, 2023

Really Random Thursday, 1/19/23

 Does the year feel like this to you too? I'm always so happy for January to roll around after the busy and often chaotic holidays. But I'm having a hard time believing that January is nearly 2/3 over already!

Last Friday we went to the awards assembly for 3rd and 4th graders. So fun to see both Ella and Amelia up there on stage.


(photo by Christa)

This week was the assembly for 5th and 6th graders.  We missed it because of a scheduling change, but Jason was there to take photos. Gabe and Ruby are very competitive with each other, and it's keeping them both at the top of their class.
It's unbelievable how much eggs cost these days!

On Sunday night, Mark and I were finally able to get to our local zoo to see illumiNature. Our zoo is amazing and this display was really spectacular.
One of the first things we saw was the peacock. Gabe had said to make sure we stuck around if the peacock's tail feathers were not fully opened. Good advice. We had to wait a few minutes for them to fully expand and then they became a really beautiful changing light show. 

Of course, I loved the flamingoes. When Aaron was little, we took a yearly photo of him standing like a flamingo with all of them in the background. 
These angel wings were fun.




This was my very favorite: a lighted archway--so colorful and intricate.
Every year, Mark's brother, Pete, wife Jane and daughter Rose carve an amazing snow sculpture where they live in Driggs, Idaho. It's fascinating to watch their progress. This block of snow will eventually become a very detailed dragon. I've been following their progress on Facebook and I can hardly wait to see it in all its glory.

The other day when we picked up Gabe and Ella from school, we took them to see Christa, who had spent the entire day on a street corner raising funds for human trafficking awareness. It's a huge problem here in the valley, and Christa is executive director of Central Valley Justice Coalition, working on education and prevention. So proud of the difficult work she does.

And finally, if you are someone who is a creative, does this ever happen to you?


6 comments:

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Cheryl said... #

I love these posts. And YES to the tp and eggs!!

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said... #

The wings are lovely and I'm glad you got photos of both of you with them. Oof, January has gone by in what feels like a blink this year. I guess that means I need to get busy and start cutting fabric, haha!

Anonymous said... #

You inspire me: I could turn that enormous pile of snow into a sculpture! But, no. And I want to see the ZooLights in Phoenix! Then we’d have to stay overnight, so, no. I will just stick with your quilting inspiration, and get a kick out of your experiences and observations. Love!

Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

Your zoo lights are so so cool!!!!! We have several different light shows here for the holidays and I've been to a couple of them but nothing like what you have. Can't believe how old your grands are getting. I'm still waiting for Ollie to talk. The meme of the week is perfect for me. Making me feel guilty this morning as I waste time online instead of doing something productive. Thanks for the nudge.

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said... #

Wow that is a spectacular light show at your zoo. Our city has one too, but I haven't been to it.

FlourishingPalms said... #

You have a family you can sure be proud of! Excellent students receiving awards, creativity being shared on a huge scale (you must post pictures of the finished dragon), and worthwhile human causes being actively supported. What more could a parent/grandparent ask for? Agree that the first month of the year seems vast with possibilities, and then suddenly the last couple months arrive with hurried activities. It's part of the human condition, I think.