How was your week? Ours was pretty good, and it included a little bit of everything.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
Last week I was in KC to help my dad after his knee surgery. While both legs of the trip to and from KC were long thanks to delays, on my flight from Lex to Chicago, I got bumped to first class. I don’t think I’ve ever sat in first class on a flight.
I won’t let it go to my head, but I did enjoy my Diet Coke out of a real glass! Oh the little things…
…and even though the flight from Chicago to KC was delayed, this was my window seat view once we finally took off. I don’t love to fly, but I’ve gotten better about being less anxious when flying. It is kind of amazing to be up in the air and above the clouds.
Ok this is random, but we haven’t had cable for a few years, and one thing I do miss about not having cable is all of the random channels like Lifetime, TLC, and Nickalodeon, etc.
Well, while at my dad’s, we watched a lot of “Me TV” last week.
I’m an old soul when it comes to TV shows…I could watch Green Acres, Leave it to Beaver, and The Beverly Hillbillies all day long.
Also, when I left, the Major made me bring home this pack of 72 pieces of bacon for Hayden. haha
Trav’s birthday was Sunday, and I didn’t get home until five hours past my original flight’s scheduled arrival time…and I ended up flying to Louisville instead of Lexington. Anyway, we didn’t get to Lex until after midnight!
After a week away, I was happy to go out to dinner with these guys to celebrate Trav….even if it was a day late.
We ate at one of our favorite restaurants: Carson’s.
We had dessert at the restaurant, and it hit the spot.
I was able to go to the pool two afternoons this week which was nice.
I shared my July trackers on Instagram, and they are saved in a highlight. Feel free to use them and tag me!
Favorite Clothing Item:
I bought the “Sally” set from SSYS at the beginning of the summer, and it’s been one of my favorite things to wear. I have their crepe set from last summer, and it’s one I wear often as well.
We were at Walmart this week, and Hadley picked up these“Athletic Works” shorts. They are less than $7, and so soft! She’s worn them to sleep in as well as to the pool with her swimsuit.
Favorite Mom Meme:
Funny story. The past few vacations, I’ve given the kids a list to use when they pack. I’ve told them many times to figure out exactly what they need. So, if I write “t-shirt,” they decide if they need three shirts or five. Anyway, Hadley, who is often wearing a sweatshirt, and for sure has too many sweatshirts, packed one sweatshirt on our recent vacation….to the Pacific Northwest…where you might actually need a sweatshirt even in the summer.
Well, joke’s on me…of course, she ended up buying not just one but two sweatshirts on our vacay.
Weekly Recap:
I’ve been a busy blogger lately. Here are my posts going back to last weekend:
What are your weekend plans? We don’t have too much going on. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve been home on a weekend, so I hope to do some “regular” things like meal plan, place my Kroger order, stay caught up on laundry and more!
I do have a Summer Sunday post planned, so come back then!
Like I said on Monday, July days just hit different. As Friday is already rolling around, I’m trying to savor these summer days!
As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea (assuming they are hosting today) for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Well, one of my favorite things to do is to see new places, and Travis planned a really fun and different vacation for us, and I’m going to share a part 1 of this trip when we were in Portland.
This vacation began because of my family’s love of track and field…and the Olympic trials were being held in Eugene, Oregon. Travis took that idea and ran with it planning a little bit of everything: Olympic trials, outdoors time, hikes, beach time, and city sight-seeing. While I’m not trying to drag out these posts, we did visit Portland, Eugene, Rockaway Beach (and other cute towns), Olympic National Park, and Seattle. So, I could see this vacay recap being quite a few parts.
My apologies in advance, but I do think of these posts as a scrapbook of sorts. Anyway, here we go!
So, we were supposed to leave on Saturday, June 22, but about a month before our trip, they changed our flight which made us have a seven hour (or so) layover in Dallas. So, when Travis got online, he was able to schedule better flights on Friday, June 21. By going this route, we still had a layover and would still be arriving late, but at least the layover was quick, and then we’d have a bonus day in Portland that we weren’t necessarily going to have. We knew we could use this day to sleep in and do whatever we wanted.
As we pulled out of our driveway to head to Cincinnati, Travis got the text that our 7:30 PM flight got pushed to 8:30. We went ahead with the hour and 15 minute drive and made a stop for an actual dinner at Cheddars since we knew that would be our last meal of the day. We did leave at 8:30, but in Denver, our quick layover turned into a delay. Originally, we should have landed in Portland at 11:00 PM (PST), but instead we landed at midnight (PST).
Honestly, I guess not bad overall. We rented a car, drove to the hotel, and fell asleep at 2:00 am…that’s 5:00 am EST (woof!).
Travis always gets up early, but he likes to get the lay of the land…and honestly, I’m grateful for that. I woke up at 9, and we got the kids up around 10.
We got ready and walked to breakfast at Grits and Gravy. We were ready to fill up on some good food. We had all the good stuff: bacon, eggs, French toast, biscuits, gravy and more!
After that, we went back to the hotel and got ready for the day. Travis had found some hiking trails about 45 minutes away on “Waterfall Alley.”
The first waterfall was Latourell Falls, and it was so pretty.
A kind lady offered to take our pic. The kids had so much fun exploring.
Then, we got back in the car and drove a bit to another stop, the Vista House, and this was the view with the Columbia River down below.
We got back in the car and drove to another stop: Bridal Veil Falls. At this stop, we did quite a bit of walking…
…and the kids were more adventurous. “Hi, mom!”
Then, we made our way to “Horsetail Falls,” and that was a very pretty way to end our waterfall trek.
Hayden jokingly said, “I’m in my hiking era!” haha
Of course, Travis can find a brewery anywhere, and Oregon has many great ones. The good thing about breweries is they tend to have great menus, so the kids were happy.
We stopped at Thunder Island Brewing, and this was our view:
We got a table looking at the beautiful scenery. We had a few apps, and then the kids walked to get ice cream.
After that, we drove about forty minutes back to the hotel, rested, and showered before going to dinner. Of course, we were tired, so I was thankful for the early dinner.
We walked to Midtown Beer Garden because Travis had read about their food trucks. The weather was so nice, and it was great that there were so many options. Hadley got shrimp fried rice, Hayden and Travis got burgers, and I got some sushi. We all thought our food hit the spot.
Then, we walked back to the hotel, watched TV and went to bed by 10.
Sunday morning, Travis and Hayden got up early to drive to Beaverton, Oregon, so that Hayden could get his workout in at the Nike Headquarters. The Michael Johnson track is there…
Hayden had a great workout, and a fun experience. He can be a boy of few words, but he smiled as he told me about the track and how it’s built in the woods.
While Travis and Hayden were gone, I hit up the hotel gym to get on the elliptical since I knew we’d be in the car driving to Eugene for quite some time. Then, Hadley and I walked over to Starbucks.
Once we all got back to the hotel, we walked to the famous Voodoo Doughnuts. There was a short line, and we went ahead and picked up extra donuts for Monday morning too. I got the “Homer” which had strawberry frosting and was delish!
We walked back to the hotel, showered and packed up to head to Eugene.
We stayed at the Dossier Hotel, and it was beautiful and very convenient to places for us to walk to.
Before we left the hotel, Hayden mentioned that parts of Stand By Me were filmed in Brownsville, Oregon. Travis had looked on the map, and it was basically on the way. We drove about an hour and a half and arrived. We parked the car by Carlson’s, and walked around. Hayden was so excited. We even walked into a store that was filled with pictures from the filming. The ladies were so kind, and they even took us to the crosswalk where the put a penny every year as a nod to when Vern finds a penny.
After we left that store, we walked past the Coca-Cola sign, and then on to the bridge.
This was a cute little pit-stop in a sleepy, cute town. I was glad that Hayden added that to our agenda.
We drove about another hour and a half to Eugene. Travis found a cute house (duplex) for us to stay in. The owners were right next door and really nice.
This is where we stayed for our two nights in Eugene:
We got unpacked, and went to a nearby pizza place for an early dinner. After dinner, Hadley and I checked out a few stores while Travis and Hayden went to the grocery store. It was nice knowing we had a fridge and appliances for a couple of nights.
Then, we came back to the house to change and head to Hayward Field for the Olympic Track and Field Trials.
I will pick up there next time…Eugene was a cute college town, and the kids and Trav were so excited to be there. Me too…but as we all know, I’m the only non-runner in the family. haha!
Share Our Lives:
We have our monthly link up on Monday, and of course we hope you’ll join us.
This month’s topic is…day in the life: summer edition. I always love sharing and reading day in the life posts, so I can’t wait to read what others have to share on Monday.
Speaking of posts, I might try to get part 2 of our vacay posted tomorrow as well as a Summer Sunday post on Sunday. We’ll see. I’ve had a bit more downtime this week because I’ve been in KC helping my dad after his knee surgery. He’s kept me busy too…haha…but not as much as being home, running errands, taking the kids places, etc.
Anyway, I hope you have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!
We’ve had our best week of summer exploring Oregon and Washington. It’s been a really memorable trip where we’ve done a lot, but also had a little bit of downtime.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Well, we’ve had a busy week full of favorites.
I’m sure I will recap our trip, but here’s the quick run down:
We flew into Portland, Oregon and spent some time there…
…then on to Eugene, Oregon for two nights of the Olympic track trials…
…then we spent two days Rockaway Beach, Oregon in the cutest little house steps away from the water.
Our first day there looked more like this with fairly warm temps…
Our second day was definitely more of what I thought the weather might be like…overcast and blustery.
I still enjoyed my coffee on the beach…
…before we left and checked out nearby Cannon Beach…recognize Haystack Rock?
Highway 101 was so pretty to travel. We pulled over on a couple of the viewpoints, and the pictures don’t do them justice.
Yesterday, we traveled to Olympic National Park…
…where we stayed at a cute little resort.
…with these views….
…and we’re wrapping up our trip in Seattle before we fly home.
It’s been an amazing trip to remember. Besides seeing so much, crazy enough, I’ve enjoyed the road tripping hours in the car looking out the window and spending time together.
Favorite Mom Meme:
Oohhh the accuracy of this!!
Weekly Recap:
I liked keeping a pretty consistent blogging schedule this week. The end of the month always has some of my favorite posts:
How was your week? It sure is feeling like summer around here with lots of sunshine and hot temps.
I’m going to need June to pump the breaks a bit!!
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are a few favorites from the week:
Hadley coming home from camp was definitely a favorite. She had a great time, but I know she was happy to sleep in her own bed (and see us!)
On Monday evening, we celebrated Travis for Father’s Day. Since we were still waiting on our new air conditioner, we all ate dinner in the sun room where it was cooler, and then enjoyed some cake. He opened a couple of presents which included some shorts, a shirt, and this acupressure mat. He hadn’t mentioned wanting the mat, but I figured it would be something even the kids would use. He was actually really excited to receive it which was sweet.
Snickerdoodle Bundt cake for the win!
My niece’s birthday is in late May, and I hadn’t gotten her a present yet. She went with Hadley and me to the nail salon. The girls got manicures while I got a pedicure…
….Then, we got some ice cream on that hot summer day.
While it’s a expensive favorite, seeing my new thermostat finally find the 70’s in the house was really appreciated. We were tired of being hot.
I used to set our old a/c on 71 most days, and now, 73/74 really cools us off.
I’d seen some people share about the “all day rose'” Waterloo, so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s really good! It is kind of weird at first (in a good way) that, to me, the first few sips really do taste like rose’. After that, I feel like it just tastes like (good) flavored sparkling water.
Favorite Mom Meme:
This is so true! I can’t keep up with my kids’ changing tastes. haha
Well, I feel like Fridays are arriving quicker than I like. It’s the opposite of during the school year…I’d like for time to slow down a bit.
As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
KC:
Usually, I write a whole post recapping our trips and vacations, but I just didn’t have time this week. So here’s a quick run down of what we did when we went to visit family.
We usually go to KC at the end of the summer, but just how our summer is this year along with high school sports starting in July, I wanted to make sure we got our trip in sooner rather than later.
Last Wednesday, the kids had 9:00 dental cleanings, and then we left around 11:00 for KC. It was a nine hour drive, per usual, but thankfully, it was uneventful!
Honestly, we didn’t do a ton which I think we all really appreciated. Coming off the school year and still being a bit tired, it was nice to just hang out and relax.
We’ve played Left, Right, Center, but my mom LCR Wild, and it was a fun twist on the game.
I definitely recommend it.
My mom’s neighborhood was having their annual garage sale, and the kids helped out a bit..or did they?!
Hayden went to the driving range a couple of times.
We went to the Royals game on Friday night. They were playing the Seattle Mariners. Since moving away from KC, I obviously don’t get to see them play a lot(in person), but we’ve attended a few games through the years with the kids.
When the kids were probably six or seven, we went to a game, and they were losing in the first inning 10-0 (or maybe more!). Well, this team is better but the game started off the same way. They were down 7-0 at the end of the first inning, and then 8-0. Eventually, they started to chip away at the score, and we wondered if they’d make a comeback.
Well…they did! A walk off win was very exciting to see in person.
Bobby Witt, Jr. (#7) is definitely one of the favorite players.
Every Friday night of the season, there are fireworks (win or lose)…and they are even better after a big win!
There was a little bit of rain in the middle of the game, but otherwise, it was a really nice evening of baseball.
On Saturday, we took Crumbl cookies to my dad’s house.
While at my dad’s house, we watched the final episode of Wheel of Fortune with Pat Sajak as the host. This has always been a favorite show of mine!
Then, we went to Gma’s house for dinner, and we watched the UK baseball game and then played some more LRC Wild. Just like last year, Hayden is very into watching these games. We got home on Sunday just in time to go to the last super regional game with Travis and cousins.
It was a really great visit seeing family and enjoying some downtime.
Again, thankfully the drive home was pretty easy, but with only me driving, I was ready to get home!
When I got home, I was excited to see that my Trader Joe’s peonies had bloomed even more than before we’d left.
While we were in KC, we missed our “Homerversary”…
…so we got him DQ ice cream on Monday night. He’s five(ish) now, and we love him so.
After his dessert, we took him for a walk.
Fave Follow:
Do you follow Kara on Insta? (@karaskorner123) She’s a hoot!
Fave ‘fit:
I bought this set from Amazon a couple of weeks ago, and it’s great!! I ordered my regular size, and it looks like the price has dropped a bit…to less than $26. I’ve worn it a couple of times, including to summer school on Monday.
Now I kind of want to buy the shorts version I’ve saved as well.
I did get a little pool time this week…even though it was brief. Of course the one afternoon I could go, the pool closed early for a swim meet.
I’ve been on a reading roll lately…including listening to two audio books. I used my nine hours each way to KC wisely. Real talk: those are the first two audio books (The Office BFF’s and Birdie & Harlow) I’ve ever listened to…and they were both memoirs (ish), so that’s why I chose them. I’m still not sure I can focus and follow the plot of a book while listening.
Favorite dinner:
On Tik Tok a few weeks ago, I saw this simple recipe shared. I buy the “cook in the bag” pork loins pretty often, but this person took the pork loin out of the bag, added it to the slow cooker, poured in a can of beef broth, and a can of water and cooked on low for 6 hours.
Then, you do need to drain the meat, but we put it on sliders with some BBQ sauce, and shredded mozzarella.
This was my easy and delicious dinner the other night with a microwave baked potato and watermelon:
Favorite Mom Meme:
hahaha!
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday
I love this memory from 2013. The kids shared a bedroom for their first 3.5 years of their lives. We had four bedrooms, so we turned their nursery into the guest bedroom, and then they each got the remaining rooms.
Hadley hugged Hayden goodnight and said, “See you next time!” before going to her own room the first night.
What are your weekend plans? I’m sure we’ll celebrate Trav on Father’s Day, and I hope to start crossing some things off my summer “to do” list and maybe get in a little pool time.
I hope to have another Summer Sunday post this weekend too.
This was a good, solid first full week of summer for us!
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
Honestly, this post might be a bit boring…but that means I’ve been able to get some things done to kickoff summer.
I organized my bathroom, got an oil change, finished some school stuff, the kids had dental cleaning appointments, I got some workouts in as well as a few other things.
A couple of days this week I’ve spent a couple of hours at the pool. It’s been nice to read, chat with mom friends, and relax a bit.
I started a new show on Hulu…Under the Bridge. While watching the first episode, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, but then I was hooked. I only have two more episodes to go.
I started the week downloading the Habit app just to have some simple goals for the summer.
My daily goals/habits are: workout (4-5 days a week), drink 80 oz of water every day, aim for 100g of protein daily, and read for 30 minutes.
Most of my “to do” list for the summer includes tidying up some spaces. I had three tubs in my bathroom: one for my skincare stuff, one for lotion, air freshener, etc. and then one more for extras like when I buy new shampoo and conditioner but don’t need it for a while.
I decided to put all of my skincare and lotion in this organizer, and then I just have one bin under my sink for extras and things I don’t need very often.
I made it all work, and it’s made my morning and nighttime routines a bit easier.
Hadley came to school with me, and helped me finish up my classroom on Monday. Afterwards, we went to Sonic, and I got a Diet Cherry Limeade with Nerds.
(old pic, but we’ve been on a Sonic kick lately….nothing says “summer” more than a Cherry Limeade)
I love “snack plates” for lunch in the summer.
This orzo pasta salad from Trader Joe’s is so good. One of my favorite lunches from last summer was a thin bagel, just a little veggie cream cheese, thinly sliced cucumbers and a sprinkle of salt. So good!
Finally! My Trader Joe’s finally had peonies. I hope to get another bouquet or two before they are gone for the summer.
I made my book trackers for June, and they are saved in a highlight on Instagram. Feel free to use them to tell me what you are reading; don’t forget to tag me 🙂
Father’s Day:
We still have a little over a week until Father’s Day, but if you need a few ideas, I have been sharing some this week on Instagram. I have them saved in my “Amazon” highlight on Insta.
Well, the first Friday of summer sure hits different! I was very happy to not set an alarm last night…so that’s definitely a favorite of the week.
As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andreafor this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
The kids had the middle school state track meet last Saturday.
When they came out of their rooms that morning, they were “twinning” in their t-shirts from the distance festival in honor of Trav’s dad. As Hadley likes to say, “Twin telepathy!” (while Hayden cringes!)
It was a hot day that started with an hour and a half thunder delay even though we never saw lightning or rain.
This season, Hayden qualified in the 1600, 800, and 3200. He ran the 1600 and placed 8th overall with a PR. He decided not to run the 800 in order to focus on the 3200, but his hip was bothering him. Overall, I know he was disappointed in the day, but I know he did his best.
Hadley qualified in the 200, 4×100, 4×200, and 4×400. She was very close to a PR in the 200, but her relay team shined in all three relays. They set school records in all three relays, and their 4×400 came in 4th out of 65 teams.
It was a long day (we were gone for over 12 hours), but we had dinner out on the way home, and then they let me snap their pic with their medals before we all cooled off, showered, and went to bed.
I can’t believe their middle school track “careers” are over, but I know they will have a lot of fun competing in high school track too.
The kids’ 8th grade promotion ceremony was Tuesday night, and it was a really nice celebration of them and their 230 classmates. It was nice seeing everyone dressed up and supporting each other.
They’ve made some really great friends and some wonderful memories these past three years…but I’m guessing the best is yet to come!
After their ceremony, we went out to dinner with friends, and then they had some ice cream cake.
Wednesday night, a lot of the 8th graders got together for a pool party.
The weather was cooler, so they mostly ran around and played volleyball and pickleball, but it was a fun way to wrap up middle school.
New Fave Find:
Amy has shared about the Chobani, and my Kroger had this flavor. It’s so good!
Yesterday, Travis and Hayden traveled to St. Louis for Hayden to run in the Hoka Distance Festival. He ran in this race last year, and had such a good time. I’d hoped to join them, but with the busyness of this past week and some end of the school year responsibilities, I just couldn’t make the trip happen.
Overall, I think Hayden was pleased with his performance. I think that was his last official race as a middle school runner! Hard to believe.
After his race, they stayed and watched the high school runners and professionals which Hayden really enjoyed last year as well. Hoka puts on a great event that’s a fun experience for the runners.
Fave Follow:
I have a new favorite influencer to follow. @bobbiwiththeeye on Insta! She shares lots of “day in the life” as well as cute and affordable clothes and other products. Go check her out.
Favorite Mom Meme:
This meme is probably the most relatable one I’ve ever seen! I also feel this deeply as a teacher. haha
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
Look at my little daredevil back in 2015. She was always on the playground doing tricks, and saying “Look mom, no hands!”
What are your weekend plans? I need desperately to get caught up on my life. I want to take this weekend to relax a little but to also get caught up on laundry, empty out my school bag, run some errands, meal plan and more. I feel like I’ve been “winging” it the past couple of weeks, and that’s not my best self!
Hopefully, I can start reading some of my summer books and relax a bit too.
How was your week? Overall, ours was pretty good. It helped having Tuesday off to regroup after a busy weekend.
That being said, the end of the school year activities are in full force, and the alarm clock is officially a nuisance.
Of course, I had some favorites this week, so I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
Last Friday, was the end of season county championship track meet for our district. So, only middle schools in our district had teams running. Unfortunately, the first half of the meet was rainy. Hadley ran the 4×200 and 400 in the rain, and Hadey ran the 1600 in a steady rain as well.
Hadley was battling some nerves, but both kids ran great. Hayden won the 1600 and 3200 while Hadley placed 6th in the 400 and 7th in the 200, and her relay teams placed 2nd in the 4×400 and 3rd in the 4×200. Her 4×400 relay is in the top 5 in the state.
For the second half of the meet, the rain stopped. Yay!
It was a long meet and a late night, but they collected their hardware before we left.
Hadley was up bright and early on Saturday for volleyball. She got to play libero again, and she was excited for that opportunity. This was the last tournament of club season. They went 3-0 on Saturday, and won their first two games on Sunday which put them in the championship game of the gold bracket.
While they did lose that game, they earned a medal for 2nd place, and went 5-1 on the weekend. It was a great way to end club season.
She’s had the best experience with great coaches and amazing teammates, so it was extra special to end on a high note.
In my Mother’s Day recap, I shared about the ferns we got for the front porch. Travis noticed there was a nest with an egg in one of them on Saturday, and then on Sunday when I took a peek, there were two eggs. Now, there are four eggs!
It wouldn’t be summer without a nest in my fern for a bit!
I’ve had a Sonic diet cherry limeade twice this week. Tuesday, we didn’t have school (definitely a favorite) for election day. It was nice to ease into the day, but we were pretty busy for the rest of the day.
The kids did a workout on my school’s track, and I went to vote. After the workout, we went to Sonic. They got lunch and slushies, and I got a Diet Cherry Limeade. It certainly hit the spot.
A local church brought Sonic drinks to us yesterday as a way to support our school, and we appreciated the love.
Yesterday, Hadley came home with her artwork and pieces from art class this semester. She drew Homer, and a self-portrait and made a cup and coaster as well. I love seeing her creations.
Favorite Clothes:
I’m officially trying to wear some of my favorite outfits the past couple of weeks of school.
I wore a cardigan with the dress below, but had taken it off for the pic.
I told you I’m loving my new Target sandals. I’ve been wearing them often (and see the above three pics as proof!)
Trader Joe’s:
Amy messaged me that Trader Joe’s has their Brazil Nut Body Butter out, and I missed out on it last summer. So, I headed to TJ after school on Wednesday and stocked up! (along with a few other items)
And…how cute is this little plant? It’s the perfect touch for the stand on my island tray.
Favorite Meal:
Well, I don’t have a picture of it, but we had chicken sandwiches the other night, and they were a hit.
It was basically Chick-fil-A dinner at home. I used these chicken patties from Aldi, and then put them on a brioche bun with pickles and CFA sauce. I made waffle fries in the air fryer. It was a quick and easy dinner that everyone loved.
Favorite Mom Meme:
This right here…
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
Well, in honor the kids having their 8th grade promotion ceremony next week, here’s a flashback to 5th grade graduation three years ago.
*side note: When I shared my summer sandals post, I mentioned the Instagram Reel that Hadley helped me create. I said if it got 1,000 views, maybe I’d pay her $10 for her time and effort. Well, the reel gained a little traction with more than 1k views. This is a small feat for a small time blogger who rarely posts on Instagram. haha
I guess I better go find some cash!
What are your weekend plans? As I mentioned in Tuesday’s post, it’s been a hard couple of weeks at school. This week has felt really somber and even stressful sometimes as the school year wraps up.
I hope to find some time to relax a bit as we head into the week with 8th grade graduation (cue the tears!) and finish up the school year.
Fridays in May just hit different. I feel like we’re crawling to the finish line of the school year!
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
The 8th grade dance!
Y’all, I know. I know. I’ve shared lots of dance photos this year, but those were the four cotillion dances. Friday night’s 8th grade dance is the only school dance of the year.
Friday night, Hadley & Co. were ready to mingle with their classmates. The theme was “Vegas” hence the “little black dress” attire. Of course, kids could wear whatever they wanted, but these girls leaned in to black dresses.
I still had store credit, so Hadley got another cute dress from Hello Molly.
They danced the night away, got Chick-fil-A on the way home, and had a great time.
Meanwhile…
Travis and I were with Hayden at a track meet in Louisville. Hayden ran in the “Dream Mile” which is a race with the top 16 middle school milers in the state.
It was a beautiful evening to watch him run.
He has gotten to know most of these guys over the past couple of years from cross country and track. It’s neat to see them chat beforehand, run together, and support each other, while exhausted, at the end of the race.
It was a fast race and the pace was pushed; Hayden had a 4 second PR…4:48 mile.
Mother’s Day was great! After a busy Friday night and Saturday, Sunday was a bit more low-key. I appreciated the gifts, the family time, and then sunshine!
I’m loving my new candles for spring. I think Summer Rose Bud is my favorite.
Favorite Mom Meme:
This has been an issue for quite some time. haha
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
The end of the school year means field day in elementary schools. I used to love that day.
When I was in the 4th grade, I was on crutches at the end of the year, and couldn’t participate in field day. I was so bummed.
The past few years, my kids have had the middle school version of field day. At least they’ve been able to get outside and have fun for a bit with their friends. They also usually sign years book on that day which is fun.
Wow! This week feels like it flew by. Honestly, we had less going on in the evenings thanks to some rain, but this week still really seemed like a quick one.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorite.
Well, I never got around to sharing about the Kentucky Oaks races last Friday, so that’s what today’s blog post is all about!
It’s definitely a favorite tradition.
In true Jen fashion, I like to wait until the last minute to figure out what I’m going to wear.
By now, I have a few fascinators in my collection (and a friend who is always willing to share what she has), but I picked up this bright pink one at Macys on Thursday. My dress is the “Tatum” from Shop Style Your Senses, and my purse and heels are Amazon.
A quick selfie before my friends picked me up.
Travis always goes to the Thurby (Thursday before Derby) races, so he’s already in Louisville.
We met up with him and headed to Churchill Downs. I was very nervous about the weather because our seats were at the first turn and not covered! There were some showers throughout the day, but it ended up being overcast more than rainy.
Midway through the day, there is a “survivors walk” for the Breast Cancer survivors, and pink is definitely the color theme for Oaks.
The “Lily” is the drink of the Kentucky Oaks.
My friend Megan!
Overcast skies and a sloppy track!
After a few races, we walked around a bit and got a bite to eat. After Covid, the food and drinks are all inclusive with the ticket which makes everything so convenient.
We found a covered seating area because it started to rain a bit. Then, we walked around a bit more.
The new paddock area is amazing. We walked around up top…
I didn’t get a picture on my own, but ESPN shared this one on Facebook. The paddock area is really pretty!
After that, we met up with some friends and then made our way to a covered box. One thing about Travis is that he will always figure things out, and he found us some seating where we would for sure stay dry.
We watched the rest of the races, and had a few more drinks and food. They had cheesecake on a stick…but I forgot to get a pic! It was so good.
We snapped a group pic…
…before I placed a bet on Gin Gin in the Kentucky Oaks.
She did not win (win!).
After that race, it was time to head home. We knew traffic would be crazy, and we needed to get home to check on the kids.
The main rain happened right as we were leaving…enough so that Megan and I pulled out our ponchos for the walk to the car. Every year, we get pretty lucky with parking as one of Trav’s clients owns a parking lot right by the track, but it’s still a bit of a walk. This was the first year, I brought some sandals to wear when not wearing heels, and I’m glad I did. I wore my sandals for the walk to and from the car, and that made all the difference in the world.
I wish that I’d gotten a pic of us wearing our ponchos. haha
We navigated traffic and made it home around 8:00. After we checked on the kids, the four of us went out to dinner which was nice. Then, we were ready to be home and go to bed.
I’ve been to Oaks off and on through the years, but I think this was my fourth Oaks in a row. It’s a fun tradition that I’m glad we make happen.
Derby:
Derby on Saturday was so low-key that I don’t even have any photos.
Did you see the photo finish though? What a race!
We took it easy most of Saturday which was so nice. Trav’s boss called with two tickets to Derby, but we were so tired (and besides Thursday and Friday, Travis was in Louisville on Wednesday too). Also, Hayden had a race, so we made the decision to stay home.
Travis watched the races, placed a few bets and made some work calls throughout the day.
After Hayden’s race, we headed to our friends’ house as they hosted a little neighborhood get together.
Overall, it was a low-key day which was very much needed after a long Friday.
Per usual, my mom hosted her Kentucky Derby party back in KC, and had quite the turn out. She’s collected some cute Derby decorations through the years. The pics are always fun to see with the winners and their money and the losers with their loser cups. haha
Oaks and Derby are definitely fun traditions here in the Bluegrass State!
Share Our Lives:
On Monday, we have our monthly Share Our Lives post. This month’s topic is “5 Favorite and Least Favorite Foods.” We’d love to have you join us.
We have a busy Friday night, but then not too much going on tomorrow. Sunday is Mother’s Day, and I’m hoping we can go to church and maybe out for lunch.
showmeandsweettea.com 