Made it through to the 1st break of the school year...

It's been a really tough school year.  There are specific students in each class that make things VERY challenging!  So, the break was so very welcome!!  I ended up working a lot over break, but it's needed to help catch up and reduce some of the (future) day-to-day stress!  

The day before break officially started -- the Friday afternoon before "break," Isabella had a horse lesson.  No big deal, but I had to capture a video of the horse she was riding - Gizmo - doing this HILARIOUS thing with his mouth... smacking his lips when he was hungry!!!   video link here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/VDPUaNhu3huXmosL8 

We visited family in NC and NJ (briefly).  We got to see & stay in my mom's new house.  She's not fully moved over.... so she was staying at her old house and "visiting" us for dinner / breakfast in HER new home!  We helped a tiny bit with some things that she needed to help get set-up.  There were some bigger things that we wanted to help with, but weren't available (like the correct size of mini-blinds + a thing to put in the arched top window in her room).... all of this stuff is custom.  She said "next time!"  This is the only picture of her house that I took.  ha!  She really had made an upgrade in fixtures and appliances from her previous house.  Once she gets all of her things moved over / on the walls (and she says moves her clothes over)... she will start to feel more at home.  

Uncle Eddie stopped by briefly (he was working so couldn't stay long) and we visited my aunt Becky (and her new long-haired corgi, Ollie) briefly too.  No photos... sadly... of any of the family in North Carolina.  (not very exciting snapping photos of moving furniture and accessories around.  ha!)

We passed through North Carolina on the way to and from New Jersey.  We have not been up there since Christmas.  As mentioned in the previous blog, Todd's mom was in the hospital.  After she fell in July, she seemed to have a lot of small medical issues come up that compounded and landed her in the hospital for several weeks. She went to a rehab center after that and got out mid-September.  She's been staying at Tonia's since.  We went up at the end of September for a couple of days.  

The main thing that we did while up there -- one day we went over to the Boardwalk in Ocean City.  Tonia found a place to rent a wheelchair for the day for her.  We got saltwater taffy, shared a funnel cake (Isabella has had one long long long ago / but did not remember).... so this was her more recent "introduction" to funnel cakes.  She liked it!  We split off as some went for pizza / we went to an arcade. 

Rory Jr's friend, Justin, was Isabella's competition through most of the game-playing.  Mercer and Todd went to play putt-putt.  It was good for Rose Marie to get out.  She said that she enjoyed her funnel cake and sitting by the beach watching the waves.

We had absolutely BEAUTIFUL weather on the Boadwalk!

What Isabella liked best in New Jersey:  the new kitten that lives in the barn with the horse, the bunny and the rooster. 

She spent as much time as she could in the barn!  and - because "orange" is a kitten with claws, there were LOTS of scratches.... but she didn't mind. 

You can see how many times I have photos of her in the barn (by her outfit changes).  She went down with Todd some... once with Tonia... and even on her own.

Of course, in the house, she loved on the dog as well.  (Mercer likes the dog too.  He's a part pit-bull / boxer mix.  He's so cute!) 

Mercer is using the dog, Gunter, as a pillow.  

Mercer also played with / watched Westly some too.  She's 2 years old now. His mom sent a video of him interacting with her.

Also, I took a shot the night before from up above as Tonia transformed the living room into a movie screening area!

While we were travelling, there was a hurricane that hit Florida - Hurricane Ian.  It went across Florida from the gulf... devastated / decimated several small towns there (and flooding bigger ones).  Our family in Florida was OK... power outages, but no flooding at my dad's house.  (Not sure if there was flooding at my step-sister's in Tampa? Been texting here and there, but didn't get a clear picture.)  The images of some of these retirement communities is shocking.  These retirees with no place to go.  The storm dipped out the east side of Florida, gathered more strength over the Atlantic and then hit the Carolinas.  We noticed the wind in North Carolina the day we were leaving to go back home.  

Luckily, the wind was not that strong on our way up... because we drove by a massive house fire.  The blaze was so big that we could actually feel the heat increase in the car as we were slowly driving by (and subsequently sitting at the stoplight a little bit in front of it.)  We're not sure if it was a controlled burn?  There were fire trucks there and there was someone spraying, but not much. While we were driving by - literally in that instant - we all observed the roof collapse!  It was memorable.

We made it back home on a Thursday night and went to a Mets/Braves game on Friday.  The Mets lost - which tied up the pitch for the division for the National League.  There are only a handful more games this baseball season and both teams are going to the play-offs.  They're just vying for division championship.  This wrapped up Todd's father's day 3-pack. 

Funny thing: Isabella brought a book!  She is sooooo into these Warrior Cat books!  It's crazy how attached she is to them.  She did put the book down to watch the fireworks after the game.

Some other things that have happened since the previous post in early September / before break:  

- Mercer has FINALLY started practicing with his new baseball team (over in Gwinnett County!)  Ironically - thankfully - the games are played over here in Cobb County where we live. The first tournaments happen later this month.

- Todd and I went to a comedy show "on a school night"  :)   The TV show that we liked "Whose Line is it Anyways" is on the road with some of the TV improv comedians.  It was fun to get out (again)... and on the same city block where we went to our fancy dinner a few weeks prior.

- I got (more) dressed up one evening to help chaperone our school's Homecoming dance one Saturday night.  Before taking off the jewelry, I took a selfie or two.  (Not used to taking them.  ha!)

Our school system had a parade the day before the hoco dance... for the homecoming football game on Friday night.   (Here's one of my former students grabbing candy - she completed the architecture pathway, but has stayed with me and is president of my after-school AIAS club.)  :) 

- I had to DRAG Isabella away from a Reptile Show that we were at earlier in the day Saturday so I could go home / get ready for the dance!  She did not want to leave the booth at the front of the event hall because it was one of the only ones that had (slow, lazy) geckos that you could hold.  We were there - literally - at that booth for close to 2 hours. 

There so long that she knew each of the 5 crested / gargoyle geckos by name (Sandy, Rainbow, Potato and George), knew the stories the guy told and was re-telling to other patrons who walked up.  She was grabbing the geckos and putting on people's shoulders / explaining how to hold them.  People started asking US questions because they thought she was a part of the booth!  Ha.

I have to admit, these lizards were more personable than the one she has at home. (not as pretty, but you could do more with them / more interactive)

- Isabella went on an overnight field trip with her school to Rock Eagle 4H camp.  (no photos -  yet)  will update if her school sends some.

- She's still doing gymnastics and violin / piano lessons.

- And she's still been exploring butterflies.  We're pretty much at the end of the butterfly gig for this season. 

Still 2 chrysalises left. We got to observe some things that we had not noticed before:  the making of the chrysalis... and we actually got to see one (try) to emerge.  It's a bloody process! 

But - it's wonderful that she gets to see the GOOD (the beautiful butterflies in the end), the BAD (when they don't develop all the way / come out with mal-formed wings and die)... and the UGLY (poop - so much poop during the caterpillar phase.... and blood during the emergence from the chrysalis phase). 

'til next year~  (if we do the butterfly thing again!)