Picture of the Week - 4/7/2023

 I wish I could go back to this time last week...  We were on the verge of our first camping trip with the doggos last Friday.  It did not disappoint!

Happiest thing

Getting all of our boys together - even if it was just a short visit to see Grandpa Bob and Grandma Phyllis for dinner.  Having them all together is not something I ever take for granted anymore.  I even remembered to take some pictures this time!

Scariest thing

Easily the first 3 hours of the drive on Saturday morning.  There were storms forecast to hit our area early Saturday.  Our original plan was to wait out the worst of them and then hit the road.  When we woke up we learned that the cold front had slowed down and was going to throw off our whole schedule.  So we decided to get moving (quickly) and try to get in front of it.  We failed by about 30 minutes or so and ended up driving WITH the storm for a long time before we finally got out in front of/south of it.  It was white knuckle driving in heavy rain and winds.  First time in weather like that with Harvey.  Bob did great.  I sprouted a dozen more grey hairs.  We all made it out without damage, but it was stressful!

Most annoying thing

I'm not sure I was really annoyed by anything.  I'm far more annoyed by many many things on the regular than I was on this trip.  If I had to pick something, I guess I would say that with the dogs and kids and us in and out of the camper, it was impossible to keep the floor clean.  We tracked in a lot of dirt and grass (even with the outdoor rug we have).  We need to figure out a better solution for trying to capture the muck coming into the camper - or we just need to embrace the broom every evening.

Most interesting thing

Tough one.  We continue to learn SO MUCH about the whole camping experience.  I find every experience we've had to be really interesting.  On this particular trip I think the most interesting thing I learned was probably at the Statesboro campground.  This was a small little campground without any frills.  It had maybe 50 all-grass sites with full hook-ups.  The most interesting thing was probably how many of the sites were filled with full-timers.  We met one neighbor who was living there in a teeny little camper and working in Savannah - a good 45 min drive each way.  He was doing it to save money and simplify his life.  Campground people are pretty cool - and pretty interesting.

Most heart warming thing

There were a million little things that just made me love the whole experience - and my little family - so much!  Watching the boys play together.  Watching Bob throw the football with Zane.  Watching the dogs hang out together.  Watching the dogs hang out with the boys.  Everyone just got along - no fighting...  do you even know how rare it is for Zane and Beck to not bicker for 4 straight days???  Sigh...  I wanna go back.

Nicest thing

Downtime.  I haven't just SAT and done nothing as much as we did on this trip in a long time.  I think this is, honestly what I have looked forward to most about these camping trips.  There's no expectation of constant activity.  There's nothing that "needs" to be done around "the house" and the goal is really just to BE STILL.  That's the best!  I even pulled out quilting and finished a whole handful of Granny's Garden squares on this trip!

Easiest thing

I purposely picked campsites that were pull-through sites for this trip.  There was no backing up required!  #winning

Most surprising thing

Maybe how fast the dogs adjusted to the camper life - and how well they did in the car.  Gable loves car rides.  Brutus is more anxious about it, but is a super easy traveler - he just never really relaxes.  The first night the dogs were so exhausted from the trip and all the NEW things everywhere that they crashed really hard.  Gable fell asleep on the floor and never moved when we went to bed.  This is unusual because he always sleeps on our bed with us.  At some point in the middle of the night he woke up, was freaked out, and started crying.  When he realized we were all still there he ran around the camper wagging and kissing everyone and was just SO happy.  Then he crashed on the bed with us for the rest of the night.

Luckiest thing

I'm going to say the weather - even with the really bad storm we dealt with at the start of the trip.  The rest of the trip was basically amazing.  It rained a couple of times during the weekend, but never caused us to change plans or anything like that.  The rains came at night and really didn't cause us any grief.  And the temperature was basically perfect.  We were able to leave doors and windows open for much of the weekend!  Since it is still so early in the season, the bugs weren't bad.  The humidity wasn't bad.  It was just so pleasant!  I'm not 100% sure how the camper/kids/me/dogs will do when it's blazing hot, but I am now sure that we are REALLY big fans of spring camping!

Second scariest thing

So we decided that we much prefer driving on back roads than on the interstates.  Maybe this will change as we get more comfortable, but on this trip we were not in a hurry to get anywhere on any of the legs of our trip and we intentionally picked routes through quiet little towns and along picturesque roads.  It was a different pace for sure - and it was awesome!  Except when we realized we needed gas and there really aren't a lot of great options conducive to pulling a 34 ft camper through in the middle of Mayberry.  We got slightly panicky about running out of gas and even discussed needing to find a place to park, unhook, get gas, get hooked back up, etc.  The unhooking and re-hooking process is not insignificant...  We finally found a gas station that looked like it would work.  Filled up and then realized we were basically stuck.  It took some maneuvering (which we really still aren't very good at) and maybe relocating a cardboard sign a bit (oops) before we could get out of the parking lot.  Yikes!  Learned a lot of lessons through that experience! 

Tastiest thing

We cooked 4 meals on the new Blackstone grill.  We did smash burgers, pancakes and bacon, chicken fried rice, and steak hoagies.  All of the meals were delicious and fun to make!  2 thumbs up!  Also - we bought ice cream for a treat one night and it was not only delicious, we were pleasantly surprised that it stayed mostly frozen on the trip back in the freezer!  

Most exciting thing

We have more trips in Harvey planned to look forward to throughout the summer and fall!  This is just the start of something awesome!

I have added a bunch of pictures from the trip.  I hope you enjoy!  I can't wait until the next one!

Picture of the Week - 3/9/2023

 Time to catch you all up on our really great weekend last week!  

We took Zane and Beck to the Georgia youth state wrestling tournament - and we took the camper!  It was kinda nerve-wracking on multiple fronts!

Punchline - planning and preparation worked for both wrestlers and campers!

The drive down was one of those "waiting for the other shoe to drop" experiences.  We started out fine and then we got onto the interstate for the first time ever.  All was fine.  Then we got into traffic.  All was fine.  Then we went through all like 10 lanes of downtown Atlanta.  All was fine.  Then eventually we got out of traffic.  All was fine.  We even stopped at a rest area.  Guess what, it was fine!  

Good even!

The site I reserved was a pull-through (no back-up required!) and sorta unlevel, so we had to use our levelers for the first time.  It was fine!  

There were many many firsts with that thing over the weekend - and some minor inconveniences, but nothing major.  We learned a lot.  Figured out a few MORE things we needed to get - and we are already looking forward to our next trip.  (3 weeks from now)

And then the wrestling.  I mean, to say I'm proud of the boys is a huge understatement.  We knew this year would be rough for them.  They are both on the young end of the age groups.  And then we bumped Zane UP a weight class around a month ago.  Most kids DROP weight classes at this time of year, but he's in the middle of puberty and I'd much rather let him GROW than restrict calories for a youth wrestling tournament.  Zane got an unfortunately draw in the first round and lost to a kid who was not as good a wrestler, but WAS a stronger kid.  And sometimes that matters.  He won his next one and then lost the 3rd to a kid who was a better wrestler.  It happens and we aren't sad about it.  It gives him something to work toward next year.

Beck faired a bit better and won his first match, which made the whole bracket easier.  In his second match he was losing in the 3rd period with around 25 seconds to go.  He threw the kid, who was a good bit taller than Beck, into a headlock.  Took him down and scored 2 points with 11 seconds left to win the match.  It was pretty awesome!  He lost his next match to place 4th, but it didn't really matter.  He was the only kid from the West program to place at state and I couldn't be happier for him.  Next year, after another year of training and growing and getting stronger - both of these boys are going to be super fun to watch!

The return trip was equally uneventful.  Actually, check that...  it was more fun because we totally stopped at Buc-ees and bought FAR too much junk food and munched all the way home.  

It was a really good weekend!

This week we took off completely from any practices of any kind.  It's been a long time since we had downtime like this.  Bob and I feel disconcerted about the whole thing.  I think Bob's nearly finished a whole book this week.  Next week we will get back to work, but taking a breather was pretty nice.  

Quinn comes home tonight and Spencer comes home tomorrow night for their spring breaks.  I am looking forward to having them home for the weekend.  I love having them all in one place - even if it's just for a little while.  

Have a great week everyone!  I'll be here cuddling on dogs and hugging boys.  Life is good.

Here're the action shots from Beckett's big take-down.  :)  Notice the time left on the clock when the ref throws up the TWO in the last picture.  

Picture of the Week - 2/24/2023

 Better late than never I guess

This week kicked my butt!  I had a multi-day summit at work - fancy word for a meeting with lots of people and lots of work with no downtime.  But hey, they had free coffee...  And no one wants to hear about me and my job.  So... moving on

Anyone who follows us on Facebook knows we drove to NC last weekend and wrestled a ton.  It was, honestly, one of the best weekends we've had in a long time.  We had fun going over there on Saturday and hanging out as a family.  Traveling can be a super experience!  And then Sunday - the actual wrestling part - was awesome!

First - the tournament was pretty chill and REALLY well-run.  It was the best run tourney we've been to in years - even at the high school level.  I have mad respect for that!

Second - because the NC weight classes are different than the ones in GA the boys kinda fell between weights.  I don't really want them cutting weight right now (because both are in growth spurts*) so we registered them for higher weights than normal.  And then we went to the movies and ate snacks and candy and followed up with Chinese food.  When we got to weigh-ins on Sunday, they were both really light - and then the amazing coordinators were like for 10 bucks you can double-bracket.  So we asked the boys if they wanted to - and they did!  Win!  I mean, after the 4 hour drive, it made things worth it!  THEN they ended up combining some of the weight classes which meant that Beck was in 2 round-robin brackets - and wrestled all the 12U kids from 120-138 lbs.  He wrestled 9 times - and won one of his brackets.  That's a crazy amount!  Zane was in 2 legit brackets and wrestled really well in both of them even being really undersized in one of the brackets.  If he had a different spot in the brackets he probably would have placed 2nd in one and 3rd in the other.  Instead he ended up 4th and 3rd - very respectable and a great lead up to a state placement run.

Third - we tested the boys and they impressed us - and themselves.  That's SO important in this marathon journey.  We have always played the long game with these guys and this past weekend felt a little like a milestone.  They both, but Beckett especially, found a way to finish, score, and win in a hard situation.  And honestly, we just couldn't be more proud of how they handled themselves.  The fact that they wrestled really well was icing on the cake.

Fourth - Bob's uncle Warren and cousin Joe, along with his kids, came to visit, which was really nice!  I was touched that they took time out of their day to spend with us - and honestly to meet the boys!  It was fun!

*Beck had his 11 year old well-child appointment this past week too and the fact that he's in a big growth spurt was confirmed.  In fact, he's still running ahead of where Spencer was at the same age.  So I figure I have about 6 months - at most - before this child is taller than me too.  It's inevitable.  

Happy weekend!  Next weekend at this time we will be making final plans for our very first trip with Harvey the RV!  So excited!

Have a great week!

Picture of the Week - 2/16/2023

 That weirdness where you are really busy and nothing is happening.  That's us!

This week we have done some doctors appointments for Zane.  All is well.  He's got his very own glaucoma specialist (from that unfortunate nerf dart incident a few years ago) and while I very much appreciate that he is thorough, I also find it hilarious because Zane is a bit different than the normal demographic in that practice.  LOL  So he's always a bit of a spectacle there.  He's interesting...  and so they always fuss over him.  It's cute and funny - to everyone except Zane.  (PS - his eyes are fine.)

We also (finally) got his 13 year well-child visit done.  I know it may SEEM like we are really late, but it's all about the school physical!  If we do it NOW it's good through football season.  (experience pays off sometimes!)  Zane has zero issues and is, in fact, in a growth spurt.  He's grown almost 4 inches in the last year and is now around the 90th percentile for both height and weight.  We shall see where he lands when all is said and done...  Beck goes next week...  pretty interested to see how he's grown this year too!

Bob and I took a trip over to do some more work on Harvey this week.  We hung up the TV and installed a paper towel bar.  Very exciting stuff.  We also made up all the beds and found some really cool stuff to put in there.  Did you know there are actually cute, compact toilet bowl scrubbers?  I have learned SO MUCH!  LOL  We also practiced putting the hitch on the Yukon and getting everything hooked up so we could get the license plate and back up camera installed.  We run into challenges and bumps with pretty much everything right now because it's a pretty steep learning curve, but we have also found easy answers and MANY solutions on our friend the Internet.  You know there are user forums for like everything...  and camper people (98% of the time) are ridiculously nice.  

This weekend we are traveling up to Hickory, NC for a tournament called Heath's Foothills Clash.  (Please have t-shirts!!!)  It's not a big tourney, but it IS a whole different set of wrestlers than we've ever seen before.  It'll be fun - and a hopefully a good warm up for qualifiers the following weekend.  

I took almost no pictures this week.  SO here are some lovely (LOL) shots of Zane at his appointments.  I'll try to do better next week!  

Picture of the Week - 1/26/2023

 This week feels a little bit like "more of same".  It's still cloudy and cold.  (I think Atlanta is on track to have a January in the top 5 wettest of all time.  Not a fan.)  We are still doing wrestling nearly every day.  Work and school.  And amazon still stops my the house to visit daily - sometimes multiple times a day!

Bob just got back from a work trip and we are gearing up for a weekend of wrestling again.  

To break up the routine, Bob's taking me out tomorrow night.  We are going to hit up Cru for wine flights and then head to the Container Store to look for bins and baskets and buckets and other amazing organizational aids for Harvey!  Might sound like a lame date to you, but I'm ridiculously excited about it!  Wine AND nesting baskets AND planning opportunities galore.  That's some kinda heaven!

Here's a cute picture of the doggos and some photos of Zane and Beck that probably everyone has already seen on Facebook.  

Have a great week everyone!  

PS - Quinn's birthday is next Thursday if you wanna drop him a Happy Birthday note!

Picture of the Week - 12/22/2022

 We wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas!

Love

The Bovenizers

Picture of the Week - 12/15/2022

 Wrestling isn't for the weak.  It's not a casual sport.  It requires, if you want to succeed, dedication and determination.  

I'm really proud of both Zane and Beckett for embracing this lifestyle.  It's not glamourous - and it hurts.  (See picture of Zane who came home from last weekend in Virginia Beach with 2 black eyes and a singlet splattered with blood.  His blood.)

Bob and I have taken a pretty "long game" approach to wrestling with Zane and Beckett.  We didn't go "all in" while they were really young.  This is partly because we were busy with Spencer and Quinn, but it was also a direct result of my favorite parenting super skill - perspective.  

What we learned watching Spencer and Quinn - and their peers - is that many of the kids who were successful at high school had lots and lots of experience.  They didn't have lots and lots of youth state championships.  We also noticed along the way that there were kids who were absolute stud wrestlers in 6U and 8U who disappeared after middle school.  Our goal with the boys has been pretty straight forward - 1) don't let them quit and 2) make sure they have fun.

This year we have intentionally stepped things up a bit.  Actually this started last summer...  when we sent them to a wrestling camp in Missouri because it had a great reputation for teaching techniques that match how our boys wrestle.  We decided that this year we are going to continue doing what we're already doing, but layer in some additional opportunities for them by watching for - and being willing to attend - travel opportunities.  Will this work - in the long run?  No idea...  but along the way we are going to have some fun!  

This weekend we are staying local and wrestling in a tournament on Saturday.  What's up next is a little up in the air.  Maybe Kentucky the weekend after Christmas.  Maybe South Carolina the first weekend of 2023.  Maybe both...  Stay tuned for more updates - and if you need to know how to get blood out of a singlet, give me a call.

Picture of the Week - 9/29/2022

 This week has been all about celebrating birthdays and monitoring a hurricane!  (Oh and maybe being jealous of all the folks we know on fall break vacays this week...)

Spencer turned 20 on Tuesday and today is Zane's 13th birthday.  Fun!  

As I was putting together Zane's birthday collage it struck me how much he's changed over the last 12 months.  He's like a totally different kid than he was this time last year.  He's tall and lean and has the best hair in the house.  He kinda grew up in a hurry...  

Hurricane Ian has had my attention for the last few days because it's path for a long time was splitting the difference between Spencer and Quinn.  We have had about 6 different plans of who is staying where and who is leaving and how that would happen.  If you remember, I was supposed to go to Statesboro tomorrow, but Ian squashed that visit too.  

At the moment, in person classes for both boys have been canceled and they are both sheltering in place as neither school has evacuated.  As time goes on, Statesboro looks like it's going to be mostly spared.  They will get wind and rain, but should be totally fine.  Charleston, on the other hand, is currently in the bullseye of the second landfall.  I'm willing the storm to continue the trend of moving a bit farther east.  It would be MUCH better for Charleston if they are on the west side of the landfall.  So everyone cross your fingers!  I'm not so much worried about Spencer's safety - I mean he's on a campus full of some VERY capable people - but it will bother me a LOT if they lose power and I can't check in on him.  He's, how should I say this..., REALLY bad at charging his cell phone!

Tonight we are taking Zane out to dinner and making him wear the funny hat while strangers sing happy birthday to him.  Always fun!  This weekend we are mostly just hanging out on Saturday and then on Sunday Zane gets to use his birthday gift, which is tickets to see the Falcons play the Browns while I head to the airport for a quick trip to Minneapolis.  

Have a great last couple of days of September!  

Picture of the Week - 9/8/2022

 Let's see...  what's new?  

Nothing - everything

I asked Spencer how he was doing the other day and his response was something like "same as yesterday, I think I'm in Groundhog's Day".  And that's kinda how I feel.  It's the same every day - get up, get kids out the door, work until my back aches, take a break, work some more, dinner, pick someone up or drop someone off or both, do load of stinky football uniforms, brush teeth, go to bed.  Next day - basically the same...  pick-up/drop-off routine may change and sometimes we throw in a game for fun.  But it's rinse and repeat.  

And in that day in - day out - same same same - it's REALLY easy to lose sight of what is actually happening.  Progress and growth and decisions and and and.  It's not a small, meaningless, repetitive existence here.  These days of "puttin in the work" are, in the end, the important ones.  These are the days that make us who we are.  Am I right?

Yes, the vacation pictures and game highlights and dinners out with friends get all the limelight on the socials, but these "normal" days are where the real magic happens.  

And it's so easy to forget that.  I admit I get lost in planning vacations I may never take.  I reminisce in FB memories of big game moments from years past and look forward to the ones that have yet to happen.  I scour restaurant menus and arrange plans to "get out".  I do all these things because they are exciting.  So today, I'm reminding myself - as much as you teeny number of people out there still paying attention to these POTW messages - that exciting is fleeting.  The routine and mundane should be just as celebrated because it's just as (I will say more, even) important.  

Life is ACTUALLY the stuff in between the highlight reel...

So what's new?  Nothing - everything

All boys are well and settled very nicely into the fall "real life" stuff.  Spencer has decided not to wrestle this year.  I was sad, at first, but he's really happy to not have that pressure, stress, and time commitment anymore.  And he's taken up Rugby on the Citadel club team.  He is taking a LOT of classes this semester and handling things pretty well so far.  He's got a good roommate this year, whom he likes and generally seems happy.  Tomorrow he's interviewing for some internships next summer and apparently he's got a "hot date" this weekend too.  All good there - and we are looking forward to going to see him for Parent's Weekend again in a few weeks.  

Quinn continues to be GOOD.  He spent Labor Day weekend on campus and with the extra downtime, headed to Savannah for dinner.  Sounds so glam!  At one point both Spencer and Quinn were on Islands (Daniel and Tybee, respectfully) while Bob and I sat at home listening to the rain and cleaning stuff.  Those boys are living their best lives...  Quinn also got to learn how to deal with a flat tire on the interstate.  He got to talk to tow truck operators and find a tire repair place and all kinds of grown-up stuff.  (Of course he called me first for help.  Why me?  Tires are a dude thing.  I handed the phone to Bob like it was on fire!)

Zane is still crushing 7th grade.  He's frustrated with football this year because as a 7th grader on a 7/8 team he's not getting a ton of playing time.  He's a lineman - and a good one - but he's undersized.  He gets some playing time, but not like he's used to.  This is not a unique experience - and honestly it's exactly what we expected - but it's new for him.  He's still having fun on the team with all his buddies though - and really isn't that what's most important anyway.  (We aren't shy about our desire to leave football and go full-time wrestling with ZnB at some point, but the timing is totally up to them!)

And Beckett is just adorable.  He is home alone with us a LOT more than he's ever been before.  First of all he's on "early elementary" time this year, which means he gets home at like 2:45.  Zane wouldn't get home until 5 without football practice - with football, they never see each other.  Beck leaves in the am before Zane wakes up.  Then he's out the door for wrestling/football practice before Zane gets home and by the time everyone is back under one roof, it's time for bed.  I think there were around 48 hours last week those 2 didn't even SEE each other.  Weird!  Also hard to make dinner plans...  Anyway, Beck is great.  He's funny and helpful and he talks A LOT. 

Here's a picture of Beck with his serious football face.  His football experience this year has been interesting.  This is the first year Bob hasn't coached him since he was 6.  He's been bounced to a few positions (all on the lines...  Bob and I make ATVs, not sports cars) and has landed in an O guard spot and right D tackle.  He's having a blast this year and it's pretty fun to watch him make his own way.  

OK - enough rambling...  I'm off to pick up Zane and reheat some dinner for him.  Then comes the load of stinky laundry, brush teeth and bed.  :)

Picture of the Week - 9/1/2022

 September already.  I continue to feel like this year is moving ever and ever faster.  It's crazy that we are already into September and right around the corner from my favorite month of the year.  The last few weeks here have been so hot and humid that I can't wait for some crisp air.  (And this from someone who is, literally, always cold!)

All is well with everyone.  No news...  is good news.

It's been a typically busy week with all our "stuff" in addition to some extra work to pull together a gigantic uniform order for the upcoming wrestling season.  We are looking like we are going to end up with around 90 kids this year.  It's been SO fun to help this program grow!  (Remind me I said that when all these boxes show up in my dining room for sorting and distribution!)

I think the promise of a 3-day weekend at the end of this week has helped make everyone's mood a bit better!  I know it's helped me!  We debated a number of things for this weekend - we have a couple of kiddos we could go visit or we could head to the N Ga Mountains for a bit of a break or we could have done a million things.  In the end, we decided a mini staycation with a focus on chilling out a bit was best for everyone.  We will be doing some household chores, some shopping, and a good bit of football watching.  Yay!

Here's our annual O H I O picture.  I had to get a bit creative with it this year because it never crossed my mind to grab a picture before Quinn left for school.  I truly love my boys for agreeing to get these college campus versions of the O and H this year.  I think it makes for a fun picture - and will be a good memory of what we were all up to in September 2022.

Go Bucks!

Picture of the Week - 8/25/2022

 Happy Thursday!

We are charging through August!  I've never loved this month.  I kinda want to get this one in the rearview mirror, if I'm being honest.

All the boys are well.  Spencer is now back at The Citadel for the semester.  Here's a picture of him with his friend Jackson (aka Bradford).  I don't have any new pictures of Quinn from this week, but I've talked to him almost every day.  He's really loving college life!  Zane and Beck are doing the school then practice, rinse & repeat routine.  And the doggos are just fun and happy :)

Have a great last week of August everyone!  We are very much looking forward to a nice 3-day weekend right around the corner.

Picture of the Week - 8/18/2022

 Happy Thursday!  Boy am I glad this week is nearing it's end!  It's been a rough and busy one for sure!

We are prepping Spencer to head back to Charleston this weekend.  Everyone else is pretty much status quo.  Beck and Zane both had their first football games this past week - with more to come.  Here's Zane's team picture for the year.  So handsome.

I hope everyone is having a great August and adjusting to all the changes that come around this time of year.  It's a wild ride!

Picture of the Week - 6/30/2022

 What a fun summer week happening 'round here!

We spent the last week doing "normal" summer stuff - pool and watermelon have been involved.  And gearing up for more fun!

What's going on?

- Zane and Beck had a wrestling camp this week in the mornings - then heading to a football camp in the evening.  Keeping them busy and tired has always been our goal!  LOL  Picture of Zane leaving weight training this morning.  Coach has them there at 7AM - he shares my "keep them tired" philosophy!

- Spencer has been working and has been filling in as a construction supervisor somewhere south of the city.  He's really getting the best experience!  He likes what he's doing too and has lots of plans for what he wants to learn next year.  

- Quinn is pretty much living his best life and has been out and at parties and having fun pretty much every day.  My thoughts on this, while I wish he were being a bit more productive, I also know you only get the summer after your senior year once.  So we pretty much go with the flow.

- Yesterday my parents got a contract on their house - yay!

- Today Beckett left with Berber and Pappy on his 10 year old trip.  I can't wait to hear all about it.  Here's a picture of Beck on the plane taking him out West.  They will spend the night in Jackson Wyoming.  Beck is actually taking the same trip that started all the 10 year old trips that Spencer took.  It's a nice way to bookend the grandparent trips!

- Zane has his woodlands camp next week and Bob and I are taking the opportunity with ZnB outta the house to head to Greenville, SC for a couple of night - just for fun!  Quinn's on puppy duty while we are gone. 

- Speaking of puppy, Gable is awesome.  He's actually really good - I think fewer accidents than we have had with our last couple of puppies.  He's SO cute and so sweet.  He's heading for his last round of shots today.  He's currently 14.5 weeks old and at least double the size he was when we brought him home 3 weeks ago.  

Hope you all have a great, relaxing, and fun 4th of July!  

Picture of the Week - 5/26/2022

 May-madness is almost over...  the end of the hustle is SOOOO close!

In the past week...

- Zane played in the Black and White game.  He played center for the whole game.  He was consistent and reliable and steady.  He's not flashy, but he is a really good football player.  I really do love watching him play.

- Visited with Sharon and Karen who came down to visit from Ohio for the festivities

- Held Quinn's graduation party where we entertained a LOT of people.  My heart is truly so happy to see all the friends and family who came to wish Quinn well.  He's just such a good, likeable dude.  Celebrating him was fun - and easy! - and also a little exhausting! 

- More dinner party fun with Berber and Pappy and Jess and her family to celebrate the graduates!

- Actual graduation ceremony on Sunday and dinner (out again... who wants to cook in May???)

- Then we found out on Monday that Zane made the football team - woohoo!  I'm so happy for him - and he's SO excited about it!!

- Tuesday happened to be our 25th wedding anniversary - and we used it as an opportunity to visit one of our favorite restaurants with some great friends

- Wednesday we had a football meeting for all the players and families that made the team to pay dues and get fitted for gear and such.  We also found out that Zane will get to continue the tradition of a Bovenizer wearing #59.  The coaches know and remember Spencer - and asked if Zane wanted to be the same number.  I love that so much.

- And then here we are back to Thursday - the last day of the 2021-22 school year.

I would say we are doing a pretty darn good job of filling our days up with fun stuff!  This doesn't mean we aren't simultaneously saddened by the tragedy of the Texas school shooting.  That evil weighs heavy - but is also a good reminder not to take any of these crazy, jam-packed, family-centered days for granted.  You just never know...  

Tomorrow we will try to get through the last workday before heading to the Carolina coast for vacation.  I can't wait!

Picture of the Week - 5/20/2022

 Well, this week nearly did me in.  It wasn't so much that it was all bad (although there were so low, lows) but that it was a ridiculous combo of really good, really busy, really unexpected, and really sad.  I'm really glad that I've got Bob alongside me to get through this crazy rollercoaster life.  He's been there...  forever...  and I don't talk about how blessed I am to have that man as my partner nearly enough.  

Tuesday is our 25th wedding anniversary.  I say that with all the pride and awe and love that I can muster.  It's a big deal.  I don't take it for granted.  I am forever grateful that God brought us together.  I can't imagine a world without "Bob and Kara".  

Where to start...  

I'll knock out the worst first.  We unexpectedly had to put Ozzie to sleep this week.  I still can't believe it.  I still can't think about it without choking up.  He was literally fine a month ago.  The story is so familiar to so many - rapid decline, abdomen full of masses, inoperable, incompatible with life.  And yet, it's so unimaginable that it's hard not to look down and expect him by my feet.  I miss that crazy, neurotic, high-strung dog.  I know that the pain we feel when a pet passes is the payment for all the love and joy they bring while they are here, but I still hate it.  I know I have all the memories of him happy and healthy, but I still think it's unfair he had to go so young.  Ozzie's passing overwhelmed my week - and I hate that it did because there's a lot of other stuff going on and much of it is really good.

Zane's last day of football tryouts is today - and culminates with the spring game.  Zane is feeling confident and strong - or he was until yesterday.  He got to his locker, found his lock was missing along with ONE of his cleats.  I hate middle school.  I hate middle school pranks.  I hate middle school immaturity.  We are all certain someone thought they were being funny and have hidden the (brand new) cleat somewhere.  Maybe it will show up...  but it forced emergency shopping last night to find a replacement pair.  Oh and some hotshot "forgot" they weren't wearing pads during their walk-through last night and rammed his helmet into Zane's shoulder.  It's not broken, but it's going to be an ugly bruise and hurts enough to bring him to tears.  He also managed a bloody nose at practice last night and came home with a blood soaked shirt.  That's kinda how this whole week has gone - overall theme is GOOD and HAPPY but the details and nuisances are painful and ugly.

Spencer has been home and is working - except the whole office he works in got sick this week, so his schedule has been all over the place, which is difficult for week 2 on a new job.  I'm hoping next week will bring some stability for him.

Quinn graduates on Sunday.  His grad party is tomorrow.  We have events planned - and he has even more parties to attend - and fun stuff planned.  I really can't believe he's done with high school.  And I can't imagine this house without him in it.  Sigh...

And Beck is just chugging along.  No graduations.  No tryouts.  No work.  Nothing particularly new happening...  so he decided to contract a case of lice to keep things interesting.  (Never fear, I've, sadly, been through this before and we are on top of it and it's behind us, but I wanna tell you, in the midst of having discussions about the imminent demise of a pet, nit-picking is not what you want to be doing...)

This weekend will be fun.  Next week can NOT be as "eventful".  And at the end of next week, we have our annual beach trip to look forward to!  We can do it.  We HAVE done it.  We will always continue to do it.  

PS - Quinn also bought a new car (can't remember if I mentioned this already) and stay tuned to learn about our new dog, Gable.  He's NOT a replacement dog, but we are all excited about having a new puppy in the house and the timing is certainly a Godwink.  More on Gable soon - we don't have him yet, so we are all being patient!!

Enjoy some pictures of Quinn and Jess in their cap and gowns.  Those two are so cute and so good for each other.  I love them and am so excited to get to celebrate their graduations this weekend!