Tommy's Confirmation

A few days ago, I had the honor of returning to Pittsburgh as the sponsor for another Confirmation -- this time, Tommy's. I couldn't wait to get up there and see all the Pohls again. I was only there for two nights, but as always, we packed a lot of love into that time!

Carol picked me up from the airport and we got stuck in traffic on the way home, which was fine with me and Carol, because we were catching up the whole time. I hung out with Patrick, Kaya and Tommy, met their new bunny, Sugarplum, and (of course) rode Winn. He's so handsome! I love his dappled grey coat. We also visited Oakmont Bakery, where I picked out a selection of yummy cupcakes to bring home.

Patrick just got his permit, and I rode in the back seat for one of his first drives. He did great! Very careful and conscientious, especially on all those small, twisty roads near their house.

On the big day, Tommy looked dashing -- and tall! -- all dressed up for his Confirmation, and we took pictures in the backyard that Carol so beautifully landscaped and hardscaped. Then it was off to the church for the Confirmation. Bishop Zubik was amazing! The parish had warned us that he had a bad back and would have to sit during the ceremony, so I was expecting a decrepit old man. But although he needed assistance walking, his voice was strong and his delivery was impeccable. He had all the kids in stitches, talking in their "Gen Z language" for part of his homily. It's a ceremony that I definitely won't forget.

Congrats, Tommy! And thanks, as always, to the Pohls for being such wonderful hosts. Carol is a holy angel. 

Visiting Grandma Jean

Not bad for (two weeks shy of) 103 years old!

We were so happy to visit Grandma Jean last weekend ... and even better, this time MJ was with us! Jean was thrilled to see him, and it was great for us all to spend some quality time with her. The girls performed several of their dance numbers (including one that they made up themselves), and Little Man talked her ear off about baseball and Minecraft. 

She treated each kid to $20 (which they promptly spent at the bookstore next to our hotel), and a few little trinkets around the house. The girls selected some decorative cupcake liners from Jean's extensive collection, and Little Man received a cool woven box in the shape of an elephant. 

We were also lucky enough to spend time with Carol, who was so happy to see us, especially MJ. We took Carol to Mass and then out to a nice dinner. The next day, we brought a selection of treats over to her house to enjoy while we chatted and looked at old pictures of MJ. The kids were so entertained to see what Daddy looked like as a teenager!

Special bonus: Grandma was also there, helping take care of Grandma Jean while her aide was on a much-needed vacation. So we were able to see her too, and she treated us to a lovely dinner.

Spring Break Cruise

We had such a great time on the Oasis of the Seas! It was a much different experience than the Disney cruise we took back in 2018. Not only was this cruise on Royal Caribbean, but the kids are old enough now that we let them roam the ship at will. We stopped at several different ports, but we barely got off the ship! We were all mostly interested in staying on board and enjoying everything the ship had to offer.

Highlights of the trip: sliding down the Ultimate Abyss from the 15th floor to the 6th floor; playing Jenga a million times (MJ lost every time); eating unlimited ice cream (Little Man had 6 cones one day for lunch); the different towel animals our steward made every day; our hilarious waiter and assistant waiter who even got MJ and Little Man to dance one evening; the ship's zip line; playing mini golf on the top deck; the Aqua80 show (amazing!); the cupcake-decorating class the girls and I took; and the ice skating show plus skating ourselves. 

We didn't get to our planned stop in Haiti because of civil unrest, so we went to Nassau instead, where Sweet Pea had four braids put in her hair. We loved our day at Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean's private island, and saw a massive iguana sunning himself. Our other stop was Jamaica, where we were disappointed not to get our passports stamped -- Jamaica only stamps your passport if you stay for at least 24 hours.

One at-sea day, MJ and I took an in-depth tour of the ship, which was really interesting. We visited the bridge, the engine control room, the kitchens, and even learned about the elaborate waste processing that happens on a huge cruise ship. The water that day was such an incredible, deep blue -- I couldn't stop taking pictures of it.

Otherwise we relaxed on our balcony, or lounged on the pool deck early, before it was too mobbed. The kids' favorite restaurant was the Windjammer, the huge buffet. But MJ and I preferred some of the other restaurants we tried, like Chops Steakhouse, where Little Man polished off a 16-ounce ribeye and still had room for red velvet cake. 

We told the kids they could each pick a souvenir on the trip. Not surprisingly, all three of them chose a Jellycat stuffed animal from the gift shop. Little Man picked a dragon, Blaze. Sweet Pea picked a sea turtle (because we saw one in the ocean), BooBoo. And CC picked a unicorn, Coco (Cay).

Our stateroom was considered a "suite," but it wasn't; it was just a slightly-larger-than-normal room in order to accommodate 5 people. We knew there would be a king bed for me and MJ; a pull-out sofa for two of the kids; and a final bed that folded down from the ceiling. What we didn't know is that the ceiling bed was directly above the king bed! Definitely not an ideal setup -- MJ and I couldn't even sit up without bumping our heads!

The kids are pretty sold on cruising now. And it was pretty great for me and MJ as well -- we enjoyed plenty of time to ourselves, including a decadent couples massage. But it was also a wonderful family vacation, with memories to last us a lifetime. 

Tennis Weekend

Back in January, before everything happened with my mom, I went away for a weekend with a group of ladies that I'm blessed to call my friends. I've been close to Linda, Tina and Alison for years. But the others -- Christy, Lauren, Alexa and Jessica -- have become very dear to me through the process of learning tennis together the last year and a half.

We decided to go away for a weekend-long tennis clinic on the ocean. It was really fun! We rented a big house together, and there was laughter and silliness, quite a lot of eating and drinking, hours of tennis instruction, and priceless memories. 

The original plan included eight of us. But Alison had to back out at the last minute -- her daughter was unexpectedly home from Notre Dame that weekend, and they wanted to spend time together. And Christy broke her foot, but still came to hang out with us at the house, and cheer for us on the courts.

Our first morning of tennis, I realized I hadn't brought a water bottle on the trip. So I grabbed an empty tequila bottle from the night before (we'd made delicious margaritas) and filled it with water for the day. We all thought it was hilarious. Of course, the other ladies who joined us for our clinic didn't realize it was water (and naturally, we didn't tell them). The looks on their faces were priceless when we took our first break and I chugged a bunch of "tequila"!

The weather was unfortunately bitter cold -- a winter storm was sweeping the region, and some of our tennis times had to be adjusted to compensate. We bundled up with all our snivel gear every time we played, and otherwise we mostly huddled in the house. Our final day, the sun broke through the clouds after we finished up a late lunch, and we grabbed a picture in front of the water.

We've decided we have to take a tennis trip every year! Each year we'll go to a different place. Plans are already in motion for next year!

Weekend with Family

I took the kids to visit my dad last weekend, not just because it's great to spend time with him, but also because Susan was visiting with Dane and Hayden during their spring break. Fun!

Dane had a ninja competition on Saturday (he took first place!), so he and Susan were gone for several hours. Pepere and I took the other 4 kids and went to a fun spot not too far away -- an abandoned NASCAR track from the 50's. It's been well-maintained, and you can walk around the track, see original posters and advertisements, climb up into the press box, and even inspect a few abandoned cars.

It was a really nice way to spend a beautiful afternoon. The weather was perfect, and everyone was in good moods as we stretched our legs and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Afterwards the kids were thrilled to stop by Pepere's favorite place -- a local dairy farm that serves homemade ice cream. They've recently added a cool playground that looks like a giant rising up from the ground!

The rest of the weekend was nice. Susan and I helped my dad organize and purge the linen closet, and the kids played hide 'n seek outside for hours. We went to Mass together, watched basketball, chatted, and enjoyed more treats. A pretty sweet weekend.

Disney

For the last year, CC and I had been planning a trip to DisneyWorld, and it was scheduled for the weekend after my mom died. At first I thought we would have to cancel the trip, but my dad and I discussed it and decided to try to make it work. It couldn't be postponed -- CC's best friend, Clara, who we were going with, was scheduled for major back surgery the following week, and wouldn't be able to go on amusement park rides for a year. And although the last thing I felt like doing was going to "the happiest place on earth" after my mom just died, I didn't want CC to lose her beloved Memere and this trip. And I also didn't want Clara to miss the trip she'd been looking forward to as well, her "last hurrah" before her surgery.

Amazingly, Linda offered to fill in for me on the Disney trip until I could arrive. And honestly, she's really the only one who could have gone in my place: CC is comfortable with her, and Alison (Clara's mom) is also friends with her. So after spending several days with my dad, making arrangements and helping settle my mom's affairs, I flew down to join them, and Linda flew home.

In many ways, it was a good distraction. I smiled through my tears and did a pretty decent job of staying in the moment. It was nice to see CC having fun -- she and Clara are really sweet friends. 

It was shockingly cold! But we bundled up and maximized our time. CC and Clara took the lead, navigating us through each park and managing our fast passes. Our all-time favorite ride was Tron, which we rode twice (despite 2-hour lines -- worth it!). They loved the Star Wars area at Hollywood Studios, and we rode Smuggler's Run twice. Other favorite rides were Soarin, the Rockin' Roller Coaster, and Space Mountain. The girls also went on (and loved) Tower of Terror twice, but Alison and I skipped that -- not our cup of tea.

CC's only specific request for the trip was that we eat at Cinderella's Royal Table, the restaurant inside the castle at Magic Kingdom. We did that on our final night, and it was magical. CC was surprisingly excited to see all the princesses, and the food was delicious. But the best part was when we left -- the fireworks show had started, so we weren't allowed to leave the castle. An employee fetched a bench, and we had a beautiful, private view of the fireworks from inside the castle. Not too many people get to experience that! It was a wonderful way to end our trip, and a special memory to end our bittersweet trip.