Getting ready for the Halloween parade

We started this weekend with Anna refereeing. Then I picked her up and drove her to Cheer practice. My car was being rented on Turo so I decided to rent a Tesla Model 3 for the day. Mainly because Jude and I were booked in to do the Manitou Incline (hiking 2,000 feet in elevation in around a mile – 2,768 stairs).

So after we dropped Anna off Jude and I grabbed some lunch and then drove down to Manitou Springs in the Tesla. It was so much fun to drive, it was the performance model and it was the fastest car I have ever driven.

It was a gorgeous day, 68 degrees and sunny, and Jude and I had a great time on the hike. Jude made it to the top in 31:56 and I tool 46:21, the fastest time I have done.

At the top of the Manitou Incline

Halloween arrived today as a cold and cloudy day. While the kids still like Halloween they are not as super excited about it as they once were. Still, they got dressed up and did a little trick-or-treating.

Our block did another afternoon Halloween parade and we laid out the candy on the ground in our front yard (like we did last year). We were done by 6 pm and there was only a couple of trick-or-treaters that came by in the evening.

Anna competing on the balance beam

Anna competed in her first-ever gymnastics meet today. She has been building up to this all year and was super excited and somewhat nervous about it. But she did really well. She started off on the balance beam and was asked to go first by her coach. She did an almost flawless routine, better than her practices and she ended up in third place out of everyone.

Doing her floor routine

Next was her floor routine and she had another excellent performance. Jude and I had to leave after that one to take him to soccer practice. But Marcy said she did great on vault but struggled a little on bars. Overall, she did so well that she placed 4th overall and 4th on floor and vault to go with her 3rd on beam.

She has been building this up for months and we know she was nervous about it. You never know what to expect in your first competition. So it was wonderful to see her perform well, she certainly tried really hard.

After the meet with her medals

Meanwhile, Jude wrapped up his first season of JV soccer this week. He had a great first year and by the end of it, he had really come into his own in the midfield. Their last game was against East, a perennial foe and their team is really strong. While they lost the game 2-1, Jude played well and his team fought hard until the end. What was cool is that the last two games of the season were held in All City Staidum so they got a taste of what it was like playing in a real stadium.

Jude controlling a bouncing ball in his last match of the season

Getting ready to open presents on her birthday morning, with cupcakes

After what seemed like weeks of buildup Anna finally turned 13 this past week. She was beyond excited. There is something about becoming a teenager that feels like a marker, like you are leaving childhood behind. Anna certainly feels that way. She also took 36 homemade (individually wrapped) red velvet cupcakes to school that day to celebrate.

Marcy reached out to a bunch of people who have been important in Anna’s life and had them send a letter or an email with words of wisdom or encouragement. Anna loved this and read all the letters and had some tears as she did.

Singing happy birthday on the balcony with her cheesecake

Anna took off from school after lunch and Marcy took her for a special mani-pedi. That evening Anna wanted Dominos pizza for dinner and then she went off to Cheer practice and handed out more cupcakes. When she came home we invited the neighbors on to the top balcony where we sang Happy Birthday and we all enjoyed cheesecake.

Birthday drinks at the Four Seasons bar

Then this weekend Anna had three games of refereeing on Saturday morning and in the afternoon we went to the Four Seasons for a special night away. We were supposed to go to New York this weekend but with Anna’s school demanding a one-week quarantine still for every trip out of state, we nixed that idea. So, I booked a night at the Four Seasons downtown and we had a wonderful night.

Dinner on beautiful Larimer Square

After drinks at the hotel bar we went to a video game arcade then dinner on Larimer Street. Then it was back to the hotel for a hot tub and then the 8:15pm movie screening of the latest James Bond movie. We were back in our room around 11:40pm, so it was quite the night for Anna. Today, we slept in and ordered room service before checking out to catch the train home.

Anna’s pizza party with her school friends

Anna turns 13 on Thursday of this coming week but the celebrations have already begun. Today, Anna decided to have a few friends over for a pizza party and Marcy made eight individual cheesecakes as per Anna’s request.

Anna getting ready for her first game of refereeing

Yesterday, Anna had her first day of refereeing. She had three games in the morning refereeing for U9 and U10 boys. She enjoyed it and did really well. One of the parents even complimented her on doing a great job. So, she will be doing this most Saturdays until the end of the season now.

At the Broncos vs Ravens game

Today Jude and I went to the Broncos game. It was a gorgeous day so we rode our bikes down to the stadium. The Broncos were a bit outmatched by the Ravens so we did not have a win but it was fun to see Lamar Jackson in action.

Marcy and Anna at The Gold Over America Tour

Tonight Marcy and Anna went downtown to see Simone Biles and the US Olympic Gymnastics Team, along with several other accomplished gymnasts in action at The Gold Over America Tour. The show is described as a celebration of powerful female athletes that celebrates the pure joy of performing. It was just that with great music and inspiring narrative threaded throughout the show.