Anna’s school group in Beverly Hills

On Monday morning this past week Anna and I were out the door at 7:15am to drive to the airport. A bunch of seventh and eighth graders were heading to Los Angeles for the week on a school trip that has been months in the planning.

Anna and Ella at the La Brea Tar Pits

Anna was beyond excited and we were so happy for her to go. There were a few last minute covid cases in her school which meant some people missed out but Anna stayed covid-free thank goodness. It was great for Anna to experience something that seems close to normal.

Sitting on the Friends couch at Warner Brothers studio

They had an action-packed five days in LA. They went to the Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood Boulevard, the Chinese Theater, Universal Studios, a Dodgers game, J Paul Getty Museum, Warner Brothers and more.

At the J Paul Getty Museum

Anna said it was over so quickly and she was sad to leave. She had a wonderful time with her friends and it seems the whole group got along really well.

Anna and her roommates Ella and Chloe on their last morning

We picked Anna up at the airport around 8pm on Friday night and she was in great spirits and not even that tired. She was right back to refereeing on Saturday but it was a low key rest of the day

Today, of course, was Mother’s Day. Marcy wanted to focus on the yard and so we went to the gardening store and Home Depot. We bought lots of plants for the yard and we even found the perfect fountain. We have talking about getting one for years, today was the day. It was super heavy but the four of us managed to get it from the car to its spot in the backyard.

Celebrating Mother’s Day with our new fountain

Jude passes the ball

Both Jude and Anna are enjoying their soccer. Jude got moved up to the Burgundy team on the Rapids and he is more than holding his own. This weekend his team had their second victory in a row and he is loving it. On the drive home (he was driving) he kept commenting what a great game it was. They were two evenly matched teams but Jude’s team took advantage of the best chance and won 1-0. And Jude had his best game of the season.

Anna is playing for her school team. She is one of the strongest players on the team and was responsible for three assists in their latest victory and she scored a goal in their previous win. The most important thing is that Anna loves it and one of her favorite teachers is the coach.

Today, we had a quiet day at home. Jude and I watched Arsenal win their third game in a row this morning. Then this afternoon we did some gardening, getting rid of all the dandelions in the front yard. Marcy was a machine this weekend getting both the front and backyards ready for spring.

Pickles rolling in the dirt

After starting to doubt whether we would ever see Pickles again we had a lucky break on Tuesday. One of our neighbors said she thought she saw a cat in a house across the street getting ready to be scraped.

I happened to be working from home that day so we went over and the house was unlocked. After a bit of searching, we found Pickles in a bedroom under a huge pile of junk. She seemed totally fine after three days without food or water but the first thing she did when she got home was go straight to her food bowl. We were all so happy to have her back.

Jude was happy to see Pickles again

It was a quiet weekend. Jude had a soccer game on Saturday morning but that was the only commitment we had all weekend. So, I organized flights for the kids’ summer camps (that was quite the process) and Marcy helped Anna clear out her closet.

I also sold my car this week. It was super easy. I set a higher price than was recommended but still sold my old Mazda for just a little under the asking price within three days. It had been a solid car for us for almost eight years but now I love my new Tesla (as does Marcy).

Anna, making sure Olive got some love this week

Pickles sitting in Marcy’s lap this week

Today was not a great Easter for us. Our cat Pickles went out around 6pm last night like she does all the time, but this time she never came back. It is now over 24 hours later and we have searched everywhere for her. We are still hoping she returns but are fearing the worst. She has never been away this long before, she always comes back during the day.

A basket of goodies on Easter morning

We still managed to celebrate Easter. This year was the first year we have not done an Easter Egg hunt as the kids are both teenagers now but Marcy put together a beautiful basket of Easter goodies.

A delicious Easter dinner

For Easter dinner, we bought a delicious ham that we enjoyed with artichokes, green beans, and my fresh-baked bread. Then Marcy had a fantastic strawberry shortcake dessert that was to die for.

Jude and I are the same height

Jude has been on a growth spurt in the past year. At Easter last year he was barely as tall as Marcy (just under 5’4″) and now he is the same height as me. That is a solid 5″ in one year. He will blow past me now and continue growing I expect, he might even make it to 6 feet the way he is going.

This weekend Jude has been feeling under the weather, although he had a negative covid test this evening, which is good. But he has been blowing his nose every five minutes it seems. He refereed four games (as an assistant referee for three of them) yesterday even though he was not feeling well. He probably should have bailed but he was feeling ok so he soldiered on.

Both Jude and Anna are refereeing games most weekends now. Anna did three yesterday and then six the weekend before. The money is good but you do have to deal with some abuse from parents.

Singing happy birthday at home with homemade cheesecake!

It was my birthday on Thursday and it also happened to be Spring Break for both kids. So, I took the day off and we went skiing in Keystone for the day. It was a beautiful warm and sunny day, perfect for spring skiing. We made it home in time for a sushi dinner and Marcy’s delicious cheesecake for my birthday cake. Then it was off to take Anna to cheerleading practice.

At the top of the back bowls at Vail

On Friday night we drove up to Vail. I booked two nights at The Hythe (a Marriott hotel) six months ago with points. It is a beautiful hotel about a five-minute walk from the Lionshead ski base. Saturday was another glorious sunny day and we were hot most of the day. The snow was great although the back bowls were a bit too heavy to be enjoyable. The bumps were soft so we made the most of it. With 14 runs and almost 20,000 vertical feet, it was my biggest ski day in a couple of years.

Olive loves to be on the trail and in the snow

Marcy didn’t want to join us skiing so she took Olive on a hike which they both loved.

A delicious birthday dinner at Montauk Grille

After some time in the hot tub, it was out to a fancy seafood place for dinner. It didn’t disappoint, one of the best meals I have had in years. Jude had his first experience of cracking crab legs and he was a fan.

Today, we slept in and then went for a wander around Vail. After some time in the pool and hot tub we drove home via lunch at Chimayo, Jude’s favorite place.

Anna has rearranged her bedroom as the basement work is almost done

My new pride and joy, a Tesla Model 3

On Friday afternoon I picked up my new car. I have been wanting to get a Tesla for many years and now with the business more stable, I decided it was time. I ordered my Model 3 in mid-January and about eight weeks later it was ready for pickup. I absolutely love it, it is the best car I have ever owned. I love the speed, handling, and all the cool tech that it comes with but most of all I love that it is electric and we can use the sun to power my car.

During their performance at the National Western Complex

Anna had her third and last cheerleading competition on Saturday and once again her team did great. They won their division for a perfect 3-0 record on the season. Now, there are just a few practices left and then Anna has decided she wants to try out for the Elite team, tryouts begin in March.

Getting ready for the winner’s announcement

Jude started his soccer season with the Rapids on Saturday. We were up bright and early as he had to be there by 8 am for the 9 am kickoff. It was a cold morning and the team did ok but ended up losing 2-0. Jude was not that happy with his performance but I think he played quite well for the first game of the season.

Jude getting ready to drive on the icy Denver streets at night

Jude has come a long way in his driving in the last two weeks. Two weeks ago he was nervous to go the four blocks to his school and back. But this week he drove back from soccer practice, a 25-minute drive that takes you on the freeway. He had another long freeway drive with Marcy coming back from the passport interview, and that was in rush hour.

Then this weekend we had a few inches of snow and on Sunday afternoon the roads turned icy. So, I took Jude out to practice driving in snow. Again, he handled everything smoothly and with confidence. He drove back from dinner when it was dark as well as icy, it was only five blocks so it was a good test. He now understands how ABS brakes work.

Anna had a busy weekend of social events. On Friday night she went to a bar mitzvah for a school friend. On Saturday morning it was the bat mitzvah for his twin sister. It was a crappy day weather-wise so we went to the mall in the afternoon to buy myself a new suit. Today, the weather was really lousy but Anna still had her cheerleading practice and then another party for a school friend in the evening.

Jude and I skiing in Keystone at the top of the Outback

Last weekend Jude and I went skiing in Keystone. It was a beautiful day, albeit a little cold.

Jude showing off his drivers permit

This week Jude and I went to the DMV bright and early so he could take the test for his permit. He did great, scoring 22 out of 25 (the passing grade was 20). He had taken an online drivers ed course so he was confident going into the test. So, now he can legally drive (with an adult present) so we took a drive both days this weekend.

The Flurry Cats doing their routine

On Saturday Anna had another Cheer competition, this time at the Convention Center in Downtown Denver. The Flurry Cats did great and they won again and this time they received the highest score overall as well. Anna was over the moon.

Celebrating their victory

Anna had her last school basketball game this week and they ended with a win. She had a really good time and it was great to see her tackle a new sport. Now, she is looking forward to the girl’s soccer season which starts in a couple of weeks.

Rick’s girls basketball team with Coach Kevin after their final game

Last week we forgot to mention that Anna now has braces. If all goes well she will have them on for just nine months. She doesn’t seem too bothered by them so far.

Coming back from the orthodontist with her new braces

I got to drive a new Ferrari in Miami

Last Sunday I flew to Miami for a work event. I have to say it was so nice to be in the warm weather and right by the ocean. I had full days of work but I was able to sneak out to the beach twice. And then one evening before dinner I got to drive a Ferrari. Our company had hired two Lamborghinis and a Ferrari for our attendees to drive (a nice little perk) and when everyone was done I was able to take a turn. It was so much fun to drive, raw power and it handled so well, it was like the tires were glued to the road when going around corners.

Playing in the snow after a storm

We keep getting snow in Denver about once a week. We had a good 4-5 inches on Friday afternoon which made for some good playtime in the snow.

We celebrated Denise’s birthday at our Superbowl party

Tonight was our annual Superbowl party. It was great to be back with everyone after skipping last year because of covid. It was a really fun night and a great game. It also happened to be Denise’s birthday so we all had cake…as well as Marcy’s famous brownies.

Olive is a happy camper when it snows

It was a pretty quiet week on the home front. We had two snowstorms, only 3-4 inches each so no snow days for the kids which disappointed them.

This weekend we did work around the house. We cleaned out some of the things in our garage, Marcy was very active on Nextdoor selling things and giving some away. And we did a couple of donation trips as well.

Anna played with the neighbor kids today, Jude and I went for a run and watched some of the football and that was about the extent of our excitement this weekend.