Sam Storm is 13 years old today, on the 13th of September! He’s grown to tall and mature. He’s kind and thoughtful, clever and considerate. He has gathered a posse of great friends and he’s excelling at school. We’re so proud of him in so many ways!
To celebrate he had friends come over to play DnD, play video games, and watch a movie. These teenagers don’t need a lot of planning or entertainment to have a good time, which is great for us parents! I couldn’t pass up decorating and getting his guests silly party favors.
Today on his real birthday Sam just relaxed and played on his new SteamOS computer with friends. He slept in and ate some favorite foods and opened a few more presents. It was a great day!
I’ve been casually shopping for a new dining set all summer. Our old Ikea table was pitted and scratched from little kid abuse, and everyone tries to steal my chair because it’s the only one with padding. It was time to upgrade!
I looked in stores and on the used marketplace and finally landed on a green chair set with cat-proof vinyl fabric.
Table shopping was trickier - we just wanted the features and size of our current table! I asked Jack if he would refinish the table for me as a paid job and he readily agreed!
Old scratchesThis kids used to dig their forks into itThe old varnished had yellowed a lot too. Jack revealed the blonde wood underneath.
He spent most of Labor Day weekend sanding off the damage, then working it down to a fine grit. I decided on a dark stain to match the chairs and stand out against the similarly colored wood floor. Jack applied two coats of stain and two coats of polycrylic topcoat. After a few more days of drying the table came back inside! He did a great job!!
Final wipe downta da!I love it!Cat approved
Scratch-free for now, but I declared that we don’t need to baby it. My philosophy is the house is meant to be used comfortably. It’s a soft pine, so it would be a losing battle anyway. In another 10 years Jack can refinish it for me again!
I tried to get out roller skating a few times this summer. I like using this outdoor hockey rink. I tried going around my neighborhood and it’s too scary on the streets and hills.
Ben and I took a day-trip date to Boulder for plants at Harlequin Gardens. Doesn’t he look smashing in his kilt? We got lunch at Zoe Ma Ma on Pearl afterward.
Later in the summer we all went to Boulder for Sam’s friend’s birthday celebration at Sushi Zanmai. Sam really liked the food!
Sam did an escape room for another friend’s birthday.
The garden has struggled with heat and water restrictions. We did our part to minimize water use, so it’s been a sad season. Lots of crispy plants and few blooms.
Nothing on my trellis but a morning gloryCats still love the catioOn little hummingbirdGreen beans are doing the best of the lotMy watering hero
Amanda and I got lunch and visited a craft store. She gifted me the most adorable watercolor book! I painted an old photo for Dad for Father’s Day and it turned out alright!
Work selfies to Ben, and some that he returns. I picked up some extra shifts at the start of summer and it felt like I was working a lot! I try to dance twice a week still too, and yoga at home on the days in between
Post-shift recovery - looks silly but it helps!Post-shift meal that Ben makes for me: avocado toast and eggs and a bookYou're working too much when you see a urinal that needs emptying across the room, but on second glance it's a water bottlePride class was poppingToo hot for shirts or pants in summer
Whoops, I didn’t take many pictures of the trips to GJ! Lots of swimming, dog petting, and chatting.
Wildfire smokeShawarma on the grill is better than at home!
More miscellaneous, especially cats. Featuring Mog and Hela, who we were cat-sitting for July.
He says the acoustics are better outsideNew lightstick for KCON!I made a Pride flower wreathDriving practiceDonated blood with Amanda for Enhypen's blood driveSam loves Tim TamsLe chefBen took the kids out to bingsooDad Dinner comes in two forms: Vintage Americanaor fancy JapaneseRude.Hunting.Rude.Two for oneTwo for oneJack got a new bed and Nimbus approvedMade a flower bow for the new lightstickMade socks with yarn from Salida
I love taking Jack to private cello lessons. The lobby is empty and I have an hour to work on projects in peace.
That almost wraps up the summer break! As you saw, the kids are back in school and thriving. I took a personal vacation to Los Angeles to attend KCON LA 2026. Lots of incoming KPOP and travel photos soon I hope, but at least I have the family stuff documented for posterity!
Ben and his dad wanted to plan a road trip to visit all four corners of Colorado. Then they decided they had already seen the SW “Four Corners,” so NW, NE, and SE three corners would suffice. Alas, they got stuck shortly after visiting the first corner! Oh no!!
Thank goodness they had cell phone reception. Ben alerted me and while they were talking to the 911 relayed policeman, I found a couple ATV groups via reddit and facebook that supposedly do rescues. Ben got a hold of one group who came hours later to pull them out. Literal cowboy heroes at 2 AM. Shout-out to “Anarchy Offroad”
Jack took on a woodworking project for the summer. He designed and built a fancy box to house his cello in his room. He learned a lot on this project! I know he had some difficulties with it that he’s not happy about, but I’m very proud of him for finishing and I think it looks fantastic!
Betty and Rick came to visit for a sunny weekend this summer. They braved the mountain bus to get here - breaking down in Frisco and getting a lift on the next Bustang en route!
They had a great time catching up with the boys. Berit came along to take the kids to the Denver Museum. We went to dinner at Red Robin, which is becoming our “usual” as a family outing. It was great to see them!
To foster in-person friendships we hosted a twice-weekly DnD session all summer. Every Tuesday morning and Friday afternoon Sam’s friends were invited to come play for a few hours. It was a total hit. We never had fewer than 2 friends visit (and in that case they played Smash Bros or went to a park) and often had 5 or 6 players.
