Jack's music teacher put together a video of his students performing for a virtual recital. Enjoy the video below (skip to 7:08 if you only want to watch Jack :-)

We had a traditional, quiet Christmas Eve at home.

Jack and Sam put together this duet. They felt like this wasn't their best performance, but the second take had a mistake, and then Sam was out of patience to film again. But I think they did great!

Here's a video of Sam discovering the power of the RC car.

We were planning to visit GJ, but there was a blizzard with high winds and the covid case numbers are out of control. So we celebrated Ben's 41st birthday quietly at home.

We opened presents and video called our family. We played a board game together. He had sushi for dinner and we watched an anime. He requested I make the same Italian Cream cake as last year. Perhaps underwhelming as birthdays go, but he said he had a good day.

I have Raynaud's disease. When we learned about it in nursing school in 2009, I suspected that I might be in the early stages. My hands would get cold and pale from time to time. By 2016 my hands looked like classic Raynaud's, and my PCP officially diagnosed me based on this picture:

She ran some tests to see if there was an autoimmune origin, but they all came back negative. She said the only treatment is blood pressure medication, but if it didn't bother me much, then just try to stay warm.

So that's what I've been doing. It's gotten worse as I get older. I have assorted microwave rice packs, heated blankets, special gloves, and all sorts of other aids to try to prevent cold attacks. Some situations almost always cause an attack - the grocery store frozen aisles, an icy Diet Coke with a cold turkey sub (my favorite lunch), driving in the car in winter, and vacuuming in the evening. But they occur other times too, with no apparent cause.

My blood pressure already runs on the low side of normal, so we were hesitant to try BP meds. We tried sildenafil (Viagra) prn last year and I thought it might have helped, but it didn't seem to make a big difference.

This year the attacks were especially intense and frequent. I don't know if my recent weight loss affected them, or if general aging is to blame (I will hit the big 40 next month). I was spending an unreasonable amount of time managing my cold hands, trying to coax blood return while strapped to electric hand warmers and being buried under blankets.

I decided it was time to try the calcium channel blocker. I wanted good data so I would clearly know if it was helping. I started tracking my attacks in December before calling my PCP for a prescription. She started me on a half dose of amlodipine. After a week I was seeing such good results, I asked her to let me have a full dose. Look at this chart!

The attacks are milder, shorter, and less frequent. There were a couple times this week that I thrust my hands at Ben and bragged "Feel them! They're kind of warm!" Icy fingers are my normal state. Warm hands felt so bizarre!

I've been tracking my blood pressure too and haven't seen any big change. It still ranges 92-105 systolic. I only have to be careful about standing up quickly. There have been a few woozy times, but no actual fainting.

This is amazing. I hope it continues to work. I hope I can take a med break from medicating in summer, when the attacks lessen naturally. I wonder if the Raynaud's reaction is partly psychological, and if I can train my body to stop overreacting to cold/vibrations in certain situations while on the med. That would be awesome. For now, I'm just happy that I'm not spending 75% of my day with my hands stuck under a heater anymore. Science and medicine!

Ben and I wanted to do something special for the kids for Christmas. They’ve been cooped up for months on end, turning down invitations from friends, staying sheltered at home. They finally got their vaccines and we wanted to celebrate their success in staying healthy through the pandemic to that point.

Jack was very excited for the latest Spider-Man movie, but resigned to the wait for streaming. For Christmas we came up with a way to take them to the theater with minimal risk.

We picked a matinee, weekday showtime, hoping it wouldn’t be a full theater. Then we bought our tickets in the last row so no one could sit behind us. Then we bought the seats to the side and in front, to guarantee some distance between us and other guests. It worked!

The kids were so excited when they opened the envelope of tickets and we explained the plan. They had a great time at the movie.

We made them keep their masks on, so no snacks or drinks. Don’t worry, we pre-tipped our server generously and told him to get lost ;-) We treated the kids to Culver’s burgers and shakes on the way home to make up for missing the full Alamo experience.

Jack said it was the best movie ever. There were so many surprises. I don’t think we could have made it to streaming release in February without spoiling a lot of it. I worried Sam was too young, but he loved it too.

It was a very merry celebration!

What an amazing day! I've been fantasizing about doing this for months. I can't believe it happened! I'm on such a high. I wish the night never ended!

These kind boys took a video of us:

And they took a picture too:

I'm on Hongjoong's shoulder! AAAAAAA!

ATEEZ PRESENT!

It's going to take me a while to gather photos and write up the Los Angeles trip. So I need to share this video right away. I found it on my phone and it turned out so great despite my erratic camerawork. It's hard to let loose with dance while filming. Wave is one of my favorite Ateez songs and there's so much joy in this video!

What a great night!!

On Saturday January 29 Sam was baptized. We got permission to have a very small program with only family, the Bishop, and the primary president. Everyone participated in music or speaking. It was short and sweet and memorable (we made the water too warm, and Sam’s clean pants to change into afterward accidentally got soaking wet - whoops!).

Our bishop also allowed us to have Jack ordained to the priesthood during the program.

I’m so glad everyone came together and we were able to accomplish these ordinances.

My (current) favorite kpop groups are Seventeen and Ateez. In November, Ateez announced that they would resume their world tour that was postponed in 2020, including the US. This would be one of the first kpop tours to comeback since the pandemic started. Most fans held on to their 2020 tickets and could use them now. The tour was sold out, but there were plenty of seats on the after-market, either from people who could not attend the new dates, or scalpers. I seriously considered buying a ticket, was tracking prices, and nearly bought a couple of times when I saw them for less than $450. But I was nervous that the tour would be canceled due to covid rates surging, or the group would get sick and cancel, or I would get sick and not be able to attend. With a reseller ticket, I would have no refund option. Nevertheless, I found myself daydreaming of a California getaway, a quick trip to take a break from it all and dance my heart out with my favorite idol group.

Omicron cases continued to soar through December. So I was very surprised when they announced that, due to overwhelming demand, they would be adding an extra day to the tour. A new date in Los Angeles! The closest and safest venue, and with an original ticket that would have cancelation protection! I couldn't believe it. I had to try.

If only I had a friend to go with me. Ben assured me that he was NOT interested, plus getting childcare would be very difficult if he came too. I have no friends who like kpop. But . . . I have adventurous siblings. On a whim, I texted Amanda and Andy:

(Spoiler: the yarn shop was closed during our trip.) (Yes, those are all Ateez gifs.)

I was so hyped. I even took a selfie, since I happened to be wearing my homemade Ateez sweatshirt that night.

A while later, after working on details and, sadly, cancelling our plans to meet-up for Christmas, we gathered by phone to try to get good seats. Andy got through the Ticketmaster queue first and scored excellent seats right where I wanted - front row of the first raised tier! Woot! And for a much more reasonable price than resale, $128 after fees/tax. Flights and hotel were quickly settled. My excitement grew and grew.

For the next month I sent Andy and Amanda educational emails about Ateez. It was fun for me to write up these letters about why I love this band so much. I also gave updates on the tour progress. Our concert was going to be the last night of the tour. I was so sure that it would be canceled. The letters were a way for me to exercise my excitement and follow the tour events. I hope they helped Amanda and Andy know what they were getting into too :-)

If any of my readers care to educate themselves too, I copied all my emails to a document and shared it here.

On Sunday morning, Amanda, Andy, and I embarked on our first trip ever for just the three of us siblings. Unbelievable, right? We smoothly parked in Amanda's secret DIA garage area and breezed through security. I enjoyed some knitting and podcasts on the plane, and had a great view of the snowy Colorado peaks and the Grand Canyon. After a short flight, palm trees marked our arrival to beautiful California!

We stayed at the LAX/Century Blvd Marriott just a couple minutes from the airport. After unloading in our rooms, we met downstairs for an Uber to Santa Monica. We arrived just in time to watch a beautiful sunset from the beach cliffs.

Most of the shops were closing soon, but we popped into a few for fun. Andy really enjoyed seeing the architecture. We each found some yummy food to take back to our hotel rooms for dinner. I couldn't wait, and got a jump start on my japchae bowl from Bibibop while waiting for taiyaki. The taiyaki from Somisomi were delicious too, and I wish I had more room to eat them all! My favorite filling was the seasonal special hotteok made with brown sugar and nuts.

Back at the hotel, we bid each other goodnight to rest and eat. I, of course, caught up on new kpop videos posted that day. Here's the choreo I was watching - part of the setlist for the concert, and some of this crew toured as back-up dancers for our show.

I also stayed up watching twitter updates on the concert happening that night. Even at this point, I wasn't sure the concert was really going to happen for us. I was alarmed to read that one of the members who felt ill earlier in the day and missed a fansign, left the stage mid-show. Eventually the twitter users let us know that he had hurt his ankle and would sit out the rest of that show. Phew. I was worried it was contagious illness that would cancel our show. Just a minor injury that needed rest. Indeed, he was back for our night. We got all 8 members and the injured one only sat out one number towards the end.

The next morning I recounted the ankle drama to Amanda and Andy while we waited for our ride to Korea Town. The area was sort of far from our hotel, but they were game for exploring a new area and soaking in the K-pop vibes. It was exciting for me to see hangul all over. My brain was so distracted trying to translate everything as we walked around. Andy was excited by all the architecture in the neighborhood. Amanda delighted in the cultural change and bought some Korean snacks for her students.

Our first stop was Madang Plaza. Daiso is a fun Japanese home goods store. I got some face masks other toiletries at the cosmetic shop. There was an actual kpop store. I was so curious about these. They have so many albums in stock and most of the lightsticks too. So many posters and stuffed toys and other weird kpop merchandise. Not much apparel though, the only thing I would be interested in buying. They were out of Ateez enamel pins, so I purchased one for Seventeen. There was a Paris Baguette Cafe and a Korean Hot Dog stand. I wish I could have sampled those, but I was saving my appetite for a particular lunch.

We walked a few blocks north for lunch and found some interesting sites along the way. Andy learned about this strange tarot reading cafe called Cafe Jack. The owner is obsessed with Titanic and built a collection of nautical items to theme the place. Too bad it was closed. We had to make do with peeping over the fence.

I was absolutely delighted to find this bulletin for calligraphy club. It's actually a secret ad for Ateez! The QR code takes you to The Real music video. I saw pictures of these in posted in Chicago too. I'm not sure if they are official marketing. Knowing how to labels operate and how the fans self-promote, I'm leaning towards it being a fan creation.

On to lunch! I had set my eyes on Monty's Good Burgers. They have great reviews despite being a vegan restaurant. Lactose-free cheeseburger and shake? Yes please!

We took our food down the road toward a "park" on the map, which really was a courtyard in front of some buildings. At least it was away from traffic and had a spot to sit. The food was delicious! I ooo-ed and mmm-ed so much about my shake, saying it was the best I've had in years. Amanda tried a sample and informed me that my taste must be ruined, because the shake was very oat-y and had the wrong mouthfeel. That may be true, but for vegan ice cream it gets top marks! It was worth the white, numb fingers that it gave me.

We continued east toward another mini-mall to see another kpop store. Along the way we admired so many interesting buildings. Andy hunted down the former Brown Derby restaurant. I heard Ateez's song Deja Vu playing in one of the restaurants that we passed and excitedly pointed it out to my sibs. This was so wild, to see and hear all these things associated with a music scene that I have only experienced online. In Colorado, it's hard for me to find someone who likes even BTS, let alone any of these other groups that I enjoy. Here in K-town, there are posters, stores, murals, and songs playing on the radio!

We arrived at the shopping mall and ascended to the kpop store. They happened to be playing an Ateez song at that moment, ha! In the video I'm saying "This is the closing song on the show" (Turbulence).

The store had some different merch, but again, nothing I was interested in. Like the first store, they were sold out of Ateez enamel pins. It was fun to browse anyway, and they played some other new songs that I enjoy, such as Maverick by The Boyz and Feelin' Like by Pentagon.

We explored H Mart and Amanda got candies for her students. We decided it was time to call a car to go back to the hotel. We needed to rest up for the big night!

On the way back we caught a glimpse of the Hollywood sign.

Back at the hotel we rested our feet, had some snacks, and changed into our concert clothes. This is real, this is happening, I couldn't believe it! There were so many ways for this trip to go wrong and the show be canceled. Can you blame me for having crazy eyes?

and tippy taps waiting for the car!

Having heard horror stories about merch and security lines, we arrived early. We had no problems though, so we passed the time admiring the crowd's attire and taking pictures of the venue. I bought a hoodie and an enamel pin.

Once inside, we got some refreshments and settled into our seats. They showed music videos for the pre-show. The fan behind me, who had driven down from SF, told me this is pretty standard for Kpop. We both wished that they showed all the videos and in chronological order, instead of a limited random assortment on loop.

Nope, regular diet Pepsi. Just caffeine and good vibes.

I wasn't the only one getting super hyped as the time drew near.

Finally, it was time! What a banging way to start the show: the dramatic reveal from silhouettes to live performance of their biggest hit, Wonderland. Yeah, I was screaming too.

My camerawork is crazy for the whole show. I was more interested in watching and dancing and enjoying rather than getting good footage. There's a wealth of fancams from that night if you are actually interested in watching some. I'll embed one fancam of the opening number, to give you a better sense of what it was like in person. Sorry if this eventually gets taken down for copyright.

Overall? Amazing.

Great setlist. They performed 27 songs (setlist at the end of this review). Yes, I wish they had included Horizon, Illusion, Twilight, Fever, and the Black Cat Nero. But they did all their big hits, the newest songs, and some that have never been performed on other stages with choreography.

The venue was interesting. It felt intimate despite its size. They had all the effects I had hoped for - lights, lasers, sparks, flames, glitter, bubbles, and confetti cannons.

As I expected, they were excellent performers. Boundless energy, live vocals, and many dramatic looks served. There were deliciously over-the-top theatrical moments, such as Seonghwa's sword in Wonderland, the masquerade puppet-dancing intro to Inception, and San's blindfolded mirror dance for Take Me Home.

The "ment" talking sections were boring to me, but surely a necessary rest for the performers. The fans love the ments for the jokes and flirting. Meanwhile, I took those moments to sit down, take pictures, and yell "Dance more!" at the stage.

The crowd energy was really something. Lightsticks are a fantastic way to participate and communicate with performers. Sometimes they synchronize lightsticks with the music, so the sea of lights become a part of the show. I never figured out if it was a choice not to do it on this tour, or if the venues here are not equipped for it.

Even without the synchronization, it was beautiful to watch and I'm sure the performers appreciate seeing the enthusiasm through the thumping lights. If you are wondering, they cost about $30 in Korea, but to get them in the US you have to pay import fees. I ordered mine direct for $65 after shipping/taxes/fees. They were for sale at the kpop stores and the concert merch booths for $75.

The crowd was great. Mostly women in their 20s, but definitely a range of ages and genders. There was at least one child we spotted grooving below us, and I later heard about this 89 year old fan at our show. The fans were polite and organized and helpful to each other. They passed out mini-posters for everyone to hold up for one of the closing ballads. It's common for fans to bring dozens of "freebies," trinkets like bracelets and pins that they make to give away.

Here's some footage Andy took showing the crowd, including the cute child, some of the Fireworks performance, and me shaking my lightstick like a dork.

Toward the end of the show my eyes were watching the crowd and I noticed this set of focused boys who were not cheering like the other fans. I had heard that rookie group, Blitzers, was here to see the show before starting their own US tour. I think I spotted them!

Later I confirmed with other reports that this studious group was Blitzers. The next day they posted an official video about greeting Ateez backstage. They're pretty good, btw. Their Breathe Again dance practice video was already on my saved list of favorite choreo.

The photographer took the group picture and Ateez performed their final encores. It was time to say goodnight.

The whole concert passed in a whirlwind of light. It felt like 30 minutes, not 3 hours. I could have stayed and danced all night. Good thing my siblings were there to drag my butt out of the hall and back to the hotel.

I love Amanda and Andy so much and I'm so glad they shared this night with me. They assured me that it was very interesting and enjoyable for them too.

The next morning I donned my tour hoodie and put on more music while packing up. I couldn't leave without taking advantage of this large mirror to practice the Wave choreo!

By some amazing luck, our flight was mostly empty. We each got a row to ourselves to spread out and relax.

I felt so selfish going on this trip. For two years I've said no to most everything. We've been so careful and so sheltered. This trip was liberating on so many levels. Great to do something fun and adventurous. Great to travel. Great to spend time with Andy and Amanda. Great to see a concert. Great to get nerdy about my love for pop music dance. I'm so happy that I decided to indulge for once.

Like I said, so many things could have gone wrong. We or the group could have gotten sick and had to cancel. The European leg of their tour was postponed in January, so I was checking every day to hear if ours was canceled too. Then there's the Colorado weather to maneuver. We had a big snow storm two days prior to the trip, and another one waiting for us the afternoon we came back. Either of those could have messed up the trip.

Instead everything was perfect. The only sad part was it coming to an end.

PS: I tested daily for 8 days after coming home, all negative for covid! Hooray for vaccines and masks!

This month I turned forty years old. Ugh. I thought I was ready, but it was hard. I’m still not happy about it.

I probably should have planned for a big celebration to offset the emotional toll that comes with this particular milestone. Alas, I had a plain but pleasant birthday.

On Saturday I went to a morning dance class. For lunch Ben and I tried Meta Burger. The oat milk shake was ok, and the fries were good, but the vegan burger gets a big thumbs down. Ben thought the brioche bun was great at least.

I went shopping at Flatirons for some new clothes that fit. I found a couple pieces, and some more things the next week at other stores. It’s hardly worth shopping in real stores anymore - they don’t stock all their sizes and colors so you end up ordering online anyway! I was able to try things on and figure out my size at least.

I got tacos for the family on the way home and Ben picked up Thai food for my dinner Sunday night.

Sunday, my actual birthday, was quiet and nice. The boys got me flowers and made a banner. I had a lot of great presents to open. Family and friends called to wish me a happy day. I played loud music in the kitchen and baked myself a carrot cake.

I had my fav Thai pumpkin curry for dinner while we watched the first half of Thor Ragnarok.

After dinner we played our family campaign of the Cuphead card game. Then they served me the carrot cake and sang the classic song.

I had a great 39th year. I hope to keep the good vibes growing in my 40s.

Our cats loved the enclosed patio we built for them in July 2019. I spent a lot of time reinforcing and repairing the structure over the last few years. Sadly, the materials could not survive the sun, wind, and snow. Freddy also became more aggressive in his attempts to escape, with occasional success! He kept tearing at weak points and I couldn't trust them. Last fall, with supporting zip ties now brittle from UV light, one of the ledges broke and collapsed. I closed the catio and made plans to built a stronger model in the spring.

Spring break came and it was time to commit. I made some blueprints and ordered wood and hardware. I don't know what I'm doing! My plans had many problems I didn't anticipate. I have little experience in carpentry, so the first day was a slog.

I quickly decided the 2x4s were too heavy and thicker than I needed. I wanted to split them myself, but we only have handsaws and a jigsaw. Luckily Ben has a co-worker with a well stocked woodshop. I whipped up some lemon poppyseed muffins to send along with my trimmed pieces that required splitting.

My second mistake was thinking that nails are useful. I tried to have the kids help me nail together the box frame. We got frustrated with each other, having trouble holding the large (and still heavy) beams in place. No matter how well we placed and augments a joint with nails, it slipped apart easily. Ugh! Ben helped me again later, and we gave up on nails. I bought a box of screws and we were in a whole new game. Dang it, I wish I hadn't bungled around with nails for a half day.

So here's my progress picture after a long day of struggling.

The next two days were fun and fruitful. I figured out how to build a "docking tunnel" that connects the pet door to the enclosed box. Initially I wanted the box entirely closed with chicken wire and attached to the house door too. But the catio was so heavy, we think it's ok to leave the bottom open, and the tunnel wedged close to the door.

Time to release the kitties!

So far it seems secure and solid. The tunnel hasn't budged from the door portal and I don't see any new gaps. Before attaching the wire, we took a sample clipping and pushed it on Freddy's head. I figured he could get neck deep, but it won't go over his shoulders. Sure enough, one morning this week I noticed Freddy was naked. On a hunch I looked outside and found his collar, outside the catio borders. I think he pushed his head through and it came off when he pulled back in. I'll keep an eye on him, but I'm not too worried. I hope he learned his lesson.

(He also sneaked into the clothes dryer this week. When I shut the door to fluff for a few minutes, I heard clunking. It was only 2-3 rotations. Freddy hopped out when I reached in, looking healthy and mad. So that's TWO lessons Freddy needs to learn.)

Freddy definitely spends more time outside thank NImbus. He's the first out in the morning. He favors the top shelf for sleeping. I'm glad we had this stretch of warm weather to complete the build. But spring snow and chill returned. Freddy doggedly asks to go outside anyway. I think when the sun comes back it'll be Nimbus more often.

Still my two favorite hobbies, branching into new forms.

Friday night I put in some hours machine knitting. It takes just as much math and hands-on concentration as hand-knitting does. I'm still learning techniques for this craft. This is my first time doing intarsia on the machine. I'll tell you more about the project when I finish it. You can see I get a groove going with the basic stockinette. Then when I switch to the colorwork, I get very slow and cautious!

Post-omicron wave, I'm back to once-a-week trips to this great studio in Boulder, Alchemy of Movement. Before last year I'd never take a hip-hop/pop/jazz class. Ever. Crazy! They are so fun. I always loved the Zumba routines that were more hip-hop style.

I usually pick one of Alchemy's dance fitness classes, Werq or Hyped AF. Like Zumba, they are 60 min of non-stop dancing, each song a basic pattern you learn as you go. But these are hip-hop and jazz instead of latin dance-inspired.

This video is from a different class, Party Hip-Hop, where Ayla teaches a short choreographed routine. While I prefer dance fitness classes, learning choreo can be fun too. Today was the second time I've taken this class. After reviewing the video I can see that I am still a stiff ballerina! I thought I doing ok with the style, but man, I could really loosen up. Chalk it up to my formal training and my arthritic joints!

Some days are a bummer. Yesterday I got rear-ended; my first car accident since getting my license at age 16. It was a very small bump. Jack and I were coming home from getting him a PCR test for the fever/sore throat he brought back from Outdoor Lab (it came back negative btw). No injuries to us or the other guy, and the cars look fine (yes, I have an inspection scheduled just in case). But it shakes you up, right?

So I was very glad that I had a couple small indulgences tucked away today.

I took an extra dance class in Boulder and had a ton of fun.

I’ve started a delicious habit of bringing home a sandwich from Daikon after morning classes.

Right now, Ben has the boys at piano lessons. So I get the house to myself for 45 minutes of quiet solitude!

A little treat from the Korean bakery that I picked up yesterday:

Enjoyed while watching some dance, of course - Ateez present!

Joshua, The8, Woozi, and Mingyu are whispering "Darling you hoo hoo, you better take a third dose of lactase."

I'm definitely feeling a little calmer now.

We took a quick visit to Grand Junction for the kids' spring break. Jack had a cold, so we all made sure to take rapid tests and have him mask up until his nose stopped running.

I enjoyed the time with my family, and even snuck in a quick zumba class at the local gym. Andy and I made some good progress on a puzzle, which is the most important thing ;-)

I realized I have several photos on my phone that I meant to share. So here's a big dump of what's been going on at our house!

Kid Shenanigans:

Jack's school posted pictures from their week at Outdoor Lab on this google site.

Cat Shenanigans:

My things:

Not pictured - going to see Doctor Strange this weekend. Amanda took Jack to see it the same morning and I totally regret it - it was a straight-up horror movie! I didn't think they would let Sam Raimi go that deep. Jack is happy he saw it, despite feeling worse and worse as the day went on (he brought home a cold from Outdoor Lab. Several kids came back with covid, but Jack has had daily negative rapid tests since then and his PCR on day 4 came back negative too). Ben and I loved the movie. I wish we could have eaten dinner there too. Sigh, someday we'll do a classic Marvel/Alamo combo again.

*Ben came with me to watch a k-pop concert movie Seventeen: The Power of Love. Now, the movie wasn't anything weird. Normal performances and interview clips. But the theater didn't have the subtitled version, so I had to use my weak Korean skills to figure out what they were saying. I was pleased to understand the gist most of the time! But the really weird part is that we saw it in 4DX at the Regal in Denver Pavilions. It's a Korean movie tech usually used with action movies, like in this trailer. But for our movie, the chairs were violently dancing in sync with the choreography. It was utterly bizarre. Tiring too! I was relieved every interview portion to take a break from gripping the armrests. I know the choreo really well, and I could tell someone put a lot of effort into replicating the movies through vibrations, rotations, tilts, and mechanical prodding. But. . . why? It was so distracting and odd. There were floral scents, mist, strobe lights, and bubbles too. It was the strangest thing I've done in a long time.

Last week I went to my second k-pop concert - P1Harmony! I'm not a big fan of them (or, I'm not a "P1ece"). But I knew their latest title track and they are good dancers. Most importantly, they were coming to Denver!

They are a newish group, formed in 2020. They are total babies - three are 20 years old and the others are 18, 17, and 16. Weird, but very talented. The youngest one actually impressed me with his rapping. Overall they were immature in their stage banter and the show was obviously lower budget than the other groups I like.

Their fans were just as fierce as the fans were at the Ateez show. My favorite performance of the night was "Scared."

Here's an HD steady cam version from Music Bank last year.

I didn't realize that my ticket level came with some perks - a fan engagement "Hello Session," and "Tangible Benefits" including a signed poster, random tour exclusive photocard, and Denver specific slogan sign to "cheer up the members" during the encore.

I didn't actually care to see the boys in the Hello Session. It seems weird being so much older than them and not a true fan. But I was curious how these things work, in case another group comes through I want to know if it's "worth it." I had read about these post-concert meetings and knew I would basically be ushered quickly by them behind a partition as I exited the theater. I know some fans hold up signs and I decided to try it:

Translation: Awesome show! From this American Mom.

(I dunno, maybe that made it more awkward. It was the best I could come up with in a pinch.)

I ended up waiting FOREVER for the Hello Session. Thumbs down. The show started on time at 7:30 and went until a little after 9. They announced we should wait for further instructions. It kept looking like it was about to start, but the lining up was actually for a higher level perk - a small group photo with the members. So I kept waiting, because surely that would be done soon. After many more lines were formed and shuffled, the real line finally started moving at 10:35. Because my seat was technically in the ADA section they had my group go last. I was literally the last person in the theater to leave at about 10:45. Don't they know how old I am? This is way past my bedtime! But seriously, not worth the wait if I ever get this perk on a non-favorite group. Even a favorite group I might skip out.

Anyway, here's my video. I started taping early because I heard they rush you so fast that many people failed to get cameras out in time. At 0:32 you can see my "engagement" with the group.

Ben very very kindly was my ride to and from the theater. Poor guy was circling for almost two hours waiting for me to come out. I'm so grateful that he did that. It was much less stressful than if I had to deal with downtown parking and traffic.

I had a fun time, for sure. It was a great mental break from a stressful week. I wish I had a local friend who would have come with me. I learned that concerts are not as fun alone. I hope my next one is great. (Fingers crossed, manifesting Seventeen tickets! Wish me luck!)

Link to original photo.

I mentioned the musical briefly earlier, but I wanted to post just a little more.

It was such a joy to make and teach dance again this year! In 2020 we were working on Rock of Ages before everything shut down and the performances were canceled. 2021 there was no show. This year Amanda and Becca invited me to return to work with them on Bye Bye Birdie.

It's a lot of work for little pay, but so much fun. I love to teach kids to dance. I love working with Amanda and Becca. I love coming to class and hearing "It's Ms. Mason! Hi Ms. Mason!!" over and over. The kids are so excited to see me and I try to return their energy.

This year the kids did pretty good with dancing. I probably made the choreo too difficult, like usual, and I need to remember to scale back. I always wish I had more rehearsal time (and a mirrored studio)!

Here's some in-action pics that a parent took during dress rehearsal:

And here are two songs I thought turned out the best:

Jack turned 12 years old this year, and he is looking every bit his age! He's become a sweet, gangly, smart kid. He's made many new friends this year and grown so much with his middle school experience.

He agreed that a low-key party sounded fun this year. He had two friends over for the afternoon to play video games, watch cartoons, and eat pizza. That may not sound very exciting, but I think it's the first time he's had a friend over since his outdoor party last year. Everyone took a covid test in the morning, so they could relax mask-free together.

He asked for the same cake as last year - chocolate with strawberry frosting :-)

Our amazing kid was honored at the 6th Grade Awards Ceremony. He was invited up a few times: for Chamber Orchestra, for maintaining a 4.0 GPA all year, and for the Drake Award of Excellence.

In this video his homeroom teacher explains why he was chosen for this award. My heart glows when I hear the cheers from his friends and peers as his name is called. I'm so proud that my son is recognized for his kindness and integrity.

The boys and I drove to grand junction.  We had an uneventful trip over very familiar territory.  We talked a lot about video games and played lots of car games.  

I suggested playing a game where we told a story by saying one word each at a time.  The stories inevitably turned to poop.  We laughed a lot, but it was short lived.  Sam then suggested playing A to Z.  We did A to Z groceries, video games and Pokemon.  

The boys were road weary by the time we arrived in GJ and I was nervous about their tolerance for this trip.  We went to the Waterhouse's first and they swam for a few minutes.  Then we went back to the masons to teach Grandma how to play Zelda and went to bed.

We got on the road about 8:30 in high spirits.

We first stopped at Rabbit Valley for a quick dinosaur hit (Sam is suddenly very interested in dinosaurs).  After Rabbit Valley we stopped in the ghost town Cisco.  I was really impressed with a piece of art we saw

And then we visited the new store there called Buzzard’s Belly.  It was not a useful store, but it was a cute store and the owner was so friendly.  She seemed to really care about what she was doing and loved to talk to us about the history of Cisco.  I bought a yeti cup with their logo because I was so charmed :-)

We pressed on to the dinosaur tracks near Moab.  This was our first real adventure!  I blindly followed google’s directions instead of the posted signage which led us on to a two-track “road”.  It was mostly just bumpy, but there were a few arroyo crossings that were a little more than I would have liked to move my car through.  It was fun, if I ignored the “this is a bad idea” feeling, but they boys were horrified.  My dad was having a blast though!  

We finally made it to the parking lot and trekked up to the prints.  They were pretty cool and Sam was happy to send a picture to his dinosaur pal back home.  

After driving back on the actual road, we continued on to Moab where we had lunch on a shady bench.  We had a very good hamburger and the boys got some ice cream.  Moabites seemed to be giving us serious “what the heck is wrong with you” looks for wearing masks.

Continuing down the road a bit, we arrived in Monticello.  I actually lived in Monticello for a week in 1985, but I didn’t remember it at all :-)  We visited the tiny temple and got drinks at the Maverick.  

The next time was Blanding, where I was wanting to visit a tribal museum, but the boys saw an ad for a dino museum that I hadn’t seen on the map.  It was really cool!  It seemed a little small and lame at first, but it kind of just kept going.  They had some incredible displays, including a giant feathered dinosaur!  I also enjoyed that they had movie posters all over the museum from old monster movies.  It seemed like a real labor of love and we all had a blast.

The next stop was a petroglyph panel just outside of Bluff.  It was 103 degrees and Sam was OFFENDED by how hot it was.  It was a cool petroglyph though.  The boys were running out of steam for rocks and stuff, but we continued through Monument Valley anyway.  I was amazed by how red everything was and loved the scenery but they boys seemed to hate it!

When we finally arrived back in civilization, we got some gas in Kayenta, which is in the Navajo Nation.  We were shocked and pleased by their very serious mask laws.  After Moab, it felt like we were back amongst our people :-)  

The final leg of this day was to Tuba City further in to the Navajo nation.  It was a fairly boring road, but we listened to music and chatted.

When we arrived at our hotel, we checked in without issue.  Jack kept talking about how amazing the hotel is, and it is nice, but it is pretty “normal”.  I think after so much remote rural stuff, it felt like a “real city hotel” on the inside, which was nice for them.  We got dinner at the hotel restaurant.  I got a navajo taco and they got a pizza.  The restaurant forgot to cut the pizza so my dad let us use his knife to get it cut up.  I thought the navajo taco was pretty bland, but I’m super glad I got to try one.

We see a lot of smoke from the fire near Flagstaff.  I’m worried that the views at the Grand Canyon will be disappointing, but I expect to have fun anyway.

We started the day as early as we could with breakfast from the Hogan restaurant attached to the hotel.  It was pretty good, but normal breakfast which the boys ate slowly while watching “Big Citiy Greens”.  

We then headed out toward the Grand Canyon.  It was very much desert until we started to climb toward the south rim of the Grand Canyon.  First, it was a scrappy juniper forest which led us to our first view of the grand canyon at the Desert Point view area.  There was a cool old tower, which was closed, but we did get to see a stunning view of the canyon.  Seeing it in person triggers a minor vertigo response which makes it all the more amazing.

We continued along the entry road and the forest soon turned to ponderosa and lodgepole pine.  We stopped a couple more view points, but then we noticed a watch tower in the distance.  We looked it up on google and were once again led along a scary bumpy road, but it was much more tolerable than the road to the dinosaur tracks.  We got to the tower and were surprised to see we could climb it!  We all climbed up and it was really cool.  It was really windy at the top and Jack discovered he was a bit scared of heights.  

From there, we continued on to the visitor center and watched a short video about space for some reason :-D.  Then we walked out to the main viewing point and I forced everyone to walk to the geology muesum about .7 miles along the rim trail.  Sam was slow and grumpy, but we soon learned he had some blisters forming so he deserved to be slow and grumpy.

I walked back alone and brought the car around to the museum to pick everyone up.  Then we headed back toward Cameron back in Navajo Nation.  The boys seemed very tired and I was getting pretty tired too.  We had lunch at Burger King for convenience and continued on to Page.

We got some ice cream from a local restaurant and enjoyed it at a park with disturbingly healthy grass.  Then I wanted to see the lake, so we went to the Glenn canyon dam visitor center.

I was REALLY impressed with the dam and the view.  I think it is the coolest thing I’ve seen so far on this trip!  

We continued on through a very dry and boring piece of country to arrive in Kanab.  It’s a delightful little town.  We’re staying in a very retro and charming hotel.  

They had closed the pool because of high winds during the day, but they opened it just for Sam.  However, he swam for like 5 minutes.  Luckily, my dad chatted to the innkeeper for about half an hour ;-)  He recommended some great local restaurants, but I wasn’t able to actually order at any of them due to being put on seemingly unending hold, being closed early for fathers day weekend or not being able to make dinner for us until 8:45.  So… I ordered… pizza hut.

We got going a bit earlier than expected and went to check out of the hotel.  We were surprised by some simple breakfast items in the hotel office so I brought them back to the kids who happily munched on them in the car.  There was a place called “Moqui Cave” that I wanted to check out, but it was not up until 9, and we were there at 7:45, so we kept going a bit further down the road to the “Dragon’s Belly” tunnel.

The Dragon’s Belly was really cool, even though it shouldn’t have been!  Basically, it seems that it was a culvert blasted from the sandstone under the highway.  But even though it was such a simple functional thing, it was kind of magic and we all really liked it.

We continued north, headed for a town called Panguitch.  I had told the boys that I wanted to see the quilt statute there and that it had saved the town or something.  They thought I was goofing, and so I’m not sure what they expected to see there.  It turns out, I wasn’t goofing and there was a little park dedicated to a statue of a guy with a quilt.  The story is that there were some pioneers stuck in the snow.  They prayed to figure out how to survive and the answer was to walk on the quilts.  It’s a serious story and it obviously means a lot to Panguitch, but it also made us laugh at the pure silliness of the idea.  

In Panguitch, I also took the boys to their closest equivalent to a toy store so they could get something to fiddle with in the car since this day was going to be a little more boring than the others.  They found a cube that they could transform into lots of different shapes and so grandma, via grandpa’s wallet, bought it for them.  They had lots of fun fiddling with their cubes for the rest of the day!

No one cared about seeing Butch Cassidy’s childhood home, but we pointed as we drove by.  My main goal for the afternoon was to get some pickle pie from SunGlow motel.  Susan had told me about this culinary experience from her last trip into this area, but I guess she didn’t get to try it, so I was determined!

We passed through some pretty lonely, but beautiful country and stopped in a tiny, tiny town called Koosharem where I had hoped to call ahead and order my lunch.  However, there was absolutely no cell service (for us) there.  We did pop in the little store and I bought some honey that I gave to Will because it said it was a monofloral type and I thought it might be edible to him.  

After driving up the nearby mountains, I got cell service and called SunGlow while my dad poked around outside the car looking for survey corners.  He didn’t find any success, but I did get my order in!  They were a little surprised and amused that I was calling in an order and they didn’t even take my name; “Just ask for the call in” they told me!

So we headed down the mountain through Loa and Lyman to Bicknell.  We were passed by a road rally called “Vertical Mile”.  It was funny seeing them hit exactly 30 mph as soon as they entered Bicknell.  

I got my hamburger and pickle pie.  The hamburger was really good, and it came with sweet potato tots that were amazing.  The pickle pie was not my favorite, but it was good.  I was a little disappointed at how “normal” it tasted.  It was basically a sweet bean pie but with bits of sweet pickle in it.  The pickle gave it a little bit of a zesty kick, but I think I prefer my sweet bean pies without that kick.  

We then went to plot our route, and while I had expected to backtrack a bit to go north to I-70, I was happy to see that going through capitol reef was just as fast!  So we got to drive through another national park.  It was really pretty to me, but the boys, having been apparently traumatized by monument valley, were jokingly moaning about the red rock hurting their eyes.

We arrived in Hanksville for gasoline and some fizzy drinks and I was pleased to see that there was a gas station carved out of a giant rock.  So I finally got to go in a building carved from a rock on this trip and I felt complete!  

The road between capitol reef and green river (the next piece of civilization after Hanksville) was very desolate and wasteland-like.

The boys were eager to get back to Grand Junction so they could help Grandma with her video games so they didn’t even want to take a quick stop in Green River.  So we, continued on.  We made a brief stop at a truck pull off because my dad said there was a tunnel that went under the highway and I wanted to check it out.  Unfortunately, it seems the tunnel had been gated off so we continued on quickly.  

We arrived safe and sound back in Grand Junction and the boys immediately dove into video games.  

I dyed my hair for fun. I was aiming for an indigo-black. Sometime more subtle than the candy-colors everyone is wearing. I think it worked? The blue changes a lot depending on the lighting. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I don't like it.

I think the blue is already fading after just a couple washes. I'll have to add some color back in. It's been years since I had bright hair. For fun I went digging through my blog.

We celebrated a chill holiday. Not a lot of patriotic joy, but we enjoyed the nice weather and traditional cultural activities.

We picked up sandwiches and took some boardgames to the park.

They boys have both taken up whittling. Jack is working on a Wizarding World wand. Sam is learning on soap bars, which he shapes into "bones."

We had dinner of hot dogs, corn, watermelon, and potato salad. We make s'mores in the backyard. I took some gooey pics to share with my penpal overseas.

Later we walked down to the elementary school field to watch the local fireworks display. There were many bats swooping overhead that were fun to watch too. It felt like a bigger crowd than the past several years. I wonder if the neighborhood is de-aging. Many seniors have sold their houses to younger families during this real estate spike. Or maybe more people are ditching the official, more crowded, field for our unofficial viewing spot. It was certainly a festive atmosphere. The boys were aghast and impressed by all the illegal aerial fireworks that folks were setting off around us in the park. At least we've had enough rain that we aren't on high wildfire risk status.

I've taken up a new hobby. Gotta Catch 'Em All!

Ben and I were watching an anime and eating Cupbop, a Friday night tradition we started during the pandemic. This night it was 5 Centimeters per Second. Though the movie wasn't great (it was an early film by one of our favorite writer/directors, Makoto Shinkai), I was struck by inspiration. The protagonist practiced archery and I remembered again how cool it looks and that I would love to add it to my arsenal of skills. Plus it would be great to have an outdoor sport to enjoy with Ben.

Ben has dabbled in archery for several years. He even has a membership to the Golden High Country Archers range. So that weekend he took me to his range and let me try out his bow. Yup. Very fun. I wanted in.

We had to wait an interminable three days for the local archery store to open after the holiday weekend. ;-) The salesman was very helpful and even gave me an impromptu lesson. I got a Samick recurve bow with a 20 lb. draw weight, a half dozen arrows, and an armguard (I had quickly whipped up a mighty bruise on my forearm with Ben's bow).

I'm a total beginner. Tonight I got all 6 arrows on the target board, huzzah! Usually 2-3 go over/under. It's great fun and I hope to make it a regular weekly activity for us. Ben also seems to be renewing his fondness for the sport. We might take the kids with us tomorrow. Sam has been using the child bow at home, and Jack can share my lightweight bow.

Here's our first trip:

And here's today with my full kit (quiver and glove came midweek via Amazon). This is my 4th time shooting.

Twenty years ago today we were married. Life has been very full during our two decades together.

We are celebrating with the kids later this weekend. So today was a small and quiet day for the two of us.

Between work hours we exchanged small gifts, had lunch together on the patio, and went to Kokoro for dinner. Inevitably, we ended up at Target and brought home ice cream bars for the boys.

Still in love. Still happy we can share our lives every day. Especially the mundane days.

August was a crazy month for us! And it’s not over yet! We have so many pictures to post, that it’s becoming a daunting task. I won’t worry about chronology, just post what and when I feel like it. For now - the kids returned to school!

Sam is in fourth grade this year. We were confused to see the name of his second grade teacher on his assigned class. It turned out that her daughter is actually Sam’s teacher! He’s excited about that, and he had some good friends in his class too.

Sam is having a phase where he refuses to smile or pose for pictures. I had to steal this pic at pick-up on his first day, when he had a genuine smile:

Jack is back at middle school as a seventh grader. He has widened the height gap even farther over the summer, towering over his classmates and being low key teased for voice changes. He’s in good spirits though, and says his teachers and classes are all great so far. He’s doing orchestra with the violin again this year.

The bus service is back after being canceled last spring. Fingers crossed that we can keep it for the full year! The route is less convenient for Jack, but he doesn’t seem to mind the commute. I’m thrilled that it drops off near the elementary school. I can take them both home from one place. And eventually, they can walk home by themselves.

Jack leaves to early for me to take a picture, but here’s one of him unpacking after the first day:

Here's a collection of things that happened this summer.

Along with my previous posts, I think that catches up my journal of our summer to August. Hoo boy, August has been a doozy. And it's not over! Luckily the drama is milder this week - Sam and Ben have had colds (testing negative for Covid) and Jack's school had an evacuation for a bad smell the suspected was a gas leak. It turned out to be "water evaporation in pipes that had been sitting unused throughout the summer in science classrooms."

After school carpool I whisk the kids to the dentist, and then high tail it up to Boulder for dance class. I'm trying to get as much dance as I can. I missed two weeks for traveling, and I have to stop when I have surgery next month. Yes, I might as well mention it now. I'm having a hysterectomy in three weeks for adenomyosis. It's been tolerable/manageable, but it will get worse and worse the longer I have it. It HAS been getting worse for years now. So I'm evicting my uterus! I'm pretty happy to be having it removed. But it's still major surgery and I'm nervous and dreading the recovery time. It will be worth it though.

After months (years!) of no travel, and a canceled anniversary trip to Japan, we indulged in a family vacation to the Universal Studios Orlando Resort in Florida. We decided to travel in August close to our anniversary, knowing full well that the crowds and weather would be peak uncomfortable. So we went all out for the trip - a five days vacation, three full days in the parks, staying in a premier resort close to the park, and with Unlimited Express passes. I did my best with planning the trip to be comfortable and fun with minimal standing in the hot sun.

I've been wanting to visit Universal since our Disneyland trip in 2020. Now that we are all vaccinated and boosted, it seemed safe enough to travel so long as we only ate outdoors and masked indoors still. It worked! We all stayed healthy during and after the trip. The masks were mildly annoying, but we are all experts at wearing them.

So Friday morning we said goodbye to the kitties and headed to the east coast! The flight was delayed, but we still got to our hotel with plenty of time to explore. We stayed at the Loews Royal Pacific resort. The hotel was beautiful, with crazy jungle foliage surrounding and Polynesian style art throughout. Our room looked out over the moat with lily pads and other exotic flora.

When I purchased the trip the ongoing ticket deal was buy a 3 day pass, get 2 extra days free. This was perfect for us, because it gave us the option to pop in the parks on our days traveling into and out of Orlando. After gearing up with hats, sunscreen, and fanny packs we took the water taxi to Universal Studios.

Our goal was to immediately soak up some Harry Potter vibes. The kids wanted to buy wands at Ollivanders and wander Diagon Alley. This land really was incredible. They did an amazing job bringing the movie world to life. Even with the crowds, the boys were able to do all the spell locations they wanted over and over. The dragon on Gringotts was truly impressive. And the best part? Diagon Alley is AIR CONDITIONED! No joke, you can feel the breeze pushing out from the London area, and inside it feels at least 10 degrees cooler. Want to be even cooler? Sit in Knockturn Alley. That dark corridor was my favorite place, it was almost chilly. Anyway, lots of pictures incoming:

We found our way to the wand shop. It was confusing to find the wands, we sure felt like muggles! Eventually the boys found their perfect match. I'm so glad that I sewed wand holsters before our trip. It was very handy to have a safe keeping place!

Spells galore! There's a learning curve. By the end of the trip they could reliably conduct the spells. This first day was a bit tricky.

We sampled all the fancy drinks to see what was best: Pumpkin Juice, Butterbeer, Frozen Butterbeer, and Fishy Green Ale. Butterbeer in both forms was the winner. I loved the Pumpkin Juice (pure October flavor) but it's too sweet to finish a whole glass of it.

The boys were strangely nervous about doing any rides that nice. I was dying to try Gringotts, but they were adamant that it was too much for the first day. The only ride I could convince them to do was the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade. It's a cable car train that takes you to the Islands of Adventure park, with a movie in the car. I thought the effects on the doorway were very well done.

It was nearly closing time, so we ordered dinner at the Three Broomsticks and watched the Hogwarts castle light show from the back patio.

Then we walked back to the hotel and dropped asleep, ready to really explore tomorrow. Wow, I can't believe we did so much our first night! I was gonna post the whole trip in one go, but I think I have to break it up here. Stay tuned for more!

Wands ready, we hit the parks. This time we started at Islands of Adventure to see Hogsmeade in the daylight. It was hotter and more crowded, I def prefer Diagon Alley. But there were three rides here, so they balance out.

Oh, by the way I purchased the Universal Photo Pass. Overall not great (compared to Disney): only one photographer at the front of each park and although ride photos are included, several times they weren't working. Also, again, Sam pouted through all the group shots. Oh well. Here's the set from arriving at IOA:

Time for RIDES! I convinced a very nervous Jack to start on Flight of the Hippogriff. It's a "kiddie coaster" but packs a punch. The line is decorated with Hagrid's Hut and there's an animatronic Buckbeak at the start of the ride. They loved it and were primed for more thrills.

Next was Forbidden Journey. The queue was very cool, even with our shortened express pass line. The ride was amazing (and nauseating). The kids loved it. We rode it three times during the trip. Ride photos were broken this first time.

I wrenched the kids away from the wizarding world to explore other parts of the park. One of my favorites is the Jurassic Park River Adventure. I loved it when we went to the California park years ago and I told the kids not to worry, that's it was pretty chill and then had a "little" drop. They were nervous again, but I won them over.

Mwah ha ha! They have no idea what's coming!

Yisssssss!

I love this ride photo. Ben is trying to keep his glasses from flying off. Sam's face is so precious! Contrary to his expression, he loved this ride and was ready for more.

We had lunch at Blondie's in Toon Lagoon, then rode some mild rides in Seuss Landing.

It was hot, so I guided us to Poseidon's Fury, and indoor walk-through show. I had low expectations but it actually turned out pretty cool (in a corny way) and we all enjoyed it.

Enough of this non-wizard stuff! With Florian Fortescue Ice Cream in mind, we boarded the Hogwarts Express in Hogsmeade to return to Universal Studios (USO). I rested in Knockturn Alley with a frozen butterbeer (less dairy than ice cream) and the kids cast more spells. They joined me on the bench and we watched the Dragon blow while we cooled off.

We left Diagon Alley to help Optimus Prime on the Transformers ride.

We were pretty tired after all that, so we walked back to the hotel for dinner by the pool. The kids swam a bit and then we called it a night.

Sunday morning I declared it "Get Wet!" day. We dressed to get splashed a lot, with the plan to come change and rest midday.

Walking to the parks seemed faster than the water taxis, and you get to see the lizards along the way.

Arriving at IOA:

First stop was the Spider-Man ride. We raced through the express queue, hence the blurry photos of Peter Parker's office.

I didn't know this ride has a photo spot, so we hadn't taken our masks off:

Oh, not pictured on our first day was a ride on the King Kong. It was right after the Jurassic River ride and Jack was very stressed about riding it. It was scary themed and I didn't know much about it to describe the ride. We kinda forced him on. Afterward, with some reflection, everyone agreed it was a great ride and we were so very brave. So we snapped this pic as we passed by the queue on the second day.

Walking through more Jurassic photo-ops

Back to Jurassic River Adventure. The line was super short, even without our Express Passes, so I asked them to seat us in the front row. While we waited for the next empty boat the kids were confused why I would request that. "It's a better view!" I said with a wild glint in my eye.

Bwaa ha ha ha, completely soaked! It's Get Wet day!

Now that we were totally wet, it was over to Toon Lagoon for Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges and Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls.

Poor Sam. He protested this ride, remembering that he skipped Splash Mountain last time at Disneyland. We tried to reassure him that the drop was similar to the Jurassic ride, and that he could sit between me and Dad. When we got to the loading dock they made him sit in front because he was the smallest. I tried to protest and bargain with no luck. I gripped his shoulders for comfort and talked him through the whole ride. He was very brave to go through with it, but I'm afraid he will always be anti-flume ride after this experience. The rest of us loved it :-)

To make amends we let Sam pick lunch, choosing a pizza place in Jurassic land. I also let him eat my garlic bread. Then we took the water taxi back to the hotel.

The kids dried off and watched cartoons while we laid back for an hour or so. Refreshed a bit, we walked back to UOS, stopping for butterflies along the way.

The Minions ride wasn't anyone's favorite, but it was ok. Long line for a very short 4D movie.

Great Scott!

Next we did the ET ride. It was very weird for the kids. I loved the queue in the woods, but the ride itself is very dated and not well kept compared to the similar Peter Pan ride at Disney.

We were near the kiddie coaster for Woody Woodpecker. This was by far the hottest and worst queue of the trip. The express line was so slow despite a short posted wait, and there was no shade or fans while on the hot pavement. We were melting. The coaster was fine but short and not worth it.

We cooled off in the nearby misting area and refilled water bottles. The kids were done with the non-wizard stuff.

We walked through the Simpsons land for a quick pic, and skipped MIB for another visit to Diagon Alley. The boys promised me they were ready for Gringotts, yipee! Jack forgot to switch his sunglasses before putting packs in the locker. Whoops! It was a great ride!

More spells, and then another trip on the Hogwarts Express.

Passing through the wall to Platform 9 3/4, you can see them disappear from this angle.

Time for more spells and rides in Hogsmeade:

Me and the boys had another round on The Forbidden Journey, and this time the photos were working:

It was near the end of the park hours. Ben went took a rest, while the boys and I went on the wildest ride yet - Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motor Bike Adventure. This is the most popular ride in the park (tied with Velocicoaster) and there is no express queue. My research said that going at the end of the day is the best time to ensure a shorter wait. Indeed, we were only in the line for about 60 minutes. The queue was lovely and the ride was amazing. Totally worth it, the boys said.

Ben met us with dinner on the Three Broomsticks patio. We cheered with butterbeer to our exhilarating end to the day while the Hogwarts fireworks crackled.

Monday, our last full day in the park, was the rainiest of days. Each day they shut down the outdoor rides for storms in the area, but Monday had it the most. Luckily, we had accomplished most every ride we wanted to hit, so this last day could be slower and more exploring. We slept in a bit, then took the water taxi to USO. The lighting was lovely while waiting for the boat, so I took a lot of pictures.

We returned to Transformers, then shared a cubano sandwich and fruit cups while watching the Transformers characters perform.

We went to the Horror Make-up and Special Effects show. I think Jack was the perfect age for the comedy, he was laughing a lot and was truly interested in all the gimmicks they showed us.

The kids hate character interactions and were annoyed that I forced these pictures with the Despicable Me parade.

What a surprise, we're back at Diagon Alley! More dragon viewing, another ride on Gringotts, and some sweet treats.

They each got a Cauldron Cake, I got a pumpkin cake, Sam got a caramel apple, and Jack got a chocolate frog. The sky had opened and the rain poured down. We hoped it would let up so they could perform The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which wasn't listed as canceled. Alas, we gave up when it was 10 minutes. We took the Hogwarts Express to IOA.

We wanted to do more rides, but everything was either closed or a very long wait (all the traffic gets pushed to indoor rides when it rains). We found burgers in Jurassic World and the kids played in the science center.

Sam found this outdoor playland that was open despite the rain. It was very cool! A good break for him, I think.

Back towards the park entrance, hoping the rain would stop (no luck) we went to Spider-Man again. This time masks off for the picture!

For some reason the Storm Force ride was open when nothing else was operational. It was basically a walk-on because it's a tea-cups type ride. I happily took pics from the side-lines.

Sam picked out a couple comics from the comic book store.

We bid adieu to Ben, who was tuckered out for the day. I took the boys over to Hogsmeade to ride Forbidden Journey for the third time. The rain finally stopped so the lines were shorter, as people migrated to those outdoor queues.

The picture line was having trouble. After impatiently waiting for me, I told them they could ride Hippogriff by themselves. Delighted, they scurried across the grounds to the coaster. I finished up in time to see them ride and take some pics. They are in the very back car of this train:

Here they are, so proud of their ride without grown-ups.

We agreed there was only one way to close out the night - another ride on Hagrid. The sunset was beautiful as we made our way there. There was even a rainbow!

When I got home to download all the photo package photos, I found there were two mp4 files of Hagrid. I was excited to see video, and then totally bummed about the outcome. What good is taking video of an outdoor ride if you don't illuminate it at night?? Both files looked like this:

Jack wanted a picture with the train engine parked in Hogsmeade, and then we walked back to the hotel for our last night.

Tuesday we flew back to Colorado, but not until the afternoon! We spent the morning in Diagon Alley one final time for a little more shopping, more spells, and to watch the Tales of the Beedle the Bard.

One last blow of the dragon, and we took our butterbeers out of the wizarding world and back to the normal world.

We had lunch in the City Walk shopping center, took a car to the airport, and had a rather unpleasant flight home. But let's not think on that. I'll try to remember this as our farewell to Florida instead:

Shortly after arriving home from Florida, I discovered Nimbus in distress. I called our neighbor, who is a vet, for an ER recommendation. He hurried over to give her a look before calling us in to his clinic.

After many hours it was determined that she had a foreign body in her gut. They kept her overnight to see if it was in the colon and would move, but there was no change in the morning. She had emergency surgery to remove the object on Wednesday afternoon. We visited her over the next few days and I pushed to have her discharged on Friday morning. I could tell that she was being stubborn at that point and wouldn't eat until she came home.

The object was a piece of foam - no surprise to me. She loves to chew on foam: pool noodles, toy parts, styrofoam, etc, and she loves to eat popcorn. Something about that texture. We do our best to keep it out of the house, but she must have found this stray piece somewhere. I had the boys spend 10 minutes searching for foam every day while she was in the hospital.

Once home she visibly relaxed. She used her litter box and ate some food like normal! I was so relieved. This was an incredibly stressful time for me. Not only had we just come home off a big trip, I had another trip planned that weekend. What was supposed to be a 4 day rest period became a sleepless, horrible week with anxiety clawing at me from every side.

Andy came through like an angel. He offered to help with Nimbus while I was away. At first I declined, thinking it would be no big deal once she got home. But as we left the ER clinic with a long list of instructions and medication schedule, Ben and I knew we needed help. Andy immediately started packing and arrived right before I had to leave for the airport. I'm so grateful that he came to be Nimbus' nurse. He was super attentive and careful with her and gave me reassuring updates. I heard that the boys all had a great time together too, which was also soothing to my nerves.

Nimbus is pretty much back to normal now. She has been making up for lost time on the couch with me, especially after the boys returned to school. Her stitches are mostly gone and her appetite is ravenous. We have a follow-up appointment this week but I'm sure she will be fine now.

At the very end of summer, right before school started, I ran away to California for another K-pop concert! I'm a "multi-stan" of at least a dozen groups. My top two favorites are Ateez and Seventeen (SVT). Having had an amazing time seeing Ateez, I knew I had to see SVT when they came to North America. After a long wait, being tempted by several other groups touring the US this summer as well, they finally announced the world tour and I immediately invited Miranda to come with me. She said she knows nothing about K-pop, but loves to have adventures and to learn about other people's passions. We booked a quick trip to Oakland for the third tour stop, squeezing it in between other summer events and work/school commitments.

I love Miranda so much. Seeing her again and spending so much time catching up was just as great as the concert. Even though we haven't talked in months (years?) it always feels natural and easy to be with her.

I flew in Friday night and secured our hotel room, where she joined me early Saturday morning. We excitedly talked, rested from travel, then went out in search of food and scenery. We got vegan burgers and shakes at Malibu Burgers (not as good as Monty's in K-town) and got caffeinated at a cute cafe on Piedmont Avenue. Then we took a car to Berkeley to admire the foliage and get some more treats. There was a beautiful shady park with eucalyptus and redwood trees. We took a quick gander at the Berkeley public library for restrooms and architecture. Cinnaholic was gooey delicious for supper, and we got Thai food to eat back at the hotel.

Sunday was concert day! We took it easy by sleeping in - or I tried anyway. I was on East coast time in Florida the weekend before, on Pacific time now, with sleepless nights in Colorado with Nimbus' emergency in between. By this point my body had no idea what time it should be sleeping or feel hungry! I enjoyed my leftover mango sticky rice and spring rolls without knowing if it was breakfast or lunch.

I waffled about trying to figure out where to go for the day. I learned that Oakland is spread out and sort of suburban, so getting Uber or Lyft took longer than in LA NYC, or Orlando. Miranda advised me to just pick what I was most excited to eat and go there, which is how we ended up at Urban Kare House near Alameda Beach. I got to try their Katsu Sando on shokupan and it was sooo good. We also got bubble tea at Yi Fang next door, where I finally got to try a wintermelon drink (with lemonade and mochi cake jellies).

We strolled through the shops, including Daiso and an artist collective store with lots of cute craft items. Then we walked to the beach to dip our toes. It was so warm and pleasant! There were lots of families having a joyous Sunday afternoon.

After a very long wait for a Lyft back to the hotel, it was time to get ready for the show! Earlier in the day we ran into some other concert fans at the hotel who were dressed to the nines, already going to the VIP soundcheck. We didn't get nearly so fancy, but I did pack some temporary tattoos for fun.

We got a VERY fast car to the arena and then I spent a magical night with Seventeen. I'll tell you all about it in part 2.

Seventeen is a 13 member boy group that debuted in 2015. They are known for their precision dancing and "fresh teen" image. Their music varies in style so much, it reminds me of musical theater- the way it has different stories and moods. I started collecting my favorite k-pop performances in a playlist, and quickly had to make a separate list for my fav Seventeen performances because I had too many. That's when I realized they (and Ateez) were my favorite group.

So the time was finally here, when I would get to see them perform in real life. They were incredible! Seriously, I always forget how different it is to watch dance live versus a video recording. I felt the same awe that I feel when I see a professional ballet performance. Their dancing was so much bigger, so much more energetic and powerful, than what I had been watching for years on my tiny laptop screen.

Miranda and I arrived at the Oakland Arena right before the doors opened. I was immediately stressed by the long line. Miranda kept me distracted by showing me pictures from her trip to London, and pointing out all the amazing outfits on the other attendees. It wasn't too long before we got through security and into the arena. There was no signage and we missed the entrance to our seating area. With help from an usher we found our spot and a merch booth without an insane line. I got two T-shirts, and then we went back to our seats to enjoy the traditional pre-show music videos. Unlike at Ateez, they seemed to be showing the Seventeen videos in chronological order. It's so fun listening to the crowd get hyped and cheer at the parts that are also YOUR favorite parts!

We had pretty great seats. Back in April, Andy became a temporary carat to sign up for the pre-sale with me. Together we battled Ticketmaster scalpers for these lower bowl seats at face-value.

At one point during the preshow I was texting and heard a gasp and cheer. Confused, I looked at the screen expecting a sexy moment on a music video, but Miranda said "Look at your lightstick!" It synced!!!!!!! Oh, this made me so happy!

The lightsticks are such a great part of k-pop concerts, and I always wanted to attend one where they synced!

Ok, time to get on with the show!

I don't even know how to narrate the show experience? Here's the setlist:

For fun, I put together a youtube playlist of the setlist in dance practice/best stage form: Link

I also started collecting better fancams than mine of the Oakland show: Link

But of course, this is a journal. So my personal photos and videos matter more. Here's a dump of the many memories we captured. I took a lot of lightstick glamour shots too, because I love them so much! Oh, also, credit to Miranda for all the great pics and video. She has a great eye for framing and lighting (and holding still instead of trying to bop and film at the same time, like I do). Thank you so much!

Here's the first third of the show:

Middle section by subunit:

And the second half:

We hung back from the crowd and took our time exiting. We descended on the most delicious smelling hot dog carts and each devoured one while wandering the lot, trying to figure out how to get a ride back to the hotel. Miranda let me gush and talk about the show for hours. I'm so glad that she had a fun time too. The crowd was enthusiastic, sober, and polite just as I predicted. SVT put on an amazing show.

We eventually turned out the lights, and had a late sleep until our midday flights. It was an incredible trip. I wish I could do it twice a year for my mental health. What a boost of serotonin when it was sorely needed. I miss Miranda already. Hopefully we can get together sooner this time around.

As for Seventeen, I get plenty of them. I'm eagerly following the rest of their tour. My plan to see them early paid off - of the nine US stops, ours was one of just four to have all members perform. The other five stops had some missing for being covid positive. Whew! They are touring Asia next, then will probably slow down for the award shows at the end of the year. Next year the eldest are due for military service, so this really was my one and only chance to see them perform for years to come.

Going over these videos and photos make me so happy. Also glad I sprung for the ridiculous crop top from the tour merch. See me rocking it in hip hop class the following weekend:

At the concert they took the traditional k-pop arena group photo, but they haven't posted any of them yet. Some individual members posted shots where I found us in the crowd:

I'll update the post if they ever release the full arena pic and I (hopefully) can find us.

여름밤에 우리를 새기고 ~~ engrave us on a summer night

Today Sam turned 9 years old! We celebrated today and last Saturday, when he had friends over (mask-free after testing!) to play video games and watch tv and build legos. He wanted a low-key party like Jack had last time. Easy for me, dude! I put up some balloons and made goody bags and cake, and that was it! He invited his two closest friends from this year's class.

Today at school Sam's teacher gave him a bag of fun trinkets to celebrate. After school we opened family presents and then his other friend came over to play video games. For dinner he asked me to make spaghetti and meatballs. He was so full he didn't have room for the ice cream or pumpkin streusel cake that I made. No matter, I think Jack ate 3 pieces!

This was a great present to me - a genuine smile for the camera:

Happy birthday, Sam! We love you so much. You surprise us and impress us every day!

September 15 I had my hysterectomy, or officially, "laparoscopic robotic assisted total hysterectomy and salpingectomy." The procedure went very smoothly, according to my surgeon. Recovery has also been going exactly as expected.

I have no memory between laying down on the operating table and waking up groggy in the PACU. I choked down the stale crackers so I could take some pain meds. My BP was low and my hemoglobin was low that morning too. Those are both normal for me and they weren't too concerned. I think I took 4 hours to sleep, pee, and recover enough for Ben to come in and help me get home.

The first week was rough, as expected. I needed Ben to help me sit forward or stand up. My belly was very swollen and tender and I had terrible bladder spasms that had me crying in pain.

I had an outpouring of love from friends and family that made me so grateful and teary. Mom even came over to help cook and clean, until Andy's positive covid test sent her back home to help him and keep us from catching it in case she had it too. It seriously made me so happy to have so many people sending gifts and well wishes.

By the end of Week 2 I was feeling a little more normal. I could walk a little more each day. I couldn't sit up for very long, but I stopped napping and tried to be a little more active.

Week 3 is when I started to feel like myself again. I could drive again and I tried to do more of my normal activities at home. I could sit in normal couches and chairs, roll over in bed, and use the bathroom without too much pain.

Now I'm at the end of week 4 and I feel pretty close to normal. I stopped taking pain medication around the clock, now just 400 mg ibuprofen once a day if I need it. The weight gain from swelling is pretty much gone. I've been walking a lot, 3-4 miles sometimes. It's the only exercise I'm allowed to do, so I'm trying to get the most out of it. I really miss yoga and dancing. If my doctor hadn't strictly told me to wait until 6 weeks post-op, I would probably try a class this week. I'll be good and wait, I promise!

Today, exactly 6 weeks after my surgery, my GYN checked my stitches, declared me “well-healed,” and said I could resume all normal activities with no restrictions.

(。⌒∇⌒)。 DANCE TIME!!! 。(⌒∇⌒。)

I tried to take it easy, I even sat out 2.5 songs to rest. Even so, I’m going to be so sore tomorrow. I'm super out-of-shape. Totally worth it.

I had to miss Jack's concert to attend a dance class. I felt bad about skipping, but Jack said he didn't care and understood how much I wanted to dance right away. Ben went in my place and took pictures and video for me. Enjoy!

This year we returned to our church Trunk or Treat party. Time to don costumes all together! Mom put together these amazing costumes for the boys. Sam is Doctor Finkelstein and Jack is Jack Skellington. Sam loved to lift his help to scratch his brain. Jack looked very authentic too.

Ben and I chose comfortable cosplay. He's Wreck It Ralph, and I'm Valkyrie from Thor Love & Thunder. No one got my reference or appreciated its accuracy (as expected) but I was comfy and got to wear space boot daggers + musical theater merch.

I love decorating my trunk. Sam and I put this together in the afternoon using only decorations from the house. Sam painted the cardboard tombstones. My speaker was hidden behind Zero and played "This Is Halloween" on loop. We won the Best Trunk award!!

Sunday afternoon we carved pumpkins. Every year they do more of the carving by themselves. This year I only stepped in to do some final cavity wall smoothing. The two little ones I carved are from Dad's own pumpkin patch.

Monday the kids wore their costumes to school. I watched the parade and then went inside to help with his class party. It was actually great not to be the room parent this year. The last few years no one else stepped up. I'm glad that a good group of parents are working together for the whole 4th grade. They put me in the game room where I ran the ring toss competition. Sam's costume looked spectacular in the black light.

For dinner I made a spooky stew and jack-o-lantern quesadillas. Sam asked for pumpkin pie for Halloween, but was too stuffed with candy from trunk-or-treating to eat any.

As soon as the sun started to set we went out trick-or-treating. It was so warm this year that I joined them! I still bundled up and turned my costume into a "Fan Girl" with MCU hat and K-pop lightstick - which proved very useful in the dark!

We have a lot of festive houses in our neighborhood. A house near the school set up a haunted house walk-through that tantalized the children all month. It was very popular, with animatronics inside and an elaborate zombie-baby-graveyard. Sam went through twice.

A very Happy Halloween for all! They went to bed already dreaming up plans for next year.

Ben has been working on some changes to my blog to help preserve it. It seems to have caused some image gallery presentation problems. Sorry about that. We'll try to get it fixed soon.

On the night of the first real snow of the season, Sam dressed in island-wear and performed at the 4th grade music show "Hawaiian Beach Party."

He did great! He says he doesn't like doing this, but he seemed to be having a good time.

It was very cute. The teacher does a great job putting these simple shows together. Some kids get solo or speaking parts (Sam did NOT want to try out). The choreography is simple and effective.

Wipe Out was hilarious. It went on a long time too, which brought on another layer of funny.

Sam got to twirl one of the scarves in the rainbow. He proudly told me afterward of the lasso-like technique he used to get the most twirling without hitting anyone.

Well done Sam! You did a great job!

Last week Jack performed with his 7th grade orchestra at the area festival. Fifth grade through high school students gather to play a couple songs, and then one all together.

I forgot the name of this first one, I'll fill it in when I asked Jack later.

Then they played the Jurassic Park theme. With a dinosaur cameo, naturally.

Finally the whole group played 7th Nation Army all together. (Weird choice, no? )

I was happy to sit so close and get a good view of his playing! He's really becoming a proficient musician.

A story by Sam.

Cold Seat
One day a little boy
named benny and he sat
on a cold seat on a
long drive. daddy, he said.
I'm cold. You'll make it.
responded his dad.
however, benny did not
make it. by the end of
the drive, benny was
an Iceblock.
the end

Cold Seat 2
the rock wall
when bennys father
found out benny was
a block of ice, he brought
benny to the nearest
rock wall and threw
benny at it. it chipped
a bit of ice away. So
he kept throwing.
(( OW.OW.OW! ))thought
benny. (( just put me in
the sun! )) but his dad
kept throwing.
The end

Cold Seat 3
revenge of the ice
after 100 throws, benny
was out of the ice.
hey! said the ice. I have
your butt mark! and
you broke me!
Sorry. Said benny in a
sarcastic voice. I
demand Var! said ice.
its "war," not "var".
said bennys dad. but
ice already was
gathering varriors.
to be continued . . .

Cold Seat 4
"Var"
at 11 oclock, there was
a knock at the door.
benny opened the door
and hundreds of people
ran in. some chanting
"war!" others chanting
"var!" they were
cornered. they ran
to the car. this
will be a long
drive. said benny's dad.
return to Cold
Seat 1.

hot Seat
one day, a boy named
tommy sat on a hot
seat. daddy, he said, Im
hot. You'll live. responded
his dad. tommy did
not know this was
a long drive so he
stayed on the hot
seat. however, he
melted! he did
not live.
the end.

hot Seat 2
cool down
tommys dad saw his
melted son and brought
him to antartica to
cool him down but it
didn't work. he threw
benny on it but it didn't
work. he tried putting
sunglasses on him
and it did work!
he was cool.
the end

We returned to Grand Junction for the first time in a couple years to celebrate the holiday. The Masons hosted us for dinner this year. The spread was beautiful and, as expected, we made too much delicious food - leftovers for days! It was a quick trip, but filled with conversation and chill activities.

Jack came down with a cold while we were there. He's feeling much better now and it seems no one else caught it (yay!). This week I made another batch of deviled eggs so he could enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with his appetite back.

Our music school hosted a recital at a local retirement community. This was Sam's first piano recital. The boys played a duet together, the Carol of the Bells. They did so well!

At home they performed again for my parents, who recorded this video.

They worked hard on this song all week, especially Sam. He hasn't been playing for even a year yet! This was a difficult piece and he did splendidly.