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.

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 ;-)

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.