I had the best time this weekend. A weekend full of Halloween parties with all my friends! We had the best time.
He said
This weekend was all about Emelia’s ever-busy social calendar! It started Thursday night with a trip over to her friend Phoenix’s house to prep for weekend gatherings at her place and also to get ready for the school dance the next night of which Emelia is part of the organizing committee for. Friday was the school Halloween dance first which Emelia and Anna had to help with the setup for, and then of course, enjoy the dance. After it was done it was over to Phoenix’s house for a post dance party. From there she was off to her friend Bri’s for the next day to hangout at. Saturday night the plan for Emelia’s friend group was off to a party in Byron and then back to Bri’s for a sleepover. By the time this morning rolled round we were wondering if we still had a daughter. But all joking aside word is she had a blast this weekend if she was beyond tired all day today!
For Cheer, we’re sitting at three more practices from their first comp in Mississauga in two weekends. Where last Tuesday things looked to have progressed a lot, Danielle’s report from today’s practice was there is still lots of work to do! We’ve been through this in the past, so we know that they often and do a lot and make solid progress when it gets down to the wire like this. But, the trouble is some years that has led to them peaking at the right time in competition and some years (like last year) that leads to a tough start that really shakes their confidence and makes it harder to build back up. We’re not sure what we’re going to get this year, but I really hope that it’s the opposite of last year and they pull it together at just the right moment.
On the cycling front I have maintained some consistency that I am super proud of. Last year I had set a goal of being able to get in at least one outdoor cycling workout every month of the year. And where I was dead in the water was February last year as it was bitter cold, snowy and downright dangerous to get out on the bike. Fast forward to this year and we were dealt with a much more manageable month for weather. I got in a total of 13 rides! After that was out of the way, I was pretty confident that I would be able to get the goal this year! A lot of my being able to accomplish that goal has been – as silly as it sounds – having the right cold gear riding kit. Thermal bibs, thermal jersey, bar mitts, and boot covers have made all the difference!
And here we are in today and I am already thrilled my results this year! I am sitting at ten out of ten months. But moreover I have crossed into some brand new firsts for my stats book. As of today’s ride I am sitting at 217 consecutive straight days with an outdoor cycling workout, going all the way back March 26th this year. But, also I have 242 rides in that same timeframe. I’ve cycled 7,193 km this year – up from 5,910 km last year. All-time I have cycled 19,944 km and in seventeenth months I have put 11,718 kms on my GT! With two months to go, I am really interested to see just how far I can take this!
What started as a way to get exercise during Covid when gyms were closed down has transformed into the best piece of physical activity that doesn’t seem like work and is so good for my mental state. And, as a byproduct has helped me lose weight and be healthier.
She said
What a weekend for our girl!
This weekend has been on her countdown for weeks. Her and her gaggle of besties have been planning and plotting their Halloween weekend. It all started with a group costume, Emelia has a large group of close friends, of the ten girls in total—half of them went in out in matching costumes as cops. They planned for weeks and by all accounts the weekend was exactly what the girls hoped for. It was the best Halloween for her and her friends yet!
For the days leading up, it was a busy one for sure… Between work, school, and planning for the school dance and parties Emelia has been burning her candle at both ends. She has come so far from this introverted girl to being the leader in her group. And as always the champions of her friends. One of her close friends is dealing with something pretty heavy right now and as she always is, she is the biggest advocate for those who she loves the most. She honestly blows us away with her big, caring heart. For a kid who has been crapped on pretty heavily by people she should be able to trust she is just genuinely pure at heart. We are so proud of her of the woman she is becoming.
Friday night the big focus was the big Lucas party at her lifelong friend Phoenix’s house. Emelia, Anna, Grace and Phoenix have been super close friends since JK. As a group they have been through a lot but have always been there for each other through some pretty heavy challenges. The girls planned every detail and by all accounts everyone had a great time. The party was huge, all the kid’s friends and extended friend group, all in all I think about 50 kids were there. The night wrapped up and Emelia was off to one of her bestie’s place for the night. Emelia the next day spent the day with Bri and some of the other girls. They shifted gears and started getting ready for party number 2 of the weekend.
This party was in Byron, a friend of one of the girls invited the group. Emelia and about 15 of her friends made their way there and again from all accounts from Emelia the party was all they hoped. Everyone had a great time and things wrapped up in the wee hours with the herd going back to Bri’s house again overnight. John and I joked that we were starting to forget what our child looked like! I did gather her this morning likely earlier than her body wanted but she had a big day ahead.
By noon we were on our way to the cheer gym. Emelia’s cheer team have been busting their asses to get ready for the first competition. This routine is packed with complicated stunts and they are working so hard to get it clean for the competition that is coming up fast. There have been some changes specifically to Emelia’s opening stunt to the coaches have been offering extra practice time. And proudly Emelia and her stunt group have been signing up for every extra practice time they can. I have to say I am blown away at the hard work of this group. There have been some attendance issues for a bit but now with all the girls there they will do stunts over and over and over trying to get it clean. They work so hard! Hopefully all the had work pays off in Mississauga on November 11th when they compete for the first time. Only three practices left – it is crunch time for sure!
Tomorrow we have one last task that John and I need to check off our to do list for the trailer. After a bit of a delay we both have tomorrow off so we can drive up to our trailer park to pack up the trailer to move to winter storage. It is always a sad day, but we can now start a new countdown – only 185 days until we are able to open the trailer for the 2024 camping season – not that we are counting!