January 2015

My blog had it's 10th anniversary this year.  10 years is a long time in the digital world.  I made a promise to myself to get it caught up and start using it again.  I started this blog when we moved to MA to keep in touch with our faraway family.  There were so few ways to share pictures and things back then - this was our only connection.  Now that I share much more on Facebook, and have gotten much busier, the blog has taken a turn for the worse, but it is truly the best family and personal journal I've ever kept. I treasure it, and I want to keep it going, even if blogs are out of fashion now and even if I keep in touch with people in other ways.

So, for 2015, I think a reasonable goal is to do a post for each month. That seems like a smaller bite to chew and one that might even get swallowed.  I'll have to resist the urge to go into the detail I usually like to include, but it will feel good to be back on track.

So, January, let's see:

There was snow in ABQ!  And snowball fights at the bus stop.

And Grace was happy.

And so were Harriet and Stryder.

And cheer performances at basketball games (Harriet got the American Girl cheerleader outfit for her doll for Christmas.  so exciting!)

There was enough snow to make a "real" snowman (not a 1 inch ice-man on the driveway.)

Grace was chosen to compete in the school National Geographic Bee, and SHE WON!  So exciting!  She qualified to go onto the next round which was a written exam that competed against 4-8th graders across the state, and her score was high enough that she was invited to the State of NM Geographic Bee.  So cool.

Our little brainiac.

I helped out Harriet's 3rd grade teacher with math class each week.  I also got a job substitute teaching for Albuquerque Public Schools at the end of December.  I started subbing in both Harriet's and Grace's schools.  It was a nice way to be involved at school and make a little bit of travel money.

We found a horse!  Well, Keisha did anyway.  She found a lady in Corrales who invited all of our girls to ride her aging Tennessee Walker, "Lady."  It was so nice to be at a barn again and so nice to have the kids riding.

Harriet was the student of the month in her class!

Our little smarty-pants.

Grace was the only one chosen from beginning orchestra to accompany the advanced orchestra on the elementary school visits.  We spent a week going to all of the local elementary schools and getting them excited about orchestra.

And, it kept snowing.  Harriet had a day off when Grace had to go to school, so we took Stryder out on a walk in the desert in the snow.  

And, then she built herself a "snow girl."