Bainbridge

Tami invited Allison and I to join her and Kylee for dinner and a trip to Bainbridge Circle tonight.  We had a nice dinner at Spuntino's and then avoided the crowds by parking and walking to see the lights.  I can't believe people wait in that crazy line to stay in their cars!  The neighborhood added speakers to each house now so it was nice hearing the music everywhere we walked.  

We don't get to see these two very often, but it was nice to have a girl's night out with them!

White Elephant Party

It's time again for the Annual White Elephant Party!  It feels like I spend half the year looking for the perfect gifts and there were some good ones this year!

We were sad Charlie and Tyan couldn't make it, but the rest of the crew returned.  We had a nice Asian potluck dinner (always love Leslie's pancit and lumpia!).

 I couldn't keep track of the order in which these were picked, but here were some of the fun gifts...toilet paper and Poopouri Spray!

 Inflatable reindeer antler ring toss

 We purchased this plunger headband this summer in Portland.  Hank was very proud to take it home!

Luke sporting the fake man bun

Darian made this hilarious calendar.  Each month had a different Trump picture and some sort of food item that best resembled the picture.  She is always so creative!

Taylor loved these flamingo slippers, but they were stolen!

Lauren was thrilled with her "You probably touched your genitals" hand sanitizer...NOT!

Jenna wore her new Buttocks all night!

I think the winner went to our face coasters!  They seemed to get the most laughs.  They are cardboard coasters with a cut-out to fit on your nose.  So funny!

We ate chocolate cake, cheesecake and a plate of Christmas cookies before clearing the table for a game of Spoons.

This year they played with candy canes instead.

Cheers to another fun white elephant!

V-A-R-S-I-T-Y

Allison was called up to Varsity to be the keeper for a scrimmage on Tuesday and for a tournament in SD Wed/Thur/Fri.  Although nervous to be the only freshman on the field, she held her own and did an amazing job!

 Great Oak beat Palm Desert on Tuesday 3-0 and Allison was pretty proud of the shut out victory!

On Wednesday, they faced Torrey Pines at Westview High School.  We found out later that 9 of their 11 starters play on the ECNL Surf team and Great Oak has never beat them in tournament play.  Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the game, but they won 1-0!  I received texts from a few parents praising Allison's play and her JV coach sent out a group text to her JV team congratulating her on the shut out.  She is really feeling the support of her coaches and teammates!

I went down for Thursday's game against Point Loma.  She had a few nice saves, but gave up 2 goals and the team lost 2-0.

 I checked Taylor out of school early Friday and we met Matt for the Friday game.  Another tough one with little to no offense from her team.  Allison played super aggressive, but gave up a goal on a corner kick and they lost 1-0.  

 Although she has some anxiety about playing at this level and working to build her confidence, she has the confidence of her teammates and her coaches.  She is growing so much as a player and holding her own against girls that are up to 3 years older than her.  

 Her punts are measuring around 50 yards and she will battle for any ball.

I know she is one exhausted kid after 4 games, long bus rides and lots of finals prep,  but she is taking it all in stride and handling it like a champ!  Her hard work is paying off!

Colorado State vs. SDSU

 The weather was cold and rainy (thank goodness for covered seats!) and the Aztecs played horrible, but we had a fun night with friends at Qualcomm tonight.

 The poor marching band and drill team performed just in time for the downpour and fans huddled under the overhangs.  

Once the Aztecs were down 50-something to 30-something, we headed for Peterson's Donuts to put smiles back on our faces.  Feliza's family had never been and Wendy absolutely loves Peterson's too, so they followed right behind us.  Delicious!

"FriendsGiving"

Allison hosted a fun event for a few of her friends over Thanksgiving break.

 She got a little bit crafty and made this festive sign and decorated the living room.

 They did a little potluck with turkey/cranberry wraps along with all of the Thanksgiving side dishes.

They used the fancy dishes and wine glasses for apple cider and had a nice time visiting at the table and going out in the hot tub before finishing the night with apple pie!  

Miss Marvelous

Miss Marvelous is one of those events that leaves me feeling truly inspired and smiling ear to ear.  Taylor was fortunate enough to get to volunteer for this pageant again as it gives high school aged girls in our community a chance to shine.  They are all part of the special needs programs at the 3 local high schools and businesses donate dresses and hair/makeup services to put on this amazing pageant.  Taylor worked behind the scenes to get Shilda ready and Nathan and Jake were her escorts. She looked beautiful!

 Jacob danced his way out on stage to escort Savannah.

The girls all had a chance to show off their fancy dresses, but also performed their favorite talent.  Jolie is always my favorite!  She loves to dance and loves to stare at her self on the big monitors the whole time!

The girls performed a group dance with the school's dance team

 and put their dresses on one more time for the crowning ceremony.  

Each girl is presented with a sash, crown, flowers and a bag of goodies and it just melts my heart!

They may not be able to express themselves with words, but their emotions are written all over their faces!

Taylor and Jenner back stage.

Taylor and beautiful Shilda, who won Most Inspiring.  She has endured numerous surgeries and physical challenges, but keeps smiling.

Sweet Jacob

Reanna helped work the lights as part of her ASB class.

Cuteness overload!

So proud of all of these senior volunteers for making this night so special for so many girls and their families!!  I know it means so much to them too!

17

 I can't believe she is 17, but there is no denying she has grown up into a lovely young lady with quite a year ahead of her!  This will be a year full of such celebration and joy, mixed with a lot of emotion, but I'm so glad to have a front row seat!

 I was a little sentimental decorating her door last night, thinking it will likely be the last time I get to do it (at least at this house). I can't help it.  I feel like everything is a "last"!   I'm going to have to find someone to decorate her dorm next year!

I made her cinnamon rolls and a smoothie for breakfast and brought her a California burrito for lunch at school. Unfortunately, she had a busy day with school and Miss Marvelous rehearsal, so we did cake and gifts after a full day around 9:00pm.

She's excited that she gets to drive friends in her car now and is one year closer to being "a legal adult".  Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Heading Home

Andrew had 10:00 class this morning, but he had one more place he wanted to take us...Muncher's Bakery.  They have the cutest mini donuts and they were so good!

 Goofy shot!

Cute shot!  

We drove back to campus and spent one last time in the bookstore before saying goodbye to Andrew. This goodbye was easy for them since he will be home for Thanksgiving next week.  He has such pride for KU and I know he loved showing us around.  He keeps saying he doesn't want to influence Taylor's decision, but I'm not sure that's possible!

Taylor and I had just enough time for one more BBQ joint before heading to the airport.  Arthur Bryant's was the name we heard most often so we gave it a try.

 It sits all by itself on this little street corner, in a not-so-nice-looking part of town, but the people were beyond friendly and the BBQ was so good!

 We were there a little before 11am so not a crowd yet which was nice for us!

I got the Burnt Ends sandwich and Taylor got the Pulled Pork. They were both served open face on plain white bread, but it was the perfect pairing!  We had such a great time together and I'm grateful to have had so much one on one time with her.  I only teared up a few times, but I feel our time together slipping away as the months are going by far too fast.  I am thrilled she loved KU and am hoping she will find peace in making her decision.  She has worked so hard and she deserves to find the right fit!!