Friday photos

Here's a look at the photos that I took this week (through Friday) and one from almost seven years ago:

Well, it's Jacob's senior year of college and I just got around to getting a UC Mom sticker for my car. That's just kind of how I roll (neither type A nor super ambitious nor a "go getter" (or maybe a go getter later type person?)). Now, I'm practically on time for Abby!! I mean, it's only been a year since she's been at Miami ;).

Speaking of college, the kids have not taken out any loans but boy law school sure was a costly debt endeavor for Donnie and me. And by costly, I mean our combined law school loan payment each month was bigger than our first mortgage. We essentially paid two mortgages for years.  What a shocking concept in the current political zeitgeist- paying back students loans for which you signed legal documents saying you were going to do.  

There's not a good segue from student loans to popcorn but I'm going to do it anyway... Alyssa loves Aldi's Clancy Dill Pickle popcorn so it was on my Aldi shopping list. When at Aldi this week, I was dismayed to see the space for dill pickle popcorn empty. Lest I be accused of forgetting about the item (it has happened, I will admit) being the reason for it not being purchased, I took this picture as proof, as it were, that it was not for my lack of forgetting that I didn't come home with dill pickle popcorn ;). I bought some white cheddar popcorn in its stead. Initially looked down upon for being ersatz, Alyssa did end up making peace with and consuming the white cheddar popcorn. 

Two friends and I met to play trivia at a restaurant/ bar one evening this week. It was fun but I am sad to report that we, the Retired Dance Moms, did not do well. My favorite team name at one of the tables was one called "Uncomfortably Dumb." 

The company was better than the food... and the trivia. We split an appetizer and then I ordered these pretzel bites. It was great to see long time friends from back in the busy child rearing and child activity days. 

I subbed two days this week. The first day that I subbed I knew (or had a very strong suspicion) that it was going to be an easy assignment because the teacher has a small classroom (and it was a very nice, easy day). I subbed in a grade one higher than the grade that last year, I did a long term sub job in. (I complained about that a time or two or twenty here on the blog. It was a challenging long term job.) It just so happened that I saw many of "my" students from the long term sub job and many of them (even a couple that made the job challenging...), came up to me and hugged me and told me that they missed me.  Awwww. It was truly great to see them... and to know that I wouldn't be seeing them the next day! That sounds awful and I don't mean it rudely. I just know that I didn't miss my calling. I am not a teacher. Subbing and going to the schools periodically to sub suits me well!

The second day that I subbed, I was grading papers (the teacher did not tell me to grade them but said that I could if I had the time) with this blue felt tip pen. I didn't want the pen to dry out so every time that I had to cease grading, I put the cap back on the pen. I looked at down at my finger at one point and realized that I need to improve my putting the pen back in the cap skills since I marked myself a lot in the process. 

Alyssa got her braces off this week. That wouldn't be such a big deal except that Alyssa had braces on her teeth for ALMOST SEVEN YEARS!! In early November, it would be seven years. A number of things factored into the prolonged wearing including Covid (two weeks to flatten the curve turned into ortho services being verboten for a period of time considerably longer than two weeks), an errant tooth or two that didn't descend in a timely manner, and just generally her having messed up teeth that took a long time to straighten. She was practically a baby when she got them on. I looked for a picture of her shortly before she got her braces on to show how little she was.

The summer before she got her braces on

This would have been less than two weeks before she got them on

The day she got them on...

What a difference six years and almost ten months make...

I have more pictures from the week but they are mostly pictures of plants in the garden. I will spare the internet those pictures and keep them confined to my phone where just I will gaze on them...