Hubby, Michelle and I took a trip to Costco together to ensure she had the half birthday cake she wanted most. 13.5 years old now and as wonderful as ever. Not pictured was all the preparation to get Natalie ready for her next softball games. The helmet and hoodie I ordered finally arrived but the helmet was large enough to fit Danny so we set off to find the right size in the right color and then Hubby was able to transfer the team stickers to the new helmet. Then the next day we picked up A. and drove to Cheyenne for two softball games while listening to Taylor Swift music for over 90 minutes.
It was not cold but it sure was windy so that hoodie arrived just in time. The girls first played against a Laramie team that came to win. I think it was great experience to need to up their game. For instance, stealing bases became crucial and Natalie stepped up to the challenge and even got to slide into home. After a lunch from Chick Fil A game 2 was actually against the other CSA 10U team. These teams were pretty well matched and N’s team only lost by 2. Natalie got two outs at 1st base while A. was pitching so the girls wondered if Natalie would get to play 1st base more often when A was pitching. We decided we weren’t hungry enough for dinner since we had a late lunch so picked out the first Magnus Chase book to listen to on our way home. It seemed to take a lot less time to get home and after dropping off A, N and I got to eat a great dinner thanks to Hubby and then all of us except Kate played Monopoly together. (Kate spent the night with E.) It was so fun to games to watch and play all day. Oh, and while N and I were gone Danny had a flag football game but no photos of that from Hubby. We have actually preordered a iPhone 15 for Hubby so that he can have a personal phone instead of relying on his work phone.
We had a lovely little goodbye party for my coworker, M, before she moves to California. I cannot say enough good things about M and she will be missed terribly. She is an absolute genius when it comes to problem solving needs, creates wonderful adaptive curriculum for our students, and it a joy to be around. Her brilliance and light will certainly be missed but she has promised to text us lots of beach pictures.
On September 29th I went out to check on the rabbit as usual and got quite the shock. I knew right away something was wrong. Sadly, the time had come to say goodbye to one of the best pets I could imagine. Marshmallow seems to have died of old age during the night. He was born in May of 2015 and we brought him home in June so we have been able to love this bunny for over 8 years. The average life span is 5-10 years so I supposed he had a good long life. It is heartbreaking to realize Natalie cannot remember a time before Marshmallow lived with us and that Michelle’s first official pet has passed away. You have no idea what a comfort it was to hear my dad’s voice when I called him to ask what I should do (since I knew Hubby was at the gym). He helped me come up with a plan and later Hubby was able to let me know he could come home from work early to pick up Kate from high school and let her know the bad news since I didn’t check on the rabbit until after she was at school. There were goodbyes and tears. Michelle wanted to be very involved in taking care of Marshmallow so the two of us petted him for the last time, wrapped him gingerly in a white bedsheet, and placed him into a cardboard box. She held him as I drove her to my parents house, where they had a freezer that no food was in or ever would be in and let us keep Marshmallow there until I could coordinate with the cemetery his burial. Michelle told my dad how when she pet Marshmallow he was soft as usual but he was no longer breathing and that when she tried to lift him, he was stiff and she couldn't do it. I felt for her in the moments when she realized those things and it hurt all over again to tell my dad about her experience. He gave her a big hug, told her that happens right away, and she was finally able to cry. Later, as we talked with my parents in their living room, my dad held her hand. I am so very grateful for grandparents, especially in times like this. I have contacted the cemetery and plans are in the works for Marshmallow to be laid in his final resting place.
The next morning Hubby, Michelle, Natalie and I took apart Marshmallow's hutch since it was so old we didn't think anyone else could use it. We saved the things that could be donated to the local humane society like the almost brand new bag of food and Hubby was able to get the rest into the trash bin. Then it was time to shower and get ready to go to the zoo to use our free tickets courtesy of Hubby's work. Suddenly we felt the exact opposite of the last 24 hours and were just out in the beautiful weather noticing all that has been improved since the last time were there and feeling like we were on vacation once we found ourselves eating Dole Whips together. It was a marvelous morning where I got to try out my new phone's camera and it continued to feel like we were far away as we ate at In N Out Burger. But it was time to head home after lunch to make sure Natalie got to her softball double header and Michelle got to her friends S & R's joint birthday party (and our son who had been feeling sick felt good enough to request a ride to and from the rec center from me that afternoon too). Oh, and Kate got to celebrate her friend A’s birthday too! From what Hubby and Natalie told me there were some great and not great moments in their games and I could tell she played hard because all she wanted to do when she got home at dinnertime was to go get clean again.
The party Michelle went to sounds like it was pretty epic. Her favorite part was going to Terror in the Corn but there was also swimming and just getting to hang out with friends. This is such a nice group of girls!
P.S. I have been subbing A LOT at the school and on my first day off in weeks what did I do? Spend almost all day at the hair salon getting a beach wave perm. Saturday morning was the first time I got to wash it and it looked better once my hair was all the way dry (after this ducky photo was taken). It's great because no more time is added to my morning routine but it looks like I spent some quality time with a curling iron or something. Would totally recommend if you're looking for a change but don't want to dye or drastically chop your hair, which I also considered. (The teens said no to short hair and the dye job I wanted would have been twice the price.)
Last but not least, I had to include a photo of making Halloween sugar cookies on Sunday and mention that Tamara Runia’s General Conference talk was my favorite one that I’ve heard so far. I feel like I have learned so much about Christlike love in 2023 so what she said really spoke to me.
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