The faster I go, the more behind I get...

I love that quote because it is such a very true statement for me. I try to keep up with documenting what goes on in our family... you know, preserving the memories for centuries to come. Mostly because I am becoming more and more aware that I am not capable of retaining much in my wee little memory. So this will be a catch-up on the highlights of the past couple of weeks; an eclectic mix of information...

• We Celebrated Valentine's Day and I was so excited to give Steve a custom black & white canvas art piece.

The wording in the background is the story of how we first met, which I had previously blogged, and also the lyrics from the song we first danced as husband and wife. It is one of the very few sentimental gifts I have ever given Steve.

• We had a 3-day weekend because of President's Day on February 15th, so we went to Casselton, ND and stayed at the Governor's Inn.

It features an indoor water park and one of the big surprises was that another family and former classmate of Kippy's was also staying at the hotel. Friends make everything more fun! We were also lucky to have Maribeth & Dano doggie sit for Bella while we were there. Miss Bella was extra spoiled and I don't think she missed us a bit!

• Kippy is officially brace-free as of Friday, February 19th!! She had her braces for about 6 months and will go back to having a retainer to hold everything in place until her canine teeth come in. Her smiles looks so much bigger and brighter without the braces, don't you think? Here we were dressed up because we went to the James Sewell Ballet on Saturday night at the Fergus Falls Center for the Arts. It was truly amazing and the first professional ballet that we had ever attended.

• My New Favorite Snack: Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas I didn't use canned, but soaked 1 lb bag of chickpeas and doubled the spices. I also made them and substituted the spices with a tbsp of chili powder & a tsp of garlic salt. These are so delicious! My whole family loves them! Although I am nervous about breaking another one of my teeth in half crunching these up! BTW, I broke one of my molars in half last week biting into a wintergreen lifesaver, so that is a very real possibility. I get to go through the process of getting my third crown put on soon. The only positive in that process is that I do LOVE the nitrous oxide gas.

• Abby participated in Junior High Speech Team. She went to four competitions in February and her last competition was held last night in Fergus Falls (Feb 23). The Interpretive categories consist of Creative Expression, Duo Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Extemporaneous Reading, Serious Interpretation of Drama, Serious Interpretation of Poetry, Serious Interpretation of Prose, and Storytelling. Abby's category for the season was "Storytelling". In this category, there are usually 2 or 3 rounds, which the participant randomly draws what story they will tell. They have 30 minutes to prepare and then present their story in under 7 minutes. Creating voices and gestures are encouraged.
  

She came a way with some awards and was happy with her first speech experience. And as her dad likes to say, "Talking is finally paying off for her."