Abby went out for track two weeks ago and had her first Jr High meet in Detroit Lakes on Friday, April 23rd. It was a perfect track day, 70 degrees and no wind! It really took me back 20+ years ago to the days when it was me on the track field.... complete with the anxiety.
The second event for Abby was a relay. Abby ran the lead leg in the 4x100m and hadn't had much time to practice the all important hand-off to Kiana, so they worked on it before the race. Then it was time for the real thing... The 4 girls ran in this order: Abby, Kiana, Paige & Megan. They placed 6th overall. Abby ran in the 100m and 200m dashes as well. It was a great first experience for Abby and I am so happy that I was able to be there. She already had another track meet on Monday, April 26th in Breckenridge. Steve and Grandma Rose went to the meet which really pleased Abby. Only two more meets to go and the brief season will be over. Looks like we have another runner in the family.
I found a photo from almost 11 years, when Steve & I were on a Caribbean cruise. It was June 1999 and I was wearing the now vintage red dress.
THEN....
NOW...
Kinda fun to do a little comparison between then and now. Steve looks so much the same! I like my hair & jewelry better in the now version. What do you think?
And finally, someplace to go to! The occasion? The first annual OLV Steak & Wine Dinner fundraiser on Saturday, April 10th.
My tall, dark and handsome date...
A fancy up-do for me. And for those who are wondering... No, I didn't do this myself.
Anyone who has ever seen my regular hair, would never even ask such a silly question. I had to go to a professional to get my limp, straight hair to look good. Gayland, from the JCPenney Salon in Fargo created this in just under an hour. It would be even more dramatic if I would have taken a before picture, but trust me when I say it was my usual cr@p hair.
I recycled this dress from 1995 or 1996. I think I have only worn it twice, but haven't parted with it because I just love it. It was a bargain from Filene's Basement a bazillian years ago. Does that store even exist anymore? Anyway, the dress is now so old,I think it has earned the title of vintage. Both girls were helping me with jewelry choices. So many opinions it really cracks me up. I think they were just happy that I wasn't wearing pajama pants or workout clothes for once.
The fundraiser event was fantastic! A lot of work went into transforming the school gym into an elegant environment. The food was scrumptious. Our table mates and great friends, David & Kelly, made the evening even more fun. We acquired several great live auction items and cheered on many others who were bidding. Social pressure makes everything more exciting! And to top it off, we got to do some dancing. I sure do love a good jitterbug with my handsome partner! Oh, and I almost forgot... we can't say "we never win anything" anymore because we won a $100 raffle drawing at the end of the evening. Talk about icing-on-the-cake!
My hubby is amazing and definitely goes above and beyond. I will use this post to just point out a couple of examples so the next time one of his habits seems a wee-bit irritating, I can put it in perspective and remember his many outstanding traits. Steve is very thoughtful. He brought home this gorgeous hydrangea last week. It is so perfect that it looks fake! I love, love, love me some flowers. Especially ones that last and last.
Flowers make my heart sing!
Steve is romantic. About a week before we went on our second honeymoon in Vegas, Steve gave me a customized silver pendent necklace. What a surprise! It says, "Live Laugh Love Lindgren Style" on the outside and "Steve*Abbigail*Angelique" around the inside. It has a mother-of-pearl charm in the center. I added the heart charm that Abby gave me for Christmas to it which says "A mother... holds her child's heart forever." I love it & wear it all the time. It keeps my family close to my heart.
Steve is generous. After 4 days of me prancing around in the robe provided at the Trump hotel in Vegas saying how much I loved it and randomly shouting "Your fired!", Steve ordered me my very own Trump robe. It is completely floor length on me and irresistibly soft and cozy in the inside. OMGosh - it is the best memento from a vacation I think I have ever gotten. My hubby has been earning some major gold stars! Steve, YOU.ARE.THE.BEST!!! and the earlier comment about irritating habits.... ummm... I was just kidding. ;-)
I resorted to using my super-powers to get the family to cooperate for some outdoor Easter pictures on Sunday after church.
Are you wondering what my super-power is?
Lean in closer and I'll whisper into your ear how to get your children to cooperate and allow you to take many, many pictures in order to get a couple nice shots....
..... it's called bribery.... It is magical and it is highly effective!
It went something like this.... "No one gets to hunt up any Easter eggs until I get some NICE family pictures taken."
And what do you know? Perfect obedience! I changed venue 3 different times. I took over 30 pictures with my camera on a tripod. I previewed and putzed and not one complaint. I love my super powers.
And then the hunt began.
The competition was fierce.
There were lots of smiles.
And a lot of dashing around the yard.
and then the loot was divided and they sunk into a blissful sugar coma.
We tried something new for coloring our Easter eggs this year. The package promised vibrant beautiful "Candy Apple" eggs. The results? Bright, sticky, gooey Easter eggs. The concept was cool. And it came with a custom pallet to mix the colors in along with two brushes.
The brushes included in the kit were junk, so we used some brushes of our own.
The eggs were slippery and more than one accidentally got dropped and got just a little bit chipped.
The paint/dye mixture was gloppy and sticky, but eventually we got the hang of it and were able to make some cool looking eggs.
The shiny finish and bright colors were great. The colors also blended well.
There was plenty of concentration and creativity invested in these eggs.
Smiley, happy egg!
The girls and I waited and waited for the eggs to dry. We even tried drying them with a paper towel. Finally we put them back in the fridge still tacky.
The next morning those darn eggs were still sticky! Abby said, "Mom, next year let's just use the kind with tablets that you dip in the color."
The second event for Abby was a relay. Abby ran the lead leg in the 4x100m and hadn't had much time to practice the all important hand-off to Kiana, so they worked on it before the race.
Then it was time for the real thing...
The 4 girls ran in this order: Abby, Kiana, Paige & Megan. They placed 6th overall.
Abby ran in the 100m and 200m dashes as well. It was a great first experience for Abby and I am so happy that I was able to be there. She already had another track meet on Monday, April 26th in Breckenridge. Steve and Grandma Rose went to the meet which really pleased Abby. Only two more meets to go and the brief season will be over. Looks like we have another runner in the family.
