April to May...

The end of April has brought spring in all its glory.  Nothing prettier than our city in the springtime, and we have been enjoying it as much as possible.

The pats two weeks in review:

I was pleased to finish the Hermes tne miler.  Not my fastest time, by far, but I'd not trained much.  Wanted to prove to myself I could still run a long way, and I did.  Mile 9 was not great. but I finished at a run. And it was a gorgeous days to be by the lake!

Jack arranged a last minute sleepover with a few buddies and I just loved making waffles for them when I got home.  I like Jack's friends so much, and love these (somewhat rare) moments when the kids gather at our house.

Ivy spent the day with Violet.  Another treasured friendship.  

We took my mom and Kirk to see  butterflies and tulips at the Gardens.

... then arrived home in time for a visit from our friend Zach.

Here's a picture of our really chunky cat taking up the entire doorway to the dining room. 

Nat and I went to Bedford on Sunday to take photos of the house with the magnolia tree in bloom.  We are hoping to list it for sale in June!   The tree wasn't quite in bloom and we couldn't get a great photo... but it wasn't a wasted trip because we got to visit Viaduct Park. Such a hidden gem!

The weather got crazy warm and it called out to be a beach day. Unfortunately Nat ended up spending the afternoon at the ER, dealing with a dog bite he'd incurred on Friday when trying to return a neighborhood dog to its home. Urgent care on Saturday and some antibiotics did nothing for his poor hand, so off he went to the Clinic ER while the rest of us played frisbee at Edgewater...  All's well that ends well because his hand is well healed now,  but it did make for an anxious weekend.  The kids and I did manage to have a nice time at the beach, where the sand was uncomfortably hot (crazy!) and the water bitingly cold and where all the people in Cleveland were gathered.  Jack even admitted it was "more fun than expected" but that it would've been better with dad there.  Truth.  Most things are. 

Not bad there, though. 

Planted myself some spring annuals since I was getting tired of being depressed by the little stumps of thrice-eaten-by-deer tulips in the front bed.  Why have I never planted pansies before?  The yellow ones are bringing me a great deal of joy. 

Midweek festivities:  Swim team banquet!  Our first high school sports banquet.  It was so fun to celebrate these terrific kids, and to eat with and chat with the other parents.  Felt almost like old times.  All those school events we took for granted! 

Our boy has his first varsity letter!  And a great group of friends. 

Our Easter chicks are getting big!

But still snuggly. 

Cat on a quilt. 

Goslings have arrived in Forest Hill Park!  

Happy hour with the best co-workers ever. 

Coventry PEACE building open house with my honey.  San you say "free cocktails??"

My backyard tulips.  More joy. 

A night at the theater-- our Broadway series included a drama this year.  It was fabulous.  As were our seats when we got moved to the center loge box!

The beginning of May took a somber turn when the news was leaked that the Supreme Court issued a draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.   The repercussions of the 2016 election continue in this near-dystopian world we live in.  It is hard to reconcile the beauty of spring and the joy we find in our daily lives here in our safe little world, with decisions being made at the national level that will ruin or end the lives of many women in years to come. 

We can feel more than one thing.

We can also go vote in our local elections. 

Treated ourselves to some silly fun this past Friday- Stars on Ice at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.  Gram Sarah heard about this event in January after the Olympics and suggested we go.  What a great idea.  It was fun to adventure downtown and be someplace totally new to us.  And the skating was fantastic and thrilling to watch live.  Especially Nathan Chen's backflips!