Sixteen: Sweet, but So Much More

I don’t usually get too worked up about specific age numbers, but somehow 16 felt like a big deal. Frankly, it sounds *old* - something we are surely not?! When it came to celebrating this milestone, we made it clear that her spring break trip was the lion’s share of her gift and took the place of a party. But we of course wanted to fete the birthday girl, who naturally requested a weekend spent in the company of Abby.

Friday night entailed seeing their friends perform in the Marist play, and then a low-key sleepover at our house. After a break for studying (and a bit of shopping for me and Clare), the five of us picked up Abby and headed to Ponce City Market for the evening. We walked the Beltline for a while - it was a gorgeous evening - and then made our way back to the food hall for some delicious Mediterranean (or Indian, in the case of Danny and Tim) food, followed by gelato. Truly a fun night.

We saved the traditional cake for her actual birthday on Monday. A books theme for our avid reader. 

I don’t know where the “sweet sixteen” moniker comes from, but I do know that while Clare is certainly sweet, there are a lot of other adjectives that come to mind first: intelligent; creative; confident; helpful; independent; and just. And I also know that we are very, very proud.

Sadie 2019

Coming just one week after the return from spring break, this year’s Sadie Hawkins was a bit of an after-thought. Plans didn’t really materialize until Thursday night. But in the end, I think it was exactly as this crew wanted it!

I had five girls (Kathryn not photographed) getting ready in my bathroom, which was fun to listen to! Then it was off to dinner, photo ops, and finally the dance.

Truly a charming, fun, and sincerely lovely group of kids!

Bearing Witness X

A single blog post will never do this experience of Clare’s justice, but it was also far too significant for her to not include in this recap of our family’s year. Consider this a mere trailer, if you will.

We knew when her name was listed among those who had won a spot on the Bearing Witness trip that it was exciting, but back in September it also felt distant. Once the holidays passed, though, time accelerated, exams were upon us, and so was the trip! Between the stress of exams and a bit of uncertainty, I think many of the kids headed to the airport not knowing how to feel. But after 24 hours of travel and time in Munich, they were off and having the time of their lives. I’ll let the texts we received from Clare take it from here. (Note: photos do not correspond to updates.)

(Day 2 in Munich): Awesome day today! Great hotel breakfast (buffet), German mass at a beautiful church, then we met Marcus our amazing and hilarious German tour guide who took us to see Munich's greatest sites. Then we had a quick lunch before going to Dachau for the afternoon. I took a lot of photos and journaled a lot to capture the powerful experience. We came back and had a really fun dinner (my table was cracking up) before playing random games in the square and ending the night and our time in Munich by visiting a modern synagogue that really symbolizes triumph and the defeat of Nazism in Munich.

Day 3: Update for the day! We had to leave Munich which was sad, but onto more adventures! We went on the bus for about 2 hours to Regensburg, a small German town which is gorgeous!!! We spent time there seeing sights and walking around before continuing on the bus. We drive through the beautiful European countryside to the Czech Republic! (We have made a crazy number of Czech jokes which are hilarious😂) we got to Prague and czeched into the hotel (hahaha) and then walked around for awhile (I did my presentation and it was awesome!!) then we entered the main square and all went into shock because it was gorgeous and then we had free time so Christian and I went with some other people into this clock tower that we climbed up so we could see the view and just wow. It was night so the city lights were all lit up and the tower had a square that you could walk around to all sides and see everything and it was the most incredible view I've ever seen and we're going back tomorrow if possible. Then we had an awesome dinner and I sat with some different people and it was really fun!! Then we did more sightseeing at night and there's this bridge over the river where it's a tradition for couples to sign a lock and put it on the gate and throw out the key to "lock their love" and so Mr. Murphy goes "We happen to have a very special couple here!" And we all went wild of course and he magically produced all the materials for the Carrolls to do it and it was great😂 we're back at the hotel now and it was a really amazing day.

Day 4: Second day in Prague today! We woke up and had an amazing hotel breakfast!! (America needs to catch up bc I guarantee you’ve never had a hotel breakfast like the Europeans do it Danny) Then we set off to visit the Prague castle to kick off our city tour with our Czech tour guide Pavel! He led us around the castle and cathedral there in the castle district first before leading us through the city. It was the most beautiful ever! Then we had free time for lunch and shopping. Austin and I ate at this really random but good Middle Eastern restaurant and then went shopping. It was so fun! I found a ton of gifts for everybody and found myself some things too! Then Mr. Murphy led us into the old Jewish ghetto area where we visited some synagogues and a cemetery and it was really cool. Then we had more free time so I found a few more gifts and we got this Prague dessert specialty which is pretty much ice cream wrapped in a churro type thing (they have it everywhere) and it’s the best! We had a great dinner at the hotel and then set off for more sightseeing to end our time in Prague. Tomorrow we’re Czeching out!

(As the week progressed, their nights went late and sleep was minimal, so the later updates weren’t quite as energized - but clearly she was maximizing her time!)

Day 5 & 6: So on Wednesday we got on the bus to leave Prague, and on the way to Krakow we stopped in the Czech town of Olomouc. It’s really cute and everything is really cheap, so we used the last of our Czech crowns to buy lunch and ice cream. We heard some people present on their places in Olomouc too. We then got back on the bus and got to Poland! That night, we walked to dinner in Krakow. It was at this really cool decorated traditional place! Then we came back to the hotel for a meeting before the next day. Next day was a 5:30 wake up and we ate breakfast before heading to Auschwitz 1. We spent a few hours there first with a guide then alone with our journals. We ate a sack lunch before going to Auschwitz 2- Birkenau where we spent a long time, again with a guide then alone with journals. Then we came back to eat at the hotel and then had a discussion. Then we made a run to the castle at midnight which was fun and went to bed!

Day 7: Last update: 

We took a bus tour of Krakow with our Polish tour guide Viola. She took us to the Jewish area, former grounds of the Plaszow concentration camp from Schindler’s List, some more smaller sights, and then through the Wawel Castle and Cathedral. Then we had about 5-6 hours of free time to go shop, eat, and wander the beautiful city. It was so fun! Then we had an interesting dinner and went back to the square for a last fun time in Krakow. We went back to the hotel to sign each other’s guide books and end off the trip. Now we’re at the airport.

We were happy to have her back, and grateful for her experience of a lifetime!

SHINE 2019

What a weekend! It was nearly impossible to decide which photo to lead with for this post, but ultimately it felt natural to choose one from Team Fierce Faith - and the silly one at that. There were a lot of big moments from this year's Shine, moments that I am excited to downright brag about. But in the end, it's the connections and time spent with so many incredible women that I savor the most.

I volunteered to act as a Connector this year, which enabled me to sync up with Meg and Missy (from my beach trip that was the consolation prize for my canceled artisan trip to Guatemala - I can't believe I didn't blog about that!). We were the Fanny Pack Posse, stocked with Advil, bandaids, and gum. (Suffice to say, we took these off after about an hour.) Our role was to specifically reach out to new attendees who perhaps didn't know anyone but were brave enough to attend anyway - something I remembered well from my first Shine.

The first BIG moment for me was that first night, when the new spring line was revealed by those of us who had attained Rock Star Status in the past year. This means we have sold $100,000 in lifetime sales. It was actually a lot more nerve-wracking than I anticipated, but nevertheless a lot of fun, thanks to a group of women who definitely don't take themselves too seriously. I was especially happy to experience the fashion show with fellow teammates Kacey and Sarah.

Early on in the planning for this trip, I decided to ditch my antisocial ways and room with Cat, and I'm so glad I did. It was the best of both worlds, too, because I had someone to help me with my hair and choose outfits, but I still had my own bed!

We all loved this backdrop for photos, and it felt especially appropriate to take a picture with Kacey here, as she is such a supportive coach/mentor as well as friend.

Before the awards night dinner, we finally got our chance to get a picture with the artisans who attended this year's Shine: (from left) Anna from Guatemala, Anne from Kenya, Moon from India, and Jalia and Daniel from Uganda. Throughout the weekend we heard from each of them, inspiring us to continue this work that they are so grateful we have chosen to do.

While we waited for the large group photo to be taken before heading into dinner, we nabbed this selfie with our dynamo emcee, Michelle McKinney. She was FIRE, and an honor to hear.

This photo is from my other BIG moment: I was 24th in sales overall for 2018. I was fairly astonished when I first learned this, and I continue to be very proud. I'm motivated to continue walking that stage, too! Which is why I continue to stay in close contact with this lovely lady:

Kathy is another of the beautiful friends I made at the beach this past summer, and she and I have linked arms as pacing partners. She is motivating, loving and FUN.

This is the other lady who keeps me going: Suzanne is a sales mentor that I've had the privilege of working with through multiple seasons, and her sincere belief in me and genuine delight in my success has felt like a true privilege.

It was a weekend to remember, for sure. I even shut down the dance floor with Jess and Lois! I think we all came away ready to hit the ground running like never before - and also counting the days until the next Shine.

Eight is Great, Laura Edition

For the fourth year in a row, Laura chose to usher in her next trip around the sun by spending the entire day with Meghan! For the second year in a row, this also featured a sleepover, although not a great deal of sleeping took place. Laura often tells us how she cannot sleep the night before a big day, including Halloween!

I continue to be so grateful that she prefers to celebrate this way, rather than a party - it’s so much more relaxing! This time around included lots of playing (including a few rounds of Uno in which they teamed up to beat me soundly), donuts for breakfast, lunch at McDonald’s, and a trip to the movies to see “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”

Although unicorns are definitely the preferred theme these days, she did request a Harry Potter cake! We have been reading the series to her at night, and I believe she is really enjoying this, particularly because it gives her a strong connection to Clare, who is also re-reading the books.

As our trip to the mall before the movie illustrated, this girl is growing up quickly - and we will work hard to keep up with her. Happy birthday, Laura!!

Merry Christmas 2018

It was almost too good to be true, but we managed a marvelous, healthy, mishap-free Christmas with the Morlan-Needham-Seymour gang! Truly, it was everything I hoped for, and I am so very grateful.

We girls enjoyed a festive tea outing at the St. Regis (along with Chris and Abby, not pictured). Thus even included a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus for Laura:

We enjoyed several delicious meals both at home and at Eclipse di Luna, as well as baking (and eating) several tasty treats:

Christmas Eve brought church and its finery:

Plus placing Baby Jesus in the manger:

Christmas morning brought LOTS of goodies, including this cozy chair for Clare that was quickly covered by many:

The holiday also gave Uncle Tim, a.k.a. The Fox, the opportunity to reach the big kids how to play poker.

It was a brief, but blissful time. Merry Christmas indeed!

 

Sometimes Good Enough Will Have To Do

We were delayed in selecting our tree this year, because the first week of December was when I was able to schedule house painters. (So long, yellow walls!) I had been told by a friend at school that there was a shortage of trees this year, a fact that quickly came to light when we headed to Home Depot early Saturday morning. My hopes for a 12-foot tree were quickly dashed when we saw that they only had a couple of 9-foot trees left. Since neither of these were to our liking, we headed to another Home Depot, unsure of what we would find. While their selection was not huge, they at least had a better looking tree in the 9 to 10 foot range. So, it was quickly decided that this was our tree! And you know what? We still had a great time decorating it, and we still love to sit around it!