Seventeen in Quarantine

COVID-19 cares not for the calendar and milestones, which means Clare turned 17 in the midst of a stay-at-home order and virtual schooling. This was, in essence, a big fat bummer. 

Still, we celebrated. The Testanis sent beautiful flowers. Abby made a covert visit. There were gifts, cake, calls and cards from friends and family. It will never be her favorite birthday, but it will certainly be memorable.

She requested a cityscape for her birthday, reflecting her fascination with them - and looking ahead to a future that will include travel and adventure...eventually.

We love this girl so much, and I can’t complain about the extra time to be with her. A silver lining for this seventeenth birthday.

Hunting Colleges in Boston

While Danny enjoyed sunny relaxation in Florida, Tim, Clare and Abby headed north to explore schools in the Boston area. Tim mapped out the itinerary, which had them start with an exploration of Marblehead before heading to Holy Cross, their first tour.

As this trip unfolded at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis that would eventually shut down much of the country - and most universities - their experience was a bit surreal. They were fortunate in that they were able to tour each school, with closure notices announced moments after they arrived at each. 

Altogether, they toured Holy Cross, Tufts, Harvard and Boston College. BC emerged as the favorite for both girls. I’m pretty sure the fact that it has its own T stop was a big plus as far as Clare was concerned!

They also saw enough of Boston to really like the city, and to get up to some of their usual goofiness - the hallmark of any good trip! We are so glad that they managed to make this trip before the world closed down, and look forward to the time when such trips are possible once again!

Danny’s Solo Spring Break in Sarasota

With Danny’s first year at a Marist falling at the same time as Clare’s junior year - a critical time to visit colleges - he opted to skip to Sarasota by himself. As I suspected, he was treated like a king and throughly enjoyed the sibling-free life, as perhaps only a middle child can!

While I believe he enjoyed the variety of activities, from visiting a military museum to the zoo to golfing, we primarily got pictures of him enjoying food! This would account for the fact that I am certain he grew at least half an inch while he was gone!

He and Grandma also enjoyed nightly rounds of Banagrams,
at the end of which he crafted this message:

And he very well may have! He came home just as the coronavirus frenzy was gaining steam, so we were happy to get him back under our roof. But really pleased that he had such a memorable week with his grandparents!

Danny’s First Marist Soccer Match

After several frustrating delays from Mother Nature, Danny was finally able to play his first match as an official member of the Marist MS Soccer Team. He relished every moment, including the fact that Clare attended to watch. He started, he played well, they won 1-0.

It was extra special that their opponent was GAC, for whom Ewan plays - meaning Coach Bobby was in attendance. As Danny lined up to take a free kick, Bobby said to me, “I’m not rooting for him...but I am.” 

Danny was glowing after the game. I think this is the start of a beautiful experience.

SHINE 2020

SHINE 2020 ended a week ago, but it won't be soon forgotten. It was my fourth in a row, but as always it left me motivated and still totally enamored of Noonday Collection.

They condensed the conference somewhat this year, so it felt like more of a whirlwind than ever before, meaning it was hard to catch up with as many ambassadors as I would have liked. Most of us didn't take as many photos as we would have liked, either! But we did manage to get a few.

One of the most special moments was impossible to photograph: The video montage that they used to kick off SHINE. Unbeknownst to me, my dear friend Amy worked with home office to contribute some really beautiful words, and fun photos, to describe how Noonday has affected me, and vice versa. I was floored, and SO moved. Inspired to keep it up, too! 

I was also thrilled to learn at the awards dinner that I was #10 in personal sales for 2019! I was pretty sure I had made the top 25 again, and dared to think maybe #20 or so (as opposed to #24 last year), but I was pretty pumped to discover it was way higher! Never in my wildest dreams when I joined in 2016 did I imagine myself in this position - and it feels incredible.

The final event of the weekend was really momentous for every single one of us. We were rallied by motivational speaker Brian Biro, who spoke about energy levels and breaking through limitations. We were then challenged to write down a big limitation for us on a one-inch thick board, and then broke through it with the support of our sisters around us. I was surprised by how emotional this was for me (and everyone else). I cried thinking about writing down my words, thinking about trying to break it. And then I cried when I looked straight into my friend and board-holder, Lindy's eyes when I aimed and then broke my board. I also cried when everyone else broke theirs. It was powerful and awesome. I think we all really made a breakthrough, too! (For the record, I wrote "not asking" on my board, because I'm really tentative about asking people to host and even worse about asking them to join as an ambassador.)

Of course, the best thing of all about SHINE is spending quality time with the ambassadors who have become dear friends. We laughed, we cried, we made goals. I loved having Saturday night to hang out, eat, and debrief all that transpired during the conference. I can tell that 2020 is going to be a big year for all of us. I'm so excited to cheer on everyone, and to know that they are behind me, too.

Nifty Number Nine

I don’t know why, but nine sounds really old to me - and not an age I am ready to ascribe to Laura. Nevertheless, she is officially nine years old - and chose to celebrate with Meghan for the fifth year in a row! We started the day by presenting her with her gift from us: a school for American Girl dolls. I figured she would enjoy playing with it all day with Meghan (who we picked up right after breakfast). It was fun to hear them “ooh and ahh” over all the clever details.

The weather was cold and rainy ALL day, putting a damper on their usual desire to play outside, so I took them to Stars and Strikes for laser tag, bumper cars and arcade games. One of the rounds of laser tag was just the two of them, which they thought was both cool and hilarious.

We broke for lunch at McDonald’s - one of the very few times of year we eat there. Later we headed back home, which was decorated with a Harry Potter theme this year (Clare has requested these things make another appearance for her birthday). 

Laura decided that for dinner she wanted to introduce Meghan to Eclipse di Luna, our family’s favorite. I don’t know that Meghan was blown away, but we enjoyed a fun meal regardless.

Finally it was time for presents (lots of LEGOs) and cake. Laura requested a “swirl design this year, so this is what I came up with. A wintry design for sure.

And now the girls are in bed for a sleepover, and our holidays are officially at an end. But clearly a great year is just beginning!

Christmas 2019

As the last guests drive away, we can declare this Christmas a success! Everyone (save one cat) stayed healthy and happy! It truly felt like a celebration of family and fun, and we are so grateful that everyone was willing to head our way.

There was cookie decorating, a beautiful Christmas Eve mass, playing among the cousins, outings to the movies and the lights, food, wine, and lots of laughter.

Christmas blessings abounded!