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!

Invention Convention 3.0

A rite of passage in the Third Grade at CKS is the Invention Convention. Fortunately, Laura spared us the agony of coming up with an invention, as she had her brainstorm about a year ago - and remembered it! Think tray table from the airplane, but for the car. 

As the days passed, and Tim was traveling, I started to panic about executing the invention. Some helpful guidance from

Larry assuaged my nerves, but better still Tim came home and took over. This was a good Daddy-Laura bonding experience, too. 

The Convention itself was darling, with a loud buzz of excitement from the kids, and so much creativity. Still, I’m relieved to have this behind us!

Mandatory Christmas Joy

It goes without saying that all five of us - and only the five of us - decorate our Christmas tree. We purchase it the evening before, make our feast (admittedly a bit haphazard this year, as I spent most of the day at a vendor event), and get going. 

This year we selected the very first, and only, tree we looked at, which was a great improvement over last year’s meager selection. I capitalized on Danny’s new status as second-tallest in the family by having him be the one to help Tim wrangle it into the house. Despite how Tim makes the tree look in the above photo, it’s quite large - around 11 feet.

We finished our evening as we’ve done the past few years: A viewing of  “Elf” and chocolate fondue. A sweet evening, and a sweet life.

Thanksgiving 2019

On the night before Thanksgiving, Tim had a brainstorm: Challenge the Wilmaths to a Turkey Day soccer game. We had no idea if they were even around, or up for it. Turns out they were, and it was a stunningly beautiful day for it, too!

After getting kicked off of the Concorde/Y fields, we eventually settled on a truly lovely space overlooking Murphey Candler Lake. It was a close contest, with we 5 Seymours taking on 7 Wilmaths - Grammy and Grampy joined us, but stayed on the sidelines to cheer. The score remained very close, and I’m happy to say each Seymour scored a goal (I scored 2, but unfortunately one for the wrong side). Ultimately, though, we came up short 9-10. Clearly we need a rematch next year!

This activity set the stage for a movie-watching, napping, generally relaxing afternoon before the feast. As always, very thankful!

My Once-In-A-Lifetime Trunk Show

I had been gearing up for a few weeks for this trunk show with the one and only Jessica Honegger - and I was nervous. Pumped, but also anxious. Would she approve of my style? Would I do justice to Noonday? Was I *really* the right ambassador to host a trunk show with the Founder?! But as I dropped off Laura at school, the Eminem classic “Lose Yourself” came on the radio - a song I have not heard in ages. The phrase “this opportunity comes once in a lifetime” resonated so clearly with me! This was happening, and I needed to just be open to it and do the job I’ve been doing - and LOVING - for 3.5 years. And, of course, it was awesome. My friend Amy was the perfect hostess, and being surrounded and loved on by women who have loved and supported me every step of the way was unforgettable. 

It was so fun to see my friends connect with Jessica, and I enjoyed driving her around and having some down-to-earth, one-on-one time with her. Priceless.

I am so inspired to keep going, and crazier than ever about the Noonday community. 

Grandparents Day

Laura was *really* pumped for Grandparents Day this year - because she auditioned for, and earned, a solo! She was definitely pleased that we would have grandparents in town for the big show. 

She practiced her part of “Happy” for weeks, but I wasn’t sure if shy tendencies or stage fright would kick in. No chance - she knocked it out of the park! (I heard the woman behind me “ooh” in appreciation.)

Blessed to have grandparents able and happy to attend, and love the energy of Laura and the whole school. A great event!

Tim & Clare’s Excellent Chicago/ND Adventure

As soon as Clare finished Term 1 exams, she and Tim headed out for a weekend of college visits, with a side of nostalgia throughout Chicago. First stop: Duke of Perth. 

Saturday they toured Northwestern and checked out Loyola on their own. She definitely liked both, but wasn’t necessarily smitten. She did enjoy touring Chicago, from the lakeshore to the Mag Mile. They caught up with Ricky and Meaghan and their crew for dinner, too - both remember toddler Clare very well!

Sunday they grabbed lunch at CBA, just as the two of them used to do every Saturday. They went to mass at St. Clement, then lunch at Panes before heading to ND.

After dinner at Legends, they happened upon the inter-hall football finals in the stadium, so Clare really got a taste of the dorm spirit. 

The next morning was their official tour, and after that Clare caught up with her friend Lindsey from Marist. She was able to see Lindsey’s dorm, meet some of her friends, and ask lots of questions. I’m happy to say she loved it! We’ll see what the next year brings, but so far ND is high on the list!

A Happy Halloween for 2019

We continue to mix things up at Halloween, and this year we divided and conquered. Laura, who dressed as Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series, chose to trick-or-treat with Meghan (a S.W.A.T. officer) in her neighborhood. I escorted her, and we enjoyed a great evening with the Millers, including a moonlit buffet dinner halfway through the candy trek.

Meanwhile, Tim held down the fort at home, grilling ribs and burgers and hosting a front-yard fire. Danny chose to stay home as his sidekick. Clare invited some friends over, and I think all were happy to have a place to gather and have fun - Halloween gets tricky for high schoolers. They seemed a very merry bunch indeed, and Clare was delighted with the results.

Swim squad.

Danny in the mix!

I was festive, too.

Cuties.

The weather turned quite chilly, too, which really helped to usher in the feeling of approaching holidays!

Pumpkin Pleasure Trip

The times are a-changin’, which translates to things like no mountain house weekend this year, thanks to teenagers’ schedules. Faced with a free day off from school, beautiful fall weather, and my unwavering appreciation for Burt’s Farm, I decided to take Laura and Meghan. Turns out Meghan had never been to a pumpkin patch, so it was a very worthwhile mission.

Not knowing just how many people would have the day off and a similar plan, we hit the road early in order to be there when Burt’s opened. We had the pick of the parking lot, and clear access to the vast array of porta-potties!

It really was a gorgeous, crisp autumn morning, and we were all happy to leisurely make our way around the farm.

We were the first hay ride of the day, after which we grabbed some baked goods and then got to work picking out pumpkins. Pretty sure we got the best ones.

Given that Amicalola Falls is just 1/4 of a mile up the road, the girls humored me with a trip to the state park. They first flocked to the playground before we made our way to the base of the falls. It’s a steep trail up to the falls, which was not on their agenda, so we turned around pretty quickly - but we got some lovely views along the way.

It was so refreshing to be outside, and not in a rush - and these girls make pretty fun companions. It wasn’t a weekend retreat, but I enjoyed my morning in the mountains nonetheless!

Clare’s Junior Year Homecoming

As seems to be par for the course for Junior year, Homecoming weekend was jam-packed for Clare. It unfortunately fell on the same weekend as her two-day swim instructor certification for the Y - which of course was held at a YMCA 45 minutes away. In true fashion, she planned accordingly, working ahead where she could and staying home on Friday night to study. And as is (almost) always the case, everything worked out beautifully!

There was a picture party/dinner at Christian’s house with all of her friends before the dance. They lucked out, as the ridiculous and record-breaking heat wave finally broke the day of Homecoming- making for a beautiful evening! 

A grand time was had by all - and I think she was the best-dressed there, too!