May 2025

We are wrapping up Hadley's senior year around here!  It has been bittersweet. Special, sweet, and at times unbelievably sad. All of that to say, we are SO proud and SO excited of our Hadley girl!!

Hadley and her good friend Katelyn ready for prom.

Hadley sent Kyle and I for an overnight up exploring the Copper Falls State park!

Bryndel had a great spring band concert. 

Hadley got to induct Piper into NHS!

Hadley has been running some great 4x100 and 4x200 races! And Piper some great 4x400 and 4x800 races!

Hadley was awarded the World Language Department award as well as Class Valedictorian!

We spent a day up in Poplar working with Kara, Frank, and Kraig on Grandma A's yard.

Grandma has made it to a couple track meets!

We spent a great Memorial Day weekend at the lake with cousins!

Including my cousin Lindsay and her little Ian and Ada!

Both Hadley and Piper advanced from Regionals to Sectionals eith their relay teams, and Piper’s 4x800 team also advanced to State!

April 2025

Well, we are in the home stretch of Hadley's senior year! It seems that every week brings a 'last' of some kind. I am not sure whether to breathe a sigh of gratefulness or pull out another kleenex. It's a lot ❤️

Track season has been chilly but oh so fun! Hadley has been busy long & triple jumping, running the 4x200 relay, and the 300 hurdles! Piper has been running combinations of 400s & 800s!

We also celebrated the beautiful life of my grandma Joan over the Easter weekend. I am grateful for her example of treasuring family. She would have been tickled to see me & Angie together! 

Spain - Final days and wrap up

We took the high speed train back to Barcelona Friday morning. We popped over to the Sagrada Familia neighborhood for one final dinner of tapas and amazing wine followed by gelato, before gazing up at the cathedral lit for the night. It was the perfect end to our trip as a violinist played a hymn into the starlight. 

Our travel day, Saturday, lasted 23 hours before we snuggled into our real beds at 11 pm. We have never been so exhausted or grateful to be back home, but what an adventure ❤️

Things that surprised us while we were there:

How much walking they do!

How little people use cars, and how much they rely on public transit.

So many people smoke!

Most restaurants don't open until at least 7 pm for dinner.

You have to pay 1 Euro to use a public toilet! And sometimes, you have to grab the amount of toilet paper you need BEFORE you go into your stall. And sometimes you might not understand the bathroom attendant who told you that in Spanish 🤣

Eating tapas, little plates, is SO fun! And a glass of wine is $2-4!

There are only small espresso & cappuccinos in Spain! No drip coffees or large cups.

Vegetables are rarely on the menu other than a garnish or very small bit of a dish.

Every single restaurant we ate at, served something upon arrival just to welcome you! 

Christianity felt very much alive with the sheer number of incredible cathedrals throughout each city. 

In most places, someone spoke English. 

Service in restaurants is not what it is in the States! Tipping is not usually done, so they don't necessarily work for it. 

We felt safe just about everywhere we went!

Hadley & Piper did an excellent job reading the Spanish signs and ordering for us at the restaurants! 

We travel well, even overseas, together as a family ❤️

Spain Day 8 - Thursday

We spent Thursday exploring the big city of Madrid. Beginning our day with the best churros dipped in thick hot chocolate! We shopped, took in Retiro Park, and went through Prado Museum to see our first Picasso and Da Vinci's preliminary Mona Lisa. We also had thee most delicious handmade pasta for lunch!

Plaza Mayor

Spain Day 7 - Wednesday

On Wednesday, we headed south to explore another special little city. Toledo was full of beautiful alleyways, restaurants & cathedrals on every corner, breathtaking views of the city, and even a zipline! This was also my favorite day, ha! 

Spain Day 6 - Tuesday

We dressed in as many layers as we could on Tuesday morning, as we were headed on another train for a day up North in Segovia. The temperatures hovered between 35-50 all day, but the crisp air and bright sunshine only added to this special little city. The aqueduct, built in the first century, was our first stop! Followed by some incredible cathedrals and castles. It was my favorite day! It even ended with fresh crepes topped with gelato, yum!