Grateful Friday

Back on the iPad again…

We are on the 15th floor of a hotel in downtown Seattle, overlooking the city and low hum of the freeway below.  Adam is working and meeting with people, etc.  He asked me a few times if I would be OK alone in the hotel room like we hadn’t met.

He also said, ”I have my iPad.”  So here we are.

It has been such a great trip!  We have enjoyed ourselves.  I have pictures, but can’t add them.  I still don’t know why.

First, I have to backtrack before the trip:  Tuesday we had a lunch at school.  It was top secret and we were told we didn’t want to miss it and we were wary because often times the news we get doesn’t thrill us.

This was not one of those times.  Owala (as in the water bottle company) had sponsored a lunch for us.  Everyone got a new water bottle and insulated lunch bag.  Alyssa was out of town, but Miriam and I sat with our 5th grade teacher besties as well as Megan who is the innovative learning coach and the MVP of all the teachers.  We had a nice lunch and caught up on each others’ summer adventures.  Matt asked me, “Did you hear about your classroom?”

I hadn’t been there yet, so I didn’t know what he meant (immediately wary—public schools will do that to you).  He said that once they replaced the ceiling and HVAC in my room, they realized that the ductwork was unattached.  He said, “So whenever the heat was on, it was only in your room.”

(Friends, I think I noticed that.)

After we ate, the good (good!) people of Owala also gifted us each a basket full of school supplies, three books and a $500 Amazon gift card.  We were shocked in all the happy ways.  They rolled out carts of water bottles and said that every student in the school was also going to be gifted a new water bottle.  I think that was the biggest cheer from the teachers.  Tiffany (who is hands down amazing) immediately said she would make each student a personalized sticker for their bottles.

I report back to school officially in three weeks and I am looking forward to it.  I love that I love my job and I love who I work with.

We flew to Seattle and met up with everyone and went to the Mariner’s game.  It was fun.  I love the convivial atmosphere of a baseball game with everyone in their team colors.  QE was gobsmacked by the spectacle of it all.  Braeden bought her a Mariners hat and she wanted one exactly like his.  After a while she was bored and I was only too happy to take her to the play place so she could run and run with the other Mariners clad children.  She immediately made friends and climbed and scampered and I love how sturdy she is.  She could hold her own.

The rest of the week has been Adam (bless him) working and squeezing in family time and the rest of us just enjoying.  QE has been playing with the ponies that Adam’s sisters had that Emma and her cousins played with.  The pastel gift that keeps giving.  She’s been pushed on the tire swing that we used to push our own children on.  Braeden and Mark went into the woods and came back with a walking stick.  They used their grandpa’s tools and carved their names in it and smoothed and sanded it and I have pictures, but alas.

We went to Silver Lake one day and they didn’t have their suits, but Braeden was up to the hem of his shorts in water in no time and QE was completely submerged.  Geri had brought a towel because of course she did.  We wrapped QE in it and Braeden carried her back to the car and I should have realized that would be part of the trip.  Geri is the iconic grandmother and I am her apprentice, trying to learn her ways.

We went to Costco in search of gluten free pizza, but also an Esprit sweatshirt.  I had heard they were there and like all the Gen Xers I wanted one!  They only had a few and they were XS and I am…not.   I think Adam and our kids thought I was a little crazy, but Janet was also at Costco, in search of an Esprit sweatshirt, so that was validating.  We both wanted the white ones with rainbow lettering, but no dice.

(I went to a different Costco to look for the pizza.  I had given up on the sweatshirt, but they had size small.  I can squeeze myself in.  I owe that to teenage Thelma, I think.)

Last night everyone except me went back to the lake.  I cross-stitched and read and took a nap on the couch and was as happy as I could be.

We came to Seattle and you are up to date.

I am grateful for this time we’ve had.  It is so nice to be with family.  We are looking forward to tomorrow when we will all go to the peninsula for Jackson and Jenna’s wedding.  Last week, I was so grateful for my family and heritage and loved being in that place.  This week I am grateful for family and heritage and love being in this place.