Southwick: Our Forever Family

With everything else going on, we still managed to squeeze in a celebration of Pi day and St. Patricks Day. Like I've said before, life is always more fun when you can take a mundane day and do something a little fun. It doesn't have to be much; just something a little out of the ordinary...and that's just what we did. Friday, March 14th, was "pi" day. I know...it's a silly, semi-made up holiday that some companies use to sell pies...but I don't care. We never do much, but it doesn't have to be much. I got us some pizza "pi" for dinner and a pie for dessert. This year Jonas decided he wanted a banana cream pie...and Jeff was fully on board with that choice.

The following Monday, March 17th, was St. Patrick's Day...and also our marathon Monday. That day Jonas not only had the typical piano lessons and taekwondo, but he also had a basketball game. Needless to say, I knew we wouldn't be able to do much to celebrate the holiday on the holiday so we celebrated on Sunday. Honestly, it was more fun that way because the girls came over with the kiddos. Because of that, I planned a few little games to play. We passed a "hot" potato, ate a rainbow, and blew a rainbow away. The games didn't last long, but it was still something a little fun. We had a themed dinner and dessert too. The next morning, Jonas scoured the house to locate Lucky's treasures. He was never one to want to design traps for the Leprechaun. He always felt like if he trapped him, Lucky wouldn't leave Jonas any treats. I was never the one to want to make a mess of the house either (like turn the toilet water green or dump all your toys out) so it's always been a little St. Patrick's Day scavenger hunt. For breakfast, I prepared a shamrock omelet and rainbow fruit skewer...and that was it. I know it may be silly to even put that much effort or energy into a little holiday like St. Patricks' Day, but life is too short to be too serious. I love to find ways to make even a mundane Monday a little fun.

The day after Dallin & Audrey's wedding (see other post), we kept the celebrations going. Krystle invited all of us up to her house to celebrate Lincoln's and Nichole's birthdays (Lincoln's was on the wedding day and Nichole's was the Monday after). We enjoy hanging out, playing games, and enjoying birthday meals/desserts.

Spring definitely snuck up on us over the very busy wedding weekend...but I couldn't skip a chance to enjoy a little Spring treat to welcome the new season. On Wednesday (March 26th), Jonas and I made a quick stop at Kneaders for a fresh fruit tart (my choice), key lime pie tart (our choice), and mint brownie (his choice). We just couldn't decide on one treat to honor Spring so we opted for all three. Again, I know it's not much, but it's a chance to slow life down, even for a moment, and enjoy something while we celebrate something...and I'm all for that!

Thursday (March 27th), Jeff and I took off on another quick road trip. This time we headed to North Platte, Nebraska to pick up a new tractor (at least we didn't have to go all the way to Kansas this time). It was a short drive over (ok 10 hours isn't short but you know what I mean), pick up tractor, stay the night, then drive back the next day...and, as you can imagine, there really isn't much to see or do along the I-80 through Wyoming into Nebraska. Still, we enjoyed the excursion. I always love spending time with Jeff. I love that we pretty much had 20+ uninterrupted hours in a car together. The last time we purchased a tractor, we had to go to Kansas...and we drove through North Platte. While there, we visited this massive train depot and tried to see Buffalo Bill Cody's house. The house was closed so here we were again, and we thought we'd give it another try. We showed up at the house...and it was closed again. Well...we tried. I guess it's just not meant to be. After picking up the tractor, we actually drove back the way we came for about 2 hours to the small town of Sidney, NE. This town is famous because it was where the first Cabela's (a sporting goods store) was established. A couple of brothers from Chappell, NE started what would become a massive sporting goods franchise out of their home. Eventually, it grew to be so big they needed to purchase a larger space. The store survived 56 years until Bass Pro Shops bought them out in 2017. Since then, this little town is kind of drying up. However, Jeff and I couldn't resist visiting the flagship store before we headed to a local sports bar for dinner...and to watch a little March Madness. The food was good and the people watching was great! I love finding local places to eat at. I love seeing the people from these communities come together. See...we can still find fun things to do and make memories even in a sleepy little town in southern Nebraska. The next morning, we started out early again so we could get home in time for Jonas's piano recital. On our way back, we veered off the I-80 to drive the WI 210 from Cheyenne to Laramie. It's a little more scenic route and follows the old Lincoln Highway. Evidently, there was another road like Route 66 that traversed the country from Times Square to the Golden Gate Bridge. I think I would have really enjoyed cruising those old roads. We snapped a few pictures at a rest stop right where the WI 210 meets the I-80 then we pushed the rest of the way home. I can't say I have a desire to drive that route again, but I enjoyed finding little things to experience with Jeff along the route.

The last Friday of the month (March 30th) was Jonas's piano recital. For the past several months, Jonas has been learning to play Hungarian Dance by Johannes Brahms. He played it so well! It has been a tricky piece to master, but he stuck with it (even though there were some tears and plenty of frustration during practices at home). I love that he put his own spin on it too. I think it helped him embrace it more. I know music is not something he is going to pursue long term. I'm sure by junior high school we will have moved on from piano, but, for now, he endures (and sometimes enjoys) piano.

The final Saturday of March was Jonas's last basketball game. He has been playing basketball since December! Most of our Saturdays have consisted of attending at least one basketball game. He has loved his season...and he has grown over it! Jeff and I have nicknamed him the "Disruptor". He has learned how to be a good defensive player. He is able to break up plays and steal the ball...without excessive fouls...most of the time. He has improved his shot as well and averaged at least 3-4 baskets per game. He even made two three-pointers during the season! The team did great this season too! They won 14 out of 16 games. Those losses were hard, but I think it was good for Jonas to learn how to both win and lose graciously. He is an excellent teammate and brings an energy to the team. Right now he seems pretty honed in on basketball as his sport, but we'll see. I just love that he's not afraid to get in there and be scrappy. I love that he enjoys being active. I hope this little team can play together again next season. Until then...I'm sure Jonas will still be dribbling and shooting with anyone who will play.