The first time my kids went skiing was in February 2017 when my dad and I took Nadia and Ian to Ski Sawmill. We could have also gone skiing for free at Elk Mountain that year, but we didn't begin taking our kids to Elk Mountain until January 2020. Ironically, February 2020 ended up being the last time that WVIA offered a free ski day at Ski Sawmill. Our kids have been skiing 4 times at Ski Sawmill, 7 times at Elk Mountain, and 1 time at Montage. I'm planning to take my three plus Nathaniel skiing at Montage again next month. The last time I went skiing was on January 19, 2021. I broke my ankle later that year and decided to retire from skiing and ice skating due to the plate that is now in my leg. We get four free passes through WVIA which we had been using for 3 kids plus 1 parent, but the last four years we've been inviting a friend to use the fourth pass. Jill, Nathaniel, and Julianna all went skiing with us in the past. Of those three kids, Nathaniel definitely seemed to enjoy it the most. We had invited him to join us again this year, but he is on a mission trip in Honduras with his church this week. He plans to join us at Montage next month. When we found out Nathaniel couldn't come to Elk Mountain, we invited Nadia's friend, Abby, instead. She took to skiing like a fish to water! Maybe she will also join us at Montage next month?
Here are some things I am thankful for today:
1. Paul's dad was able to spend several hours with us on December 19 to celebrate his 84th birthday and Christmas.
2. The five of us were able to help with packing meals for a food distribution our church did on December 20.
3. Although it was hard to drop Milo off at the kennel, I was very grateful to learn on our return that we would get a 50% discount due to the fact Nadia works there.
4. The kids had a blast spending time with their cousins while we were in Chicago from December 22-27. We were also grateful that the Benners were willing to host the large group and that we didn't encounter and snow or ice while driving there and back. They played a lot of games, went bowling, (outdoor) ice skating, and (indoor) rock climbing.
5. Nadia and Ian enjoyed their time at winter camp at Camp Susque. Nadia was able to go sledding and also do some ice skating while she was up there.
6. We celebrated Paul's 56th birthday on January 3 by having dinner at Texas Roadhouse.
7. I found out on January 2 that Liberty expects the fall 2026 semester bill to paid in January. That totally caught me by surprise. My maternal grandpa paid for all twelve of his grandkids to go to college, and his money is now being used to pay for all of his great grandchildren to go to college, which is utterly amazing to me. I've been the one helping with the paperwork of getting the bills paid for my nieces and nephews, so I know from experience that most universities expect to be paid in August or September. Nadia's roommate paid her bill on January 2 so she was able to request a room in the dorm they had selected, and she indicated that she wanted Nadia to be her roommate even though Nadia can't accept that request until the bill is paid. The girls found each other through the Bunky app. Thankfully, the trust issued a check to Liberty this week which means in the near future Nadia will be able to request her dorm and roommate. It also means she can take her technology and math assessments over the next couple of months as those need to be completed before she registers for classes in early April. Thank you, grandpa!!! Nadia and her roommate (Carolina) have been making various plans including picking out a rug for their room, comforters for their beds, etc. There will be a total of seven girls in their suite, and they have picked two of their five suitemates so far. I hope the girls have a wonderful year together!
8. Nadia is starting a weekly Bible study with a friend (in our town) who is also going to Liberty next fall. She also has a friend from church who is going to Liberty next fall so we have carpooling possibilities.
9. Oliver enjoyed roller skating at Faith's birthday party on December 30. Nadia and Ian weren't able to attend due to being at Camp Susque.
10. Paul had bloodwork done at the end of December, and his cholesterol had dropped some from last year. PTL!
11. Everything went smoothly with our skiing trip yesterday. Milo was very glad that Paul stayed at home. We stopped a Red Robin on the way home for dinner. I had received a $75 gift card to Red Robin from the co-op parents in November. Because it was the first Wednesday of the month, Ian and Oliver's meals were free, and they also each received a free ice cream sundae! This meant that even including the tip, we didn't use the full value of the gift card yet, which was great considering five people ate at a sit-down restaurant.
12. We test drove a 2022 Subaru Impreza on Tuesday and paid a down payment on it. We hope to complete the purchase today. Paul's car was totaled a little over two months ago, so we are very grateful for the prospect of having two cars and are praying that we won't need to buy another car for the foreseeable future. At least this car is NOT gray (for a while both our minivan and Paul's Mazda were the same ugly gray). This car is red. It already has a lot of miles on it, but we only plan to use this car for short drives so we're hoping it will last for several years despite how many miles the first owner put on it in a short time span. I'm looking forward to a little break in the amount of chauffeuring due to Nadia being able to drive herself to work, take herself and her brothers to art and Little Mermaid rehearsals, etc.
13. When the kids were little, I remember how Paul would laugh and laugh when I'd read a Ramona the Pest book aloud. We have discovered another author (Gordon Korman) who makes us all laugh, and his books are more geared for teenagers than the Ramona books. He's written over 100 books, so I doubt we'll read/listen to all of them, but we've enjoyed the seven we've finished so far. I think my top three so far (in no particular order) would be The Unteachables, Old School, and Slugfest. I used to read aloud to my middle schoolers in the early 90's. I'm confident my students would have adored his books if they existed back then. I'm glad we found another author we really enjoy!
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