Graduation Party

It's been a month since I wrote a gratitude list. Here are some things I've been thankful for over the past month.

1. I am thankful that we have all been healthy for more than a month, and considering we were on several flights during that time (which seem to be an easy place for germs to spread), I am very grateful for good health. 

2. After the panic over needing to adjust plans when one of our flights was cancelled about a week before we left, I am grateful that nothing else was cancelled on our trip (except by us). 

3. Aside from a downpour when we were at the Arc de Triomphe and a mist being blown onto us (which caused us to be rather soaked) when we hiked on the Isle of Skye, we didn't experience any rain, which is quite amazing for that area of the world. The temperatures went from unseasonably cold at the beginning of our trip to a record-breaking heat wave at the end of the trip.

4. Although renting vehicles was more expensive and stressful than anticipated, I am very grateful that Paul was able to navigate driving on the "wrong" side of the road, endless roundabouts, and very narrow roads, parking garages, and parking spots without incident.

5. Our accommodations were very nice during the entire trip. Typically, I use Priceline.com, hotels.com, Airbnb, and VRBO to find places to stay. The website that was the biggest help for this trip was Booking.com. 

6. We had some amazing experiences on the trip. If each member of our family was asked what their top 3-5 experiences were, here are some of the answers that would be given: Alnwick Castle, Phantom of the Opera, Paddington the Musical, Conwy Castle, Snowdon Mountain, Caerphilly Castle, Big Ben, Camera Obscura, Arthur's Seat, Quiraing, and the coast of Northern Ireland.

7. Milo was well cared for by the Seiberts while we were gone.

8. Xandir spent some time with my boys at our house on May 9, and Abby and Faith spent some time with Nadia at our house on May 28-29. 

9. Ian started his first job on May 28.

10. The Schrecks came over for dinner on June 4. 

11. Rachel spent a few days with Nadia. She flew here on June 4 and returned back home on June 7.

12. Paul and I started another eight-week session of dance lessons on June 5. This is the first time we're taking two classes at one time (two hours each night).

13. We had Nadia's graduation party at an indoor roller-skating rink on June 6. Based on the RSVP's, we anticipated over 70 people attending. The amount who came was much less than that, but Nadia had a good time. Our neighbors won the prize for having the very best reason for not attending. Shortly before they were about to leave to come to the party, the wife was struck by lightning. I'm sure they would rather have been at the party than the hospital! Thankfully, she is fine. We had a lot of extra food, drinks, and paper products, but they will be used eventually. I don't think I'll rent an entire roller-skating rink again, but I think it made for a special graduation party for Nadia. I made a 17-minute slideshow that was playing on our television that we brought from home during the party. If any of you want to see it, let me know. I can't post it on YouTube or anything like that because I used some of her favorite songs as the background music, but I can send the link to the file on my Google drive by text or email.

14. Nathan and Wesley arrived at our home on June 5, and the rest of the Towfighis (plus Jenna and Toby but not including Andrew) arrived on June 6. Most of them left on June 7, but Wesley, Micah, and Julianna are still with us. I'll be driving them to Messiah University on Thursday afternoon, which is also when I'll be picking Ian up to bring him back home.

15. Ian has been attending a cybersecurity camp at Messiah University this week. He's staying at Jenna and Toby's home, and Nathan is also staying with Jenna and Toby and is driving Ian to and from Messiah.

16. Micah, Wesley, Oliver, and Julianna have been enjoying having a free lunch at the park each day this week (starting on Monday). 

17. Aside from a dress I got for Jenna's wedding, it had been nine years since I got myself a new dress. My dad gave me money for my birthday that he wanted me to use toward a new dress. I got myself two new dresses, and I wore one of them this past Sunday. I got the WORST haircut of my life on Thursday so it helped to at least have a pretty new dress to wear when I was feeling self-conscious about my hair. Ian's reaction when I first came home after my haircut was that he was very grateful that I cut his hair (because he thought I do a much better job than the woman who botched my hair). Yvonne's first reaction when she walked in our house was "I'm so sorry" when she saw my hair, and that was after I snipped some more to try to even it out. In addition to being 2-3 inches shorter than I requested, the sides were very uneven. I am determined to not be in any photographs until it grows out and doesn't look so embarrassing. I'm hoping that will be true in August when we are in Canada, but time will tell. The good news is that it's just hair, and it will grow back. I wish I liked wearing hats as that would be a great way to cover it up. 

18. Yvonne gave me money towards a new ski coat for my birthday. She knew I haven't ever liked my 1980's ski coat. Instead of getting a ski coat, I recently got a longer really warm coat that I plan to wear when we walk Milo and it's very, very cold outside. I donated my 1980's ski coat to Goodwill on Thursday. It was still in great shape as most years I only wore it when I went skiing. 

19. This recent vacation was definitely not one of my favorite vacations, partially because I kept waking up too early the entire trip. A few days ago, I had my best night of sleep in over a month. It felt heavenly. Also, my right knee was in a lot of pain during the trip, which was problematic given we were typically climbing hundreds of very narrow, spiral staircases on many days (in castles, Big Ben, National Wallace Memorial, etc.). Thankfully, I've been wearing a knee brace, and my knee is doing much better. I've decided that in the future I should always bring a knee brace with me on vacations just in case it's needed. My right elbow has been in pain for months, and I haven't found a way to reduce that pain yet, but that doesn't slow me down when walking. I'm having serious doubts about the idea of going to Japan (Ian's request) in 2028 due to how long the flight would be and also how significant the jet lag would be (13 time zones away). I have two future trips planned - an 11-night trip to Canada this August and a 5-night trip to Canada in August 2027. I've begun working on a trip (I'm guessing it will be about 9 nights long) to Utah and Nevada for May 2027. I'm trying to make the trip a loop so that we can rent a vehicle through Turo. I don't have anything planned beyond August 2027. At one point I said I wanted to visit Australia and Africa at some point, but right now I'm content to stay in North America.

20. I've enjoyed listening to the series The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion the last few weeks.