i can't see me lovin' nobody but you

March 9, 2026

Weekend Trip to Bruneau

February has been pretty warm and Michael and I have been feeling pretty worn out. So we decided to book a cabin for an overnight trip, just the two of us.

We grabbed a few essentials and headed up to Bruneau for an overnight trip. The first evening we enjoyed hiking the small dunes and a simple meal.

The stars came out and they were phenomenal. The moon was bathing the entire landscape with a soft glow. Michael started taking pictures and I went in the cabin. The view was beautiful but once the sun went down, it got c.o.l.d. I do not enjoy the cold, at all, so I took in the stars only briefly before tucking myself in bed. Michael was braver than me and stayed out for awhile. The moon was so bright, though, that it was hard to get good pictures of the stars. Maybe next time.

In the morning, we decided to do a little hike before heading back home. Last time we went to Bruneau, I chose the trail and Michael got overheated enough that I was afraid I was going to need help dragging him back to camp. So this time I told Michael he was in charge of the route. Somehow, we still ended up hiking close to six miles. Distances in the dessert are weird. Thankfully, it was overcast the entire time, so there was no worry of heatstroke. When we made it back to the car we were tired, but ready to go home. Sometimes a little break, and a long hike, helps put things in perspective.

Growing Up

Ethan and Bailey moved from their third floor walk-up apartment to a rental house. To celebrate the achievement Ethan scaled his new chimney. I pray I will not have to help him move for a few more years. My calves were cramping for days after helping him move. Those flights of stairs add up really quickly.

Just a couple of days later Sam met his own huge milestone.

That's right, he is now licensed to drive. I no longer play chauffeur for any of my children. Grace bought her own car last summer, so Sam has almost unlimited access to the Ford Ranger. Once he figured out how to drive a manual transmission, he felt pretty much unstoppable. He is now a man of the world who is no longer dependent on his parental figures. I cannot understand how that is even possible, but he assures me that he is legally allowed to drive and has a license to prove it. It's hard to argue with the evidence.

Goodbye 2025

Once again, my New Year's celebration started at the library, at noon. Me and my beautiful coworkers created an amazing Alice in Wonderland themed event. We even took a moment to pose for a couple of pictures before the madness began.

And what madness it was. We had a turn out of well over 200 people visiting our little branch. It was amazing, chaotic, and exhausting. After the party and clean up, all I wanted was to never move again.

Alas, I was not in charge of my own plans. My nieces asked if we could spend the actual New Year's together. I was exhausted, but I rallied for my favorite people.

We spent the evening playing games and eating food. I have no regrets.

One minute before midnight, Libby announced she was going under the table with eight grapes. Apparently, if you eat eight grapes under the table at midnight, you will find your new love in the new year. There was a quick kerfuffle as everyone started grabbing grapes and heading under the table. I had to pull out the leaves, so that five single people could cram under the table. Midnight came, we toasted, we kissed, the single people ate grapes, and the world was perfect for just a moment. May we all find a few perfect moments in 2026.

March 3, 2026

Airplane

It started with Grace playing airplane with the four year old.

The seven year old was invited to play. He declined as it looked scary.

So Ethan had to prove it wasn't. By airplaning Grace. They were highly amused. The seven year old still opted out of the shenanigans.

Christmas

Just like it does every year, Christmas morning came. Michael and I were laying in bed, trying to see if the children would still come in and wake us at 8:00, and wondering when Ethan and Bailey would be getting there. At 7:59 we heard everyone get up and start moving around. Soon there were a plethora of people in our bedroom, telling us it was time to get up. One of those people was Ethan. I expressed my dismay that he had come through the living room and seen the presents and stocking already. He was outraged. He would never do such a thing.

Instead, he and Bailey opted to climb in Grace's bedroom window. Therefore, they could avoid the living room and terrorize Grace all in one fell swoop. It worked like a charm.

The kids quickly posed for a picture, despite Sam protesting we should line up by height, not age. He was vetoed and the picture was quickly taken.

There were a lot of second hand presents this year, as the children has requested a more mindful Christmas. Everyone was incredibly pleased with their presents, including some older model iPads that Michael had lucked his way into. The next 48 hours found our kids glued to their iPads, acting like little iPad kids, and enjoying every minute of it.

After presents and stockings, we headed over to have breakfast with the Hobson clan. We had a fun gift exchange, delicious food, and we even managed to get a few pictures taken.

Grandma and Grandpa were excited to have a picture with all of their grandkids. This is the first time all the grandkids were in the same room for about two years. Photographic evidence was needed.

While the camera was out, Grandpa insisted on getting lots of family shots. Bailey is not pictured, as she wasn't feeling great and had opted to go home and take a nap.

In the evening all of my family came over and we had another gift exchange and ate lots of food. There wasn't room for everyone, but it was so nice to have everyone together so we didn't mind that much.

We just ate and visited and the kids proved they were never too old to just play with the box instead of the gift. All of the littler ones had a great time seeing if they could fit in this box. I was impressed that the ten year old was able to get himself small enough.

By the time everyone went home, we all just crashed on the couch, while the kids played on their iPads. It was a pretty wonderful day.