Josef started 4th grade in September. I always remembered that as one of my favorite school years, and I hope it is similarly memorable for him. To celebrate a modest return to normalcy (i.e. actually gathering together in groups again) we rented a huge bouncy house for the backyard and invited his entire class. It was a spectacular bash! I think everyone was feeling the joy of community once again. I just stood up on the newly built deck overlooking the yard and grinned ear to ear, watching the kids do what they do best: run around screaming and being wild. I didn’t want it to end! Josef requested Dilly Bars for the dessert, and somehow 20 kids managed to wolf them down on our new patio furniture without spilling a drop. Josef received several giant Lego sets and a much pug paraphernalia (he is obsessed with them). What a day–I’ll never forget how wonderful it was.
That was followed up with numerous other fun group activities–more birthdays, cider pressing, and trick or treating. Josef also joined a soccer team, so we got to spend Saturdays at Adams school watching him play. I remember well the games I played there back in ol’ ’85; I even have a picture of my team standing on the same field. The trees in the background sure are taller now. I was very proud of him for his efforts and engagement at a team sport, which was new to him. Most of those kids had been playing for a few years so he had a lot of catching up to do, but that also meant he got to improve more than anyone else. We also made some new friends.
Rachael broke her hip roller skating in October, so that kind of threw us back into crisis mode for a couple weeks; just when we thought we were back to the good life! She had to have an emergency hip replacement at a hospital in Portland, and then a couple of weeks of bed rest. But true to her Wolverine-like healing powers, she was mototring around on a crutch in time for us to take a little getaway to Los Angeles. (We were supposed to take a vacation in Rome [having already canceled it for COVID in 2020 {pounds head on table}] but we had to settle for something a little more tame.)
We decided to spend Thanksgiving in LA, and it was one of the best trips we’ve ever had. Everything just seemed to go our way! Our motel was really cute, the weather was gorgeous, there was no traffic, parking was easy, and every old haunt we wanted to visit was crossed off the list. We had amazing Thai food for Thanksgiving dinner, rode swan boats in Echo Park, drove to the top of Elysian Park to watch the sun set over downtown, and strolled the boardwalk in Venice. We ended the trip with chicken & waffles, poolside at Rob’s Los Feliz Resort. It just couldn’t have been nicer! (Well…longer..?)
Our batteries recharged and our hearts filled, we settled in for a cozy winter and the impending tax season.
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- Roller Mama
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- 1st Day of 4th Grade
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- Oktoberfest
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- Dusty
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- Harbert Antics
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- Assembling Furniture
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- New Patio Space
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- Birthday Bouncy House
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- Grammie’s Cantina
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- Diamond Peak Summit
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- Climbing Diamond Peak
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- Donuts!
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- Soccer Team
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- School Portrait
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- Switch Witch
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- Echo Park
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- Olvera Street
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- LA Brunch
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- November in LA