I Love You a Latte

Since I started my career, I've started my mornings with a cup of hot tea.  I always tried to stick with decaf or naturally caffeine free tea.  Then, I started consulting.  The first 9 months, I kept up with the tea routine, getting it ready before I left the house and taking it with me.  The problem was, I wasn't always going to the same place and if I forgot, well, let's just say that hanger can apply to a lack of hydration too.

Slowly, I started drinking the fancy coffee drinks. Mochas, then lattes, and then, over the past few months, a cup of coffee with just a touch of creamer and sugar (not even a whole packet).  At home, I started buying coffee for the Kuerig instead of just Chai lattes or tea.  At the office, I realized that I am now starting my mornings with a cup of coffee instead of tea.  And, the irony is that I can't mark a specific point where it happened. It just evolved into this, and now I am hooked.  I need the caffeine or I am REALLY not pleasant to be around (worse than hanger).  I still drink tea...usually after one cup of coffee.  And then I'll drink tea up until lunch and then usually in the afternoon too. I've started to gauge my level of fatigue by whether I crave an afternoon cup of coffee to keep me going.

And, if that isn't bad enough, Billy now is making an INTENTIONAL EFFORT to drink coffee. His vice is soda...Dr. Pepper to be more specific. So, he decided to try to get into the coffee routine instead. We've found some k-cup coffee that he likes when he dresses it up a bit and turns it into a latte.

I tell you this whole thing not because it is all that important, but more because it has raised some questions in my mind.  The two main ones are: When did we get this old? And, what is wrong with us?

I never thought in a million years I would ever see my husband try to drink coffee.  Nor did I expect to add coffee to my hot beverage consumption.  I am extremely curious to see how this continues to evolve as we get into summer when a warm cup of liquid may not be as appetizing.  I'll try to remember to report back in a few months on the status of coffee consumption in the Nance household.

Weary of Winter

I didn't realize I'd fallen so behind on posting until I sat down to write a post and realized the last one I wrote was done in the midst of a rather crazy winter.  Now, we're on the cusp of spring.  January brought a lot of snow, ice, and cold.  Well, for that matter, so has February.  Pretty much at least once a week since the new year, we've had a least ground covering of snow or ice. The kids are going to have to stay at school longer in the summer now to make up for all of the snow days.  

In the midst of all the crazy weather, we've kept busy juggling between work, all of the kids' activities, and life in general.  Here are a few fun photos we captured during some of the events.

On the day of the Polar Vortex snowstorm, the kids came to work with me for a couple of hours and had fun crafting (and decorating) perfect paper airplanes. 

We went to Springfield, IL for a hockey tournament with Barrett's team.  Barrett really enjoyed playing goalie during the last of their 5 games.  Fletcher really like standing outside the glass and yelling at him the whole time.  I don't think he's figured out you're not supposed to heckle your own goalie.  That trip was also fun because the kids got to hang out with Barrett's teammates and their siblings.  They swam for several hours in the hotel pool, and then all fell asleep watching a movie. It was also fun for Billy and I to get to know some of the other parents. 

Billy took Audrey to the Westchester Father-Daughter dance. I got to have fun helping her get ready and doing her hair.  She and Bill had a great time dancing, crafting, and visiting with friends.  It's hard to believe that next year will be the last year they get to go.  Fortunately for me, I have many more years of mother-son dances. 

We also made a trip to Lake of the Ozarks, and got to see the lake surrounded by snow after a slippery drive down during a snowstorm. The dogs wore themselves out running around in the snow, and even swimming a little bit (which they quickly found out wasn't a good idea).  The kids played games, put together puzzles, and ran around in the snow.

Audrey had her first orchestra concert last week too.  She's been playing the violin since August, and while it hasn't always been easy, she's continued to work hard at it and is getting better and better.  I didn't get any photos of just her at the concert, so I am adding one I took of her practicing in her room.  

And this weekend we officially finished out Barrett's 2nd year as a mini-mite.  He had a ton of fun this year, and it makes him very happy to get a trophy.  And, I am relieved to be moving on from the Saturday and Sunday practice/game combo every weekend.  

There are many more fun activities to look forward to as spring creeps into St. Louis.  I am excited for more time outdoors and more sunshine.  I think the kids are looking forward to time at the park and eventually more lake time.  I'd better not get ahead of myself though.  There are technically 4 more weeks of winter before we can officially welcome spring.  I don't want to jinx us by getting too excited about potentially warmer days coming sooner rather than later! 

Jinx

I totally jinxed myself in that last post.  I flippantly asked the fates for something bad to happen.  And it did.  Billy left last Tuesday morning.  By bedtime on Tuesday, I could barely get the kids to bed before falling into bed myself.  The next morning, it was clear that I was not able to function and called in sick.  After a quick test, the doctor quickly diagnosed me with influenza A and send me on my way with some tamiflu and instructions for plenty of fluids and rest. The rest was no issue, as I could barely lift my head for two days until my fever broke.

Over a week later, I am still in recovery mode.  I am booking 9 to 10 hours of sleep a night and I am still struggling to get through the day without a nap.  I have a lingering cough, and my appetite still hasn't returned.  The flu is no joke people!

Fletcher got sick on Sunday, although his symptoms seem to be much less severe. He was pretty out of it the first day, but since Monday, he's been back to his normal self. The other members of our household have come out unscathed so far.

So, the moral of the story is...don't post anything in this blog about Billy being out of town until he's back!