New Adventures, Appreciating Each Other, & Savoring the Moments

 Suirong ~ 

As you get older, it feels weirder to write these blogs. Not in a bad way, but in the way that everything feels a little weirder for a parent as their child slowly and surely becomes a teen and eventually an adult. Just trying to figure out my place in your life and in this world, as a person of my own, as you grow to need me less in certain ways and more in different ways that I'm still unclear of as yet. 

If you haven't already noticed, the focus has slightly shifted here. I feel less of a responsibility to capture my memories from the standpoint of documenting your childhood (since you are forming your own special memories and snapshots of your lived experience that you can draw on as you get older), but rather this blog has become a thread of events that happens in your (and my life) as a means to use as a springboard to perhaps jog your memory on long ago events that happen(ed) that might otherwise be forgotten, or also, as a way to capture your mom (and all of us as a family) so that, someday, hopefully many, many happy years from now, you can come to know who I was, or who we all were when we were younger and just trying to make our way through this messy world, to figure out who we are (yes, I'm *still* working on this), and to make a life for ourselves. 

Anyhoo, I just wanted to put that out there as I don't think I'd explicitly touched on it throughout the evolution of these pages. Or maybe I have somewhere. I don't know. Regardless, these pages may now be just the ramblings of the mom of a teen who unconditionally loves her kiddo through all of the ups and downs of these uncharted years. Hopefully, you find something of value in these words someday. But, if you take nothing else...I hope you view them as a commitment of my love for you. Always. 

Ok...now that that is out of the way. Onto the last 3 months.

You are still dating Mere and, given that her father can be pretty strict about not letting her do much outside of school sanctioned events, she finds creative ways around this minor issue. For example, one day Mere "forgot" her keys and had to hang at our house until her parents came home. We were thrilled! It was so lovely to have her with us, making dinner together, with her even coming to our flu vaccination appointment with us. You even invited me into your room to join you both as you looked through old family pics on Facebook (streamed onto your TV) for us all to see. You have no idea how happy I was to be included! It seriously doesn't take much. You two are the sweetest. 

And before I forget, I wanted to capture a few of the mispronunciations you've come up with lately. At 14, you still mix up some words...and it couldn't be cuter.

Eti-quit = your version of etiquette.

Paranormal instead of paranoid.

On the flew instead of on the fly.

(I love those so much!)

So, in keeping with what I said earlier about capturing who we all are as people as these years go by. Here's a little of who I am as a mom, but also as Theresa. You probably already know how important it is for me to have time to myself...for self-care, for decompression, for relaxation, for all sorts of things. All of our mental health is important and I take it seriously. Which, you know. We talk about each of our mental health on a fairly regular basis. So, in this vein, I attended a retreat in North Carolina that was hosted by Jen Pastiloff. She's an author who wrote a memoir, On Being Human. Stacy went with me and it was such a wonderful, authentic, and soul-charging experience. I hope that you can remember to take breaks like this as you get older. We all need chances to recharge, connect, and reconnect, with ourselves and others. It's so important. 

Here are some of the pictures from Stacy's and my weekend in Roanoke, VA and Boone, NC.

with the author, Jen (below)

Once I got home, I was recharged, ready, and so excited to help you get ready for your first high school dance, HOMECOMING! You and Mere double-dated with Jeffrey and Jelysa and we headed to Inniswood for a photo shoot prior to the dance. A Westerville high school student rite of passage.

Look how adorable you all are!

silly goose

you're growing up!

I love this shot

seriously, how amazing do you all look?!

a pic you sent me from the dance

Before the weather got too cold, we hosted the teeny tiny neighborhood kids (and their families) for a movie night on our deck and patio with our big projector and screen. It was a hit! The kids loved it and it felt so nice to host everyone under the lights. We even had surprise guests of the 4 raccoons that live under our deck...they almost climbed up to help themselves to the selection of foods we were all eating. They have no fear. Yikes! Ha.

the adults talking while the kiddos watched the 
movie on the patio below

the kids were so cute all bundled in their blankets

here you are making some chocolate chip banana bread(a good autumn treat
to use up our old bananas)

one of my favorite things to do periodically, 
grab coffee and watch the sunrise

I also like to take walks and find unique things...
like this yarn-bombed tree that reads 
All you need is LOVE

a run through Sharon Woods in my favorite autumn colors

and of course walking the dogs makes me happy, too
anytime I see them joyful, it makes my heart full

breakfast with Memaw and Papaw

Daddy and I grabbed a date night, too. Just before Halloween I found an interesting option. "Evil Dead the musical". It was at a local LGBTQ+ club called Club Diversity. It was an interactive live performance, hilarious and so much fun. They were selling ponchos which made me a bit nervous, rightly so, as we all got splattered with blood. Ha. But, it was a very fun experience and I'm so glad we went! Very cool bar, too. 

walking back to the car on the cobblestones

Speaking of Halloween coming, you also went to Crow's to carve pumpkins with Jeffrey and Jelysa. 

And on Halloween, your Uncle Forge got married to your (now) Aunt Kenzie! It was a costume mandatory reception and so much fun to see everyone all dressed up. 

Lao Lao rode with us and cracked me up
because she walked all the way to our
house as Glenda the Good Witch (ha)

you're dressed as a road, hehe

the bride and groom

yes, we're a plug and an outlet...leave it to 
Dad and I to be inappropriate

I love this picture

While we didn't get to do this before Halloween, we hosted Mere for a pumpkin carving the week after. She had never made jack-o-lanterns before and also had never tried s'mores, so naturally we had to do it all. It was a lot of fun to experience all of this with her and see her joy as she tried a s'more for the first time. 

Grizz is licking her lips as she eyes our weiners for dinner

Mere's first s'more!

we made her potato soup and took it to her when she wassick...she sent this text later.
such an appreciative kiddo!

And speaking of appreciation. This next thing blew me away. Instead of rehashing it, I will "copy and paste" what I wrote (below) as shared on social media. I mean...whew! I'll just let my post speak for itself. I was so moved...

"I just got one of the most thoughtful gifts tonight. Driving M and their friend home from school this afternoon, I was commenting, (ok, obsessing) about how beautiful the yellow leaves on the trees looked. I didn't think much of it, but then I got a text from @mere.laex who asked me to swing by her house on my way out tonight to pick up something she'd made for me. (For meee, whaaatt?!) 

When I got there I was blown away. This sweet child brought out the masterpiece you see here. She had gathered as many golden yellow leaves as she could find and then somehow intricately crafted them into these beautiful flowers, wrapped in the pages of a book and tied with string. Did I cry? You bet your butt I did. 

Thank you so much, Laex. We are all so lucky to have you in our lives. Mahal kita, kiddo. ❤️"

Do you remember how I said earlier how important it is to recharge from time to time? Well, the next few pictures are of me, Kelly (Avery's mom), Marisha (Avery's aunt), and Erin (from work) letting loose at a wild Airbnb we found in northern Ohio. It's called Bock's Juke Joint and it was one of a kind. As was our weekend. My one piece of advice? Try hard to never take life too seriously and always be able to let go and laugh at yourself. Don't be afraid to look silly and act ridiculous. Be yourself and laugh...laugh...laugh with your friends. Belly laughs with the people I can be authentically myself around are some of my most cherished memories so far in this life.

After that crazy weekend it was time for Thanksgiving. We ended up celebrating it with the Yersavich family at Uncle Joe and Aunt Tina's. They're a good bunch and never fail to bring out the board games after dinner. 

Beatrice claimed Daddy and
this pic cracks me up

Bea helping do the dishes

So, for better or worse, we totally busted out your Christmas gift early this year. We kind of had to, actually. You are our little techie. You know everything about computers and are incredibly into gaming. You have friends around the globe and leap at any chance to take a trip to MicroCenter (Dad calls it your "Disneyland"). Well, Lao Lao and I took you over to MicroCenter to just price out new computers and setups and wound up finding a deal we couldn't pass up and so bought your Christmas present early, right then and there. I even let you set it up (and it was still November)! It was so hard (and seemed pointless) to make you wait since you already knew what it was anyway. You ended up doing it all yourself, the set up, the programming, everything. I was so impressed! I mean...look at you. Nicely done, eh?!

massively professional set up, if you ask me

We also did a belated Thanksgiving dinner at Memaw and Papaw's with the Wilkinson side of the family. Mere even got to join us. It was really nice.

Daddy and I went to Pittsburgh the first weekend in December to attend his work Christmas party. As you can see by the picture below, we were very festive. And, basically, we were the only people who looked like this. It was pretty funny to walk into the party and realize that one. Whoops! Haha. Oh, well. I think we look mahhhvelous! 

ho ho ho!

we made your annual belly button cookies

keeping the neighborhood safe

Christmas kitty

Just before Christmas, I wanted to do something a little different. Make some memories and try something new as a family. So, I booked a ski trip! We headed to Snowshoe, WV and stayed in their mountaintop village. It was so pretty, so cold, but so fun! The ski portion was a bit difficult as it takes a while to get used to doing any new skill, but I'm so proud of you for trying it and being such a champ all weekend. 

our first night in the village

the view from our balcony

so windy and cold

but they had a heated hot tub!

taking an early morning walk and exploring a new place is always one of my
favorite things to do

I found Bigfoot!

trying to wake you up with a Starbucks drink

gettin' some cake

we took a sleigh ride through the snow

the driver let you sit up front and chatted with
you the whole way...he was so nice

then we went glow-tubing!

you crack me up here

your glasses! probably couldn't see a thing

we got a lot of snow on our second night

hot tubbing with my kiddo in our Santa hats!

your first time on the ski lift...
not so sure about it

we look like professionals, but skiing?
not so much ha!

Dad had a HARD time on that hill,
but at least I got this shot of him
*looking* like he was killing it

So, Daddy had a really hard time on the slopes. About halfway down, after his ski had popped off for the umpteenth time, he was sitting in the snow in the middle of the mountain, just about to walk down the rest of the way and even was Googling YouTube videos on "how to slow down when snow-plowing isn't working". when fortunately, a ski instructor ski'ed by and helped give him a mini lesson so that he could safely make it down the hill on his skis. Whew! Crisis averted. However, I find it quite hilarious that Daddy was literally Googling videos *in the middle of the ski slope with skiers zooming past him*. Lol...gotta love him! And I love that he gave it a go and tried his best, in spite of having difficulties. 

this was just after we wiped out getting off the ski lift, and yes, it was called the BallHooter, ha

Audrey helped watch over the beasties
while we were skiing and it was so
nice to catch up with her once home

Audrey also captured this great
shot of Grizz and GG

Just before Christmas, we hit up the zoo lights with Mere and Lao Lao. A tradition of sorts and surprisingly, it wasn't as crowded as it usually is...thankfully!

you're so silly

we all got a good chuckle as we thought
this Santa looked like he was coming
down a stripper pole

watching the light show around the zoo lake

Unfortunately, shortly after our zoo lights trip, you, Daddy, Lao Lao, and Mere all came down with a vicious cold and flu. It put a real damper on our Christmas celebrations, but I'm just glad it wasn't covid. Whew! I did still feel horrible that you all felt so badly. It always hurts when the people you love are hurting. 

and look, you must have felt pretty darn bad because...

you were seeking these snuggles from me, something you haven't done in ages (and I secretly loved being able to comfort
you like this again)

eventually you felt well enough to ask me to wash your hair in the sink for you

and eventually, you were back to normal and 
messing around with the animals again. ha!

And then, before we knew it, it was Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas from Mama Llama and Dad 
(with their morning coffee)!

this scalp massager deceivingly looks like a whisk, but feels ahh-mazing!

Christmas kisses from the Suzers

Unfortunately, since Lao Lao was still feeling pretty down in the dumps on Christmas morning, she didn't come over and hang with us like normal. We did head over to her house with masks on and exchanged gifts briefly, before heading home so she could get some much needed rest and feel better. 

By late afternoon, Memaw and Papaw arrived and we all had dinner together. We also invited our new neighbors, Nick, Mary and their three year old twins to join us as well. It was a very active dinner with these extra guests (especially the twins) but it was so nice to spend time with everyone and get to know Nick and Mary more. 

obligatory Wilkinson group shot on
Christmas day

the combo of Papaw's shirt and
suspenders was my favorite

puppy snuggles on Christmas night

I decided to go through and purge some closets after the holidays were done. As I did so, I came across this amazing leather coat that my mom, your Lao Lao, used to wear in the late 70's and 80s. I remember her wearing this and the way it smelled when she'd pick me up at daycare or the sitter's after a long day at work. I'm so glad I still have it and was shocked to find diaper coupons in the pocket from when your Uncle Flint was a baby! Wild!

still stylish 30+ years later

expiration dates are in 1989!

On New Year's Eve day we met up with our old friends, Ziying, Zuchao, and their kids Lucas and April. They moved to Wooster years ago but came down to have lunch of dim sum with us and it was lovely to spend time together with them again. I sure wish they were closer but so grateful they were willing to come meet up with us again. Even though it wasn't quite lunar new year yet, I had made an extra nian gao for them to help celebrate the western new year. "Jiggly cake", as you call it, is one of our favorite treats for any new year celebration. 

That night we hosted Uncle Forge, Aunt Kenzie, Lao Lao (who thankfully was feeling much better), and also Sandy (who is a good friend of Forge and Kenzie). It was a really fun night and I'm so glad that Forge and Kenzie have adopted our home as their New Year's Eve tradition, too. 

I didn't get any pics of you that night because you spent the evening and rung in the new year with Mere and her family. You came home about 1am and while we missed you fiercely, I'm so glad you spent this night with someone you love. What makes you happy, makes me happy. Always.

On New Year's Day, I went for a walk at Hoover Reservoir. Surprisingly, I found that someone had decorated the trees along the trail with all sorts of holiday decorations. It was such a festive thing to stumble upon on this cold, wintery, first day of 2023. 

New Year's Day dinner was spent at Memaw and Papaw's to eat our annual pork and sauerkraut. Papaw had just bought a laptop for Memaw and so you helped him set it all up for her. Each year you are becoming our own personal IT department. So grateful for your affinity for and natural talents with everything electronic and tech.

we brought over games to play with
the family and it felt nice to watch
you all laughing together

I completely forgot to get any group pictures of us on New Year's Day, but here is one we just got back from school. Your first high school picture. 

my kiddo...the freshman!

I know I shouldn't be very surprised, but there are always several times each year where I become overwhelmed by how fast you are growing up. In spite of my shock, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm just glad I get to be a part of it.

Happy 2023!

I love you, 

Mama