We've once again reached that time of year that I can't help but reminisce about Knighthawk championship games and trips. Last year on this blog I recounted the trips I took to Phoenix and Washington/British Columbia, plus the fun days we had on Knighthawk home championship games. Even two months into the pandemic, those trips were so bittersweet, let alone now when we're 14 months in and haven't done anything of real interest in ages. In the midst of our less-than-exciting weather lately (stuck in the lower 50s when it should be in the mid-60s), I was reminiscing about the day I left for Phoenix when it was a gorgeous 70 degrees and I took the most lovely bike ride with my new bike. I think back to my other trip, too, when it was super warm and humid as I ran on the New Westminster river walk and stood out in the warm sun before going into the arena. Without that kind of weather and without a trip on the horizon, those moments feel so impossible these days. Not to mention that all those games took place in full arenas when social distancing wasn't even a real term.
This past weekend was Mother's Day weekend, and we ended up doing our Buffalo swing on Saturday. We stopped in at my parents for a little bit (since I just saw them a bunch last weekend) so I could drop off flowers, and then we headed to Craig's family because we were having the "remote" version of the fundraiser dinner we had a couple years ago when I won the amazing Mixtape Tour concert tickets. It really hit home again with this event's return how far removed we are from life when we last attended. Not only could we not imagine being in the same room as a couple hundred other people right now, but the concert itself would be unthinkable. Sitting near a dozen people I don't know, unmasked? Yikes! We just didn't know how good we had it, and we never could have imagined what the next year held. Even still, I have to admit that the take-home dinner was delicious! Salad, rolls, charcuterie-to-go, filet, mashed potatoes with a brown gravy, tiny carrots, and cheesecake with strawberries, all in a cooler bag with insulated wine tumblers and a bottle of wine for each couple. And the way they prepared the meat, it heated up perfectly at home, so it was just as good as it was in person. We missed the dressing up and browsing the auction items in person, but it was still a fun evening hanging out with family. We drove home pretty late, stuffed to the gills!
Sunday was a bit of a mixed day. I woke up still feeling a little full and still tired (which I think was the product of the ongoing very long week, starting with the garage sale, into the Confirmation, and ending with my work Day of Giving and the hangover from that). Jacob had basketball training in the morning, so it was just Carter and me going to church. We're now choosing to sit in the gym for the foreseeable future since the main worship center is optional masking while seated. I'll admit it's a bit disappointing. There was definitely an older crowd in the gym. I was a little bummed that Jacob missed his first Sunday to take communion, but hopefully soon. Carter picked out a carnation for me on the way out of church...
And he made this cute flower for me in Sunday School...
When we got home, he eagerly gave me his gift from school, which he'd been excitedly talking about all week. Even his teacher mentioned what a good job he did. And it was really pretty great.
It's hard to get him to write more than a line or two, so when I saw this letter, I was super impressed!
He also made me this tissue paper candle. I have a similar one in different colors from Jacob, probably from around the same age but without the words or photo.
It wasn't too exciting of a day after that. I tried to nap and relax a bit, especially while Craig took the boys out to buy Carter's new soccer cleats. As dinner approached, I ended up frustrated again (just like last year) because all of the restaurants we wanted to order from had shut down their online ordering. It appears that a lot of businesses just don't have the staff right now. With there being extra unemployment payments right now, a lot of low-wage jobs just can't get people. But the thing is, while I know there are probably some "lazy" people out there that just prefer not to work, most people go where the money is. That probably means that the people who would otherwise take those jobs can't afford to take them--whether unemployment simply pays more (which probably means businesses need to pay a living wage) or working means paying out too much in child care due to school not being fully in session, I don't know. It's a terrible, impossible situation right now. We just ended up making do with leftovers and a frozen meal I had been saving for a "special occasion". Sigh. We watched E.T. to finish off the evening. Not the best Mother's Day, but also not the worst.
Monday was Carter's first night of soccer! It had been weird leading up to it because we signed up at the very last minute a couple months ago and then mostly heard nothing. A couple weeks ago I got an email with a schedule change--though I hadn't seen a schedule to begin with--and then we got an email that our coach was unable to continue. We didn't hear anything else, so the other day I emailed the league and asked what was happening, at which point the head person emailed me back and sent something out to the team about Monday and who would be coaching. We're still not sure about practices or anything like that, but at least we got Monday's game in. It was rather chilly--only around 50 degrees and breezy--but at least the sun was out until it set behind the clouds. We tried to layer up, but as Carter stood in goal I could tell he was cold! We were pretty chilly ourselves, but it was manageable compared to some of Jacob's sports over the years!
I was a little nervous about how this would go, for so many reasons. Carter hasn't been too into much of anything over the past year other than screen time, so I wasn't sure he'd really be on board for this when the time came, even though he said he'd do it when we signed up. He's sometimes skittish around other kids because he hasn't had the best experience at school this year, and doing organized activities as dictated by an authority figure hasn't been his strong suit. But the kid still loves to run, so I was hopeful he'd at least be into that part. And he was!
The best part was that as people were showing up and getting their uniforms, I heard the name "Ben" come up, and sure enough, one of Carter's best buddies who was on his last soccer team two years ago is on his team again! I think that probably gave him an extra level of comfort.
He did well--he definitely moves and gets up the field when he needs to, and isn't afraid to get a little physical. I had a fear it would be obvious he'd spent most of his time on screens in the last 14 months, but he really seemed to fit in pretty well! The team as a whole was really strong--their opponent barely got over midfield! We were treated to a fabulous sunset as we sat, so I couldn't resist getting a shot of Carter with it postgame!
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