Bunny Brunch 2017

Sunday, March  26, 2017

Today was our annual Bunny Brunch to benefit the Ronald McDonald House.  I have been working on this event (as best I can recall) for more than 10 years now.  I planned the first several back before Emily was born and then brought it back again when we returned to WV in 2012.  I just love it.  And now Emily has grown to love it too.

We were back at Berry Hills again this year, and for the first time, I had no specific role to play and got to just attend the brunch with Emily.  We helped decorate, of course, but after that we just got to sit back and enjoy.

 Emily's basket raffle strategy was a little different this year.  She was interested in several baskets this year so she divided her tickets up more than she had in the past.  This year the tickets she bought were divided into 4 main baskets (instead of 2) - Beauty & the Beast, Beanie Boos, Baking Basket and Bath & Body Works. Then she gave me a few of her tickets and I put them in a basket full of Pier One Easter stuff.  This lucky little girl ended up winning the baking basket!  And wouldn't you know, I ended up winning the fun Pier One stuff too!  My first basket win!  Glad Emily shared some tickets with me.  It was definitely a fun day for all.

Oh!  And stay tuned for pics of Emily with the Easter Bunny.  We had a photographer on hand for those and they should be posted soon.  Already looking forward to next year.

And here we go!  Pictures with the Easter Bunny!!!
 

Miscellaneous School Stuff

March 2017

Here are some fun, and somewhat random pictures, from recent school stuff and fun times with school friends.  Indeed she does do things that do not involve skating!

This was Pi Day at school.  Third graders who passed Xtra Math facts for addition, subtraction and multiplication got to put a pie in their principal's face. Emily worked hard for this last year and just missed it, so this year was a special treat!

Every once in a while I get a fun pic from school from another parent.  This was lunch one day, taken by Kaylyn's dad, Steve.  They are so cute.

Not too long after this fun lunch, the girls got together at Madison's house for a slumber birthday party.  Kimberly was  pretty brave to tackle hosting all those girls (the boy in the pic is Madison's brother), but she reported good behavior all around....even if they did stay up half the night...  Kids...

New Skates!

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Well, a great skater deserves skates that fit.  So we headed to Cleveland, Ohio to Skater's Edge for a custom fitting of new skates.  The price tag was pretty steep, but with bigger skills come more advanced blades and stronger boots.  The whole experience was really amazing and informative. They pre-ordered boots for her to try on based on her sizing information we  provided and her skill level.

When we arrived, they heated up the new boots and then made her sit still and wear them until they conformed to her feet and cooled down.  Then she walked all over the shop in them for a while.  After that it was time to attach the new blades.  They seemed to suit her pretty well too.  Of course we also had time to shop so we ended up coming home with not only new boots and blades, but also a rink tote (purple), new blade guards, and more tights too.  The guys at Skater's Edge were terrific.  I feel certain we will be buying more boots and blades and other stuff from them in the future.

Louisville Competition (Sunday)

Sunday, March 5, 2017

We were up early again on Sunday morning for practice ice at 7:00am.  Ugh.  This time no freaking out on practice ice. Yay!  Today Emily skated in compulsory moves and in Showcase.  Compulsory came first and for the third event in a row, Emily and  Kelsie skated against each other.  Compulsory is not very fun, in my opinion.  No music and you just have to skate the required elements.  Blah. But its another chance to be on the ice, so we do it.  Emily skated well, but Kelsie edged her out by one judge.  They were the only 2 in the category so Kelsie got the gold and Emily took silver.  They both fully supported each other in every way throughout the competition and were genuinely proud of each other's accomplishments.  That was far and away the best part of this trip.

After compulsory, Kelsie competed in spins and  Emily prepared for her Showcase piece.  Showcase is a little more fun and dramatic and a little less focused on elements of skating.  This year Emily skated to a medley from Mr. Popper's Penguins and dressed as a penguin.  It was awesome.  I'm not sure I'll ever like another program again as much as I love this one.  It's penguins of course, so there's that.  Anyway, Emily puts tons of drama in this one, skated her heart out, and came in second out of 8!  What a great way to wrap up the weekend!

Before we hit the road for home, Emily got to collect one more round of medals!  So amazing to see her doing so well this comp!

   

One guess what our car ride home looked like?  Man I love this kid.  Until next time...

Louisville Competition (Saturday)

Saturday, March 4, 2017

After struggling a little at the Ohio State competition at Christmas, Emily was determined to work hard and try again.  This weekend, she got her chance.  We hit the road for Louisville on Friday afternoon for the South Eastern Great Lakes competition.  We stayed at a pretty nice Springhill Suites basically just across from the street from the ice rink and it worked out perfectly.  We started our adventures with a quick dinner and swim at the hotel.  Then it was off to bed to rest up for the first of 2 big days!

Our Saturday morning started very early - 5:30am for 6:30 and 7:15 practice ice.  The worst part of competition weekends.   It was a good thing we had 2 practice sessions this time because Emily freaked out a little during the first round.  Luckily her best skating friend, Kelsie arrived for the 7:15 session and then everything was fine.

   

After practice, we had a long break until Freeskate so we took the kids to IHOP for breakfast.  Then it was  back to the hotel to change and get back to the rink.

The first category Emily and  Kelsie skated in was Freeskate.  Emily skated to Princess Diaries again and she skated very, very well.  It was probably the best I had seen her skate her program so we were hopeful that she wouldn't be last this time.

  

 We didn't have to wait long for the results, luckily.  Emily placed third - bronze medal - right behind her friend Kelsie, who just barely edged her out for the silver!  The girls were so excited about the results!  It felt good not to be 6th out of 6.

   

After Freeskate, we had another long break so we grabbed dinner at Chili's and then went back to the hotel to get ready for the girls interpretive programs.  This is where they give them music they have never heard before and they choreograph a routine on the spot.  The girls were given "Earth Angel" from the 1950's.    They played the song for them twice during warm-up and then one time off the ice. Then out they each went, not able to see each other, to skate their routine.  Obviously, drama also counts.  Ha!  Kelsie and Emily both skated really well and some of the others appeared to struggle so again we were excited about the possibility of placing.  There were 7 skaters in Emily/Kelsie's group.

Again, we did not have to wait long for the results and this time... Emily got GOLD!  She took the top spot and oh my goodness was she ever happy!!!  Her friend, Kelsie, placed third so it was medals for all again!

The kids didn't skate this event until 8:00pm, so when we finished up, we went back to the hotel to get some rest...but of course the girls had other plans...like swimming (again).  What an amazing day and what a change from December.  SO SO SO proud of these girls!!!