CFSC Spring Show

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Today was the spring show for the Club.  I look forward to these shows even though they are a lot of work.  It is fun to see all of our skaters perform and see how much they are improving over the years.  We didn't have a theme for the show this year.  Everyone got to skate whatever program they wanted.  Emily initially was going to skate her short program, but once she passed her senior free skate, she decided to skate that program instead.  I was so glad she did.  It is really a beautiful and very impressive program.

   

She also got to skate in a trio number with Maddy and Cate - to a Taylor Swift medley.  It was really cute and they all skated really well.

She also skated in a group number with all of Heidi's skaters so she had a lot of ice time this year for sure.  Also, this was the show when the Club honors its seniors and gold medalists.  Emily got to honor Maddy for her senior skate (since she doesn't coach with any of our coaches) and her moves in the field gold medal.  The Club also honored Ainsley and Abby for their senior years.

   

Then it was Emily's turn to be celebrated for her gold medal in free skate!  She was so excited...and so was Heidi since Emily is only her second skater ever to pass this test!

   

   

Of course, there were also a few gifts to commemorate the evening (and Emily's accomplishments) including flowers from Grandma Heintz (see pic above), a blue glass rose tipped in gold from us and (a real surprise that it came in time) her Senior Free Skate gold pin!  Tonight was a great show and some amazing moments for Emily (and us) with memories for a lifetime.  So very proud!

   

Senior Free Skate!

Monday, May 15, 2023

Today was a HUGE day!  I got to call Emily at school with the news that she passed her Senior Free Skate test!  She was so excited!  This is something she has been working toward since she was about 6 or 7 years old.  Under the old USFSA rules, she would have had to wait to take this test until she was ready to compete at that level, but when the rules changed in December, she was able to take all the rest of the free skate tests.  She passed Novice in February, Junior in March and now Senior in May.  It was all VERY exciting, and we are immensely proud.

Emily was only the second skater at our rink (and the youngest) to pass this test.  According to US Figure Skating (since you can't really read it in the picture below), less than 500 skaters a year pass the Senior Free Skate test (less than 1% of members).  Wow!  We were even able to get the test embroidered on her jacket right here in town so we did not have to wait too long!  I gotta admit - I think gold is her color.  Way to go Emily!  DOUBLE GOLD MEDALIST!

       

Mother's Day 2023

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Today it's my day!  Mother's Day!  It was a nice, restful day complete with all the things I love.  I got beautiful baskets of flowers for the yard, some new spoons (I keep letting them get chewed up in the garbage disposal), a new entry in my book from Emily, a Starbucks gift card and a new 100% down comforter for our bed.  YAY!  And, to top it off, we went to dinner at Roca's and it was so yummy.

   

Happy Birthday Zoey!

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Happy 18th Birthday Zoey!  I cannot imagine where the last 18 years have gone, but we know you've been there with us every step (and house) along the way.  We wish you would let us sleep through the night more often, but we love you so much and are thrilled to celebrate 18 years with you!  Whether you are sleeping, lap sitting, meowing or asking for attention and treats, you really are the best cat ever.

Daniel was not going to let Zoey's special day come and go without some celebration, so he stopped by the new Crumbl cookie store to get Zoey a cookie.  She loves Crumbl cookies.  Must be all the butter, I guess.  Anyway, I think she was pleased with her celebration.  Happy 18th Zoey! We love you!

   

Mt. Lebanon Competition

Saturday/Sunday, May 6-7, 2023

We look forward to the Three Rivers Spring Skate in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania every year.  We love the little town and also getting to see downtown Pittsburgh.  This year, Emily's friend Cate came along to skate too which made it extra fun.  First up on Saturday morning was the Ladies Intermediate Short Program.  Emily didn't have the best skate, but she ended up third out of 10 and was quite pleased about that.

   

   

   

Then it was time for all the fun!  Our first stop (after collecting her medal of course) was the Orbis Coffee Shop...not for coffee, but for their delicious fruit smoothies!  This year we got mango.  Every year I hope for the pear one we had a couple years back, but the mango was really good too.  Then we walked around town a bit before heading back to get changed for a nice evening on the town.

   

Heidi knew of this fun little French restaurant not too far from the hotel and Carri made us a reservation.  It was fun to try out some French food before heading to France in just a few short weeks.

Then it was time to head downtown to the Incline.  Pittsburgh actually has two different inclines, if you can believe that.  This time we rode on different one and it was really fun.  You get such great views of the city and the weather was just perfect!

   

   

   

   

Sunday was the Intermediate Ladies long program.  Emily skated WAY Better today and this time managed to finish second!  Silver medal for this girl!!  She was very, very pleased.  Closing out the weekend with a good skate and 2 medals was definitely awesome!

   

   

See you next year Mt. Lebanon!

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Friday, April 21, 2023

Well, so ends Emily's first boyfriend relationship.  She and Caleb split up earlier in the week.  She was sad at first, but very quickly declared that no boy was going to have so much power over her that she would remain sad for too long.  That's my girl.  And, of course, her girlfriends came to her side.  Maddy and Emily arranged a slumber party for nothing other than girl talk and giggles.  They also made break up cookies and blasted Taylor Swift in my kitchen.  Hearing them signing along while decorating and laughing was really heartwarming.  Girlfriends > boys.

   

Fifty and Fabulous!

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Guess who turned the big 50 this year?  This guy!!  We had a pretty low key celebration, but did enjoy dinner out at 1010 Bridge (courtesy of Bonnie and Nathan) followed by cake and presents at home!

   

He did not ask for anything special, really, for his big day which made gifting a little tricky.  But ultimately, I think he made out ok.  He got a fun nostalgic candy box with candy from his childhood era, $50 gift cards to Starbucks, Disney and Amazon, a new Zelda game, I renewed our Disney season passes and Emily and I got him a star that he can pick out and name.  Well, the name is not really real (no one can really name a star) but we adopted him one through a 501(c)(3) foundation that uses the money to research the stars!  That seemed like a pretty good tribute to his first half century on this planet.  Happy 50th Daniel!  We love you so much!