Cardinal Classic

 Friday, April 1, 2022

This weekend was the Cardinal Classic in Washington, D.C.  We had an incredibly early 5am wake up to get ready for practice ice.  We registered for this competition late so we had to take whatever was left for practice ice.  Luckily, there were not many skaters on it so that was nice.  But we had a while to wait before she got to skate her short program.  Unfortunately, her short was not her best skate.  She missed the double loop in her double lutz, double loop combo and she got a little turned around on the ice and ended up late in the music so she had to cheat her last spin and didn't get a level for it.  She also had some issues in her footwork (I think because she got lost a little) and it got downgraded.  She ended up having to settle for 12 out of 16.  We were hoping that tomorrow would bring a better long program.

   

   

Saturday morning we were up early again for a little more practice ice and then a break before the long programs began.  This time, Emily skated third so we did not have to wait as long.  Unfortunately, her long program really was not her best either.  She didn't get lost on the ice this time, but her footwork and spins were a little slow and she popped 4 of her doubles, making them singles.  Certainly not the skate she wanted.  But, if you skate long enough, you are bound to have a rough skate or two, so this was hers.  She had to settle for 8th out of 12.  Definitely a disappointing result for her (based on what we know she can skate, she really should have been in the top 4 or 5), but she will try again in May at Mt. Lebanon.  So here's to hoping that skate will be better for her.  :-)

   

   

The Greenbrier - Day 3

 Sunday, March 27, 2022

Well, we woke up to more snow, but we still had big plans for the day.  Our first stop was a big breakfast in the main dining room.  The buffet was huge.  I am pretty sure you could not name a breakfast item that wasn't represented somewhere on the buffet.  It was really good.  Then, after breakfast, we headed to the little bowling alley for a few games.  Everyone played the first game and then some of the girls wanted to tour the spa so they left.  Emily and I played one more game and then met the group for a mid-morning coffee and a little more shopping.

Then it was time for our group carriage ride.  It was super cold, but there were blankets in the carriage so it ended up not being too bad...except when the wind blew!  Brrrr, but it was fun to see the grounds.  Since it was so cold, we really had not been out to see much of the grounds and they really were beautiful.  What a great way to close out the trip.

   

   

 

The Greenbrier - Day 2

 Saturday, March 26, 2022

After a short sleep, we woke up to snow!!  How crazy is that?  It was almost April!  And we discovered that right outside our cottage was the meeting place for all of the carriage rides so we got to see the horses!  Next, the girls were ready for some shopping in the Greenbrier boutiques.  Now, I love shopping.  Don't get me wrong, but I must admit the stores were way on the high end even for me.  Nonetheless, the girls had fun trying on fancy dresses and modeling them.

   

Then it was time for lunch at Drapers!  This place reminded me a little of Beaches & Cream at Disney. It has all the trappings of a little, old fashioned ice cream shop.  The girls all got hamburgers and fries with shakes.  Emily got peanut butter banana and she shared a bite with me so I can report that it was amazing!

    

   

After lunch, at Emily's request, the girls tackled an Escape room!  The room was Alice in Wonderland themed.  Since there were only three of them working the puzzles, they didn't escape, but they still had a great time!

   

Then it was time for high tea.  Amazingly, it was included in the resort stay so we did not have to pay.  They had lots of little tiny treats, and of course, tea.

After our snack, it was time to go back to the cottage to relax a little before dinner.  This evening's dinner was at Prime 44 - a steakhouse!  Carri and Trina bought everyone dinner as Emily's birthday gift.  All the girls had steak, but Carri and I both had sea bass and it was delicious!  And they even brought Emily a little treat for her birthday!

   

   

Then after dinner, we went to find the professional photographer for a few pics.  What a great day!  We packed in sooo much fun and we still had a little time tomorrow for a few more adventures.

   

Delayed 13th Birthday Celebration - The Greenbrier

 Friday, March 29, 2022

Well, today was the day.  It was finally time for Emily's 13th birthday party at The Greenbrier...after rescheduling three times...but, who's counting?  We headed down to The Greenbrier a little bit before school let out for the day so we could arrive in time to check-in, change and get ready for dinner.  Cate and Elle both came too, and Cate's mom, Carri.

We got to stay in the Florida cottage.  We initially picked this cottage back in 2020 when Emily wanted a Golden Girls party theme.  Of course, she is long past Golden Girls but the cottage was terrific.  Plenty of room for everyone and four really big bedrooms and four bathrooms too.

   

   

   

   

After getting all moved in, it was time to get ready for a nice dinner at The Forum (Italian).  The girls wanted to dress up for their night out so we did!  They looked amazing!  And, during dinner, the waiter surprised Emily with a special birthday dessert!

   

   

Then, after dinner, the girls all came back to the cottage, changed into comfy clothes and we had more birthday celebration complete with party favors and birthday cake!  After all, it isn't a party without multiple desserts, right?

   

Louisville Figure Skating Competition

Saturday, March 19, 2022

It has been 2 years since Emily has gotten to compete in Louisville.  Covid cancelled everything in 2020 and the first half of 2021.  Then their winter competition in 2021 only went up to Preliminary.  So, we were excited to finally be going back.  And we had a ton of club members coming too which was awesome.

Emily's short and long program were both on Saturday and she didn't even have to get up super early to do it which was so nice...especially since we had a tornado warning in the middle of the night.  Ugh.  Not fun.

Anyway, she had a nice short program, but she missed her jump combination (seems to be a theme with her short program) which was disappointing.  She only managed to end up 5th out of 8.  

   

After a short break (enough to eat Fazoli's Italian - Emily's favorite) it was time to rally for the long program.  Typically, her long program is her stronger program, so we were hoping for a clean skate.  She skated really strong and only missed one jump (the double toe in the double Lutz, double loop, double toe combo - she singled it).  Overall, it was a great program.  This time there were only 4 in the group and Emily won!  What an exciting moment!  It had been a while since she medaled so this felt really good, I'm sure.  Score wise, she basically started this season where she ended at Regionals last year so that was also very encouraging.  Her long program landed her a 49.99 so she almost broke 50!  Very exciting!