New Beginnings

Team Ella has hit the ground running in 2018.

A really unique opportunity popped up for me and I grabbed it. In addition to my gig with the pool company, I work two days a week as outreach coordinator for a downtown Episcopal church now too. Some might think I'm crazy, and I honestly thought that had already been established. But because Larry, my parents and Mama Katie were willing to fill in a few gaps for me with regard to after school times with Ella, it has been terrific.

It has been a learning experience on just about every level. The first time Ella got to spend time at my new work, she was arm wrestling her BFF on the sanctuary floor after a peace march that ended at the church. (Huge cool points with the girls)

This church isn't new to me. Even though I'm steeped in the church I have known my whole life, I have spent the last 20 some years attending the Good Friday service here. It has been one of the most sacred Toledo spaces to me ever since. Little did I know I'd be on the payroll one day.

I have flexibility. I get to be two totally different people at both of my jobs. I enjoy both jobs more because of that. Ella has come to the church with me no less than six times in this short time. It didn't take long for Priest Lisa to wiggle into Ella's heart. And light up rockets in the sanctuary pretty much sealed the deal.

All this work talk though doesn't mean we don't make time for cool stuff with Ella. One of those cool things was Larry taking over her Brownie Troop meeting with drum talk.

There is nothing cuter (and louder) than a bunch of third grade girls testing out their senses of rhythm. And although Ella may look a bit bashful in some of these photos, she was so very proud.

Another cool thing? Transforming Ella's bedroom into something a bit more in line with her 8 year old self. And just when I think I've got her figured out, she goes a picks hot pink for wall color. We did compromise on painting just two of the walls that color and perhaps part of the floor too. (What a mess...it did clean up)

Finished photo coming up next post! It looks amazing and she seems to really enjoy hanging out in her room again like she used to.

We've had plenty of snow this winter, for sure. The gray skies of NW Ohio are beginning to wear us all down as we head into March. We have had some bizarre 60 degree days too, only to be followed by 3 inches of snow 24 hours later. But so over winter. So. Over. It.

The backyard continues to be an animal sanctuary with Waddles the Opossum taking over Creamsicle's winter shelter and Creamsicle graduating to indoor time when it is super cold. Creamsicle only gets that little space at the back door and doesn't interact with Thomas or Mavis. I don't ever see that happening but he has come so very far since he first showed up in our backyard.

The mummies are back on display in a special exhibit at our Art Museum. This is such a big deal for kids both young and old.

We even scheduled a flashlight tour with some of our buds from the neighborhood family group. I mean what could wrong with this crew in a dark museum?

We brought in the Year of the Dog with our FCC Family - what a great tradition. And for the 6th year now, I took the Chinese New Year on the road and taught Ella's 3rd grade class. I came up with some new food for taste testing, made them use chopsticks (lots of grumbling and laughter on that) and was delighted to see how much her class has retained over my years of teaching them. Do you think she'll let me do this when she's a senior in high school??

~H