One of my coworkers bought a drone for inspecting rooftops. Unfortunately, he crashed it and when he reported it to the manufacturer, they kindly sent him a replacement. He was shy to fly again and asked if my kids wanted to a drone. They might, I thought, but I was more interested.
Originally, it was just for a week or two. Maybe a month. Or a few months. But I returned to the office 15 months after Oregon closed down because of the pandemic. Not wearing a mask for the first time was abnormally normal and normally abnormal.
When Kadie didn’t get into the International School of Beaverton, it triggered the beginning of our ongoing house hunt. Our neighborhood middle school and high school have low ratings and a reputation for disengaged students. When we looked at our finances, it didn’t appear that we were able to move immediately, so we chose to home school Kadie for her middle school years.
Which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. A year after, when we started looking at houses again, the pandemic took over, and the other two kids transitioned into distance learning at home. When school started back up in the fall, all three kids were home schooled. Our home started feeling a bit cramped, we were stuck with ourselves, so we decided to try searching for a house again.
We did it. We made it through 22 epic movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with the kids. Ever since the first Avengers movie in 2012, I impatiently waited for the right age to share them and hold back all the spoilers. It’s been a long, long time.
Naming is hard, but it’s also important. A name is a communication tool that can quickly form a bond of understanding when it’s done well. It might even spark some humor, respect, or admiration if done very well.
A name doesn’t have to be original. Sometimes, making a clever association is a good name. Other times, a play on words is a great name. Here are a few names I’ve come up with that make me smile.
A year unlike any other. Three hundred and sixty six days with reasons of what to be grateful for, reminders of what not to hold tightly to, and recognition of how connected we all are.
We skipped several traditions this Christmas because of the coronavirus, but we’re thankful for all that we do have: our family, friends, and faith.
Our celebrations included making short stops at our grandparents and my parents the days before Christmas. On Christmas day, we settled in our pajamas, opened some gifts, played with the gerbils, and enjoyed one of the most peaceful days ever.
As my LEGO hobby grew over the last few years, I’ve been frequenting websites for reviews, rumors, and ideas. After seeing other LEGO photographers’ work featured on one of those sites, Brick Fanatics, I decided to submit my favorite LEGO photograph to see what would happen.
I visited Brick Fanatics today to see the new LEGO 1989 Batwing, and as I scrolled down, I saw my photo as the Brick Pic of the Day.
That photo always makes me smile and I hope it sparks inspiration and joy to others.
If you want to see other photos I’ve done with LEGO, I have two previous posts and you can scroll down my Instagram feed.