Alabama to Atlanta

Julia had a great week in Enterprise, Alabama, stepping into Benjamin's world. She got to explore the base, work out at the base gym, and get to know his new Air Force buddies. Check out the lasagna Benjamin made! They also went to trivia night and rollerskating, and bought a dining room table. Then, it was off to Atlanta to meet us!

It was so good to see them both. We also met Wes, Matt, and his wife, long-time friends of Benjamin (and Julia) from the Ohio State University. So fun. Besides seeing all the sights--Centennial Olympic Park, World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium, Jimmy Carter Library, Oakland Cemetery (Kenny Rogers is buried there), and several food halls--we spent a lot of time walking the Beltline (very nice path through the city) and talking about how the current state of our country may affect my job, Steven's job, Benjamin's commitment, and Julia's future. Praying for some stability and guidance. (Apologies if my eyes looked a bit possessed--it is from fighting bacteria conjunctivitis for the last week with antibiotics!)

Valentine's and Fort Walton Beach

This year's Valentine's Day was super sweet—Julia flew to Destin, FL, to meet up with Benjamin. They are planning to stay the weekend in Fort Walton Beach and then head back to his base in Alabama for the week. On the home front, we also received some love from the Saunders—cards and treats from Elizabeth and Carrie. Who doesn't love cherries from Michigan? The Saunders family is so special to us.

Mom is in the Dominican Republic with the church choir. She's pictured below with her new friend.

Skating and Steak

Minnesota's nickname, Land of 10,000 Lakes, means many frozen lakes to skate on in the winter.  The locals embrace the cold and are very outdoorsy. They have weathered some extremely low temperatures this winter. Julia had another steak night with Sam, Hannah, Alejandro, and Nora. Yummy. 

Published and Party Time

Congrats to Julia on publishing such an important message and lessons-learned article, When Climate Research Fuels Climate Myths: Author Insights from a Misused Publication. Not only does she share what happened to her, but she also provides important how-to lessons for researchers publishing their work, regardless of the field of study. "By equipping ourselves with preventive strategies, employing mitigation and response tools, and building trusted networks, we can guide misinformed conversations back to accuracy and preserve the value of rigorous research." YES!

Julia also attended the University of Minnesota's women's gymnastics competition. She went with her girl group and really enjoyed seeing it in person--incredible athletes. 

In other news, I went to the most amazing party for my favorite 3-year-old twins, Maggie and Vickie. Vera went way above and beyond. Thank goodness Julia is all grown up--I could never pull that off! :)