Julia had a good week and weekend with friends. Pictured below: thrift exchange with Ally and Gigi, Megan's birthday dinner, and soup night with Sam and Hannah (only soup pictured).
The DC crew went to American University's production of 9 to 5. Who doesn't love a little Dolly Parton?! We enjoyed the cherry blossoms and puzzled through the weekend.
Julia, Megan, and Trey attended the women's hockey regional championship game this past weekend, and Minnesota won! They will move on to the Frozen Four tournament. Check out Benjamin; he's progressing to the next phase of his helicopter training. Last week, Julia attended a Love is Blind event with friends (the television show was filmed in Minneapolis, and J & I are fans!). Also pictured are some of Julia's meals she making.
On the home front, Lisa & Tony celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary last week. Awesome.
Julia and friends attended the Stand Up for Science rally at the state capitol (hi Jerry!). Unfortunately, what this administration decides to fund and what to cut will greatly influence her research and job prospects. :(
She had "breakfast for dinner" with friends Sam and Hannah. They also went together to get their flu and COVID shots. Additional events included a party at a friend's thrift store, a charcuterie night with friends, and a big snowstorm. Winter is not done in Minnesota. The cow sighting is from her walk to campus.
The best surprise was Benjamin's return to St. Paul with Julia! She had no idea he had taken the week off and planned to spend it with her. They stayed busy working/studying and hanging out with friends. The picture of the girls hanging out is in Julia's living room. The band she is in recorded some songs yesterday at the studio.
A not-so-good surprise was getting COVID just days after returning to DC! It was my first time, and it was brutal. Thankfully, their friend Wes and I were the only ones that got sick.
Back to a good surprise... The one thing I wanted from Atlanta was a souvenir for the 1996 Olympics; I distinctly remember watching the Olympics while riding out contractions at home and after Julia was born. We found nothing while in Atlanta. However, Julia found a sweatshirt online and sent it to me. Score! Thanks, Jules.
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!)
