Reuniting with Family

This past week we had the pleasure of reuniting with Laura and Aunt Ruthie! It was nice to reconnect. Mom and Aunt Ruthie continued on to South Carolina for Darren's funeral. The siblings hung out and went to Kathryn's winning soccer game--she scored! Booberry made fast friends as soon as Laura walked into the house. Peanut Butter never emerged from the upstairs and Quiet never woke up from the cat bed. Too funny. 

We are counting down the days until Benjamin leaves Alaska and they make their way to Washington! Cannot wait. Meanwhile, Julia is plugging away with her many Zoom calls, cooking her salmon and kale, and getting in some exercise. Check out the picture of the animals she found on a recent walk through campus.  

What a year. I'm so glad we are all almost fully vaccinated. Relief. 

Hopeful Spring Finally

The weather has finally turned the corner, and everything seems brighter and better. Having the first vaccine shot has also lifted a bit of the pandemic load off of our shoulders. Check out Julia's skating video. Yes, surprisingly, St. Paul is warming up as well. The cherry blossoms are peaking and pretty. We had the pleasure of having Elizabeth (Benjamin's sister) in town briefly. She is a freshman at Georgetown University, attending remotely. We toured the campus, neighborhood, and Georgetown waterfront. It was the perfect weather, sunny and in the 60s. Elizabeth is on the GT crew team. She met the kitties and hopefully will be a regular visitor--such a sweetie.   

Happy Easter and Happy Vaccinations!

It's official--the Simpson family has received dose #1 of the Pfizer vaccination. Harris Teeter made it quick and easy! Thankfully, the majority of our family has received at least one dose: Mom, Laura, Clarkson, Sam, Lisa, Tony, Steven, Julia, Benjamin, and me. Yay! Mom is down in Florida visiting Regina and Art. Although we are not able to celebrate Easter together, we are thankful for the resurrection of Christ and the hope of eternal life through Him. 

Struggling to Spring Ahead

The temperatures don't quite feel like spring yet, but it's coming. Julia's indoor plants continue to do well. With milder weather, she was able to get sushi and eat outside for a change of pace. Steven has been enjoying mussels lately with garlic and butter. I made some gluten-free bread made mostly of eggs--very light and fluffy texture. Julia purchased a new cold brew coffee maker. Big news for Benjamin, he got his first COVID-19 vaccine shot. Below, Steven has Booberry under his shirt and Quiet on his lap while trying to work. Also below, check out the giant cherry blossom sculpture (which you can sit in). It is located at Book Hill Park, behind Georgetown Library, one of 26 locations to host this sculpture as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival's citywide Art in Bloom program. It will be there on display, March 20 - April 30.

Marching toward Spring

Julia has been busy running her class, while Benjamin has been in Alaska. Over Zoom, Jessie and Julia cooked a salmon dinner together. What a great idea! The result looks yummy. Steven bought her a cool ceiling light; check out the video. I went and got my hair done--back to blonde! Today is International Women's Day. At work, we have events all month long--including 3 nutrition presentations. It has been a super busy month already. 

Winter Wonderland at Lake Superior

St. Paul has been extremely cold and they have the ice to prove it. Julia and Benjamin captured the frozen Minnehaha Falls. And they also went up north, past Duluth to captured some amazing sites on Lake Superior.

Tettegouche State Park

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

Palisade Head (volcanic formed cliffs) 

February Freeze

February is here and freezing! We went to the Lincoln Memorial to see the glass portrait of VP Kamala Harris between snow events. It is created from broken glass--very cool to see. I captured some robotic statues (?) outside a Georgetown house. They have been there a while and may be a permanent fixture...strange. While it has been cold here, it has been twice as cold in St. Paul. Julia has still managed to get outside here and there, and also take advantage of her indoor bicycle for exercise and sanity. Also pictured is our treadmill after walking my way through a module of my nutritional genomics class. Good news--mom has had both of her vaccination shots and is feeling great, with no side effects.