Spring Break(s)

 

First year of Brady being at college was an adjustment, only because we are used to doing something as a family of four every year but the kids breaks didn’t overlap this year.

But….we still go to have Brady home and squeezed in my bday celebration, a trip to CU Boulder for Brady, mini golf, brunch, a few family dinners, dog walks and even a trip to Tucson for Brady to surprise Grandmama (thanks to some help from Grandbob!).

 

And just like that, he was back to school but was so nice to have him home for an extended break.

And then, we went with Lylah to Cancun (and she brought Tessa), for a little beach time. I am currently writing this, sitting on the balcony of the hotel, looking out at the bluest waters I have ever seen. Definitely a great choice as far as hotels go (Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach), beautiful weather and some much needed relaxation (I finished a book in two days!!!).

The girls are enjoying lot of sun, ocean time, mocktails and photo opps!

More notes I wrote from the trip! 

Grand Fiesta Americana
Coral Beach Cancun

Best Mexican beach resort I’ve been to (other than adults only Royal Hideaway).
Infinite club worth it for the beach section, the location of the room, the ease of dinner reservations, and the extra perks that come with the package (spa massage etc).

The food was excellent and the beach was perfect. Super clear water, soft white sand, no seaweed and good combo of waves and calm. Loved the dock in the water and proximity to tubing and jet skies.
We had some great food, fun evening shows and lots of relaxation time (read my first book on over a year)!!!
And loved seeing lylah in her element at the beach with her good friend Tessa. Just missed Brady!!!

Definitely a break that I needed!

Utah Freshman Year!~

 

So far so good on Brady’s freshman year! I think he is feeling all the things that a first year college kiddo feels….from homesickness, to questions about friend groups, new and old love interests, new experiences from concerts to parties to rock climbing to Utah skiing and thoughts of changing majors (marketing to finance).

In general, I think he is happy with his school choice and thriving! He made Dean’s list first semester and is planning to live in an apartment next year with three roommates.

He gets into the city quite a bit, has skied many days despite not the best snow season, has been to a few concerts, traveled to Montana State to see friends, and has learned a bit about who he wants to be and how he does/doesn’t want to spend his free time at school.

I am very proud of him and have loved talking to him each week about all the ups and down and everything in between. College can be a very exciting and key part of your life and I can’t wait to see what is next for Brady!!!

 

Happy 17th Lylah Bean!

 

Lylah Bday :

 Happy 17^th to my mini me!!!! These last few years have gone by soooooo fast! You have grown up so much and I am so very proud of you (I say that a lot!). This year had all kinds of experiences, ups, downs and everything in between. You have learned so much about resiliency and courage, from a car accident to a jury trial, and also about love, dating and relationships. You have been on fun/unique  trips (Miami, Utah, Tucson, Montana) and attended some cool concerts (Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, etc). You know what you want, and what you don’t want and I respect that about you!  

You have become a vocal advocate for women and for what it right and wrong in this world. You are a lover of animals and Dubai Chocolate and can’t resist a trip to Crumbl Cookie. You love your tamales and your time in your bed, surfing social media and watching shows like We Were Liars and Emily in Paris.

You have a strong tight network of close girlfriends, all who showed up to celebrate you for a fun bday evening of pasta, photos, melting pot dessert and the cutest black and white décor.

You went dark with your hair this year and everyone LOVED It, including me! So pretty, and you convinced me to do the same (good choice!). You are doing amazing in school, always responsible and aware and focused on your future. And you are starting to think about careers and college…..eek!

I could go on for a long time about the wonderful person  you are and I am so excited to see what lies ahead for you. You have so much to look forward to and no matter what curveballs life throws you, I know you will navigate your way though and come out on top.

You are strong, smart, beautiful and loved more than you know!

 

Brave.Honest. and Doing the Right Thing!

 

 

Jury Trial:

I chose to write about this because it was an important moment in time for our whole family, and even our friends, this year. For Brady and Lylah, I don’t need to remind them of all the details….suffice it to say that our neighbor Brad has always been a concern based on his past criminal record and behaviors we witnessed over 10  years. He took it next level when he followed Lylah and I on her 16^th bday.

Bottom line is it took almost a year to go to court for the State vs. Merrifield case. Jon, Lylah and I all took the stand to testify against Brad and while he was found not guilty (the jury was not allowed to know anything about his prior record which greatly impacted the case), I am grateful for the experience because……

We sent him a message, loud and clear. What he did was WRONG. We aren’t going to sit back and put up with hit.

We were brave and honest.

And it was clear when 15 of our closest friends showed up that we have a strong support system of people who really care about our family and who know the TRUTH!  That meant the world to me.

Poms Nationals!!

 

Poms Nationals:

Lylah went on her first trip to the Poms Nationals competition in Orlando and I got to tag along!!! Loved this experience for so many reasons. I always love watching Lylah dance, and while her team didn’t place as well as they would have liked, she danced beautifully and should be super proud of herself!!!  While she was excited to dance, she was more excited for Universal Studios. Some of the highlights for us included: Spider Man ride together, walking on Men in Black…no wait! Impromptu Latin concert, Mummy ride for Lylah (scarier than she thought!), How to Train a Dragon coaster at EPIC (my favorite coaster ever…rode it twice and yelled Oh Shit the whole time!), Harry Potter Land in the rain, Lylah and Jane, Margaritaville fancy dinner, freezing at night time!, VRBO with the Poms moms, Conga Line,

Playtime

Work retreat at Broncos stadium! Broncos season wrap up with some very fun games  and a super fun night out with Lylah and the Mooneys at Mane Event. Not a bad start to the year!!

 

The most special time of the year!

 

Christmas 2026

 

We had another lovely Christmas in Tucson with my parents. This is one of my favorite times of the year as my parents make it extra special and everyone is in the holiday spirit.

Although my mom’s health is slowly declining, she still made the best meals (with grandbob’s help!) and had the house decorated as special as always.

We had the shrimp that we all love so much, grandmama’s fried rice, the famous pasta salad, peppermint pie, cherry pie and Lobster tails for Xmas dinner!

We played Mexican dominos and aggravation, went for walks, played pickleball and watched movies, Broncos games and the Elway documentary. Belly laughs, including when grandbob splashed ice cream on Brady’s face! 😊 Had to be there to see it I guess! Xmas always goes by too fast, especially as we get older. I worry about my parents every year, and cherish each holiday that we get to spend with them.

I feel incredibly lucky to have such amazing parents and a family I am so proud of. Both kids learned this Christmas break that they made Dean’s list (Brady) and honor roll (Lylah). Such hard workers and just wonderful human beings!