Chica’s Character Award!

Okay, peeps.

It’s been a whirlwind week, which is to be expected after our glorious autumnal vacay. There have been so many odds and ends I’ve wanted to post, but…life. Truly, I’ve just been a little drained by the time it’s approaching ten o’clock each evening (when I’m usually posting), and ready to unwind and prepare for the next chaotic day.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to tackle some additional catch-up posts this weekend, but for now, I’ll start by sharing some pics from a really lovely event this week amidst our busyness: Chica’s character award ceremony at school!

I really can’t say enough amazing things about this child o’ mine. She’s always been such a beautiful soul, but it’s been a joy to watch her acclimate and thrive in her middle school years, considering it’s such a fraught and tricky age!

Since all things middle school have been new to us with Chica, it was a huge surprise last year when we received notice halfway though the school year that our girl was going to be recognized with a special award:

http://delappenings.blogspot.com/2023/12/shine-chica-shine.html?m=1

I can remember so clearly the anxiety that came with this award ceremony, since we had no idea what to expect. And I can also remember the massive pride we felt as parents when we arrived, participated in the ceremony, and realized what a big deal it was. Only 3% of the kiddos within the school receive such an award (that is bestowed by sort of a nomination and team-of-teachers vote, by grade level) and they handle the ceremony is such a tailored and special way.

Welp. I thought for sure after last year that it would be a one-and-done kind of recognition for Chica during middle school. But, lo and behold, my fantastic kiddo managed to snag the award again, this first nine weeks of school, and I seriously could not be happier to acknowledge her hard work and kind spirit…and to make her squirm like this:





Despite her lingering feelings of embarrassment (we’re not doing our parental job if we’re not mortifying her a bit) it was particularly fun to see her more at ease this year versus last.

And, goodness, what an embarrassment of riches to watch her receive these accolades, yet again.



At this point, my girl is kind of baked, personality-wise. She’s an incredible young lady, stable in a way tweens and teens rarely are, and though I know this might flip on a dime…I’m so GRATEFUL for the human she is.



Awards aren’t the point in our household. At all. But kindness and generosity of spirit most certainly are.

I have a feeling my girl is sharing those things in spades, and the love is just being returned. :) I’m so happy to watch her shine.

Okay, more mañana, peeps!

Over and out. 

Mohonk 2024–Day 4!

Well, peeps.

Yesterday’s low temperature became today’s high. What a flipped weather scenario we experienced!

It was cold and rainy and misty, and you’d think this might make for a yucky day, but we adored the dreary-eerie vibe. Definitely made for some incredible scenery and stunning pics.

These were taken first thing in the morning, just after breakfast:

Despite the rain, we bundled up and hustled to our 9:30 a.m. family archery lesson and it was really fun to try our hand at something new. I imagine we might have spent much more time on the range if the rain hadn’t worsened.

Again, we powered on to our next scheduled task: a guided hike with the property’s naturalist to learn a bit about foxes, coyotes and wolves. 











It definitely got a bit cold by the end, though, so we were glad to head in for some lunch and hot cocoa.

So…at this point in the day, it was mid-afternoon and we kind of downshifted a bit. The hubby and I took a load off for a short spell while the kiddos enjoyed some pumpkin decorating, and I kind of expected to continue in that lazy way until dinnertime.

But…then we got a wild hair to take one last hike to Sky Top Tower, despite the cold and rain, and, man, am I glad we did. Definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip.

It was like walking in the clouds, hiking to higher elevation among the mist, and after yesterday’s hustle and bustle around the property, it was so peaceful to only come across a handful of other hikers.

And, of course, I took a gazillion more pics with the eerie mist at the foreground.









Higher and higher we go with each of these pics…













Until we’re up at the tippy-top of the tower…











Back down at the resort after dinner, Chica took this fun pic, looking down the central staircase:



Then some final misty-foggy pics of the lake before the sun disappeared for the day:





Again, after three jam-packed days of stunning weather and go-go-go activity, I really loved this change of vibe and atmosphere. And we definitely came here to feel that autumnal chill, so…mission accomplished!

We wind down and depart tomorrow, and as much as I’ve loved this glorious vacay, it’s always good to get home, so…

More mañana, peeps!

Over and out.

Mohonk 2024–Day 3!

Okay, peeps.

It was another busy day—for our crew and for the resort!

It was bananas around the property, and we were mostly like: what is happening around here?? It took until the end of the day for us to discover the resort sold out of Day Passes for the property today, totaling an additional 500 people beyond all the overnight guests. They even ran out of parking. Wild! Plus a wedding and a rehearsal dinner and a bachelorette party and…you get the idea.

Mostly, it was okay that there was a different kind of hustle and bustle than we’ve ever experienced out here. In particular, it was really fun to tackle the difficult Labrynth rock scramble and have so many people on the path with us. When the hubby and I tackled it all those years ago, we were alone and it was so scary.

But on the flip side, it definitely made mealtimes and tea time and a few other dayparts a bit nutty with all those extra humans around.

Considering it was a stunning day, it’s unsurprising that so many people wanted to enjoy the gloriousness. But with it turning far colder tomorrow, and it being a Sunday, I’d expect it to tame back down.

Okay…now a photo dump that includes, putting, horseback riding, canoeing, paddle-boating, rock scrambling, disc golfing, and some other odds and ends that totaled another seven miles, ha. The kiddos even enjoyed a fun movie night in the Kids’ Club. Again…all the fun of an amazing day out here. And now, this body is tired!

The start of the pretty scary rock scramble…

















Honestly, though, it was so much less scary with my crew surrounding me this time…










This boy was all boy for the scrambling and in it to win it, ha. 






Ladybugs everywhere!






I mean…the views... You guys can’t beat them.







The one downside of the crowds: by the time we made it to the very end of the rock scramble and were ready to face down the infamous Lemon Squeeze (a terrifying tiiiiiiiiight squeeze up through a completely vertical crevice)…there was a massive backlog of people. So many that it would have taken us an hour to wait our turn, so we bailed and took one of the alternate routes down, and I was not mad at it!








Another Chicklet adventure pose…












Disc golfing was surprisingly fun! Though the sun was starting to set and it made Chicklet a little bit scared. It was kind of like The Forbidden Forest in there!













Yup. Tired feet…







I really can’t imagine packing more into our day. It was amazing, yet again, and I’m ready for one final day of soaking in this autumnal vibe!

More mañana, peeps!

Over and out.