Back to me blogging. Won't be as clever as Miss Paige.

Paige was a good little girl wearing her rubberbands 24/7 throughout February and was rewarded by getting her braces off March 1st. She had them on a little over 2 years. She now has a clear retainer she only has to wear at night.



Bryn turned 18 on March 9th and when I asked her about having a party, she replied "I'm not supposed to know about it!" So I went with that and sent out evites to 20 of her closest friends for a surprise party. I had to have an inside man, so I relied on Natalie to help me out. Natalie and Paige both helped me make the guest list and get in contact with those I couldn't via email. Natalie's main job was creating a diversion for Bryn to get out of the house while all her guests arrived. Natalie's birthday is close to Bryn's, so Natalie got her to Fuddrucker's for dinner on Friday, March 5th. All the guests got here before Bryn and Natalie got back and did an excellent job parking far enough away from the house. When Bryn came downstairs, she was actually scared at first and jumped back when everyone shouted "Surprise!" Only 2 couldn't make it so it was a great turnout. They had cake and ice cream here, then were treated to bowling.


Paige participated in another demo, The Best of the Best, for Tae Kwon Do on March 13th. I wasn't able to go again (working at Kohls), but Abby was home for spring break and my mom and dad were down too so Paige had plenty of spectators. Paige played a part in the demonstration early on, then took 4th place in breaking a board and showing her form.

My parents stopped in last weekend on their way back from Florida. Unfortunately I had to work at Kohls everyday. Good thing having Mom here though: my laundry and ironing is all caught up! Dad and Jeff got to watch a lot of basketball. Craig (they stayed in Chicago with him before coming here) and Bryn both caught the flu germs they left behind though.

So Abby was home this past week and got to enjoy the beautiful spring-like weather. Hallmark got her in to work where one of her tasks was creating a Facebook fan page for the store. Abby got to see Mark play intramural soccer at MSOE, take Bryn to a movie for her birthday, take advantage of my Kohls Associate shop day (extra 30% off!), and get a massage, brow wax and haircut. We all got to spend some quality time with her this week which was really nice.

We're really pressuring Bryn to make a decision about where to go to college next year as many due dates are coming up fast. So to help her along, I took her out to Carroll Friday afternoon to visit their Physical Therapy department. Bryn has been offered a generous financial aid package there, so Carroll's very worth considering. She has to name one college on her school scholarship package that she'll turn in on Wednesday....



This past Saturday was Solo & Ensemble where both Bryn and Paige participated in several events. Both the girls seem to attract large audiences when they play which is unusual in this particular situation. Bryn will go on to State for both her solo and a trombone duet.