November was a month we were looking forward to. Preston closed one chapter and opened another in his career. He was hired by Kaiser Permanente as a lead consultant. This new position will have him overseeing a region within Northern California. The specific area consists of Monterrey, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara. Pres and I were really stoked and slightly nervous about this new shift. His administrative career started with Tenet (the current network) right out of his master program. This step moved us from San Antonio where he received his degree to El Paso, TX for several years. Years we will forever be grateful for. They shaped us and introduced us to life long friends. We then moved to California to continue with an opportunity within the same network. After almost a decade with Tenet, Pres was ready to see what other opportunities were out there. With this new change on the horizon, we decided to take four weeks off in between jobs. It was also recommended to us by his boss. He told Preston to take some time to rest and relax...a mini sabbatical if you will ;) Here's a look at what we did in that four weeks.
Jack has been killing it on the piano. He has been playing for one year and already learning so much. Our winter recital was Halloween themed since it was on November 1st. Jack and I both performed at the church in the program. I have continued with piano, making it three years since my start date. Time has gone by so fast. We had a lot of fun going as Gryffindor fans.
Here we go!
Jack and I posed with Anna our cute piano teacher. Anna and I have become dear friends over the years, and Jack and I have loved our time with her in our piano lessons. Beckham and Quinn will be starting their piano careers in January! For this recital Jack played Goblins & Ghosts in the Sky and I played Monsters Everywhere. It was such a fun recital celebrating Halloween themed music.
Pres says goodbye.
Preston's farewell lunch with his Doctors Hospital of Manteca crew. He had a going away lunch with his Turlock team from Emmanuel Medical Center as well. We both enjoyed our time with his admin team celebrating Pres' time with the company. They couldn't say enough kind things about Pres. He was loved and will be sorely missed.
The kids and I decorated the house for Preston's last day. We made his favorite meal and dessert to celebrate this big milestone.
Meanwhile, I decided to begin work on a much needed website for my photography business. I am super stoked about this next step for me. I am now official through all things government related, big brother knows all about my new adventure :) After using a free website for a few years, which served me well for the time, I will be a proud owner of a legit website in the next few months. The prep work for this baby has been WAY more than I ever imagined. Praying it will all be worth it, haha! I ended up hiring a creative brand/web designer named Karima, to help me through the process. She has been incredible to work with and has an eye for design. I cannot wait to see the finished product. Her vision is spot on!
Swim lessons continue for one more month. The kids all moved up in their classes and are learning new skills. I think they are ready to be done though. All three have started to complain when Tuesdays role around, haha. Grateful for the skills they are learning.
Fall colors are out and looking gorgeous! The colors in the valley don't change until November. It's always a joy to see when they start to show up.
First stop on Preston's mini retirement...Chicago! Here we come y'all.
Quick layover in Vegas.
Lunch at a favorite... Shake Shack, yum!
Definitely in the Las Vegas airport, haha.
Next stop, Chi-Town!
We got in late to Chicago and snuck into Grandmere's house around 12:30am. The trip went SUPER smoothly and we were happy to be back in Illinois.
Everyone at the house had to work the next day, so we took off to the city. We were thrilled to enjoy the city on a weekday. That way there would be less traffic and people at the museum ;) Jack was so excited that we parked on the Abraham Lincoln level of the garage because he's doing a report on him for school. He told us all about Honest Abe as we walked to the Field Museum.
A perfect day for a walk in Millennium Park.
I think Pres is always in a hurry. He tends to be 20 yards ahead of the rest of us, haha. Or, it could be that I have to stop to take pics every few feet...hehe.
Beckham and Quinn decided to do a quick race up the hill to the Ulysses S. Grant statue in the park.
Fall is in the air.
Quick family photo opp :)
We finally made it to the museum and began to explore.
We came across the Tsavo man eating lions and the kids were fascinated by the story. They stayed here for quite some time reading and asking questions.
Taking our time through each exhibit to read and learn all of the things.
Jack was ecstatic about the dinosaur exhibit. He made sure to inform all of us about the facts that he knew for each dinosaur specie. He was nerding out in a big way, haha. Love this little scientist of ours.
Quinn wanted to get in for a pic with this T-Rex too ;)
That is a chunky dinosaur!
A megalodon skeleton ate the kids!
A few from above. Such a beautiful building.
A crazy giant bird from the dinosaur times. It was massive. This thing scared me more than the T-Rex!
It's SUE!
This kid was beaming. Can you tell?!
Watching a video about biogeography and Jack is learning about the ice age.
It's Quinn in a bug!
The museum was doing a "See Life From a Bug Perspective" exhibit that the kiddos were a little apprehensive about at first. Once we were in though, they enjoyed it. It was crazy to see what life looks like from underground and so small.
We spent the entire day at the museum. There was SO much to explore on each level. We also hit the mummy exhibit, but the kids were freaked out about that one. They didn't like feeling like they were exploring tombs. However, I found it fascinating, haha. It was crazy cool to see artifacts and mummies from Egypt. I would highly recommend this museum to anyone. Go and explore, you won't regret it.
Beckham in front of Soldier Field.
Football is this kid's happy place. Soldier Field is directly across from the museum. We couldn't leave without a pic of our MVP. It'll be one of the pics ESPN shows in his future NFL years :)
Saying good night to the Field.
Ugh, the architecture is stunning all through Chicago. Such a beautiful city.
\Night time. Lights on!
Getting ready for Christmas.
Loved seeing the city start to decorate for the holidays.
What a fun day! Once we were in the car we stopped to eat dinner at The Garage. It was delicious. One more quick stop to grab pie, cookies, and bananas foster pudding from Magnolia Bakery. It was the cherry on the top of it all! So good!
Gandmere was up and ready to mingle when we got back. She laughed so much with the kids, and they enjoyed their time with their great Gram.
Big loves for Aunt Stephie.
Making my Gram laugh is one of my favorite things to do. We had such a fun time.
Saying goodbye to my Gram.
I had been feeling like I needed to head to Chicago to see my Gram one last time for awhile now. However, the timing on when to go was not working out, and I don't believe in forcing things to happen. So, when Pres switched jobs and an opportunity presented itself, we took it. I knew going into this trip it would be my final goodbye. Gram has lived 93 years, and had a pretty dang good life. Full of travel, family, laughter, and love. I hugged, cuddled, talked, and laughed with my Gram one last time. The trip could not have gone any better. I sincerely treasured that time and was grateful to my Father in Heaven for opening that door for me. I will forever be grateful for that.
On our last afternoon with Aunt Stephie we escaped to Scene 75 Entertainment for some fun. We all had a BLAST! We rode every ride like 10 times, drove go karts, went all FortNite in laser tag for Beckham, went around the mini golf course twice, and played loads of games. We went in the afternoon and there was NO ONE there. It was just our family for several hours. Aunt Steph joined for the last 30-45 minutes. We left around 4:30p and people finally started to show up.
There was even a Drop in the building!
Beckham and I rode together.
Jack wanted to go solo.
Heading into Laser Tag.
Racing each other.
Pres on Virtual Reality, haha. It was so funny to watch.
Aunt Stephie and Q go for a ride.
Hungry hungry hippos was hilarious to watch.
One final time on the roller coaster before calling it a night.
A Beckham selfie :)
Such a fun time! We were so happy Aunt Stephie could join us for part of it.
The next day we took a trip to Ransom, where I grew up. We stopped at the school to show the kids where I went. They were amazed by the size of it all, haha. One hall and 9 grades including Kindergarten. We were small, but mighty when it came to sports. When I was in 8th grade we took our girls basketball team to the Regional Championship. It was incredible to hear the fans roar in the stands as the team and I dominated on the court that year. It was my first year playing basketball and it was one I will never forget! Our championship flags hang proud in the gym still.
Go Pirates!
One stop we had to make was to my childhood home. This place is full of love and memories. It's a place I called home for over 20 years of my life. To quote Miranda Lambert, "it was the house that built me." I have climbed all of those trees, ran around in the barn and crib that were once there, ice skated on the frozen pond in our yard, sled onto that pond in the winters, built forts, tunnels, rode my bike nonstop skidding in the gravel to hear the sound of the rocks under my tires, roasted bags of marshmallows during bonfire nights under the Milky Way, stargazed for hours, shot clay pigeons over the combined corn fields, and took care of several dogs and cats on that property. It is a place I will always have in my heart and is a part of who I am.
We were privileged to meet the cute family that lives there now. They even let us come in and let us look around. They are young and still growing their family. They feel the love that that house has had over the years and admire it. They kept saying how grateful they were to own such a gem, and will continue to build a life for their family there. So grateful to now know them. They have taken such great care of our home over the last several years and more to come.
We also drove by Dad's plant and said hi :)
We were lucky enough to get in some time with Uncle Steve, Aunt Sue, Jenna, Zach, Megan, and Marty (the dog) too. We loved our time together and were so happy to have a couple days with them as well.
One of the nights while there, the kids, Jenna, and Zach all went and played football in the front yard. Beckham was showing up Zach a little bit, and well he couldn't have that ;) So, Zach ran for a touchdown and ended up stepping into a hole fracturing his foot...EEK! Beckham felt so bad. He thought he was the cause of the injury. I think it's safe to say that he wasn't. Zach just happened to step in a hole and twisted his foot weird causing the fracture. Ouch! We were so grateful to here that he was ok and just needed to stay off of it while wearing a boot for a couple weeks. Luckily he was still able to graduate from the police academy on time. Woohoo!
Taking Marty for a walk.
We stopped at the elementary school close by to play.
All cozy at Uncle Steve and Aunt Sue's.
Jenna hooked us up with some Culver's...YUM!
That night we were headed back to California. We had one more stop in Vegas and grabbed dinner. Quick change into jammies and we were almost home.
We got home around 1am. The kids did such a great job. Slept the entire flight home from Vegas and then again on the drive. Overall Chicago was a perfect break. Full of family and fun.
Caught this cute kid practicing piano :)
Playing Guess Who with my baby girl.
Quinnie helped me finish my puzzle.
One of the things I absolutely love about my kids is their love for reading. If they find a book they are into they won't stop until it's done.
Jack loved the Wild Robot. He was so excited to watch the movie next.
Comfy and cozy.
It's my birthday!
I woke up to a breakfast made by the kiddos. It was the sweetest little gesture and gift to me. They made my favorite, eggs and toast with strawberry jam :) Beckham is our egg guy. He makes the best eggs. They are always fluffy and light. After breakfast I did my Pilates for the day.
A pedicure for me! It was exactly what I needed.
Movie time!
One of the things I was dying to do was see Wicked in theatre. It was SO good and did not disappoint.
For dinner Pres took me to Nick the Greek. I love Greek food. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.
The day after my birthday we packed up the car and headed to Utah. We decided to drive this time and looked forward to our adventure. We headed out right after church.
We stopped for some pizza in Auburn at Old Town Pizza.
It was so delicious! Jack and I shared a Ceasar salad and everyone got their preferred slice ;)
I love this drive north. The trees, landscape, air, it all just feels so clean and crisp.
We made one more stop for dinner at Winger's in Elko. The food was good, but the service was super slow. We ended up being there over an hour...eek! We thought it would be a quicker stop. The kids were starting to get tired. We had them change into jammies and put a movie on for the final push. Our goal was to get to Aunt Erin's house before midnight.
The following afternoon we met up with the family to see Moana 2. I was so excited to see it. Moana is my favorite Disney movie and I was hoping this one would be as awesome as the first. Sadly, I was let down. The story wasn't as strong, plus the music was too similar to the first movie. It was kind of a let down. Maybe I need to see it again but it didn't keep me captivated like the first one did. Nevertheless, I was happy to have time with family. It was SO fun being able to see everyone right after we arrived. It made me even more stoked to see everyone again for Thanksgiving.
A much needed girls night!
Katie talked all of us into going to SweatHouz to try out red light therapy, a vitamin C shower, and a polar plunge. First, we sat in a blazing hot, red lit sauna with water bottles and wet wash cloths with the scent of citrus on them. We had to stay in there for 30 minutes, and it was the longest 30 minutes of our lives, haha. We were definitely sweatin and in need of more water after that one.
After the sauna you wash off in a vitamin c shower and then head to the polar plunge tub. The shower felt like a normal shower to me. I thought it would be citrus scented or a different color, but it was pretty normal. Once I got in the polar plunge my entire body froze, haha. It was absolutely freezing. I feel like it had to be at 33*, just before the freezing point. I sat in there for 4-5 minutes and then rinsed off in the vitamin C shower again before getting dressed. It was a fun experience to do with my girls for sure. There was a lot of cheering each other on and laughing until my stomach hurt.
They have a getting ready bar complete with blowdryers, straighteners, and mirrors to get ready. We dolled up for a much anticipated dinner. We were all starving. Once everyone completed their look we headed to Sol Agave. That place is legit. The food was super tasty. I got their famous carnitas and it melted in my mouth. Absolutely divine. We topped the dinner off with two butter cakes to share. If you are ever in the area I highly recommend.
After dinner we all jumped back into Katie's car and headed to Heber City. For the night we stayed at Black Rock Mountain Resort. We talked and hung out for a few hours and then went and found some caffeine and treats to help us talk a little more :)
These are my people!
There is absolutely nothing like the four of us. We have been with each other through it all and have stuck loyally by each others sides. No one knows us quite like each other. When you have been best friends for 30+ years that's what you get. There is a rawness, vulnerability, love, and support every single time we meet together. It was the best night with my bestest friends.
Heading back towards home.
We grabbed breakfast from the Heber diner called Day n Nite Bistro Cafe. The food was so good. I got eggs Benny and they were incredible.
Driving through Provo Canyon was beautiful. The mountains had just been dusted with snow.
Celebrating Thanksgiving with the Spung crew.
Jack in his happy place holding baby Violet. The boys wrestled and dominated Daniel, haha. It was a nice way to introduce him to all of the chaos and love this family has, haha.
Challenging Daniel to a push up was no small fete, haha. That's a lot of weight on there.
Pres found a little snuggle buddy. Charlie was in his own little puppy heaven.
Britt and Daniel took all of the kids to the park down the street. I went down and met them all a little later. Quinnie and Ava found their little perch away from all of the boys, haha. They enjoyed spending time together.
Mom and Pres were feeling purple on this Thanksgiving day :)
After Thanksgiving we packed up our car one more time for our drive home. Before leaving the state of Utah we had to see Tari and Bree's new house. We made a stop in Riverton before hitting the highway.
Tari showed us all around the new house. It is such a perfect home for their growing family. Tari and Bree were in the processing of making several updates. We got to see it all through the construction period. The kids loved running from room to room and checking out the basement. We all look forward to seeing them all again next time we are in town.
November came and went by so fast. This was most likely due to a lot of time traveling and spending it the way we love most, with family. We wished we could have hit the Bentonville Clark crew in that time, but sadly we couldn't pull the kids out of school anymore than we did. I think it is safe to say that Pres enjoyed his time recharging his "work battery". He was ready to get back at it once we were home from Utah. Ready for projects, training, and meeting his coworkers. Our family cherished the time we had together in November. I absolutely love Novembers. They are full of color, fun, family, friends, and fire's in the fireplace at night. This particular one, was just what the Clarks needed.
