Day Two Hundred Two: $4.50 Outfit

The other day, I went in a store to look at bedding, but on my way to that department I happened past a clothing clearance rack. I am a bargain shopper, and I really love to get a good deal, so I was naturally inclined to peruse the rack and check out the offerings. I ended up finding several things to try on, and of those I decided on a few to take home, including the outfit I wore today, which cost a grand total of $4.50. Even for a bargain shopper, that's a pretty amazing deal--probably the best one I've ever gotten on brand new clothes. And the best part was I received multiple compliments on the outfit throughout the day!

Selfies are super weird, but a $4.50 outfit is worth documenting!

Day Two Hundred One: Writing Code in Python

Today I taught a coding class to my older boys, which meant that I first had to teach myself. Udemy came through for me once again, this time with the Teach Your Kids to Code class. (I've used Udemy for some wonderful art classes for Clay in the past.) One of the things I love about homeschooling is that I necessarily get to learn right along with my kids. We only completed the first lesson, but we had fun and are already learning useful information. I have always been intimidated by code because it really does seem like a foreign language, but so far I am enjoying it. I can't wait to see how the rest of the class goes!

Day Two Hundred: Wash Rattlesnake Rattles

About 15 years ago, Jeff's grandfather passed away, and Jeff ended up with one of his guitars. Jeff soon discovered that the guitar had an odd rattle to it, and as he began inspecting the instrument, he discovered that the sound hole was filled with rattlesnake rattles. Inquiries with the family revealed that every time Pawpaw killed a rattlesnake on his ranch he cut the rattle off and put it into his guitar because he thought the rattle added to the acoustics. We have had those rattles on display in an airtight jar all these years. Unfortunately, the jar was recently broken, and I moved the rattles to a different, less airtight container. We have been noticing a stench in that part of the house lately and finally figured out the smell was coming from the jar. So, today I had the rare pleasure and opportunity to hand wash 37 rattlesnake rattles. Believe it or not, I had never done this before.

Day One Hundred-Ninety-Nine: Infused Tequila Flight

I'm not much of a tequila drinker, but when Jeff and I were in Mexico this past summer, we tried some very high quality sipping tequilas, which helped me be less "afraid" of this particular type of alcohol. Today was the first sunny day we've had in over a week and the first truly warm day in months, and it demanded we find a Mexican food restaurant with a patio to spend the afternoon on. Mi Dia was our restaurant of choice. They have a spectacular drink menu, so I decided to try something new: a flight of infused tequilas. This is definitely not something I would normally order, but the drinks were beautifully presented and provided a fun adventure for my taste buds.

From left to right: Pineapple-Chipotle Casa Noble Crystal,
Hatch Green Chile Herradura Silver, and
Strawberry Ambhar Plata

Day One Hundred Ninety-Eight: Power Outage Evacuation

This morning, as Weston played his very last basketball game of the season, the power in the building kept blinking off and on. A few minutes into the second quarter, the lights went out and didn't come back on. We waited for a while under dim backup lighting and were finally told that the gym was being evacuated due to the safety hazards posed by the lack of electricity and water in a building filled with so many people and the prospect of not regaining power for several hours. We left and were headed to lunch when the coaches texted to let us know the power was back on and the games would resume. It's the first time we've been in a situation quite like that, but we were glad the power came back on and Weston was able to finish his game.

The players were happy to play some pickup games while the power was out and weren't too interested in evacuating

When we got home from the game, we found a dead rat on our back porch, so another exciting First for me was getting to dispose of it. I will spare you the photo, but I'm reporting this because I want my extreme bravery to be documented in case I ever wonder what I'm capable of!

Day One Hundred Ninety-Seven: Ford Expedition

Before my brother-in-law and sister-in-law moved to South Africa earlier this month, we bought their Ford Expedition, which immediately became Jeff's vehicle. Today, was my first time to drive it. My original Year of Firsts wishlist included "Drive a convertible," but, honestly, "Drive a Ford Expedition" is more in line with where I am in life, and I'm ok with that.

Day One Hundred Ninety-Six: Basketball Shuffle

Weston is playing in his last basketball tournament of the season in Mansfield, south of Ft. Worth. He had a game at 4:00 this afternoon and another game at 8:15. After the first game, he and his teammates and many of the parents went out to grab some dinner before the next game. Then, we all made our way back to the gym with plenty of time to spare before Game 2. When 8:15 rolled around, all the courts were full of high school teams, and there weren't any 12u teams to be found. Our coach went to investigate and came back to report that our game was actually supposed to be played at a different facility, 30 minutes away. Our coach was able to get in touch with the other coach and they agreed to wait for us. So the whole team loaded up in our different cars and headed out in a crazy caravan. We didn't end up starting the second game until 9:00, and Weston and I didn't make it home until 11:00. This isn't the kind of adventure I envisioned when I started my Year of Firsts, but it was sort of a wild time.

I love watching this big guy play ball...
Here or there or anywhere!