Just rewards

The Overland High School Academic Awards Ceremony was held last night.

Both Ryan...

and James received awards.

Every. Single. Time. 

James earned the Freshman High Honors award for having an unweighted GPA between 3.75 and 4.0.

Ryan won the Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award from the University of Rochester. This was in recognition of his outstanding "commitment to understanding and addressing difficult social issues."

I am very proud of my kids. 

April 2017

All the borks

2012-2017

Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Most of our spring break was spent in Texas, but Ryan and I also saw Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore in concert.

March 2017.

Buddy the bird

Seth's mom has a parrot named Buddy.

Buddy likes to watch Sesame Street...

and eat ice cream from a spoon. 

James also likes to eat ice cream from a spoon. Maybe Buddy will be his ice cream eating buddy? 

March 2017.

Gas Monkey Garage

The boys watch a lot of Discovery Channel reality shows, including Fast and Loud, so they all wanted to visit the Gas Monkey Garage during our recent trip to Texas.

 The "garage" is actually a multi-building complex. The part where filming takes place is strictly off limits. 

Razor wire says they're not kidding about the "No Entry" stuff.

Head Quarters and Shipping and Receiving were also locked up tight.

The Merch Store was a different story entirely.

This space was filled with Gas Monkey clothes,

Fast and Loud dvds... 

and lots of old cars... 

and motorcycles. 

The boys saw this one and said, in unison, "It's the Vomit Comet!"

We spent a lot of time admiring the cars. 

Yeah. 

We also posed for...

and took pictures.

So.

Many. 

Car. 

Pictures.

We made our purchases and went back outside for more pictures...

and more car looking.

"It's the Camelot Crusiers!" 

I have to admit, this was not my favorite part of our Texas trip. 

It was still kind of fun, though. 

March 2017.

Big D

Here are a few more pictures from our day in downtown Dallas.

March 2017.

Reunion Tower

While we were exploring Dealey Plaza, we couldn't help but notice a tall tower with an observation deck in the distance. 

James asked if we could go there next, and everyone decided that was a good idea.

We walked over there,

bought our tickets,

took the tourist photo...

and rode the elevator up to the top.

The views...

were...

amazing. 

 There's Dealey Plaza.

And look!

Is that what I think it is?

Yes! It's our minivan! 

We all really enjoyed Reunion Tower.

That was a great idea, James!

March 2017.