Thompson Spring Baby Training

Beer & Basketball: Ryan's 34th Birthday

We spent Ryan's birthday weekend celebrating with two of his favorite things: beer & basketball.

We hosted a beer tasting party Saturday night which was a lot of fun. It was so great to see all of our friends, drink beer, enjoy tailgate munchies, and celebrate!

homemade Irish Car Bomb cupcakes...delicious!

Then Sunday afternoon we attended the Brooklyn Nets vs. LA Lakers basketball game at Barclays Center. After an exciting win for UK over Notre Dame, it was nice to watch a game with ease and non-nervousness!

Lopez

honoring our servicemen & women

half-time show was a Chinese luck dance

CHEERS TO 34 BEING THE BEST YEAR YET RYAN!

Life Letters (March): Learning (Sports)

With March Madness kicking off, I figured my first week of studies should be sports. I love sports. I am a total sport girl. In our house, growing up as long as you played a sport you were good. You could have Bs in school but playing a competitive sport was a must. 

So sports it was for my first week of learning. Which meant lots of watching TV ;) Basketball mainly with crazy round 1 and 2 upsets including Butler, Iowa State, and Kansas. Of course I indulged in a little tennis with Roger Federer at the BNP Paribas in Indian Wells. I love this tournament and the beauty of Palm Springs. I felt a little warmth while watching.

For the first time, I went to the gorgeous library in Ossining. It is a 4 story building with an enormous children's center, a teen room, a cafe, and a wonderful staff. The building is about 4 or 5 years old. It truly is a beauty inside. I checked out a book on badminton. Badminton is similar to tennis in that there are racquets and a ball-like object to hit over a net. There is a lined court too. The game's name originated in 1869 when a group of British army officers played the game after learning it in India. By 1893 fourteen clubs had been formed to make the Badminton Association. Like tennis, there is singles and doubles. A competitive game that involves gracious and quick footwork as well as hand-eye coordination.

Speaking of European teams, did you know that the Pope has a cricket team? It is called St. Peter's Cricket Club and was started by the Vatican. Five players from other countries were recruited for the team!

In notable news, NFL rookie Chris Borland is retiring after his first season due to concussion concerns. He graduated from college with a degree in history and intends to pursue that as a career. He has had several concussions and is concerned about new studies and the affect of multiple concussions on one's life. This decision is forcing the NFL to take a closer look into the subject.

Patrick McDarby, a sport logo designer, died at 57 years old. From Connecticut, many sport logos emerged with his pencil and paper during his daily commutes into NYC. Examples include the NY Rangers, Islanders, Knicks, Washington Wizards & Capitals, Indianapolis 500, Lady Liberty, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Panthers, Villanova, Iowa State, Major League Soccer, and WWE.

There are so many sports. So many...like 8000 plus. That is crazy. But means the likelihood of excelling at one is great ;) There are 41 sports in the summer Olympics and 15 in the winter games. 

What a great first week of learning about a subject so near and dear to my heart...on to the next week :)

Life Letters (March): Learning (Part One)

My entire life I have loved to learn. My mom tells me stories of how I would bring stacks upon stacks of books to her each evening to read. This is a trait that I have passed on to Adelaide and I love it. I am the girl who hated missing school. In 500 people classes I would let the teacher know if I had to miss class. Yes that is me.

So when I opened my Life Letter this month, I was beyond excited to read about learning. Unlike cooking, learning comes naturally to me ;)

My letter said to indulge in reading and learning as much as possible. To watch 30 minutes of news a day (something I rarely do). To read the newspaper 3 times a week. Each week, pick a new topic to study. Read 2 books this month. Envelope myself in learning any chance I can get.

This first week has been eye opening. In some respects, I re-realized why I rarely watch the news. So much of it is negative and I don't want that to be a part of my daily life. There is too much sadness, anger, and fear to go around. I don't care for the media to remind me. However, I have learned some key things. Some shocking. Some interesting. Some positive. Some inspiring.

For starters, there is a fake gun store in NY with guns from mass shootings. The store has a camera and tapes patrons looking at guns. Then the workers tell them that this gun is from Sandy Hook, etc. The purpose is to make people think before purchasing a gun.

New York's Mayor de Blasio is making a bridge between secular & state. He is brining religion back into the public schools. Public Pre-K classes now get a midday prayer break. They will observe two Muslim holidays. He is loosening the health regulations on circumcision in the Jewish faith.

Starbuck's began a nationwide movement called Race Together. The purpose is to begin dialogue casually about race, a positive way to discuss the current tensions that are nation is facing. Of course the media spun it in a negative light saying Starbuck's is using this as a means to generate profit. It is frustrating when the masses take something positive and make presumptions about others' intentions. I commend Starbuck's for keeping their stance and pushing through with the idea. USA Today served as a partner and the two created a great newspaper insert with facts about race in our country.

The French Parliament is looking to set a BMI regulation for female models in an effort to combat anorexia. Israel already has a ban on underweight and under age models. As a mother of a young girl, I hope that the self-image issues of the US and World change long before Adelaide has to battle them herself.

In other one-off stories:

• a man tried attacking TSA in the NOLA airport with a machete
• Iran thinks the US is "fake"
• North Korea has nuclear weapons
• ISIS is out of control
• Mercedes-Benz is coming out with the F015 Luxury in Motion which is basically a living room that is a car which drives itself
• Berlin dog owners are in an uproar over proposed dog laws...to have your dog on a leash, have your dog registered, and be responsible for cleaning up their poop. The Germans believe dogs should be free to roam wherever they please

That's all the knowledge I have gathered this week...stay tuned for next time!

An Escape to Naples: March 2015

We needed sunshine bad. All three of us really. So when Ryan confirmed his work trip to Singapore, we booked a little week in Naples to see my parents. It was super relaxing with just the right amount of sunshine, warmth, and one-on-one time. Adelaide had a blast swimming with Mimi and holding her hand while walking around the zoo. She also loved riding in the golf cart with Papa. Aspen loved snuggles with Mimi, playing with Giorgio, and laughing with Papa. I enjoyed walks around the neighborhood, talks & dinner with my parents, and napping in the sun.

Hope the sunshine has reached your part of the country and that spring is showing its pretty head!