Aspen Michael: 12 Years Old

 Dearest Aspen Michael,

My oh my how is my sweet boy 12 years old! Your last year as a tween; not quite a teenager and not quite a little boy anymore. 

One of my favorite things about you is the pure joy you wake up with each day. A smile. A hug. A joke or a silly question. I hope this is always how you live your life. 

                  

You have enjoyed 5th grade at SHMS. Making sweet friends with Beau, Clayton, Grayson & Shintaro. You had your first real girlfriend and to watch you be giddy on the phone while listening to her {Allie} talk your head off was precious to see. 

You completed your PYP project with your group. An exciting global topic of the underwater world and how the effects of overfishing can alter many aspects of our world. I am so proud of your hard work and outside the box ideas. Mostly I am proud of your memories speech & presentation to the community.

                                             

You continue to find joy in sports~ tennis, basketball, football and more. You are top 50 in the country in doubles right now. You are close to 125 in singles. You have worked so hard to get here. And it has not gone unnoticed~ being invited to 2 USTA Player Development Camps in the South. What an honor to get to experience great coaching from across the country!

You enjoy random facts about athletes, statistics of sports, and endless trivia. It turns out that you are paying attention even when we think you’re not!

There is so much maturity and growth that you’ve made from 11 to 12. I am so proud of you for never giving up on yourself and for continuing to find the joy in life. Just a few weeks ago, one of my Sacred Heart girls had a rough match. On the walk out, you were sharing words of wisdom with her… even though she is five years older than you. Sometimes you can be a little kid at heart, but you have so much wisdom to share!

I love you!

Love,

Mommy

A Thompson Fall: Go To A Football Game

This fall we have taken in two football games~ one high school and one college. Both very different experiences but equally as memorable.

We headed to the St.X vs Trinity game with several other family friends. We tailgated, tossed the football, ran in circles, and cheered with pom poms. We may have lost a child for a bit as well~ luckily Aspen had no clue he was lost...simply hanging with other friends. I, on the other hand, had a panic attack for quite some time thinking he was gone. Thank heavens for family, friends & police!

The other exciting football game was the UM game at Hard Rock Stadium. Brighton & I got to watch the Canes under the bright lights on prime time tv. His eye lit up seeing the cool uniforms, fireworks for touchdowns, and the suite life with food & beverages. We will definitely be cheering them on the rest of the season!

40 Before 40: Attend a UM Football Game

My heart was so happy getting back down to South Florida and visiting the U. It’s been a decade since I’ve been back on campus and to share it with my little B man was even sweeter. 

A tour of the campus; shopping at the bookstore; photo ops by the gorgeous fountain. All were highlights of the trip. 

But the icing on the cake was attending a UM football game at Hard Rock Stadium. The field was illuminated with the nighttime lights. A prime time game with the new neon black uniforms. 

It was a sliver of college football magic shared with one of my favorite people of all time {Brighton Boo}.

 

            

                                                     

40 Before 40: Go to a UK Basketball Game at Rupp

I’ve been a UK fan all my life, as far back as I can remember. My love started with my early childhood babysitter Natalie and quickly grew into an obsession. I can remember hiding in my basement for the 1996 UK/Duke Round of 16 game. Then siting on top of my kitchen counter in a sweat when they played the championship game. 

Many of my closest friends in college played on the basketball team~ Adam Chiles, Josh Carrier & Chuck Hayes. Chuck actually used to love to sing Boyz II Men songs to Jacky & I in our door room. We bonded over student-athlete life and all that comes with it. 

I was at the 2012 National Championships game when we defeated UL in the final four and then took down UConn handily. A trio of a lifetime. 

As I’ve become an adult, I’ve had the privilege of watching so many UK teams~ phenomenal athletes carrying so many hopes & dreams of Kentuckians on their backs.

But at the end of the day, there is no place like Rupp Arena!

 

40 Before 40: Go To an NFL Game with Aspen

The last one-on-one excursion with one of my kids...and it was well worth the wait! Aspen & I headed up to Paul Brown Stadium to see the Bengals play some football. It was a gorgeous fall afternoon with sunshine & warm temperatures. The stadium was packed, the team was on fire, and the company was as precious as can be. 

Aspen's eyes were wide open and in awe of a huge stadium. At first, he was a bit overwhelmed with all of the people and the noise; but as we settled into our seats, he was in seventh Heaven. Cheering "let's go Bengals" and giving me high fives after big plays. 

We even got to run into the Zinsers. Sweet Jack took Aspen down to the front row where their seats were located to essentially reach out and touch Joe Burrows! We truly had the best day together at an NFL game!