I'm finally in 2024 on the blog, while in real life the year is closing out. 😅 January was filled with fun, fellowship, friends, food, and fur. Still working on clearing out the cat fur better.
In January we finally got to go to Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor waterpark that pops up in Groupon every now and then. Manny had wanted to go a year and a half prior, but Covid was still a concern for the boys at the time, and Naomi was aging out of it. I think Manny thought it was a permanent no rather than a situational one, but the boys did actually want to go, and eventually we did. Our favorite things were the slides, big tube slides, and the obstacle course (that costs extra). The wave pool was fun, but it was crowded when we arrived. However, there are times when the place begins to empty out. I did get to meet and talk to some other parents, so I wasn't antisocial, just anti-crowded pool.
On the way there, we stopped at Taco Bell, and my phone started getting wonky. It felt hot and then the home button just stopped working. I had an iPhone SE which relies on that home button. Thankfully Isaac figured out how to enable the on-screen button as an accessibility feature. Thanks to him I was able to use my phone and take photos and videos of the weekend. There's a side story about that weekend and social media I've posted after the photos so as not to take up too much space up here.
We enjoyed our weekend there a lot, though that meant we had to miss our church life group's turn to host the church dinner, but I did the shopping ahead of time and ordered rice for the soft taco dinner from a Mexican market. The budget was so low it was an exercise in smart shopping for our group, though some of us contributed extra. I think at the time the church was just sticking to the same budget it had before it grew so much.
My friend A. and I also went to the Asian Art Museum for the Takashi Murakami exhibit which we enjoyed. It was lovely to see all the color on a gray day. And my friend. She's very colorful herself. We've been friends since we met at college bible study, but didn't keep in touch for several years and then reconnected through another friend. We don't actually live by each other, but meet up about halfway sometimes to hang out.
Another museum Isaac and I visited (thanks again, Groupon) was the Computer History Museum again, this time for the Apple exhibit. I still remember when it was like a warehouse of old computers. Maybe after Google moved in nearby, it kept getting upgrades.
Naomi's trip to Seattle was sort of a delayed senior trip for her an a couple of friends from high school. They wanted to visit the University of Washington, which they did, and the Space Needle, which they didn't due to the cost. They did go on a Ferris wheel and to Pike Place. They also visited some interesting spots including a library with resident cats and the Museum of Pop Culture. They didn't have much time there, just a couple of days, but it was fun and her first trip away as an adult. As such, I have respected her privacy and post less and less about her.
I made this reel on Instagram and was able to save it back then. By the time I made one in April, I couldn't seem to download my reels anymore. Too bad, because I've lost all of them now.
Obstacle course after a full day of water fun
Lucas made it all the way to the top, I think about four levels up
My little Spider-Men
Lucas has always been fairly surefooted.
Spider-Man
(This is not us) They talked me into this ride. I screamed.
With our little wolf ears. Missed Naomi!
Round Table
The interior of the Lodge
The boys in the Lazy River
Isaac and Lucas "racing" down the tunnel slide that goes through the wall and also outside
It was great to see them having fun on their own
The boys liked the slides. Manny went down the big one. Someone got stuck in one of these, actually. That was a little scary.
Getting to swim in the winter was a highlight for Isaac
It wasn't as big as I thought it would be, but still plenty for everyone to do.
Basketball season for Lucas's sports class. On one day, there was an emergency and I ended up having to coach. Good practice for this school year.
Using up the last of a gift card I got from my friends years ago. They have some unique drinks.
At Kura Sushi with Naomi for the Peanuts special (you could get little prizes with certain orders)
Yin and yang again
Out with Naomi for dim sum. Thanks to Manny. I forgot where to look.
She was still a little sick but ate what she could.
We still don't know exactly what we're doing, but it's fun to see what the buttons do.
This is a very old video game of sorts
Satellite imaging
Primitive computer
AI was used to created this picture. It's weird to look at it up close, full of shapes and fractals.
The first MacIntosh computer (one from the original release). It's a printout on the screen. I don't think it still works.
Steve Jobs used to have pictures of people in the Macintosh computers. Not sure if this was one of the original.
When Jobs introduced the original Macintosh in 1984, he had a "hello" like this appear on the screen. It could also say hello with a text-to-speech feature way ahead of its time.
The New Year started with the traditional cheese fondue. Naomi made some horchata.
I also made some pozole and some sauce for our tamales.
I did not make this amazing dumpling soup. My Korean friend made it from scratch. This was my last time at her house before they moved. We were having our monthly one-on-one for our journey group.
Catching up with an old friend who moved on to a different church
Pike Place
Cat library
Friend and I in front of the emoji/sprite wall
We had plans to eat at a famous (featured on TV) place, but it was closed, so we wandered around a little and found this hole-in-the-wall Indian place that was so so good. A little old lady cooked everything. I generally prefer Indian home cooking to restaurant food, and she managed to bring that home cooking style into a restaurant!
Playing Forbidden Jungle, which just came out
So about the drama with my social media, perhaps foreshadowing the further drama I'd have this year: I have a friend with whom I shared some of the difficulties we had that weekend heading to Great Wolf Lodge, including how that phone situation escalated (it was not pretty). I thought she might offer some positive encouragement and prayers like usual, but instead she rebuked me about how I was making happy posts on social media to appease the world instead of God and being deceptive. That really hurt and confused me. I know that she herself doesn't post her life dramas on social media, and most people wouldn't, so I wasn't sure what she wanted me to do? Record us talking about our darkest times or a child crying and post that? I told her I felt hurt, but I would take into consideration what she said. And that the smiles on our faces are real. I don't force it. (Isaac seldom smiles because I don't make him, especially with his braces.) But to appease her, which I probably shouldn't have but I'm a recovering people-pleaser, I said okay I will be more transparent.
So I posted on Facebook about our trip, how thankful I was, and also how hard it was with eating issues, sensory issues, family conflicts, etc. My other friend, who is opposed to airing any personal stuff on Facebook, said that's fine you wanted to do that, but you just threw your son under the bus. So I felt bad again. I learned a few lessons. I was reminded that no one fully knows your story, and if they judge you, they are judging through their own personal lenses. I also re-learned something I keep forgetting--the old adage that when you try to please everyone you end up pleasing no one. One more lesson is that you have to know your audience before you share something personal, even privately. Someone who struggles with infertility probably doesn't really want to hear about how annoying your toddler was this morning. They'd give anyting to be in your shoes. I might have just caught my friend at a bad time.
I used to be very idealistic and an open book, but I can miscommunicate or people can misunderstand, sometimes to the point of weaponizing what I've shared vulnerably. That's not what happened here, but it just reminded me I need to be more wise and discerning.
Sure, there is a time when a true friend may have to call you out as an act of love, and rightfully so. I do always consider what people say. It could be God talking to me through them. I might offer some thoughts as I process it. However, if it appears we won't see eye to eye, I just have to let it go for the sake of peace.
