It’s been a fantastic couple of days.

On Thursday, we got to volunteer at the retirement community my dad works at. We spent several hours helping him prepare and cook a special dinner to celebrate all of the birthdays that month. It was Evan’s first time ever working in a kitchen and though he found it a bit stressful, he was a huge help. For me, especially working alongside my dad, it felt like coming home. Though I haven’t worked in a kitchen in two years, it’s still a huge passion and joy in my life and I was so glad to be back at it. The dinner cumulated in a demo/performance where my dad flambéd apples for apple pie crepes, tall flames blazing from his pan right in the middle of the dining room. It was amazing.

On Friday, I had the opportunity to do some work on a recommendation letter for an excellent young woman who was on the team I helped lead at Florida RYLA. It was exciting to be able to contribute something to her journey after the camp. That night we headed to Denver to get some rest before Kai’s track meet early the next morning.

Saturday we watched Kai’s relay team run a great race as they work to qualify for the state meet. Afterwards, we rushed off to find the last accessories needed for him for his Senior prom that night. We photographed him and his girlfriend and their friends before they headed out to dinner. We headed for family dinner to celebrate my mom’s birthday on Sunday a little early before we snuck off to help prepare a surprise cake for the next day.

Sunday was all about celebrating my mom. From the coffee Kai surprised her with at brunch, to my dad taking the day off work, to surprising her with her favorite Mexican food, cooked fresh by our friend Angella. It was a pretty quiet and chill day with lots of family time and lots of love.

Tomorrow, we’re headed down to Denver to spend some time with friends and hopefully find a Rotary meeting on the way.