THE PARK POST

 What a treat to have some of the Park Clan here for the Nutcracker and Christmas!  Paige did a beautiful job as snow, flower, and Marzipan this year. It was bittersweet to realize this will be her last Nutcracker with Columbus Ballet.

McKell and Paige both had big events this past month, and I am soaking it all in! As Paige starts to approach graduation it reminds me these days will not last forever.  McKell competed in her first gymnastics meet after taking a few years off.  It's pretty rare for a gymnast to quit for that long and come back and compete. She just loves it!! She really did a great job, especially on her beam and floor routine.  She scored a 9.5 on beam and 9.3 on floor. After the meet her coach moved her up to the next level because she had done so well.       McKell also attended her high school holiday social with her friends Annie and Olivia.  Paige took two days off school to go around with the Columbus Ballet to low income elementary schools and nursing homes  and perform pieces from the Nutcracker.  She loved this experience this year because most of the children they performed for had never seen a ballet with costumes, and probably ...

   Mike and I are obviously turning into softies because we finally broke down and bought a dog.  We said we would never have a dog.  Paige convinced us her childhood would not be complete without having at least one dog.  Sydney said she needed a friend since both her friends moved in July. Jackson said he needed a brother and McKell reassured us she would be more responsible and help out.  Basically they wore us down.  Ha Ha.  Luckily this little guy is very sweet and hardly ever barks.  He has had a few accidents but I'm learning to breathe through it and let it go.  It's kind of like having a new born again because I have to constantly think about his schedule, but it hasn't been too bad and the kids have done a pretty good job helping out.  Although I think their enthusiasm to help out has waned some after 2 weeks.  We bought Ace from a breeder north of Atlanta.  He is a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel.  I ha...

We drove from DC to Trenton, NJ and caught the train into NYC so we wouldn't have to deal with our car.  The first night we went to Newsies and Times Square. It was so awesome!  Everyone loved it, especially Jackson.  He has been singing "Santa Fe" ever since. (Literally because those are the only 2 words he knows)     The next morning was the Macy's Day Parade.  It was frigid.  Luckily we purchased a stay warm breakfast so the kids could warm up right next to the parade route whenever they wanted.  They seemed to enjoy it on TV inside the restaurant better than live out on the street.  I was the only one who roughed it outside for the whole parade.  I waited for Carrie Underwood to show up, but she never came.  I guess it was too cold.          The empire state building e...