A New Workout Routine, A Cortisone Shot, A Track Award & A Baptism

 It was such a calm and chill week! It was awesome.  Track is over.  Derek had a calm week before spring football starts.  It was so nice.  We watched lots of Law and Order (have I mentioned that the original is streaming on Peacock)?  I also pulled out my old BODYPUMP and BODYSTEP DVDs and Sarah (mostly) and Ben (once?) and I have been working out in the ballroom.  It's been super fun. I bought a mini-DVD player to hook up to my laptop that was a total bust.  So I bought a little TV that we can use our regular DVD player with.  Yesterday with the new TV worked out much better.  My goal is to have them learn the basics and build stamina so that by mid-summer we could maybe go to a real gym.  We talked about joining Harbor Square where I used to teach, but there is a 60 day waiting list.  What? And it's hard to reserve classes, etc.

So we'll see.  We may drop in on a few classes in the area to see what we can find that will work with our summer schedule.  (Which is pretty open).  

I'm doing no weight (basically--not even holding a bar for BODYUMP).  And no step for BODYSTEP.  We'll see if I can work up to using some weight and a step.  I got a cortisone shot on Friday into my hip socket and I feel SO MUCH BETTER.  It's amazing.  And it's not even supposed to take full effect for a couple of weeks.  Wow.  So we'll see how that goes.

Ben also had his track awards ceremony and he got the 7th grade boys Most Inspirational award.  He certainly inspires me.  He gave a talk at his friend Noah's baptism this week.  And all the kids sang.  It was awesome.  (Noah is a friend from the wrestling team who had already been meeting with the missionaries before wrestling started.) Ben's idea for the talk was a great one!  The Holy Ghost is like a Wrestling Coach.  Loved it.  I helped him flush it out, but it was his idea and he did some great work on it. 

Happy Mother's Day!

I hosted the Norton Mother's Day/Geneva & Alayne birthday again this year.  It was BEAUTIFUL outside, so I was glad we got to be in the backyard.  (I paid one of Libby's friends to do a bunch of yard work to help me out, and I did as much as I could as well.)  It looked as good as a PNW dog owning backyard can.  I also had it all set up to get my windows cleaned, but then the guy was sick.  So the windows were still covered with pollen and buddy goop.  But it was still a super fun afternoon.  Brion didn't feel well enough to get out of the car, but he got to have visitors drop by chat all afternoon. 

This was the crew!  Marc and Kaedi came up from Maple Valley, and Veronica Fehlberg and her husband Derek came from Portland.  We had some Japanese exchange students with us and they were wowed by the huge family.  

I loved the cards I got from my  kids.  Libby and Sarah both wrote me thank you cards in seminary (as a part of my lesson--so does that count? haha.) 

Libby had already made me a lemon juicer in ceramics.  So how fun was it that this was among the card options in seminary! 
Anyway, her note is very Libby:
"The card doesn't lie.  I love you mom and even though your not the best coach I still loved having you in my emotional corner."  Haha. 

Ben, so sweet.  He gave me flowers. 

Derek, I told him about 17 different things I wanted.  Then I kept changing my mind.  So he gave me--licorice.  The nice soft Australian kind.  And he let me organize the event.  Because it stresses me out when the men do it.  

Sarah gave me two cards.  I think this one they made as a part of YW lesson.  

Sarah's says:
Thanks a melon for all of the work you put into my life.  Now and then.  I love you so much and it's wonderful to know I'll always have someone in my corner.  Literally and figuratively. 
 Your airplane buddy, Sarah Norton 
I guess my coaching this year has been pretty impactful, since it showed up on both cards! 

Libby and the adorable lemon juicer.  She ceramics OBSESSED right now.  I love it. 

Spring Sports Wrap Up

I'm happy to say that all kids are done with their sports for the school year.  Derek will start spring football in a couple of weeks, but we can catch our breath for a minute! 

Sarah finished on a bit of a downer, because the last meet went so long she didn't even get to throw her last shotput because she'd signed up for a field trip to the opera.  She's resolved to get stronger for next year so she can make it to the post-season.

Ben finished at the last meet with some great runs.  He's also resolved to get stronger and train with Libby's boyfriend Andrew on his running.  

We are going to start up some Bodypump hopefully.  I'm trying to figure out how to get going on that. 

Anyway, her are some pics.  The weather in track season is crazy.  Some meets were warm, some hot, and some chilly, freezing or wet (or freezing/chilly and wet.)  Not my favorite.  But I survived the cold ones too.  It's so fun supporting my kids.  Lots of fun seeing friends in the stands. 

After a performance he wasn't happy with. 

Didn't get there in time for discus--and she had to leave before shotput. But got to hang out! Derek was there, but got pulled into working. 

Freestyle State 2024

 I made a facebook post about this one, but I want to make sure I put the pictures here to remember.  We didn't have many chances to compete in freestyle this year.  And we didn't even attend that many practices. So why I thought it would be a good idea to drive 1/2 way across the state the weekend after our Spring Break trip and without dad--I have no idea.  I do love a good road trip.  And I did think it was a good chance for Sarah to get some driving in.  I also do love watching the kids wrestle.  And win (of course.) 

In the end we did get a good road trip out of it.  We listened to super cringy and at the same time intersting audiobook (it was basically a musical with some terrible voices.) Sarah did put in about 1/2 hour of driving, but it wasn't very new driver friendly--(70 mph with the lower truck speed in the right lane gets tricky.) We got to play in the hotel pool.  We got to go to Target multiple times (there was one across from our hotel).  And the kids got to wrestle.  In the afternoon (ugh.)  Last year freestyle state was an AM start for everyone. This year all 3 of our kids were PM start.  So we waited around all morning.  Then went over and got a spot in the stands.  

Ben went 0-2, wrapping up before the girls even started (I think..It's been a few weeks now).  Then Libby lost her first in a close match. Then Sarah won her first match! It was awesome.  Took all 6 minutes.  But she did it! She's improved so much.  Then what felt like hours later, Libby got her next match.  We were getting pretty done.  And Libby lost.  Freestyle is just so different.  (And I think by then she didn't care and wanted to go home.) Sarah lost and then a few more hours later (it seemed) lost again.  I managed to purchase $200 in sweatshirts to commemorate the tournament.  And we hit the road.  We got home at midnight.  It was a long drive. 

Should we have done it?  I mean--it was so good to spend time together.  If Derek had been there, I'd say for sure!  But even with just the 4 of us...it was fun to spend time together. 

I do love coaching my kids. 

My selfie face is the worst. I def need some coaching on this.  Haha. 

Sarah almost pinned her! 

Spring Break! Nordie Reunion

We had the BEST spring break!  A Nordie Reunion in Arkansas! 

The Saturday of spring break was the Scorpion Slam freestyle tournament with Libby and Sarah.  We also watched the Olympic Trials.  (And discovered through ads that the original Law and Order is on Peacock!)

Sunday we relaxed and hung out. I worked on a puzzle! 

Monday I trained my client, did yard work in the amazing weather and worked on my puzzle and watched Law and Order.  

Tuesday I took Ben in to the doctor for his skin funk, went to the temple, finished my puzzle and watched lots more Law and Order. 

Wednesday we all flew to AR for the Hardie Reunion.  The flight timing worked out great, it was a smooth travel day.  It was fun to travel together (although thanks to Delta, we weren't sitting together.)  

And it's been so fun to be with the Hardies.  Amazing breakfasts, fun conversations.  Trying some Arkansas eating establishments (Whataburger, Waffle House, Golden Corral), rollerskating, kids having karaoke parties, museum visits, lots of episodes of Fixer to Fabulous (it's set in Bentonville)! We also went to the temple for baptisms, attended Willow's baptism, and today are going to church before we head to the airport. 

We got to experience some AMAZING thunderstorms.  

Ready to roll from airport parking. 

Wal-mart museum.  It was pretty hoky. 

We got to do the Wal-mart cheer along with a hologram of the man, the myth, the legend Sam Walton. (Give me a squiggly...) 

Then we went to the Crystal Bridges Museum.  I got too hungry for the main free museum, but we went to an amazing exhibit by Christopher Marley.  It was called Exquisite Creatures.  It was SO so cool.  He takes actual creatures and poses them and creates collages out of them. 

This was my favorite.  They are actual frogs.  So adorable. 

We went for an adults night out dinner at a fun taco place.  We waited for our table on these seats. 

Fun at the Hardies.  Their new house is awesome. 

Adorable Willow & a butterfuly

Our temple trip.  So lovely.  Their baptistry is beautiful. 

Wafflehouse! 

The baptism day was so fun.  

Their church building is next to the temple--so a quick family pic in the wind. 

Nordies foreva! (Minus Maren who couldn't make it.)

We went skating--Willow (and all the Hardie girls) are master skaters.  Nortons are less good.  Thankfully I've got the Randall skater genes still.  I had a great time skating.  The other adults chatted and watched. 

Sarah and I were on my companion fare, so I had to book two separate itineraries.  While we had the flight together out of Tulsa, we ended up on different flights from SLC to Seattle.  Ours was 2 hours later.  Boo.  Getting it at 1 am on the last night of spring break was not my favorite plan.  But my body rallied and did okay.  I was most tired on Tuesday.  But Sarah and I got to have fun together.  
Being with the Hardies was so much fun.  It reminded us of the simpler (and yet so complex) COVID era of our lives.