Just the Three of Us

 It's been a while....

Before I get to the photos and going through life lately through pictures I would love to just describe what is going on right now.  At this very moment while I sit here at our dining room table preparing this blog post there are 4 teenage boys on our front porch and one in the front yard.  Luke is in the front yard.  One of his weekend chores was to pick up the twigs and branches -  we may not get snow to shovel but we have trees (specifically one species) that shed branches and twigs like nobody's business with the slightest increase in wind speed.  A rainy or windy day calls for twig clean up for sure.  So, Luke is out there picking up twigs and his four buddies are cheering him on!!  Yelling and making up cheers and even adding some claps and leg kicks!  It is beyond hilarious!  These guys crack me up!  "Go Luke Go!"  "Thatta boy, use both hands!"  "Squats for the stick pick up win, go Luke!"  HILARIOUS!  Not a single one helped but the cheering was a gift in and of itself.  #TeenagersAreFun

Okay, now back to life and what we have been up to.  I promised I would do better with taking pictures.  I have not.  It has been over 2 months and I don't really have a ton of photo documentation of friend get togethers and coffee dates, family walks and game nights, but just know that life is good.  Team Tully is busy and moving forward, as always.  

Let's start with Luke:

Luke played rec basketball this winter and it was awesome!  He was a part of a great team.  His team did really well and made it to the playoffs!  They even won their playoff game.  Luke's first game and last game were wildly different - he gained so much confidence and made us very proud!

As you know, besides basketball, Luke's other love is Pokemon.  And let me tell you, this kid has made his own way in the Pokemon world.  He is doing amazing and working really hard.  He has done really well in both local and regional tournaments and has earned himself a really impressive North American ranking and World ranking in his division!!  He is amazing and we are really proud of him! 

We love our Pokemon people.

Life is not all fun and games for our teen.  He is often asked by L to help out in the geology department, lab, and warehouse.  Free manual labor is always a great thing!

And let's not forget school!  Luke's high school program is no joke and he works really hard to stay on top of his schoolwork.  It is an amazing program and we are grateful for it...Luke attended a school "lock in" with his cohort and had the BEST time!  Zero sleep happened but so many memories were made.

And family time! Lots and lots of family time.  If you have been here long enough you know that Valentine's Day means homemade pizza in the shape of a heart.  We love this tradition - me especially because we often combine our heart shape pizza with watching a rom-com.  Love. 

On to L:

L and I have found a great balance in family, work, and running (which doubles as a good bit of our social life).  We enjoy all three and in this new season of life where Luke is busy and has a social circle beyond us, we have found joy and friendship in our work colleagues and running groups. 

This crew ran the annual Dam to Dam relay race again!  Nothing like five smiling faces at 4:30am to run 100k!

L took his students on a field trip to the mountains and this crew is just the best.  He adores his students and they love him just as much! 

Such Happy Faces, just look at that Joy!

On to me:

My Scandinavia Relay Team!  Oh my goodness, this was SO fun!  South Carolina has it's own version of Scandinavia and we got to run through it all in a matter of hours.  Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.  We ran miles and miles in very rural SC to benefit a great cause and the race director is a good friend of mine.  It was a blast!

 You know it is a rural race when one of the exchange zones is a poultry farm!

I got to run from Denmark to Sweden so this photo is at the end of my leg.

18 middle age ladies up before the sun and rewarded by gorgeous sunrises on the lake

Me and Jay!  He is a co-worker of mine and just an all around awesome guy!  Our families supported us while we supported the USC alumni association.  What a great way to spend a Saturday morning - a 5k then a walk through campus and on to the weekly Saturday market on Main Street. Just perfect!

On to Team Tully:

My favorite guys!! 

On to Jasper:

Not to worry, Jasper is well taken care of.  He is not in this photo because I let him run free when we are in the woods but we made it to the woods every single day in February!  Good for both of our souls - rain  or shine - the woods is good for the soul. 

Luke was just talking about how the birds are louder in the morning these days so spring is definitely around the corner.  Field trips and travel and family and time with friends is on the calendar and we are grateful.