Paper Snowflakes 2022

 Finishing off some of the items on our December Bucket List:

Cookie Prize

Finally got over to the library to pick it up:

Tinsel Trail

The Junior League puts together a tinsel trail -- a square block of trees sponsored and decorated by local businesses. We made out way over to check them out earlier this week:

Second Night of Hanukkah 2022

 

Cribbage Set

Gammy gave Benji a book of card games for Hanukkah, along with his very own cribbage set, which he was eager to test out:

First Night of Hanukkah 2022

 

A Christmas Carol 2022

 We tried to scale back a lot this winter, both to save money and because we were not sure how much Abby would want to do while she was home. One of the two big events we planned, though, was our annual trip to see A Christmas Carol at Blackfriars Theater in Staunton (performed by the American Shakespeare Company):

This year's cast

Terrible selfie, but proof we were here!

A peek at the inside of the theater, which we always love

Winter Wander 2022

The Boar's Head Inn created this as a COVID-safe outdoor event last year -- it is half a mile of lighted trail around their lake. They charge pretty steep admission, but we were invited to go as part of a birthday party last year. We agreed that it was pretty, but also that it would not have been worth the cost of tickets. We figured we would not go back, but this year UVA (which owns the Inn) made two free nights for UVA faculty and staff. They've added on visits to Santa and a heated food tent, but we still agreed it was not worth the ticket price. It was fun to stroll around the lake and see all the pretty lights, though, and we tried to capture some of it in pictures:

Stonefield Field Trip

Abby had been wanting to run a few errands at Stonefield (we started referring to it as a Stone"field trip"), so I took a few hours off one afternoon and we hit the stores. Had to end with gingerbread flavored gelato and a shot in front of the big tree:

Wreath 2022

We've been making wreaths at home for the last few years (it's soooo much cheaper than purchasing one). Abby and I made this year's while the boys were still in school:

FTC Regionals #1 - Benji style

With Abby graduating, her First Tech Challenge (FTC) days are over, but Benji has taken up the mantle. In Abby's last year at CHS, FTC had so many students that they were able to split into two teams. Benji felt pulled towards Abby's old team - 7080 - but knew people on both, so let the team captains decide where to slot him. and he ended up on the *other* team - 20342. They went to their first competition this weekend in Richmond and Benji served as coach for a couple of the match-ups (he's generally a coder so would not have a role at the match itself, but he is one of the people most familiar with the robot's workings). We watched the matches at home, where Abby helped us stream them to the TV:

Benji acting as coach (lower right)

From the FTC feed - Benji and team captain Alexis with the robot

All-City Winter Concert 2022

After a two year hiatus, the all-city band concert is back. We never got to hear Benji play as part of Buford's band, but the CHS Marching Band opened the show this year, which got the crowd all riled up:

Dairy Market at Christmas

I played hooky from work on Wednesday to hang out with Abby, and we stopped at the Dairy Market to pick up lunch after our errands. It's all decked out for Christmas, and she let me take a picture:

Evans Orchestra Winter Concert 2022

They got to play on the big stage at the Martine Luther King Performing Arts Center at CHS. You can see Benji right in the middle of this picture:

National Cookie Day

Abby and I attended a library program in celebration, There was a cookie contest, cookie painting, DIY cocoa and other artsy stuff:

Abby's painted cookies

Ruth's cookies

DIY cocoa mixes

Got this update from the library a few days after the event:

Tree Trimming 2022

 

Tree trimming treats

Sibling love

Matching PJs shot -- these get sillier every year

We got a small artificial pencil tree this year to hang some of these flat national park ornaments -- they're hard to see on the big tree!

Benji told Abby that the topper is her job