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It's Fall! I'm feeling a bit of relief as the weather has started to cool. Low 70s in the morning in September?! I'll take it! The boys are settled into their online programs. It's hard to believe that we are entering year 4 of online learning. I still prefer it over the other options. I'm seeing a lot of growth with my kids, hearing more (smooth) speech from both, and watching a wonderful friendship form between brothers. In between the Live Lessons, webinars, and therapies I do tune into a program here and there. I usually don't watch mid-morning television, but I did a few weeks ago. It paid off! There were several call-in and win prizes on a local station. I called and didn't win the salon Monday makeover. I totally could have used that one. I'm so aware of it. The second giveaway was passes to a local water park. I didn't win that, but okay as there have been crypto reports. Yikes! I'm about to change the channel and then another giveaway is announced. Is this normal? Does the station usually unload this many on one day? Where have I been? So, I call and got the busy signal. I called a few more times and then gave it one more go. That was it! I was the 12th caller! I won (4) tickets to see the Kellogg's Olympic Gymnasts Tour! 

We went last Thursday night and it was really cool! We don't usually venture out in the evenings because of routine and such, but my guys like the nightlife. I almost feel guilty because neither kiddo is in gymnastics and these were really good seats. We were 5 rows from the stage! I had looked online to see what these seats would have cost too and it's almost a mortgage payment. The thought to try and sell them did cross my mind, but I signed a contract. We saw the "Final Five" which was cool because it does say that not all gymnasts will be able to make appearances due to scheduling. We got to see them perform. They had 4 balance beams in each corner of the stage. I had hoped that they might rotate to each, so that we'd get a chance to see each one up close. It was just neat seeing Olympians in person. We had uneven bars right in front of us and T was totally focused and loved it! He was moving to the music a lot too:)

Another fun perk was that D won a Caring Kid Award! Another station has offered this for some years now. I kept seeing a commercial for it. I checked it out and read other entries just to see. We were notified the same day I won the Olympic Tour tix! Cool and weird, huh? D won a cash prize deposited into another savings account with a local bank. They had a little goodie basket for him too with gummy bears and a Minecraft figure. When she emailed for ideas, I let the branch manager know that he got his braces off a few weeks ago and gummy bears are his go-to treat. D was beaming with delight when he came home. He helps me out with MOD, talks with blood donors with his Dad on a regular basis, and is such a wonderful brother to T. He is a caring kid:)

These perks were much appreciated because our 'maison' has needed some repairs. We had a crew visit back in July to clean our A/C vents. The service went well and they left. I noticed though that there was a huge dent on the dryer top. It wasn't there before and this appliance is only a year old. Well, long story short, the part was ordered and it was replaced by the company. It took a month and a half, but it's handled. We also had a small A/C repair in July hoping that it would get us through one more summer. Nope. After 13 years, it finally crapped out. We had to replace both the A/C and the furnace. Thankfully, "Santa" shops for items throughout the year, so "Santa" is ready for the holidays. My husband has graciously picked up some extra tutoring hours on campus to help pay off this expense. While he does that, I am contemplating potential stripper names to help pay down this debt.

"The Final Five"

Aly on beam

Caring Kid - D on ABC15 Sonoran Living October 13, 2016