21st Anniversary

 This morning started out with Maddie and I going to the cardio therapy place for a bit.  She was in the waiting room outside while I was in there doing the walking while watching Wimbledon on the television set.  We got to the church after that, and today was a big day!  Maddie was up against her friend Gabe in a one-on-one contest for KidPak online, a scavenger hunt that matched up their athleticism as well as their mental power.  It was a tight contest, and in fact the third time Maddie has been involved in a game that's been put online.  But this is the first one that Maddie has actually won in the end, and she was of course super proud of it.

It was all about the clues - Maddie was all over each of the clues that were made up, running straight to each destination without hesitation.  I can't wait to see how the video turns out, but she did a really good job.  I was sorely tempted to help her out in some way, but I did not.  She earned this one on her own, completely.

Along the hunt, the Tin Woodsman does make an appearance, and that's me.  Both of the searchers were to look for me "in Kansas," which of course is our stage currently.  I was sitting around there, watching for their approach, ready to hand out pieces of a heart that both would assemble at the finish line.

Fun time!  Maddie enjoyed this one as well, and was super happy about winning too.  She had a good day today.  We were out looking for something for an anniversary present for Mom.  It's our twenty-first anniversary today.  Maddie and I went over to the Ramada Inn over there at the center of town - the last time I stepped through those doors was twenty-one years ago to the day.  There's a Mexican restaurant inside, and I briefly thought about that as a destination for us, but it might not have worked for a couple of reasons, so we were content to just walk in a moment, look around, and walk out.  The actual room where we had our reception was closed off, so I couldn't show Maddie that.  But we did walk out that doorway again, and I was remembering people lined up on either side, cheering Mom and I on as we went off to our car.  Of course, we didn't actually drive anywhere immediately, because the groomsmen turned it into a large-sized piñata.  But that's another story.

Anyway, Maddie and I went to a florist at the center of town today, parking on the square there and supporting a small local business.  We got a dozen roses for Mom to celebrate.  Here's the last time I got Mom some roses on her anniversary:

We were in China, and I remember looking for a florist there.  I knew we wouldn't be able to take them back home to America, but I wanted to get her roses for the special day.  It was nice.  Here's Madison on that day, July 8, 2008:

It doesn't seem so long ago, and yet it seems forever ago.  Hard to describe, but you'll understand some day.  Here are the roses we got today, thirteen years later:

Tonight we were over to taekwondo once more, and Maddie was there to help as guest instructor, leading the younger kids as they did their exercises.  She considered being a little more brutal with the exercises, but she was kinder in the end.  It was good though, she's really enjoying that class, helping out.  The following class was leadership, and she was busy practicing with her sword, and doing some kicks in the air.  She actually did for the first time a one-handed cartwheel!  She was pretty pumped about this.  It took a couple tries, but that's what's great about the class, all the kids working hard to get the hang of a a move or combo.  

Tonight we got home, and Mom had a great dinner made with chicken marsala that was delicious!  It was a spectacular dinner, my favorite.  Mom makes it on special occasions, and tonight was of course a special occasion.  Afterwards, it was late enough that we didn't have too much time.  We did watch the next episode with Ghost Rider in it, and then we did some reading.  We prayed, and ended the day with prayers, and were fast asleep pretty quickly.