Bunny

Taking Bobunk on the Road

It’s February, which means it’s time for our favorite made-up holiday, Bobunk! This year, we didn’t just celebrate with dinner out…we had a Bobunk trip to visit Bunny at college!

One of the things she was most excited to show us, and that I was most looking forward to seeing (other than her, of course!) was the college library. We started with a treat from the coffee shop just across the bridge into the main library, which also meant a stop by the historic basketball court, still in place following the building of the current stadium in the 60s:

The we visited the library proper. Nine floors…can you imagine?!? I couldn’t believe the sheer number of books, and I loved seeing all the cozy little study and collaborative spaces throughout the different floors!

The view from the top floor is as amazing as you’d imagine:

I always enjoy seeing the art installations around the campus:

And the lovely views in general:

We even ran into Big Red himself!

It wouldn’t be Bobunk without a special meal, so we went to one of Bunny’s favorite restaurant, Slim Chickens, which I really enjoyed. I tried the chicken and waffle, and the waffle was even heart-shaped!

And for dessert, we got Shamrock Shakes at McDonald’s:

It was a really fun weekend, and a great way to celebrate Bobunk!

One of My Favorite Things

I’m feeling sentimental again, because it’s time for Bunny to return to college after a month-plus of Christmas break, so I’m thinking about one of my favorite things that Turkey and Bunny and I like to do.

I’m not sure when we started going for boba tea…maybe last year sometime? But no one else in the house likes boba tea, so it’s become an “us” thing, and we occasionally go out for boba guilt-free, because we know no one at home will be missing out!

We’ve enjoyed trying out different places when we’ve been out running errands, and also trying different varieties. Most recently, I tried popping boba, which is so much fun, and also flavorful and refreshing! And they’re always pretty drinks, too, which make them even more enjoyable! I’m really glad this is a thing that the three of us started to do together, because even if it isn’t a common indulgence, we always really appreciate it when we have the chance!

Christmas Traditions 2023

Yesterday was a most-anticipated day…our annual trip to St. Charles, MO, for Christmas Traditions! We were worried about the weather (it was supposed to rain the entire day, but we got lucky, and it was mostly dry while we were there), and the traffic (an accident had I-70 at a standstill for a bit on our way there), but we made it in time (and even found a decent parking space!) for the Santa Parade:

After that, we headed down Main Street to look for all of our favorite characters, and we did a pretty good job of it!

As I did last year, I had to take a picture with the Mistletoe Misses…I love their costumes, and they seemed to like my outfit, too!

I also had to get a picture with the Lord of Misrule himself…I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to give him a sword!

But the main attraction is always a visit with Jack Frost. We love listening to his banter and seeing what kind of antics he’s added to his routine from year to year, and of course Bunny always has to take a picture with him. I was surprised to discover that he had been waiting for us this year, though. Usually, we attend the festival earlier in the season, which I guess he knows, and he had been carrying around a special gift for us since (I assume) opening day, which he was excited to present to us, complete with some of his original artwork on the bag. Jack may have a cold exterior, but he truly has a heart of gold! I was exceptionally touched (ok, I started crying right there on Main Street), because I had never considered that our presence there is valued. It was quite a moment, and made this our best trip to Christmas Traditions yet, and I know we won’t forget it.

Even on a damp, gloomy day, historic St. Charles is a beautiful place! And since it was so gloomy, we could really see the Christmas lights, which was very nice!

Our last order of business was getting our yearly photo at the gazebo. We had to wait for a madrigal performance on the steps to wrap up, but we got it in the end. So many years we’ve done this now!

Next year is the 50th anniversary of Christmas Traditions, and we’re already looking forward to being a part of that celebration!

Parents and Family Weekend

This weekend, we got to visit Bunny for Parents and Family Weekend at her college! We’ve been there before, but it was fun to see some of her favorite things and check out where her classes are!

We got to go to “Donuts with the Dean” while we were there, visit the campus Starbucks (I think we’re calling it “Starbies” now), walk all the way to the top of the hill, and attend a volleyball game (we won!). It was a beautiful day, to boot, and we had a really fun time!

We even got to have Zaxby’s, which is a real treat for me!

The most special thing to me, besides seeing her (of course), was getting a picture of all the children. I know she hasn’t even been gone for a whole month, but I was really happy to get a new photo of the Fab Five together.

I’m not going to lie…Thanksgiving feels like a long time from now, but that’s when we get to see her next!

Away from Home

Today is Bunny’s first day of classes at the four-year college she transferred to to complete her college education. She’s already been away from home for over a week, and we miss her terribly, but we’re also very excited for the opportunities she’s going to have over the next two years!

Chickadee Thursday

This has been a Big Week. We said goodbye to Bunny when we dropped her off for college, and I didn’t think Chickadee was going to let her go:

To distract ourselves from missing her, we visited the St. Louis Zoo on what was probably the nicest August day I’ve ever experienced in St. Louis! It was the kind of day that makes you believe that eventually it might be autumn.

My Almost Twins

I’m not going to lie…I’m feeling sentimental because Bunny is moving out this weekend to finish her college education. That has me thinking back over how quickly the years have gone by, and I can’t look back without remembering how Turkey and Bunny have been my “almost twins” since the day she started crawling after him.

They were born one day short of 16 months apart. And Bunny was determined to chase after and keep up with Turkey since she began moving. It didn’t take long for strangers to assume they were twins when we were out and about, and in a lot of ways I viewed them that way, too…I even started Bunny in kindergarten with Turkey, and they were classmates all the way through.

They were each other’s first friends, and it hard for me to imagine them not together. I know that I will adjust to our new normal, but it’s going to be a big adjustment, and one I’m not entirely looking forward to.

Only Nineteen (But Her Mind is Older)

Today is Bunny’s 19th birthday! We started the day with a “Bunny Walk.” We had quite a bit of rain overnight, so we didn’t see as many bunnies as we would have on a drier morning, but we still saw about a half-dozen or so, which was a good way to begin Bunny Day!

As always, present-opening was the highlight of the morning. There was a dual theme of Star Wars‘ Ahsoka Tano and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

We watched some movies this afternoon, and I worked on dinner. She asked for the apple punch from The Brothers Grimm Cookbook that we enjoyed a few weeks ago to go with her traditional birthday dinner of Stromboli:

This year’s bunny cake was based on The White Rabbit from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I don’t think I got his expression quite right, but he was pretty easy to decorate!

It was a very fun day celebrating Bunny!

Chasing the Characters

If you look closely at the shirt I wore to Disneyland, it says “Chasing the Fun.” Turkey and Bunny said it should have read “Chasing the Characters,” because apparently that’s what I do best when we go to theme parks!

Here’s a round-up of the characters we met or saw up close at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure (plus Goofy’s Kitchen)….my personal highlights were meeting Donald Duck, and also getting to see Goofy in his snazzy green suit! Also, since I was wearing a birthday celebration pin, many of the characters either said “Happy Birthday!” to me (like Lightning McQueen), or pantomimed it in some way (like Minnie Mouse).

Not pictured, but also seen by us include Peter Pan and Wendy, Captain Hook, the other chipmunk, Mirabel, Pinocchio and Geppetto, Sadness and Joy, Snow White, the Evil Queen, Ant-Man, Thor, Merida, Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, the Dora Milaje, Mary and Bert, Chewbacca, Rey, Mulan, and Clarabelle Cow. I think that’s pretty impressive for just two days in the parks!