Circle Center at the Natatorium

Talk about a fun (and tiring) weekend!!! The IU Natatorium is one of the girls favorite pools to swim in, and this weekend they really showed up!! They left it all in the pool. Leah came down with a bad cough on Friday. We dosed her up with mucinex and DayQuil all weekend long. She swam 6 races and came up with PR’s in every race but one. She had a 3 seconds drop in her 100 free. Over a second shaved off her 100fly, and she got the USA Regional Cut she desperately wanted in her 100 back. 

Kiersten had a great weekend, too! She headed into the weekend with 3 regional cuts and went home with two more in the 50fly and the 100free. She got PR’s in the 50 fly, 100 free and her 200IM. It was fun to watch the Gators go this weekend.

And of course a big shout out to my tribe who keep showing up for me day in and day out…always offering a helping hand and helping me manage this crazy busy swim life without Mitch for 6 months now. Heidi, Holly and Christa are without a doubt the absolute best. 

Devils Head

 Everyone should be so lucky to have a church family that fills your teenagers cup…Malinda and all the youth at St. John’s do that regularly. What a blessing!!! This weekend we ventured up to Devils Head Wisconsin. These kids were the absolute best. They had the best attitudes, were eager and willing and cheered one another on every step of the way. They had a great time hanging out at the pool and playing games in our downtime. It was so fun to watch them get going and more. What a great group!!! 

Go Hattie, Go!

 It takes a village and this weekend mine was outstanding!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. While I was away with the Bigs, Hattie was shuffled between three different swim friends who got her to and from her meet this weekend. They sent me pictures and texts and loved her BIG! Highlight of the weekend…she got not one, but TWO cuts for YMCA State meet in March. She dropped time in almost every race she swam.

She often feels like she’s in the shadow of her older sisters but this weekend she held her own. We’re so proud of all her hard work and her willingness to always just go with the flow. 

Los Reyes Magos

Feliz día de los tres reyes!!! Something I have been thinking about for several weeks was 3 Kings day! I started messaging bakeries in  Decatur and Champaign two weeks before Christmas. As I laid in a hotel room during the early hours of New Years Day, I started looking for bakeries in the drive home. I couldn’t believe my luck when I got a message from a bakery in Bollingbrook as I was pulling out of the hotel parking garage. I told him I was 25 minutes out and he stayed open for me to get there. Jackpot!!!

I was so happy to have found a Roscón de Reyes! To celebrate the girls invited a few friends over. Josslyn, Julia Cushing and Adriana came over and Lucy Schnippel, too. I couldn’t believe it when I cut into “the king” with my first try. But then we were even more surprised to find 3 more in the cake. It was fun being able to celebrate this tradition here stateside.

Farewell 2022

 Cheers to 2023! The girls and I are back home…a little sad, because we said goodbye to Mitch (again), but with grateful hearts. We walked 96.7 miles in the last two weeks and I capped off 2022 with over 1,040+ hours outdoors. We’re sitting in a hotel room in Chicago waiting to watch the ball drop for New Years Eve. My first not with Mitch, in many many years. 

I don’t think any year will be able to top 2022 for us…at least not anytime soon. We visited 14 different European cities. We learned a new language (some more than others) and our eyes were opened to an entirely different way of life. The growth and change we’ve experienced is immeasurable, and I’ll forever be grateful to Mitch for making it happen. It’s a wonderful life. Let’s see what 2023 has in store for the Schultzes.