Thursday, July 27, 2023

Maggie Turns 11!

 This has been a month long birthday celebration for Maggie since her big birthday trip to Utah was at the beginning of July, but she is easy to celebrate!

We hosted a low-key pool party this past weekend at our house for her gym besties. The girls spent three hours competing with hand stands, tubing into the pool on the air track, eating pizza and watermelon, and singing to Maggie with popsicles. Maggie is so lucky to have these sweet girls in her life, especially because she practically lives with them at practice!





Our birthday girl is the most organized, focused, clever, loyal, and fashionable person I know. As she begins a new chapter in middle school next week, I know she will only continue to amaze us with her tenacity. Happy 11th Birthday, Maggie Moo!

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Happy Anniversary!

 Cheers to FIFTEEN YEARS!


We have fit a lot into the last fifteen years together. From Athens to Atlanta to Roswell and adding three kids into the mix, we made sure to never have a dull year together. I love tackling job changes, packed schedules, and life's twists and turns as a team. I cannot wait to see where we are in another fifteen years!

Happy Anniversary to my favorite guy!

Monday, July 10, 2023

Utah, PRR, and Camp

 Maggie and I went on an adventure to Utah with memories that will last a lifetime. 

Maggie found out one of her favorite collegiate gymnasts, Rebekah Ripley, was offering floor choreography, and she needed a new routine for Level 7. I connected with Rebekah, and we planned out trip to Salt Lake City, Utah for the training. Maggie and I agreed that this would be an early birthday gift, so the grandparents contributed to the trip as their gifts. It was a whirlwind trip with only 24 hours in Utah, but we were able to fit in a lot of fun!


Maggie had an outfit change during our layover in Denver due to an apple juice spill on the plane. The Denver airport was really nice.


After a quick nap for me at the hotel in Salt Lake City, we explored a local outdoor mall that was recommended on our flight. Maggie was living her best life with some shopping at Lululemon and Kendra Scott. We ate at the food court before meeting Rebekah for our first choreography session.


Maggie and I were both eager to see what Rebekah had designed with the music we went to her a few weeks prior to our visit. We absolutely loved the routine! It was full of personality and unique moves that matched Maggie's personality. I knew that the trip was completely worth every mile and every dollar after watching Maggie work with Rebekah!



The next morning we were up bright and early for our second training session with Rebekah. The hour focused on cleaning up the routine and facial expressions. I was shocked that Maggie remembered every move! We are looking forward to sending Rebekah videos with all the tumble passes and leaps incorporated into the choreography.

Another highlight of the trip was connecting with one of Maggie's gym Instagram friends. She had been following Greta as she is a brand ambassador for Chalk Warrior, a favorite leo brand of Maggie. We met Greta and her mom for breakfast, and they were the absolute sweetest! We enjoyed hearing about Greta's gym, her commitment to the Mormon faith, and discussing Utah.


I will cherish memories from this trip with Maggie. She was definitely in her element, and I loved watching her smile. The flight home included a layover in Dallas, Texas and took about 12 hours from start to finish. We crawled into bed at home and slept late!

Our next summer event was my favorite: The 4th of July! In Thorne Family fashion, we started our holiday at the Peachtree Road Race. This was Jay's 19th consecutive race and Maggie's 2nd run. The boys and I cheered them on from our spot near the four mile marker. Rosie joined us this year and was the star of the show. SO many runners stopped to pet her and compliment our sweet girl.





Tuttle's traditional photo marks 11 years of waving the flag. We missed one year due to a global pandemic.


We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool with our favorite neighbors. I brought white chocolate dipped strawberries that were quickly eaten up!






While our summer has already been packed with activities, the big kids had their grand finale with overnight camps this week. Maggie and I drove to Crossville, Tennessee for Flip Fest while the boys took Tuttle to Lake Allatoona for Camp High Harbour. (A big thanks to Grandmommy and Grandaddy for Tuttle's week at camp!)




Jacob is experiencing life as an only child this week. He has football camp to fill his mornings and is soaking up all the extra attention in the afternoon.