Chapter Eleven

Ten started out strong – Nora was rocking fifth grade with her besties. She joined the chorus and had a solo at the Winter Concert. She was in the Stuart-Hobson production of Frozen. She got to deliver MLK's I Have a Dream speech at the Lincoln Memorial. She made the DC Honor's Chorus. She made the Battle of the Books team. She went pixie.

And then there was the bump – aka the Pandemic. Battle of the Books was cancelled. The overnight field trip to Hard Bargain Farms was cancelled. Our trips to Harry Potter World and the Grand Canyon were cancelled. School went remote. Fifth grade graduation was virtual. We had to wear masks everywhere.

It did not go over well.

There were a lot of tears and slammed doors and yelling about all the stuff we couldn't do.

So we did other stuff.

We baked bread and cinnamon rolls . We made crepes, fresh pasta and pretzels. We churned butter. We presented on the science behind playing arpeggios using water bottles filled to different levels. We had family bike rides and family game nights. We got Animal Crossing (and played it a lot). We played a viola solo that closed out fifth grade graduation. We went hiking. We chased after covered wagons. We swam in the ocean and it didn't kill us. We rode zip lines and kayaked and flew an airplane.

And sometimes, we even got to see our friends.

So ten didn't turn out quite the way we planned, but it was still a pretty great year. And we can only imagine that 11 will be even better. Happy birthday, baby girl. We love you so, so much.

1. Personal hygiene is optional until middle school
2. Dream big. Fight hard.
3. It's all a balancing act.
4. Sometimes you need to go outside your own bubble. Especially if it means you get to bubble with a buddie.
5. Occasionally, parental guidance is suggested for the full Nora experience #PG10.
6. To laugh that we may not weep.
7. "Moo."
8. That'll do, Piggie.
9. I'm flying high, defying gravity!
10. And in the immortal words of Nora herself, These are strange, strange times and I am a strange, strange person. So take of that what you will.