I lucked out on timing with a trip to MA again! I was already planning to be in MA for work this week to attend a series of meetings — and since it is the last weekend before Natalie’s trimester ends, I was hoping that they would have an end-of-trimester dance performance! They did! It was incredible. It was really fun to see Natalie dancing — she is a beautiful dancer. Ballet is definitely her favorite, but she was in five dances and tried other types as well. Most of the dances were choregraphed by students. I’ll share links later. The performance was so fun.
We are also lucky to have a strong MA support squad…. not all the women know each other, but they are some of my favorite friends. 🙂 On the picture below, from left to right:
Ruth Mahoney — my former co-worker’s wife, I stay with him and his family most often. They’ve hosted Natalie overnight twice too. Their boys are grown and their house is so homey. I always feel so welcome and have an entire floor to myself! They live close to my favorite park to run in too (Forest Park).
Michelle Steger — the mom of one of Elliott’s best friends Teddy. They are another host family for me — and Elliott! Between the Stegers and the Monges, I feel like I’m in a three-way custody-sharing agreement when I visit with Elliott. (In the best possible way)
Mary Cieplik — My former neighbor who used to go on 15-min power walks with me in the midst of the pandemic, in between the daily grind of zoom meetings and a crabby 1-year-old at home. After a few years of convincing, we finally got her to come work in Holyoke too! 🙂 Her school is FILLED with joy and fun.
Beth Gage — Beth and I have worked together at Holyoke Public Schools for almost 10 years. She was one of our first recruits. 🙂 We’ve been through A LOT. She is a former dancer and has two adorable daughters, who are almost 2 and 4.5 (pretty much the age of Natalie and Elliott when we moved here!)
These are just some of our amazing friends in MA — and many of the reasons why its easy for me to live in IL but work in MA. And why its hard — a split heart at times. I just wish we could merge both locations!
