Beeing Redeemed

Recall that last year in their first foray into the competitive world of spelling bees, Syl and Megumi flamed out pretty convincingly (2 words wrong in the first two rounds = elimination!).

This year to get into the spirit, Syl and Melissa first made some bee-themed sugar cookies to share with her teammates.

Then it was off to the Bee itself!

Of course an event of this magnitude could never happen without the hard work of volunteers, two of whom are among our favorite human beings, Trystan O'Leary and Jess Green!

This year Syl and Megs were joined by their pal, Ashley. Together, they were Three Bees in a Pod.

The team did some last-minute strategizing...

Then they jumped into action!

Round one was bruising... but already better than last year!

Round two let the team demonstrate their athleticism.

While round 3 was punishing, they made it through!

No farewells in round four!

Round 5 got more civilized.

Round 6 gave the Three Bees the giggles... but they nailed their word!

Round 7 was pretty funny. Syl needs to learn to trust her teammates! (this one is a video clip)

And round 8 finally got them. Something tells me Ashley knew all along.

That performance got them second place out of six teams. And clear and unambiguous redemption!!!

Great job, Girls!
(Reading definitely pays off...).

Meeting Angelina!

What better second act for a Broadway trip than meeting our new niece/cousin, Angelina!

Then it was back to the mean streets of Gotham (which are black and white, by the way) for brunch, before jumping the train back to Beantown.

Hamilton on Broadway!

Wow, did we have a spectacular day today in the Big Apple, seeing Hamilton on Broadway!

The day started with a 4:30AM wake up call to make a 6AM train...

Once in the Apple, we got some lunch and then headed to the theater... which is right next door to our hotel!

 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this kid so excited!

GREAT show.

Afterwards, we got a cocktail in a revolving restaurant, and then met Aunt Amy and Uncle Christian for dinner at a vegetarian place (the sacrifices we make).

Did I mention the 4:30 wake up call? By 9:30 these two were WRECKED.

Tomorrow we get to meet Syl’s new cousin, Angelina, before we get back on the train!

Alllll the Colorado photos!

Shockingly, I took a LOT of photos in Snowmass, including quite a lot of helmet cam photos that I didn't post last week. Interested parties can check them all out by clicking here.

Boy did we ever have a fantastic trip!!!