HoCo

 

Saturday night was a culminating dance for Grace after a full week of Homecoming activities.  We headed to the title town district for pictures with her and her friends.  They had spent the week making pants, dressing alike, carrying their school work in 'anything but a backpack....and TPing around town and school.  It was a little funny to see them head into the house after the dance to take off their formal attire and dress in black clothes and face masks to head out on the town like a G-rated Clockwork Orange.  By Sunday afternoon it was back to normal and she was off to work her last shift at the pool for the season.

Little dimples..little drama

 Last weekend we spent a little time scouting out an area for Grace's senior pictures, it had been suggested by the photographer.  But ultimately we thought better of the location and suggested a few of our own and the results will be beautiful.  There was a little hic-up, Grace has a pretty packed schedule, and the original photo shoot was conflicting with a different event.  We had the shoot moved, but it didn't make it to the photographers calendar and she double booked.  It all worked out fine and especially the lighting.  Grace had a fun time, multiple wardrobe changes and still made it home in time to not eat, but meet friends on a shopping spree for pajama day and midnight toilet papering of the school in prep of homecoming weekend. One of these pictures is not from her photo shoot; alas dear reader can you spot it?  Also a fun note as a parent, sometimes you find boxes of graham crackers with only a single stale cracker left in the box; because somebody was way to full to eat another one...or way to lazy to open the trash drawer.

The Eagle has Landed!

Thirteen years of hard work and perseverance for Merrick lead to his arrival in Lacrosse on Friday as an official UWL Eagle.  We managed an almost full family dinner the night before making the drive (Ella was in Spain).  We gathered around the indoor grill at the restaurant slathering steaks with garlic butter and spices....well not Sophia; she was battling a waitress for a burger that was cooked thoroughly and preferably with a bun.  Then back home to sit around the table and talk about school, classes, and just laugh a bit before an early night.  Merrick and I hit the road early and drove the meandering route across the state to his dorm.  His roommate had moved in the day before so it was easy to build some dorm furniture and trick out his new pad.  He is more of a minimalist than either of the older girls where, and he has a real comfortable space to call home for the next school year. We made run for groceries...all comfort food and nothing remotely healthy was dropped into the cart.  He had some additional items on his 'mental list' but those were forgotten.  We hit MKE burger to fill up on some smashburgers before sending him off on his own; and I made the lonely drive back home.  Amy and I were able to call him and have a quick chat and everything seems to be going well for him and has a good size group of people to run around with until the wee hours each morning; and has only hit his head on the ceiling a few times as he adjusts to his lofted bed.  His first class this Morning will be a Chem Lab...seems like a good intro to college course work.

 

A Summer Summary

 

Well that is and unofficial wrap to the summer.  Amy and I have headed back to work and the air has a chill in it.  We stayed busy this summer, but not frantic this summer.  Merrick and I sneaked out to play a round of golf, he was polite at my horrible shots including a drive that went 90 degrees off the tee box and directly into a water hole.  We played best ball, so my shots never really counted, but I did get to feel like I was playing.  Sophia and Ella joined us for a great concert at the winery and a campfire the night before.  It was just great to sit around and chat with them.  Ella landed in Spain yesterday for a quick Euro trip before she goes back to school and Grace has been to Greece and back this summer.  Sophia is working on grad school essays and said she feels a little envious of everyone heading back to school, as this is her first fall without that experience.  Grace and Ella spent some time together roaming around Eau Claire.  Merrick is packing up his room and reading himself to move into the dorms later this week.  We toured LaX and RiverFalls with Grace as she starts to consider where she wants to go to school, and she too is working on her entrance essays and starting the application process for her undergrad studies.

CrissCross LaCrosse

 Merrick is heading off to Lacrosse and we spent the day there getting an his courses registered and being given the finer points of admission.  Both him and Grace had their AP scores come in from the spring exams and ..wow, just wow we could not be more proud of their hard work.  It will certainly pay off from them both in college.  From UW-LaX to Summer LaX it has been a full summer.  Grace has her final summer weekend tourney in Chicago this coming weekend, and has a solid list of scouts their to watch her and chat her up about their respective schools.  We spent a weekend in Racine, complete with Italian dinner tradition, and another in Cincinnati.  The drive to Cincy started at 3 am, and ended at Mark's place about noon.  It was nice to have the extra space and creature comforts of a house rather than a hotel.  The whole Cincy family came to the early game on Saturday and Mark was able to make the whole tournament....and it was a crazy drama filled series between an Ohio team...complete with play stoppage for roster checks on the other team for two ineligible players that were playing on 2 teams in the tourney....extra player in 95ish heat makes a difference.  Then the most psychotic LaX mom hollering at the refs to check the rule book...reciting highlighted portions of the rulebook across the field.  Grace won the game but as Mark and I walked over towards the team and were discussing the game we unknowingly past the psycho...she overheard our comments and then it she unleased an profanity laced tirade for all to hear.  Grace's team advanced through the tournament to the championship game, she scored in each game, but ultimately lost in OT...I told Mark all in all we can not provide a tournament with more drama than this.  Sun scorched and sweated out we hoped into the car about 2:30 pm and drove back home....making as good of time as can be made on a nineish hour drive.

Grad Party

The weather was perfect for Merrick's Grad party and the families made their drives from far and wide.  We had smoked pork overnight and set up tables borrowed from work.  Merrick and his buddy were started to shoot some hoops while the adults chatted and ate....Merrick brought down the hoop, rim and post right on his own head.  Him and I left the party for the ER and he would ultimately need 7 staples in his scalp, but no concussion and were back to the party in about an hour.  His friend had waited for him and several other friends arrived while he was away.  This worked out well for Grace's friend how hid upstairs and watch the boys through the bedroom window.  Merrick was a little shaken but rebounded quickly.  His friends started kicking at the remaining post when Grandprize nudged me and said 'hand them a shovel"...the recent grads started digging and rocking the post from the cement, and with the help of a maul, expertly introduced by Grandprize as their enthusiasm was curbing they soon had the remaining basketball hoop free from the ground.  Kory offered to take the post and the remaining backboard, now sans glass, to his shop for disposal and with some borrowed dirt and grass seed from neighbors the whole clean up project was a smooth and fast as possible.  Merrick felt good enough to head off with his buddies to shoot a round a golf and another 2 rounds the next day.

 

Long week-Short Week

 

It was only Wednesday night, but it seems like it has been a long week.  Merrick walked the stage and finalized his first academic chapter.  Grandprize and Grandma made the trip over and we had plenty of last minute rearranging as the weather wasn't cooperating for an outdoor ceremony.  The original plan was everybody watching from the stadium bleachers, but in the end Amy sat with the faculty--she had amazing seats and was able to high five Merrick on his walk back from graduating--Grandma and I were in the back breaking bleachers, and Grandprize with in the plush seats of the auditorium watching a live stream of the ceremony.  We got there over an hour before the start and the place was already packed.  It was and is always great to see so many people supporting the students. After the normal pomp and circumstance the five of us headed over to Greystone to some light appetizers and chatter to wrap up the evening.  Merrick was a little nonplused about the whole graduation, stating that he didn't see the reason to celebrate what he was expected to accomplish.  Grandma thought she had heard this before somewhere.....about 32 years ago.  Be that as it may, Merrick was clearly pleased with the completion and everyone's support.  We headed home earlyish...as the new graduate had a full day of life guarding in the morning....although if the weather cooperated for him he was planning on spending most of it in the breakroom practicing his putting.

Kind of a big weekend

 

Early May is not unlike Early April...a blur of important days.  Anniversaries, Mother's day, and Ella's Birthday.  She hit a bit one, and it is now a little harder to pretend she isn't careening into adulthood.  We weren't with her, but she still spent it with family and met Bob/Nancy at the Joint for a beer, she continued with the mythology that it was her first time there although the bar tender kept calling her out on her BS to the delight of all that were there. With her year wrapped up she loaded up her car and head off to summer to work at a Camp that hosts campers with revolving disabilities.  Putting goodness back into the world.  Grace was playing LaX in MKE and Amy went to cheer her one, while I helped Sophia move out of her apartment in preparation for her graduation.  Hauled a trailer load of stuff back to GB.  This fall we will haul another trailer of different stuff back to set Merrick up in his dorm...ah the wheels of time.  Sophia's graduation and walking the stage was an emotional event and struck me more than I had anticipated.  She was home for only a day before she started her job in town.  Following her heart and helping others where she can. It is these milestones and rites of passage all coming so quickly together. The next day it was a different stage, different kid and all the same emotions.  Grace was inducted into the National Honor Society, complete with one of her friends reading Grace's bio with heartfelt warmth and talking about her volunteer service.  It is emotional to sit in the seats and watch others talk highly of your kids. It seems the kids are more accustomed to doing good things.  Both Merrick and Grace turned down invites to a school award ceremony and picked up their letters and accolades a few days ago without the pomp and circumstance. Grace showed us her big letter for academic performance, we asked Merrick about his.  He replied, "Yea, I got one for academics too, it looks the same as the one I got last time for volunteering."  They all are putting good into the world in so many different ways, but each way is inspirational to me.

Keeping the miles in the milestones....

 

April was its normal blur, but we had a few new milestones and rights of passage.  Grace had her junior prom with all its pageantry and pomp and giggling friendship.  She also hosted her LaX team for a team dinner pasta buffet. The house smelled of garlic for two days and they were a great group of girls. They have been playing a couple games a week, the competition is tough this year.  She is also getting daily recruiting 'hits' from coaches across the country. Merrick had his senior ball, a lower key affair than prom but still another rite of passage for him and his gang. With the weather turning nicer his golf team is getting more sun burn than frostbite for a change. Both of them are now deep into AP testing season and trying to rack up some college credits a little early.  Easter came and went, but they still hid a Basket for Grace...it was under the ottoman, but still took her about 20 minutes to find it.  Ella couldn't make it home for the holiday and Sophia spent it in EC with Grandprize and Grandma Nancy.  Ella also ran her first 1/2 marathon with her roommate.  We loaded up the bikes on the car and chased and cheered her all over Eau Claire on a cool rainy morning.  It was a blast, fun to chase her and fun to see her smiling as she ran the 13 plus miles in her personal best time!

Let Them eat Cake!

 

The opening salvo of April is always a little frenetic and to that we added a couple of milestone birthdays as well.  Merrick became an adult and I became a mailing list candidate for AAA and AARP.  Grace was nestled into the sweet spot straddling adulthood and fleeting adolescents. Merrick opted for a home dinner to celebrate and we gathered around for some sous vide, reverse seared flat iron steaks.  Grace opted for the more traditional birthday sushi..making sure we ordered enough for a left over sushi breakfast.  Grace had been lobbying hard for about 6 months for a friend party as well so by Sunday morning and late late into the afternoon she hosted a brunch for her friends and then they all painted portraits of each other.  Her actual birthday coincided with the LaX season opener and she filled the stands with fans.  Jan and Ron drove up, Bob and Nancy drove over with Ella, and Scott and Sonya meandered the DP roads to cheer her on. Grandprize had made a big roll out sign for her birthday and Ella convinced the team to roll it out during the game.  She scored 2 goals and an game MVP in an overall tough loss to a solid team.  The fans headed back to our house for some cake to celebrate even if she was out team bonding.  Saturday we switched gears to my birthday and we headed downtown to join the hands-off protests that were happening across the country before heading out to eat and then back home for some some more cake and laughs with the whole family.  Sunday was an early start for Bob/Nancy as the carpooled Ella back to EC in time for work.  Sophia stopped over to get her car before heading back to LaX, Merrick went golfing, and I tried to catch naps during Grace's party.  Just another great week surrounded by great people.

I would drive 500 miles, and I would drive 500 more..

 

I would drive 500 miles, and I would drive 500 more...catchy little earwig from the late 80s and a solid theme song for the past couple of days.  The house is on Spring break, and with Grace busy with work, prom dress fittings, and Lax practice and Merrick spending is time at the Y to recertify for summer life guarding Amy and I hit the road.  We set up mid day on Wednesday to meet up with Sophia in LaCrosse for dinner.  It was wonderful.  We ate tapas and had a few specialty drinks, before she gave us a tour of downtown including "Brad's school" where she has been interning and heading back to the Bodega for a few more drinks.  It was a great evening listening to her make her post graduation plans and consider all the impacts of adulting.  Amy and I spent the night at the Charmont and were unknowingly treated to a bit of celebrity conversation at the bar.  We ate at the Breakfast club and then made the beautiful drive through the hills north to meet up with Ella for a late lunch, stopping to watch the eagles gathered at the confluence  The temps were so nice and in the mid 60's with full sun.  Ella suggested lunch at The District and we all had comically large and sloppy sandwiches of some variation.  We wanted to hear all the details about her Civil Rights tour.  It was amazing, and the emotion in her telling was still very raw.  We took a walk around downtown and over the foot bridge...strangely arriving at the local jewelry store before heading back to Ella's Apartment and 80 degree indoor temperatures.  She worked at setting up her new phone and showed us the pictures of her trips and told us more about the experience and intensity of some of the days. It nearly 5 when Ella had to start writing school essays and we had to start our drive back East, feeling like proud parents, feeling blessed, feeling like we could have stayed another night and played in the Eau Claire spring air.

Activity looks different as the family gets older.  I was thinking this morning of everything the kids have going on right now, and essentially how little I am involved in a way that requires direct help.  We raise them to be adults and they become adults, spreading their own proverbial wings, and attacking the world with their own talons as they come into their own.  Merrick was prepping for a summer work season this week with a phone interview to return to life guarding. He had a bunch of online work to complete to recertify and will spend next week (spring break) doing the practical testing in the pool.  Golf starts for him in full swing right after spring break. Grace had made similar plans as well as keeping her barista gig. LaX has officially started and she gave an amazing speech to her teammates a few days before her coach came to the house to tell her that the coaches had voted and even though she is junior that she will be named team captain. Sophia was in town for lunch and is neck deep in planning her next steps after graduation as her plan comes into focus for her, one that the rest of us have pretty much known all along.  Ella is having her heart and mind wrench on a 10 day trip through the south and immersing herself in the pains of America's dark racial past that is highlighted only by current events. I will include an excerpt of her email to us below, and hope she is keeping a journal of some form as well...even though I know she is coming home with so many resources as she is already planning her future classroom....like I said they are all so busy becoming adults that Amy and I are now needed in different ways.  

It is the natural course of things, a course that was emphasized as four generations gathered in Eau Claire to celebrate Grandpa Bob's 71 birthday, unfortunately I didn't think to capture a photo of everyone.  Sophia drove up from Lacrosse, and Ella came over after she finished a 5 k race that morning as she preps for a summer marathon...again busy in new and exciting ways.  Grandma Irene was there when we arrived with Grace from our travels across Hwy 29.  

All of the generations aging, changing, growing and needing each other in different ways.  Such is the beautiful thing about life.

From Ella's Civil Rights Pilgrimage:

Some more updates from my trip! No time to do Wordle, I’m too busy!! The last few days have been very heavy. We did a couple of activities such as a slavery reenactment and “segregated” seating in the Emmett Till Courthouse that have made me very uncomfortable, angry, and overall emotional. I have been to many museums and exhibits, and have spoken with even more people involved in the movement. One of the craziest parts of the south, especially in Alabama, is the large amount of racism still so obvious and present. We visited a confederate solider cemetery, which is well kept and eerily beautiful. It is ran by the “Daughters of the Confederacy”, a white supremacy group. There’s many flags, statues, and monuments representing the confederacy all over the state, including three statues on the capital lawn- no statues of Dr. King though, even though he lived in Montgomery. The KKK is still active and present as well. I still have three days left, but I have done so much already! I have a lot to say that I can’t fit into an email, so I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I get home!!


The first picture is a monument with the last name of every known enslaved person or one of their descendants- it has 10,000 names on it. The next picture is all of the education majors in Selma after walking the bridge where Bloody Sunday took place. Next is the confederate cemetery, and finally, my favorite speaker of the whole trip, Mr. Thomas. He was an activist and protester during bloody Tuesday. I spoke with him after, and he told me that he was proud of me for getting an education and made me promise him that I would never stop learning for him, since he wanted to get a higher education but didn’t have the opportunity:) it was really inspiring, and made me cry! Overall, a lot of emotional and important lessons. I also am really sunburnt.

Quotidian times

 Mid-February already after the longest January in the history of man-kind.  Our adventures have been few as we embrace the hygge season.  Plenty of school work for the kids and all four have started their second semesters now.  Sophia did stop home over the weekend with Augie as she prepped for her LSAC exam and a job interview.  Ella is toying with the idea of a camp counselor over the summer, and also had an interview that went well.  Merrick is getting close to making a commitment for his university.  Given our strange weather he was able to get out and golf on the first weekend of February...I think January is the only month he didn't hit the links.  He is heading off to the UP to snowboard this weekend, again odd weather.  Grace is getting plenty of hours at the coffee shop and filling any remaining time with school clubs and social engagements. She is considering if she wants to switch summer Lacrosse teams.  She has been getting a lot of exposure and various programs are still reaching out.  This weekend however was Snowball dance weekend and she headed to the school gym...to support a friend that was volunteering, but it is safe to assume they had plenty of laughs along the way.  As for us 'Rents' we generally putter around the house cooking, cleaning, and napping.