"This is the life" according to Cody

Last week was a fun week for us as I spent a day in Minneapolis with my nephews, Graham and Connor, and Wayne's nephews, Justin and Cody, spent Sunday til Monday morning at our house. It was fun all around as I spent the day holding Connor and catching up with my sister then playing with Graham that evening singing songs and running around outside. Connor is growing and smiles/coos. Adorable! I could spend all day hugging both of them! Oh yeah....isn't Connor's shirt so cute? hehehe Go Cyclones!

Justin and Cody came over Sunday around noon. Alex had some friends over the night before and they were playing poker at the time the boys arrived. (Yes, I know. . . but it is harmless). Anyway, before the afternoon was over Justin had jumped in to play and beat them all!!!! The boys were in awe. I enclosed a picture of them playing....think this was the second game after Justin had "given them a lesson or two". So funny! Cody spent his time hanging with Wayne, helping clean his kites, and me, playing legos. Later in the afternoon, Wayne and Cody decided to crawl up in the hammock with the dogs. As they were lying there, Cody calmly states, "Wayne, this is the life!". Wayne just started laughing. They were telling stories and everything. So funny. Of course the night ended with the reading of "The Ghost Eye Tree. That has been a favorite of Wayne's to read to the kids...and he always reads it to Cody, but this time....Alex read it to him at bedtime. It was precious.

So it was a fun week spending time with family. The Kerian clan, most of us, did meet and go out Saturday. Carol, Kayla and Peter were down from Rochester. It is rare for all of us to go out together so it was fun. Decided that we need to do it more often. Thanks to Wayne's brother Randy for celebrating his birthday with us! I think that is enough said about the evening.....from what I heard, some of the family members weren't feeling very well the morning after and might not remember everything.....hahahaha. Good times!

That evening I also ran into a lot of my "first homeroom" class teaching. It was a group of students I "floated up" teaching as 4th, then 5th and 6th grade. It was awesome to see so many of them (in town for a wedding). At one point, when one of them asked to buy me a drink, I did feel a little old. But that feeling soon went away. Kind of reinforced my love for my job.....not the drinking, of course....the teaching! It's great to know you have a bond with some students even after they move on in life. Fun night!

Enjoy the pictures. I can't take credit for taking them all. Thanks Sara for sharing!

Elyse Survived Snow Valley Basketball Camp/School Again!

My little girl returned home late Monday afternoon after 4 days of intense basketball camp (school as they call it) tired and hungry. The last time she went to Snow Vally Basketball Camp was when she was going in 5th grade - an excellent experience but too intense at that point. Before returning this year, her friends were calling it "Death Camp" but afterwards, she realized it was not all that bad....Her return to this camp was successful and beneficial....plus she met some more new "facebook friends" along the way (the priorities of a 14 year old). hehehehe Anyway, they put in LONG days, getting up at 5:30 to get ready to play by 6:15 and then going sometimes until after 10 PM at night. Not a lot of "down time" but that is not what they were there for. Wayne and I are VERY proud of her (as well as our niece Miranda who also went and the 7 other Crestwood freshmen who also went). It is an intense camp, recognized by Sports Illustrated, but well worth it in the long run. Elyse's only "little" disappointment. . . .four years ago her and her friend Hannah won this competition called "Cut Throat".....not this year......oh well....can't win them all Elyse....And I don't think she will be running for a few days. I included a picture of the back of her heels that were broken, open blisters. Her toes were covered as well. Ouch! Other pictures are just during game times and during the "Cut Throat Competition".

Oh yeah....one final comment.....at her physical Tuesday Elyse measured 6' on the dot! She thinks she shrunk as she was measured almost 6'1" at school. I told her maybe the scales were off...she just chuckled! We do know that she is officially taller than her father, who continues to claim he is taller than her coming in at a whopping 5'10". Go Wayne!

Happy Birthday Ken!

My last post is to wish my brother Ken happy birthday! Today is his birthday and I hope he is having one hell of a party up there. Even though he is not here with me physically, I know he is with me in spirit (and that I am crying now as he thinks I am a bit emotional) :) Yes....so true...there were many tears shed during our vacation. I couldn't help think while driving the last few weeks how Ken has pulled so many family and friends together over the past. I also realized that he is the reason my family first went to the Outer Banks years ago (Sara, Derek, Kim and Wayne-had a blast with Ken) as well as the reason we ventured to Fripp in South Carolina as we loved the beach so much. Ken was the one who first invited us to the Outer Banks for a few days before Deanne and Darbys' wedding. If it weren't for that moment...my family wouldn't have all the wonderful memories we have had over the past years....9 to be exact as Deanne reminded me....or all the great friendships that have developed over the years. Deanne, Wayne and I sat on her deck one night with the sky full of stars and the waves crashing talking about all the people and friendships Ken helped create. I have so many wonderful memories and new friendships because of him. In a way, I guess that is how he will live on in us. Even so, I miss him a lot and wish he were here. I only hope that as I sat on the beach in the Outer Banks the last few weeks, he was sitting on the beach too or watching the same stars at night.

Happy Birthday Ken! Love and miss you!

Fripp Island, South Carolina - Fun in the Sun!

The last week of our adventure was we enjoyed some time on Fripp Island, a familiar place to our family. Kirstin and Nate arrived with Elyse's friends, Megan and Molly, as they flew into Atlanta and drove from there. Everyone adjusted and got settled for a week of fun in the sun. The weather was beautiful, 90s all week, rained a few nights later in the evening, which was fine as it was so humid. Everyone had a fabulous time. The house we rented was from the same owner as last year, just different house, and it was beautiful! Everyone was sad to leave yesterday and can't wait until next year.

Here are the highlights of Fripp:
* Kids loved high tide as they tried to "jump" the waves and ride them out. This was usually in the evening, towards dark, which was kind of nerve wracking as we couldn't see each other after a while. Kids thought it was "way cool"!
* Spent the days on the beach....boogie boarding, swimming, etc. Kim and Kirstin read some and "people watched" of course. The ocean was perfect and the beach was not too crowded. We usually had our own little area so it was perfect. There were also many "bocci ball" games during the week.... Wayne and Nate appear to be the partner champs as they usually came out winning.
* Evenings were wonderful as the adults sat out on the front porch chatting and enjoying a few drinks while the kids played cards and games until midnight or later. They also made milkshakes every night and enjoyed tons of laughs while blasting the music. This of course, was after the golf cart rides around the island. The girls thought it was cool they could drive with their permits (with an adult of course) and wanted to drive as much as possible.
* Wayne and I saw an alligator in the canal that was over 12 foot!!!! It was so large that it was kind of freaky! I think it was the alligator that Justin and Cody call "Mean". If it was, he moved spots because the alligator in the pond was much smaller than in the past.
* I took all the kids and teenagers to Hunting Island one afternoon. We loved shell hunting, swimming in ocean, and going up the lighthouse.
* Wayne rented a boat the last day - spent all of Friday out venturing to Bull's Point, which is a great place to shell. He had to make two trips, and of course, got lost once or twice, but it was great. He also had to manage the boat around clam beds, which was interesting. While we were at Bull's Point, the girls looked for shells, went swimming, and hunt out. We took our time going back as we watched dolphin swimming and feeding. Alex and Wayne tried fishing (Molly too) at Bull's Point. Alex caught two sharks - one a hammerhead that everyone thought was cool. You will see pictures of it below in the slide show. When we dropped the kids off at the marina, Wayne and I went back out and trolled around following dolphin and fishing. Great way to end the week.
* Elyse's friend, Molly, turned 15 while on vacation with us so of course we had to take her to the local "Johnson Creek Tavern". It was a fun night for all of us. We then walked into "Barefoot Bubbas", which is the local t-shirt/souvenier shop. When we walked in, the guy behind the cashregister goes, "Hey, you guys have been here before!". We just laughed. Yes.....a few times over the past years!
* Wayne, Nate, and Alex did get a few rounds of golf in. Not as much as the past, but they did enjoy themselves.

So, once again, Fripp has left us with great memories with family and friends. It is always sad to leave.....but exciting to know we will hopefully be back next year.

Next Stop - Outer Banks. . . .Old Memories and New

From Washington DC, we went to the beaches of the Outer Banks, North Carolina. We were anxious to get to the Outer Banks as we have many fond memories from the past...there were some tears along the way. . .good chats. . . new memories created. We stayed with Deanne and the girls at Darby's family beach house. It was a beautiful place. . .ocean to the right and the sound to the left. During the day, we sat on the beach as well as used the pool at Darby's stepmom's home, which is right on the beach.

Highlights:
* Chats until late in evening on out deck....sharing memories and thoughts while enjoying wine.
* Intense waves of the ocean - we were thrown around a lot!
* Wayne teaching Ellie how to fly a kite. It was adorable and precious!
* Watching dolphin in the ocean as we hunt out on the deck.
* Swinging in the hammock by the beach while enjoying the view and pool

I could go on and on about the Outer Banks. It was wonderful, although there was someone missing....missed you Ken!

Washington DC - Can You Say "Hot"? Yes - But Awesome!

We returned from our trip to the East Coast last night at 2:00 AM. We drove straight through from South Carolina to my parents, picked up dogs, and drove home to Cresco. Made pretty good time considering we added an hour on due to construction/delays. I will not lie.....there were tears shed at various times throughout this wonderful trip.....tears of sadness and tears of happiness. It definitely was a memorable vacation and good for the heart!

So instead of trying to put all sorts of pictures on one post, I will be sharing three post. Within each one, I will list the highlights of the various places we visited.

Our first stop was the wonderful Washington DC. We stayed with some friends of ours, Deanne and Darby, only Darby was gone on offical "Army" business. It was great to spend some time with Deanne and the girls, Molly and Ellie as well as travel and tour Washington DC.

Highlights of the trip:
* We had the pleasure of watching amazing fireworks of Washington DC being shot over Washington Monument. Because it was over 100 degrees and utter chaos, we decided to watch them from the Potomac River, right by the monument. It was so intense as there were 29 other surrounding suburbs doing fireworks as well so it lit up the sky. A moment I know none of us will forget.
* The first night we were in DC we decided to visit the monuments and White House. As we get close to the White House, security police show up pushing everyone out of the area. They were very intense. As we started walking away, the sky because full of activity - lots of helicopters etc. Next thing we know, Air Force One is landing with the President. We did not see him, but it was pretty intense.
* Spent one day at Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. I didn't think this would be very exciting as I am not a history person, but it was very cool! I suggest it to anyone visiting Washington. Kids loved it. They even shot off "day fireworks" that were colored powder. It looked just like the real thing, only spread out like powder. Very cool.
* I loved the monuments and memorials - Last time I was there they did not have the World War II memorial, which was beautiful. The most impressive one for all of us was Arlington Cemetary as we watched the "Changing of the Guards". Good for the kids to see and learn as they had lots of questions afterwards.
* Rest of visit was full of touring and fun. Kids got really good at figuring out Metro and getting around.

So, while it was very hot.....it was a wonderful vacation and time spent together. Enjoy the pics!