Is it really spring? April? Really? 14+” of snow in April – 4th snowiest April on record so far! The pictures of pond and yard are from yesterday!!! And to think that just the week before our ducks came back!!! Love those ducks 🙂 Hope they unfreeze wherever they are and decide to come back. Kids are loving the snow – it was the super sticky, heavy, (back breaking – ugh), and great-for-packing kind of snow. They made snow castles, and also started tiny snow balls at the top of our hill, rolled them all the way down, and check out how HUGE they got!
Did I mention what stinkers my kids are? On April 1st they were home alone (it was the first day of spring break and both Beth and I went to work that day). I knew they were going to make brownies so I filled the brownie box with their socks and sealed it back up. Heh heh heh. That night when Beth and I were going to bed we found that all of my underwear was in her drawer and all of hers was in mine. Hee hee. The also taped the bottom of the mouse so it wouldn’t work and replaced the salt in the shaker with sugar. 🙂
We had a FUN, BUSY spring break with the kids. Beth worked most of it so I got to spend time with the kids for a nice change. We…went skiing (my office building is in the first row of big buildings behind the kids). I got the shortest skis I’ve ever had – 150’s and with the dullest edges ever – that made it interesting – good thing the hill is only 250’ vertical – the kids are all naturals! Ate at yo-yo donuts (skipped the maple-glazed bacon donut – maybe next time). Went to the art museum & did art scavenger hunts for prizes (that suit of armor Colleen is in front of is made of military dog tags – wow – powerful). Ate at VNAM (Vietnamese the kids love). Saw The Croods (movie – made us cry). Ate at Einstein bagels (Christopher’s choice). Went to the Water Park of America for an entire day. Ate at Rain Forest in the Mall of America. Surprised the kids with a trip to the circus (circus was cool, and pulling off a surprise that the kids loved was even cooler). Ate at Punch Pizza. Got hot chocolate at Caribou (Colleen’s choice). Went to Jump-n-Jam. Hmm…must be missing something…fun stuff!!!
I just got back from an awesome trip to Indiana. It was definitely with mixed emotions but it was so great to see everybody!!! It started with seeing the old (and I mean OLD – none of them have aged near as well as I have 🙂 ) college roommates (3 guys & 3 girls). They’ve really been there for me all year – hope they know how much they mean to me. All six of us ran a 5k race last Saturday on campus (and the $ went towards fighting cancer which was perfect). Purdue’s football coach and a lot of the football players were there along with the Boilermaker Special (big choo choo). The race started with the coach banging on the big (“World’s Largest”) Purdue drum…and we were off! I hung out in Lafayette for two days. We had a fun visit at Harry’s Chocolate Shop for several hours where the Baltimore Zoos were flowing – just like old times! A few of us did mini-Boilermakers (whiskey dropped in a beer) to celebrate new jobs for a few of the roommates (tradition!). It’s always great to be back on campus, especially at spring time – and was great all of the roomies could make it.
After Lafayette I drove to Rochester and spent a few days with my parents/Aunts/Uncle/cousin, cleaning up Grandma and Grandpa T’s house. Lots of stuff stored up in that house in the past 50+ years! Lots of good memories and stories and tears and laughter. Funny to see all of the old clothes, bathing suits, hats, bottles, papers, pictures, games, books, etc. that were found and of course some of which were tried on 🙂 We also found lots of chocolate in drawers…not sure what the real story is on that but I want to remember it with a smile as Grandma hiding secret stashes for herself all around the house 🙂 From the perspective of a grandchild, I spent a lot of time in that house and really tried to visit as often as I could considering the distance from where I lived. That house (and all of Rochester for that matter) was a special place for me where I knew I was always welcomed…something comforting and homey about sneaking into the candy dish, pulling out all the old toys and games from the cupboards, drinking out of the song or bird glasses, listening to the old records, eating mini donuts that were cut in half, walking to the dam, cinnamon rolls & oatmeal cookies, playing on the organ, and sitting on the stool at the end of the big table in the cramped kitchen, knowing that a game of Euchre could start at any moment. I have many fond memories that I’ll carry with me always. I’m glad while I helped I could share some great moments with my parents and others for a few days.
When I drove down to Indiana it snowed the entire time I was in MN and WI, and then rained in IL. When I drove back it rained, hard at times, and with many thunder storms, almost all the way through IN, IL, and WI, and then turned to 8” of snow by the end of the next day in MN. So I had two hands on the wheel almost the entire way home and was tired (mentally & physically). The next night I had to play in the championship game in the AA Racquetball League. Needless to say I had my excuses lined up in my head before the match started. I took the first game, I lost the second game and almost an hour and a half after we started (extremely long games that went to double-digits for both of us each game)…I barely won the 3rd game. My arm, shoulder, and back are still sore – but well worth it considering the outcome! After the game I drove home and THEN shoveled the 8” of wet, heavy snow from the driveway 🙂
Random pics with this post – I’m sure you can figure out which is which. Chicago-style pizza I picked up in Chicago while driving and ate in the car; view out of my office window – I could watch construction activity all day; fruit basket from Grandma & Grandpa – yummy (especially the chocolate covered pineapple but it was all amazingly good!); Christopher’s birthday (we just celebrated it yesterday by going back to the water park with only a few of his friends) – I’ll have to ask him birthday questions for my next post.
Ok…enough randomness for now. Hearts and prayers to everyone impacted in Boston.
A little late, but wanted to let you know I enjoyed all the pics and this blog update.
So glad you could make it to IN to spend time with your Purdue friends. You are very fortunate to have such good friends and that you’ve managed to stay in touch with over the years. I know they have helped you get through some tough times the past year and how much you appreciate them being there for you.
Thanks again for all your help at Grandma and Grandpa Ts. We got a lot done, but there’s still a lot to do. Yes, we did have some tender moments, but also lots of laughs as we reminisced about all the good times we had at 1307 Lakeshore Drive. I will always feel blessed to have the wonderful parents I had and all the good times growing up in Rochester. As everything is eventually sold another chapter in my life closes. Like I told mom as we left, we were leaving a house and lots of stuff, but we were taking with us so many wonderful memories. I’m so thankful for those memories and will always cherish them.
Hope you are enjoying spring weather by now. We have had a really nice spring so far, but can use a little more rain. Even though I was out in the snow and winter weather more this year, I really didn’t mind it. I finally got my bike out and have been riding it some.
I don’t know where you find the time and energy to do as much as you do with the kids, but you will always be thankful that you made the time for them. Those years go by way to fast and before you know it they’ll be leaving the nest. Keep enjoying them.
I noticed that spellcheck is now available when replying back to you. That’s a nice addition. Maybe it’s been there for awhile, but I just noticed it this time. Take care and give everyone a big hug and kiss from us. Hope Beth takes a little time off from studies to enjoy Mother’s Day. We’ll see you all in just a few days.
It was great getting some time “alone” in Indiana – loved visiting and talking, and making & sharing some fun & meaningful memories. I agree about those chapters closing and having wonderful memories – we lost two very important people last year and need to hold tight to those memories. I try to do stuff with the kids but it seems like there’s never enough time despite my good intentions and realizing how precious life is. But I keep trying 🙂 Love all of you in our wonderful family.