Go, Go, Goers!

Man, it has been a busy month! We've had events each weekend, which is why there's been a few weeks with no blog posts. Overall, everything is good! Ava's busy with the marching band, school, and work (she loves her job!), and G is busy with school and learning to play trombone. Scott and I are busy with work, and trying to keep up with the kid's busy schedule. Whew! This weekend is nothing new...we've got a homecoming game performance (Ava), BOA regional competition in Des Moines (Ava), passing out goody bags for the trumpets early on Saturday (me), a high school play (me), Scott's up north for the weekend, and G has a dinner date with my parents since he can't be alone for too long by himself. And then G and I are hanging out 24/7 starting on Saturday morning! From start to finish, we are going to be maxed out this weekend. I'll be excited to share (I hope) how the RHSMB does at the BOA regional competition in next week's post. But for now, here...

It's G's turn! He started 5th grade this past Tuesday. I absolutely cannot believe that we are in our last year of elementary school. This is the 12th year that we've had a kid in elementary. We've had great experiences with our school, but I am ready to level up, and enjoy this last year (of being an elementary school parent.) I have spent so much time at RHS over the last several years with Ava that the differences between the ages/responsibilities/expectations are very apparent. G had a great first day of school and was happy to be in class with many of his friends! Ava was very busy with school, RHSMB rehearsals, and work this week. Saturday night is the first competition of the MB season, and I'm excited to see it all come together. I haven't seen them perform in uniform yet, so it'll be a neat experience to finally see it under the stadium lights at a neighboring high school. Good luck, Irish! Scott, Pria, and I are just existing in our kids' world...

It's that time again...the 24-25 school year has started! Or, at least it's started for the older kids. Ava went back to school this past Wednesday, but it was only for a few hours (lunch, assembly, etc.) Thursday was the first day where the kids ran through the entire schedule, met their teachers, saw friends, photo day, etc. And then they get a nice 4-day long weekend!  We survived the high school parking permit disaster that took place a few weeks ago. During the 2nd attempt, we did NOT get a permit in the main lot, and I decided I didn't need the stress of trying to secure one in the community center lot each trimester, so, I bought one for the entire school year at the sports dome. When we picked it up on Tuesday morning, Ava, Aaron, G, and I all timed how long it takes to walk from the dome to the school...it clocks in just under 10 min. My only concern is the downhill path when it's snowy and icy; she'll just have to take it slow. And, Ava might not drive eve...

Last Sunday, G and I ventured into St Paul, and did a little exploring. We drove through part of the St Kate's campus, went to Cecil's Deli for some sweet desserts, checked out the Ford Dam (I cannot believe how much Highland Park has changed since I lived there 25+ years ago), and then finally made our way into Minneapolis to Minnehaha Falls Park. It had been a really long time since I had been to Minnehaha, and every time that G went recently with the Y, either they didn't make it out to the Falls, or, we were in a drought, so there was no falling water. But this weekend was perfect! It was really rushing, and it was so neat to see it. In all of my time while at college, I never realized that they were such a short drive from campus. I'm glad we took the time to see them! Cecil's! Ford Dam At the top of the falls The rest of the week was a blur with work, work, work, and activities. On Thursday, we headed out to the opening day of the MN State Fair, mostly to see ...

I'm having a hard time believing that the kids go back to school in a few weeks. This summer has flown by! I love, love, love the month of May, when summer starts feeling more real, and the expanse of "free time" is just right around the corner, and feels never-ending. Yet, here we are in the latter half of August, and I'm not really sure where the time went.  We've been so busy over the last few weekends preparing for and volunteering at the RHSMB Mega Garage Sale. It's so big! And it takes an army to pull it off. Collectively, Ava, my mom, and I put in at least 30 hours to help out. And we're just a small percentage of the people who volunteered. It's such a wonderful fundraiser for the band, so it's worth the time and sweat we pour into it! Ava's been really busy with marching band and...also starting a job! Ava's a teacher's aide at a local daycare center, and really seems to like it. They are organized, responsive, and pay pretty d...