I have been on a hiatus from blogging. I am continually on the fence on whether to keep this up or not. I feel like I still want to continue, but I think it will just come in waves. I have an unexpected day off (snow day #1!!) and am using it to do the thing I don’t make space for. We will see how far I get.
AUGUST
Ellie was invited to a friend’s birthday party when the weather was warm and pools were a thing we jumped in. The Cardinals have a beautiful property that they have decked out with all kinds of fun things, including this new in ground saltwater pool. It was a beautiful night, and the girls had a lot of fun.
Jeremy was living his best concert life when he went to see the Black Keys with Kevin and Sandy. I don’t really know their music, and concerts are low on my list of fun things. But he loves them and should do things he enjoys, even if it is without me. I am so glad he was able to go – especially with these two fun people!
Jeremy and I (alongside Shawn and Suzanne Nolt) are once again sponsors for the SYF for this year. We kicked the year off with an Amazing Race – on foot – at Lake Harmony (and a parent meeting happening simultaneously). Jeremy planned some exciting challenges at each house along the way. The youth embraced the experience! There are 28 of them, and they are an “all-in” bunch from what I can tell.
SEPTEMBER
My friend Christi chose to celebrate her birthday with a small gathering at LincWay Cafe one night. It was a eclectic mix of people from all parts of her life. It was full of laughter and some games of Dutch Blitz.
The 7th/8th grade choir sang the national anthem at a middle school football game. Ellie enjoyed that and then stayed after to cheer the team on – literally became a cheerleader for a quarter!
The SYF prepared and served wood-fired pizzas with the Shues as a fundraiser on a beautiful night in September. Madison and Kenna worked on cheese toppings. Over 100 from church came to fellowship, eat, and support the youth. It was a beautiful sight.
OCTOBER
Homecoming looked a little different this year. Madison and a group of friends chose to forgo the dance and gather for wood-fired pizza and outdoor fun at Jada’s house. They created some memories of spinning under the stars and hiking in the dark. In the formal world of homecoming, we celebrated with Sam as King.
Lilli had a chance this season to play volleyball with the Kent State, Tuscarawas Branch – Go Arrows! They had a great season, and she flipped between playing defensive specialist and right-side hitter. We had a chance to go watch a few of her games. The joy of volleyball returned for those moments. She said it is so much fun and, in a lot of ways, a whole lot less pressure/time than high school. They ended the season as National Runners-up in their league. (Lilli is #20, 5th from the right)
Jeremy purchased a projector and screen so we could have movie nights on our patio. We watched a Star Wars movie one night. Ellie and Pepper enjoyed it (as did the rest of us!).
NOVEMBER
Madison was on stage crew for the fall production, Get Smart. She helped initially pick out costumes for all the cast. She really enjoyed this process. During the production, she moved things on and off the stage, opened the curtain, and held up a wall. It made for some busy nights, but she had fun.
Jen and Arturo trekked from NYC to Ohio to stay with us for about 5 days prior to Thanksgiving. It is so good to share space with people and get to know them. The moments when you can just sit together after all the running, eating, and doing is done makes for some great conversation. We also took time to go watch Wicked 2 in the theater. Jen had watched the first part with us a year ago and came back for part 2. I really enjoyed the movie as a whole.
Every November on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the past 16 years a group of ladies has gathered at Rachel Augspurger’s house. This special gathering has been dubbed “The Tracy Brunch” in honor of Tracy (Miller) Bolyard who bolded accused Rachel of moving into a new place and never inviting her over. I was not a part of the start, but the group has ebbed and flowed over the years, and I was invited at some point. There is always (the same) tasty brunch food, a lot of laughter, some serious sharing, and reconnection. This year, Tricia and Rachel made t-shirts for the crew.
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