The End is Nigh

The end of the school year is upon us. While the last day of school technically isn't until May 25th, Connor is done with everything. He only needs to attend two more classes for the year. He has to give a presentation in one class on one day, and he has to attend that same class a second time to listen to others present. He basically has about 3 hours of school left for 10th grade.

He had to make two visual aids for his presentation, and I think he did a fantastic job.

Lex is nearly finished with all of his homeschool books, too.

He just got a new one to use over the summer, to prepare him for his math placement test, since he is going to take one over the summer before going to high school.

High School Football

Tonight was the first game of the season. 

Kevin and I took Connor to the game.

He hung out with some friends. 

But he did come find us when he wanted money for the concession stand.

The Raiders won!

CAHS 20 Year Reunion

This past weekend was my high school reunion.  It's been 20 years since we graduated.  There were two events that we made it to...the first was an adults-only evening reception, and the second was a family picnic at a park.

Photo dump commencing:

Kim, Julie, Jelena

James, Jelena, Kim, and Julie

Julie and Kevin

Julie and Kelly

Columbus Alternative High School Class of 1999

Connor and Kevin

Julie and a delicious shortbread cookie that I ate immediately after this photo was taken.

stories since I've been away

Last Wednesday, I woke up, got the boys ready, and packed up the SUV for adventure. We made our 9:00 AM optometrist appointment, where I ran into my high school English teacher, Mrs. Darke.

(For my fellow CAHS alumni, Mrs. Darke is in quasi-retirement, teaching online school a few days a week. She says that her students are an interesting mix, some of which are in prison. But, she is happy to still be able to teach.)

Then, we went to a library story time with some friends. We played baseball in the scorching heat. We ate at Noodles. Out of a group of a half dozen small children, my two were the ones screaming and crying at the restaurant, which was odd. Usually they are well behaved. Everyone has their days, though. So, we packed them back in the SUV, and headed to my mom's house, where I raided her wedding album and scanned in some pictures for my cousin. Then, I packed the boys back into the SUV and headed to my cousin's house in Akron.

On the road, we ran into a really bad thunderstorm, but I managed to keep the car on the road and followed a heavy utility truck through the storm. The boys finally slept.

My mother in law met us at my cousin's house so that she could borrow some camping equipment and I could give her a hitch we had picked up for Papa Kirk's car. She gave me the extra shelf for my microwave that I have been missing for 5 years - it's actually still in the back of my car. We ate pizza and played with the boys.

She told us that my cousin is expecting a new baby this winter, but I totally forgot about that until last night. I suddenly remembered and interrupted Kevin while he was talking to tell him the good news. He was very pleased, even though I totally ruined his train of thought. His new train of thought was that it is always good for there to be a new baby coming after a death in the family.

Anyways, after Grandma Ella left for her house, my cousin and I started looking through old family photos. Then we got the call.

My grandma had a temperature of 106 degrees, and she was expected to pass away in about an hour or so.

When I had seen her on Sunday, just three days earlier, I knew that it wouldn't be long. I figured she had a week, or 10 days, left, at most. So, it wasn't a surprise. But it was still a shock.

About an hour and 15 minutes later, we got the call. My dad called me at the exact same time that my uncle called my cousin. Our phones rang at exactly the same time, and I knew immediately. I'm glad that I was in Akron with my cousin when it happened; that we were all together.

The next morning, we departed from Akron to head back to East Liverpool with the rest of the family. We stopped at a mall on the way to pick up some clothes. Connor, who now refuses to wear anything that doesn't have a number on it, scored an OSU football jersey to wear by agreeing to wear a shirt and tie without complaining on the days that I said he had to.

My cousin and I were assigned the task of picking out an outfit for Grandma. We bought her a purple blazer and skirt set with pleats, with a pleated ruffled pink blouse. I really think she would have liked it. (All her sisters that have pre-deceased her were buried in purple, and the remaining two want to be buried in purple as well.) Buying her last outfit was totally surreal, to be honest.

After we made our purchase, we walked out to the parking lot, where I noticed that my SUV had a flat tire! Fortunately, there was a Goodyear right across the street, so I just drove it over and an hour later, I was road-ready again. The tire was able to be plugged, and the nail that they pulled out of it was barely more than a staple. But I guess it had gotten in there just the wrong way.

Later that night, my cell phone broke into two pieces, so the next morning, I headed to the local Verizon store. I wasn't sure what to expect from the small-town store, but there were about 5 phones to choose from, and I left pleased. Interestingly, a guy got kicked out of the store for not wearing a shirt while I was in there. No shirt, no shoes, no service. Seriously.

I still haven't finished programming my new phone.

My cousin and I stayed with my Pap Pap. I could tell he was seriously glad for the company, even though my uncle lives next door. The kids made us all laugh and smile. People brought tons of food, mostly baked goods and cold cut platters. Pap Pap joked that he wouldn't fit into his suit for the funeral. I bought him a new black tie with purple and blue paisley outlining designs on it, for I feared that all his ties were from the 1970s. I was right. He needed a new tie.

The small town Wal-Mart was seriously lacking, though. There was no couscous, edamame, soba noodles, disposable bibs or cinnamon gum to be found. The frozen food section was the same size as the one that we have at home, but instead of a whole aisle of vegetables, there was one freezer case, mostly full of corn. The rest was tv dinners.

The boys and I spent a week with Pam and her kids. It was great to be together. I know that Connor is happy to be home, though. He missed his home and his toys, and all the time spent at the funeral home was taxing on him, even though there was a playroom.

Lex, on the other hand, now misses his cousin Hannah. She was his constant playmate for a week, holding his hands and walking him from here to there all hours of the day.

I have now nursed a baby in a casket display sales room in a funeral home. It was the only room available that I could lock and have privacy since I was wearing a dress that wasn't nursing friendly.

I really wanted to bring Pap Pap home with us when we left. I thought it would be good for him, so that he wouldn't be alone. He has agreed to come and visit us soon, but he wasn't ready when I left. I realize now that he has things to take care of still. When I left, he was going with my uncle to pick out a headstone for Grandma. There is no way he will leave town until he can see her buried with the headstone finished and in place. Maybe then he will come visit. It seems like maybe early next month would be good for him, as my uncle is going on vacation then. Plus, he would get to come to our hog roast. When I told him about it, he smiled. He particularly liked the thought of the apple in the pig's mouth!

CAHS 10 Year Reunion

This weekend was my 10 year high school reunion, and it was a great time!

On Friday night, we went to Club 33 and I was so happy to see that so many people showed up.

Saturday afternoon, we had some people over to our house for lunch.

Saturday evening, we went to Due Amici, and I think that event was really good, too. The food was definitely delicious, but I have always loved their food. (The restaurant is just across the street from where I worked.)

I'm glad that we had events on both Friday and Saturday nights, because some people (like us) made it both nights, but others only made it for one or the other. Since we went both days, we got to see everyone.

My graduating class was very small, somewhere between 135 and 140, according to my yearbook. In light of that, I think that the total number of people who showed up was a really high percentage, but I'm not going to count and do the math! I'm sure that someone else should, though.

Also, I was enjoying just socializing, so I never took any pictures. Fortunately, most of the reunion planning was done on Facebook, and other people have already posted tons of pictures from the weekend for me to see.

And steal. Like this one from Friday night of Kate, myself and Tiffany:

Or this one from Saturday evening of Kelly and I:

It was really fun to show up pregnant. For one thing, I didn't have to watch what I ate at all to make sure that I fit into a tiny little dress...and for another...it was a ready topic of conversation.

This year would be Kevin's 10 year reunion, as well, but there doesn't seem to be anything going on for it. I think he should start trying to get his classmates to plan something for December...but that probably won't happen.

Now, I have a question for the peanut gallery. After 10 years, when is the next high school reunion typically held? 15 years? 20? I honestly have no idea...

High School Reunion

My high school class is having its 10 year reunion this summer. I'm helping to plan the main event. So far, I've been gathering information about locations for the reunion.

I'm excited to see everyone again!

My Weekend was Good

Friday:

The sorority formal was a great time! It was held at Confluence Park, and coincidentally, my old high school (CAHS) was there that night, too, having their prom! I stopped in to see if I knew any of the teachers that were chaperoning the dance, and I saw a couple that I knew:

Mr. Fawcett, my old chemistry teacher and The God of the Theater, remembered me and was very pleased to meet my husband. He was totally cool about us being there for the formal.

Senora Condron (Spanish teacher), recognized me, but was totally confused about why I was at prom with my husband. But, she was nice enough to Kevin.

Mr. Ramsey, the art teacher at CAHS, didn’t recognize me at all, and he didn’t have any interest in talking to anyone who wasn’t another teacher, so he very quickly brushed Kevin and I off with a “Have a Nice Prom!” (I only ever took one art class, so I can’t really blame him for not realizing that I wasn’t actually at prom…also, I guess that means I still have all of my youthful beauty, although I would prefer it if my youthful beauty was a little bit more like a 20-something, and not a teenager.)

I saw Mr. Wieland and his wife after that, but since I only ever took government with Mr. Wieland, and I was already miffed about Mr. Ramsey telling me to have a nice prom, I didn’t stop to talk to them before heading back to my sorority formal. I guess Jimmy V (Mr. Velo) was there, too, but I didn’t see him.

I forgot to bring my camera to the formal, so I don’t have any pictures yet. But, my brother was there as one of my sorority sister’s dates, so he let me borrow his camera for the night. I am hoping to get copies of pictures from him when he develops his film, and copies from a few other girls who did bring their cameras. When I do, I will be sure to post them!

Saturday:

Golfing was a blast!! We played 18 at the Gahanna Municipal Golf Course, which only has nine holes, so the back nine are just the front nine played over again. I did better the second time around. I even landed a ball on the green off the tee on a par three hole, and I was super happy and proud of myself. But then, I three-putted it into the hole, which sucks. By the second time around, I was really tired and totally sunburned. I am glad that I got to play, though.

The next time we go out, I think I only want to play 9. And, I would love to play a par three course. This course was a little hard. There were only two par three holes, and the rest were par four and fives.

After we were done golfing, we went over to Don Pablos for dinner, since it was actually my mom's birthday. I love Don Pablos, so that was good.

Sunday:

Church was packed on Sunday!! Pastor Dan was really excited, too, and he kept jumping from subject to subject. He has been running a little bit long lately, and instead of stopping at noon, he has been stopping closer to 12:25 and 12:30. But, he managed to end right at 12:00 this week.

We went out for dinner (Cheeseburger in Paradise) to celebrate my mom’s birthday on Sunday (since Chris wasn't with us the day before), and she really liked the gift we got for her. We bought her a Pyrex Portable set, which consists of a baking dish, lid and carrying case with both hot and cold packs. (It was something that she really wanted, trust me. I got one for our wedding, and it is fabulous, and she was jealous.) We also got her an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, because those are the best!

I was a little bummed out on Sunday because I was so tired from golfing the day before that I kept falling asleep (thankfully not in church), and also because I was too sunburned to wear the new sun dress that I bought last weekend. I was so bummed out about not being able to wear my new dress that I just wore jeans to church (but so did Kevin, so it was alright).

Finally, after we got home, Kevin and I watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which was a good movie, even if it was totally a chick flick that made me cry.

Kevin's Football Scrapbook

Kevin played football in high school, and his mother bought a scrapbook and clipped all the articles from the newpapers that mentioned him. She even got copies of the photographs that were published in the papers. (One of which is above; Kevin is number 32.) But, she never actually got around to putting all of it together.

Since we've bought our house, both of our parents have been giving us back stuff that we didn't even know that they were holding onto for us, such as my old doll house, or a box full of scrapbook clippings, that now I'm putting together for Kevin.

I don't mind putting the scrapbook in order, actually, as I really like scrapbooking. A few days ago I designed the cover page, and last night, I sorted through everything from Ella's stack, and put it all in (a loose) chronological order. Now, I can put it all into the scrapbook with ease.

Next time you come over you'll have to see it, because once I'm done with it, it is going to be legendary. Now I need to figure out what to do with my old doll house.