COVID Update #7

 

Let's see, besides celebrating Tom, we have been busy...

Billy - we got the sad news that his dojang (Twin Cities Taekwondo) is closing its doors at the end of October. Damn COVID drove another small business out of business. He'll move up to Coon Rapids and still see Master Lemon pretty often but won't have him as his coach. They have been inseparable this year and Master Lemon told Billy "You are the reason I was able to stay open as long as I did. Without you I would have had to close months ago. Thanks for all you have done for me"  I'm not crying, your crying... He is also in full swing with soccer and they suck.  Out of 5 games, they have scored one goal agains a cumulative of 50+ from other teams. Oh well, at least the are outside and able to be together. He also rides bikes with his posse on weekends and even explored a sewer - I'm glad I didn't know about that until later...

Kay - She's got an interview with Kids & Co this week and the timing will be great. When her Brookview job winds down, she'll be able to start doing after school care with the kids at Tanglen. She also started pre-gymnastics training and is spending a LOT of time hanging out with friends.  We don't see her much, which I suppose is typical for a 17 year old girl. We just have our fingers crossed she picks up the pace at school and actually passes her classed.

Jimmy - He finally got band figured out. He's going to play alto sax in the jazz band and it practices on the only day he doesn't have football (Wednesdays).  This also means he gets to use the band room and he's already been there playing drums. Thank god he figured this out. Its his stress relief. He chose alto because the are already upper classman on drums and keyboard so he offered to be their back ups. Smart strategic move.  Hopefully by next year he'll win a spot on the drums.  He also said their football team is going to be wicked good and is spending a lot of time in the locker room hiding out from the ratline.  He said ratline simply sucks and is hard. Thank god he's got football and music!

Tom - see previous blog on all things birthday:) Needless to say, he's good.

Me - Tough few weeks at work, we had 4 people pass away unexpectedly and the team is taking it very hard. None were COVID related but all were long time people that live with us.  There has also been a lot of "events" coming down the pipe. Since all in person fundraising is canceled, everything is online and its getting tiring being on Zoom. However, fall is my favorite season and its been a GORGEOUS one.   We have had warm days and cool nights and we even got to ride bikes to a Oktoberfest outdoor brewery celebration and ride home in the dark. My favorite....

Maui - He's still out of sorts with Nikki gone. He gets real skiddish around other dogs and is barking way more than he ever did before. Plus sometimes he won't eat. Poor guy. He continues to be curious and funny and the other day Tom came home and he was "stranded" on center island. He had jumped up but then was too scared to jump down. 

Hope you are all surviving. I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that winters coming and try and go in with a positive attitude 

Love to all!!!

Tom's "desk" he check kids in and out of school and loves it!

VERY organized at Meadowbrook

outdoor orchestra practice, teachers are getting creative!

Coming up! We will be watching in Leona's garage with a few friends and lots of wine/snacks

DSP Recognition week, one of my favorite of the year

Mom made me the pillow of the kids.

Found in the back of Kay's car :( Unopened so we claimed as our own 

Full on Korean dinner

Pam sent us this photo of Nikki at St Pats day, love her to bits

On my morning walk

View at my office

Happy Birthday Tom, aka Mr Tom - the big 6-0

 

Well, we managed to celebrate Tom and his 60th birthday DESPITE COVID!! It was a multi day affair with most of his favorite people, food and leisure activities.  Tom, you are so loved. At school they played a game - 60 things we love about Tom.  Kind, funny, smart, good cook, good at games, generous, creative, problem solver, loves kids, nice to everyone, involved, loves to be outside...the list goes on and on. We asked Kay and Billy too and the top of their list was - great cook and great Dad. Ahh....

School celebrated him with a party and treats. We had family dinner of lamb chops, risotto and brussel sprouts/beets. Then we had 2 bonfires, 1 for neighbors and 1 for close friends. There was also fishing, dinner with his best friend and college roommate Mike & Libby.  Presents were abundant and the best was a family portrait done in as a cartoon.  I also managed to get 60 people to send him birthday cards. I was way short until he came home with cards from every 1st grader and then Jennifer O gave him ~ 8 cards (they were hysterical, form his doctor, proctologist, pharmacist, etc...)  He laughed and cried when he opened them.  He got well wishes from all over the world. including a call from his bestie in India - Ajay. Australia, India, England, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Cost Rica, Singapore... 

Tom ....again, you are so loved and we are so blessed to have you in our lives. You make us better and the world a better place .. Cheers to the next 60 years!! XOXOXO,,

A throne and crown at school

Party!

LOVE the sign 

The 1st graders rocked the cards 

Yum....

Getting ready to open cards!

Kay made the best card. She's so talented

My loves - missing Jimmy though - he did call!

60 cards of love 

Jaq's treats for the bonfire nights 

shrimp and grits! Our new favorite

bonfire!!

Keeping the sign going

a few refreshments 

Fish on!

Nicer fish on!

That's dinner

A good days work

Golf for the Gift, 3 months late but not a dollar short

 The Golf for the Gift was moved to Sept due to COVID and was also an amended tournament, but...that didn't stop everyone from having fun, raising money and socializing (distantly)

Every year, Tracy's parents come into town to participate and we were thrilled they were willing/able to come (with precautions of course).

Normally Bunny would volunteer with Patty and Jim, Tom, Aubrey, Stu, Les and Dick would be on the course, reliving past years.

Aub, Les and Dick were not feeling comfortable, health wise and so Bunny got the chance to play and carry the team! She got a birdie!!

The day was perfect and everyone had a great time with new traditions.

We took advantage of Jim and Bunny being in town to also have a good visit with Jeremiah who was recently "released" from his 14 quarantine due to moving into a new assisted living apartment in Hopkins. He is thrilled to be closer to most of his kids and friends. In fact, he realized that there are a fair number of old Arctic Way neighbors in his assisted living complex. Bonus!

In news of the strange, while Jeremiah was on quarantine, Katie's daughter Emily was driving his car.  Their thought was that they'd buy it as a kids car for the triplets. Until it started smoking and full on started on fire while Emily was driving. She kept her head straight and got out. No one was hurt but...we feel like we dodged a bullet. Not sure Jeremiah would have gotten out so fast. We had our fingers crossed that this would be the end of his driving but ... nope. He immediately insisted on going car shopping. He also lost his golf clubs in the fire but...luckily we have a ton of extra clubs and were able to put together a set for him.

Jim and Bunny also were able to have brunch with Aub and Patty and it lasted all morning. They are so cute. They never run out of things to talk about and are like 2 peas in a pod. I hope I'm like that with my best friends some day.

Tracy and Bunny did dog walks. Tom cooked. They drove Billy to/fro, helping us out. We watched the Packers beat the Vikings in their season opener (Go Pack Go!) and were able to talk to Jimmy for almost a 1/2 hours. 

It was a really good long weekend - wish they lived closer and COVID wasn't such a drag.

Photos to prove we had fun.

Vacation, all I ever wanted, Vacation, have to get away....

 Tom and I were in DESPERATE need for downtime so we called up Bob's Cabins, took the only opening they had and drove 3 hours to the north shore to try and decompress.

Getting out of town was a little hairy since school was supposed to start after Labor Day so we'd be getting back a day before school started. But then, they changed the start date to the Monday BEFORE Labor Day and we were leaving the Wednesday before Labor Day.

To make matters worse, 3 days before school started they changed the start time from 7:50 to 10:55. In the long run, this was good but our poor kid/dog sitter (who also worked for the school district so her work schedule got messed up too) had to deal with a bunch of last minute changes. Urhg.

The vacation was THE. BEST.

We love Bob's Cabins because they are extremely simple, clean and quiet.  We both read books (Tracy 3, Tom 2) played cribbage (Tracy only won 1 game:( ) and hiked twice every day.

We were also able to see Allison and Larrie who have a cabin in Silver Bay and celebrate Tom's birthday a bit early with a trip down the alpine slide, gondola ride, hike and awesome dinner/presents. Including a bottle of Old Monk we gave THEM when we moved to Toronto in 2012... That tells you how good it is.

We were also able to see Chandra and Bob and have a great hike and patio lunch.  They live in Duluth and are also dear friends from India.

All in all. A good glimpse at retirement, being empty nesters and relaxing....

Ahhh....

Bob's, you can literally touch the ceiling

Everything you need, nothing you don't

View from our bedroom

View from our front step 

Gorgeous nights 

Lots of time spent reading on this swing 

Perfect 

Hikes follow with amazing scenery 

You HAVE to had smoked fish when you are on the north shore 

Alpine slide! 

This is where Tom lost the car keys on the hike. We almost ended up doing the whole hike twice looking for them but, then another hiker said a guy in a blue shirt has them.  We tracked him down and only ended up doing 1/2 of the hike a second time. People are SO NICE. It was a little concerning when we realized we lost them too because there is ZERO cell coverage up there....

The water is so blue and clear, but its hard to get a photo that does it justice 

A working fishery

Happy early birthday! 

ewwww

Lots of time on the Superior Hiking Trail 

Hoping our neighbor kids can tell us what kind of caterpillar this is 

She was not at all worried about us 

My friends Dad (whose from Duluth) used to yell "Look at the size of that cock!" everytime they drove through Two Harbors as a kid;)