The first half of November has flown by in that way that can only happen when you add a 10 day visit from a beloved college friend onto your already completely over-booked life. These past two weeks have been full of laughter and parties, sunshine and foliage, cooking and dishes, late nights at rehearsals and parent teacher conferences, and very little sleep.
Jen arrived on November 4th and there's not been a dull moment since. It was lovely to come home from a 13 hour day at work to see this sweet gathering playing scrabble together.
The next night we spent our Friday evening at Skyzone, like you do. At least, like you do when two of your favorite kiddos are turning 12. The kids had fun jumping, and the adults had fun catching up. One of the things I love about our college-friend crew is the way we love one another's families, too.
The weekend of the 6th was a gift of sunshine and glorious foliage, and so we abandoned all responsibilities at home and got out to enjoy it.
Chapin Forest is fast becoming one of my favorite spots. We visited the Ledges trail and overlook and it was just as magical as the day we discovered it last year. On this visit we shook things up by climbing over the "restricted area" fence to hang out on the cliff edge, sitting on the sun-warmed rocks with the whole world to ourselves.
This young man did NOT want to come on the outing and spent the first part of our stay being very mopey. But as always, nature worked its magic and by the time we left he was having a grand time throwing acorns over the cliff and pestering his sister. I love how our kids respond to the outdoors.
This one wore her elf ears and her new combat boots for our outing. My little punk rock wood sprite.
Jen was thrilled to commune with deer and squirrels, both of which are uncommon in Portland, apparently.
See why I like it here?
We had such a lovely time in the woods that it was a bit of a rush to get ready for our big party at the yacht club...
Our friend Seku very generously hosted a group of us at his yacht club, and we had entirely too much fun together. See below.
Bottomless drinks, delicious food, and a rousing game of questions and answers. Plus this crazy thing of being TOGETHER, in person. There was a great deal of hugging throughout the evening.
After Jen and I stayed up til almost 2 at home, it was rather a miracle that I made it to my Sunday run group the next morning. I feel so blessed to have these different layers of friendship in my life.
Another gorgeous day, another pretty spot to enjoy it. We visited Holden Arboretum, along with most of the population of Northeast Ohio. (But can you blame all of us??)
Our friend Bethany joined us. One of the (many) gifts of Jen's visit is the way we are getting to spend time with friends we've not seen for many, many years.
Closed out the day with cooking and conversation at Mike's house.
The work week was a blur of comings and goings. Jack's swimming schedule does not jive with my rehearsal schedule, so on Mondays and Tuesdays we now eat family dinner in shifts. But we can still find time to enjoy the last 70 degree day at the lake.
We met the world's cutest corgi puppy...
... and got to chat briefly with Donna, who just interviewed for a full time gig at Oberlin. Cross all your fingers for her because she deserves this so much.
Cleveland is kinda pretty.
Wednesday we had Jack's parent-teacher conferences. Quick ten-minute bursts of information from his really great teachers, who we enjoyed getting to know a bit. He's had a successful first quarter, with a 4.16 GPA (thanks, advanced classes) and reports of good progress from his teachers. Geometry has been a bit tough for him, so we will be encouraging him to go to the extra help sessions after school for that. In most of his classes teachers reported that he participates (!) and is great in discussions (!) and is overall a terrific student except for using his phone a bit too much... His science teacher is just the coolest, and has invited students to eat lunch in her room. She's up to 12 kids who hang out with her each day. How lovely of her to create a place of belonging for students. It was clear how much she, and all of his other teachers, genuinely care for their students. Tiger Nation is the best.
Ivy's conferences were on Thursday, at the tail end of another conference night for me. More good reports. Our sweetie was reported to be very quiet in class and very polite (!), and she's holding her own in most of her advanced classes. Math is hitting her a little hard, too-- I think it is the subject most impacted by a year of remote learning, being so sequential. In other areas, our kids have been able to coast over their learning gaps on the strength of their vocabulary or background knowledge. In math, if you miss a concept, its like missing a rung on a ladder. They are working hard to climb but its more work than they are used to, that's for sure.
Friday, I enjoyed my favorite kind of workday. A half-day of time to use for paperwork and planning-- its just the perfect amount of work. You head home feeling accomplished yet with plenty of energy left for the rest of the day. Got in a run with a friend and a walk with Nat, all before 1pm. We picked Ivy up early from school and she and Jen and I spent the afternoon at the Asian market. I am so grateful for this time they are getting together- that my daughter gets to benefit from the magic of Jen in her life.
Then, off to the next party! Our friend MAjeed invited us to his lovely home for a feast of smoked meat and delicious Palestinian treats. We tried some crazy anise-seed liqueur, ate FAR too much food, and enjoyed the luxury of being TOGETHER, in person, again...
At the end of a long week, its nice to come home to these snuggly mammals...
Saturday! A big day! Ivy got her first Covid vaccine. She did great and reported that it didn't hurt at all. Its wonderful to know that we are just one more shot away from being a fully vaccinated family.
We also got to visit Alex's new baby Charlie. Oh, he is just delicious. A bundle of snuggle and softness.
I do miss my babies, here on the other end of raising children. Their sweet, soft vulnerability, the rocking and nursing and singing and patting. What I do not miss is the complete exhaustion of that time, when it sometimes seemed those sweet, soft little things were literally draining the life out of me. Ivy hasn't quite given up on the thought that she could be a big sister someday...but I know *I* am certainly content to borrow my friends' babies ... and then go home and sleep alllll night long!
Satuday night was the big event-- the wedding that Jen came to town for, the social event of the decade for our group, it seemed. Monday, though, we got an email that the reception had been cancelled due to venue problems. A tragiv event on all counts, for sure. Our friends announced that the party would be rescheduled for sometime over the summer, and we began casting about for somewhere to go all dressed up. By midweek, our friends had regrouped and organized a smaller party right at their own glassblowing shop and backyard, and gratefully we made the cut. We dressed ourselves up, put on fancy coats, headed out into the 35 degree weather, and had a blast.
I just love these people. They make me feel like I am 22 again when we are together. I personally think we haven't changed a bit.
Entirely too much fun, I tell ya.
I am utterly exhausted and also don't want all the fun to end. I could totally get used to this lifestyle- as long as I had a housekeeper to take care of ALLL the things I have ignored for the past two weeks. Today, we recover.
Be well, friends. May you, too, have entirely too much fun with the people you love.
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