there he goes again

 Liam is all moved into his apartment and off to the races for his second year at Purdue!

We were all planning to move him down together, but I had some stomach troubles at the last minute, so it ended up being a boys-only trip. They were kind enough to send pictures, though.

Liam also ended up running into his friend Logan, who goes to Purdue Fort Wayne. Their friends group has this long-running game of tag with complicated rules, and Logan drove to campus specifically to tag Liam. Liam, you're IT!

I also asked for and received a first day of school picture. Doesn't he look like the most enthusiastic college student you've ever seen?

Here's to another great year at school for our Boilermaker!

first day of school!

 My, how far we've come! Fully back around to the first day of school again. It truly does seem like yesterday when Max started kindergarten, and now here we are at the beginning of his senior year of high school. And let's not even get into baby bro Henry starting 8th grade. Time: What even is it?

Max must have been excited to go back to school, because he was awake as soon as Liam's alarm went off at 4 this morning (early shift at the factory is rough!), so he got up and talked to Liam until it was time for Liam to leave for work. I left for the pool around 5:40, and Max's light was on but Henry's was not, but by the time I got home at 7, both of them were up and dressed and ready to go. Before they took off, though, they were kind enough to indulge me in taking some pictures. (Where kind enough = I had the car keys in my pocket, so good luck leaving before I was satisfied, boys!)

P.S. Don't Mike's sunflowers look great? So cheerful, even on a foggy morning.

UPDATE: Upon returning home, Max reported that calculus 2 is "easily the greatest class of all time." Henry says he had an "overall decent" day, and that he's looking forward to STEM class. Oh, and that he's going to the dance on Friday. "Obviously."

the end of summer

I realize it's not the end of actual summer, but it is the end of summer break around here. Max and Henry start school on Wednesday, and Liam starts in two weeks. We wanted to take the boys to see Barb and Kevin one last time before all the school schedules kick in, and the planets aligned so that we could all five go on Saturday afternoon. Johnny and Erin and the kids were free too, so we had a fun little chaotic visit. Mike drove us both ways in some pretty strong rain, but we were glad we could go. 

just a typical conversation

 Max: Are you ready to retire?

Holli: Yes, but I have no retirement money, so that's a never event.

Henry: When these two bozos finish college, you'll be able to save plenty of money.

Max: What about you, bro?

Henry: I'm going to trade school. I'm going to become an elevator mechanic, obviously —

Max: Obviously.

Henry: And make my millions in New York City. Then I'm going to move to rural Pennsylvania and open a Ford dealership. I've got it all figured out.

Max: Obviously.

Where does he come up with this stuff??

reaction shot

jeffirspalooza 2023

If you know one thing about me, it's probably that I love Legos/Fiesta/blow molds. But if you know two things about me, the second thing just might be that as much as I love those things, I absolutely hate group photos and matching T-shirts. And those two components feature prominently in my family's annual summer party. If I'm honest, the matching shirts and mandatory group photo really make me consider staying home every year. But then I go, and I have fun, because catching up with all these people and hearing what everyone's been up to is really great. Maybe even worth the photo. (No, sorry, it's never worth the photo.)

This year, Mike and Henry opted to stay home (and I'm fully OUT of the business of making people go places they don't want to go — that path only leads to sadness), so it was just me, Liam, and Max representing the Fort contingent. And when I tell you that my boys represented, believe me!

The big draw for the boys was the tournament. Pairs are drawn at random, then they compete in a series of events (this year's events included finger football, cup stacking, and beer pong). At the end, the team with the most points wins the coveted ugly ceramic pig trophies. And this year's winners were Max and Kelsey! I'm so proud that the green pig is coming back home where he belongs. 

Liam and Max also entered a separate tournament for the video game Super Smash Bros. The older cousins thought they could pull a fast one by using a very old version of the game (that is, from when they were playing most, as opposed to the modern version my boys are most familiar with) to give themselves an advantage. I warned them not to underestimate Liam and Max, but they did ... to their peril. The Fort boys dominated and brought home a Mario-themed prize basket.

Anyway, it was a smaller crowd than usual, which is fine with me. I had the chance to talk to a bunch of different people, including Aunt Rita, who always tops my favorite people list. The food was delicious, and a good time was had by all.

i ride

During the week, I'm basically stuck riding on the very few roads near us that are still paved. It's boring but also not. Boring because I see the same things every day: corn, more corn, sky, that weird little graveyard in the middle of a cornfield, the geodesic dome house that marks my turnaround point most days. But also not boring because there's something really beautiful about the corn growing higher and higher, and the sky almost always shows me something interesting. And sometimes I race alongside rabbits or see deer — but let's not mention that pit bull who took against me riding on "his" road and got close enough to touch his snout to my shoe. I could do without experiencing that again.

But on the weekends it's different. I load up my bike in the van (which is super awkward but needs must) and head out for a trail. All the rails-to-trails trails (decommissioned train tracks that have been converted to bike/walking/running trails) are at least 30 minutes from home, so the weekends are when I have enough time to make those kinds of trips. This summer, I've ridden on the Nickel Plate Trail (near Rochester), the Pumpkinvine Trail (near Middlebury), the Prairie Duneland Trail (Indiana Dunes/Chesterton), and the Erie-Lackawanna Trail (Crown Point). Each one is neat in its own way. The Pumpkinvine is right in the middle of Amish country, so there are a ton of families out getting from point A to point B. The Prairie Duneland is absolutely gorgeous, with tree canopies and tunnels and bridges. And the Erie-Lackawanna, which I rode 20 miles on last weekend, is bordered by wildflowers and has a whole nature preserve connected to it. 

Most weekends I've been riding by myself, but when I'm lucky enough, Mike or the boys will join me. Either way, it's peaceful. I usually ride early in the morning before it gets too hot, and that's when all the deer and birds are most active anyway. As rediscovered hobbies go, this one's pretty great.