yosemite national park

Well, friends, we've made it to 20 years of being married. Two decades of choosing each other every single day–and being happy to do it over and over again. We went to a national park for our honeymoon (Rocky Mountain NP), so it only seems right that we picked the big daddy of national parks to celebrate this momentous milestone. 

Over the years, we've been to a lot of national parks, and in the process, we've seen almost all of the ones that are easy to get to. Well, easier to get to–none of them are conveniently located right next to major airports! So now every park we visit involves an added layer of logistical challenges to get there. In this case, we drove to Chicago, got a flight to Oakland, then rented a car and drove about four hours to Fish Camp, CA, where we stayed at the unnecessarily fancy Tenaya Lodge. 

Our first day at Yosemite was just about perfect. We got there early enough to find a parking space in Yosemite Valley, then we rented bikes for the day. We spent the whole day riding around the valley, which was an incredible way to see everything without the hassle of driving or taking a shuttle from place to place. We brought along a picnic lunch, which we enjoyed at Mirror Lake (we had to park the bikes and hike up to the lake, which was also fun). Usually by this time of year, Mirror Lake is completely dried up (making it Mirror Meadow) but last year there was a record amount of snowfall, plus a lot of rain this year, so there was still lake to be seen. Also because of this, the waterfalls around the park were still flowing. We got so lucky!

For our second day, we drove across the northern alpine sections of the park and out the east side. It was a long drive, but absolutely gorgeous, with plenty of rock formations and mountain lakes to keep our attention. And once we exited the park on the east side, we headed to Mono Lake, a hypersalinated body of water with really interesting rock (salt) formations. We hiked the trail down to the lake and spent plenty of time just being amazed that this exists in the world. Truly there aren't enough superlatives.

Our last morning was a doozy! We drove to the Mariposa Grove visitors center, then took the shuttle up to the grove itself. The plan was for me to hike the shorter .3-mile trail to get a feel for the grove, while Mike did the more challenging 2-mile hike that goes to all the major groves, but we had done quite a bit of walking the first two days and I was still feeling pretty strong, so I decided to accompany him on the longer hike. It turned out to be right at the limit of what I could handle because there were a lot of steep inclines and uneven terrain, but I ended up managing it without injury. After the year I've had trying to get my foot healed after surgery, I'll never take a 2-mile hike for granted again! Anyway, the Mariposa Grove is home to giant sequoias, and they really are incredibly impressive. Mike was so happy to go on this hike!

After we finished our hike and took the shuttle back down, it was time to head back to Oakland. We got to our hotel for the night and basically collapsed. We got some food from the sports bar in the hotel, but we were definitely not up for anything else by then. It was a very busy few days, but pretty much a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary.

henry at fourteen

Over the summer, Liam and Max both told me in separate conversations that all of the sudden, Henry "got funny." What they meant, of course, is that he's caught up to them enough in maturity level and sophistication that they're all basically on the same level now and can really appreciate each other. I mean, we all know that our Henry has been hilarious all along! But now it's like a switch has flipped, and they would all rather spend time with each other than separately. They're truly friends, which makes my heart so so happy. (And as a side note because someday Adult Henry will read this: Feels pretty great to have your older brothers quoting your jokes and funny sayings with their friends, doesn't it?)

Liam and Max aren't entirely wrong, though: Henry has changed a lot this year. He's grown a ton and can look Mike in the eye (and is almost as tall as Max now!). And after a few years of preferring to just hang out at home playing video games in the basement (I truly blame the pandemic for this), he has once again embraced social events. Now he's eager to go to school dances, concerts in the park, the Blueberry Festival ... basically anywhere he can hang out with his friends. He also dipped his toe for the first time into the waters of boy+girl interactions ... but that's not my story to tell, so I'll just note it here for posterity and move on. 

Henry has always been a hard worker, and he spent his summer helping with Mike's plants at home plus spending a day every week at my mom's house entertaining my nephew Jack and niece Elsie (both of whom adore him). He's always willing to lend a hand, and sometimes I think we don't express our appreciation enough, but it's there. And listen, any 13-year-old who is willing to spend a whole day every single week with his grandmother, his 7-year-old cousin, and his baby cousin is a Good Kid in my book. 

Henry wanted (and got!) a pretty low-key birthday weekend. On Friday, my parents took him to Bonefish Grill for dinner, where he enjoyed the many "Bang Bang" menu options on offer (and came home with leftover Bang Bang Shrimp tacos!). On Saturday, he was very excited to open his gift from Barb and Kevin, who sent frozen deep-dish pizzas from Lou Malnati's. He made the pepperoni one for dinner, and grudgingly shared the tiniest sliver with me but ate the rest all by himself. On Sunday, he came with me and Max to take Liam out to lunch, then the brothers all hung out in Liam's apartment for a little while, and when we got home, Mike made (at Henry's request) pasta forticus, his favorite special occasion meal. In between, he built Legos and played late-night video games online with Liam. It's easy to see why we could label this Henry's Perfect Weekend, right?

The truth is that sometimes (ok, a lot of the time) I have to remind myself that Henry is still a kid. He fits in perfectly with the older boys, and he's so mature and responsible, but he also knows how to have fun. It really is a house filled with laughter, and a lot of that is because of Henry's quips and his quick wit. 

Happy birthday, Henry! We love you, and we are so looking forward to another year of laughing with you.

bike the drive 2023

This year, we managed a feat that had thus far eluded us: All five of us completed Bike the Drive together! Over the years, Mike has done BTD six times now, and I've done it five times. This was Liam's third time (he rode with me and Mike in 2016, and with Mike and Max in 2017), Max's second (he rode with Mike and Max in 2017), and Henry's first time. 

Funny thing: As you may have noticed, I've been riding my bike all summer long over various trails across the state, working my way up to BTD. Mike and the boys, in contrast, felt no particular need to do any training. I think Mike and Liam each rode once with me (a 10-mile ride), and Henry rode twice with me (the longest being 12 miles). Max hadn't ridden a bike since last year when we rode that trail in Alaska. They all said they didn't need any practice, and for the most part, they were right. But guess what? I wasn't the first person to get tired! Or even the second. So there are some real benefits to preparation too.

We started and ended at the Museum of Science and Industry this year, and that was great because it was so much easier to get in and out of the city, and the parking garage was right by the race start. We got there as the sun was coming up, and as soon as they let us onto Lake Shore Drive, the boys started riding ahead of us, not wanting to be held back by us slow old-timers (for the record, I am the only slow old-timer; Mike could have gone much faster, but he opted to ride with me instead). Funny enough, by the time they reached the rest area at Hollywood Ave. at the north end of Lake Shore Drive, they were only about half a mile ahead of us. The rest area marked the halfway point, and I asked them how they were feeling after the first 15 miles. All three of them said they were fine, it was fairly easy, they had no difficulty.

And then things took a turn.

As we headed back south, the boys again increased their speed and started riding ahead of us. But around mile 20, Max suddenly came up from behind me. 

"How'd you get back there?" I asked.

"Henry's out of gas and had to stop, and Liam didn't notice and went ahead, but I noticed and stopped with him. Can he ride with you now?"

I looked, and a clearly overheated Henry was right behind us. He had no water bottle, so I passed him mine, but I guess he doesn't have much practice drinking and riding at the same time, because as soon as he tried, he dropped my water bottle, which was then lost forever in the steady stream of riders behind us. (He offered to go back and get it, but no way was I letting him fight against traffic for a water bottle. That really could have been a disaster.)

So on we rode, to the river, where I had asked everyone to stop and take a picture. I could tell that Henry was super tired by then, so we took a long break and I got my picture (though it was really crowded so we weren't on the actual bridge). We started off again, with Liam and Max in the lead. I pulled into traffic and thought Mike and Henry were right behind me, but I guess they got delayed because I didn't see them again until the end. I caught up with Liam in Grant Park (about mile 23) and he told me his goose was cooked and he was ready to be finished, then we got separated again, and I rode the rest of the way by myself.

The final few miles were really hot and windy, definitely not my favorite riding conditions (especially with no water). Liam and Max ended up making it back to the museum about a half a mile ahead of me, and Mike and Henry were a couple miles behind, having stopped for rest breaks a couple times along the way. We got some water and snacks from the rest area, and the boys plopped themselves on the grass in an absolute portrait of exhaustion. 

Once we had a minute to catch our breath and Mike picked up all our event shirts for us (they're really nice this year!), we headed back to the parking garage and loaded up. A stop in Valpo for lunch, then back home by early afternoon. 

At lunch, I asked the boys what they thought, and the consensus was that they were glad we all got to do it together, but none of them wants to do it again next year. That could have been the soreness/chafing talking, but I don't think so. And I suppose it doesn't really matter. I'm just incredibly grateful that we could all do it together this year. I'm so proud of them for sticking it out for the whole 30 miles! And listen, I'm proud of myself, too. At the start of this year, I literally COULD NOT WALK. And now it's barely September, and while I can't walk long distances, I think I've proven that I can ride them. And that's more fun anyway!

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.

liam at nineteen

 

Yesterday, Liam made a mistake. It could have been a mistake with major consequences, so he was understandably upset and worked up. But he did what he needed to do to mitigate the damage, and it turned out fine in the end. It was a nice opportunity for him to remember what I think is one of the prime rules of being a good person: Everyone fucks up, and that's OK. It's what you do AFTERWARD that matters. Do you blame someone else, wallow in self-pity, or do something else destructive? Or do you take responsibility, own what you did, and set about making it right (or as right as you can)? And I am so proud of him because he consistently does the latter. 

This has been an incredible year of transition for our Liam. He's spent a full school year away at school, and now he's made the shift back home for the summer (which I remember being not so easy to do!), and soon he'll be moving into his off-campus apartment and starting his second year at Purdue. He is spending his summer working in a factory, by which I mostly mean getting an appreciation for how hard it is to work in a factory and how thankful he is that his education will be his ticket to a life spent away from the factory floor. He often sends me snapchats during the day, rating his job on a sliding scale from "this job sucks" to "this job ain't too shabby" and giving me little updates on how it's going. They never fail to make me laugh, even when I'm apologizing for not having been born into generational wealth that I can pass along to him to make his life easier.

At school, Liam has gotten way more involved in campus life than I ever was, and I'm proud of that too. He joined the Orbital Club last year, and this year he'll be a design lead for the group, which aims to build and launch a rocket. He joined the freshman honor society, and he's looking for other things that catch his interest. And he's balancing all that with challenging course loads of advanced math and engineering classes. In short, he's in his element.

He remains loyal to his lifelong group of friends, and they've gotten together regularly this summer to play D&D, have Nerf wars, and just generally goof around. He is also perfectly happy to sit around at home shooting the shit with his brothers for hours on end, all of them insulting each other, taunting each other, laughing together, and loving every minute of it. It makes my heart so happy that these fellas genuinely like each other. They are each fiercely supportive of their brothers, even if they give each other grief at every single turn.

Our Liam is fully an adult now, and he doesn't HAVE to come to us for anything. The fact that he still does tells me we've done something right with him. I can only hope that will always be the case.

Happiest of days, my boy. We love you so much, and we're so excited to be along for your ride.

a fun week

Friends, I'm finally getting back into a good groove.

After being closed for six agonizing months, the pool at my gym is finally back open, so I've been going most mornings and catching up with my dear friend Connie while we walk and exercise in the water. I've been riding my gorgeous bike, and that makes me really happy, even though there are only like three roads I can ride on because all of the paved roads around here have been replaced with gravel, and I'm not risking my neck on that. The boys are happy(ish) with their jobs and summer routines, and Mike is in his element getting the garden in and filling in the remaining spots in our never-ending front garden project.

In short, life's been pretty good.

On Tuesday, my sister Bethany, our mom, and I got to meet Great-Aunt Rita for dinner in Valparaiso, which was so nice. Aunt Rita is one of my favorite people in the world, and I love it when I have the chance to hang out with her. (I also am QUITE fond of Marlene and Bethany, for the record.) Plus, the food was amazing. I ordered the special fajitas, and it took me the entire rest of the week to finish them! The fajitas are beef, lobster tail, and bacon-wrapped shrimp. Seriously decadent.

And this weekend, for Father's Day, we had a cookout at Bethany's house, and the kids (minus Max, who got called into work ... again) got to splash around in the pool and be idolized by their younger cousins Jack, Elsie, John, and Bevie. They can claim irritation at spending time with littles all they want, but I know the truth, and that truth is that they love the littles as much as I do. (Have I mentioned that Henry is spending every Thursday this summer at my mom's house to help her watch Jack and Elsie? Come on.)

Today is actual Father's Day, and we've just been hanging out at home. Mike bought a massive beef brisket at the grocery store yesterday, and now he's experimenting with the wonders of smoking meat on the grill using wood chips. I could have worked today (I have plenty to do!), but instead I took today to organize my office, finalize vacation plans for the next few months, and just generally catch up on things I let slide when I'm deep into work mode. It has felt really good to get some of these things crossed off my list!

Update: Mike just brought the brisket in because it reached the right temperature, even though he thought it would take another hour or two before it would be done. It still has to rest for like an hour, but as he brought it in, he yelled across the house, "Oh my god, Holli, it smells so fucking good. I don't care if it's cooked or not!" I can smell it all the way in my office, and I can verify that it smells AMAZING. I can't wait to try it!  

happy 85 to kevin!

 Hot on the heels of Barb's 80th birthday, we have Kevin's 85th! Mike, Liam, Henry, and I headed to Naperville to mark the occasion with Johnny and Erin and the kids (Max had to work, so he missed out). It was a quick but fun visit, and really nice for everyone to catch up together after a pretty hectic spring. We had a perfect casual lunch and enjoyed some cake, and Kevin enjoyed having us all there to wish him the very best day.