A Ton of Fun in 2021: Week 35 Recap

August 23, 2021. First day of ONU Classes. I don't teach on M/W/F but I still go in to get work done and hold office hours. I'm starting my 14th year at ONU as a professor.  I'm never ready to give up summer, but since this year my real kiddos don't go back to school for three more weeks, it's especially difficult.  Once I get back into the classroom, everything falls back into place, and I get excited to have a fabulous year. 

Monday night at 5 pm I signed up to participate in the pasta contest at the fair.  I read the directions and it didn't say it had to be a pan full, so I just took a bowl (everyone else had 9x14's). It was too expensive with chicken, bacon, shrimp so I refused to take a big pan to share. We ate the rest of the pan and took a bowl.  Penne Rustica won first prize.  Yahoo! Phil and Deb stayed and watched the judging as I had to drop and go with Olivia to volleyball practice. Always too many irons in the fire. 

On Wednesday we went out to the fair in the afternoon to collect the kiddos 4-H fair premiums. Because both kiddos took 2 projects, they both received $14.  They were so excited to collect their premiums, even though that didn't put a dent in what it cost Olivia to make her PJ's. Oh well, they felt like they had won the lottery!

Oh my goodness how can my Bubbers be 11? I can't believe it. I went to Meijer and bought cupcakes (ironic, I know, with my recent best of show submission at the fair with my cupcakes) for Isaac to take to the last day of summer reading camp. The teachers were kind enough to snap a few pictures of them eating and celebrating his birthday even though I was at work. 

For our first PRSSA Meeting of the year, we invited our professional adviser Hannah Brown. It was great to have her back on campus. She graduated 5 years ago already, but I feel like she barely left campus. I'm so excited to have her to work with throughout the year for PRSSA.  She has graciously agreed to allow Amanda McKelvey also serve as a professional adviser to the chapter, just not as the one of record. So lucky to have so many great alumni help our our program. 

This year was a dilemma of whether or not to allow Olivia to do a dance solo. We already fork out nearly $3000 for her to be on the competitive dance team.  She does hip hop, lyrical, tap, jazz, production, ballet, and acro dance.
That is 7 dances to learn with teammates and 7 costumes. It costs an additional $300 for solo choreography and that's not the $120-$150 per competition to perform. So we agreed to allow her to do a solo if she convinced her three grandparents to each pitch in $100 to sign up. Because she is incredibly spoiled, all agreed.  So here we are with her solo and she is OVER THE MOON excited to perform and have no one to blame but herself for a less than perfect performance. She started learning the moves this week and that will continue well into October. 

We decided to host Isaac's 11th Birthday Party on Friday night.  I 'donut' believe it....Isaac is 11! was the theme. Lots of family and friends were able to make it and celebrate the evening with TJ's pizza, chips, and of course, donuts! The kids swam in the pool as it was a super hot evening and the adults just chilled.  Isaac's best buddy Brayden spent the night and was so excited for him to test out the remote controlled boat he gave him in the pool.  All in all, it was a great party with lots of laughs. 

How many people get to see their High School BFF, Maid of Honor in the Wedding type of friend complete in the Olympics?  Well that's exactly what I got to do on Saturday night. Kel made her Paralympic debut in the triathlon. I was so excited to watch her compete at age 42 and just rock it.  While she got 7th overall (in the WORLD mind you) she wasn't able to bring home hardware, but what an amazing experience. She had to compete up a level, which means had she competed with others on here level, she most likely would have won GOLD because she currently sits #1 in the world in her division. I was busting with pride for Kel.  All the trials and challenges she's endured with this amputation, she has always held her head high and done and amazing job. Here is her interview. 

Sunday finished off our insanely busy week with the Dedication of Elida Elementary School. Finally opening its doors to the public, we were so excited to get the first look into the new school.  The dedication ceremony was so sweet and we got to hear several of our friends kiddos speak about what they were most looking forward to.  After the cutting of the ribbon, we got to roam the halls and the amazing playground to check everything out! It's a beautiful facility and I'm so grateful that both kiddos will get to enjoy the AC and their own lockers (Olivia's most anticipated part). 

  

A Ton of Fun in 2021: Week 34 Recap

Mrs. Kristoff. We first met her the summer after Isaac's 1st grade year. I remember calling the school and asking if they had a summer tutor who would work with Isaac and his reading.  Mrs. Kristoff was who agreed to take her summer and work with him twice a week (and for the next three years btw, to help him improve). She had him as his switch teacher (and reading teacher) in 2nd grade.  Then she moved up to third grade and had him again! The women is a saint.  No, I'm not kidding.  She got him to a place where he passed the third grade test on the first time! Then she had Olivia her third grade year, along with some of Olivia's good friends.  So this summer when some where putting up Amazon wish lists and whatnot, I decided Mrs. Kristoff needed to be spoiled too.  I went to those momma's who also had the luxury of having her and asked them all to chip whatever they wanted to get her a gift card to the teacher store. With over $100, we presented her with a card and all the girls signed it! I hope Mrs. Kristoff knows how much impact she has made on our children and how much she is loved!

Monday was the last day of summer for me.  Tuesday I had to go back for 'teacher inservice' for lack of a better term. I can't believe summer is over. It always goes so fast. I think the older the kiddos get, the more we run around and faster the months pass. Mom stuck around on Monday and we all went to lunch at the Olive Garden. Kids had never remembered being there. Guess we don't eat there much!

Fair projects. Yikes, I took 20 of them and they're all due out to fairgrounds this week.  I quickly realized with the start of the school year for me, running kids to practices, and life, that all 20 would not be completed. That being said, I was able to finish most of them. Instead of posting about this twice, I'll just tell you how the ended up doing at the fair too, since they were judged over the weekend. I ended up with like $75 worth of premiums, but the joy of competition and sharing my love for the fair and all my creativity was worth even more! The night before the projects were due out to the fair wasn't cool. Especially when I saw 3am, but it all worked out. 

Dried Herbs- Took Mint (1st), Rosemary (3rd), and Basil.  Mint took Best of Show for all dried goods too!

Crafts- Stamped card (1st), scrapbook page- theme, it's a party (3rd), gift wrapping-theme was Harry Potter (1st) and the gift wrap took best of show!

Photos- B&W figurative, Old Doors, Silhouette- Isaac Steel Vengeance (3rd)

Cupcakes- Dogs (1st), nurses(1st), valentines day bears, llama(1st) and won Directors Choice

Baked Goods- Whoopee pies(1st), Pineapple Upside down cake (1st)

Pasta night- 1st place with Penne Rustica

Wednesday found us at our first volleyball practice for Olivia. Long story short, when I asked why I hadn't heard about it, I was told that it was 5-6 grade team.  After some additional probing and asking why some 4th graders were on the team, I was told that if I wanted to coach a team, then Olivia could play.  Ugh, I wasn't sure I had the patience for beginners. I mean like raw beginners. You know, the ones you have to explain what the out of bounds line is and why sometimes we chase it outside those lines when our team touches it, but we let it go if the other team send it out. But Wednesday was our first day and I thought practice flew by.  The girls were so sweet and eager to learn skills that it wasn't too bad at all. I enjoyed getting to know them and working on the fundamentals. 

Convocation happened at ONU on Thursday afternoon. I really do not enjoy dressing up in full regalia and parading around the freshman like we have some kind of magic powers. The entire idea of pulling them away from moving into their dorms with their parents still on campus just doesn't sound like a productive use of their time. But no one asked me if I wanted to sit there or not, so here I am.  

I flew out of the convocation like I was on fire to head out to the fair for Olivia's style review of her outfit. We were WAY early, but being our first time, we didn't know what to expect.  Well turned out only about 25 kids sewed projects, so the entire style review only lasted about 30 minutes. WOW.  Not what I was expecting. We had hyped Olivia up for the modeling contest (there was none) and also told her she might get a big ribbon- she did as she placed second in her category Sew Few.  Here pj's are adorable and I have no doubt she will get lots of use out of them. 

Friday night we headed out to the Elida Football game since they were going to announce the players of midget football and Isaac's name was going to be read.  (the said Isaiah Ahgozino and totally butchered it). The other part of the game was fun. Olivia had her bestie Lia hang with her and Isaac just sat with us to discuss some football, but mostly non-football topics. Elida won the game, but the scariest part of the night happened in the last three minutes. We stopped to talk to friends at the fence, and Olivia was begging to leave and go to the car. Well all of sudden she was missing. Jeremy went looking for her first and didn't see her.  I went the opposite way scanning the stands for an orange T-shirt- yeah, like Elida doesn't have that color on.  A good 10 minutes went by looking and texting momma friends and asking if they had seen her.  Finally one of her friends said she was down behind the band seating doing tricks in the grass. Sure enough there she was.  Wanted to kill and hug her at the same time.  

Saturday was HOT....Jamboree Football Scrimmage took place on our home turf and Isaac got to suit up and play in what came to be his only football game of the year. Long story of the mismanagement of teams, but all you really need to know is it's all good.  He played, we watched him, he left the field a champion and was delighted to find out, on his birthday no less, that he never needed to go back to practice. Jeremy was sad to let him walk away, but who changes kids teams after team photos, spirit wear orders were placed, scrimmages played and a third of the season done? Elida, that's who. Ah, we are not the NFL drafting and trading players into the season.  So with that, we allowed Issac to hand in his equipment and enjoy his last week of summer!