This is going to be a year of lasts… This morning was Owen’s last Gurnee Days Parade with the marching band. It was such a nice day (not hot, not storming) that we even took the dogs! Ivy was mostly an anxious wreck; Olive was the best girl.
Tonight was the Warren Township HS Bands camp finale, where we got to see what they’ve learned in 40 hours of training this last week. The band director said this was the best camp in the last 10 years! Owen is playing tenor sax (there’s no bari in competition band).
Tom took the kids to the airport this morning for their spring break flight to Florida! This was their first trip flying alone, though they had a flight attendant babysitter (for an additional fee, of course).
They had a few snafus (Owen forgot his meds so they had to turn around and then it took forever to get to the gate due to the clueless United employee helping them) but they made it.
Another Vettix event!
They’re getting along?
We went to a Titanic exhibit today! It was neat to see reproductions of things (dinnerware, rooms, grand stairwell, etc.) as well as a few actual pieces. It was a little crowded so I didn’t take many pictures.
Different menus for different classes:
And we got to walk along the first class promenade:
At the beginning we all got a card detailing the life of a passenger. You find out at the end of the exhibit if your passengers survived—and all four of us did (which I thought was crazy)!
Then it was lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and then home.
Can you find Owen?
I think this is the first birthday we’ve been apart and I couldn’t get a picture, so we’re throwing it back to your first birthday…and last week!
Pre-concert dinner at Kura Revolving Sushi Bar! I’ve always wanted to do one of these and we definitely had fun! Our drinks were even delivered via robot!
Amazing seats (third row!) for Branford Marsalis at North Shore Center for Performing Arts. Thank you Vettix!
Since we missed going to Grayling for Christmas since Katie had Covid, we surprised them in Lansing for the Schwalm Christmas! We decided at about 10am that we could make it…and walked in to Beth and Jim’s as they were finishing dinner! SURPRISE!
You know how I told you how Owen always manages to be behind something at a concert? The stage was empty when I got there. I had my pick of pretty much any seat in the auditorium. And this still happens.
Owen had a jazz concert tonight. We could barely see him from our seats because he was behind a music stand. We can’t even see him on the photo that was published on Facebook.
Can you spot him?
That said, they sounded great and he loves every minute of it!
Friends of ours—Scott and Wendy—also joined us this year as she was visiting from Seattle and they didn’t have other plans! She loves Thanksgiving and cooking so she brought most of the sides to go with Tom’s smoked turkey and smoked ham!
Thanksgiving tip? Gravy in an insulated pitcher! Pourable plus it stays warm!
The evening was spent watching football, playing cards, puzzling, and visiting!
There were no more deer to be had, but Owen had another first—Tom let him drive his truck on the back roads to camp!
Yep, just leave the mattress protector scrunched down at the bottom in the corner and pull the sheets over it. (I discovered it because I was removing all his bedding to wash before Thanksgiving guests and I thought maybe a towel had gotten stuck in the sheets.)
You can only laugh, right?
Owen got his first deer! In one perfect shot! Needless to say Tom was a proud papa.
Owen got to drive the 4-wheeler (and deer) back to camp!
And while he didn’t take a bite of the raw heart (apparently a first-deer tradition?!) they did eat it cooked with onions with dinner!
My cousins Kevin and Greg invited Tom and Owen to go deer hunting. Tom hadn’t been hunting since we met (!) and he was very eager to go and take Owen for his first time. Ammunition for his old gun was exorbitantly expensive so he “had” to buy a new gun and everything!
Seen while at one of Katie’s appointments.
I was very confused to get something from the Orthodontist in Owen’s handwriting. But then I saw what it was. Too cute.
Congratulations Owen!
Katie can only use Snapchat on my phone…so today we did some filters while waiting for the orthodontist. It’s making memories, right?
Tom bought a new rifle to take deer hunting so they went to the range to test it out.
The kids are growing up—they each went trick or treating with friends in other neighborhoods.
Owen and friends are all going as Men in Black and Katie was going to be Barbie until the weather turned so now she’s Angel from Lilo & Stitch.
Our last fresh lobster dinner—2+ pounders! We couldn’t even finish them so we have leftovers for lobster quiche in the morning before heading to the airport and back to real life!
