Fall 2023 and Christmas

 Hello.  It was a busy fall for us....as always.

Abby is off to good start in 8th grade.  Here is her school photo

Abby had a successful 8th grade Middle School Field Hockey season.  A high school student took pictures to share that turned out pretty good!

Here is her official photo.

We were able to see Andrew run his last regular season cross country race at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University.  It has been a good run....10 years!

That same weekend, Madi finished her first sprint tri athalon in Baltimore.  She spent time training for it and was happy with the result.

Abby, once again, had some friends over for Trick or Treat

Rebakah turned 50 in November.  We took on the challenge of throwing a surprise party for her.  It was a success!  It was great to have friends there to celebrate this big birthday for her

We had a good Thanksgiving with family.  We took our traditional after Thanksgiving walk after Thanksgiving on the battlefield.

Upon returning to school, Andrew had his long awaited ROTC Branch Night,  this is the night that we all found out what branch of the Army that Andrew will be serving as an Active Duty officer for the foreseeable future.....

He got Military Intelligence, branch detail Field Artillery!  This means he will start as a Field Artillery officer and then transition to Military Intelligence in 3-4 years.  This is a huge accomplishment and represents a 4 year journey to get here...we are all excited for this opportunity for him.

Abby had her annual Christmas concert.  Pic are always tough to come by, but here are two of her with her cello.  The orchestra did a great job and sounded great.

Abby has transitioned to swimming in November.  We are glad to see her back in the pool.  She practices 3-4 nights a week.  She had her first meet in December.  Also, tough to get pics, but here are a few.

We had a very good Christmas.  We had everyone together.  Here are some pics of our adventures and activities over the Holidays.  We visited Madi and Clark at their new place in Washington DC.  My in-laws stayed with us for 2 weeks over the holidays.  We celebrated at home and with my brother and his family in Greencastle.  

Looking forward, Abby will turn 14 in Jan and continue swimming through the winter, and then plans on running track in the spring.  Andrew will be competing in his last indoor and outdoor track seasons and then he will commision as a 2LT in the Army and Graduate in May 2024.

We hope you had a great fall and great holiday season.  Until next time....

Spring and Summer 2023

 Hello.  A little delay between posts this time.  Things were busy this spring and summer, as always.....here is a summary.

Abby completed her 7th grade year well at school.  The biggest shareable event for her in the spring was attending the famous Taylor Swift concert that Madi was able to get tickets to in Philly.  They had a great time.....got home really late on a Sunday night and Madi went to work and Abby went to school....it will be something they will always remember.

Andrew competed in indoor track for the season.  We were able to see him run a few times, which is always a joy for me.  Having Madi on the east coast has been nice, because we can connect with her more often....she was able to go see Andrew run at Liberty University this late winter/spring.  Here are some pics.

Andrew had a nice outdoor season.  He ran the steeple chase again.  We were fortunate to see him PR at JMU.  He also represented VMI again at the SOCON outdoor meet.   Here are some pics of the JMU race.

Andrew received a few awards and accolades at the end of the spring semester.  He was recognized by SOCON as a student athlete and also the state of Virginia.  He was also awarded an Institute Award that provides scholarship money for his Sr ( 1st) year.

Andrew then started his very busy summer.  He went to Paris, France to take French classes and experience France for a month.  He returned for 5 days and then headed to his Army ROTC Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, KY.  He had a good experience in France.  He survived and got an excellent evaluation at Advanced Camp, which was a great accomplishment and helps his pursuit of an active duty Army commission next spring.

Abby kept her tradition of jumping in the pool the first day it was open during memorial day weekend.  It was really cold this time....

We were able to go back to Williamsburg, VA with my Mom.....it used to be every year.  With Covid and family moving to new places, we hadn't been there for a few years.  Madi and Clark were able to come down as well.  We did the usual activities....water country, busch gardens, and shopping and walking in Williamsburg.  We had a good time and it brought back good memories...

Took a pic in the France area of Busch Country and sent it to Andrew :)

Abby was able to start swimming for the summer.   It was great to see her swim and compete for the summer season.

I was on military orders from Jan 3 through the summer.  For a portion of my time, we stayed in a hotel in Arlington, near Madi.  Rebekah and Abby came down for a few days.  They visited me at the Pentagon, they went to some museums, and Madi and Abby went to the opening late night opening of the Barbie Movie.

We had a family adventure the end of July.  I went with Rebekah to Dallas for her Mary Kay Conference.  I hadn't been there in years.  On my way down, Abby and I flew through Atlanta where I rented a car to take her to northern GA (stopped at Buccees on the way there) to stay a few days with her Uncle Trevor, Aunt Lori, and her Grandparents.  I then flew back through Atlanta on the way home and picked her up.....it took some coordination, but, it all worked out.  It was nice to see Rebekah be recognized as well.

Madi and Clark had a busy summer travel season.  They went to Cape Cod to visit and Puerto Rico for a wedding amongst other travels to see friends...

Andrew came home from Advanced Camp in early August.  We took advantage of our week together to take a trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario.  We stopped at Bucknell U ( my alma mater) on the way up.  We were able to do all the tours, and the kids did the zip line at Niagara Falls.  We also ventured to Toronto for a day and visited Kensington Market.....it was a great trip!

On the way home we stopped at Watkins Glen, NY in the Finger Lakes and spent an hour walking the Gorge.  It is an awesome sight and hike, Rebekah and I did this hike with friends previously.

Andrew returned to school as a 1st!! (Senior).  Hard to believe.  At VMI, the Rats are on the 4th floor and you move down a level every year.  This year he is on the first stoop.....made moving in easier too!  Excited for the upcoming year for him and all of the activities that come with it.  Here is him looking out of his room...

Abby is starting 8th grade.  She is going to play middle school field hockey this fall.  She has attended summer sessions, and pre-season has begun.  We are excited to watch her play.  Hopefully we will be able to get some pictures to share throughout the season...

Here is the traditional first day pictures before she got on the bus for 8th Grade

We were able to go to Richmond, VA for Andrew's first meet.  This is the start of his last xc season....10th year since 7th grade!  We always love to watch him race.  

Madi took a new position in the spring at American University as a Digital Content Manager at the School for International Service.  She is able to use her journalism skills and background an also work with more media and with a team.

We are getting ready for school, which signals the end of summer for us....hope you have a good year so far, and have a great fall....until next time....