January 2021 - Abby is 11!

We had a busy January.  After sorting things out from the Holidays, Rebekah and Madi embarked on a cross country trip to Santa Barbara, CA.  They took 5 days to get there.  The trip went smoothly - no weather, no car trouble, etc.  Here are some pictures.

 

 

 

She is getting settled in her living arrangements and her new environment.  Her internship is off to great start.  She has had articles on the front page of the Santa Barbara Press almost every day!!

Andrew decided to get his haircut before he went back.  I thought, why not let Abby do it!! It's worth 40 sec.

Haircut Video

I took Andrew back to VMI during that same week.  He is finishing up the Ratline.  He is looking forward to moving the next phase.  Classes have started.  Most are in person this semester.  He likes that.  He had a chance to run the mile in his first two college meets!!  Happy that he is getting a chance to compete.  No spectators or visitors allowed.....relying on social media posts for pics.

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We were able to have a conversation one night when Andrew was allowed to call.  Madi by FaceTime, Andrew on his phone, and Abby on the floor!

                                             

Abby celebrated her 11th Birthday.  We had pizza and cake with family.  Then we invited 3 friends to celebrate the next day.  Limo ride around Gettysburg, some time at Hickory Falls, and back home for cake.  Not bad for Covid days.....Here is the paparazzi video....worth a watch 

Paparazzi Video

And here are some pics of the adventure....

 

 

 

 

 

This spring, Madi will continue with her internship in Santa Barbara, Andrew will be working his way through his Frosh year at VMI, and Abby with continue with school and swimming.....looking forward to a more normal summer!!!   Until next time...

Fall and Christmas 2020

Well, this has been an interesting fall. Things progressed as normal as we could make them. 

Madi finished her last semester of college! She completed her degree a semester early. She will be off to an internship in Santa Barbara, CA with the Santa Barbara News-Press in January. Proud of all her accomplishments. Excited for her opportunity and adventure this spring. Here are some pics of her semester. 

Andrew survived the first semester of the Ratline at VMI. It was a diffucult semester mentally and physically. He did well and we are proud of him. It was an abnormal semester at VMI. Mask wearing all the time in addition to all the other challenges. The other challenge was that visitations were very limited due to Covid. We didn't see him for months. They finally offered a visit in Oct. Here are some pics of that.

 

We fed him and allowed him to nap before leaving.

We were able to go down a few more times during the semester

Andrew did get run his first college race in Charlotte, NC.  It was a good experience....the best they could do in the Covid environment.  Only pics I could get were off Twitter....

Due to restrictive environment, VMI made the decision to allow the cadets to come home at Thanksgiving and stay for the rest of the semester. Andrew was excited to come home.  We ate CookOut for lunch, got Krispy Kreme on the ride (where he changed his clothes outside the county line), and then Tommy's for dinner.  He could finally eat normally, not like a Rat....good first day.

Abby had an interesting fall.  Fortunately, she was able to attend school 4-5 days a week for most of the semester.  She stayed busy with schoolwork and cello in addition to visiting her siblings.  We did try to get in some outdoor activities when we could.

They still held trick or treat in our neighborhood.  Abby is still into it.  She got more candy than I though!

Abby was able to start swimming again at the Y.  She has practice sessions 2-3 times a week. Unfortunately, no meets.....

There was a snow storm in December.  Abby went out and enjoyed it.

We had a good Christmas.  Madi got stuff to prepare for her move...including suitcases.  Andrew banked most of his gifts because of the next semester of VMI still to come....did get a new basketball though.  Abby got a hand me down phone and a new fitbit as her big gifts.

Heading into 2021, we will will have alot going on.  Rebekah is driving out to CA with Madi in mid Jan.  We will have to see what happens at the end of Madi's internship to see what happens this summer.  Andrew heads back to VMI to finish out being a Rat and also finishing his freshman year.  Hoping for more success and opportunities to compete on the track as well.  Abby will head back to school and hopefully activities will continue to open for her to continue with in person school and also her swimming.

Hoping the next post finds us in a better place where activities are not limited and we are able to be more social....until next time....