Monthly Archives: June 2023

Jude Gets His Wisdom Teeth Out

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Two days after wisdom teeth surgery and his cheeks were still a little swollen

On Wednesday morning Jude was up early and to the dentist by 7am. It was time for his wisdom teeth to come out. This was a major surgery and he was pretty much out of it all day. He was numb for hours and then the pain started to kick in. We had strong meds thankfully and he handled it like a trooper.

A Father’s Day hike at White Ranch

His cheeks were swollen for days and he had low energy which was understandable. By Sunday, he was feeling better and he came for a hike with Olive and me. It was a gorgeous day and with all the rain we had it was incredibly green and there were flowers everywhere. In fact, I had never seen it so green.

Amazingly lush green grass

We celebrated Father’s Day last night because Anna left for a cheerleading camp today. We rode our bikes to the RiNo area just north of downtown where we went to Zeppelin Station, a popular new food hall. The food was great and we loved the ride which was mostly by the river.

At Zeppelin Station to celebrate Father’s Day

This afternoon Marcy drove Anna down to the Air Force Academy where she will be spending the next five days. She is staying in the actual cadet dorms, so will get a little window into what life might be like as an Air Force cadet.

Meanwhile after our hike Jude and I spent the afternoon watching the US Open golf. It was a fun Father’s Day.

Anna Spends the Week in Greece

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With her new group of friends in Athens

This was a very big week for Anna. As part of the end of middle school, there was a European trip on offer. We are big fans of lessons learned from traveling to new places so we signed up right away. So, at 3:30am last Monday morning I found myself taking Anna to the airport for her trip to Greece.

The girls at the Palamidi Fortress in Nafplio

Anna had a blast. There were other school groups on this trip and she quickly befriended some students from Virginia and Texas. She became close with her roommate Chyann (the redhead above) who is two years older.

At the Parthenon

It was all over so quickly. The highlight for Anna was the cruise they did around the Saronic Islands where they got to swim and see some of the ocean life. They also saw many of the historic places like the Acropolis, the ruins of Mycenae and the Olympic stadiums. Now, Anna has a quiet week at home to recover.

Denver wins the NBA championship!

Tonight, Anna had her first cheerleading practice of the new season. Jude and I stayed home to watch Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Nuggets won in a very hard-fought game and it was so fun to watch the game at home with Jude.

Working hard in the backyard

Marcy and I (mostly Marcy) spent the weekend working in the backyard. We have made excellent progress but it has been a hard slog.

Anna Graduates Middle School

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Mr. Kevin gave the speech about Anna at the graduation

This was a big last week of school for Anna. On Tuesday night we had the official 8th grade dinner where all the class had to speak about who was important to them in their time at Ricks. It was a really sweet evening with lots of tears shed.

Anna received the Outstanding Role Model award

Then the big graduation day finally arrived on Thursday. It was such a beautiful ceremony. Because there were only 13 kids in their graduating class each graduate was able to get some time in the spotlight. Anna’s favorite teacher, Mr. Kevin, gave a beautiful speech honoring Anna and the five years she was at Ricks. When it came time to hand out the awards Anna won the Outstanding Role Model award which is voted on by the teachers and her fellow students in grades 4 – 7. She was thrilled.

The Ricks middle school graduating class

After the ceremony everyone gathered outside for photos and more celebration and then we went back to the school for a lunch provided by the 7th graders. That afternoon Anna went to a party hosted at a friend’s house so the kids could all be together one last time. There was lots of laughter and tears.

With our new graduate

This weekend there was a lot more work in the yard but on Saturday evening Marcy and I went for our quarterly night away staying at the Four Seasons again. It was a wonderful short break.