And what a week it was......

From last weekend to this one just ended the week has been a whirlwind of usual activities and ones that are not the usual at all.  Pete sang with the kids choir in church on Sunday so all three of us were there for the occasion.   That afternoon Pete and I went up to the Johnny Appleseed festival and poked around.  We got apples (of course!) and listened  to the fife and drum corps and saw part of the "medicine show".  Monday and Tuesday were fairly usual.  Wednesday we headed out to Eagle Marsh for a hike with 9th graders from Bishop Dwenger high school.   We left the marsh and headed back into town for dinner at church, our usual Wednesday Night Live destination.  But this week was not just any Wednesday, it was also Mike and my 14th anniversary and we had decided to renew our wedding vows.  One of the pastors at Plymouth, Rev. Ruth, had suggested doing it during dinner and so that is what we did!

                                                Of course I'd marry this guy all over again!


Thursday Pete had off from classes, but still had soccer practice, so we lazed around much of Thursday and then he and I trekked out to Arlington Elementary for soccer.  Friday was library Staff Day, so all the branches were closed so staff could do training at the downtown library.  Some years are so-so.  This one was really quite good - it was a fun day.  Mike had Friday off, so he and Pete went out to the West Main Farmer's Market and loaded up on goodies.  Then we all met up downtown and got our race packets for the Fort4Fitness races.  Pete was signed up for the Kid's Marathon and ran that.

Later we stopped for pizza on the way home.  A good night's sleep later, Mike was up and out for his 8:00 a.m. half marathon.  Pete and I were up and out for the 9:00 start to the the 10K.  It would have been hard to ask for a nicer day to go running on.  We all met up at Parkview Field at the end.  Mike had a very good time (I believe his new personal best) and I had my best time ever.  Pete finished a good brisk walk and when he came running into the stadium he was grinning from ear to ear and ran the entire distance around the warning track to home plate and the finish.  We all had a really good time.

Sunday the Sunday School kids from Plymouth had a field trip to Temple Acduth Veshalom, one of the synagogues in Fort Wayne.  It was really informative and well spent time.  Glad I got to go along.

Today it is back to work, learning and the usual activities of a week that  I hope may not be quite so busy, (but perhaps not as memorable either.)

Wednesday in the woods

This past Wednesday (weekend in our household) was warm, clear and a great day to be outside.  We rode over to Franke Park  If you are familiar with Chicago, think Forest Preserves, not park.

 Spy Run creek runs through the park.  There are lots of trails, some of them open to mountain biking.  We hiked along the creek and then forded it on stepping stones and hiked along the "backside" for a while too.  Found some good tasting wild grapes.  Eventually our path ran out. Literally.  Two creeks come together, Newhouse and Spy Run. So we crossed over the mouth of Newhouse and stopped and played for awhile.

Great place to work out some of the dynamics of hydroengineering.  

We finished our hike and picnicked across from the creek confluence;

 came home, cleaned up and went to our weekly gathering at church for dinner, friends and Pete's choir practice.

The Liquid Mix

Part of homeschooling the way our family practices it is child-led learning.  A couple of weeks ago Pete wondered what would happen if he mixed every liquid in the house together.  I told him I didn't know, but let me know when he was going to try it so I could watch.  I don't think he believed me.

Yesterday we had an unexpectedly free day when the group we were going to lead at Eagle Marsh cancelled.  Pete said this was the day.  Mike suggested he take the experiment outside in the driveway, so in case something turned out to be combustible at least we'd not take the house out right away!  So Pete went around the house gathering everything he could from each floor and lined in up in front of the garage.  Next he added stuff from the garage too.  The only rules were that duplicates of the same thing couldn't be used and the lighter fluid for the grill was off limits.

So after all was gathered, the experiment began.  Water went in first.

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What did he discover?  Well the glue and paint sank to the bottom.  The "green" spray cleaner stink overpowers everything else.

This morning there was less color in everything.

The Very Full Weekend

 

Pete is number 11.

Well we have now experienced our first soccer-Saturday weekend.  Well actually 2/3 of us have.  Mike and Pete took the bus out to Concordia Seminary Saturday morning for Team Australia vs Team Mexico.  When Mike gave me a post-game report on the phone he said "Well it kind of turned out the way you'd expect - Mexico after all IS a dominant international soccer power, Australia, not so much."   I heard about this while at work.  Later in the afternoon Pete sent me an email:

Dear Mom, here is your promised email.
Soccer was ok.
I was Left defense for quarters 1 & 3, didn't talk much.
Dad tells me to kick it harder.
Came in as midfield.
GUMMIE BEARS AND POWERADE
Took the bus.
Love your son Pete
- Pete


Hard to find field.

He likes emoticon (clearly) and they frequently decorate his emails.  

When I finished work I picked up a pizza on the way downtown to meet Mike and Pete for dinner.  There was a baby shower (it appeared) going on in a sideroom at the Southgate Pizza Hut.  I locked my bike to a sign post just outside the windows to that room and saw the women sitting in the booths closest to the sign pointing out the window while I locked my bike.  I looked in the parking lot as I walked inside to pick up my order and there were not hot guys or other distractions in the lot, so I decided I must have been their interest.  I paid for my pizza and went back out to the bike.  I dug my bungee cords out and strapped the pizza box on to my rear carrier.  It took a couple of minutes because the carrier is quirky and the bungees don't just snap right on.  Half a dozen women came over to the window to watch my little show.  Not sure what made it so interesting, but I guess you don't see a pizza on the back of a bike everyday.   We ate our dinner.  Mike had to go back to work.  Pete and I went to see the TinCaps in the first game of the Eastern Division championships.   I fb posted about the end of the game this way:

 Top of the ninth. The teams are tied 5-5. The visitors have made 2 outs. All your guys have to do is make one more out. Instead they walk one. The next batter hits the ball into the outfield where your team can't find it. When they do, they can't throw it. Two runs score. Now it is 7-5. And it starts to rain. Finally your guys make the third out. Then they get to bat and go down 1,2,3. Even Mother Nature had to cry. Oh and did I mention this is for the division championships? (And no, no one has cursed them with a goat.) ARGHH!

Sunday morning we were off to Sunday School kickoff.  I have an incredible group of 8th grade through high schoolers this year.  It was a great morning.  Pete left with Mike to go to Mass at St. Jude.  I came home and made some lunch.  We had two complimentary tickets to see the Civic Theater's production of the "39 Steps."  We all enjoyed it - very funny.  When the play was over, Mike left for work and Pete and I stayed for the audience/cast talk back session.  Kind of interesting.

Sunday was also Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown day, so Pete and I rode a couple of blocks over to the Lincoln Tower and went up to the top.  The building opened in 1930 and the observation deck at the top is open air.  The view is incredible.  This was about the 3rd time I've gone up and I still enjoy it!  Pete had a blast too.

Parkview Field home of the TinCaps.

Lots of steeples in the "City of Churches."

Lady Justice on top of the courthouse.

 Looking east toward New Haven.

Came home to make dinner and listen to the TinCaps on the radio from South Bend.  They hung on to win!  So they're not dead yet!  We rounded out the evening by walking the dogs and I did dishes.  (Well they lost tonight, so now their season really is done.)

Today at work I had my first session of Social Science Sleuths for the fall.  A very enthusiastic group of tweens and teenagers   who are tackling the subject of Urban Studies.  I needed the energy from them to get through the morning I think!

Labor Day weekend has come and gone

Wild flowers in the prairie section of Eagle Marsh

Well Labor Day weekend has come and gone and our fall routine has begun.  Different work schedule for me, classes for Pete.

Friday when I got off of work, I met Mike and Pete at the West Main Farmer's market and we loaded up.  Mike put 25 lbs of peaches on the back of his bike, I loaded an enormous watermelon into my backpack. We spread the blueberries, tomatoes, zucchinis and other finds out among other carriers and got everything home!  Saturday we didn't rush our morning, it was hot and we headed downtown to the Art Museum to see the Chihuly glass exhibit and then had lunch at Pembroke.  We went to church Saturday afternoon.    Sunday Mike made a watermelon-tomato salad that we took to his sister's in Indy.  We rode with his mom.  Great visiting with all sorts of family, and came home that evening.

Monday we went to the last TinCaps regular season game (they won) and that seemed to have taken most of the day!

Pete has a Youtheatre class on Tuesdays and next week religious ed will start back up.  Wednesday we had a mid-day hike at Eagle Marsh.  The group didn't turn out to be nearly as big as anticipated so we actually ended up with more trail guides than guidees!  But it was great fun.  We ate at the marsh and then biked our way back toward home.  A playground stop at Rockhill park and we were just in time to get to Plymouth for Wednesday Night Live dinner.  Pizza!  Pete had kids choir. He seemed to really enjoy it.

Today he began his Teachable Moments classes.  We rode out on our bikes, he had his first class and then we went to Fazolis nearby for lunch.  Now he is taking his second two classes.  I'll go pick him up soon and then we'll hangout, get some supper and onto to soccer practice, which thankfully is still on this same end of town.  Maybe a TinCaps playoff game after that?  We'll see how tired everyone is.  Tomorrow will be the first Field Trip Friday program of the year.

That's the fall schedule I was talking about!

Practicing his headers?