Jake Graduates From St. Olaf

Jake graduated with Distinction and Honors from St. Olaf College yesterday, with double majors in Physics and Computer Science. He is now A Certified Smarty Pants, and we couldn't be more proud.

We had some decent stretches of weather when it mattered most, especially since it was Memorial Day Weekend. We spent Saturday evening hanging out with Jake and a couple of his roommates, noshing our way through all the delicious foods the college had prepared, and then relaxing until the Illumination Ceremony began after dark. There was a nice little wind blowing and some jazz music playing while we waited, and it was so enjoyable.

The next morning we drove back to Northfield for Brunch, Honors Receptions, and Ceremony. We didn't get rained on, though it looked as though we might, my face actually ending up getting a little sunburned. Senator Amy Klobuchar was the guest speaker, which was exciting. I would describe her speech as warm and folksy, sort of the way she appears to be in general.

Then, Mark and Mom came over on Memorial Day for a little bbq and graduation party for Jake. I grilled some steaks (No Name, of course, but also some venison) with all the fixings and we toasted Jake with sparkling cider.

This family sure knows how to party!

Jake will only be home for another month until he leaves for his job in New Mexico.

And, I'll have to get adjusted to having another baby of mine move far away. Just like when Katie moved far away, I'll start by telling myself that it's only for a couple of months. Eventually it will become the new reality. Truly.

He says he will be home for Christmas.

Time To Lighten The Load

It's been raining nonstop for days, and feeling downright cold. So cold that I ended up turning the furnace back on for a bit. And then since it was too wet to be doing anything outside or even feeling like going anywhere outside, I decided it was time to try to declutter the basement one more time ...

I really do think I'm getting better at this. I started by scheduling a charity pick up for the end of the week. Then, my strategy was to find as many things that I obviously didn't want anymore before tackling the boxes of memories.

I found 30 boxes/bags of things to part with so far! You'd think that the storage room would have some obvious empty holes in it at this point, but not so much. That's the scary part, but when you've lived in the same house for close to 30 years, and raised up three kids in it, things have a way of sneaking up on you.

I'm not giving up. I will get this house cleared out. And then we will feel the serenity of it, and my kids won't have to deal with it all later on when we're too old to do it ourselves. That's my motivation.

Progress, not perfection.

Mother's Day 2017

Wordless Wednesday

                                                                little bohemian heart

Honor and Healing

Moving into Spring now, we've made progress in getting Mom and Dad's townhouse cleared out and cleaned up so it can go on the market for sale. I won't lie, it's been a lot of work. Everything had to be boxed up and moved into the garage, waiting for its final destination.

We've struggled with what to do with it all. Although Mom and Dad will most likely not be using any of the stuff we've boxed up, it's still their stuff and important to them. We thought about giving most of it away to charity, but it's become more obvious that the time to do that isn't now. It's also been painful thinking we might be forcing them to do something that they're not yet ready to do. So we decided that it would be okay to put their things into storage for the time being until it no longer matters to them, and then we started to feel much better.

The realtor we're working with is probably not our favorite, but he is their choice and so therefore, we will use his services. He's an okay guy, it will be fine.

I'm thinking that trying to serve my folks with honor is probably the best thing that I can do. It might be the only thing I can do as I watch them transition into people that don't resemble my parents any longer. This aging business is not for the weakhearted.

Dad has now moved into a private room at the Care Center, and it's quiet and has a huge window. We hung a bird feeder on the outside glass and brought in a couple of flowering plants. I don't think the birds have actually found the feeder yet, but squirrels seem to like to hang outside the window and peer in. Dad has seen them, and commented!

And, it's been healing for us to visit him in a peaceful room. It feels nice.