And so begins another milestone. I got a little in denial when I saw a poster that said “class of 2028” at abbeys party, and I thought “hey! That’s only 7 years away!!’ That can’t be right!”
Today we had Abigail and Evelyn (as we do each Wednesday) for the last time this 2020-2021 pandemic school year. So we celebrated with ice cream sandwiches, going to a local playground and to a beach.
It has been a wonderful privilege having these granddaughters this year to do their virtual school work at our home. Abigail graduates
️✅ from elementary school Friday and will no longer be at the school up the hill from our home. Hopefully Evelyn can still come to our home after school next year.
Congratulations and thumbs up Abbey and Evie! We love you! Oma & Opa
The girls treated their mothers and grandmothers to an afternoon tea and a spa. The mothers were surprised and pleased. They had an enjoyable day. Mom said that the best part of Mother’s Day was being with her children. She also told me (Tim) that this was the best Mother’s Day that she ever had.
Last fall, Dad got me into Bible quizzing. He had been bugging me for a year about it, and he and Mom decided that this year (last year) was the year. I didn’t want to go at first, but by the third practice I thought it was kinda cool. I am (according to my mom) a really good memorizer, so I didn’t have much trouble memorizing the book of John. At first it was a little tricky balancing everything out, but it turned out all right. I got to know my fellow quizzers, and it was a good way for me to connect with people in COVID.
The practices started out live, but due to cold weather and COVID, we had to do them virtually. But right before our last competition (Live, happily) we got to do our first live practice of the year. By this time, we all knew each other pretty well, and we were friends. We had a great time jumping off the chairs and running around the parking lot. It was wonderful to not have to stare at a screen for an hour and a half after dinner on Mondays.
It was a little tricky getting me to the live quiz, and not only because it was in Moses Lake, which is about a three hour drive away. My mom was in Arizona, celebrating her sister’s birthday. My dad was stuck taking care of all four of us kids for five days. Fortunately, our quiz instructor, Dan, kindly volunteered to take me there. He was picking up one of the Quiz Masters, and he could pick me up afterward. I woke up at 6:08,gulped down some scrambled eggs, and grabbed my bag. We got to Moses Lake at around 8:25,and got to the church at around 9:00. We quizzed, ate lunch, and quizzed more. After the finals, there was the awards ceremony. My team came in third place, and I came in sixth for finals, with one question answered. (That is not my best, my best is third place with five questions answered, otherwise known as a quiz-out.) I won two medals, and one certificate (No, not to the ice cream parlor). I got the Positive Splits award. (See picture above. That is me holding my certificate.) That means that I got better and better every quiz. It has something to with a running term, but I forget it. I also got a tiny sculpture of a jeweled frog. It opens. His name is King Froggyface, but he is an undercover spy so I can’t tell you his real name. ( I will post a picture later.)
I don’t know if I will join the team this year, but I have a long time to think about it I liked interacting and making new friends, but I don’t know if everyone from this year will be there next year. But even if I don’t join again, it was definitely a memorable experience that I will hold onto forever.
Today was a very rare occurrence: I got to spend virtually the whole day with one child. I won’t get into the details, but the other 4 members of the family were all out doing their own thing today.
Evie & I had a lovely day. We found a great breakfast spot where she had chocolate chip pancakes. We went on a walk. We read books, played tennis, and find nothing in our quiet house. It’s such a pleasure and a relief to get to the point where you just enjoy hanging out w your kids because they are amazing people with unique personalities, just like a few years ago with abbey: https://knorthwestkniffins.wordpress.com/2018/03/09/a-first-abbey-and-me-go-to-hang-out-at-a-coffee-shop-and-read-a-book/
I can’t express adequately how necessary these days are to a Dad like me. They are like water in a desert.
It’s a beautiful Sunday here in Seattle. i ask the girls: “What do you want to do today?” They wanna spend time at the bookstore. So I drive them down, they find a spot to sit and read, in two hours still can’t convince them to leave.
