Our year in photos – 2011
2011 brought high school graduations, travel, health issues, and – always – thankfulness.
All posts filed under: Family
Lowering the ole’ blood pressure
We’ve had a great deal of focus on doctors and health in our family over the past two months. I’ll spare you the details. But in recent weeks, I’ve taken to wondering if I should ask the doctors taking care of my wife to give me a blood pressure test while they’re handy. The knowledge that Candice was the focus of these visits kept me from going that far, but I have taken to sticking my arm into the testing machine at the local pharmacy, just to keep tabs. Blood pressure isn’t something I’ve had to worry about very much. When I go in for physicals, the nurse will generally take my blood pressure, look at me, and say something like, “You’ve got terrific blood pressure.” While not the picture of health, I’ve always been pleased I could rely on that number to turn out right where it should be. Candice, however, has begun to worry about my stress levels…adding to my worries that she’s now worrying. And when I took a test at Rite …
So How Did Your Summer Go?
Shortly after Memorial Day I wrote a post entitled Got Plans for the Summer? where I outlined ten things I hoped to accomplish during the Summer of 2011. Well, Labor Day is here – and we’ve reached the moment of reckoning. While I was not a perfect ten-for-ten, I can explain. 1. Play more music with friends – It is bad when you come up short right out of the box, but this was one item where I failed miserably. We had a very busy summer, and this one just got away from me. Luckily, playing music with friends isn’t bound by season…so I’ll try and schedule some fall play dates. 2. Summer in New England – Technically, this was completed. I did spend two days in Portland, Maine in early June and I’ve just spent 8 days in New England…but it wasn’t the vacation we planned. To cut to the chase, Candice fell when we came here to Providence to drop Andrew off at school and she’s been in the hospital this week dealing …
Our gator era ends
If you just want to watch Andrew singing the National Anthem, cut straight to the video at the end of the post. For those still with me, I promise I won’t be long (or maudlin). But this week we’re wrapping up our time as Gator swim team members and parents, and it really is the end of an era in our family. Last Saturday was the final home meet of the season as well as “senior day” — so Andrew and Claire were recognized on multiple occasions. A few pictures from the halftime ceremony can be found at the end of the video — although we look pretty wiped out in them. (Quick aside: Candice just yelled down, “Oh no, you put those pictures on there!” Yep. They were part of the video which was prepared by another parent.) Then this past Wednesday, we all went over to the home of the team rep for a party honoring “departing parents.” Just glad it wasn’t “departed parents!” It was great fun, and we were recognized for …
Passages 2
Two weeks ago I wrote that life has a way of reminding us of the passages that await. Over the past four days – in the midst of Claire’s beach week to celebrate graduation, travel, and planning for summer fun – life reminded us again of how fragile it really is. Reach out and tell a family member you love them. Connect with a friend today. On Wednesday, Claire called as I was preparing to head to Tucson, to let me know that three friends in her class had been hit by an automobile while crossing the street at the beach. Two were banged up with cuts and bruises, while the third had multiple fractures and was airlifted to a larger regional hospital, where she underwent surgery. Everyone will be okay, but the impact one second can have on life was clear. The worse news came yesterday: a call at dinner saying that a colleague and friend, who once worked as my executive assistant, had passed away unexpectedly after complications from surgery. Susan was 38 …
Graduation Day
When I graduated from high school, the year was 1973 and the future – even with war, inflation, and changing social values – looked bright. For many of us it was. Fast-forward almost 40 years. The world is a very different place. But to Andrew and Claire, who graduated from high school this weekend, this is their rite of passage to a new world full of equal parts promise and challenges. I can’t imagine even 1% of what their world will be. Seriously, as recently as 10 years ago did you figure you’d be sending kids pictures to your family via Facebook or watching movies on smart phones? Could we have conceived of the rise – and possible fall – of suburbia, at the same time that some cities are booming and others are losing population at an alarming rate? How many of my generation – in 1973 – would have seen China as the biggest economic superpower in parts of the world? Would we have imagined that the Boston Red Sox would ever win …
Celebrating Andrew
If Thursday was all about Claire, then yesterday was Andrew’s turn. (Editor’s Warning: I treat my blog like the 21st century version of letter writing, in that I can write one item and it can go out to family and friends everywhere. This weekend’s blog posts are all about family. If you don’t want to read about how wonderful my children are – then stop reading. Note…you’ve been warned!) We’re lucky with twins in different high schools that the schedule has worked so that the multiple events around graduation are held on different days. Andrew’s day started early yesterday morning with the service of Holy Communion in The Little Sanctuary for members of the graduating class and their parents. The service began with the beautiful Kyrie Eleison from Missa Secunda by Hans Leo Hassler. The acoustics of The Little Sanctuary were perfect for the Madrigal singers to blend the voices as well as I’ve heard them over the past three years. A little later in the service Andrew sang a wonderful solo in the Brazeal …
In Admiration of Claire
I am crazy about my daughter. That observation will not surprise regular readers. But after focusing on Claire as we celebrate the end of her high school days, I was reminded time and time again how wonderful she is. Candice likes to say that Claire is the wisest person she knows. I agree. Case in point: I’ve seen how everything she has done over the past few days has been done with a great deal of thought and purpose. Frankly, I’m amazed. Last evening we joined Claire at the Senior Dinner – three families and a faculty member at each table, surrounded by the Senior Art Show with six of Claire’s photographs. Claire had chosen her two table-mates – both talented friends where she feels comfortable and challenged – with a great deal of thought. The faculty member was one of two-or-three teachers who have literally changed Claire’s life – in this case through his leadership of last summer’s six-week marine biology field school at Sanibel Island. This morning we were back for the closing …
Countdown Time
Well, we’re in the highly anticipated and/or dreaded final week. (Pick your own point of view.) It is countdown time. Our twins, Andrew and Claire, will graduate from high school this weekend. Since they attend different schools, Andrew goes first on Saturday then Claire follows on Monday. I’m not sure I’m ready for this, but I don’t think either child plans to slow down and wait for me to catch up. Truth be told, I’ve been having a great deal of fun over the past few weeks…so I expect it to only get better over the next 7 days. Sunday was Andrew’s Senior Voice Recital. We had about 75 friends and family there, and he did a great job. Andrew’s piano teacher from 5th through 11th grade, Rosanne Conway, was the accomplished and sensitive accompanist, while his long-time friend and fellow chorister Sarah joined him for a beautiful encore. For the benefit of the music lovers among the readership, here’s the song list: Music for a while (Oedipus) – Purcell Danza, danza, fanciulla gentile – …
NYC: Continuing a Spring Break Tradition
This is a tradition that begins with an oft-told story. When Claire was in fourth grade, she returned home from school one day to announce that the teacher had asked everyone to tell the class what their parents did for a living. So I asked Claire, “What did you say?” She replied, “I said my father signs papers and goes to meetings.” In her own straight-forward, fourth grade sense of the world, she was correct, and I told her so. But I also said that meetings and papers were not why I worked. And from that conversation, the annual Spring Break trip to get to know Daddy’s world was born. A few weeks later I spoke to my then-boss and said I’d like to take one child with me on a trip during Spring Break to see the work of the National Trust. Dick blessed the idea, saying he had done something similar when he worked in the White House. My rules: it had to be a legitimate work trip where they could see some …
MORE TO COME... 