You did absolutely great in front of an audience! And you’ve done it even better many other times. I could not be more proud of how hard you worked over the past 7 months on this song – stretching your fingers, working on synchronizing difficult hand rhythms, persisting through the struggle. This was the last recital that you would perform with Madey. Treasured times for sure.
How is that for the saddest perspective on graduating from elementary school. Next year you will be in 6th grade at the middle school. As I was driving you to your last day of school you announced,
Today is my last day of recess for my whole life.
We both sighed.
Monday was your “Moving Up” ceremony, and Wednesday was the last day. You definitely won the award in many people eyes, mine included, for best “Moving Up” day outfit!! You rocked the shoes!!
They had a little party in your classroom afterward – popsicles and everything! YUM!!
And then this was picking you up after you very last day:
One of many promotions in your life, I treasure every opportunity to celebrate you!!
I signed up to chaperone the stream study, and you signed me up to also do the Seabreeze trip. I playfully complained, but deep down, I was so honored that you wanted me to be at both trips. I love getting to know the friends you will be growing up with through high school graduation – and their parents. I love supporting you in this school world that I have little access to.
I pretty much just love being with you.
Highlights from May? So many fun times packed into a month…
A visit from Grandma Judy and Judi J to watch a Dan lacrosse game.
Gospel Choir coffee hour that you and Dan helped me pull off… and everyone had a ball!
Your Dad walked graduation for his DNP.
My graduate student Rachel earned her PhD.
Lilac festival with Dan – it hailed and the sun came out and it hailed and the sun came out and… You made a hand sculpture, and Dan had a crazy pork sandwich. We had an awesome time!
Cooking adventures with Madey
And various other fun times…
This is an email I just sent to our extended family…. we sure did have an awesome time!! You and I are beginning to really love our adventures together!! I love that!! You are my navigator, and together we figure out where we want to go!! We ended this trip with the BEST ICE CREAM IN NASHVILLE – I think the world actually. We both had “Savannah Betterment.” YUM!!! I love you Peanut Butter!!!
We just got back from a week long trip to Nashville with a quick trip to neighboring Kentucky. Madey and Jim were with Maya and me until Thursday. Maya and I stayed a few days more and came back Sunday.
Sunday-Tuesday – Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky, short cave tour and horseback riding. Slept at an organic farm run by Mom and 3 daughters – collected eggs each day (that we ate for breakfast) and fed all the animals. 100 adult chickens, 40 babies, 3 bunnies, 5 dogs with puppies born the day we arrived, goats, a chameleon, bird, fish… awesome experience. We laid on hammocks and jumped on a trampoline; shopped in an Amish store, and I thought about Dad and Mom a lot! You would LOVE this place!!
Tuesday – Thursday – Stayed with the person we call “Best Friend Dave” (Jim’s best friend) and his wife AnnMarie and their beautiful 2 children – Jacob (3 years old) and Sophia (5 years old). They used to live in Rochester (Dave was Jim’s doc student), until Dave took a job at Vanderbilt. We hadn’t met Jacob yet, as he was born in Nashville. We made art at the Frist Center, ate at Nashville icons, went to an amazing botanical garden called Cheekwood that reminded us of “Meijer’s Gardens” in Bianca and Mark’s neighborhood (a must see if you haven’t yet!!). We collected frogs at varied stages of their life cycle in a pond and saw an incredible organic vegetable garden in bloom.
Thursday-Saturday – Maya and I went to her first conference – National Science Teachers Association annual meeting. We had a BLAST!! Fun toys, games, stickers, movies, demonstrations all over, and everyone loved engaging a fun kid like Maya. Maya was great about going to sessions that were more talking-based as well (she made movies on her iPad from past home movies we had taken). We met amazing scientists doing fascinating work on patterns in nature and the coexistence of various animals that would appear to be competing for scarce resources. Cool, hip, creative, fun, articulate young scientists.
Got home at midnight on Sunday to a crazy house – ALL of our first floor (including fridge, washer, dryer, piano… you get the idea) was moved out to our garage so our floors could be redone. They looked great, but wow!!
So, Jim took me to a spa. We are at Mirabeau – a beautiful place about 90 minutes from Rochester – a place we go about twice a year for “marriage improvement.”
It must work because today we celebrate our 8th anniversary. 🙂
National Park #3 – The Dry Tortugas… the Florida Key that is off to the SW of Key West by 67 miles (3 hour relatively rough ferry ride). Paradise with history. A migratory stop for birds. A fort that was never used. Incredible coral. All through the eyes of a 10 year old.
In Key West before we boarded:
Enroute on the Jefferson Ferry:
National Park #2 – The Everglades… Learned so much!! There aren’t too many times in life where you have the opportunity to be so deep in nature that you are incredibly humbled by it all. Going way out into the Everglades was one of those precious times.
The next day we did some more Everglades with DJ:
First National Park – Biscayne. We sailed with Captain Hans and 4 other crew members out to Boca Chita Key. The blue rafts that you see in one of the pictures were transport for Cuban refugees – so powerful to see the determination in the wood and styrofoam. Highlights of the day were definitely the mangroves, coconuts, and the interesting birds!
Welcome to our National Parks Kick-Off Tour!
It was a bit of a challenging start – huge van switched to a massive Ford F150 4-day truck named Evie, a drive through Miami at night ending up at a slightly scary Air B&B… leading us to YUMMY pizza (that we ordered by didn’t eat), a run-away plan that was stressfully delayed by Evie not starting, and culminating on a King size comfy bed in a very nice Hilton eating our cold pizza.
The next day we took a double-decker bus tour to go around Miama with a main goal of a Coconut Grove Art Art Show and ending at Little Havana. We really did have a great time. The art show was a definite highlight!!
Coconut Grove Art Festival
Around town including Little Havanah
Nobody knows what Federation is, but it’s where 3 judges judge my piano playing.
Last Friday I had to do Federation. My scaredness was on and off. But when I got on that piano bench I felt better (but still scared). My first song was “Trumpet Fanfare” by Robert D. Vandell.
And my second song was “Sword Dance” by Faber.
I messed up. I thought I did badly. But then, out of the blue, my teacher texted my Dad. And the text said, I was…
PERFECT!!!
I’m so happy its done.
My Federation Dress:
The end.
-Maya