Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts

Monday, August 31, 2026

Week 31--My Favorite Dump Run

Monday, July 27th
We unexpectedly found ourselves kidless so we set out on a dinner date.  Rocco and Renna spent two nights with family friends at their campground.

Tuesday, July 28th
His mama sent a pic of him with his beloved giraffe in his new giraffe jams.

Wednesday, July 29th
I think this was his last bounce.  He'd rather be sitting on the floor with toys now.
It's so unbelievable, yet all so normal to us after twelve years.  Lisa's call determined that because of some slightly detectable new growth, it was time to start chemo again after a glorious year and a half break!  I just shook my head like, "Well....we know what to do.  Here we go......"   It's crazy how desensitized I've become to parts of the story AND how utterly sickening, sad, and devastating it all is.  All we know to do is keep walking forward, ever grateful for whatever time God gifts us.  Round #48- absolutely nutty!  Lisa's courage and resolve is unmatched.
And because we can hold two things at the same time AND because God is so gracious and kind, Lisa would also learn on this day that her grand baby due in December is.....a BOY!  


Thursday, July 30th
Lil hosted Girls' Night Out.  It was so very sweet and she is just so gifted at hosting.  Meg and Lil were so patient to listen to our stuff.  We all have each other's backs, and that is a gift.
The sweetest one-sock boy.

Friday, July 31st
A very foggy morning walk.
Fridays with Maymee.

After Bo got picked up, I made my way to Jack and Avery's brand new-to-them house.  It's perfect!
I did what I could to help unpack the kitchen.  Thankfully, there were quite a few hands working together to get the move done.

Saturday, Aug. 1st
I went back to Jack and Avery's to do some yard work.  Nice, hot, sweaty weeding and hedge-trimming.  So when Lisa said, Ame, do you want to go with me to the dump?',  I said, "Sure."  

We  bumped along in the truck, happy to be together chatting away in the AC.  It wasn't until we stopped at the Lake house to "load up" what was there that I was like, "Wait a second...the two Grammas were elected to do the dump run?"  

No offense, and she'd say it herself, but Lis was gonna be no help.  So I hauled and heaved and pushed the pile for the dump onto what was already in the truck, and we were off again.

Only when the man at the dump asked, "What do you have?" did we look back and realize what we (the two Grammas) were tasked to do.  Dude!!!  Actual furniture.  A weight bench.  Rolls of nasty carpet.  So Lisa coached me on the best way to shimmy and leverage and flip and eventually, the job was done.  I was a sight.  Hair in every direction, dripping sweat.  Hedge clipping stuck to my neck and shoulders.  But we had laughed through the entire event, determined to rise to the challenge.   We laughed all the way back to Vernon wishing Renna had been along to vlog it all, because WOW.   As we bumped along in the truck back to the house I thought, I'm going to remember this day with Lisa for the rest of my life.

...and that's how a dump run became a treasured gift.


Sunday, Aug. 2nd
On a bit of a whim, Rocco decided to attend a week of Word of Life's camp with Trevor.  He literally registered the day before and decided logistically it made the most sense to drive himself up and back.  Up until this, he'd only done up to 30 minute trips.  Three hours and 15 minutes had me nervous, but I knew he could do it.  I gassed him up, lectured him about safety, gave him the best halfway spot to stop, hugged him tight, and waved goodbye.  Then I got in my car and cried.  Just another super obvious signal that my "kids" are quickly becoming NOT kids, and I know it's all good and how it's supposed to be, but I don't always love it.
He made it!  So excited for him and his week ahead.



Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Week 28--Lazy Summer Days

Monday, July 6th
It's an honor to be trusted with his feelings and so sweet that he appreciates my perspective.  He's so fun to chat with!
The end of the road for USA.

Tuesday, July 7th
Rocco's Senior High Camp
Taco Tuesday at the house.
Gianna committed!  Her dream coming true!  I actually cried a little.  So dang proud of her guts and hard work and commitment.  And so fun to have her close to home to see some games.

Wednesday, July 8th
Lisa and I drove out to Mom's to deliver a goodie basket for Russ to celebrate the end of radiation.  All the siblings chipped in.
Renna played a summer league game with the East Catholic girls.



Thursday, July 9th
Colombo's team was in town for a couple days of meetings.




Friday, July 10th
Two-week mark for these flowers.


Saturday, July 11th

Sunday, July 12th
Church, finance office, and then lots of packing, cleaning, organizing, and preparing to leave the next day for our highly anticipated trip to Europe to see the Rambarose's.  Oh!  And Rocco came back from camp with new hair!  A past-midnight decision in the boys' cabin for no apparent reason.  But I love it!  Very nostalgic of his growing up years and many summers with a buzz cut.

Monday, July 13, 2026

Week 26--Kids Camp & LobsterFest

Week 26 means we are halfway through 2026!  Like, how?

Monday, June 22nd

 I jumped on the Word of Life website to check something and saw this:

I'm embarrassed to say how long it took me to sort out if this was Trevor or not.  Immediately I knew the legs weren't long enough.  ....buuuuttt... he's on the media team so I thought maybe he posed for this.  I mean, it does look like him.  But then, "library and study center"??  Anyways....I've never debated a picture of my own kid for so long.  Embarrassing.  It is in fact, NOT Trevor.

Tuesday, June 23rd

A very, very, very long story....but I'm leaving this here for the moment.  (Sorry, don't mean to be vague...it's just my blog serves as a journal / timeline for me.)

I dropped Rocco and Renna off at the leaders' bus for kids' camp.  My ENTIRE family went up.  C4, Kelly, Nathanael, and Tina served on Rec Staff, C3 was a counselor, Rocco was an LIT, and Renna went up just to be in charge of Bo.  In addition, several nieces and nephews served.  It's a family affair, and I was just fine with a few days on my own at home.  
AB and UL closed on the condo they have lived in for the last year as UL has recuperated.  It's across the street from Meldoy in Rochester and just makes so much sense.  So happy for then!  Also, AB does not age, and UL loves to make signs!  They're the cutest!

Wednesday, June 24th
Kell-Bell in her element!  She's amazing in this role.


I took the dog for a sunset hike up Case Mountain.  

Thursday, June 25th

Colombo gathered all our people for a group picture.  It really is quite special!








Friday, June 26th
She loved her "Fridays with Maymee" video!


Saturday,  June 27th
We had Gabby's graduation party.  My crew left camp a few hours early to get back for it.  From there, we ran out to the Lake to catch Tony's Pizza and Day 1 of LobsterFest festivities.






Somewhere during the day, Rocco learned his team WON camp.  A last minute rush to the lead with some unexpected points.  Way to go!


Sunday, June 28th
LOBSTERFEST!!!!  Our 22nd Annual!  The Lake made so much sense!  We also made the big jump to move it off of Labor Day weekend.  For a very long time (most of the 22 years) it's worked well to hold Labor Day weekend for the festivities, but as the kids get older, we continue to lose more and more to college by late August.  So we found a weekend between camps when Lake activities would work well, and put it on everyone's calendars months ago.  By-in-large, it worked!

Pictures are so out of order, some from our pizza party and fireworks on Saturday, some (gray Family t-shirts) from Sunday.  A bee-u-tiful couple days of weather.  

Also notable:  Just being all together!  It was the Boyd's breakout trip after nearly a year of recovery, change, adjustment, and sticking close to home for PT, appointments, etc.  Uncle Lee felt liberated doing the 5-hour drive on his own.  















Everyone got to meet Henry.  He brought his A-game showing up with a lobster hat with "Lenny's" monogrammed on the side.  He'd had it on hand from a previous visit to the Branford, CT restaurant.
His little lobster shirt that Kelly's mom thoughtfully bought for him.













Back in the game!













Lenny found his way to the new date and new venue.




















Uncle Lee spotted a bald eagle on our morning slow loop around the lake.






Also notable....   Ezra kissed her Boopah (zuppa) goodbye and let a balloon take it away forever.  Maddy put the sweetest video together.  Between the perfectly cued music and the slow motion take-off, (and the fact that my heart hurts missing them all!) I literally stood in the seafood section of ShopRite, watching and weeping as I waited for my lobster to be steamed.  Watch here.