July 2020

July 2020 

        We had a good month of July where we took a trip to the beach, got to see several friends and family along with getting ready for the school year with kickball and cross-country practices.It felt about as “normal” as we could expect given the pandemic.  As of today, the start of our school year has been pushed back one week and we believe our K-5 grade will be going back in-class full-time.The middle school is going to be doing a hybrid approach, but as with everything over the last 5 months, it is subject to change very quickly.  Our summer has been very enjoyable and much of that is due to our ability to have some great help.  Alexis helped out from late April through late July as she had to get ready for her teaching job.  We immediately called up the Nickersons who have been watching the girls each day.  Between Sarah, Margaret, Katie and Elaine they are usually able to divide and conquer each week and keep the girls entertained.

     We celebrated July 4^th weekend by going to the Bailey’s for fireworks on the 3^rd.  It was a great show and very impressive.  We saw some families from school and the neighborhood.  On the 4^th, we went to Lake Clearwater to hang out with the Bassett’s, Lawton and his parents.  We all enjoyed swimming in the lake and jumping off their pier. We had a cookout on Sunday of the holiday weekend with the Versphelts & Biberstines and the kids enjoyed playing together in the backyard. 

            We drove to Surfside Beach in mid-July with Randy and Anna along with the Shafers.  It is a little south of Myrtle Beach and it is where Deb’s extended family used to go on vacation when she was a kid.  Debbie, Anna, Julie & Kyle did a great job planning for the trip.  We brought everything we needed and didn’t really need to leave the condos.  We had 2 condos and that allowed for some parents to have breaks along with allowing me to work about 4 to 5 hours each day.  Since I just started a new job, I wasn’t going to be able to take a week off, but I was able to work remotely which worked out nicely.  The weather was great and it only rained twice while we where there.  Most days started on the beach, ended at the pool and dinner was divided up amongst the parents so the guys were usually grilling while the ladies were preparing the rest of the meal. We enjoyed flying some kites, playing paddle ball, playing in the waves, teaching the girls how to ride the waves to shore, digging in the sand and spending time together.   

 

Sarah’s Things of the Month  

            Sarah decided to sign-up for cross-country this year and Deb and I are very proud of her for doing that.  She was hesitant at first because of how far you have to run and she didn’t think she would be very good.  After some encouragement and knowing that over half the girls in her class were participating, she went to one practice and decided she wanted to sign-up!    

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month  

             Allison has signed up for cross-country and kickball.  Due to the different class sizes of kids that signed up, she is playing with some 5^th and 6^th graders on the “56B” team.  She has enjoyed seeing so many of her friends again at practice for both sports.    

 

A few more items from this month: 

• We celebrated Deb’s birthday by getting take-out from Sahm’s and enjoyed some cake from Taylor’s bakery. The girls and I surprised her with some clothes earlier in the month so she could bring them on vacation.   
• Both girls have been playing tennis twice a week at North Central the last 2 weeks of July with the Sniadeckis.
• I enjoyed catching up with Brad and Jeremy over a Zoom call with a few beers.  Brad can still talk me into random things even remotely, as I found myself doing a tequila shot “just because.”  
• Jeremy and I played some frisbee golf at a local course and then had lunch and a few beers at Big Woods. 
• We got new chairs for our kitchen table.  We have been slowly completing our 1^st floor renovation, and I think our next project is going to be the laundry room.  
• We are in the process of getting a new roof and gutters.  The project will start in August and we are hoping the vent system they put in our attic will help cool off our 2^nd floor.  
• I went over to see my cousin Chris and Mark came along.  We had some beers and enjoyed catching up.  
• We had a party get cancelled and since we already had a sitter planned, we decided to enjoy some beers with the Bassett’s and Lawton on their porch.   
• We went over to the Dodson’s to see their new swing-set and play on their porch with their water table and kid pool.   
• Debbie co-managed the used uniform sale for the school and it was a great success as they made over $2,000!