High Five for Friday (6.23.17)

1. My boy comes home from camp today! Though I've missed him terribly, I am so proud of Will for taking advantage of this opportunity*. Never in a million years could I have gone away to camp not knowing a single person - he's so brave!

* A few months ago Will's fourth grade teacher nominated him - and he was selected, based on "academic success, demonstrated leadership ability, and involvement in school and community activities" - to attend the Education in Action's Lone Star Leadership Academy summer camp. While developing their leadership skills, campers are taught about the state of Texas and its leaders by visiting a number of significant sites (U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Texas Civil War Museum, For Worth Stockyards National Historic District, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Cowboys Stadium, and Rangers Ballpark) in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We're so proud of him, and we can't wait to hear about his adventures!

2. Speaking of missing Will, Hallie wrote these notes and asked me to sneak them into Will's suitcase. Insert all the heart-eyes emojis here...

"Roses are red, violets are blue.
Come back to me because I love you!"

"Work hard, be kind, and be sweet. And play soccer. I love you.
P.S. Eat your breakfast to get energy." They DO listen to me! 

"I love you, Will. I hope you are having so much fun. I really
miss you." That's her crying in the bottom lefthand corner and
Will with braces on (?!) in the upper righthand corner.

3. Thanks to the generosity of a student of Tom's and a friend of mine, I stepped up my beverage game this week: coffee from Columbia and wine from Napa. Yum!

4. I finally captured Hallie's last-day-of-school pictures! I took Will's pictures a day early because I wanted to use them for the blog post about the end of elementary school, and then I accidentally forgot to take Hallie's...oops!

5. Happiness Highlights:

She always stops to smell the flowers. She also goes
for walks wearing just her swimsuit and athletic shoes.

Over the weekend I introduced Will and Hallie
to the world of swim caps. Without "boy" hair Will
looks an awful lot like his mother at 10 years old...

Not Hallie tho - she looks more like her daddy.

After two weeks of swimming lessons, these two
besties ended up with coordinating swimmers ear
infections to go with their coordinating swimsuits. 

A mama bird built her nest above our front porch. She's very
nervous when we approach the front door, which makes me think
she actually has eggs or babies in there - we can't wait to find out!

It's so hot in Texas that Will has to play soccer with the sprinklers
on. As I'm sure you can imagine, this situation turned into a
hysterical slip-and-slip game rather than a soccer practice.

Already long enough for braided pigtails! Sort of...

Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here:

 

Like a Sister

I have a sister. I write about her periodically so many of you know her name is Sara, she's two years younger than me, she lives outside of Peoria, Illinois with her husband and two kids, she's a (incredible) teacher, and she has an infectious smile. It was just her and me...until she started kindergarten and met Chelse.

Sara and Chelse quickly became best friends, and within a couple of years I had gained another sister.  Chelse spent afternoons and weekends at our house. She had a spot at our family dinner table and a toothbrush in our bathroom. She came to my soccer games and I went to her musicals. She came with our family to Jamaica, accompanied my mom, my dad, and Sara when they dropped me off for my freshman year of college, and sang in my wedding. She was - and still is, 31 years later - Sara's best friend, but she has a tremendously special place in my heart as well.

Paul and his girls: my mom, Sara, my dad, me (super
pregnant with Will), and Chelse at Sara's wedding. 

Last week life dealt her a really crappy hand. And is often the case in situations like these, there isn't a heck of a lot family members and friends can do to improve that colossally bad hand...except stand up and say I love you, I'm here for you, and I have faith in your strength to overcome.

Life is tough, my darling, but so are you.

~ Stephanie Bennett Henry

So to my Chelse, and to all/any of you fighting battles that seems heavier and more painful that you can bear, please know I am thinking about and praying for you. Life is tough, but I know - I KNOW - you are tougher.

One to make you laugh...
Chelse, Sara, and me circa 1996.

In Defense of Howdy

A born-and-raised Midwestern friend of ours came to visit us in College Station. During his stay, Tom gave him a tour of his office and lab, and then while up on campus, we walked around some of TAMU's more interesting academic buildings and outdoor spaces.

I have touched on the topic of Aggieland/College Station/Texas/Southern vernacular in the past, so many of you reading today already know that “Howdy” is the official TAMU greeting. Current students, alumni, administrators, and faculty and staff members use the phrase regularly while walking around campus and at the start of almost every class and meeting, making TAMU – at least according to anyone affiliated with the University – the “friendliest campus in the world”.

TAMU etiquette suggests (in a politest way possible) that if someone greets you with “howdy”, you should respond in the same manner. Tom and I likely (unintentionally) offended a few locals when we arrived in College Station; at first we didn't know the protocol, and then for a while we didn't feel comfortable using the phrase. Now, however, we say it loudly and proudly.

Tom in particular, because he spends every day on campus, throws "howdy" out into the world like candy during a parade, and his willingness to do so while walking campus with our Midwestern friend left him somewhat dismayed. Perhaps he felt Tom had abandoned his linguistic roots, or that Tom had made himself too comfortable in a region of the country he always expected we would call home only temporarily. Whatever the case, when he commented on Tom's choice of words, Tom - much to his surprise - found himself defending "howdy".

"It's both polite and comfortable, and it's considered acceptable in formal and informal situations alike. It's friendly and efficient, and I think it unifies our students, administrators, faculty, and staff. What's not to like?!" 

Don't get me wrong - there remain a number of things about Texas I won't support or defend. (You will never hear me supporting the summer weather or defending the lizards, for example.) But when we weren't paying attention, both Tom and I started standing up for little - and then bigger - pieces of our lives in Texas we had no plans to ever embrace.

Six years gone in the blink of an eye...

High Five for Fathers

This guy:

He would do anything for any one of us, and I wouldn't want to travel the rewarding, challenging, joyful, heartbreaking, exhilarating, and exhausting journey called "parenthood" with anyone else by my side.

Here are a few of my favorite videos of Tom "dadding". As you can see and hear, he has always been a fun parent - one who makes every effort to meet the kids where they are and learn to love what they love...even when it's a little inappropriate (see the second video below).

Happy Father's Day to my right-hand man, to these two awesome dads and grandpas, and to all the men out there who are "dadding" in one way or another.

Side note: did you notice whose letter jacket Tom is wearing in the first photo? 😂

Few Words Wednesday: Youth

Youth

I want to see you game, boys. I want to see you brave and manly, and I also want to see you gentle and tender.

Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.

Courage, hard work, self-mastery, and intelligent effort are all essential to a successful life.

Character in the long run is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.

~ Theodore Roosevelt

On Sunday my boy embarks on his first overnight camp experience. I hope and pray for his safety, health, and happiness first, but my next hope and prayer are that when he finds himself without extended parental or grandparental guidance for the first time, he remembers all we've taught him.

Remember who you are, Will. Even when I'm not there to remind you, remember to be strong and brave AND gentle and tender. Remember to be practical and generous. Remember to dream big but to ground those dreams in reality. Remember to do the right thing even when you're scared, work hard, make good choices, and be a good person.

Oh, and remember that your mama loves you. I don't think Teddy would mind me throwing that one in there at the end.

The Cavalry is Coming (Plus a Giveaway!)

After Tom finished his PhD at the University of Michigan, his job offers meant we had to choose between four different cities in which to live: Washington D.C.; Rockville, MD; Buffalo, NY; and College Station, TX. We chose College Stations for a number of reasons, however "fun and interesting stuff to do" was not one of them.

With a population of approximately 100,000 people, College Station is relatively small. (With a combined population of 185,000, College Station and sister city Bryan combine to form a slighter bigger - but not "large" - metropolitan area.) And while College Station is situated reasonably close to Houston, Austin, and Dallas, when we first moved here neither Tom or I had any interest in driving 3+ hours round trip for a concert, shopping trip, or meal. I almost never had to leave my city in search of entertainment, goods, or food growing up, so I found it crazy that College Station residents drove more than an hour for a show, to grocery shop, or for BBQ ribs. After a couple of years here, however, we came to understand College Station's lack of certain activities and amenities...and now we too will drive an hour to shop at Trader Joe's or for a good disc golf course. (That one's Tom, of course.)

All that said, things "'round these here parts" have begun to change. For the last decade the College Station population has grown at a record pace, and now the rest of College Station has begun to catch up. We've added restaurants of all kinds, quite a few boutique shopping options, and a handful of youth (and adult) entertainment venues. We're still missing a few of my favorites - Trader Joe's, Rocky Rococo's Pizza, Bruegger's Bagels, Loft, Home Goods, a second-run movie theater, a zoo, a miniature golf course, safer and more interesting biking trails, and an indoor soccer facility - but since we moved here 6+ years ago, College Station has gradually become a much more fun and intersting place to live.

While reading over my shoulder, Will asked me to add that he desperately wants a Denny's.

Speaking of soccer and on the topic of new, fun, and interesting in College Station, earlier this month the Brazos Valley became home to a Professional Development League (PDL) soccer team. The Brazos Valley Cavalry FC - which funnels up to the Houston Dynamo Major League Soccer team - arrived and brought with it a commitment to and an excitement surrounding soccer that we haven't previously seen in our small corner of Texas. The PDL team plays its home games locally, in the newly-renovated Nutrabolt stadium (also home to the Brazos Valley Bombers minor league baseball team and now updated to accommodate soccer games as well). For (three of) the four Ferri, a PDL soccer team makes our community an even better place to live, especially considering that this fall, Will will play for the brand new competitive youth soccer club supported by the larger Cavalry FC.

Hallie and Friday the Horse. 

Her goal is to take a picture with him at every
game she attends. Thus far we're two for two!

Soccer under the lights! (For those of you having trouble visualizing how
a soccer field fits on a baseball field, one soccer end line and goal are along
the baseball third base line and the other end line and goal are in right field.)

Will "working" ball crew on opening night. He took his job very
seriously, was extremely enthusiastic and encouraging to the players, and
celebrated like he was watching the Olympics when the Cavalry scored. 

Soaking wet and exhilarated after a rainy first game.
Lately Will hasn't given me real smiles in pictures.
These soccer games and this new club have brought
out such joy in him and you can see it on his face.

Heading onto the field for halftime announcements.
That smile...makes my mama heart happy.

Waiting to welcome the team back to the field. 

Post game group photo: Cavalry FC PDL players and Cavalry
FC Youth players. (Will's front left in ball crew orange.)

In certain circumstances, community growth can bring challenges: more traffic, less parking, an increased cost of living, an increase in crime, and a loss of the hospitality and close-knit relationships often associated with small towns. But community growth can also bring benefits: more job opportunities, more academic and athletic opportunities, increased diversity, improved health care, more parks and improved outdoor spaces, and, in this case, more and improved opportunities for good, clean, family fun.

Our area's growth - and the Cavalry's arrival - has made the Brazos Valley an even more desirable place for us to live. Looks like we're sticking around...

I'm giving away three sets of two tickets to July Cavalry FC games! Comment here or on Facebook  - under one of the feeds associated with this post - to be entered in the drawing. Winners will be chosen on Friday, June 16th and notified on Saturday, June 17th. (I will do my very best to pair winners with tickets that work with their schedules.)

If you live in the Brazos Valley area and would like to join the four Ferri at a June Cavalry game, email me at erin@chasingroots.com! 

High Five for Friday: 6.9.17

1. Anyone else having trouble keeping track of the day of the week? Right now our weekdays start off identically (breakfast, gym, swimming lessons, Mini Intensive dance camp) but finish up differently (playdates, swimming, birthday parties, dentist appointments, soccer practices and games), which makes it difficult to remember whether it's Monday or Thursday. If someone hadn't casually commented on the day of the week yesterday this post would have gone up a day late...

Regardless, we've had a great week transitioning from having company to our semi-regular summer schedule and activities.

2. Tom and I grew up in musical families. As a result, we both love making music and appreciate having the ability to do so with each other, our parents, and our siblings. Imagine our delight and pride, then, when I walked in and found Will and Hallie making actual music together. They can play Heart & Soul on the piano, but in this instance, Will was playing The Lion Sleeps Tonight on the ukulele while Hallie sang. Insert all the heart-eyes emojis here...

3. Just a couple of days after her recital, Hallie "took the plunge" for the second time and cut off all of her hair. Based on past hair growth, we feel confident we timed it so that Hallie's locks should once again be bun-length by the Nutcracker ballet in December. I love that in a world of little girls with long-haired ponytails, she is willing - at least every once in a while - to go her own way.

You'll have to excuse the "sweat curls" - she'd been running around
outside on an incredibly humid day just prior to our photo shoot.

4. Help me, friends on the interwebs! Red Nose Day came and went, and I accidentally missed the Love Actually sequel that aired during the television special. I can't find the sequel online, so please, if you have any idea how I can see it, let me know. (Ok, so this one isn't actually a "high five" yet, but it will be soon!)

5. Happiness Highlights:

Tom traveled all week so I let the kids bunk with me. This one snores
loudly, kicks, and has no concept of personal space, so he "drew" the
air mattress. Except I discovered that every night he gradually works
his way off of the air mattress and onto the floor. 😂 

This one talks in her sleep, but since she doesn't attack me, she gets the bed. 

They look grumpy, but that's my fault as the photographer; my boys were
enjoying their early morning time together after Tux spent the night outside.

Will made chocolate-covered strawberries, cherries,
pretzel sticks, and graham crackers as part of our summer
cooking (I use that term loosely) bootcamp. He could not
believe how delicious these creations tasted.  

We love you too, Hallie Claire!

Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here: