Week 26 of 52 in 2024

Jackson:  We had reached the 3rd and final lacrosse tournament of the summer.  For this trip, Jackson and I stayed in King of Prussia right outside of Philadelphia.  They lost all 3 games on Saturday with the continued struggles of the offense on full display.  Jackson has mostly been playing defensive midfield so it’s hard to listen to parents complain about the losses when the defense is doing everything they can.

Connor: The boys were in for haircuts and this boy kept trying to tell me that he didn’t need a haircut. His dad and I do not agree with his assessment.

Jackson and Connor: With school being out and before our mid-summer pool membership starts with Stoneleigh, the boys are starting to sped a good bit of time at the local golf courses and this week, they had camp with Coach J, who is very recommended, at Pine Ridge.

Week 25 of 32 in 2024

Jackson: Lacrosse is definitely a what seems to be a never ending sport.  As True is starting to wind down, the Snappers were just getting started and was it HOT.  Compared to Jackson playing mostly defensive midfield for True, he was playing 2 way midfield and attack.  And, he got to spend an hour with Tim Rider/Rider Fitness.  Jackson loves working out with Tim. 

Family: Riley is now a teenager and there were more emotions to be uncovered.  Thank you to Pixar for doing a sequel since we are definitely seeing our fair share of anguish and disgust. A good way to spend our Saturday.

Week 24 of 52 in 2024

Connor: The Angels had been dominating the Teen League after their initial loss to the Orioles.  It came as no surprise that those 2 teams played in the championship game.  The game was divided over 2 nights as it was called for darkness on Monday but Connor had a walk off to secure the Angels victory on Wednesday.  He had struggled the first night on the mound and was super concerned about the Orioles having Tony left to pitch.  It was so gratifying for him to be able to make it up at the plate.

Jackson and Connor:  We had taken advantage of a recent walk off discount and were at the Yard on Wednesday for the Orioles versus the Braves.  We took the Light Rail down since we were still figuring out our car situation and it was Doug’s first ride.  Michael and Connor had to join us after the Angels secured the Teen League Championship. I may or may not have screamed ohemgee in the middle of the National Anthem. 

Poking fun at Craig Kimbrel who got the save but never without drama.

It was the last day of 8th grade on Friday.  Not sure how 3 years have gone by so fast but it apparently As Ms. Shanks mentioned in her speech during the Presidential award, being in the middle isn’t too bad.

Family:  We picked up our 2024 Hyundai Palisade XL in moonlight shade on Friday after a marathon extravaganza with the finance department.  Our sales person, Bristol couldn’t have been nicer but the finance department needs some work.  The agent was unable to do simple math and couldn’t explain the costs.  After way too much time, it was nice to have access to another car.

Lax Splash 2024

Jackson has been playing lacrosse for many years and this was his first opportunity to play in Lax Splash.  We took too long to pick a place because of the location being listed as Berlin but no fields in that area and ended up on 41st street in Ocean City.  It had been years since Michael and I had been to Ocean City (possibly our baby moon) since we’ve taken the boys to Delaware since they were 8 months until we branched out to southern beaches in recent years.

We got in really late after the 8th grade dance so I was up and out to check out the beach.  I was able to enjoy that for maybe 10 minutes before the frantic call asking me if I had packed Jackson’s cleats.  That would be a definite no.  After several calls, we confirmed that the Adidas outlet had soccer cleats in his size.  Thankfully, the area has a good number of outlets.  With cleats secured, we were off to the fields at River Soccer Club.  We had been there for soccer several times but the nearby chicken plant was showing up and not letting you forget what they were processing.  Depending on the wind, it was bearable, at times….

Somehow, True got the victory against their 2nd opponent.  It was a great win.

After getting back from the fields, we raced to the beach before the bonfire started.  Their faces say it all with regard to the ocean temperatures.

Somehow, after Jackson’s teammates arrived, the water was more manageable.

After a tough game EARLY on Sunday morning, we secured a later check out and were able to get to the beach again, which was slightly better because it was full sun after a brunch at Crazy Monkey.  Before we left, we gave the boys their first milkshakes from Dumsers (an Ocean City staple).  Connor was convinced by Michael to get mint chocolate chip and Jackson picked coconut chocolate chip, which the assistant in my orthos’s office had recommended and I never shared with him.  It was a great weekend at the beach.

Week 23 of 52 in 2024

Jackson:  With his acceptance into the Law and Public Policy program, Jackson needed to make some adjustments to his schedule. After a mix up with the clerical staff, it was finally his turn on Wednesday to drop Foundations of Engineering and add Intro to Law.  He and I both had to sign a contract for his admission to the program (needing to meet academic criteria and not missing too many days).

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On Thursday, Jackson received his Presidential Gold award for having no Cs in his 3 years at Dumbarton Middle School.  We are so proud of him and all of his academic accomplishments despite Mr. Sakers who stopped several friends from getting the award and having double math classes in 7th grade.  

Connor: I got to catch up with our umpire as it was playoff time for the 9/10 division of TRC baseball.

Jackson and Connor:  We said yes to the dance (despite lax splash having an early start Saturday morning) and the boys confirmed that they were on the dance floor most of the night.  They had a great night and are very happy they didn’t miss it.