Snowboarding at Mt. Clive
One of Andrew’s goals while he was home for winter break was to snowboard on Mt. Clive. Mt. Clive is a big pile of dirt the city uses for projects and is located at the back of a prairie near our house. The city recently took a huge chunk off the front, creating a drop that Andrew couldn’t resist. Andrew was out there for a while in temperatures that were so cold it was hurting our hands when we took the video. He was determined, but Mt. Clive came out on top today. Andrew thinks he could have done it if he had his regular snowboard that he uses in Colorado. His final attempt is below.
Andrew Goes Back to College
Today I drove Andrew back to college. It started with a red rainbow in the morning, included a stop at target, some tears, and a long drive home.
Summer Jobs
This summer all of the kids are working.
- Andrew – Smash Park
- Mari – Target
- Elliot – Tropical Sno
Picking Andrew Up From College
I drove to Denver yesterday to pick Andrew up from college. I left at 6am CT, was in Denver by 2 MT, and we made it home around 1am CT.
Colorado Visit
This past weekend we went to Colorado to spend the weekend with Andrew. He is on Fall Break at school, which lined up nicely with his birthday. We left Des Moines on Friday, picked up Andrew, and then went to Woodland Park, which is up the hill from Colorado Springs. We spent Saturday and Sunday exploring the area and then on Monday we drove Andrew back to school and headed home.
It was great to see Andrew again and get the gang back together. We all miss having him around.
Taking Andrew to College
Today we (just Susan and I!) took Andrew to college! He will be attending Regis University in Denver. We left Des Moines yesterday around lunch time. It was a rough, emotional departure because the Reagen kids and our kids were all present to say goodbye. There were many tears and rumor has it that after we left everyone just sat in the living room for a while. We have had a great run here in Des Moines, raising our kids with the Reagens, and with Andrew and Ian headed to college it feels like a seismic shift.
Yesterday we drove to Denver and today we were up early for a hike and then took Andrew to get moved in. We got him settled into his room, met his roommate, and then said our goodbyes. He was really excited to start getting settled in on his own. That is about right.
Late Summer Happenings
The Boys
Grad Photo Shoot
Andrew and his friends had a photo shoot. Here is a picture.
Andrew’s Graduation
Andrew’s Grad Party
Today we celebrated Andrew’s graduation party. Jill, her girls, and Mar-Mar and Be-Bob came from Cincinnati and Mary and Casey came from Kansas City. The party was at Main Frame studios, an artist co-op near downtown. Andrew’s friend Oscar’s family had reserved the space and invited us to join.