Second Place Softball Season

 This weekend marked the end of Alaina's rec softball season.   She played well and had a great team.   The past weekend was the playoffs--21 teams in Marin competed to play in the championship--and her team made it to the game!

  Unfortunately, they did not win, losing quite substantially 12-3, but the umps did seem to favor the other team!

So her team received 2nd place trophies.   This is the second second-place trophy she has gotten this season.   Earlier this spring she also played on our town's all-star team, where her team, again, came in second.

Though there were a lot of tears shed by girls on the team, Alaina didn't seem to mind coming in second too much.   She just isn't THAT competitive.  

But, actually it has been a lot of fun watching her play and gain confidence this season.   She is going to play travel ball again this summer, so we have more softball ahead of us.

Working man

 

This spring, Ethan has not one, but two jobs!   After turning 14, he was eligible to work at Kumon, as a grader.  Now he goes there every Monday and Thursday after school and corrects kids' homework and helps them in class.   As a bonus, Alaina is a student, so he gets to correct her work too (which sometimes presents a bit of a conflict of interest......).   Any way, he gets paid 0.50 over minimum wage, which in California is a sweet $15.50 an hour.  Not too bad!

Also this spring, he is working as a little league umpire.   He has umped a few games, and tells us that it is "boring".   But he does get paid $40/game--pretty good money at age 14, so I guess the boredom is worth it.

Last week, Jason brought him to the bank and helped him set up his own checking account.  He now has a debit card, linked to Apple Pay...so he can charge away!   Financial independence!

Grandma Ferschl

 Today would have been my Grandma Ferschl's 100th birthday, had she not died in November of 2020 at the age of 97.5.  We had always talked about throwing a big 100th birthday party for her when she was alive--I know she really had hoped to make it--and was looking forward to it despite her religion.   I am sad that she didn't make it to this day.  Unfortunately, the pandemic likely made her final days much more difficult, being isolated and probably quite lonely.   The last time I saw her was through a window at her assisted living facility.   

I sure wish we could be together celebrating today--I can hear her now, in my head, ordering a steak from Alioto's, cooked extra-well done, "like a hockey puck", and maybe drinking a 7 and 7.   I miss her smile and her laugh, the snacks she alway put out for us when we came for a visit, her cooing over the kid's dimples.  But mostly, I just miss her.   Happy Birthday Grandma!

Grandpa's Birthday

 Last weekend we had a belated birthday celebration for my Dad, since he was in Chicago for his birthday and then we were in Southern California.

We had a nice dinner, and of course gave him a personalized calendar (his birthday present of choice), and this year also gave his a watercolor painting of his California home--which he has hung next to paintings of his Chicago homes that were made years ago.

It is so nice that he is so close and we can celebrate like this!  Cheers to his "new" home!

Spring Break in So Cal

 This past week we have been on Spring Break.   We headed to southern California, to visit Jason's parent's new place in La Quinta, near Palm Springs, and Jason's brother Jeremy who has been living in LA for about a year.

Gary and Eileen are settling into their new place--it is brand new, so very exciting--though it also has been a lot of work for them!   They have done a lot in the past few months, though, quite impressive.   We all enjoyed a passover seder together, which was nice.

On Sunday, we took a short hike in La Quinta and checked out the town.   It got very hot--almost 100(!) so we couldn't stay out too long.

On Monday the kids and I headed to Joshua Tree, while Jason worked and Gary and Eileen did house stuff.  I haven't been to Joshua Tree in a long time, but it was really beautiful, especially the northwestern park of the park.  We headed there very early before it got too hot--and did some short hikes and boulder scrambling before having lunch in town and heading back.

 

On Tuesday, we headed to LA, where we dropped off Ethan with his uncle, and then met our medical school friends Andreas and Jenny for dinner in Pasadena.   

Wednesday was a Jeremy day--we visited the Getty museum, he toured us around his neighborhood, and saw the first home he sold!   Unfortunately, that afternoon, I came down with food poisoning, so I hung out in the hotel, while everyone else had dinner.

Thursday was our Universal Studios day--we had told Alaina that if she read at least 4 of the Harry Potter books but spring break, we would bring her to Universal Studios (Grandpa had gotten her the set form Christmas).  She lived up--and then some, being in the middle of the 7th and last book by our visit--a lot of reading in 3.5 months!

  

The kids really loved universal--I was still feeling under the weather, so I didn't enjoy it as much, but I am glad they had a nice time.   

Friday we headed home!   So a whirlwind tour, but a nice break from the routine.  And, due to all the rain we have had this winter in California, the wildflowers on the drive were amazing--check out this shot I took form the car--all the orange dots are fields of poppies!

No more braces!

This week, Ethan got his braces off!

 

He is pretty happy with the result, and the fact that he can eat popcorn and sticky candy.  In fact the dentist gave him a bag of stick candy on the way out of the office!

He has a retainer, which is very different from the kind I use to have--it is basically a clear plastic mold that goes over his teeth, like an Invisalign, and he only has to wear it at night.

Not surprisingly, the first night when I went to bed I went to check if he was wearing it, and of course, it was not on!   😬

He is definitely becoming a teenager.

 

So Much Snow

 Last weekend, we were finally able to make it up to the cabin.   We were astounded by the amount of snow, which covers most of the second story windows!   There is seriously nowhere else to put it.

Thankfully, we have been keeping up with deck and driveway shoveling.   Those who have not are in serious trouble.   We took a walk around the neighborhood and saw homes that literally had decks falling off, or were so buried that they were accessible only by ladder--one was only accessible by a long rope!

Yes, there is a house in that pile!

Two MORE feet fell this week after we left.   It may not all melt before next winter!