For the Strength

Cooper and Phoebe had a fantastic experience at FSY last week! Sophie and I handled Monday drop-off (I drove, she socialized) for our kids and their friends and the other family made the drive to bring them home on Saturday. I took some pictures when we checked them in. As for the week itself, I didn't get many pictures, but the ones I got looked happy.

The hard part about FSY last week? Cooper and Phoebe said goodbye to Peter on Monday morning instead of Wednesday evening. There were big feelings.

Austenland

Tonight my friend and I saw The Complete Works of Jane Austen abridged at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and had a grand time. Once again, it's great being "the theatre friend." 

Semisesquicentennial

Sophie and I started our July 4th by joining our ukulele orchestra for a community performance.

While we were doing that, most of the rest of our family went to a church party. Sophie and I ran over there once our ukulele gig ended and arrived just in time to join a group in singing a few songs, totally unrehearsed. We've sung together before and we sounded pretty darn good.

Later that day we made a quick appearance at a friend's party. I believe Topher ate two hot dogs and all the kids got slushies. It was not a healthy dinner, but it was satisfying.

We finished the night with a different batch of friends for a birthday celebration, for both a person and a country.

The House of the Lord

On Sunday Cooper was ordained an Elder in our church. This is an important step toward being a missionary.

Yesterday, he took another step. He went to the Philadelphia Temple for his own endowment. This is a very big deal. He was excited and a little nervous. Bryan, Peter, and I went with him and were so happy he made this choice.

Traffic was pretty intense. It took us about two hours to get to the temple. Luckily, we left early enough.

The underground parking garage makes it feel like we're not in the middle of a big city, even before we officially enter the building.

We arrived in time to stop at the Distribution Center, then head into the temple itself. I got a few before shots while we waited for the elevator.

This is the shift that Peter has been serving in for the last six months or so. Several people, when they realized we were Peter's family, told us how wonderful he is and what a great job he's been doing. That was a lovely, unexpected perk of going on a Thursday evening.

There were several people that came to support Cooper. We use last names at church, but for the sake of privacy, I'll list them my first name here:

• Tina and Richard, dear friends from our old ward, they helped prepare Cooper to go to the temple
• Scott and Robyn, Cooper's seminary teachers from his freshman year, they were in our old ward and they moved into the new ward with us, Scott wrote Cooper's letter of recommendation to get into BYU, and they also helped Cooper prepare for the temple
• Dave and Colleen, friends who are in our old ward, Dave is one of Cooper's biggest cheerleaders
• Kim, a good friend from our old ward, she brought her two sons to do baptisms while we were in the endowment session, just so they could be there to greet Cooper when he came out, that was at least three hours in the car just to give Cooper a hug and show their support (her husband was our Bishop in our old ward and would have been there as well if he'd been in town)
• Spencer, Cooper's good friend who went to the temple on Saturday for the first time to prepare for his own mission, and his dad Joe, both from our old ward
• Michael, a good friend from both the old ward and new ward, he serves in the Bishopric and has been one of Cooper's Young Men leaders
• Graham, another one of Cooper's Young Men leaders in our new ward, and the youth Sunday School teacher

It was really meaningful having these friends join us in the temple. They were all so happy for Cooper!

Cooper had a positive experience. He had so many questions that we couldn't answer them all before we had to leave. In fact, just before we stepped outside to take this picture after the session, the security guard locked the doors. Cooper is eager to go back.

We love you, Cooper!

Bye Spring

The last day of spring was spent having s'mores at a campfire with friends after a rainy morning. We even got a double rainbow.

Parked

Today was a beautiful day, just the right temperature. Topher, Sophie, and I spent the morning at a park for a primary meeting, the middle of the day at a different park (with Phoebe) for a ukulele performance, and the afternoon at a state park swimming in a creek with friends.

After a shower and dinner, once he climbed into bed, Topher fell asleep almost immediately.

The secret to a good sleep is a day full of parks.

Lazy Days

Summer break so far has included turning off alarms, swimming at a friend's pool, and spending many hours at a different friend's house today. I think we're off to a good start.

Water Attack!

Today was the last day of school for the year! One of the moms at the bus stop had the idea to greet the kids coming off the bus with various water sprayers. I was the designated videographer. This was the result.

Librarian Teaser

Phoebe and her friend Phoenix ran to be librarians for concert choir next year. This was the campaign video Phoebe made.

Spoiler: they were elected!

The Better Butter Battle

Last Saturday we had some friends over while their parents went to the temple. Sophie and her friend Gemma used the time to make this chocolate cake.

And have a butter battle, or course.

Fun at the Fest

While Cooper was at prom, Topher and Sophie were at our elementary school's annual fun fest. There were several inflatable bouncy houses and games and a DJ running a dance party. Topher spent most of his time on the school playground with friends. Sophie debated if she was too old to attend, but she came at the last minute. She quickly found a friend who needed someone to hang out with.

Have Your Picture Took*

Friday evening Cooper went to his senior prom with his lovely friend Delaney.

His prom-posal included roses and a box of donuts.

One challenge was finding both the right color suit and the right color tie. His date wanted to keep her dress a surprise. Her mom showed me and the girls a picture a few weeks ago, but we were having trouble remembering exactly what we'd seen. Thankfully, she texted me a picture when I promised not to show it to Cooper. We ordered four ties from Amazon and one of them worked!

Even though he went with a group, Cooper drove himself and his date. That meant he needed his in-house tech support to connect his phone to the Bluetooth in the car he doesn't usually drive.

The group decided to meet at a university about five minutes from the prom venue for pictures. I drove separately and got to play photographer. I think Cooper looked quite dapper and his date looked beautiful.

These girls did not coordinate their dress selections. I guess the southern belle look is in right now.

Now that prom is over, Cooper is one step closer to graduation...

*Name that musical, without Googling it.

On the Wheels of a Dream

A few months ago my dear friend Brett told me that she and her husband would be in New York for a few days in March and asked if Bryan and I could join them for one of those days. We cleared our calendars and thoroughly prepped the kids to take care of everyone (mostly Topher) at home.

On a day in mid-March we got up extra early, made sure we were ready for an adventure, dropped Sophie off at chorus before school, and drove to a park and ride lot in New Jersey. We took a bus into New York, then walked to The Morgan Library and Museum to meet our friends!

This is the second time I've been to this library, but I had only seen one small section the first time. Most of this was new to me. And it was so beautiful!

Photo credit Brett

In addition to the three story collection of books, there were grand offices, an art display, and exhibits about Mozart and storytelling.

This was Mozart's childhood violin.

And this is where Mozart sat and did most of his composing.

Me and my buddy Will.

I feel this quote deep in my soul.

I really loved the exhibit about storytelling. These are pictures from Maus, a graphic novel about the Holocaust.

Here are some of Henry David Thoreau's journals.

A cell from Plane Crazy, the first Mickey Mouse film.

After the library, we grabbed some pizza, took a few pictures in Times Square, and headed to the theater.

Photo credit Brett

Photo credit Ben

The first Broadway show Bryan and I ever saw was The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee during a trip to visit our friends who lived in NYC, almost twenty-one years ago. Here's a much younger version of me next to that original poster.

When Brett said she and Ben wanted to see the off-Broadway revival and invited us to join them, we said yes!

It was a fantastic production! And it was in a theater complex I'd never been to. It was almost completely underground and had six theaters, kind of like a movie theater with several screens, but for live theater instead, which I think is such a cool concept.

We took a picture with one of the cast members after the show.

We had a little time between the show and dinner, so we explored The Drama Book Shop.

We ate a delicious dinner at a noodle shop that had gluten free options. Then we said goodbye to Brett and Ben (and Brett's brother and sister-in-law who had joined us for dinner) and Bryan and I began the long walk uptown to Lincoln Center.

I've wanted to see Ragtime since it first debuted in the 90s. When I heard it was being revived, I brainstormed ways to go see it. The invitation from Brett to join them in NYC gave us a reason to be in the city. Why not stay a little longer and see a second show? Bryan and I talked about it and we tried to get tickets, but were initially unsuccessful. A few days before the trip I was looking up other shows that we might see instead. Bryan asked me what I was doing and I told him. His response, "Oh, don't buy tickets to anything. We have tickets to Ragtime that night."

YAY!!!!

It was absolutely transformative, possibly the best thing I've ever seen on Broadway. The singing, the acting, the staging, the lighting, the costumes, the pit, all of it was stunning. And the message of Ragtime was so beautiful and sad and full of hope. It was just what I needed.

Also, a key scene takes place at The JP Morgan Library! It was so cool to see a replica of the big bronze doors that we had just seen in person that morning.

Brett and Ben, thanks for asking us to join you in NYC, it was a wonderful day! It was so great to hangout in person and to talk as we walked around the city!