Empty Nest Quandary

Tami and I have found ourselves with unexpected time alone lately. Michael had his two day college orientation and works almost every day. Abby has been hanging out with friends (Kings Island etc...). We're not exactly sure what to do with this time. We sit around and ask each other what to do and the the typical reply is, "I dunno". We consider going to a movie and quickly realize there is absolutely nothing worth watching. At least nothing that warrants spending nearly $20 for two tickets. We love going out to eat, but that gets real expensive, real fast. We don't have disposable income to be going out to restaurants all the time. Their prices are outrageous anymore! Sitting around the house or pool relaxing is nice, but there's only so much of that you can do. I mean, crossword puzzles are fun, but not for hours on end. We also love to take rides in the car. We especially like visiting places we've never been. But with the price of gas, it's difficult to justify spending that kind of cash for a ride in the car. We're not big fans of the Omnimax Theater or Museum Center (been there, done that). Going to visit Sveta is always a tempting option, but the Mortons have lives of their own (busy, busy lives) and impromptu visits aren't possible very often. We could go to the library and get some books. We both love to read, but again, for hours on end, it can get a bit old. We could go to Newport on the levee and walk on the Purple People Bridge. But that's not much fun in the heat of the day and again, that would lead to a restaurant and spending more money.

Do you see the quandary? We find ourselves with short stints as empty nesters. Yet we don't have a ton of money to keep ourselves constantly entertained. Please don't get me wrong though. Somehow we always end up having a great time together and we don't have to break the bank to do it. Tami is still my best friend and there's nobody I would rather spend my time with. I am constantly reminded how and why I fell in love with her and those feelings are only stronger today. However, when we do have these times alone, there is one topic that always comes up... the kids. We talk about the kids all the time. They are our favorite subject. And speaking of the kids, Michael is very excited about college and Abby is happy not to be a freshman anymore. Jessi is an incredible mother to my sweet little Sveta. But these are topics for blog posts another day.

Daddy Date!

I have previously posted on this blog the importance of dating your spouse. You date one another leading up to your marriage. Why stop after you're married? Don't let jobs, kids or the busy-ness of life get in the way. Tami and I went on a date last night and really enjoyed being with each other. But that's not what this blog post is about. The subject line says "Daddy Date". Have you ever thought of dating your kids? I know it sounds strange, but it just means taking your kids out individually and spending time one on one. It may sound a little weird for a father to date his son, so we just call it "Guy Time" or something similar. But in the case of girls, I call it a Daddy Date.

Tomorrow I will be taking Abby on a long overdue Daddy Date. She wants to eat at Chipotle (no problem there!). She wants me to take her driving (she gets her learner's permit next month). She wants to go shopping (this one is a bit of a challenge for this Daddy, but we'll go... it's her day). We may play a round of miniature golf (weather permitting). And we'll probably end the date with ice cream (I think it's a state law that all Daddy Dates must end with ice cream).

I'm looking forward to spending this special day with Abby. She always eats up the attention she gets. She'll be 15 next month and I'm not sure how many more Daddy Dates she'll let me take her on. It will be a sad day when she's too cool or too grown up to hang out with her Daddy. Until that time, I'll take as many as I can get!

Summer Begins!

Today is the first day of my summer vacation. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit pumped up.

Today was busy. We hosted our fourth party in three weeks. Tomorrow is busy with church and all, but Monday the real relaxation begins. I am eager to get up each morning and enjoy a cup of coffee while reading my Bible. I am also eager to start some projects around the house and in the yard. We will spend most days lounging around the pool, drinking iced tea and working crossword puzzles. We will also be starting preparations for our vacation next month.

Summer is here and I love it!

I lost my pants!

Get your minds out of the gutter, people. It's not what you think.

On the last day of school the teachers take the 3rd-6th graders to the community pool for a swimming party. It's a really nice way to end the school year and is an incentive the kids work for all the way up until the last day. We had a successful pool party today and we were dismissing the students to go home for the summer. Just as I was leaving a female teacher asked me to go into the boys locker room to check on a special needs kid. I walked in and found him standing in nothing but his underwear. I asked him if he was okay and he answered with words no teacher ever wants to hear. "No, I'm not okay. I lost my pants". Apparently he had changed into his swimming trunks and had not properly put away his street clothes. After a short search of the changing room, we located the pants in question. I could have handled, "I lost my towel" or "I lost my goggles". Hearing this boy say he lost his pants was the capper to a very challenging school year. This boy lost his pants. I nearly lost my sanity.

Penultimate

Penultimate has become one of my favorite words. It means second (or next) to last. Tomorrow is my penultimate day of school. In other words tomorrow is the second to last day of school! After Friday I am on vacation!

For teachers, this time of year is difficult. The last week of school is more about survival skills and less about actual education. Don't get me wrong. Teaching goes on until the last possible minute, but there are adaptations that have to be made as well. Kids are not dumb. They know things are winding down. They know teachers stop taking grades and don't want a bunch of papers to grade at the last minute. Kids sense the teachers are done and it's kind of a dance that we do. How can we seize those teachable moments while the kids know things are also coming to a close? In the end it all works out.

Happy summer everybody! Let the relaxation begin!

The Butterhead

In the post about Michael's graduation, I referred to him as the Butterhead. This nickname has absolutely nothing to do with butter or his actual head. Honestly, the name is a derivative of "Buddy". When he was tiny I declared he was my little buddy. Saying the word Buddy in baby talk often came out like boody or buddah. After hearing all these different sounding words that were in some way a form of Buddy, I finally landed on "buttah", which sounded a lot like the word butter to me. So it didn't take long for my little buddy to become the Butterhead. Most days we just refer to him as "The Butter". What time does The Butter work today? How was school today, Butter? Where's The Butter? Hey, Butter! Come over here for a minute. The Butter needs to take out the trash. Etc... Etc... Etc...

We love you, Butterhead!

A Nice Zebra

Tami and I were marveling at how much "Life" Sveta has experienced in her four months since arriving from Russia. She has been swimming. She's been to a ceramics shop. She's helped her mama cook. She's been fishing. She's stayed in a hotel. She's ridden a bike. She's eaten at many restaurants. She's been to the toy store. She's been tucked in every night. And I'm sure there are countless things I don't even know about. Recently she added a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo to her list of firsts since becoming a Morton.

Aside from seeing a gazillion animals, Sveta also got to ride the train and got her face painted like a zebra (see photo). I thought she looked a little scary, but I didn't tell her that. However some of the other kids feigned fear and she reassured them she was a NICE zebra. Sveta had a wonderful time at the zoo and was completely tuckered out by days end. What a thrill it was to see her looking with wonder at many of God's creatures.

The day was a bit rainy, but it didn't dampen anyone's spirits by any means. Personally, I've never cared for the zoo (not as a child or an adult). Honestly the smells kind of gross me out. But it didn't stop me from watching Sveta having a good time. I'm plum crazy about that little stinker.

Michael Graduated

Michael graduated today. We are all glad to have the ceremony behind us. The ceremony itself was fine, but the number of people they had crammed on the gym bleachers probably violated the fire code. To say we were packed in like sardines would be a tremendous understatement. You could not move. I have to give the school officials credit though. There were around 330 graduates and they moved the ceremony as quickly as they could. One hour and fifteen minutes was long, but not nearly as long as we were predicting. Tami and I estimated there were 2500 people in that gym counting the graduating seniors.The school really should look into a larger venue.

On bit of a different note... Today I was reminded that many people have no idea how to behave in public. The number of people who were talking and carrying on conversations during the ceremony was unbelievable. I also learned that a lot of people didn't feel the need to shower prior to the ceremony. C'mon people! Give us a break please! I have never liked crowds (and will do almost anything to avoid one). As I get older my dislike for crowds only gets stronger. However, sometimes crowds are unavoidable. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if people exhibited some common courtesy and reacquainted themselves with a bar of soap.

All in all it was a good day. Watching Michael accept his diploma was emotional for me. He's now officially a college student. Congratulations, Butterhead! (If you don't know about Michael's nickname, it will be a good topic for a future blog post)

I previously mentioned we had his party yesterday. After a long day and night Saturday and the commencement ceremony today... Tami and I were completely worn out. We came home Sunday evening and zonked out. I don't often take naps, but it sure felt good to take one today. Now I'm well rested and ready to face my last week of school.

Graduation Eve

We had Michael's graduation party today. A good time was had by all. It was too cool to swim. We grilled brats, metts and dogs and had enough food to feed an army. As Michael was opening his gifts, people were telling funny stories about him (kind of like a roast). We even did something we had never done before... we danced on our deck. it was a real par-tay! I will post photos later. Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony.

Major Thomas Griffin

The dinner party hosting Doolittle's Raider, Major Tom Griffin was a rousing success. I rushed home from my work commitment and shook the hand of the guest of honor just as he was leaving. We took the photo below and then he was out the door in less than 5 minutes. I heard the prime rib dinner was delicious and the men of the family reported the time with Major Griffin was amazing and incredible. More than his courage and adventurous stories, the people at the party were most struck by his humility. I knew the evening would be a memorable one... and it was. Imagine... a real war hero right here in my house. What a tremendous honor!

In the photo:

Seated in Center with cane, 95 year old war hero Major Thomas Griffin

Seated Right- Bill Barr- 89 years old- WWII veteran. Friend of Tami and me.

Standing in rear- The men of the family