I was able to attend our friend's 2 de mayo party this year. The mariachi band was a highlight!
Maggie participated in her first robotics competition.
Jack performed in High School Musical, a musical he had been rehearsing for months.
Jack had his final choir concert. He's on the front left.
Jack is in the front with many other seniors.
It was dress like a teacher day. Jack dressed like me and I dressed like a senior.
A final sighting of these two in the hall.
Patrick finished out his first season on the tennis team.
Jim's cousins came in from Texas. We had a fun night on the patio. Jim and Paul played music for all.
The next morning, Jim and I flew to Raleigh for a Pearl Jam concert. We explored Raleigh on Saturday.
We saw this statue on the NC State campus. The statue is in honor of David "Skywalker" Thompson, who had a standing 44-inch vertical leap when he played there. Incredible!
We heard some live music after dinner.
On Sunday (Mother's Day), we had brunch and then explored more of Raleigh.
Who doesn't love a rainy walk in a cemetary?
When in an Irish pub, one must do an Irish car bomb.
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers opened for Pearl Jam. They are a female band from Australia. I texted my brother David who lives in Australia and he said he is familiar with them.
Pearl Jam rocked!
We walked the two miles back to our hotel after the show because Uber and taxi prices were outrageous. The next morning, we went down for breakfast and ran into the opening band! After breakfast, we went to my aunt and uncle's house and spent the day with them before flying home.
Only one kid was available for dinner on my birthday. We sat outside at Crushed Red. Delicious!
Nana and Papa came to see Maggie's final REACH project. She did her project on pandas.
After Maggie's presentation, I went back to school to teach. Late in the afternoon, the sky darkened and a storm came in. The whole school went to the basement as a tornado passed very close to us. Thankfully, no one was hurt and there was very little damage on campus. The same was not true for the surrounding area. That evening was the senior prom. I went to Tower Grove Park with Jack and Lauren to take pictures.
The next day, Charlie, Maggie, and I went to Champaign to see friends.
Maggie got her fill of cats knowing that we will never get one at our house.
The kids had fun playing.
Their cul de sac is perfect for pickleball!
On Sunday, we went to LeRoy for Bo's graduation party. It was fun to hang with some of my best friends from college.
I love that Maggie is not afraid of most things found in nature.
Jim and I went to Jack's baccalaureate Mass and dinner. These are some of his best buds from high school.
The next day, Jack and I stopped by SLUH on our way to his graduation downtown. We took a few pictures of him in his graduation tuxedo in front of the school.
While we were taking pictures, Maggie was decorating at home for the dinner after graduation.
The ceiling at Stifel Theater featured a Jr. Billiken!
I was honored to process in with the other faculty.
One of the coolest benefits of teaching at SLUH is the opportunity to present Jack with his diploma.
Jack found some great friends at SLUH.
Traditionally, many graduates smoke a celebratory cigar with their Dad. Jim and Jack partook in this tradition, but Jack was not a fan.
That night, Jim and I chaperoned part of the lock in. We worked the money booth!
We used the money Nana and Papa gave us for Christmas to get season passes to Six Flags. It's been pretty fun!
My mom invited me to a lunch with several retired teachers, most of whom taught me. It was so fun to see them and catch up!
A few days after school got out, Patrick joined other students and some faculty to ride the entire Katy Trail. They rode for 5 days, spending the 4 nights camping or at a hostel. On the fourth day, I met them on the trail and brought them lunch.
Jack, Charlie, Maggie, and I met Patrick and the other bikers in St. Charles the next day.
We walked around Main Street as we waited for the bikers to arrive. This sign was perfect for Charlie.
Our British son loved this place.
