Class of '89 - 20 Years

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My 20 year class reunion was a few weeks ago. It was such a great weekend. Friday night we had a get together with our families at the playground behind school. It was so great to see everyone's kids. It is hard to believe most of us are parents now.

Saturday morning we rode on a float in the Oatka Festival parade. Funny story: Dave was wondering about decorating the float. My response was "It's LeRoy. It's probably just a flatbed with hay bales and signs on each side that say Class of 1989." When I told our class president that Friday night, she started laughing and said that was exactly what it was and that the signs she spraypainted that afternoon were drying in her garage! Riding on the float was a blast. It was so fun seeing everyone. I loved hearing the "There's Mrs. Overacker!" from all my students. I joked that we should do it every year. My longtime friend Mike was the highlight of the parade. He hasn't been in town for such a "public" event in, well, 20 years. I was given the task of pointing out parade spectators to him along the way. Everytime either he or I spotted someone, his response started with "It's [firstname] frickin' [lastname]." His excitement provided for lots of fun amusement.

Mike and I were "dates" for the dinner that night. First, we crashed our mothers' 45 year reunion as we had done 20 years ago as seniors in high school. Many people remembered that event and we had a reputation to uphold! We headed to our dinner and had a great time. Our class prez, Amy, did an awesome job organizing the evening. It was wonderful to have most of the old gang together again-Jen, Sherry, Cheryl, Kim P., and Ann. We missed Kim M. and Val! It was also amazing to catch up with so many other people I hadn't seen in 20 years. Although, Facebook has helped with "seeing" many of them much more! We had fun dancing to tunes from the old days. We left to continue the party at some LeRoy haunts. Jen, Mike, and I ended up at the Eagle to see Exit 47 (a bunch of local alum) perform. We had an awesome time. Jen and I were jamming together and it felt like old times.

Can't wait for our 25th!

Emily's 7th Birthday

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It is hard to believe my little girl is 7 and going into 2nd grade! Emily had an extended birthday celebration this year. Grandma went to school to read a book to her class for her school party. Due to the swine flu, we celebrated her actual birthday with just a quick cupcake. She had a birthday party with her friends after vacation at Bounce-It-Out in Pittsford. What a fun place for kids! A little stressful for parents who are trying to keep track of more than one child. Luckily, Mom was there to watch Erin while Dave and I kept an eye on the party guests. We finally had Emily's family birthday party the weekend before last. We enjoyed our time with Aunt Molly, Uncle Mike, Jacob, Elijah, and Grandma Beanie. I think the boys had a bit of "culture shock" with all the girly things! They had lots of fun exploring the toys. Next up, my parents' 40th anniversary on August 9.

Cape Cod Vacation

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Our vacation to Cape Cod turned out to be quite an adventure. Emily got the swine flu Thursday (my last day of school) and Erin had it by Friday night. Because my parents had been exposed to it and due to my dad's fragile health, they could not come with us. We were disappointed beyond belief. This vacation was to be my parents' 40th anniversary gift (it's actually on August 9). They were put on Tamiflu and fortunately escaped illness. Dave and I both got hit with symptoms but not as bad as the girls.

We were finally able to leave on Monday (our rental started on Sunday). Aunt Sharon was very patient waiting to leave. Our house was right on the bay beach so we were able to enjoy the water without taking the girls anywhere since their fevers hadn't broken. Tuesday morning the girls asked if they could just get their feet wet. That turned out to be immersion in full clothing. Very fun! We spent a lot of time on the beach, swimming and exploring. We found lots of crabs. The water was cold but the girls didn't care. Dave and I learned not to care either. :)

The fevers were finally gone on Wednesday which gave us more freedom. We went to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History on our only rainy day. They had many creatures indigenous to the Cape Cod area which were very cool. On Friday, the girls went on a Pirate Adventure in Provincetown Harbor. Evermore Emily and Evening Star Erin, along with the rest of the "crew," helped Notorious Nikki find Pirate Pete's treasure. The crew even hit Pirate Pete with water cannons. The first treasure they found was a trick~Pete's dirty laundry. The second treasure had lots of goodies (think Oriental Trading) and Pete's grog (root beer). The crew got to taste Pete's grog. Erin wouldn't even try it but Emily loved it. They had their picture taken with Captain LuLu at the end of the voyage. The girls had a great time. The "real" crew does a fabulous job with it. The kids got to help raise the pirate flag, read the map, and haul in the treasure.

We went whale watching on Saturday (4th of July morning). What a fantastic trip! We saw four humpback whales, all young ones. The second one we saw came right up by the boat. Our guide said the mother was nearby but we never saw her. When we went about 25 years ago with our good friends, the Kurtz's, a mom and her calf came right up to the boat. Very cool! The last whale we saw on this trip was quite a show-off, breaching (jumping into the air) about 20 times. Our guide said you only see a whale breach about one out of fifty trips. We saw one two years ago too~we're liking our odds! Our guide also said whales usually only breach once or twice because of the energy it expends. We were sooo lucky to see this whale. It was so exciting to watch him. It was an amazing experience! The girls loved seeing the whales and going on the boat ride. I've included some video below. If you are patient, the footage is breathtaking!

We ended our vacation watching 4th of July fireworks over Provincetown Harbor from our deck. Very cool!

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Dancing Queen

Emily's first dance recital was June 6th. (I'm a little late with my post...oops.) We are so proud of her! She did three dances-ballet, jazz, and tap. June 6th was my brother Thom's birthday. Emily loved her Uncle Thom and Thom was in awe of her so we all thought it was fitting that her first dance recital was on his birthday. We enjoyed a great day of dancing and Thom's favorite marinated chicken ("Thom's chicken" as we dubbed it years ago...it's become a favorite of Dave's too). Mom and Aunt Sharon joined us for the recital then they, along with Dad, came over for dinner. Erin skipped the recital...it would have been too long for her. Our friends' daughters, Kim and Bethany, watched Erin. She had fun with them. It was a wonderful day together.

Emily will be taking ballet and hip-hop this fall. Erin is taking a tots class this summer and will be doing the preschool class this fall. She just loves to dance!

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Super Spring Fun!

I just finished writing out Emily's birthday invitations and thought I'd better catch up on my blog.

We have had a busy spring! It's hard to believe that summer is almost here. On May 22, I had emergency eye surgery for a detached retina. I had a shadow over the top right corner of my left eye. Fortunately, I didn't let it go as I could have lost my vision in that eye entirely. It certainly put a new twist on life for a few weeks. With the gas bubble in my eye, activities like lifting and bending over were limited for a couple weeks and I just began driving to school yesterday. Thank goodness for my fabulous mom and wonderful colleagues who carted me around for four weeks. I have about three-quarters of the vision back in my eye now. It's blurry but it's progress!

Emily's spring has been particularly busy with Brownies, t-ball, swimming lessons, her school's Flag Day Celebration, year-end school picnic, Memorial Day parade, and dance recital. Erin has cheerfully come along for the ride in all cases (except the dance recital). We went to the Spencerport Firemen's Carnival last weekend. It was a nice night...a little cool...and the girls had lots of fun.

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We have a lot on our plates this week too! Emily's last t-ball game is Tuesday, her last day of school is Wednesday, my last day is Thursday, her 7th birthday is Friday, and we leave for Cape Cod with Mom, Dad, and Aunt Sharon on Saturday. Phew! It will be a welcome vacation. Dave and I, along with Aunt Sharon, are treating my parents to this vacation for their 40th anniversary in August. The girls can't wait to get to the beach!

Happy Father's Day to all!