Author's Posts

On Sunday we celebrated my Nana’s 93rd birthday with a party at Doug and Vicki’s house. Nana just got back from a two month trip to Scotland, Sicily, and Greece. Not too shabby for a 93-year-old. Doug and Vicki were with her in Scotland, and then Diane and Richard were with her in Sicily and Greece. She doesn’t fly any more, so she took the Queen Mary II back and forth between New York and London.

Here’s the birthday lady. Looking dapper coming right from church to the party.

Becky, mom, and me with Nana.

 

She had a little help from the grandkids to blow out the candles.

Ari, Nana, Sophie, Lauren, Kishore, and Ashwini. What a cute crew!

More pics from the day – Becky and me, and mom with her grandkids

Earlier in the day we also went and visited Pappap’s grave at Valley Forge Park. He was buried there eight years ago, but never had a headstone. The kids and grandkids all chipped in and had one made, and it was just placed last weekend, so we all went to see it.

Although it took a while, it was really good to see and felt like good closure for everyone.

Read more

Sophie decided to run for Student Council this year, representing her 3rd grade class. Each student who wanted to run wrote a speech and the teacher read each out loud to the class and everyone then voted. And Sophie won!

Below is the speech that she wrote (with perhaps just a little prompting from mom):

Hello 3D,

I hope that you will vote for me as your student council representative because I am an older sibling and I know it feels to have to negotiate. I am also good at making people feel like they belong. In addition, I am good at talking with others about things that are happening and listening to their concerns. I think that Cynwyd is a great place because it’s a school that doesn’t tolerate hate, and I’m proud to go here. I love being in 3D because everybody is so kind and I would be honored to represent 3D on student council. That’s why I think you should vote for me as 3D’s representative.

She was proud of herself, and we were too!

Here’s the third grader herself in her school picture (perhaps a little dazed looking).

Read more

The girls are both settled into their school routines and for Lauren that means that field trips start. Kindergarten is the culmination year for Montessori students and the kindergarteners take a field trip once a month. I was chaperone for the first one, which was to a Colonial Plantation at Ridley State Park. The plantation is run just as it was in the 1700’s (with the excepting of working toilets, fortunately).

Here’s Lauren performing one of the traditional children’s chores – chopping wood. I can say with certainty that if we needed to rely on our kids for warmth we would be dead.

They also made their own candles by dipping a wick into a pot of melted bee’s wax (about a hundred times).

The Plantation also had a bunch of animals that the kids got to see and pet.

 

Chickens, turkeys, and an enormous ox. The ox works the fields just as he would have hundreds of years ago. Fortunately they don’t eat any of the animals any more.

Read more

On September 30th, Dave, our friend Don, and I all did the Waterman’s triathlon in Rock Hall, MD. This was my first tri ever. Dave had done a few in high school, and Don has been doing them the last several years. We all did the sprint distance, which was a 750M swim, 15 mile bike ride, and a 5K run.

Dave and I trained a bit over the summer, mostly running and biking. We both had gotten very few swims in. I was extremely nervous about it – he was totally chill. We were fortunate enough to have the most amazing weather possible.

The three of us before the start. I wore a full wetsuit because I really didn’t want to get cold. It was surprisingly easy to swim in and did the trick.

Here is Dave and Don’s group,  men 44 and under, before the swim start. I went with the last group, which was novice of all ages.  I hated going last because my only thought was that I was the last person on the course! Even though I really struggled on the swim, luckily I was still able to pass some people (though not many!).

Next up was the bike. No video of me, but below is one of Dave coming in from the bike to run transition. Bike is both Dave and my strongest leg, and we both did pretty well.

Dave bike

Last leg was the run. Transitioning from the bike to the run is a bit like running in jello, at least for the first quarter mile or so. I was very wobbly, but kicked it into high gear. So did Dave and Don (although I wasn’t there to witness it, apparently there was some close competition on the run between those two).

Below are videos of both of us coming over the finish line.

Dave Finish

Jess Finish

We all ended up doing really well!

Dave came in 54th overall man and 6th in his age group with a time of 1:27:27

Don came in 65th overall man and 7th in his age group with a time of 1:29:23.

I came in 36th overall woman and I WON the novice group with a time of 1:40:20.

With my first place trophy (a wooden boat wheel)!

It was so much fun. I think we definitely have another one in our future!

Read more

Summer has finally come to an end (sigh).
Sophie started third grade at Cynwyd Elementary on the Tuesday after Labor Day and Lauren started Kindergarten at Bala House Montessori the following week. Both had really good first weeks.

The first day outfits. Lauren has worn the same combo of shirt and shorts nearly the entire summer. I’m writing this blog post on her 4th day of school and she has so far worn it every day she’s been to school. It does get cleaned, but I’m definitely waiting for one of the teachers to say something to me. I promise, she does own other clothing!

Read more

At the end of August we went out to Jackson, WY for an end of summer vacation. Dave had been out there before to snowboard, but it was the first time for me. It was amazing! The scenery was breathtaking, nature everywhere, clean air, delicious water, so many outdoor activities – it was heaven.

We stayed in a condo that was situated between the towns of Jackson and Wilson. Lina also came with us.

Day 1

On our first full day there we headed to Heart 6 ranch, a working cattle ranch, for a 4 hour guided tour on horseback. It was an aggressive start as none of us has any horse riding experience, but we did it and it was so much fun. We had a great, very patient guide, who took us way up to the top of a mountain where we could look down on the snake river. We had lunch up top, and then headed back down. Our seats were sore for the rest of the week, but it was worth it.

The guide led us and the horses were trained to just follow. Occasionally they would try to stop and eat grass or brush, but otherwise, they were super well trained, which was great because we were not well trained at all.

The girls on their horses. Lauren’s was named Trouble and Sophie’s was named Rowdy. Lucky neither lived up to their names.

Here’s the crew on top of the mountain after we stopped for lunch.

Day 2

On day two we headed into Yellowstone. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. It was rainy until we started to get up into higher elevations and then it turned to snow. We did not pack for this – I was wearing sandals. The poor girls were freezing all day. Despite the weather we saw some amazing things and made the most of it.

Our first stop was Old Faithful. It was pouring the entire ride there and fortunately about two minutes before it went off it stopped raining and we all went out to see it.

There she blows.
The water that blows out is extremely hot and the steam came wafting toward us, which we all tried to huddle in front of.

The landscape was just amazing. There were geothermal areas dotting the entire area, so you could look around and see steam rising everywhere.

Grand Prismatic Spring and Midway Geyser Basin. It looked a bit like we were on the surface of mars.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Passing the Continental Divide.

Day 3

We headed to Jackson Hole Mountain on the third day. In the summer they use the mountain for non-skiing actives, like mountain biking, hiking, and climbing.

Dave, Sophie and Lina did a ropes course, while Lauren and I climbed up to an observation tower.

Sophie the climber.

View from the observation tower.

After lunch we took the tram up to the top of the mountain. We hit up some clothing stores beforehand to make sure we were a little more appropriately dressed this time. Yes, I wore socks with sandals. It happened.

The fam at the top of the mountain.

We decided to do a  two mile hike that was a loop back to the tram and also a restaurant known for their waffles.

The girls demonstrating their strength.

Red tailed hawk looking down at us.

We also saw this marmot who was not happy we were there. He was making crazy noises at us.

After we were about three quarters of the way done the hike we realized the last quarter was pretty much a 1,000 ft rock scramble back to the top. We considered backtracking, but decided to just go for it. The girls were amazing. It was really tough, even for the adults. We took a lot of rests but they made it.

Shots of us making our way up to the top

I’m not sure who long it took us, but we finally made it back to the top. Here are the girls with the Grand Teton in the background.

The waffle reward! They were actually delicious.

Day 4

The next day we headed to Grand Teton National Park. Fortunately the weather was amazing and the mountains were just stunning. Here are just a bunch of shots from the day.

  

Jenny Lake where we stopped for lunch.

Pronghorn sitting in a field

Day 5

On Thursday Lina watched the girls and Dave and I headed back to Jackson Hole Mountain. He did a trail run (where he nearly ran into a moose) and I took the tram back up to the top of the mountain for a morning yoga class. Fortunately there was temperature inversion that day, so the top of the mountain was actually about 15 degrees warmer than the bottom.

View from my yoga class.

While we were at the mountain Lina took the girls to the playground where they also had a close encounter with a moose! This female was sitting in the field while they were playing, but when she stood up, Lina made the girls climb up on the fort.

After the morning we headed back to the condo, grabbed the girls and Lina, and headed to the Snake River, where we took a 13 mile rafting trip. We had an amazing guide who was very knowledgeable about everything along the river and we saw about seven bald eagles, which was really cool.

The trip started out with Lauren getting stung by a wasp twice within 10 minutes, which was not cool, but after the calmed down the rest of the trip was lovely. It was actually a pretty smooth ride with very small rapids, which the girls loved.

One of the seven bald eagles we saw along the way. This one was enjoying a fish lunch alongside the river.

View of the Tetons from the water.

That night Lina watched the girls again and Dave and I went out to a nice dinner at the Granary Restaurant. But first we had a drink next door at the super fancy Amangani hotel.

The view from the deck of the hotel where we got a pre-dinner drink.

Day 6

The next day we rented bikes and checked out the town of Jackson. It’s a super bike friendly town with paths leading everywhere.

The only bikes we could rent were geared bikes, and Lauren had never ridden one before, but she got the hang of it pretty quickly. We ended up riding 13 miles and by the end she was an old pro.

Here’s a video of the crew biking along side a big elk refuge right outside of the town center.

Day 7

On Day 7 we were supposed to go home, but because of weather our flight got really delayed, which meant we were going to have to spend the night in Dallas and fly from there the next day. We decided it was a much better idea to stay in Jackson for another day. We found a condo for just one night at the Snow King resort right in town and the girls spent some time in the pool while Dave and I got another hike in.

What an amazing week! One of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever been. We were all bummed to come home, but are looking forward to going back again soon!

Read more

In July I headed up to Stony Brook to celebrate Brandon’s graduation from high school. He’s headed to Boston University in the fall. It was great to catch up with the Coughlin clan, including my dad who came up from Va.

The big graduate.

  

Pam, Brandon and Brittany, who came home for the weekend from school in Baltimore.

The family crew: Pam, Michelle, Steve, me, Brandon, Pam, and Dad.

Steve and Michelle came up from Florida and it was great to see them. It’s been years.

 

Read more

We just got back from a week vacation on the Sharp’s sailboat in the Chesapeake Bay. The timing weatherwise was not great, as the first part of the week was also the first heatwave of the season – but we made the most of it. Outside of the weather we had a great, very relaxing time.

On Sunday night we met the Sharps in Turners Creek, where we did a boat/car exchange. They had brought the boat from Rock Hall and they drove back that night in our car. We grilled on the boat, did a lot of swimming, and tried to stay cool. There was a nice breeze all night, so it wasn’t that bad.

You could easily spot us on the river, as we were the only boat with a giant inflatable flamingo and unicorn. The girls spent most of their times playing on these, especially on the very hot days.

The next day we headed over to Fairlee Creek, about a 4 hour motor away. We did some more swimming, seining for creatures, kayaking, and playing on the beach.

Here’s a shot of Sophie and Lauren in the kayak headed over to the beach. Soph is getting pretty good with the kayak.

Both he girls took turns steering the boat on the trip. Here’s Lauren with a little oversight from Dave.

The Sharps met us again and we made dinner over an open fire on the beach, which is pretty unusual because most places don’t allow fires on the beach.

Here are the girls cooking their dinners over the open flames… Sophie with her not so campfire easy tofu 😉

But soon the smoke got to be too much for the girls and the dads took over…

That night, after the Sharps left, the wind died and the bugs descended. It was a pretty rough night for all. Definitely the low point of the trip.

On Tuesday, July 3rd, we headed over to Rock Hall for their Independence Day celebration, which they do the day before. We watched fireworks from the front yard of the Sharp’s house.

 

The next morning, on the 4th, Dave and I ran in the Flat Five, a 5 mile race throughout Rock Hall. There are only about 50 people who do it, and Dave and I both placed in our age class (first time ever)! I won my class and he came in third.

Here we are with our coveted prizes: a coffee mug for me and a beer cozy for Dave.

That day there was a parade than ran through town and then Dave (pop pop) had a gig with the house band at the Harbor Shack. It was pretty cool to hear him play.

Here’s a video of the band:

IMG_3728

We stayed for the first set, and then got back on the boat and motor/sailed 3 hours to Baltimore, where we docked and watched their 4th of July fireworks, which was pretty impressive.

On our way over to Baltimore we passed right by the buoy marketing the spot where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner, which was pretty cool.

The next two days we spent in Baltimore. Dave and to work 1/2 days, so I took the kids around – to the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, and some shopping.

Lauren sitting on a “motorcycle” that was crafted from one piece of wood at Ripley’s, and the girls at the Inner Harbor.

We went to a famous dessert spot called Vaccaro’s where we got the biggest dessert I’ve ever seen. There was no way 4 of us could finish it.

It was called a snickers volcano.

On our last day we met the Townsend’s for lunch (who live just an hour away) before jumping back on the boat to Rock Hall.

 

 

Read more

The girls have shared a room since Lauren was born. Now that they’re 8 1/2 and 5 1/2 we thought it was time that they got their own space. Over the last several months Dave has been working to convert the guest room to Lauren’s room. It needed a lot of work – plaster walls, 100+ year old insulation in the walls, etc. – he tore it down to the studs and rebuilt the entire thing. And now it’s done! She moved in a few weeks ago and has loved it. I thought there might be tears on the first night, and there were, but from Sophie, not Lauren. Sophie has moved herself down to the bottom bunk in her room and put up a “knock before entering sign,” but has adjusted. We’ll be doing a redecoration job on her’s soon.

Here’s the final product:

As you may have guessed, the theme is pink, purple, and unicorns. In the second picture you can see the built in shelves that Dave made. It’s now one of the nicest rooms in the house!

Read more

As the school year comes to an end, so do the girls activities (I think we’re all ready for a little break and a more relaxed schedule).

Last weekend Sophie had her end of year choir concert at Temple’s Performing Arts Center. The girls gave an amazing performance for a nearly full house.

Here’s the full group – Sophie is up on the balcony, middle. There are three groups, Sophie is in the youngest, called Etude. They all performed separately, and then all together, which is pretty amazing to hear.

The singing star afterward.

This weekend Lauren had her spring ballet recital at the Suzanne Roberts Theater on Broad Street. There were two sections of her performance where the kids were allowed to “free dance” and she was the start of the stage – gracefully twirling around and showing off all of her moves.

 

Some still shots of the performance.

IMG_3552

And a video of her dancing. While she likes to go to ballet class, it’s being up on stage that’s her favorite. Afterward she was already talking about next year’s recital.

 

Striking a post afterward.

Finally, Sophie had her end of year French play last week. Each second grade class puts on the same production, which lasted about 30 minutes. Sophie was a snail, or rather escargot.

 

Here’s the entire cast of animals, and Sophie with her fellow escargots talking to the main character, Spot. The entire play was in French, so I have no idea what the plot was. But I’m sure it was deep.

IMG_3484

A video of one of the songs all the kids sang.

Hamming it up with a couple of rabbits.

Afterward parents were invited back to the classroom where the kids sang a song and each demonstrated why they were smart. Sophie talked about how much she loved to read because she has such a good imagination and can picture everything she’s reading in her mind. She read the class a poem and then showed us a picture she drew of what she imagined.

Last week Lauren had her last day of preschool and next Friday will be Sophie’s last day of second grade. The days are long, but the year is short!

Here are the girls on Lauren’s last day of being a preschooler! It was also field day for Sophie, so she wore her Eagles shirt for the sports theme.

And here’s Soph a few days later on her last day with her Principal, Dr. Martino. Good-bye 2nd grade!

Read more