Lesson 314: That's 20, Honey!

Here's a post 20 years in the making.

It's Eloise's 20th Wedding Anniversary!

That was me on August 5, 1994.

I was a mere 23, short on years but big on dreams.

20 years has been a long road,

so I'll start this post with a few

Here's the wedding party.
We were the center of attention for nearly 500 guests.
The parents of the Eldest Daughter and First to Marry
&
The parents of the Baby Boy and Last to Marry
decided upon a whopping party to celebrate the marriage of two souls
and the uniting of two families.

Two decades later we find ourselves living the American Dream:

A house in the suburbs,

3 kids,





 a dog,

and careers we enjoy--

most days.

Our day was filled with some surprises.
Not many women would be thrilled with a neon sign for a Zero Number Anniversary gift,
but I sure was!
There were blue topaz earrings in the box though.
20 years is technically emerald, but my hubby knows me well--I tend to balk at tradition.
The Rolling Rock sign covered the green, I suppose.

We spent the day doing the things we most enjoy,
and promised not to bicker.
(We didn't).

My favorite surprise was this card from Sam, my cantankerous, 7 year old son.
The card reads:
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
(in feathers).
He used so much Elmer's glue, the card stuck to the table
and the clean up took a solid quarter hour.

Sigh.
What can I say?
He's got my creative flair.

Onto other Top Breaking Stories out of the Lamp Post this week:

I still only have one tomato from my four, relocated cherry tomato plants.  My tomato needed a name and I asked Readers for suggestions last week.  I had some very good ones:  Verde, Kermit, and Hardy were my favorites.  Thanks you for the suggestions.

Meet Sybil.

Lady Sybil, actually.  

She is named after one of my favorite characters from Downton Abbey.

She's young,

thinks independently,

scoffs family tradition,

marries the chauffeur,

and gasp,

wears PANTS, 

a big no-no in 1920's England.

I got to see Handsome this week on network TV.

He and Faith performed one of my favorite new tracks,

Meanwhile Back at Mama's.  

Handsome looked handsome as ever in his well worn jeans and destroyed gray tee.

And Faith....

well she looked kinda like I do when I go out to Giant Eagle grocery shopping,

on a bad hair day.

But hey,

who am I to judge?

Just because you have millions and millions of dollars,

an unlimited clothing budget,

and hair people.

I kinda though that maybe she'd wear something cool...

Speaking of cool, 

I got one of these cool drinks at a Ladies Evening this week.

Champagne poured over a fruit pop.

This beer girl states that these are to die for.

Thanks, Carolyn. 

It was a fun night.

My sissy Kenyan is training for the Erie Marathon in September.

This big race means two loops around Erie's beautiful Presque Isle.

 

Kenyan has been training for that, as well as for the upcoming Barber Beast on the Bay.

She appeared with her friend Cindy on the cover of the Her Times last Sunday.

When I passed my hubby the Sunday paper over his pancake and orange juice he said,

"Your sister is going to need a straight jacket......

and I'll be glad to strap her in."

In most marathon training plans, the big ticket pre-race event is the 20-Miler.
Kenyan and friends are doing this feat on Sunday.
Little Sister is learning from Big Sister that long journeys can be fun in groups,
and deserve a little party in the end, so we planned one.
With the help of Grandma, my family and I want to make their long and laborious trek
something to look forward to.

That's 20, Honeys!

The communication of the route is very telling of our personalities.
Here is Kenyan's facebook shout out for the run:

Sundays long run: 3 options and can have shorter ones too. Just ask if you need a shorter route. I have to do 20 for my marathon training. If anyone is going with me I am starting at the HC municipal building at 7am. We will run through the path around the track a couple times and out Firman rd. If you want 18 meet about 7:15 at top of lot In firman fields at firman rd. We will run firman to depot, left in depot , up McGill, down Davidson, out Bell to birches where we can meet up with others about 8:00. If you start at Birch farms that is 10.8 to the cottage in northeast. Some want 13so if you do you will begin at the HC high schoolLot, run out Bell to Birch farms (3 miles) then join in at Birches for the remaining 10.8. You will need to leave high school about 7:30ish. Now all at Birch farms in north east (all distances) we will run to brickyard rd, west law and down rt 89 to middle to, and then turn right into rt 5 until we hit Gay rd. Turn left and we are there!! We will have water stops in the route, course signs, and refreshments at the end. Run your own pace. This is a fun run to get the miles!! You will have to figure out cars and I will have a bag with dry clothes for after for myself!! Let me know whose in and how far!! Starting early to beat the heat I hope!! See you Sunday!!

It reminded me of the importance of paragraph breaks.

To quote Kenyan directly, after some poking-fun from her Big Sister,

"I run like I write.  Fast."

My neat as a pin and ultra organized mother posted this very accurate route

to counter Kenyan's babble.

Here is Eloise's version.

No matter how you view the route, that's 20, Honey!

Three women.

All sharing genes.

Three different interpretations.

It's what makes my family so entertaining.

I'm running the Hydration Station on Sunday,

and won't be joining in the run.

I will continue to get ready for September 6th, 

when I attempt the Barber Beast on the Bay for the second year in a row.

The extra training is hard, but the people involved make it fun and the time pass quickly.

We are just 29 registrants away from hitting 1000 sign-ups.

If you are one of the final 29, contact Eloise and I have a special thank you waiting for you.

Also a big thank you goes out to Dr. Sullivan, Melissa, and Pam for protecting my ancient battle axe.

You will be knighted at The Beast for your wisdom and bravery.

This weekend also marks the two and a half decades since my graduation from high school.

It's Eloise's 

For those of you who haven't reached this milestone yet, let me say this:

it really sneaks up on you.

In preparation for the reunion, I went over to the high school to snap some photographs

for those unable to attend the weekend festivities.

The stadium is different since we romped it.

The football field has turf,

the track, rubberized.

The interior has had a revamp, too.

The bright blue bathrooms have been updated to a tealy-green to accent our Huskie orange.

Eloise went to check out the bricks used in the concession stand.

I thought I'd take a minute to read the engravings and look for mine.

Then I remembered.

I don't have one.

Personalized bricks are such a nice touch.

Every life is worth remembering--

except for mine, I guess.

I only lived away from HC for a few years--my time spent as a newlywed, living in a North East apartment down by the lake.  I eventually returned to the land of my birth, literally.  We built the Lamp Post next door to my parents house--on the same plot of land I used to play house on when I was a kid.

I believe it was during those few years away that the bricks were sold.

Would have been nice if my parents told me about the project.

After all, I did purchase them a brick during the Dobbins Landing improvement project.

It's OK, Mom and Dad.

I can experience the joy of being remembered vicariously.

Heck, the Teodorski's bought bricks for their THREE daughters.

You would have only had to fork over the money for two.

My Bestie and her hubby have one,

and they live in South Carolina so they probably never even get to see it.

I would get to see mine almost every single day.

Former graduate and Harborcreek Small Business owner--

sure, Keri should have one.

How nice.

I'm so happy for her I want to do a jig.

Even nicer--bricks for businesses currently out of business.

The Lamp Post still is in operation, though.

The class after mine has one, 

as do my neighbors.

Of course Harborcreek's first winery owners should have one.

I suppose I'm not Harborcreek's first ever blogger.

The Land Baroness of Firman Road East has one.

She sure should.  

She's a nice lady.

I guess I'm not.

No one could be as nice as Patti.

Hell, I've spent the last four months sitting on bleachers.

Why not the little league?

My computer guy has one, too.

That's good.  Jerry built my Lamp Post computer system I'm using to write this blog.

The PTO thought it was important.

I guess my parents didn't.

Former teachers bought bricks,

which is good because teachers touch lives forever.

The good ones do, at least.

I guess I have to work on my classroom management more.

My rival for Harborcreek's biggest cheerleader has one.

Maybe he'll let me work on his next campaign.

I could stand to learn a thing or two,

and then maybe I'd be brick worthy.

I suppose I could always turn to the Lord and pray I get one someday.

It worked for Faith Lutheran.

And I guess if you pray hard enough, you get two bricks:

The first above a blank spot on the north side,

the second on the south side, above some people I kinda used to know.

Cam Stadtmueller made sure the Harbor Creek Historical Society was represented.

But.....

if she taught me correctly,

I think that brick should be printed as

Harborcreek Historical Society.

Two words for the school, one word for the town.

My brick certainly wouldn't have been misspelled.

Wondering if any of them are around to read this one.

I'm still alive.

And then there is someone who has a flair for the unusual.

Totally unlike me, of course.

There were plenty more spots available.

I would have chosen this spot, if Mom and Dad would have thought me worthy.

The only option I have left is graffiti,

but that would be probably frowned upon given that I'm a district employee.

I guess I'll have to figure out some other way to leave my mark on Harbor Creek.  I have twelve days left to think on it before my mind becomes consumed again with students and lessons and test scores and grades.  

Here are this week's photos set to an awesome new tune by The Goo Goo Dolls, called Come to Me.  Hint:  If you want to purchase this song and it appears alphabetically, make sure you look under "T"---the band's official name is THE Goo Goo Dolls.  It tripped me up for awhile, and I'd hate for you to experience the same frustration.  You're welcome--Hey, maybe you could buy me a brick as a thank you.

Until next time,

Eloise