June 2025

It's a little tougher to report on Nick's month, for the first time, he wasn't around.
He spent June in a Summer Bridge program at Indiana Tech, which was an abbreviated summer semester for incoming freshmen. Only 22 kids enrolled (well, 23, but Hector, Nick's only roommate, bailed out after a couple days), so they got to know each other as a small group.
We dropped him off, and in classic IT fashion, they weren't prepared for us... the staff that enrolled Nick had left the university so they had no record of his participation. Same with four other kids, but we got there early, giving Dr. Tim Raines a chance to sort it out.  Nick and Brandi were well prepared, packed, and ready for him to survive three weeks: clothes, laundry supplies, tech tools, and she assisted in the room setup.  We stocked his fridge (trunk) before leaving town, following a meeting with the fourth admissions counselor he's had in the past year.  This one, Emily, is a keeper: good listener, took good notes, and got Nick and additional $2K in scholarship money based on his HS final grades.
He communicated occasionally over those three weeks on campus, about the Math and Psychology classes for which he got a few credit hours, the wet trip to Cedar Point, evenings in the Rec shooting pool, and of course the food. He even made a few human connections this time, which is a maturing step for Nick, as people aren't his thing. I was bummed he had a room to himself, so he still hasn't had much roommate experience, but he will in the Fall.  He'll remember the event for leaving his dashcam plugged in and draining his car battery, but it was no big deal, one jump got us going again.

He and I did a short adventure at the end of June, we drove up to Detroit Eastern Market for Burger Bash, and voted for our favorite local burgers, after taste testing about seven of them. It was a hot Saturday, but nice enough, and we stayed hydrated.  We also caught a Mud Hens game earlier in the month.  And Brandi and I visited the Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg Museum in Indiana after dropping off Nick, which has been on my list for some time.

Photos here from graduation and early summer.

 

Nick's Piano: End of an Era

Heading to college this coming weekend, Nick finished his final lessons with Kevin and Mrs. Rutter last week. He's going to miss the last recital of his young career as it's the same day as the first day of Summer Session at Indiana Tech.  Here are links to the last few years of his best pieces, where it's clear the progress he's made over time.

Spring 2025: Maple Leaf Rag

Summer 2024: Poirot 

Spring 2023: In the Mood

Spring 2022: Chattanooga Choo-Choo

Summer 2021: War Thunder

Summer 2019: Top Gun Theme

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's good to see that piano we bought when we moved into our first home twenty-five years ago served its purpose!

 

SFS Graduation May 2025

Memorial Day weekend was graduation weekend for the seniors at SFS. The theme was 'Bread' (not really) and the usual events with a morning mass at Gesu and afternoon commencement at the Toledo Museum Peristyle.  The entire production is a reminder of how well St. Francis has handled these boys for the past four years.  Despite regular frustrations (like the trebuchet assignment in the last two weeks of classes) it's clear they've prepared this group of young men for their future. The numbers:
116 different universities being attended across the graduation class of 124
Nick is 1 of 48 recognized with Honors based on GPA (just shy of a 3.7, posting a 4.2 for his Senior Year)
And he is 1 of 15 that received a high award, as voted on by the faculty, for him it's Artistry (a reflection of the artwork that was the centerpiece of their wine-and-cheese fundraising event earlier this year)

There's five kids in his graduating class who are sons of SFS grads from my class in 1990. And during the commencement we sat alongside one of my grad school colleagues who also had a son graduating this year. (And she has another in two years, who attended my presentation on Marketing at SFS Career Night and apparently now he's set on that field, so my pitch must have been pretty good!)

As usual, the event ended and Nick was quickly fifty yards down the sidewalk headed for the car. He's done with high school, and onto the next adventure.

Brandi planned a small gathering in the evening, we hosted about ten people for a kitchen-full of food and small talk. Moose and Ba traveled up from Alabama for the weekend, and his friend Aiden came down from Ypsi. I entertained from the garage, my happy place. And Brandi made me a cheese ball.

SFS Graduation Class Photos

Nick is front and center, which is why I couldn't find him in the photo.  Professional photographer shots from the day.

 

Spring Break 2025

Last spring break before Nick goes off to college, so we took a long weekend trip to see some sights.

We departed on Friday evening and drove in miserable rain all the way to DC.  Made a stop outside Baltimore at Nick's favorite diner, the Mountain View Diner, for some fish and a bucket of mac-and-cheese. Then continued on to our hotel in Old Towne Alexandria where we struggled to park but otherwise arrived without event.

Saturday we met up with Brad and ventured into the Mall to the American History Museum. Being the weekend for cherry blossoms, the volume of people only increased as the day went on, and we escaped with our sanity by mid afternoon having coaxed a pizza sub from a packed Potbelly off the main run. Nick took an afternoon nap while Brad and I had drinks at Theismann's near the train. And of course then we ate more, having pizza at Bugsy's along the water in Alexandria, and then a nice walk back.

On Sunday we started with breakfast at Bob and Edith's Diner, then Nick rested while I went to the Nationals game with Brad. Game was a nice rest, aside from the annoying people around us, and Brad's ability to drown a hot dog in pickle relish until it was ready for an eating contest. We then met Nick back in Crystal City at the Sports Pub to watch the MSU/Auburn game. This was Nick's first time taking the train on his own so he got a little adventure.

We packed up early on Monday and drove to Virginia Beach to the Air Museum, which was buried in a remote area, but very much worth the trip. The grounds had multiple hangars, and all of the planes were fly-ready. The WWII era hangars brought in from Germany and then replicated in lumber from France were very cool to see. Nick was essentially the co-tour guide, as each time the gentleman directing the tour couldn't recall something, he looked at Nick who filled in the details. We stayed on the beach for a couple days, but it was too windy to walk with the blowing sand, so our walks were mostly along the boardwalk and streets. I got my cucumber margarita at Las Palmas, which was incredible food, to wind down another travel day.

Last day we toured downtown Norfolk (after eating, again, of course... pancakes at Pocahontas Pancakes!), walking the USS Wisconsin, and taking a boat ride down the river to see the Navy Shipyard. While the site of the ships was amazing, the highlight of the tour was still Nick and I getting misdirected out a locked door and stuck in a restricted area trying to get back in. The events were poorly organized, but the sites themselves were worth the trip. And one more meal, we finished with a 'wave' pizza at Dough Boys along the beach.

Nick was helpful in driving us home while we went out of our way to avoid storms throughout the Midwest.  Longer drive, but uneventful.

And photos here.