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Showing posts with label junie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label junie. Show all posts

Thursday, January 18, 2024

A memory of Junie's

Last week when we were at Rocky Rococo's, Junie told me of a memory she has from 5th grade: she won a reading contest, and Mr. Byrne's was handing out free pizza certificates as the reward. Junie listened to instructions and waited until after school to pick it up, but by that time her friend EVIL ONE/Bella had already gone in and claimed Junie's prize. 

Devastated, Junie went home crying and her Momma took her and Smiley for pizza at Rocky's to make up for it. 

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Snowmageddon

With the media hyping a super snowstorm Tuesday - so called "Snowmageddon" - local schools cancelled, and rather than risk driving 45 minutes to my office I called and booked a study room at the Cudahy Library for the day.

 I set up shop at the head of the table, and Lisa all but forced Junie to go with me so she could work on a diorama for an immigration project.  




By the time we left, a full six hours later, the project included a representation of Zaklikow, our ancestral Polish city, which in 1910 had a significant furniture making industry. The center of the board depicted her Great-Great Grandfather John's arrival in NY in 1910, complete with a copy of his immigration documents. The third section was to represent our hometown and our family's long connection with the Milwaukee Road. 


First tho, before we left,  she had to clean up the room. 

Now Snowmageddon never happened, and it wasn't until we left the library that it snowed at all. But snow it did, in messy but tiny amounts, as we went to the Dollar Tree for additional supplies. 



Then Junie offered to treat me to lunch at Rocky Rococo's by the airport. 




Here's the finished project, with a dollar store mini-Barbie redone as the Statue of Liberty and Legos and Matchbox wheels made into railroad cars. :) 
 


Monday, January 1, 2024

Two Things Worth Remembering

I wanted to post this snippet of conversation for two reasons. 

One, to forever immortalize the day that Junie first utilized her driver's license by being out on her own. She spent New Year's Day evening driving to her friends house, then driving to Lisa's work where the two girls visited for a while, followed by a few errands before Junie dropped off her friend and headed home.

Second, and more importantly, it shows the love and trust that Lulu has for her baby sister.  

Good job to both of you!

Friday, December 29, 2023

A New Driver in the House

Today I took Junie down to the DMV in South Milwaukee where the youngest member of Team Slap got her driver's license!


Junie's biggest concerns, at least at the DMV, where that her necklaces would show in the picture (they were twisted) and that the Nirvana sweatshirt would too. I don't understand the concern over the Nirvana, which simply paints her as a young woman of taste.


As you can see her worries were for naught.

Lisa and I have always said that we had to accomplish three things as parents: one that all the kids graduate high school, two that they all get their license, and finally that they all emerge from their teenage years without a child of their own. I am not trying to jinx anything but I think we're going to make it four for four.

Congratulations Junie! Drive safe!

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Ralph Passes

At 11:15 this morning I saw that Smiley was calling me at my office. Knowing that it would have to be something bad for him to call (not text) during work hours, I answered by saying "What's wrong?"

He told me that Ralph was dead.

Smiley had woke up and found Ralph beneath his cat tree, clearly having passed away overnight.

I remember wondering that morning why Ralph wasn't downstairs to greet me as I prepared for work, as had become his custom.

Even in this picture, you can tell he'd lost a lot of weight in the last three months.  We were concerned enough to adjust his food to a less diet- conscious brand, but we chalked it up to the stress of joining a chaotic household. 

In retrospect, while he did become a resident of the second floor instead of the common areas on the first, he never seemed phased by the noise, or by Sawyer. 

I told Smiley to wrap Ralph in a pillowcase and lock him inside one of the dog's cages and to tell the rest of the family.  I told him I would leave early to bury him and say goodbye, but that I had to stay at least until early afternoon.

Shortly before 4:00 I came home, dug a hole along the fence line, and gathered Lulu and Junie with me. Yaya had been notified by phone and sent her sympathies and a number of great pictures of Ralph. By this point Smiley said that he had shed his tears and said goodbye and did not want to participate.



We clipped some hair from him, collected his custom engraved brown leather collar that I had ordered for him, placed him in the grave, and said some prayers.

He was not with us long, just like the grandfather that I named him after, and the similarity of him passing in his sleep unexpectedly was mentioned more than once.

He deserved a longer life. We deserved more time with him.  But I am confident that his 3 months with us were spent surrounded by happiness and love, and were certainly a better alternative than life in the shelter that I took him from in September.

Rest in peace Ralph. We love you. 

Monday, November 20, 2023

Real Chili


I met up with Lisa and Junie  at Real Chili after Lisa scooped her from a driving lesson. While we were there we bought a bowl for a homeless man that was passing time in the restaurant drinking a water. I mention this not to point out our charity, but to laugh about the fact that he turned down my offer of a hot dog and insisted on the chili, which was twice the price LOL

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Office Decorating

Junie took a road trip with me to my office, as I have started to bring in some personal effects to brighten up the place - note the bird clock, moon globe, and Smiley's 2010 Father's Day gift on the top of the bookcase, along with my new (to me) Keurig. 


Thursday, October 19, 2023

Monday, October 16, 2023

Thursday with Junie

Last Thursday was Throwback Day for Spirit/Homecoming Week and Junie, as you can see, went with a hippie vibe. She was dissapointed because some people, including a teacher, said it wasn't far off her norm. I disagree, as did Junie. 

After school I picked her up and drove her to a nail appointment off 77th and Capitol Dr, where I sat outside in the car for 90 minutes. Cute nails tho.

Then we drive across town to a Sendiks where we picked up the corsages and a boutenaire for her and some of the Core Four. We also picked up some groceries, which reminded us we were hungry.



So we went to a nearby Five Guys. It was the second visit to one in my life and good or not, a ten dollar burger this wasn't.  They're crazy expensive in my opinion. 


The fries though . . .ok, the fries are worth the money.

Anyway we say and talked about the day, some theological points from her Confirmation class, and other matters of interest on a rainy October evening.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Homecoming 2023

This is Homecoming weekend for Junie, and it began with her wearing her homecoming 2023 t-shirt to school. 

(I mean, it began long before, with ordering the corsages and getting the nails, but you know what I mean). 



She and her friend Bella got ready at the house










I drove them to Hue, a Vietnamese restaurant where they met up with and dined with Kevin, another of the Core Four. 





Rebecca, one of our exchange student from last year, joined in over the phone. 


 



Then I drove all 3 of them to the dance at their school - during a chilly rainstorm, all the while while nursing a horrible cold I might add (I'm a hero!)









When I picked them up hours later they reported they'd had a great time, and it sure looked like it from the photos!