2012 . . . pretty much the busiest & best year ever for the Gru-Cru. We visited Stonehenge (at least the Kerrville, TX version), ran in the Corpus Christi Beach-to-Bay relay marathon, embarked on an impromptu Utah road trip, and spent a week relaxing at Lake Conroe. To get our adrenalin fix, we survived a late night javelina attack during the first night of our West Texas camping trip and rewarded ourselves by spending the second night in a Comfort Inn to escape a massive hail storm. Additionally, we visited Sea World, the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory (twice in one week), and the Texas Prison Museum (good times). To instill cultural awareness and time-tested values, we also fed the kids their first and last Hostess products.
Tara knocked out 37 of her “40 by 40” goals. A few of her activities included no ponytails for a month and going sugar-free for 30 days. She grew vegetables, decorated the house, got a massage, built furniture, and hosted a four-course dinner party. She visited LA and Chicago and even ate cheese curds in Wisconsin. That being said, her biggest accomplishment was actually surviving long enough to turn 40! Three separate car accidents never skew the odds in one’s favor . . . she was T-boned by an elderly Chinese man that spoke no English, she was rear-ended by a teenager in Cortez, CO traveling back from Utah, and she took out a 550 pound feral hog on the way home from football practice. Winning a new car as a contestant on “Let’s Make a Deal” would have been a great way to end the story, but instead she and Scott lost BIG and only received a hundred bucks and a handshake from Wayne Brady.
Scott remains on staff at the Wilford Hall periodontics program, although he doesn’t make as many residents cry these days. Maybe this compassion is what spurred his “Educator of the Year” award? He racked up sky miles and hotel points spending 82 days & 63 nights away from home giving and attending endless lectures and conferences in Chicago, Dallas, Florida, Los Angeles, North Carolina (x2), New York & San Francisco just to name a few. However, he put those travel rewards to work, finally making the required birding pilgrimage to Alaska, because hey . . . who doesn’t want to spend their summer vacation in 32° temperatures with 25mph winds off the Arctic Ocean on the tundra in Barrow, Alaska? Additionally, Scott has finally visited all 50 states . . . Indiana was checked off the list this past April.
Riley (14) started high school and has managed to schedule 28 or 29 hours of activities into every single day with a full honors course load, seminary, piano (lessons & teaching), and swimming. We should also mention that she has proudly scored a goal and been ejected from a match earning her official VARSTIY water polo status! (After months of 5:15 am practices, her parents are counting down the days until she can drive.) To celebrate earning her Young Women Recognition Award, she took a trip to NYC with her dad. They bonded by cruising Times Square, the Fashion District, the MOMA, and seeing The Lion King, Blue Man Group, Elf the Musical, and The Phantom of the Opera. Check out her new smile . . . braces came off in August!
Spencer (12) briefly experienced flight on his bike during the “sweetest jump of his life”, shortly followed by reacquainting himself with the asphalt . . . and breaking his arm in two places. It was a rough recovery period for all of us, as he just not a “sit still” type of kid. He enjoys middle school exactly as much as he did elementary, which unfortunately, isn’t much. He misses recess and being able to wear shorts but loves that they let him chew gum and that the cafeteria serves bacon burgers. He lives for football, basketball, and skateboarding and tolerates summer swim team. Turning12 means that he can finally ride in the front seat and serve as a Deacon at church. He really wants a dog or a snake, but has settled for a really cool leopard gecko named Elmo and an Oscar fish named Oscar.
Eddie (8) is thrilled to finally be eight - old enough to be baptized and join cub scouts! Unfortunately, he has been stricken (and not so subtly) to suffer between chronic states of boredom and hunger and he feels tortured anytime he is forced to wear long sleeves or pants. That being said, Eddie has discovered the advantages of strategically placing himself to become an awesome rebounder in basketball and he even mastered the butterfly during swim team this year. His favorite extra-curricular activities are still riding his bike, playing outside with his friends and charming everyone into getting his way. He loves Legos, drawing, and bustin’ a move and he is by far the funniest, smartest, and cutest kid we know.
Tara knocked out 37 of her “40 by 40” goals. A few of her activities included no ponytails for a month and going sugar-free for 30 days. She grew vegetables, decorated the house, got a massage, built furniture, and hosted a four-course dinner party. She visited LA and Chicago and even ate cheese curds in Wisconsin. That being said, her biggest accomplishment was actually surviving long enough to turn 40! Three separate car accidents never skew the odds in one’s favor . . . she was T-boned by an elderly Chinese man that spoke no English, she was rear-ended by a teenager in Cortez, CO traveling back from Utah, and she took out a 550 pound feral hog on the way home from football practice. Winning a new car as a contestant on “Let’s Make a Deal” would have been a great way to end the story, but instead she and Scott lost BIG and only received a hundred bucks and a handshake from Wayne Brady.
Scott remains on staff at the Wilford Hall periodontics program, although he doesn’t make as many residents cry these days. Maybe this compassion is what spurred his “Educator of the Year” award? He racked up sky miles and hotel points spending 82 days & 63 nights away from home giving and attending endless lectures and conferences in Chicago, Dallas, Florida, Los Angeles, North Carolina (x2), New York & San Francisco just to name a few. However, he put those travel rewards to work, finally making the required birding pilgrimage to Alaska, because hey . . . who doesn’t want to spend their summer vacation in 32° temperatures with 25mph winds off the Arctic Ocean on the tundra in Barrow, Alaska? Additionally, Scott has finally visited all 50 states . . . Indiana was checked off the list this past April.
Riley (14) started high school and has managed to schedule 28 or 29 hours of activities into every single day with a full honors course load, seminary, piano (lessons & teaching), and swimming. We should also mention that she has proudly scored a goal and been ejected from a match earning her official VARSTIY water polo status! (After months of 5:15 am practices, her parents are counting down the days until she can drive.) To celebrate earning her Young Women Recognition Award, she took a trip to NYC with her dad. They bonded by cruising Times Square, the Fashion District, the MOMA, and seeing The Lion King, Blue Man Group, Elf the Musical, and The Phantom of the Opera. Check out her new smile . . . braces came off in August!
Spencer (12) briefly experienced flight on his bike during the “sweetest jump of his life”, shortly followed by reacquainting himself with the asphalt . . . and breaking his arm in two places. It was a rough recovery period for all of us, as he just not a “sit still” type of kid. He enjoys middle school exactly as much as he did elementary, which unfortunately, isn’t much. He misses recess and being able to wear shorts but loves that they let him chew gum and that the cafeteria serves bacon burgers. He lives for football, basketball, and skateboarding and tolerates summer swim team. Turning12 means that he can finally ride in the front seat and serve as a Deacon at church. He really wants a dog or a snake, but has settled for a really cool leopard gecko named Elmo and an Oscar fish named Oscar.
Eddie (8) is thrilled to finally be eight - old enough to be baptized and join cub scouts! Unfortunately, he has been stricken (and not so subtly) to suffer between chronic states of boredom and hunger and he feels tortured anytime he is forced to wear long sleeves or pants. That being said, Eddie has discovered the advantages of strategically placing himself to become an awesome rebounder in basketball and he even mastered the butterfly during swim team this year. His favorite extra-curricular activities are still riding his bike, playing outside with his friends and charming everyone into getting his way. He loves Legos, drawing, and bustin’ a move and he is by far the funniest, smartest, and cutest kid we know.
