A few more Deer Valley pics

William and Grant swam in a cold spring and here are the pics! (I found them here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayton_chris/sets/72157634417506416/)

New Ride!

After 12 great years of service, the 2000 Grand Voyager was retired (traded in) for a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan Crew edition. The decision was made when we were faced with some new repairs. We moved quickly, searched the local barely used van inventory, and narrowed it down to a handful of models that had less than 35,000 miles. This one had just 20,000.

This car has SO many more "bells and whistles" than the old one. I wasn't looking for those, but I'm thinking some of them may be fun! It has an in-dash DVD player, satellite radio, a jack for my iPod (yay), and even a 115 V AC plug! There's a backup camera and automatic sliding doors too. I like the "stow and go" seats that allow for a lot of configurations. And yes, my bike fits in there, same place, same way :-)

Unlike the old car, the hatchback handle doesn't jiggle, I don't have separate keys for the doors and ignition, and I can actually SEE at night with the headlights. Wow.

We were a little sad to part with the old one. But not for very long!!! I hope we have as many great adventures in the new van as we had in the old one.

And Lord help the first child who spills or throws up in this vehicle.

Limo Ride to School and New (used) bike for Spencer!

Here are a few other photos I should have put up. I arranged for a limo to pick the Middle School kids up for their last day of school. They've had to go to the neighboring town for the past two years since our high school took over the middle school here when the high school roof collapsed. There are also a few pics of Spencer on his new bike!

Grant at Deer Valley

Grant was invited to join his best friend William and his parents for a one-week stay at Deer Valley camp in Pennsylvania. He'd been there with them during the "off season" in fall and really enjoyed it but this was the first time he had the full experience. And what an experience! I think it's great he could be part of an inter-generational camp like this where they had some structured activities in the morning but a lot of freedom to choose, explore, and be free! I am really grateful he could go with his "second" family and enjoy such an incredible week!! Thank you Michael, Becky, and William!

Blacksburg Middle School Spring Band concert

This was Spencer's last concert playing tuba! When I asked him if he'd miss it, he just said "eh, I know how to play it." He's not quite as invested in that as he is in the cello! Still, he did a very nice job and is in the second year band in only his first year playing the instrument. Nice job!

Grant - Spring 2013 Soccer

A few pics from the final game of the season!

VT Strings Youth Orchestra and Quartet

Here are the recordings (on my phone) of Spencer's concert last week. The first 7 songs of this playlist are from the most recent concert!