Splashin' 'n Dashin'

 

Iver has had a blast running in spring track-- sprinting is a true love of his!   Unfortunately, only one K-4 meet was held (the second cancelled due to weather), but he chose and was allowed by coach Kristin to "run up"-- with the 5-8th graders, at both Fortuna High a few weeks ago, and this past week at McK high.

At these "Championships," he participated in the 4x100 m relay as the third leg, the 400m, the 100m, and the 200m races in that order.  The races were officially timed which made things interesting (multiple heats were done of each events and places awarded after all the times were in on athletic.net).  He again wore his gold spikes, which he received from aunt Katherine as a gift in December.

His relay team (him plus three fifth graders) got first place again (1:05:25), as they did in Fortuna anchored by speedy Juan Emilio!  They are great at not dropping the baton!

Ready for the 400m...

...which he completed in 1:21:62 for third place, behind a fifth grader from Blue Lake and teammate Juan Emilio.

The 100m race (his favorite) was TIGHT-- a photo finish indeed and which he won by his lean!

When times were notated, he came in first place at 15.65!

The 200m, also a a great distance for Iver, was held near the end of the meet, hence the dark photo. He clocked in at 34.68 in second place, just 0.26 seconds behind the fifth grader he edged out in the 100m.

The haul!

The Spellmeyers encouraged Iver to participate in Cal Poly's "Lumberjack Splash & Dash," a swim and run event this weekend put on and benefitting the Women's Triathlon team.  Iver deliberated for several days about whether he wanted to enter, as he's not a strong swimmer (living in a cool area without outdoor pools means you have to be really dedicated to get any swim practice in!).  However, he decided to give it a whirl, for which I was extremely proud since I know he doesn't like to not be "the best" at anything.  

The kids could choose from a "short course" (50 yard swim + 0.75 mile run) or "long course" (100 yard swim + 1.25 mile run).  Iver, the sprinter, chose "short."

We checked in shortly after 8 a.m. and the kids got to set up their "transition" area and take a swim test, and then were allowed to warm up. I think Iver was (understandably) a bit intimidated by the other swimmers (many of them with skintight shorts, caps and goggles and competitive swimmers in the local Humboldt Swim Club), but he knew he could use his running strength to stay in the race. The races started around 9:30 with several heats ("waves") from youngest to oldest competitors and short- to long-courses. 

Iver was last in his heat (by about 3/4 of a pool length) after the swim ...

...but transitioned well into the run, toweling off but forgoing socks and a shirt, even though it was about 50 degrees outside! (A couple of kids ran shoeless!)

He made up time, passing several runners, including those ahead of him after his heat of the the swim, finishing with the two laps (800 m) around the Redwood Bowl Track. His finishing time was 6:55.6 and in second place out of nineteen competitors, just 33 seconds of the short-course winner (who is a member of the Humboldt Swim Club), with official race results here.

Olivia crushed her long-course race as the top female finisher (in 12:29!)! 

Niall has also been doing swim lessons at The Club with Kam, and is making huge strides. He initially didn't want to even get in the pool and now is asking for fins and more sessions.

Learning to side-breathe!

Maybe even the little one will be Splashin 'n Dashin' next year!

Old & Tired

Niall (7): What are those lumps under your eyes, Mama?

Me: What do you mean? Are there bumps there?

Niall: Just the baggy part.

Me: Oh, you mean the bags under my eyes?   

Niall: Yeah. Why are they there?

Me: Sometimes people develop bags under their eyes when they get older.  Sometimes they are there if the person has allergies (which I do). And they can also be there if the person is really tired.

Niall: Are you tired?

Me: What do you think?

Niall: Hmmm... I think... yes. 

Me: You're right. I am also getting old but I'm unbelievably tired. I don't sleep that well. And I'm even more tired when a random iPad alarm clock goes off at midnight and again at 6 a.m. because a certain kid set them on Friday night "for funsies."

Niall: 

My One Wild and Precious Life

Despite my love of the written word, I have never read much or been engaged by poetry; however, I have heard the name Mary Oliver, and checked one one anthology of hers form the local library. Here are some of my favorite words (to date) from her about wisdom (along with the above famous line, from her poem "The Summer Day"). 

THE SWIMMING LESSON

Feeling the icy kick, the endless waves
Reaching around my life, I moved my arms
And coughed, and in the end saw land.

Somebody, I suppose,
Remembering the medieval maxim,                      
Had tossed me in,
Had wanted me to learn to swim,

Not knowing that none of us, who ever came back
From that long lonely fall and frenzied rising,
Ever learned anything at all                                 
About swimming, but only
How to put off, one by one,
Dreams and pity, love and grace, --
How to survive in any place.

A DREAM OF TREES

There is a thing in me that dreamed of trees,
A quiet house, some green and modest acres
A little way from every troubling town,
A little way from factories, schools, laments.
I would have time, I thought, and time to spare,
With only streams and birds for company,
To build out of my life a few wild stanzas.
And then it came to me, that so was death,
A little way away from everywhere.

There is a thing in me still dreams of trees.
But let it go. Homesick for moderation,
Half the world’s artists shrink or fall away.
If any find solution, let him tell it.
Meanwhile I bend my heart toward lamentation
Where, as the times implore our true involvement,
The blades of every crisis point the way.

I would it were not so, but so it is.
Who ever made music of a mild day?

THE JOURNEY

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice—
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do—
determined to save
the only life you could save.

Celebrate! (Holy Week/more)

We had a busy last week, celebrating all sorts of things! 

Niall has continued his "journalism" while attending church.

New Heart held a "Stations of the Cross" walk through on Good Friday, finishing in a prayer labyrinth.

We attended a "double-header" of birthdays on Saturday, with Georgie's seventh Minecraft bash at Flips for Kids, and then Maxine's second birthday held at Ashley's custom property. 

Custom Cake 

Kelvin, Ashley, Sarah, Malia

The kids were surprised with loot on Easter morning (Iver told me, "The Easter bunny is like Santa, mama!"). 

We attended St. Mary's mass, where Iver altar served as he often does.

There was a large egg hunt by the rectory.

The kids came across an actual (goose?) nest. Oops! 

In the afternoon, we enjoyed more fun at Shannon's, where the kids did another egg hunt, a scavenger hunt, and excavated dino eggs. It was sunny but not very warm, despite the kids' clothing!

 "Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness." — Floyd W. Tomkins

He is Risen! 

Student Bird Art Contest

A few weeks ago, we got word from Iver's art teacher, Maestra Megan, that his drawing of a Purple Finch won third place for fourth graders at the local (twenty-second) Student Bird Art Contest, co-sponsored by Redwood Region Audubon Society (RRAS) and Friends of the Arcata Marsh (FOAM), in conjunction with the Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival.

Iver won first place in this contest two years ago as a second grader for his drawing of a Sandhill Crane, but we didn't even know he still did or paid attention to art (he's become quite the sporty kid), and the submission/prize was a great surprise!  (We also don't know where he gets it from, as while I've got some musical genes, neither Kelvin nor I have an artistic [as in drawing/painting] bone in our body!). This year, over eight hundred kids participated. We attended the Awards ceremony and checked out the students' drawings at the Arcata Community Center/Godwit days this past weekend. Iver got a certificate and $10.  Our county has some super talented artists!

 

We also tracked down Niall's drawing (at which he apparently lost steam in completing coloring) of a Northern Harrier. 

A booklet featuring all the kids' winning artwork will be available at www.rras.org, www.arcatamarshfriends.org, and www.godwitdays.org  in May, and color copies will be on display at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center in May and June.

Pottermania

I read both kids Harry Potter #1 (The Philosopher's or Sorcerer's Stone) in their young lives. Niall really got into the characters this year and has been asking to be read (subsequent books) also, really enjoying the characters and magic. I read a few as a young adult, but didn't finish the series and have forgotten a lot about the plot, although the characters have stuck with me.

    Spirit Day at school as favorite book character- guess who!

We started watching the films as our Friday night family movies for a while and Iver then started independently started reading the books (which they got as a set from Santa), although not in order (I think he started with #6 to beat us to watching that movie, and then worked his way through all the others).

He is a good reader, although he hasn't been particularly interested in (voluntarily) picking up books just to read "for fun," and often rejects the books I bring home from the library that I think he'll like. However, he just just blazed through the Harry Potter series-- waking up early to read, going to bed later to read, and bringing the book(s) in the car so he could experience the magic. He is a master at HP trivia, and I often find the kids playing "spells" with one another ("Stupefy!"). It's been wonderful to see and witness; however, now that he finished the series, it may be a letdown to find something as good (I definitely know the feeling!). He tells me he may start them all over again, straightaway, since he loves them so much! 

 The Harry Potter completist!  

(Niall and I are only partway through book 4 because Iver stole it from us!)

We have been exploring the idea of taking them to a Harry Potter theme park-- either at Universal Studios in Florida (the bigger one) or in LA, since they're so enamored! I think they're at great ages for this kind of trip, although we hear that it may be better if Niall is a bit older/taller so we (he) can experience some of the more major rides.  We'll see and we’ll see how long the Pottermania lasts! 

"College" Friends Reunion

We took a couple of days during our East Coast trip to travel south to North Carolina to stay with my great college friends, Laura and Tony.

We had lunch in Richmond with my friend Eva and her husband Matt (Eva and I met while we were flutists in the University of Richmond orchestra). She is wonderful about keeping in touch and very reliable, so it was great we were able to coordinate a meet-up during her lunch break when we were passing through town.  We had delicious Asian food at Ya-Ya’s in Short Pump and connected over our jobs (she's changed positions in the banking world and works from home), musical performing (a lot for her and none for me!), kids, and travel.

We took the kids by my Alma Mater, University of Richmond or "UR," and marveled at the new athletic fields and how the campus has changed since I started there almost twenty-five years ago!

We made it to Cary, NC by the afternoon, where we stayed two nights with Tony, Laura and their two kids, Abbie and Jason (15 and 13). While we've seen each other a few times over the decades (memorable meet-ups including being in each other's weddings, a trip from them to see me when in residency and a spring visit to Yosemite), the last time we saw them was in 2017, when Iver was three and I was quite pregnant with Niall. Nevertheless, hanging out felt just like old times, which is so rare and special. Tony works as a financial advisor (the same job he's had since college!) and Laura (who I met through the UR music department) works flexible hours as an executive director for the Cary-Apex Youth Choir, and is very involved with her kids' activities, including musical theater for Abbie and sports (gymnastics--> football) for Jason, as well as volunteering, all of which is inspirational. She’s an incredible person and mom!

Laura took us to downtown Cary park, where we saw a nice fountain, and played on the lovely turf field and outdoor ping pong as it got warmer. There was also a really nice playground, great for energetic kiddos.

When you find Krispy Kreme at the local Harris Teeter's...

The kids with the famous author of kids' financial literacy books (the latest of which, Iver and Luke and the Friends-for-Others Club, features Iver and our family)!

Tony played his financial card game with the kids.

There was also indoor ping pong and shuffleboard (which was new to me!) in their basement, which occupied many hours. 

My kids were excited to bake cookies with Laura, who also cooked us wonderful dinners at home including pasta bolognese and bulgogi bowls.

Niall was enchanted with their cats (Talia pictured here, also Sophia and Chrissy).

On the way home, we had phở in Richmond and made a quick Ikea stop at Potomac Mills, making it back to my parents' place before we hit DC traffic. 

It was so good to see these friends who I've known almost twenty-five years (our relationships forming organically before the days of text messages, smartphones, and social media!), talking and playing as if no time had passed and reminiscing about those good ol' days before the realities of our country's toxic leadership and political divide, well as the digital age. I hope we see them again before seven years have passed!