Christmas in Washington

It has been two years, almost exactly, since we had seen the Freymours! So, despite surgery preventing Larry and Donna from joining us, we packed up the van and headed to DC for the holiday.

To make the drive more pleasant, we opted to break it up and stopped in Winston-Salem for the night on our way north. We really liked the Wake Forest campus, where Laura fell in love with a big tree swing. We stayed at a charming historic inn and enjoyed a delicious dinner in the downtown area. After breakfast in the morning, we hit the road once again: DC or bust!

After rolling straight into Silver Spring for some QT and dinner before Ryan’s bedtime, we started the next day with another long overdue reunion: Terri and her family. It was a cold but calm day, and with Covid counts high we decided the patio and fire pit was the right venue. Their sumptuous spread of cocoa, cider, hot sandwiches and charcuterie made for a fabulous afternoon. We really enjoyed hearing about their various travels during their postings in Asia - and snuck in some college talk, too.

Christmas Eve dawned gorgeous and mild, so we made our way to the monuments. Got in some great sights AND photos!

Once Ryan had his fill, we parted ways and we five made our way toward the White House Christmas Tree. We were (somewhat rudely) halted by the police when trying to cross the street…and soon after the Presidential motorcade came driving through! We saw Dr. Biden waving, if not Joe himself. We decided they had made a Chipotle run…

We all cleaned up nicely and made it to mass, followed by our traditional fare - so delicious! We even forced Tim to watch “Elf” after dinner, which most of us enjoyed.

Christmas morning was grand, and after some rest back at our air bnb, we five went to see “Sing 2” before gathering for a delicious dinner. At this point, the picture taking definitely dropped off… but we spent our final day getting some fresh air around the monuments before meeting up with the Freymours for lunch and arcade games - a perfect spot for our particular crew. We grown-ups then enjoyed a nice dinner out while the cousins babysat - a great way to cap off the visit!

We opted to stop in Chapel Hill to break up the drive back south, exploring the UNC campus and then getting dinner at a pretty tasty Indian spot. It worked out well, but we were also very happy to get home the next day.

Another merry Christmas in the books!

The First Family Football Weekend

I had pretty high hopes for our trip to ND for the Navy game…but I wasn’t entirely sure how it would go, either. Would Laura be bored? Danny disappointed? Would the weather be too cold to do anything? Would it be awkward to see my Walsh girls and try to mingle with their kids?

Suffice to say the answer was a resounding “no!” to each of those fears! We were blessed with gorgeous fall weather, great spirits all around, and instant friendships.

We flew into Chicago late Friday morning, and caught up with Clare after her last class later that afternoon. After showing Danny and Laura around Farley, she took us to her most-visited spots on campus. We often heard a “Hi, Clare!” as we walked, underscoring what her roommate Abby told us later: “Clare knows everyone!” Clearly her efforts to get involved and meet a variety of people have paid off, and I am so proud!

That night we, with the gracious assistance of Cat and her car, took Clare, Abby and three other Farley girls to dinner. They were VERY excited to eat off campus, a sentiment I well remember. 

We kicked off game day with a tailgate, thanks to Tim securing us a great spot in the Joyce Center lot. When Laura and Quinn showed up wearing the same sweatshirt, I felt pretty good about how things would between them. Within 15 minutes they were busy playing games and coloring in the back seat of the car, needing no interference from the rest of us.

Meanwhile, Danny and Deaglan quickly took to tossing the pigskin and mingling with us. Clare arrived with a couple of friends, and we enjoyed a beautiful fall day - and food, of course. 

We eventually closed up shop to go enjoy campus activities before game time - including our iconic Walsh photo and lots of football passes.

The game itself was phenomenal! Not long into the first quarter, Clare summoned Danny and Deaglan to the student section, where they had a blast! 

Meanwhile, the girls stayed VERY busy coloring “Go Irish” pictures for anyone and everyone - including the ushers and cheerleaders! They even made “Go Navy!” signs for the two Navy men sitting in front of us, which really touched them. (They also enjoyed some stadium hot cocoa!)

We wrapped up the weekend with bagels at the bookstore and then noon mass at the Basilica, which was lovely. It was nothing short of a magical weekend, and in a month devoted to thanksgiving, I am VERY grateful.

Halloween 2021

It was a Halloweekend, with the CKS Halloween Festival on Friday, and the main event on Sunday. Laura thoroughly enjoyed both!

She and her school friend Bess coordinated costumes. Cutest cows ever!

Meghan’s ardent love of ketchup also coordinated nicely with Laura’s Chick-Fil-A theme. The girls primarily trick-or-treated in Meghan’s neighborhood this year, with a quick trip through a couple of Byrnwyck blocks and then sorting back at our house. It was an epic haul!

Danny had a couple of buddies over to shoot hoops, man the fire pit while passing out candy, and then doing heaven knows what in the basement. Sadly, I have zero photos of any of this.

I did grab a couple of pictures of Clare’s various ND antics - all worked around the football game, of course!

It was another happy Halloween!

Danny’s Smash Theatrical Debut

Danny talked about trying Marist theater for a while. Clare loved her experiences with it, and it appealed to him. I was pretty sure he would be a great fit, and couldn’t help but think how amazing it would be if the director ever caught wind of his Scottish accent - or any accent, really. Alas, what were the chances?

It took a bit of nudging (I am intentionally avoiding the word “nagging) for him to reach out and get the details for the auditions, but finally it was established and he went. Turns out he was one of only two ninth graders to audition. Best of all? This particular play, “The Old Man and the Old Moon” had inspired the director to ask participants to come with an accent prepared! Needless to say, Danny’s Scottish accent won him over - to the extent that he was awarded two significant roles AND two singing solos!

Danny worked really, really hard from late August through the show dates in late October. Monday-Thursday he had play rehearsals from 4-6:30; three out of those four days he then had soccer practice from 7:30-9. Sleep was precious, given his hefty academic load and weekends filled with soccer games. 

Come opening night, I’ll admit I was nervous - but Danny didn’t seem to be! When I was seated in my place and saw his crew of Boyz roll in to support him, my heart swelled. And when he stepped forward for his first solo within the first few minutes of the show, I was bursting with pride!

In short, Danny crushed it. I continue to have people tell me that he stole the show. He was hilarious, and charming, and winsome. He had a blast, too, and of course basks in the glow of his success. He acknowledges how tough it was to manage everything, so we’ll see if he makes a return to the stage…but I wouldn’t be surprised. Bravo, Dan-o!

Danny’s First HOCO

When one of the Moms of the The Boyz (this is our nickname for ourselves and for Danny’s crew of Marist friends) first mentioned that the guys planned to ask dates to Homecoming, I was taken aback. Apparently in a few ways I have not yet adjusted to the fact that Danny is getting older! Turns out Danny was one of the first to take the leap, too. His date: Mary Margaret, a friendship that dates all the way back to Pre-First at CKS.

We moms put together a lovely pre-dance picture party at Cameron’s beautiful home. We lucked out with a gorgeous fall evening, and a delightful time was had by kids and parents alike!

I even managed to snag a picture of Danny and Lulu, a relationship that dates back to their infancy!

Possibly my favorite photo depicts Danny, the lone brave male among the ladies! He was eventually joined by his cohorts, but I think he was the most at ease...

What I do not have any photos from is the group of 15 boys down in our basement after the dance, 10 of whom spent the night! Between their reports on the dance itself, which they said was way more fun than they expected, and the roars of laughter way into the wee hours of the morning, I’d say we can claim the event a huge success!