Brady's "First Day"

Wednesday 9/3/14, was our third "first day" of school.  While Ruth stayed with Connor and Margaret, Corbin and I drove Brady up to Gould for new student arrival day!  It was hard to believe the day was really upon us.  All in all, the day went rather smoothly.  Brady is in a quad in Davidson Hall. The setup is three rooms - 2 boys in each of the smaller rooms and a shared "common room."  We were able to help him unpack and set up rather easily, with a quick couple of trips to the local Rite-Aid for some additional items (extension cord, extra power strip, a fan, and some hooks for his closet).

We met his advisor, his proctors and his dorm heads.  The opening assembly and all the people who welcomed us today only reinforced our trust in the fact that Gould is a great school - and a wonderful match for Brady.  It was very hard for me to leave him in the afternoon, but I stayed strong (didn't want to cry and embarrass him :-)!!) and kept reminding myself how much he wanted this and how good we truly believe this experience will be for him.

Since then, we've talked quite a few times, and Brady is finding his way.  He's met some challenges, but has faced them with a great strength and a committed attitude.  He enjoyed his orientation (backpacking Baldface Mt) trip, despite a couple of bloody noses.  He's decided to join the cross country team, and is figuring out how to get a pair of running shoes.  He's made it to and through the first formal dinner - tie and all!  Classes begin on Monday 9/8/14.  This journey has just begun, but it's worth noting what a big accomplishment it was for all of us to get to and through this day.

Bed made!

Brady's "corner" -- cards from Margaret hung on the wall!

In front of Davidson Hall

A little ping pong in the dining hall, after lunch

Orientation Group!

Crazy picture!

Side note:  Connor got word last minute that the Valley Warriors AAU Baseball team was holding an additional tryout on Wed 9/3.  Gram was so great to get him there for the tryout - and we got word the next morning that Connor has been invited to join the team.  He's thrilled and we're so happy for him.  His resilience and persistence have paid off!

Well, this concludes this year's edition of "Teton Valley Days" summer blog.  I'm sad to see summer end, but happy that we kept the blog so alive this year ... and so happy to have all three kids off to a good start to 3rd, 6th and 9th grade.  They are growing up - yes, too fast.  I wonder what lies ahead this year and what next summer will look like!

I could probably start a whole new blog: "boarding school parent" ... hahaha.  I don't think Brady would like that ... until about 10 years from now, of course

Purity Springs 2014!

This post has more photos than most, simply because the photos tell the story better than any narrative could!  We had a truly wonderful and special Trepanier Family reunion at Purity Springs Resort this Labor Day weekend.  This was our 5th year in a row, gathering at Purity as a full family -- all 20 of us.  We went into this vacation, thinking it'd be our last one, at least for awhile.  But by the end, we were all scheming to figure out how we could return next summer.

The kids, aged 4 to 17, have so much fun and get along so well.  It's really remarkable.  Brady mastered the back flip off the diving board, Connor's favorite was all the time at the "secret beach," Margaret proudly climbed and jumped off the inflatable iceberg.  I was pretty happy with myself completing, as I called it, the "Purity Trifecta" -- waterskiing, climbing and jumping off the iceberg, and jumping off the high platform on the floating dock!

I'm so grateful for all that this weekend means to all of us.

Sporting the 50th Anniversary T-shirts!

All meals here!

A game of "Happy Family"

"Sunset Beach" - after waterskiing, kneeboarding, etc

The Girl Cousins - waiting for their turns!
Reese, Kalli, Margaret, Remy

The floating dock at the "Secret Beach"

Yankee Swap treasures!

Family football on Grampy's 74th birthday

Grampy and the 12 grandkids - birthday celebration

74 years old, 50 years married, about 56 together!

Trepanier 5

Shore breakfast on Labor Day morning - a favorite for all!

Brady, Matthew, Jonas, Kallie

Connor, Lucas, Timmy

Tie Dying T-shirts

Tie Dye pointers from Jack!

Archery for the girls!

First Day of School

Wednesday 8/27/14 - First day of school for Connor at Doherty Middle School and for Margaret at the new Bancroft school!  We will drive Brady to Gould next Wednesday!

Reports are that Connor had a great day.  He's on Team 6A, in Mrs. Burt's homeroom.  He even went to a friend's house after school for a small impromptu pool party.  Margaret has Ms. Schoen for 3rd grade.  Her afternoon is not quite as fun, as she had a dentist appointment.

Bancroft Bus Stop

A Day on the Dock ... making summer last!

After a few days of "re-entry" in Andover, we welcomed a day at the lake on Sunday 8/24/14!  It was a fun afternoon on the dock with Grammy & Grampy, Aunt Maribeth, Uncle Paul, Kalli, Timmy and Matthew.  We then stopped for a nice dinner with the Greens before heading back to Andover.

Road Trip

After taking our time and aiming for "fun stops" last year, we all agreed that we'd rather push through and just get back to Andover in as few days as possible.  When we left Lander on Monday 8/18/14, we figured we'd get back mid-day on Thursday 8/21/14, but we had some hope that Wednesday evening was possible.  With no major traffic delays and only a little bit of rainy weather, we actually made it in three days and were back in our Andover home by 8:30pm on Wednesday 8/20/14.

Monday night we stopped at the New Victorian Inn in York, NE.  Tuesday night we stopped at a Comfort Inn in Toledo, OH.  Indoor pools for the kids and pizza both nights, and a 7am start each morning.  

Corbin did most of the driving, but I took about a 3ish hour shift each day.  We played some "musical chairs" with the seating in the truck, just to mix it up.  While there was certainly a good amount of being plugged into a device, we also had a few good conversations and laughs as a family.  Margaret spent some time each day reading to Corb and me, while the boys were listening to their own audiobooks and podcasts.  The one big "treat" of the trip was that I read "Wonder" to the whole family.  We read a couple of times each day and finished the book as we exited off the Mass Pike on Wednesday.  It was a great book, and everyone was fully engaged.  Overall, it was a pretty darn good family road trip!

Human pyramid at one of the hotel indoor pools.

Cute Pillows

A Visit with the Campbells

It's been 2-3 years since we've spent an evening with Bruce and Carol Campbell in Lander.  Last summer, Corb and Connor stopped by for an afternoon visit on their drive west.  It was wonderful to spend the first night of our road trip in such warm and wonderful company!

Sunday morning 8/17/14 we finished packing, cleaning and loading up the truck.  All went rather smoothly.  We said "good-bye" to Driggs at about 1-1:30pm and made our way to Lander.  I appreciated the last view of the Tetons from the east side as we drove out of Jackson.  We arrived at the Campbells at about 5:30pm, after "taking a Main" and driving by the Langs' old home on Wind River Drive.

Cornhole (or beanbags) in the backyard, swingset play, time in the playhouse, lemonade on the back porch, a tour of the "skinning" area in the garage, perusing Carol's photo album from her recent trip to Germany and Switzerland with Amy, Jason and kids, dinner on the deck - complete with ice cream pie and coffee, bugles in the kitchen, and a great night sleep ... it was wonderful to catch up with Bruce and Carol.  They've known Corby since he was 6 and they've known our kids since they were babies.  It's a special friendship the Langs and Campbells share ... reminds me of the Langs and Greens :-)

Monday morning 8/18/14, after a delicious (as always) pancake breakfast and packing a good supply of Carol Campbell cookies into our cooler, we said our "good-byes" and began, in earnest, our journey east.  We were so grateful for this visit - it was a nice way to end our time out west and set the tone for a positive trip east!

Everyone tries out the bugles!

Family photo before we leave

Connor and Margaret each chose a book from their "Little Free Library"

Carol, Corby, Bruce

Moving Day for All!

On Friday 8/15/14, I got in an early morning walk with Heather and Corina.  Note - earlier this week (Tuesday, 8/12/14) I got to run Southbound with Susy.  No pictures, but it was an awesome trail run!

Ok - back to the moving ... So on Friday, Susy's family all headed back to Boulder.  She stayed behind to pack and clean.  So, of course, we thought we should go help her - or at least hang out with her while she cleaned the kitchen!  On Friday evening, Heather, Sharon and I all went over to Susy's.  We had a fun evening full of cleaning, packing, and lots of laughs.  I actually spent the night -- a nice break for me and kept Susy from being alone in her house.  It was the best night sleep I've had in a long time!! Saturday morning, 8/16/14, we got in a good morning run -- awesome show by two sandhill cranes, likely protecting babies -- then we loaded up her car and said our good-byes.  Soon after I got home, we made our final trip to the dump in preparation for our "move" back to Andover on Sunday.  Immediately after the dump, we headed over to the Schmidts' to help them pack up for their move to Jackson.  Corbin helped Brian load up the trailer, I helped Sharon pack up the kitchen and the kids played with Sammy (walked the dog, played on the trampoline, etc).  It was fun to help them and we still had plenty of time this afternoon to do our own packing.

Fun on the swingset and trampoline!

Sammy, Margaret, Connor

Sharon, Sammy, & Brian Schmidt

We finished our day with dinner at the Brakeman.  The Brakeman served as our "bookends" this summer -- we ate there our first night and our last night in the valley.

We're never really ready for summer to end.  It's always hard to leave this valley.  Yet, we are looking forward to ... a visit with the Campbells tomorrow, what is likely our last Trepanier Family Reunion at Purity Springs on Labor Day Weekend, Margaret starting 3rd grade in the new Bancroft, Connor starting middle school at Doherty, Brady beginning his Gould journey, Corb and I teaching together again ... and already some exciting things to look forward to next summer!

Final "bucket list" items!

We've all had such a wonderful summer - part of it skillfully planned and part of it spontaneous!  After the kids had all returned from Oregon, we sat down and created some lists of "wants" and "needs" for our remaining time.  This final week we've tried to check off some of the remaining items on the list.  One of Margaret's BIG requests was horseback riding with Cheyenne Wilcox, on Abbey.  We were finally able to make that happen on Thursday evening, 8/14/14.  Weather threatened, but did not ruin the evening.

Thursday was a pretty full day for everyone.  Connor and Margaret were at TISA camp all day -- their last day, and they loved it.   I used the day as a pretty full work day, Brady got a few things done in preparation for Gould, and Corbin got a lot of work done in the yard.  We were able to arrange a nice meeting between Brady and Jen Calder, coordinated around TISA camp pickup.  Jen's son, Bode, goes to the camp and he and Connor love to play together.  Jen and Joe Calder are ski patrollers - Jen at Teton Village in Jackson and Joe at Targhee (with his rescue dog, Otter).  Since Brady's planning to do the Ski Patrol program at Gould, he thought it'd be fun to chat with Jen or Joe.  Jen was GREAT!  She shared her passion for ski patrolling, and she told Brady if he could ever come out during ski season, he could go to work and shadow her.