Last band concert (almost)

Christopher's last band concert (almost) was last night at Ryle. He had the honor of playing on the stage with his sister Sabrina for his last piece which was a collaboration between Gray Middle School and Ryle High School Wind Symphony. More photos to be posted later.

Sweet Jazz Festival

 Last night we had the honor of listening to the Ryle Jazz Lab and Gray Middle School Jazz band at the Sweet Jazz Festival.  Both Chris and Sabrina played the trombone in their respective bands demonstrating their prowess at their brass instruments.  

Chris is a senior so this is one of the last concerts as a student in Boone County schools. 

I picked these for you!

Visit to Middle Creek

 For my birthday we took the family down to Middle Creek Park in Burlington to check out the sea of Blue Eyed Marys in bloom along with the wild hyacinth, and Virginia blue bells.  

Easter Vigil

Happy Easter! Jesus Christ is Risen!

Happy Birthday Sabrina!

 Sabrina had a very busy birthday weekend.  On Friday, March 3, the power was out due to a massive windstorm that went through the entire State of Kentucky.  We listened to Annette read from a book while eating our dinner together in the candle light.  When the power came back on, the kids wanted Annette to continue reading the book which was sweet.  

On Saturday, I went with Sabrina to The Black Goose where we got some mocha's and looked around the shop.  Then we went back to Ryle to and took a few laps around the parking lot in my truck.  

Before heading home we mixed in a little bit of tomfoolery by dropping off a giant parking cone at Granny and Pops house because of the wind taking out the old basketball goal. 

That evening we went to a Cyclones Game where she got to sing the National Anthem along with 70 other members of the GMS choir. 

In the afternoon on Sunday we drove down to Aunt Dette's house in Georgetown to visit with some extended Howard family.  

Dinner on Sunday was with Grandma and Grandpa Hoeben to celebrate Sabrina's birthday.

Shooting Clays with Hoebens

We gathered to compete for the traveling trophy this weekend. Clara performed better than she anticipated but alas her uncle Paul defeated her and won the trophy. This was the first year that Lucas was able to shoot and he did reasonably well. Emily was with us observing from a distance.

Sweet 16

Clara turned 16 yesterday, the same day as Sabrina's Confirmation. We enjoyed a late night ice cream gathering to celebrate her 16 trips around the sun.

Confirmation for Sabrina

Sabrina was confirmed today at St. Timothy. Her sponsor was a friend from choir, Karen Yunker. Coincidentally, she was confirmed on her sister's birthday.

Once every ten years

Trimming the bushes on the side of the house was over due. Last time it happened was in 2013 with Mark Brown's assistance. So since this has only happened twice in 10 years, I thought it was worth a post.

After the bushes were trimmed, the trimmings were taken to an undisclosed location where they will be turned into kindling by the sun. ^AH

Marquis de Lafayette

For Lucy's bottle history project, she had to make a head resembling Marquis de Lafayette. She had some help from the family when there was an unexpected snow day called at the end of January. Her research and speech was just as impressive as her bottle.

One rope -> two kids -> three contestants

Lucy and Sabrina were tugging over the rope when Gus decided to get in on the action.

WYD Pilgrimage Begins

Tonight we attended the first meeting of Christopher's World Youth Day Pilgrimage. There are 28 people from our Diocese planning to make the trip in August to Portugal to see Pope Francis. They'll get to visit Fatima and experience the universal church as an estimated 2 million Catholics descend on Lisbon. It sounds like an incredible time and Christopher is excited to attend.

Snow Couple

We got some snow today that was perfect for making snow people. These two popped up out front.

Howling at the moon

I went to the woods this evening to pursue the mighty white tail. I climbed a tree at the top of the hill at a farm I've hunted many times before and waited for my quarry to arrive. Unfortunately I must have made too much noise or smelled too stinky because the deer didn't show.

After it had gotten dark, I climbed down the tree (which was very precarious) and began to collect up my things under a full moon. It was then that I heard the howling and yelping of the coyote pack in the next field over.

I made sure to note their approximate distance based on the noises they were making. I hurried along quickly in the dark trying to determine if they were coming closer.

I don't like to use a flashlight because I don't want to disturb the deer but tonight I made an exception. When l was said and done, I told myself I was the alpha predator in the woods tonight and proceeded to walk confidently down the hill to my truck.

I made it home without any altercations and am now reflecting on the evening as my domesticated canine peers out at me from underneath the coffee table - probably waiting on a good moment to strike!

Pearl Harbor Day Parade

 Here's a video from WLWT Channel 5 covering the Ryle Marching Raiders performance in Hawaii. 

Huakaʻi palekana

Huakaʻi palekana means safe travels in Hawaiian - at least according to Google. 

As I write this its 5:24 a.m.  About an hour ago I dropped Christopher off at CVG on his way to Hawaii with his band buddies.  It will be a quiet week without him around but we know he'll be having a fantastic time on the trip.  

Traveling is something he'll be doing more of in the next 9 months.  Today he leaves for Hawaii but August he goes in the opposite direction to World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal.  What an experience that will be.  

In Hawaii he will be playing with the Ryle Marching Raiders at the Pearl Harbor Day Parade.  We look forward to hearing stories from his trip and wish him and the rest of the band safe travels. 

Clara likes to hit things...

She is a strong, energetic person. She doesn't, on the surface, seem to have an angry demeanor. But she REALLY likes to take out her aggression. She has begun karate at a new Dojo. This school teaches mixed martial arts. Lately, they've been doing a lot of jujitsu. She loves it. Here are a couple videos... not the most exciting stuff she's done recently, but if you look close, you can see how happy she is to be moving.

Three kids on the Band Field

Last night Christopher performed for the last time as a member of the
Larry A. Ryle Marching Raiders. In 2021 he joined marching band as a
junior and played the baritone with a group of people who were
obsessed with bananas. The band was ranked 4th in the state as a
result of their show last year and we were very satisfied with the
season.

This year a few things changed. First of all Sabrina had just picked
up the trombone beginning in January 2022 and decided she wanted to
become a Marching Raider in the summer. She alongside with her brother
dedicated many hours to practicing her instrument and marching. The
two of them bonded over their many trips up and down Frogtown Road.
They competed at many locations throughout Kentucky and even into Ohio
on their way toward a memorable state competition at EKU.

Then on the final week before the band was set to perform at state,
the call was made to the Howard home asking for one more Marching
Raider. Apparently one of the color guard members was unable to
perform at state so they needed someone to dress in the uniform and
attend practice this final week. Molly stepped up and was on the field
for the final two performances of 2022. Her job was to hide behind a
prop and move it at the appropriate time. She performed her role
flawlessly.

And so, for his final performance as a Marching Raider, Chris had the
honor of marching along side his two sisters. It was quite a memory
as they marched into Raider History earning third place at the KMEA
State Marching Band Competition.

Funny Gus

Clara took this photo of Gus and I thought it worthy of including on the blog.