Corn Fest 2018

Typically, we go to Iowa for two weeks in the summer. And usually, Grandpa Fawcett is an enthusiastic member of our expedition. But as 2018 has hardly been a typical year, it shouldn't be that surprising that this years trip deviated significantly.

First, because of our trip to the National Parks in June, Allen and I were a bit bereft of annual leave. Moreover, given the All-Star Game was the week before we left and our beach trip the week after we returned, we had to cut the trip down to a scant week. This was mourned by all, but particularly by Owen who considers Iowa to be his favorite vacation spot (which I feel we should be able to spin into some sort of endorsement deal from the Iowa Tourism Board) and argued we should instead shorten our National Parks trip (which was nixed by the rest of the family).

Second, and counter to every trip to Iowa we've ever had, Grandpa Fawcett couldn't go. You see, Grandpa hadn't been feeling great the past few months to the point where even he thought he needed to see his doctor. And while his original cardiologist proved to be a bit elusive, we eventually got him assessed and scheduled for what we thought would be an outpatient procedure. Unfortunately, it turned out he needed double bypass surgery as soon as possible.

At that point we considered foregoing the trip entirely. But John and Katherine encouraged us to go, arguing that since John's friend Jacqui was flying out for the surgery and Mom Mom was nearby, Katherine would have plenty of help while he was in the hospital, and we could do the heavy lifting in his recovery when we returned. Given we weren't sure what Owen would do if we cancelled the trip entirely, we went ahead.

It all felt a little weird to be in Iowa without John -- there was a glut of Coors Light at the pond and quite frankly, the corn shucking and cooking was far less organized without our fearless patriarch. Even the actual pond seemed to miss him -- manifesting its sense of loss through algae overproduction and some serial carp-icide (though Uncle Ken thinks that may be more directly the result of a broken pump). But Katherine kept us updated on the procedure and his recovery and they even got to watch the corn eating contest remotely (thanks to Logan live-streaming it).

And so while it was a very different trip to Iowa, it was still a great time. We got to see Cousin Blaine and Uncle Pete and Aunt Jeannine on the Grady/Zimmerman side, and the Fawcett's were out in full force. Allen successfully defended his corn-eating championship (and even took a few seconds off his last winning time, which he needed to do to just beat out Thomas for the win). Despite all the algae, the kids got in tons of swimming time, we got to go to West Branch Meeting and visit the Young Friends Cabin. And we even got to help take apart a tractor and paint rocks.

While we had a really good time, we were pretty relieved to return home to a recently discharged John. And now we can't wait until summer 2019 when hopefully we return to our regularly programmed trip with a two week stay and Grandpa in tow.

(To see all the pictures, please click here.)

All Stars!

Two years ago when they announced that DC was getting the All Star Game in 2018, I knew we had to go, which meant we had to get season tickets of course. The long awaited Summer Classic finally came around, and how could it possibly live up to expectations? Well to start, we didn't just have All Star Game tickets, but also tickets for the Home Run Derby, FanFest, the Legends & Celebrities Game, and the Futures Game. I was actually most excited for the Home Run Derby, but I couldn't convince Owen, and he was more excited for the All Star Game itself.

We couldn't quite manage all the activities together, so Grandpa Don took Owen to FanFest, and we gave the Legends & Celebrities Game and the Futures Game tickets to Brad & Marlo. But when the All Star Workout Day (aka Batting Practice and the Derby) rolled around, we were ready. The Derby lived up to expectations and then some. Bryce Harper fulfilled his promise of entering the Derby with his dad pitching to him in front of the home crowd, so we had a real rooting interest. He even wore a DC flag bandana!

The rules for the Home Run Derby are simple, hit as many HR's as you can in 5 minutes, and if you hit two further than 440' you get 30 bonus seconds. In the first round, the #8 seed Rhys Hoskins beat the #1 seed Jesus Aguilar 17 to 12. Then the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber knocked out Alex Bregman 16 to 15 with Bregmen's last ball just missing tying it up, and Max Muncy out dueled the Cubs' Javier Baez 17 to 16 match with just a few seconds to spare. That brought up Bryce Harper against the hated Brave's Freddie Freeman, and Harper easily won 13 to 12 with loads of time left.

In the second round Rhys Hoskins crushed 20 home runs, and we didn't think Kyle Schwarber had a chance, but he caught fire after a time out and blasted 21 home runs winning the match with a blast to the upper deck as time expired. Then Harper easily made it to the final beating Muncy 13 to 12 with lots of extra time, setting up our dream match up (with lots of opportunities to text Sam about the Nats v Cubs final).

In the finals, Schwarber started to tire, but still managed to hit 18 balls out of the park, and Bryce would have to put on a show to win it. Harper started out slow, and then his dad started having trouble throwing strikes as his arm started to tire. Things were looking grim with Bryce down 9 home runs with just 50 seconds to go, then Bryce turned it on. Home run. Home run. Home run...in the crowd, we were all on our feet, tension growing. Home run. Home run. Home run. Screaming, we could feel it, but would there be time? Home run! Home run! Time about to expire...Home run!!! He hit 9 home runs in his final 9 swings, tying it up at 18 a piece as time expired, and 30 bonus seconds still to come. This was the most electric we'd felt the crowd at Nats Park since Jayson Werth's walk off home run in game 4 of the 2012 NLDS. In the final 30 bonus seconds we all knew what was coming, and on his second swing he sent a blast into the night. Fireworks, confetti, streamers! What a night!

After the excitement of the HR Derby, even Owen had to agree, the All Star Game itself, while quite an exciting game, couldn't possibly live up to the excitement of the previous night. No complaints though, the memories will last a lifetime :-)

(click here for all the pictures)

Nailed It!

When Nora really gets into something, she gets the most adorable look on her face of honest excitement, and when she talks about it, her voice takes on a tone of earnest excitement and pride. The latest topic that has brought about this infectious mood is baking. She started watching the Great British Bake-Off with Grandpa Fawcett, and then on her own she found a baking show called Nailed It! that she fell in love with. On Nailed It!, two amateur bakers try to re-create some gorgeous professional cake with predictably hilarious, but often tasty results.

This new obsession of course presented the prefect opportunity, since Mom Mom is known for her cakes. She and Nora decided to undertake a Nailed It! style baking project of their own: happy face sun cupcakes. Needless to say, they had an absolute blast, and of course they nailed it!

(click here for all the pictures)

Pirates!

Nora has always been a free spirit -- albeit one with control issues. And so it's not surprising that while Nora loves to write plays herself (whose scripts she is adamant that those around her adhere to), she generally prefers improv to the more tradition theater experience. But since we had conflicts with all but one of Ms. Shannon's summer camps and her friend Hazel was doing the Atlas Theater camp (and the story involved buccaneers), Nora agreed to go outside her comfort zone and join the cast of Pirates!

The script was top secret and we weren't even allowed to know what Nora's friend Hazel role since it would be a spoiler (though we did learn that Nora was "Barry Tony Edwards" and that [he] had some hygiene issues, as did her friend Sadie or "Ten Fingers Orlando" who spent the two weeks of rehearsal smelling her armpits -- she's very method). Despite the absence of hints, Mom Mom, Grandpa Fawcett, Allen and I found the story was easier to follow than some of Nora's other performances (though I think it could have used at least one random robot). Enjoy!

Molly!

That feeling when you go out for drinks with Brad & Marlo and then serendipitously run into Molly :-)

Family Selfie

Seems like time for another family selfie :-)

Let's Go Nats!

Sometimes it's fun to take a big group to a Nats game, and when you're able to trade all the season ticket games you want around the schedule, it's easy to make it happen :-) We brought the whole family plus Leo to the park on a stunningly gorgeous day to enjoy a little baseball. The Nats lost to the dreadful Marlins, but with a day this beautiful, we didn't hear any complaints ;-)

Aquatic Gardens

It only took us 15 years, but we finally made it to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, and we even lucked out and made it there while the lotuses were blooming!

Our Shot

It wasn't easy, but we got tickets for Hamilton at the Kennedy Center. Being in the room where it happens? Priceless!