I’m typically quite the homebody, content to be home with everyone around me. But when the chicks are scattered, I am compelled to go to them! In what ended up being a quick turnaround after returning from the drive to Dayton, I hopped on a plane to visit Tiffany in South Carolina.
It was another fantastic weekend–lots of talking and doing touristy things, like walking around the Soda City farmers market. We enjoyed some delicious Brazilian steak. My mouth is watering just remembering it now.
We walked along the riverwalk, though our walk didn’t last long because the weather was unbearably hot.
We also spent a day at the local botanical garden and zoo.
We saw fascinating animals, but what we kept our eye out for more than anything else were these creatures, which we found everywhere along the way.
We stayed at a hotel for two nights and spent the final night at Ft. Jackson. After seeing where Tiffany has been living for nearly three months, my respect for her skyrocketed. The living conditions are less than ideal to put it mildly. But she endures without complaint.
The weekend came to an abrupt end before dawn Monday morning. I saw the sun rise while waiting to board my plan to return home.
With Tiffany in South Carolina for three months training for her army job, we decided to visit Jake for a long weekend in August and keep him company. Molly didn’t want to be left behind, so we packed her into the car with us. (She may have come to regret accompanying us later…see below)
Jake and Tiffany did a lot in 2 months to make their house a home,
including putting up a hammock in the living room.
Jake has a great setup for doing grad school homework in the office. He had a big lab write-up due the day after we arrived, so he excused himself to work on it that night.
At least he looked like he was having fun!
A couple days later, Jim helped him put up a wall-size white board so he can work out complex equations without having to erase.
The boys played lots of spike ball in the yard.
And we got to meet Poppy, Jake and Tiffany’s friends’ new puppy. Poppy the puppy. We were in love.
It reminded us of Molly at that age. The next day, we thought we would have the elderly Molly meet the whipper snapper Poppy. It went just as we expected.
Notice the stress on Molly’s face. She kept hiding behind me or retreating to a corner in order to get away from the little squirt.
When it was clear she had had enough, we separated the dogs to their own corners.
We spent two days at the National Museum of the Air Force. It was massive and full of more aircraft than we’ve ever seen. And we’ve seen a lot of aircraft over the years.
The masked brothers in front of a replica of the Wright Flyer.
There was so much to see and read. We also took advantage of learning from some of the docents roaming the hangars.
Some of us flew in the flight simulators.
I loved watching Jake share the knowledge he’s gained over the past few years. And I think he loved sharing it with us.
This museum is impressive to say the least. We really needed another full day to see everything, but instead we sped through the last hangar and were more or less the last ones out of the museum at closing time.
Jake and Peter cooked up a fish fry one night,
and it was a hit with everyone.
It was a fantastic trip and so good to spend time with Jake. We did miss having Tiffany with us, however. It helped to know that I would see her the following weekend!
Oops. There was a lapse in blog reporting this month! We finished the month of July (and kicked off the month of August) with some miscellaneous activities. As a means of encouraging the launch of a family band, Jim brought Peter and Jeremy to buy an electric guitar and bass. With Derek at the keyboard, their jam sessions have now advanced to a whole new level.
Here, Jim joins in on the fun.
Our little neighbor friend heard the music in the basement and asked to participate.
As Molly’s aging increasingly slows her down, she is more often than not a cuddly pillow.
We (mainly Ruth) waited ALL summer for my parents’ rooftop pool to open. The building was waiting on the city of Chicago to grant the permit, but because of covid, there was a months-long delay. Finally, at the beginning of August, the pool opened. We registered. We arrived, only to find that the pool was closed for the day due to poor weather. Ugh.
Speaking of covid, we held the annual Cru golf outing, all the while conforming to the state guidelines. Ruth and I welcomed the golfers behind our masks.
Ruth then took the wheel and drove around the golf course.
While she didn’t sideswipe any rocks this year, the cart did run out of charge, and we had to abandon it at the corner.
We drove to the Michigan side of the lake to visit cousins last month. But first we stopped at my Grandpa’s place to say hello. He has been quarantined to his room for months, so the visit was through his window, over the phone. Though communication was a bit of a challenge, it was good to see him smiling. I took a pic that turned out like a hologram; if you turn it a certain way, you can see Grandpa on the other side of the window, beyond our reflection.
We arrived at the Gieres’, ate dinner, and headed to the beach just in time to catch the sunset.
Most of us had not swum all summer, so this was quite a treat.
It was fun just to play in the sand.
When the sun had fully dipped below the horizon, we knew it was time to head back. The kids loved the opportunity to chill together.
We brought Morris to the dog park, where he made some new friends.
We went for a walk.
And posed for a group shot.
Then it was back to the beach.
As we recalled our beach day last year at this time, which lacked any beach at all, we were thankful for the patch of sand we had.
Another group shot
Back at the house, Sam let Jeremy try out his BB gun.
The time flew, and we were sad when it was time to leave.
The idea to redo the basement bathroom began as a desire to refresh the space for guests. It always bothered me that the bathroom was cramped and dark.
It started out fun–ripping out the existing parts…
and hauling them up the stairs and outside.
Then came the pulling up of the tile
and the removal of the surround tub.
Once everything was out, we saw what we were dealing with. This would be a more involved home improvement job than we first anticipated. To start, there was a hole in the concrete under the shower drain. Over time, the suspended pipe developed a small crack which caused minor leaking with each use of the shower.
We also discovered that the concrete around the toilet drain was lower than the rest of the floor, which also caused problems. First order of business: rent a jackhammer to break up the concrete around the toilet drain in order to see what we were dealing with.
Since we had the jackhammer, we also broke up concrete where the shower was in order to make room for new pipes. Then we got to work removing the concrete pieces.
Meanwhile, we removed some drywall that had to be replaced.
My photography lapsed during the next phase: we tore down an entire wall in order to make room for a shower basin. This greatly opened up the small space. We put up new wall studs and fixed the floor studs into the concrete.
Here is a look from the other side.
Next, we mixed concrete and poured it into the gaping holes we made with the jackhammer.
This was a first for us.
It always bothered us that the light and fan switches were behind the door, so Jim rewired them.
We laid the shower basin and began drywalling the room.
The new shower space!
I started out thinking mudding and taping were not so bad, but eventually became weary of the seemingly never-ending feeling.
Not only did we have the inside walls, but also hung and finished the new outside walls.
Next, came the backer board for the tile in the shower.
Then we brought in Peter “tiler” Johanik to do his work.
And what gorgeous work he did!
After countless rounds of mudding and sanding, the walls and ceiling were finally ready to be painted. This is a job I definitely enjoy.
Jim built a shelving unit for storage, which also helped to open up the room. Finally came the floor.
At last, after many times the effort and time we expected, the basement bathroom is complete.
We went downtown for Father’s Day and spent the day with my mom and dad. You wouldn’t know that by the pictures I took, however, for the only snapshots of the day were of dogs from the dog park.
Ruth, my mom and I walked over to watch dogs run around. People may not be allowed to gather in Chicago, but the quarantine restrictions do not apply to canines. As soon as we sat down on the bench, the dogs began to curiously approach us. They were quite welcoming.
No surprise, they especially took to Ruth, who met dogs small
and large.
The next day, Tiffany sent a picture of Jake’s first day on the job at Wright-Patterson AFB.
Not 30 minutes later, I received another picture of Jake returning home after being told (along with all the other new 2nd lieutenants) to wait for future orders since the base wasn’t ready for them yet. Round 2 is today, as Jake officially reports for grad school classes.
What to do when things are still on lockdown and the weather is nice? Build a potato launcher!
Molly took a turn in the hammock while the assembly took place.
When Jim took the launcher to the porch to test it, in a matter of seconds the neighborhood boys were swarming.
My parents came for fun-due dinner that night,
with after-dinner entertainment on the front porch.
So as not to alarm passersby, we would obscure the launcher and “act natural” until they passed. We found that a taped up whiffle ball shot even further than the potatoes, and had the added benefit of repeat use and no mess. The boys took aim for the field across the street
while one person stood ready to catch the projectile.
It is quite a process to ramrod the ball into the cannon.
Here’s a video after the test launch. We were all excited that it worked so well.
Ruth pulled the trigger once, with Jim holding the cannon to keep it steady.
This was the best picture of the night, however. The timing of my finger hitting the red button on the phone happened to be perfect. No editing of the pic required. Check out not only the flame coming out of the cannon, but inside as well!
Week one of Camp Johanik was so much fun, we decided to extend it another week. Week two was not quite as eventful as the first week, but everyone enjoyed the cousin time just as much!
We had family over to celebrate Jeremy’s birthday. We stayed (mostly) socially distant.
Jeremy was careful not to blow too hard on the candles!
We girls put on our face masks and made a trip to Costco to get some food for the week. Of course, we had to stop and try on hats. As soon as they put the hats back on the shelf, we saw the sign that said, “Do not put on hats.” Oops.
On Hannah’s final day with us, we went on a bike ride to visit Derek at work. Peter had a football workout, so he had to miss out on the ride.
We arrived and caught Derek just as he was about to begin his lunch break.
After a brief rest,
we rode to DQ for ice cream cones. It gave just enough of an energy boost to make it back home.
After dinner that night, we started up the fire pit.
While Jim and Ruth got the fire going, the rest of us threw the frisbee. See the dog? She laid right at my feet the entire time.
Then it was time to break out the marshmallows to make s’mores.
These two are too cute…
Molly may have had the most fun of all, for there were so many dropped graham crackers and marshmallow bits. Jeremy made sure she was well-hydrated.
But seriously, in almost every picture I took, Molly was in the background with her snout to the ground, scrounging for sweet morsels.
Resting a moment with Peter.
As the sun set lower, Peter broke out the guitar and played while the fire died down.
It was a good end to a great two weeks with Hannah!
It all started with Minecraft. Cousin Hannah was FaceTiming from Michigan with these guys while they played on the common server. They began tossing around the idea of her coming here for a week. The idea turned into reality, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa driving her here from there. We called it Camp Johanik.
We introduced Hannah and Alyssa to Nertz. And also to the fierce competitiveness of our family.
The timing of Hannah’s arrival coincided with Jake and Tiffany stopping here for almost a week on their way to their new home in Ohio. Everyone waited eagerly to see them pull up with the UHaul and the Kia.
Jake and Tiffany kept the option open to stop overnight somewhere in Nebraska, or even Iowa, since they were driving the long 15 hours separately. But as the hours ticked on, they continued to feel good and full of enough energy to make it all the way to West Chicago. We were all very impressed–and glad they made it!
The next morning, Jim came downstairs to this sad sight:
Was someone sick, he wondered. He asked the unknown sleeping person if they were alright. When he got no response, he quietly sat in his chair for devotions so as not to disturb her. When Derek came downstairs, he walked gingerly around her. When I saw her, I observed that some things didn’t look right–the bulge at the hip and the floppy sock among them. When I lifted the hood, lo and behold the “person” was stuffed with blankets and clothes. Hannah and Ruth had had some fun the night before and loved hearing how we all responded to their stuffed person.
The rest of the day, our new friend relaxed in the recliner.
For dinner, Jim went all out and made 19 rolls of sushi. Making food for others is a love language of his.
And eating such prepared food is the love language of many around this table!
Peter had workouts to complete for football, and Hannah joined him for a couple of them.
We did a lot of playing in the backyard.
One morning Ruth helped Hannah make delicious breakfast sandwiches for everyone.
The weather was quite hot that week, so we decided one day we would have a water balloon fight.
It took a half hour to fill 80 balloons,
and less than 5 minutes to launch them at each other.
The last night that Jake and Tiffany would be with us, we got a family picture: the first one since Tiffany joined the family!
The next day, it was time to move the newlyweds into their new home in Dayton. Derek held down the fort and took care of the animals; he was prevented from traveling with us because of work and the continuing military travel ban.
As soon as we arrived, the unloading of the truck commenced.
These guys were work horses.
Meanwhile, the girls unpacked and organized the kitchen.
First meal in the new house: pizza!
As we were getting ready for bed, Tiffany gifted Ruth and me with the robes she had bought for bridesmaids and mothers prior to the wedding. So sweet.
Then the kids blew up their air mattresses and settled in for the night.
The next morning, we had birthday pancakes to celebrate Jeremy’s 14th birthday!
This guy was a trouper, not only celebrating his birthday on the road, but also by working manual labor.
It wasn’t all hard work, however. Some of us found time to still be goofy.
Speaking of goofy, one piece of furniture in the kitchen–the drink station–lost some parts in the move and wasn’t holding together very well. The mission on Saturday for Jim and Jake was to figure out how to hold it together. To jury-rig it.
As irony would have it, the word of the day that happened to pop up on Jim’s watch on Saturday? Jury-rig.
It was fortuitous. They successfully jury-rigged the drink station, and now it’s sturdy as ever.
After accomplishing the Saturday goals, we packed up our car and headed out. First, a picture of the couple in front of their home.
We were so grateful to be able to lend a hand with the move and see their beautiful home.
We said our goodbyes and hit the road.
What a wonderful, whirlwind week it was! Not only was the house full of people, but it was full of love.
In the span of just a few weeks, I have seen several turtles around the neighborhood. I took pictures of a few.
One was nestled deep in the grass, and I nearly stepped squarely on it before it caught my eye.
As I was walking on the track with a friend, we spotted this little guy scurrying in front of us. He was no bigger than my thumb! We both immediately stooped down to snap a picture of him.
On the opposite end of the size spectrum was this guy, whom I saw on the prairie path. He had made his way out of the nearby pond and sat greeting the runners and bikers.
It must be the year of the turtle. At least in this part of the world.
Memorial Day weekend was spent working on the wooden arch of our front porch. It desperately needed to be sanded and stained, or…
redone altogether. We weren’t sure what we’d find behind the wooden boards as Peter pulled them out. It wasn’t too bad, except for a carpenter bee that had made its home behind the wood after boring a hole into it; and an abandoned birds’ nest.
The boys made a great team. Peter tore out the boards (an apt job for Bam Bam), Derek cut the boards up,
and Jeremy hauled them to the side of the house for future disposal.
We are pleased with the upgrade.
A more tasty project was completed when we learned that Grandma and Grandpa were coming to visit, and I asked if anyone wanted to make a dessert. Derek and Peter got right on it, looking up a recipe for German chocolate cake.
It required Derek going to the store to get ingredients, plus the recipe was quite complex. But, oh, was it worth it.
Speaking of tasty desserts, we fueled up the fire pit and made s’mores one night.
Ruth joined my mom on one of her weekly visits to Michigan so that she could meet the new canine cousin, Morris. Thus far, she is the only member of our family to meet the adorable pup.
We were careful to give the newlyweds their space. Even though they were quarantined and couldn’t travel anywhere for a honeymoon, they still needed their time just the two of them. But when Jake and Tiffany gave us the green light to visit, I bought three plane tickets to Denver!
Jim had to work, and the two older boys still had school, so Jeremy, Ruth and I embarked on a mid-lockdown adventure. Midway Airport was a ghost town, and Jeremy commented how eerie it felt.
The plane was so sparse we felt like we had chartered our own private flight.
It was a different story when we arrived in Denver, however. Except for most people wearing masks, it was business as usual at the airport. The kids were eager to see their brother as a married man for the first time. We had a sweet reunion and settled in to their rental house.
Tiffany had planned out all the meals and activities for the few days that we planned to be there. We woke up to eggs Benedict the first morning!
Despite having hiked up Pike’s Peak with a friend the day before we arrived,
Jake was excited to hike another mountain with Jeremy and me. We set our sights on Blodgett Peak.
These two brothers bonded.
The hike was more challenging than we expected, but offered beautiful views along the way.
There was a lot of loose gravel on the steep incline, and we scrambled boulders. Most of the time, it was hard to tell whether we were on a path or blazing our own trail up the mountain.
When we made it to the peak, it was obvious that storms were moving in, so we didn’t linger too long.
Meanwhile, back in West Chicago, the three guys were truly bacheloring it.
One reason I timed the trip when I did was to be able to see Tiffany commission into the Army. Like everything else these days, it was an unusual event, held outside with onlookers remaining socially distant. But it was significant nonetheless, and I was so happy that at least part of our family could be there.
I gained an appreciation for my firstborn’s adeptness in the kitchen. He sure knows how to use that beloved cast iron skillet and made us a delicious chicken parmesan dinner.
One night, Jake and Jeremy planned to drive east and star gaze. But first, Jake checked the night sky radar. They drove to where it was black on the radar, meaning there was little to no light pollution.
As mentioned earlier, it was pretty much business as usual in Colorado. so we were able to go to a pottery place and paint ceramics. Tiffany painted a planter, Ruth chose owls to paint,
and the boys teamed up to paint a day sky/night sky bowl.
It was a fun activity, and now we have the finished products to remind us of it!
We attempted to hike a popular trail–Helen Hunt Falls–on Sunday. Unfortunately, every Colorado citizen seemed to have the same idea. Instead, we parked on the side of the road and enjoyed a picnic lunch by the creek.
We attempted again to hike the trail, but the crowds made it intolerable, so we snapped a selfie and turned around.
We enjoyed one last night with the newlyweds and headed home, hearts full, anticipating our next visit with them in a few weeks.
We usually reserve our puzzle assembly for vacations; however, desperate times call for desperate measures, and we needed something to do during the evenings. First, we broke out a puzzle we had already assembled twice during two different vacations. It’s a favorite for sure!
A couple days later, once that was done, I went on the hunt for more jigsaw puzzles. Apparently, we are not the only family doing puzzles during lockdown. I found that either puzzles were sold out or for sale for $100+ dollars. Um, no thanks. On a whim, I checked the Farm and Fleet website to see if the store in Montgomery had any. I vaguely recalled buying a puzzle there many years ago. Lo and behold, they had three in stock. Ruth and I hopped in the car and bought two.
They were not as fun as the ski patch puzzle that preceded them, but we persevered until the end. Some of us fight for the right to put the final piece in.
Judi and Dave celebrated their birthdays at the beginning of the month. Judi’s was a milestone, so they hosted a drive-by party and handed out pre-sliced pieces of cake to anyone who stopped by.
My dad also celebrated his birthday in May, so we had a (mostly) socially distant party for him. He did put out the candles by waving his hand over the flame. The mayor of Chicago would have been proud.
Ruth joined me at Woodman’s. We made a great team: she scanned while I bagged. All the while, wearing our masks.
We met Brian and Sarah in Indiana in order to transfer the basketball hoop from one home to the other. From the sound of it, the hoop is getting way more use at its new home than it ever did here. We all enjoyed escaping our own states, even for a couple hours.
Jim and I watched The Last Dance. Molly joined us.
We continued to battle with the robins at the front door, and they were not the least bit deterred by my presence on the porch. They’re looking for the wreath I took down.
As mentioned in another post, Peter’s big lockdown activity has been learning to play the guitar. He’s gotten really good.
But Peter has not given up on the drums! He and Derek enjoy jamming in the basement.
April was a full month–highlighted of course by a wedding (discussed in the previous post). We are managing to make the most of this season of lockdown and social distancing.
Jeremy continued to practice his drawing skills, incorporating current events in this picture. Note the plane off in the distance.
Speaking of drawing skills, signs of Derek’s pen are found unexpectedly from time to time. This one made us both chuckle and cringe.
We have joked for several years that we have an unseen member of the family. Whenever something breaks or goes wrong and no one fesses up, we blame our unseen family member, Carlos. Lo and behold, I noticed him in the kids’ picture the other day. Derek’s pen strikes again.
Speaking of Derek, he had to complete a couple ruck runs for ROTC last month. These 8 and 12 mile march/runs are challenging for the average cadet. All the more for one with a solid football build. He completed both, and has the blisters to prove it!
He tried on his service dress for the first time. This was originally in hopes that he would wear it as a groomsman in Jake’s wedding… but then the travel ban happened.
We celebrated Jim’s birthday, and as usual, the one thing he asked for was a carrot cake.
And a carrot cake he received.
Before the weather warmed up, we enjoyed indoor activities like Axis and Allies,
Minecraft games with Jake (pre-marriage) and cousin Hannah signing on to the server remotely (here’s Peter FaceTiming Hannah while they all play),
and reading.
Easter morning, after live-streaming our church service and eating a delicious brunch, Derek hid 120 plastic eggs (that we received from a neighbor) around the house for Ruth to find.
He left some clues…
while she scurried around the house collecting eggs. It took three days to find all 120 eggs.
We–along with everyone else–were very thankful when the weather turned warm so that we could play outside. As has been the case every April for the past few years, there was that one heavy overnight snow smack in the middle of the month…
but which quickly melted and made way for some warm sunny days. First the work of landscaping:
With Molly supervising.
Then the whiffle ball field was prepared. Jim literally mowed just the field in the backyard. The grass outside the field was scraggly and long, but the baselines and infield were nice and sharp. The pitcher’s mound was refitted as well.
Then it was time for the season opener.
Unfortunately, after only a few games the beloved corked whiffle bat snapped in half. Too much muscle cranking on the plastic!
One day the boys took the bows, arrows and target to the softball field.
Our little neighbor friend joined them and helped retrieve arrows.
Meanwhile, Ruth has learned the art of whittling, as did all of her brothers at age 10.
Jeremy gathered a couple neighbor boys to demonstrate a smoke bomb he made.
Signs of social distancing are everywhere. College student working at home, in his makeshift dorm room upstairs.
Ruth’s playtime habits with the neighbors have changed. Social distancing in the yards…
and in the trees.
How we grocery shop is different. Six feet between carts, please!
And don’t forget the beautiful masks.
I have been on the prairie path nearly every day since the lockdown began, but alas, there’s no escaping reality even there.
My 94 year-old grandfather is holding up well, even as he is quarantined to his room. Thankfully he has ample access to the outside world via the internet and email, and enjoys regular visits through the window by his daughters. Sometimes my mom needs to wait outside the window for him to finish up work.
Our furry family members don’t mind the current stay-at-home orders, because that means more attention paid to them.
Molly makes sure the piggies stay in line.
Speaking of Molly, who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? The boys are teaching her to “smile”. Ahem.
We’ve had an uninvited guest attempting to make her home connected to our home. We have tried just about every humane deterrent we can think of to convince Mrs. Robin not to build her nest on our front door. I think I finally found a successful one: aluminum foil. After all, it is a little unnerving to walk past the front door an see this:
Despite the world feeling like it’s giving way, God continues to be our refuge and strength. If anything reminds me of this, it’s the sight of birds building nests and flowers blooming. Spring still arrived, despite our entire lives being in lockdown!
God is our refuge and strength,     a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,     though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam,     though the mountains tremble at its swelling. (Psalm 46:1-3)
But before we get into the details about the wedding, I need to back up a couple days to give a sense of the life-changing weekend this was for Jake. Jim and I drove out Friday, following Mom and Dad who drove separately. Derek was restricted from all travel because of his ROTC involvement, and rather than leave him home by himself, we made the very difficult decision to have all the kids stay home. The sadness of not being all together as a family felt like a dark, hovering cloud, but we made the most of it.
Before leaving, we had to be sure and remember to pack the important things, like Jake’s wedding band
and cake pops that I had promised Tiffany (ok, perhaps not equally important…but close).
The four of us set out early Friday morning in two cars and drove through a snowstorm until we crossed the border into Iowa.
Speaking of Iowa, I was entertained by their relevant highway signs.
Our gas stops included face masks. Are they a sign of the times, or what?
During the drive, somewhere in the middle of Nebraska, Jake’s squadron live-streamed their commissioning ceremony from USAFA. Jim got it fired up on his phone. He watched while I stole occasional glances.
Typically, the commissioning ceremony takes place the day before graduation, and families attend the formal event with their cadets. But because we were prevented from gathering in groups, the ceremony was live-streamed instead. Thanks to a photographer at the ceremony, we received some great pictures.
Everything was done over Zoom: Jake’s future father-in-law swore him in as a 2nd lieutenant, then they switched the screen over to Derek, who was Jake’s first salute. This was such a touching moment. It was a nationwide event: Jake in Colorado, Derek in West Chicago, and us in Nebraska.
New shoulder boards!
Then posing with the face mask.
After wiping tears of joy and somber reflection from our eyes, Jim and I called home to Face Time with the crew back in West Chicago. Molly gave us the full report on how things were really going.
We finally arrived in Colorado, drove past Denver, and had about an hour left of the drive when we hit a pothole and …
Yep. A gaping hole in the tire. We were on I-25, which was under construction with no shoulder except a narrow emergency pull-off. We were definitely in an emergency situation. Jim got right to work. Before retrieving the spare tire out of the trunk, we had to empty the trunk of the wedding gifts and transfer them to the front seat. Within minutes, Jim had the car jacked up, flat tire off and spare tire on. Then we were good to go.
After a good night of sleep Friday night, we woke up and watched the live-stream of Jake’s graduation from USAFA. We decided to Face Time with the kids back home while we all watched “together.”
Vice President Pence was scheduled to give the commencement address via video while all the cadets practiced social distancing, but a few days prior to the graduation ceremony, it was announced he would speak in person. This went a long way with cadets and their parents. Jake later commented how inspiring the speech was.
Jake sat in a separate section with the future officers of the new branch of the military, the U.S. Space Force. They wore platinum sashes instead of the Air Force gold. He’s excited to be part of something brand new and pioneering.
Once the 960+ cadets were announced as officers, the hats flew up, the Thunderbirds flew overhead, and the masks were promptly put on before high fives and hugs commenced.
Jake and some friends and groomsmen came by our palatial rental house to celebrate a successful graduation and to look forward to the upcoming wedding. It was a sweet time–lots of laughter, and also sharing heartfelt sentiments around the table. Jim shared a verse from Proverbs: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” It was our prayer from before Jake even set foot on USAFA’s campus that God would bring a few like-minded, godly friends into his life. Did God ever answer our prayer beyond what we imagined, and it was fitting that we were able to share that with the friends who were with us that night. Naturally, I was so caught up in the emotion of it all that I completely forgot to take any pictures. Ugh.
Here’s the one pic I got from the night, of Mom putting the apron on Jim so he could grill the monster burgers.
As if all of this was not enough change and emotional experience for Jake, he woke up the next morning to get married! We put on our fancy clothes,
and drove here, to beautiful Pike’s Peak. Tiffany had picked out a quiet spot near the base of the mountain called Crystal Creek Reservoir. It was picture-perfect!
As an aside, we have some family history here, which made it not just beautiful but meaningful as well. We visited this very location back in the summer of 2005
and again in the fall of 2006 (our family had grown between visits).
And so, here we were again nearly 15 years later to witness our oldest son’s wedding. We snapped some photos before the bride and her family and friends arrived. Me and the love of my life:
The photographer (who was a neighbor of Tiffany’s family) and the videographer did a marvelous job capturing the emotion and the special moments of the morning. We were very thankful for their willingness to lend their services during these unusual days. Jake was downright giddy with excitement and nervousness.
His beautiful bride walked down the long aisle as he waited for her through tears and smiles. Dad spoke the message to them, for which I was so grateful. It was sincere, eloquent, and full of truth from Scripture.
They chose three hymns to sing, “In Christ Alone,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and “How Firm a Foundation.” Indeed, our prayer every day since then has been that God would establish their marriage on the foundation of Jesus Christ, for He is the rock of our salvation. Tiffany’s dad played the guitar while we all sang.
The bride and groom shared communion, said their vows, and were pronounced husband and wife. And the groom kissed his bride! We spent some time taking pictures,
giving tearful hugs,
and dancing.
Here is the video recap of the beautiful morning.
This wedding certainly took place during unusual and less than ideal circumstances, but we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God reigned on that day, as He continues to reign today. We are thankful for His sovereign rule over His creation–over the big events and the little details. I am proud of Jake and Tiffany for their attitude toward having to change EVERY detail of their dream wedding. Despite all the changes, a new family was established on April 19, 2020: Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Johanik.
March can be divided into to parts: PQ (pre-quarantine) and Q (quarantine). Not much happened PQ. Life was pretty quiet.
Ruth had softball tryouts at the beginning of the month. She was both nervous and excited. She found out what team she was drafted to, alas, only to find out later that the season is cancelled.
Jim learned how to smoke beef jerky. I’m usually not a beef jerky fan, but this stuff is delicious!
We celebrated Peter’s 16th birthday! Peter had an early morning lift on his birthday, so we saved the bday pancakes for dessert after dinner.
We had family over the following weekend to celebrate. Here’s the lovely Giere-Johanik rendition of “Happy Birthday”.
Shortly before the shelter-in-place order was given, Jim and his ministry co-worker rode the train into Chicago to lead the Loop Group. Clearly, people had already made the decision to stay home from work.
Derek had left for Cuba on March 7, before we knew anything about an upcoming pandemic. Thankfully, he was able to return just before things began closing down. He had a wonderful trip and saw God at work in powerful ways there.
Upon his return, he learned that he would be spending the remainder of his semester at home, taking classes online. Thus the Q period began. We also began worshiping at church from the family room. Many things remained the same: beautiful songs, Scripture reading, announcements, and sermon from God’s word. One thing that was vastly different was attire. Yes, some of us wore PJs to church.
We still interact, just remotely.
Derek and Peter joined me on a run one morning. After a mile, I regretted letting them set the pace. I was whooped by the end.
Ruth and I had some beautifying fun while in quarantine. We died our hair turquoise…
and did a peeling face mask.
The boys got permission to borrow some equipment so they can still get their workouts in. This more than anything else, I think, is keeping their heads above water during quarantine.
Knowing it’s going to be a long rest of the semester and summer, Jim designed a dorm room for Derek. He went to the Menards (essential business) up the street, brought home big pieces of lumber, and he and the boys attached a loft to the wall.
Everyone likes hanging out in Derek’s “dorm room” now. They all played Minecraft together one afternoon.
It snowed toward the end of the month, though thankfully it melted within 24 hours.
Ruth has been Zooming and FaceTiming friends she can’t see in person.
She continues to play with neighbor friends, however. They do their best to remain 6 feet apart. One family hosted a street hockey game.
We are playing more board games.
And my favorite: Peter decided to learn to play the guitar. I love hearing the music as it travels throughout the house.
Peter wrestled his way through February. One of the moms on the team faithfully snapped pictures at every meet and tournament and captured some great shots of Peter.
He wrestled more aggressively as the season went on.
It was fun to watch him progress.
It was also fun to see Jim in the coaching role.
The team formed a tight bond this season.
It did come to a heartbreaking end for Peter at regionals, though. He got a consoling hug from mom. I was so proud of how he fought hard all year.
Meanwhile, at USAFA, the firsties celebrated 100’s night, signifying the 100 days before graduation!
And at Wheaton College, Derek and Alyssa attended the President’s Ball at the Field Museum in Chicago.
They’re also on the track and field team together. Derek, always willing to try something new, has learned to throw the shot put.
Back at the homefront, we are having fun with our animals. We’re like a mini petting zoo here!
I never knew how much entertainment guinea pigs could provide. We laugh so much at these little fur balls.
Ruth taught Sugar how to play Phase 10.
As has always been the case, whenever we get on the floor to play a game, Molly immediately gets one of her toys and joins us.
The pup may be getting old, but she still loves her long walks on the prairie path. Just after a February snowstorm, I brought her out.
The next day was the coldest morning we had had all year, so Molly wore the sweater she got for Christmas.
There were some pretty snow scenes along the way.
As pretty as the snow is, we are ready for warmer spring weather!
