Ex Ex Pat Scheiners

 Wow, it has been quite a busy November....it is already Thanksgiving week, and I do not know where the time has gone.  As the kids get older, I swear time passes in double (sometimes even triple) time.  I wonder if once the kids are out of the house, time slows down again like it did when they were small? Drew had a great birthday celebration.  Birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse, where he demolished an entire filet. He is not shy about his love of red meat.  Saturday night, three friends came over to watch the Michigan-Purdue game and sleepover.  A boy sleepover is a lot quieter than a girl sleepover.  I continue to be so thankful that all three of the kids have picked good friends who are polite and gracious. Lauren and I went to the final show of Momma Mia, and I am glad she able to see the show, but I know it was a different experience for her to sit in the audience rather than participate on stage.  It was heart warming to me as a mom to see ...

 The opening weekend of Mamma Mia! at AHS was last weekend.  Lauren is a part of the dance ensemble, and it is a great show.  I am always completely amazed by the talent of the kids in these high school shows.  And I remember going to see the shows when I was in high school.  The two shows I remember most are "No, No, Nanette" and "42nd Street." I always love seeing Lauren up on stage, and since she is a junior, I recognize most of the kids in the cast, including some of her good friends. Friday night in the audience were me, Mum Mum, Becky, Anne and Ali. Saturday night in the audience were me, Brad, Ali, Drew and Blair. Sunday afternoon, Brad was the sole member of the audience to support Lauren. She wasn't feeling great, so I took her to the doctor on Monday and she has COVID!!!!!!  So, she will most likely not be performing in the closing weekend of the show.  But she is not the only cast member who is unlucky with a covid diagnosis.   I a...

 Lauren and I took advantage of fall break last week and went on a college tour of the University of Kentucky.  She has been very adamant all along that she would NEVER go to school in Kentucky, but she has changed her tune since the tour.  (Granted, it is her first tour so there’s that, but I think she is seeing the benefits of it!) I was very impressed with the tour as well.  We were able to see several classrooms, the library, and the residence halls, which are nicer than some people’s first apartments!  All of them are suites, with no more than 4 people sharing a bathroom.  Granite countertops, coffee maker, mini fridge and microwave all included.  AND each freshman receives an ipad, Apple pencil and keyboard.   Lauren has numerous good friends who are planning to go to UK, meaning she would most likely have a built in roommate.  I think that can be really good or really bad because in my experience, just because you are friends does not ...

 What a week and weekend! Saint X played in two soccer games in the regional division of the State Soccer tournament this week.  The first was on Tuesday, and they played against Trinity.  The girls cheered (but Lauren opted out); Brad, Drew and I went to watch.  It was at Collegiate, which has their sports facility close to the AHS Green.  It was a very exciting atmosphere, and the students and cheerleaders were on the same side of the field with the players, as all the fans were on the side with the bleachers.  And Saint X won, so on to the regional finals, which were played on Thursday night against Collegiate.  Lauren did show up to cheer for that game, but there were only 6 of them there, so they left at halftime. The energy was not quite the same, even though the game meant more.  When I left with 6 minutes left, it was tied 2-2.  I really wanted to stay but we had tickets for the Eras Tour movie, so I had to head home!  Saint X en...

 It is hard to believe that it is October!  The girls have (a short) fall break next week, and then Drew has (a VERY LONG) fall break the last week of October. The school year has gone very well so far.  Lauren continues to excel at school, despite having cheer 3-4 times a week and working 2-3 days a week.  She is a very responsible driver, and since she is one of the first of her friends to drive, she is chauffeur.  (Which is the opposite experience from me as I was one of the last to drive; Ali will be the same!)  She still thinks she wants to go to college in NYC, so we need to get her to visit some other spots so that she has something to compare it to!  NYU set the bar pretty high. Ali has adjusted well to high school, although I think the amount of work she has to do is more than she realized.   She is working hard at gymnastics to perfect her Level 6 skills and have the great season she missed out of last year due to her bad ankle spra...

 But not the type of pride you are thinking of...it is Trinty/Saint Xavier pride week!  A week of Trinity - Saint X games culminating in the varsity football game on Friday night at UofL stadium!  Lauren has been a busy girl this week.   Monday - JV football game at Saint X.  Trinity won 33-35, but Saint Xavier made a valiant effort at a comeback. Wednesday - Varsity soccer game at Trinity.  A 2-2 draw, but a great game full of action.  The cheerleaders stood on the bleachers and cheered the entire game.  It was different from football because they were able to watch the entire game.  They also practiced their half time show; the girls were upset because they did not cue their music properly, but the parents loved it!!! Thursday - Freshman football game at Saint X. Trinity won 50-7, not the best showing, but the girls did great!  The halftime show is fabulous!! And Alison went to the freshman sleepover before the walk, and she was l...

 This week, I realized that I have spent the first four Friday nights of the school year at a high school football game.  I have not been to a high school football game since I was in high school!!  Since Saint X had the week off, we were able to go to the North Oldham for the opening of their new teal field which has been dubbed "The pool."  Brad & I both went, along with Drew and his friend Nick.  The field looks pretty cool, and the crowd was packed!  I think I heard someone say it was the biggest crowd ever at NOHS. The other excitement this week was Drew, Ali, Brad and Papa went to the Michigan game.  It was Ali's first time ever in the Big House.  The weather was perfect and they won, so it was a great first experience.  The gymnastics team was eating at Pizza House at the same time that they were there, but Ali was too embarrassed to say hello. I have also been watching the US Open.  The Arthur Ashe stadium is much larger than...