Abby's New Job

Abby started her first job this summer, working in the childcare room at Genesis Gym. Members can drop their kids off while they work out, and the gym provides up to two hours of free daycare as part of their membership. After a couple of training shifts, Abby was on her own.

The children she cares for range from 6 months to 8 years old, and sometimes she has more than 15 kids at once—which sounds like complete chaos to me! She’s responsible for keeping them entertained, safe, and busy during their time there. It’s definitely a big job, but Abby is great with kids, and even though she says she’s constantly on the go, she seems to enjoy it.

After her shift, she has to sanitize all the toys, wipe down surfaces, mop the floors, and clean the bathroom. She typically works 4-hour shifts, which is when the childcare room is open. We’re really proud of her for taking on this responsibility—her first “real” job!

 

State Golf

Caleb has been the student manager for the golf team for the past couple of years, and this season, Norris made it to the State tournament. Caleb had the opportunity to travel with the team to Scottsbluff for the four-day event. He really enjoys being part of the team and does a great job supporting his teammates in any way he can.

One of the highlights for Caleb was that his best friend, Thomas, was among the players who qualified—making the trip even more special. Although Norris finished in second place, which was a bit disappointing, the experience was still a great one, and the team had a lot of fun together.

 

Graduation Ceremony

Graduation day finally arrived on Sunday, and like most big events, it came with a few last-minute changes! Due to high winds in the forecast, the school decided to move the ceremony indoors to the middle school gym. It’s quite a bit smaller than the football stadium, so Robb headed over at 1:00 p.m. to save us seats even though the ceremony didn’t start until 3:00!

One of the special moments of the day was seeing Bryce sing the National Anthem with the Gold Choir. It was a very cool and proud mom moment. The graduating class this year was about 140 students and both our boys were among them, finishing strong and making us incredibly proud.

🎓 Bryce graduated Magna Cum Laude, which recognizes students with a GPA of 3.75 or higher.
🎓 Caleb graduated Summa Cum Laude, the highest honor, with a GPA of 3.94 or higher.

We are beyond proud of the work they’ve put in over the last four years the dedication, the late nights, the growth. It all led to this moment, and we couldn’t be more excited for the next chapter.

Way to go, boys! 

Bob, Susie and Jody were able to attend the graduation ceremony.

Thomas, Caleb, Carson, CJ, Bryce and Brody

 

How Can My Boys Be This Old?

This year marks an unforgettable milestone our twin boys, Bryce and Caleb, have officially graduated from high school! We are so incredibly proud of everything they’ve accomplished, both in and out of the classroom. Watching them grow into the thoughtful, driven, and kind young men they are today has been one of our greatest joys.

Now, they’re each heading off on their own paths. Bryce will be attending the University of Nebraska Lincoln, where he plans to major in Accounting and Finance. Caleb will be starting his journey at Southeast Community College in Beatrice, studying Business with hopes of pursuing a career in business sales. We’re so excited to see them chase their goals and make their mark on the world.

Congratulations, Bryce and Caleb! Your future is bright, and we’ll be cheering you on every step of the way.

 

Party Time

After watching all the work that went into hosting Robb’s, Andy’s, and even my own past grad parties, I was absolutely certain of one thing: we were not hosting Bryce and Caleb’s graduation party at our house.

Our garage is a farm garage, no matter how hard we scrub, it’s just not the kind of place where people should be eating. Our house would’ve worked, but with limited parking and the stress of making everything spotless, I knew I’d be overwhelmed. So, last year, while graduation parties were in full swing, I took the plunge and booked the wedding barn across the street. Best. Decision. Ever. With the location locked in, all we had to worry about was decorations and food which was much more manageable.

By January, coworkers with older kids started asking if I’d begun preparing. I thought they were crazy! What was I supposed to do in January? The boys only cared about food, and I certainly wasn’t cooking anything that far in advance!

Fast forward to April, and we finally got started. The girls and I worked on centerpieces and started collecting pictures for the photo boards. Crafting is definitely not Bryce and Caleb’s thing, so I was especially grateful for the girls' creative help.

I ordered 125 invitations in March and sent them out in April to our friends, family, and the families of the boys' friends. Then, mid-April, Bryce asked, “Where are my invites to pass out?” Apparently, both boys thought they needed another 50 each for their classmates. Thank you expedited shipping!

With invitations out and decorations underway, it was time to tackle the food. Caleb was set on having Chipotle-style rice bowls. I thought pulled pork sandwiches would’ve been easier, but hey we asked for input, and they gave it. So rice bowls it was.

How much food do you make for a party like this? With over 200 invites going out, I figured we should cook for about 125 people. Maybe overkill, but my anxiety said: don’t run out of food! Despite all the advice that people don’t eat full meals at every party, I stuck to my 125 number.

Here’s what we ended up buying:

40 lbs of chicken thighs

30 lbs of pork shoulder

3 gallons of salsa

12 bags of chips

12 cheesecakes

8 buckets of ice cream

7 gallons of root beer

Surprise: we had leftovers! But there are worse problems to have. I brought cheesecake, salsa, chips, and root beer floats to work. Friends and family took salsa home, Abby brought tacos to her last-day-of-school party, and we froze a bunch of it.

The party itself was a ton of work, and as someone who doesn’t love small talk, I was honestly just hoping to get through it. But it ended up being so worth it. It was incredible to see how many people came out to support Bryce and Caleb.

We couldn’t have done it without:

Bob and Susie, who were basically on-call helpers all weekend

Steph and Ginger, who kept all the food prepped and stocked

Abby and Brook, our unofficial photographers

Emmy, who entertained the little kids like a champ

And of course, Bryce and Caleb, who did an amazing job chatting with guests and making the rounds

In the end, I couldn’t have been happier with how it all turned out. It was a celebration of two amazing young men and a community of people who love and support them. My heart (and my freezer) are full.

Caleb's one request besides rice bowls were personalized poker chip ball makers. They turned out pretty cool!

Dan the boys' bus driver since 4th grade

Mr. Hobza one of Caleb's favorite teachers and one of the basketball coaches.

 

4 Years

I don’t think this day will ever be easy. It’s gotten a little easier to handle over the past four years, but thinking about the day we lost my dad still puts a pit in my stomach and brings tears to my eyes. I’ve had to remind myself that if he hadn’t been so great, we wouldn’t miss him this much. He left a pretty big hole in our world when he left. Insert joke about his size here—he would’ve made it himself. He was a big guy with an even bigger heart.

Dad always put others first. He would drop everything to help his family, co-workers, or neighbors without a second thought. His personality was unforgettable quirky, funny, and a lovable goof. He gave the best hugs, and somehow just a call or a few words from him could make anything feel better. He was the one I turned to for everything: when I was sad, when I needed advice about my car, when something funny happened at work, when I wanted to share something the kids did, he was that person in my life.

I can’t believe it’s been four years without him. It somehow feels like forever and also like no time at all. It breaks my heart that he’s missing the boys graduating. He would have been so incredibly proud of them and all they’ve accomplished.

Every year on this day, I make the drive back to Norfolk by myself, usually with some Johnny Cash and old rock songs playing. I always take the Seward way. The same road I was on when I got the call from the ER and had to make the decision to stop care. I don’t know if it’s the healthiest coping mechanism, but it’s what I need. I have my cry on the drive, and then I let the rest of the day be about celebrating his life.

This year, Steph and I went to Orchard to decorate Dad’s grave at Grimpton. Oddly enough, there was a service happening there. I don't think we have ever seen anyone else out there. We could just hear Dad saying, “Looks like there’s a party going on today!” The weather was beautiful, and we took our time cleaning up and adding new decorations.

On the way home, Steph had the idea to stop at Grove Lake, a place full of childhood memories—camping, fishing, just being kids. And of course, we had to do the one thing Grove Lake is famous for: we climbed Chalk Mountain. I swear that hill gets steeper every year… though maybe it’s just us getting older. We laughed and walked around, remembering all the crazy, good times we had.

We miss you every day, Dad. I know you’re not here in person, but I truly believe you’re still proud of all of us. Always.

 

Tennis Banquet

Abby had her end-of-season tennis banquet tonight, and it was such a fun and meaningful way to close out the year. Over the past two seasons, she has really grown to love the game and has shown tremendous improvement. This season was full of highlights, lots of doubles wins and even a couple of individual victories! She typically held the 1st or 2nd spot on the JV team, a testament to her hard work and skill.

A special moment tonight was when Abby received a medal for her Commitment to Excellence. Her coach praised her for always showing up with a great attitude, giving her best effort, and supporting her teammates with enthusiastic encouragement.