Music, music, family, and love

Posted on November 10, 2026 by Tessa

I’m starting to repeat myself here, but I had another great weekend with family and music. I’m already going to miss the days when I can’t watch Lex perform in the band. :(

Friday night I went out to dinner with a few friends from my book group, then we went to a Dolly Parton tribute show. The music was great! We danced and laughed and sang.

On Saturday, Alan and I drove down to MA, picking Barney up along the way, and met Grandpa Tom, Espen, and Huxley for a WPI football game and band performance! As we were heading to the bleachers, I heard a “hello” and turned to see Lex’s new girlfriend (eek!) and her parents!

Lex told us about Emma when he was home for break and I met her that weekend. They seem very happy together. She is in band with Lex, and in the Video Game Orchestra (VGO) that Lex is also in. They’ve known each other for awhile now and one thing led to another…

At the game this weekend we ended up sitting with her parents and another guy they knew. It was a busy group! Alan and Espen on one row; me, Barney, and my dad on the next row; and Emma’s parents on the following row. Huxley, like the toddler he is, was all over the place! LOL Everything was wet from the morning rain, including the band and football players. I brought towels to dry the benches, but we were all still damp. Huxley was up and down and at one point escaped and took off down the row to visit some college girls who oohed and ahhed over him. It was a little chaotic, but we all had fun. The football team maybe had a little less fun because, although they played an excellent game, they were defeated in the end. They acknowledged the band on their way off the field though, and that made me happy. I really love watching the games and watching Lex and the band perform. I’m going to miss this next year. :/ The last song in their show this year was “Thnks fr th Mmrs” (Thanks for the Memories), by Fall Out Boy. Don’t think too hard about the lyrics, but the title is sweet for a last song of his college marching band career. The announcers acknowledged all of the seniors – football players, cheerleaders, and band members! I probably would have teared up at all of this if I weren’t so busy being social!

After the game we went up to Alden Hall (where the band keeps their stuff) and hung out for a bit while Lex and Emma put away their things and enjoyed some treats set up for the band. I also wanted to get a group picture (ABCing!) and Emma’s mom generously offered to take it for us, so we all went over to the Gompei statue and had a little photo shoot. (I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t offer to take a picture of their family together. Bad manners, Tessa, bad manners!)

When the rain started again, we all said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Emma and her family had evening plans, and we had a date with some breadsticks!

After dinner and lots of hugs, we went our separate ways. Sadly we had to leave Lex in Worcester. It was a long day and a late night, but well worth it! I’m going to miss these trips.

On Sunday I had tickets to a local theater show directed by my friend and starring some elementary kids I know. River was going to go with me, but at the last minute (-ish) he was asked to cover the lights for the show, so I was on my own. Half hour or so before it was time to leave, I bailed. So much to do at home, grocery shopping, website work, etc. I figured two performances in one weekend was enough, but I am sad I missed the third. My brain can only handle so much fun in one weekend!

Sunday Funday

Posted on November 2, 2026 by Tessa

I drove to Harvard Square today to watch the WPI Marching Band perform at the NESBA (New England School Band Association) New England Marching Band Finals. High school marching bands from around New England come to compete and each year WPI does an exhibition performance. I guess the point is to a) be inspirational to high school students, and b) recruit new students to WPI!

I was amazed at how big Harvard Square is, and excited to climb all the way to the top to finally get a good overhead view of the show! The higher you get, the better you can see the formations.

(This is a playlist with five videos. Click the play button and let it run.)

After the show, I hung out with Lex for awhile until the band headed back to their busses. He grabbed his stuff from the bus, then drove back to school with me. I thought he’d want to hang out with friends on the bus ride back, but he said he’d rather drive back with me. :) I’m a lucky momma. We had a good drive, a good meal at the OG, and excellent conversation the whole time. He’s a pretty awesome human being and he makes my heart happy. <3

On my drive home I was reminded of my favorite part of my job. I’ve been thinking a lot about my job lately, for a variety of reasons that I might or might not blog about some other time, but on my drive home I was reminded of the very best part – Sundays! Sundays are my own. No need for lesson planning. No need to check email. No meeting prep. No early bedtimes or Sunday Scaries. Nothing but me and my choices, and today I chose to spend the day with Lex, surrounded by music in the sunshine. Happiness is.

(the stadium filled in, on one side at least, a lot more as the day went on)

Big day for Big R!

Posted on October 28, 2026 by Tessa

Mr. River started his new job today as a special education paraprofessional! He was excited to return to a school we all know and love, and to have a job and some income! :)

We also purchased car for him! Car number four for this family. My insurance bills are through the roof, but I feel very fortunate that I’m able to help all of the kids have reliable transportation for school and work. We are lucky to be in a position that that’s an option.

And how lucky am I that he let me take his picture twice in one day!! LOL.

My heart is full

Posted on October 18, 2026 by Tessa

Tonight marks the end of a fun-filled, family-packed, vacation week! I’ve been smiling, laughing, sharing, and enjoying for a week. My heart is full.

Last weekend Rosy’s book group came to VT for a visit. On Sunday her group and mine joined together to take a baking class at King Arthur Flour, and then came back to my house for pizza and a big, joyful book discussion. Lots of laughter, new friends, tasty treats, and so many book recommendations. We read Jodi Picoult’s newest book, Hollow Bones. Both groups gave it three stars (of five) and a resounding, “It’s ok.”

Sunday night and Monday morning brought parents, more siblings, aunts, and uncles from near and far. We gathered at my house, ate lots of food, explored local attractions, played lots of games, did a few puzzles, and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company. Somehow I lucked into the world’s best family. Everyone is kind, smart, friendly, funny, and amazing.

(photos in no particular order….)

Everyone left on Thursday. I was sad to say goodbyes, but already had another adventure ahead. Lex was home all week and his vacation week ended with an overlap of Espen’s family weekend at Hofstra, so on Friday he and I drove to Long Island. We stopped by WPI to drop off his car, then continued on to Hofstra. We visited with Espen for a few days, got a tour of her campus. (she gave us the “critters tour,” which included random animals, places she’s seen random animals, the cat city on campus, the bird sanctuary, and other random animals around) We also made last minute plans to go into the city and see a show, Maybe Happy Ending. The show was sooo good!! My only complaint is that the only affordable tickets were “obstructed view” so we missed a bit of the side stage action, and the tech/design was so amazing that I bet it was 100x better from head on, but that’s a-ok. We had a great time and the show was fantastic!

This morning we had bagels and did some hanging out at Espen’s house, then Lex and I headed north. Back in Worcester we went out to dinner with Lex’s new…. girlfriend!! The big news of the week! LOL. She is very sweet and we all three bumbled through an silly and awkward “meet the mom / meet the new girlfriend” dinner. Lex picked a local restaurant (not the OG!) and even made reservations for us! It was a lovely dinner.

Now I’m home again, kitty on my lap, and looking at a clock that says midnight. I should probably go to bed, though I sure would like a few more days of vacation. :)

Until next time, family, I love you all! Thanks for visiting, hosting, traveling, exploring, laughing, and loving with me. I’m am lucky girl to have all of you in my life. <3

Festive Fall Fun

Posted on October 6, 2026 by Tessa

Espen and Huxley came home for fall break this weekend and we packed in as much fall fun as we could. Fall fun, fall baking, car time, sunshine, snuggles, football, music, and more snuggles.

She got home super late Thursday night, and Friday I got to go into work a bit late, so we had a nice morning and took the doggo to the vet. He’s healthy and was a VERY good boy the whole time the vet had treats in her hand. He was a little less happy when the needles came out! He needed multiple vaccines and a blood draw. Poor boy.

On Saturday we went down to WPI to watch Lex and the band perform at a WPI game. The football team is undefeated this year, which makes the games extra fun to attend!

We got there a little later than we hoped (shocker, I know!) and parking was a challenge, so we didn’t get to spend much time with Lex before the game. We hung out for a bit on campus after the game, but he had to go to a Marching Band Exhibition event that evening and their call time was shortly after the game ended. So it was a quick visit with him, but a beautiful drive and quality car time for us girls.

We started Sunday with a girls’ trip to CVS for flu and covid vaccinations. Whee! Then we tried to pack in a full day before the the effects kicked in! We went to Riverview, a beautiful local farm that has apples, berries, pumpkins, flowers, and more. It was a popular place to be on Sunday!

The have sooo many flowers there. We admired them for awhile, then Espen decided she wanted to pick some of the dry-able flowers and bring them home to dry. We debated about getting some giant sunflowers too, but decided to be reasonable. LOL.

Espen has an app she uses to identify all living things, so she was learning about the flowers as she picked them. She shared the knowledge with me, but I forgot most of it. The bright colorful ones are called globe amaranth and they are so cool! The top middle one is very cool looking, but apparently very poisonous. We were surprised at how many poisonous plants were growing at this family-friendly farm. It’s a good thing I had my daughter there to make sure I don’t eat anything poisonous! LOL

Once we were done having fun (and by that I mean once we had spent many many dollars at the orchard!) we went grocery shopping and then headed home.

Espen was committed to baking lots of apple treats so when we got home she went right to work in the kitchen. I put away groceries and other stuff, then plopped down to work on a puzzle as the vaccine kicked in. When she finally wore out we watched some Great British Baking and snuggled under the heating blanket.

On Monday I had to go back to work and she took the dog to the groomer, did some more baking, and visited some friends. Monday night we lamented the fact that she had to leave in the morning and began the countdown to our next visit. :)

Chicago!

Posted on September 7, 2026 by Tessa

Back in July I went to Chicago with my Syracuse girlfriends. The game this time was a Cubs game (they already saw a White Sox game in the before me times).

When I landed in Chicago the sky was hazy and the Air Quality Index (AQI) was 267! Sadly Canada was on fire. :( It got up to 500 later that night, then started coming down over the next few days. Thankfully!

We saw a Cubs game, saw an improve show at the original Second City club, explored the city, and had a great time catching up with each other.

Good friends are hard to find. I’m fortunate to have so many.

And so begins a new year

Posted on August 26, 2026 by Tessa

We dropped Espen off at her new apartment yesterday. We had a really nice trip down. Alan drove his packed car, and Espen and I took my packed car. Her car was going to make the trip, but it has some backup camera issues, so it will continue to live here for a few more weeks until we get that fixed. Then I’ll get to go to LI again to drop off her car!

Espen and a bunch of her friends have a very cute house in a cute neighborhood a few blocks from campus. Back when Alan and I were in college our friend group used to joke about getting a big house and all living together. I feel like she’s living our dream! We were going to be KKF2A, they are Stegos. LOL

She has a cute room that is already quite whimsical, of course. You know what else is in her room? Huxley! He lives with her now. They have seven people, one dog, and one cat. It’s a full house!

We helped her move in, did some shopping (hello Ikea!), had dinner at a diner, had bagels for breakfast, had lots of laughs, then headed home.

So now begins a new configuration in my house – me, R, and Jasmine. It will be good, but at the moment it’s weird. Right now I miss my girl (my buddy, my bestie, my shadow) and my doggo.

Also, I know it’s been a few years since I was a teacher, and I’m up to my eyeballs in website work for the district, but I’m kinda missing school too. DBS has a new principal this year who seems pretty amazing. The high school also has an amazing new principal. There is a new cell phone ban and schools are starting to pull back on technology. My predecessor in the library just got Teacher of the Year for ~~our~~ her school (which I got back in 2020) and UVM Teacher of the Year (which I never got). School starts tomorrow and I won’t be there and none of my kids will be there either. It’s weird. I will be at my good library job though, which is good and what I want.

Anyway, life is good, everyone is good, I’m just going to be feeling some feels for a few days, then I’ll adjust to this new configuration. :)

Adventures in the NEK

Posted on August 23, 2026 by Tessa

This Saturday Espen and I had one last hurrah before she goes back to school. (our hurrahs are generally small, but fun)

You may remember that last summer we tried to visit the Haskell Free Library in Derby Line, VT, an adorable little library right on the US/Canada border. Or timing wasn’t great last summer, but we did a planning this year and had a much more successful trip!

You always need a good lay-down on a warm rock after a long car trip. That rock line is the country border.

The library was built in 1901 (opened in 1904). It was intentionally built on the border as a symbol of binational friendship. It’s a small library, but an active one. While we were there we saw people doing their normal library stuff, plus visitors from both sides of the border. They had a little gift shelf, so we bought a few little things as a way to support the library. :) We also had a nice chat with the librarian who was bubbly and smiley. I was thinking about asking if she was American or Canadian, but by the end of the conversation it was obvious. She was so nice she MUST have been Canadian!

When we were done at the library we headed towards our next stop on the trip, but ended up with two detours along the way! One, lunch at the Vermont Pie & Pasta Company, and two, a random stop along the road when we saw giant straw sculptures at Chantel’s Creative Creations.

We assume that Chantel updates them and does repairs in the fall. There were probably a dozen of these creations. A bunch of them had dried up corn stalks, old pumpkins, etc. as part of the sculpture. We were guessing they probably update them each fall. There was a cute cart there for pumpkins as well, which was empty because it’s not quite pumpkin season yet.

We hopped back in the car and headed to our next scheduled stop – Cold Hollow Sculpture Park. We weren’t sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a pretty cool place. It’s acres and acres of open fields filled with huge sculptures made of metal. They give you a map and a booklet that gives a brief peek into the artist’s thoughts for each one. We initially thought the place was too big, and it was hot and sunny, so we were just going to do a short walk, but as we went we found ourselves wanting to see more and more of them. We definitely didn’t see them all, but we spent over an hour walking around these fields, checking out the colorful pieces. Here are a few of them:

A few weeks ago, while visiting VINS (a post that’s still on my tbw (to-be-written) list), I got a delicious sparkling cider drink from a food truck. It was soo good! The food truck was from Cold Hollow Cider Mill, so when we realized they were on our way home from the sculpture park, we decided to stop. Cold Hollow Cider Mill is a cute little store, cafe, and active cider mill. Unfortunately for me, they are sold out of the cider I was hoping to buy. :( Apparently it’s a seasonal thing. I’ll have to stock up next season! We bought some other random stuff though, because, why not! The only picture I took was:

My caption was “The wedding is next fall.” Her caption was, “Me when I want to go home and my mom is still talking.” LOL

We had a perfect day. I’m going to miss my buddy when she’s back at college.

Millions of peaches

Posted on August 16, 2026 by Tessa

Peaches for me. Millions of peaches, peaches for… well, not free, not in this economy!

Espen and I went to Wellwood Orchard today and had a lovely day picking peaches and petting goats. I never knew they had peaches there, so we were pleasantly when we asked what was ready for PYO.

It took a few tries to determine how to find the perfect peach. Apparently you have to just “fondle them all” (to quote Espen). We picked a bushel (or a peck? or a half-bushel? I can never remember the size names) of peaches, then peaked into the country store for some maple cookies and cider donuts.

We put everything into the car, then headed back to the petting zoo. There were very loud roosters, vivid peacocks, tired cows, and baby goats. So many baby goats! Three of them were born yesterday evening. They were adorable!

When we got home we made blueberry peach cobbler and attempted raspberry peach jam. Unfortunately we don’t have any pectin and our substitution efforts were less than successful. Unrelated to peaches, I also made cornbread and black beans for dinner. We were eating well today!

Lest you think I had a computer-free day, never you worry. In between this summer-time fun, I also worked on the school district welcome back newsletter and on fixing this very blog that some evil hacker had the gall to infiltrate! Fortunately the hacker was obnoxious, but not too destructive. Also, most fortunately, I have Alan on my side!

Voting

Posted on August 13, 2026 by Tessa

Primary elections were this week and Espen cast her first vote! Welcome to democracy baby girl!

We then got ice cream to celebrate. :)

I dropped Espen off at the library for a “Plantasaurus” event, that she loved.

I brought Huxley along when I picked her up and we did some whimsical exploring along the way home. We stopped at a neat little park in Hanover called Nathan’s Garden. Other than the bugs, it was a very cool place.

Then we explored along the river and under the bridge, but there were too many bugs and too many people, so we went home.

Have I mentioned lately that I love my youngest? She makes my heart happy. <3

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