No Longer a Teenager

May 30, 2023 by Adam in Emma

Emma had her birthday over the weekend, a session of D&D with the family, followed by cake and presents.  It's been great watching her grow up and become a full and happy person.  We stopped by the library the next day and I suggested she press her face against the glass of the newly walled-off teen section since she's no longer allowed in there.

She got a watch, some overalls, the kind of shoes all her botany classmates wear, and a nice big backpack.  I think she's all ready to tromp off into the woods.

Winter Break

December 11, 2021 by Adam in Emma

Emma finished her first term at the U of O and is off for a few weeks.  She managed to pull off the highest score on her Honors Biology final, which we were all very proud of.  It was a hard class and she was the first to finish, bringing her grade up to an A.  She did well in her other classes, a B+ in chem lab and an A in calculus.  No word on art yet, but it's a likely A.

Done With Highschool

June 14, 2021 by Adam in Emma

Emma's done with high school.  She turns in her laptop today and even though she's not attending any of the graduation ceremonies, I made her put on her cap and gown and pose for a photoshoot.

I regularly tell Emma how proud I am of how she made it through high school, especially during a pandemic.  She's already doing all her college prep activities, looking through classes, and generally being responsible.  It's cool to watch it in action. 

Seventeen Again

May 29, 2021 by Adam in Emma

Emma decided that becoming an adult was a bit too much, so it's seventeen again for her.  She picked out a Sweet Life cake and we piled presents around her, followed by an evening of going through my old yearbooks to contrast my high school graduation with hers.

Emma made it through the pandemic relatively unscathed and she's ready to go to the U of O in the fall.  High school is essentially wrapped up with the last AP test, so she's trying to figure out what to do for the summer.  Hopefully it's the last weird one before a relatively normal fall.

Photoshoot!

April 25, 2021 by Adam in Emma

Emma and I had a photoshoot this morning, getting something ready for her senior picture.  The one in front of the azaleas was the best looking, but I was fond of the cabbage background myself.

Vaccinated

April 19, 2021 by Adam in Emma

I took Emma down to get her first COVID shot.  It was at the WOW Hall, which normally does a lot of concerts, so it was way cooler than Walgreens where I got mine.  The live band was nice, as were the bleachers and general ambiance.  They seemed more organized than Walgreens, with a timer for the 15 minute wait.  Mine was a chair in the store and it was up to us to leave after 15 minutes, or I guess gasp for air and stumble to the nearest employee.

Honorable Emma

December 29, 2020 by Adam in Emma

Emma was accepted to Clark Honors College at the U of O.  She was excited to be accepted and we looked over the curriculum to see what the required classes were and what the program entails.  Between that and her merit scholarship, I think she's feeling pretty good about all her hard work.  Hopefully it's a clear indication that not only do her parents think she's awesome, but others do as well.

Edge of Seventeen

May 26, 2020 by Adam in Emma

Emma and I were driving and she turned on the radio to hear the Jack and Diane line "Hold on to sixteen as long as you can."  She's been pretty ambivalent about getting older, so the line's been stuck in her head since then.  I keep telling her that she's got a long time to go until she has to be grown up and responsible.

In any case, we put together a birthday extravaganza while she was with us over the weekend, though her actual birthday is tomorrow.  Emma made an offhand comment about a treasure hunt, which she had fond memories of as a kid.  Joanna went all out and put together an amazing 36 clue treasure hunt, complete with word puzzles and a puzzle box at the end.  We were exhausted but satisified at the end.

Emma was inundated with presents, cheesecake, and Tasty Thai.  Hopefully it's memorable.

Hat Time!

March 24, 2020 by Adam in Emma

Joanna taught Emma and I to knit.  I managed a small rectangle, but Emma went on to make a square and over the weekend finished her first piece of actual attire - a hat.  She worked hard on it, listening to audio books or watching Star Trek and knitting away.  With a bit of help from Joanna she finished it off and showed it off.

First Day of School

September 05, 2019 by Adam in Emma

Emma had her first day of school yesterday.  She reported that she had quite a bit of homework between physics and her AP comp class.  Her History of Rock and Roll class doesn't have a firm teacher - she's apparently off in the national guard or something.  Emma's considering dropping it so she can have more homework time.  Finally, she has Computer Fundamentals in the class before Duncan - she's thinking about doing web design, which makes me not-so-secretly happy.