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.

Tooth Lady

July 11, 2019 by Adam in Emma

I took Emma to the dentist yesterday to get her last baby tooth pulled.  It was quite stubborn and keeping her adult tooth from popping out.  My dad got her numb and after a quick yank it popped right out.  She was a little subdued afterwards, but the next day she was fine.  Now I have to work on my last tooth fairy note for Emma - I think I'll start with "You think you've finally escaped my grasp . . ."

Last Day of School

June 18, 2019 by Adam in Emma

It's Emma's last day as an underclassman today.  She's down to a Chemistry final and that's about it.  I was helping her study last night and I was really impressed at the things she could do - calculate the age of objects based on their Carbon 14 content, name organic molecules, and other things I didn't learn until college.  She's managed an A in the class with some effort.  It's like Emma has been hiding her intelligence from us the entire time.

In theory this summer she's working for my mom and dad's dental clinic, though we've yet to sort out the details.  Next week we're doing a final vacation before Sam goes, so there might be a delay in getting that started.

Sweet Sixteen

May 28, 2019 by Adam in Emma

Emma's birthday was today - I gave her a hug at 11:55 a.m. as we walked to 16 Tons Cafe to play board games and drink coffee.  That was apparently the moment she was born, though she assured me she was still fifteen in quite a few more time zones.

I think she enjoyed the birthday events, eating and partying her way through the three day weekend.  Saturday she drove part of the way to Corvallis for a steak lunch with her grandparents.  I spent the day getting everyone to wrap presents and sign cards so we'd be ready in time.  Emma returned for pizza and Mythbusters so that our traditions would be maintained.

Sunday was Jenny's birthday, so we all drove to Thurston trail to hike with her through the woods.  We didn't quite make it as far as Jenny usually goes, but we chatted and hid pained rocks for others to find along the way.

That night we gathered our presents, I dressed up in fancy clothes, and we took the birthday girl to meet up with Jenny, mom, and Bob at Ambrosia's for dinner.  Emma got a ton of books and some art related things, which I think made her happy.  She was both sleep and appreciative afterward, as she kept saying how much she loved and appreciated me.  It was sweet.

Driving Around The Parking Lot

August 18, 2018 by Adam in Emma

Emma passed her driver's permit last week and we finally got out to the LCC parking lot to practice.  Pretty soon she was driving along, spending an hour and a half turning left and right and learning which pedal did what.  She was careful and attentive and did really well.

I think her comment on the way home was something like "It's just like a racing game except instead of the thrill of speed you have a terrible dread of crashing into something."

Working Girl

July 12, 2018 by Adam in Emma

Emma went to her first day on the job today, working as a sterilization tech for my dad.  She said she spent the day mostly watching procedures, but did some cleanup as well.  At one point she went and got Pepsi from the store.

Her feet got a little sore, so we'll need to get some better shoes.  She did manage to get some scrubs after work.

Next up is getting a new passport on Friday and hopefully getting a driver's permit soon too.  All these kids are growing up.

Fifteen Years Old

May 28, 2018 by Adam in Emma

Emma turned fifteen today.  She had takeout from Tasty Thai, cheesecake from Metropol, followed by presents and playing Jackbox games where all our answers were related to Emma.  This is after a day playing Dungeons and Dragons, making it a birthday to remember.

Class of 2021

September 06, 2017 by Adam in Emma

Emma had her high school orientation at South today.  She says it wasn't great, but was generaly informational - they got a Class of 2021 t-shirt and a planner.  She met with her teachers and found her classes.  She said good things about her computer and algebra teachers, so I hope that'll all work out.

There was some excitement when they let Emma out early and she just missed the bus.  She started walking back and then called me.  I got to be her "guy in the chair" and started to lead her home before I realized it was faster for me to drive the two minutes and pick her up.  I dropped her off at Jamie's house and bid my farewells.

Tomorrow is her first day of actual classes.  Hopefully it all goes well.