Milestone Marker

I propose a thread which all use to mark milestones in their family (or friends') lives. Maybe it will fall off, harmless.


*** My baby girl started sixth grade today, first official day of school down here, where as I've said before, they start early bc everyone wants to be inside anyway.

My only baby is now in middle school, even though her school is K-8. We live in the country, part of the 'Sipp that floats on oil. Thus, it is the best public school I have had the pleasure to be around. IT also allows the school to have "wings" - The K-2 "Wing" and the "3-5" wing, and the 6-8 wing.

Sadness, AND excitement. Every single time I long for the days when she was 5, I remind myself she will be 18 in six weeks, and enjoy the hell out of these days.


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One great thing about living in the south, when you're a parent, you get to call your children your "babies" until you die.

That is why a proud grandmother will clap and cheer her "baby" at a high school football game.

Some find it sickening. I find it endearing, and loving.

I do have hopes for this thread. It would give us a chance to congratulate each other, like family, Zags at our best.

They do grow up fast. My oldest nephew is about to start his first year of college at Louisville. I'm still finding that a bit hard to believe.

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Originally Posted by seacatfan

They do grow up fast. My oldest nephew is about to start his first year of college at Louisville. I'm still finding that a bit hard to believe.

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agree.

One of my nieces just graduated from GU and luckily got a job in Seattle as an engineer.
She just moved to Seattle last weekend.

Gosh, I remember when she was born and I held her as a baby in Vegas.....
all these women kept coming over to me and were telling me: "What a cute baby!"

That was the time when they imploded the Aladdin Hotel.

We went to see the blowing up of the hotel..... but, we didn't realize that once the Aladdin Hotel started to come down....
well, all this dust and crud started going everywhere.

and we had to get the heck out of there pronto
we were actually running as we pushed her on the stroller
trying to avoid the huge dust cloud headed our way.

Legally being able to drink with your own children. Which, as of next February will be both my kids.

Was in Truckee yesterday. The wife and I were in a clothing shop. I looked over and she was looking at baby clothes. There were tears in her eyes. She says to me, "We don't have any little people to buy for anymore." Didn't know what to say.

My youngest grandchild starts kindergarten in about a week and a half.

As an aside, if you get a chance, take the Amtrak from Sacramento to Reno. Spectacular. If you want to enhance the experience, read "Nothing Like It In The World" by Stephen Ambrose. It's about the men who built the transcontinental railroad. If you are on that train and you have read the book, you will think it incomprehensible how they managed to defeat the Sierras and build the road.

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Originally Posted by Markburn1

Was in Truckee yesterday. The wife and I were in a clothing shop. I looked over and she was looking at baby clothes. There were tears in her eyes. She says to me, "We don't have any little people to buy for anymore." Didn't know what to say.

My youngest grandchild starts kindergarten in about a week and a half.

As an aside, if you get a chance, take the Amtrak from Sacramento to Reno. Spectacular. If you want to enhance the experience, read "Nothing Like It In The World" by Stephen Ambrose. It's about the men who built the transcontinental railroad. If you are on that train and you have read the book, you will think it incomprehensible how they managed to defeat the Sierras and build the road.

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We took Amtrack from SLC to Denver once. It was breathtaking. I wouldn't compare the two bc both must be.

Congrats to ALL who have posted, this is exactly what I had in mind. I hope each of you enjoy it.

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Originally Posted by LongIslandZagFan

Legally being able to drink with your own children. Which, as of next February will be both my kids.

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A bonding moment. Especially since your passion is brewing, and you can have them compare taste out with dinner.

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Originally Posted by GPGUgrad

agree.

One of my nieces just graduated from GU and luckily got a job in Seattle as an engineer.
She just moved to Seattle last weekend.

Gosh, I remember when she was born and I held her as a baby in Vegas.....
all these women kept coming over to me and were telling me: "What a cute baby!"

That was the time when they imploded the Aladdin Hotel.

We went to see the blowing up of the hotel..... but, we didn't realize that once the Aladdin Hotel started to come down....
well, all this dust and crud started going everywhere.

and we had to get the heck out of there pronto
we were actually running as we pushed her on the stroller
trying to avoid the huge dust cloud headed our way.

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Seems like yesterday we held her hours after birth.

But, again, that's why I enjoy every single day and don't look back with longing.

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Originally Posted by seacatfan

They do grow up fast. My oldest nephew is about to start his first year of college at Louisville. I'm still finding that a bit hard to believe.

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Congrats!! Great school

Mrs. Phish and I spent last week in a neuro observation room at Swedish in Seattle. For those of you who remember, this is the same test she "failed" last year as her team discovered that her heart stopped during seizure events. With a pacer in place this year, there was no fear of that problem and the test was completed as planned.

Our milestone was realized as her neuro team discovered that her seizures originate in an entirely different region of her brain than previously thought; back-right, not front-left. It is a small distinction, but it took more than thirty years to really pin down and means an entirely different approach. Surgery is still a possibility, but new courses of medicine could also add up to a solution in the interim. Here's hoping.

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Originally Posted by TheZagPhish

Mrs. Phish and I spent last week in a neuro observation room at Swedish in Seattle. For those of you who remember, this is the same test she "failed" last year as her team discovered that her heart stopped during seizure events. With a pacer in place this year, there was no fear of that problem and the test was completed as planned.

Our milestone was realized as her neuro team discovered that her seizures originate in an entirely different region of her brain than previously thought; back-right, not front-left. It is a small distinction, but it took more than thirty years to really pin down and means an entirely different approach. Surgery is still a possibility, but new courses of medicine could also add up to a solution in the interim. Here's hoping.

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First of all, I am glad you are hopeful about her outcome moving forward. Secondly, it is phenomenal what science lets us now learn about ourselves. I find this amazing.

Praying for the best.

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Originally Posted by TheZagPhish

Mrs. Phish and I spent last week in a neuro observation room at Swedish in Seattle. For those of you who remember, this is the same test she "failed" last year as her team discovered that her heart stopped during seizure events. With a pacer in place this year, there was no fear of that problem and the test was completed as planned.

Our milestone was realized as her neuro team discovered that her seizures originate in an entirely different region of her brain than previously thought; back-right, not front-left. It is a small distinction, but it took more than thirty years to really pin down and means an entirely different approach. Surgery is still a possibility, but new courses of medicine could also add up to a solution in the interim. Here's hoping.

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I cannot help but think this is wonderful news, despite realizing the pain you as a couple have gone through with this.

As you know better than most, few appreciate the difficulty like me. I have two foci, but mine are in the right frontal lobe, that center famous for left-handedness, depression, creativity, word smithing, and a lot of stupid impulsivity with good intentions. Me to a T, and I have TWO.

But, I never suffered the fear y'all did, and I am so encouraged, for you. Hang in there, bro.

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Originally Posted by TheZagPhish

Mrs. Phish and I spent last week in a neuro observation room at Swedish in Seattle. For those of you who remember, this is the same test she "failed" last year as her team discovered that her heart stopped during seizure events. With a pacer in place this year, there was no fear of that problem and the test was completed as planned.

Our milestone was realized as her neuro team discovered that her seizures originate in an entirely different region of her brain than previously thought; back-right, not front-left. It is a small distinction, but it took more than thirty years to really pin down and means an entirely different approach. Surgery is still a possibility, but new courses of medicine could also add up to a solution in the interim. Here's hoping.

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Good news. Prayers for you and your family.

Not quite the milestone probably intended by Dixie, but about two weeks ago we celebrated the life of my brother. A surprising amount of people came, some who hadn't been to our hometown in a decade, but it showed how much of an impact one person can have on so many others. There were some great stories shared and reminded us that a 'family' can be bigger than we think.

Last November, my eldest Grandaughter got married. This past February she turned 21.

We were lucky to be in Alabama for her combination birthday party and reception.
Picture from w few years earlier.

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...e5&oe=5DE94333

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Originally Posted by Pallet

Not quite the milestone probably intended by Dixie, but about two weeks ago we celebrated the life of my brother. A surprising amount of people came, some who hadn't been to our hometown in a decade, but it showed how much of an impact one person can have on so many others. There were some great stories shared and reminded us that a 'family' can be bigger than we think.

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This is not just the goofy Foo, it is also good family.

I think your milestone is wonderful to share, even though part of it must be painful. We're with you.

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Originally Posted by DixieZag

This is not just the goofy Foo, it is also good family.

I think your milestone is wonderful to share, even though part of it must be painful. We're with you.

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Amen, Dixie. The Foo is family.

I am really proud of my wife for starting a new career chapter. As an undergrad, she had started pre-med, but never applied to med-school. After graduation, she went back to school for a teaching certificate and taught middle-school science for several years. She married an Army guy at age 30 and quickly decided that her teaching career wasn’t portable enough for the frequent moves that an Army family needs to make. She went back to school for a nursing degree from a base education center while I was in Iraq. She has enjoyed tremendous success in that career and has been managing departments with as many as 80 nurses for the past decade.

Over the past couple of years, she started to feel a strong pull to go back and do what she had always wanted to do - to be what she had always wanted to be when she grew up - a medical provider. To do that, she enrolled in a highly competitive family nurse practitioner program on Monday.

My wife is one of the most passionate and competitive people I have ever known. She excelled as a teacher and excelled as a nurse, but I have never seen her this excited about anything she has ever done. She is going to be amazing as a provider.

This program will be challenging for our whole family. Some of the individual courses project to take twenty hours of work per week. We both work in management at our local rural hospital and our careers can be quite demanding. She is going to continue to manage her departments while going to school for the next couple of years. Our kids understand that they will need to do more to help mom around the house and they’re already stepping up to assist by doing extra household chores - often without being prompted. I’m almost as proud of my boys as I am of their mom.

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Originally Posted by Martin Centre Mad Man

I am really proud of my wife for starting a new career chapter. As an undergrad, she had started pre-med, but never applied to med-school. After graduation, she went back to school for a teaching certificate and taught middle-school science for several years. She married an Army guy at age 30 and quickly decided that her teaching career wasn’t portable enough for the frequent moves that an Army family needs to make. She went back to school for a nursing degree from a base education center while I was in Iraq. She has enjoyed tremendous success in that career and has been managing departments with as many as 80 nurses for the past decade.

Over the past couple of years, she started to feel a strong pull to go back and do what she had always wanted to do - to be what she had always wanted to be when she grew up - a medical provider. To do that, she enrolled in a highly competitive family nurse practitioner program on Monday.

My wife is one of the most passionate and competitive people I have ever known. She excelled as a teacher and excelled as a nurse, but I have never seen her this excited about anything she has ever done. She is going to be amazing as a provider.

This program will be challenging for our whole family. Some of the individual courses project to take twenty hours of work per week. We both work in management at our local rural hospital and our careers can be quite demanding. She is going to continue to manage her departments while going to school for the next couple of years. Our kids understand that they will need to do more to help mom around the house and they’re already stepping up to assist by doing extra household chores - often without being prompted. I’m almost as proud of my boys as I am of their mom.

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Wow! Congratulations to you all -- especially your girl. Well done!

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Originally Posted by Martin Centre Mad Man

I am really proud of my wife for starting a new career chapter. As an undergrad, she had started pre-med, but never applied to med-school. After graduation, she went back to school for a teaching certificate and taught middle-school science for several years. She married an Army guy at age 30 and quickly decided that her teaching career wasn’t portable enough for the frequent moves that an Army family needs to make. She went back to school for a nursing degree from a base education center while I was in Iraq. She has enjoyed tremendous success in that career and has been managing departments with as many as 80 nurses for the past decade.

Over the past couple of years, she started to feel a strong pull to go back and do what she had always wanted to do - to be what she had always wanted to be when she grew up - a medical provider. To do that, she enrolled in a highly competitive family nurse practitioner program on Monday.

My wife is one of the most passionate and competitive people I have ever known. She excelled as a teacher and excelled as a nurse, but I have never seen her this excited about anything she has ever done. She is going to be amazing as a provider.

This program will be challenging for our whole family. Some of the individual courses project to take twenty hours of work per week. We both work in management at our local rural hospital and our careers can be quite demanding. She is going to continue to manage her departments while going to school for the next couple of years. Our kids understand that they will need to do more to help mom around the house and they’re already stepping up to assist by doing extra household chores - often without being prompted. I’m almost as proud of my boys as I am of their mom.

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You should be damn proud.

Good luck.

Received this text from my daughter this morning:

“ I woke up at 7:00 on my day off to get my oil changed because when you live with a 61 year old man for long enough you become one. “

Minor benchmark. . .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by RenoZag

Received this text from my daughter this morning:

“ I woke up at 7:00 on my day off to get my oil changed because when you live with a 61 year old man for long enough you become one. “

Minor benchmark. . .

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Well done.

>clink<

We took our middle boy to kindergarten orientation today. He has one friend from preschool in his class and about 6 others in the school. We also got to meet our older son's 3rd grade teacher when we passed his new classroom. I'm hoping it's a much better school year for him.

We got my son a new car over the summer... he drove himself up to Binghamton yesterday... alone. Managed to run into a serious rainstorm in the process.

I felt like i was on the trip with him as he called me about a dozen times... missed turnoff to go north to take NY Rt 17 and instead ended up in traffic hell on the Cross Bronx... should he take the upper or lower level on the GWB... can he set his cruise control faster because he was going 68 in a 65 and EVERYONE was flying by him (told him no more than 72)... should he stop to go to the bathroom only to be told he could probably make it without going... 10 minutes later, telling me he was going to stop... letting me know when he got to Pennsylvania... that he was 15 miles south of Scranton and that it was raining buckets and asking me when it might end... that the rain let up... and when he gets there... he calls his MOM!!! I was point of contact the whole trip and he calls his mom when he gets there. Honestly didn't mind. Rather have that than no calls at all.

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Originally Posted by LongIslandZagFan

We got my son a new car over the summer... he drove himself up to Binghamton yesterday... alone. Managed to run into a serious rainstorm in the process.

I felt like i was on the trip with him as he called me about a dozen times... missed turnoff to go north to take NY Rt 17 and instead ended up in traffic hell on the Cross Bronx... should he take the upper or lower level on the GWB... can he set his cruise control faster because he was going 68 in a 65 and EVERYONE was flying by him (told him no more than 72)... should he stop to go to the bathroom only to be told he could probably make it without going... 10 minutes later, telling me he was going to stop... letting me know when he got to Pennsylvania... that he was 15 miles south of Scranton and that it was raining buckets and asking me when it might end... that the rain let up... and when he gets there... he calls his MOM!!! I was point of contact the whole trip and he calls his mom when he gets there. Honestly didn't mind. Rather have that than no calls at all.

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Great story, well told, and definitely a milemarker in his life, and yours.

Take heart in the phone call to Mom. I think it shows that the kid hit the sweet spot in showing equal affection for both parents. Beep underlying trust that Dad's there, knows that mom probably worries the absolute most. Not so bad, you know?

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Originally Posted by DixieZag

Great story, well told, and definitely a milemarker in his life, and yours.

Take heart in the phone call to Mom. I think it shows that the kid hit the sweet spot in showing equal affection for both parents. Beep underlying trust that Dad's there, knows that mom probably worries the absolute most. Not so bad, you know?

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OH I know... just kidding on that... he knew enough to call me all the way up... that is all I need.

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Originally Posted by LongIslandZagFan

OH I know... just kidding on that... he knew enough to call me all the way up... that is all I need.

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Gotcha. I kind of didn't read in the obvious in that. Makes sense to kid.

Great story.

First day of Kindergarten for Stanley. First day of 3rd grade for Grant.

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Originally Posted by Jazzgirl_127

First day of Kindergarten for Stanley. First day of 3rd grade for Grant.

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For our ONE baby, I committed myself to "not getting emotional, not shedding tears" and then promptly got there and had tears running down my cheeks.

Thank god I wasn't the only man there in such a state.

It doesn't actually HIT until you say good-bye, right? Especially if you have no practice at it, if one's only got "one" child.


BTW - might've said this before, one of the best things about the south is you get to call your child "my baby" until basically the child says "stop." It drives some northerners up the wall. I find it kind of endearing/cool.

I think I said, it's not at all unusual to go to a high school football game and hear parents and grandparents talking about "my baby plays linebacker and mows down big fast guys for lunch" - - - dunno, half laugh, and then think aww. That's what I do, at least.

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Originally Posted by DixieZag

For our ONE baby, I committed myself to "not getting emotional, not shedding tears" and then promptly got there and had tears running down my cheeks.

Thank god I wasn't the only man there in such a state.

It doesn't actually HIT until you say good-bye, right? Especially if you have no practice at it, if one's only got "one" child.


BTW - might've said this before, one of the best things about the south is you get to call your child "my baby" until basically the child says "stop." It drives some northerners up the wall. I find it kind of endearing/cool.

I think I said, it's not at all unusual to go to a high school football game and hear parents and grandparents talking about "my baby plays linebacker and mows down big fast guys for lunch" - - - dunno, half laugh, and then think aww. That's what I do, at least.

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Awe, no tears this morning, he's really excited to go and since we have one more to get out the door I think that helped not set off the waterworks. The end of kindergarten was the hardest emotionally for me because we were leaving the K-8 school, it was like saying goodbye to the childhood I had and our boys just wouldn't get. That's great that your daughter's school uses that model, I'm biased in liking it, but there's also research saying it's the preferred and *best* for kids. My husband always jokes about the line from "The Simpsons" it's said sarcastic "but elementary school friendships are forever"...but really, I still stay in close contact with many of my friends from kindergarten through 8th, even if we have some missing years of going to different high schools and colleges, so some are forever.

Helped my oldest daughter apply for colleges today. Her first application?
Gonzaga.

Tennessee is her front runner though.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

Mistakes were made.....

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Originally Posted by kitzbuel

Helped my oldest daughter apply for colleges today. Her first application?
Gonzaga.

Tennessee is her front runner though.

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Right on.

First middle school football game, for which my daughter made the cheerlea…. "Dance team" as a sixth grader among many 7th and 8th graders.

Sigh.

Very mixed feelings about a sixth grade … never mind.

SHE is excited, thus I am excited for her. Making the team down here is far too important to many kids and parents, and you just have to believe me on the FAR thing bc it, well, it is insane.

My mixed feelings aside, it has increased her confidence in herself, and among her classmates. Plus, she loves to dance and be on a team of any kind.

She left just now in her uniform.

God help me. And her, she is planning to have some fun.

No one was harmed....

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Originally Posted by bartruff1

No one was harmed....

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Yet.

Me?

I have trouble with how young the whole "girl/woman" thing starts nowadays. Big part of me thinks that sixth/seventh grade are their last shot as "being kids" - they have the rest of the lives to "be grown."

Oh well.

As you said, no real harm (other than the cost!) and some gain.

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Originally Posted by DixieZag

Yet.

Me?

I have trouble with how young the whole "girl/woman" thing starts nowadays. Big part of me thinks that sixth/seventh grade are their last shot as "being kids" - they have the rest of the lives to "be grown."

Oh well.

As you said, no real harm (other than the cost!) and some gain.

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I think 6th/7th is a good gauge. Some will pretend that they're more grown up and make a big deal out of reaching certain milestones first (seriously, I've even watched the moms who are clearly still "mean girls" make a big deal about kids not shaving their legs by a certain age :rolleyes: so you know their daughters are going to be the ones harassing classmates about it and making them feel like they *need* to be less of a kid). Hopefully your daughter can avoid having those type of girls/women in her life for a long time.

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Originally Posted by DixieZag

First middle school football game, for which my daughter made the cheerlea…. "Dance team" as a sixth grader among many 7th and 8th graders.

Sigh.

Very mixed feelings about a sixth grade … never mind.

SHE is excited, thus I am excited for her. Making the team down here is far too important to many kids and parents, and you just have to believe me on the FAR thing bc it, well, it is insane.

My mixed feelings aside, it has increased her confidence in herself, and among her classmates. Plus, she loves to dance and be on a team of any kind.

She left just now in her uniform.

God help me. And her, she is planning to have some fun.

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My daughters both did cheer here in Virginia, and I understand how it is a big thing. You will be shelling out the bucks for a lot of uniforms, some of which don't look like the have enough material to do what they are supposed to do, let alone cost what they cost. We fortunately had a team coach who refused to have uniforms that were strapless or with exposed midriffs.

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Originally Posted by kitzbuel

My daughters both did cheer here in Virginia, and I understand how it is a big thing. You will be shelling out the bucks for a lot of uniforms, some of which don't look like the have enough material to do what they are supposed to do, let alone cost what they cost. We fortunately had a team coach who refused to have uniforms that were strapless or with exposed midriffs.

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I am already dreading … I knew she would make it, she's cute, bubbly, smart as fck, and thin/muscular, when many many girls down here … are not? Actually, the obesity rate down here is one of the saddest things. Kids in 3rd grade (or less) who just flat have no hope, or little hope, to grow and be healthy.