Northrop New Year’s News 2021
Dear Family and Friends,
Over the course of our lives, there have been certain “sweet spots” where everything feels right, or as right as it can be in our world. For me, it was the first year of college or that first few years of marriage. Then, it was when we had one baby who just came everywhere with us. Next, when our youngest hit Kindergarten and all the kiddos were in school. The next ten years have been up and down, non-stop parenting and working, and now we find ourselves in perhaps another sweet spot. With three high schoolers who are athletes, musicians, students, and more - the downtime moments feel few and far between. However, we know that the constant movement, buzz of activities, and full calendars will not last forever, so we remind ourselves to enjoy the down moments in each day when we can connect or reconnect with our kids, our families, our friends, and each other. Sometimes, it’s during a car ride, a bus ride, a facetime, a text, or time in the gym. Other times, it’s watching a funny show or a brief snuggle on the couch. In all of these times, we attempt to meet the moments with gratitude.
Gabe
Our G man spent his 18th birthday with cousins in San Francisco. He got to set the agenda - Japan Town, Alcatraz, and Ghirardelli Square. He’s very into Manga and has accrued quite a collection of books from Barnes and Noble and other online book sellers. They have to be in perfect condition for his collection though, so we know the UPS store and the Amazon return process very well by now. He played JV basketball last year, and this fueled him to work on his foot quickness and strength for track and field. Both track and field and basketball saw trips to the ER for stitches on his head. Despite that, he earned all conference honors for track and field and advanced to the Section meet in both high jump and discus. After clearing 6-1 in the high jump, he’s hoping for 6-4 in the 2022 season. His team also did great things, but we’ll cover that in Matt’s section. He still works at Menards in order fulfillment, reads a lot, and works on his computer. Gabe excels in the classroom, maintaining his 4.0, and earned an excellent ACT score, so that makes the college search interesting. His top picks are currently University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and NDSU, with a possible major in computer science. Iowa State is also in the running after getting a scholarship award letter yesterday. Mom and Dad’s alma mater was “a solid 5th place (out of 6)” when we visited this summer. People ask how it will be next year when he’s at college. For me, it’s like when we dropped him off at Kindergarten. There weren’t any tears, just excitement knowing that he was so ready for that next step. Of course we will miss him (and yes, I’ll cry at graduation), but we are both thankful to live in a world of facetime and texting so that we can get our Gabe fix when we need it.
Ben
Ben is 16 and we think the thing he loves most in the world is his VR gaming world and his youtube channel. He’s worked hard to fill the channel with RecRoom tutorials and challenges. Check it out at Rock Lobster. He was confirmed this spring and it was great to have a celebration with family and friends. Ben does not have his driver’s license yet, partly due to the limited testing openings, but is looking forward to taking his test (again) in March. His favorite class currently is Peak Performance with Mr. Northrop and Foods class. Last spring, he enjoyed welding (but not the burn hole on his phone made from a spark through his pants pocket). Ben also did well as a thrower this year in track and field and is looking forward to the shot and discus again. Mom might make him join the distance group, since this fall he elected to run cross country instead of play football. Dad wasn’t too thrilled, but Mom loved having him on the team (except he’s not the best listener to his coach). He ran very well, dropping his 5K time by MINUTES by the end of the season and earning an alternate spot for the section meet. He’s using his newfound swiftness to make some smooth moves on the court as a big man. Busy with three sports, he doesn’t have much time for work, but is still employed at Panther Pals when school is not in session. Ben, who loves to perform in the choir, will be an ensemble cast member in the musical this March. He also loves hanging out with his friends on their various adventures of Marvel movies, nerf gun action, and cosplay at Nerdin’outCon.
Lyndee
Lyndee will be 15 in just two weeks. She is now taller than me and much stronger as a HS athlete than I ever was. She did very well in track and field last spring and was our top thrower. She advanced to section in the shot put as an 8th grader and is looking forward to next spring as well. Lyndee played VB this summer and made the JV team this fall. She got the privilege of sitting the varsity bench for playoffs and that leaves her hungry for even more. She loves volleyball, especially because Mom knows nothing about it so I can’t coach her at all. In basketball so far this winter, she’s finding her groove on the JV and swings varsity as well. Just before break, she made her first varsity points - 2 free throws - only 998 to go. The rebounds are what she’s really going for in games, and her goal is 1000 in her high school career. Lyndee still loves TV and watching shows as her downtime. Along with Ben, she will be a part of the ensemble cast in the spring musical. She plays trumpet in the band and sings alto in the choir. She and I love to shop together (most of the time) and a consistent question is “Mom, would you let me wear that?” Frequently the answer from me is “Yes, but Dad won’t.” Lyndee worked at Panther Pals with Ben last summer and a little bit over fall break. She’s an excellent student, and though grades and tests can be very stressful, she soldiers on to maintain her 4.0.
Matt and Amy
Parenting, teaching, and coaching dominate all of our waking moments (and some of our sleeping ones, too). While we ended the year with every day in person schooling, we were hoping that our world would be a bit more normal come fall. School started with a mask mandate which is not what we were hoping for, but we were so happy to just be back with every day in person. We have been determined to do what we need to for the good of our community of learners and their families. Lots of things will continue to fluctuate and we will adjust and do what is asked of us until normalcy, compassion, and common sense return. I have a GREAT class and am thankful for the team of educators and administrators and coaches that I work with every day. Matt did not coach football this fall, and while he missed it, he was able to accomplish a lot in the woods, go to volleyball games and cross country meets, and hold down the fort for the family. Completing my 14th year of coaching cross country was rewarding and it’s the best when it ends with one of my athletes at the State meet. We are now in the thick of basketball season with Matt again holding down the home responsibilities and me assisting the varsity girls for the 2nd year. We are both looking forward to track and field this year and hoping to replicate the success of last spring. Our girls won the sub-section, placed 5th in the True Team Section and 4th in the Conference. The boys team was an amazing story this past season. They lost 18 talented seniors in the 2020 non-season, and really wanted to leave their own mark in PITF history. And leave it, they did. Matt’s team won the True Team Section, Conference, Sub-Section, Section, and True Team STATE! They are the first team in Pine Island’s history to bring home a State Championship. We are so proud of the athletes and our amazing coaching staff for their part in this historic season. Of course, I am extremely proud of Matt for earning both Section and State Coach of the Year for Class A track and field.
Family
We finally were able to visit with friends and family this summer and fall. We were also excited to finally have our SHED (or as brother-in-law Mark calls it - the garage mahal) finished in October. We broke it in for my 50th birthday party and had a great time celebrating with friends, family, and framily (friends who are like family).
Pets
Here’s the 2020 rundown–Dash - 10 years old, made a successful bid to become an inside dog, which has drastically reduced his running away and increased his cleanliness. Tucker - had a seizure and possibly a stroke in August. He suffered very little and is now laid to rest by Wrigley near the fire pit. Cat #3 - Louie - disappeared again in February and hasn’t been spotted since. Cat #5, Sunny - still loves Gabe and Matt when the mood strikes her, but mostly hangs out under the garage steps. Cat #6, Luna - joined our family when I had a weak moment after losing Tucker. I wanted another dog, but knew that it was too soon and that we needed someone who needed very little care. She’s a delightful kitty and really just wants to be friends with Sunny, who is diabolically opposed to anyone wanting to be her friend, thus lots of hissing and a few swipes at the kitty.
It’s continued to be such a weird time, and one that has changed us, our families, our communities, and our friends. Especially when parenting teenagers feels like walking a minefield of homework, expectations, and growing independence, I’m reminded that we sometimes need to treat our teenagers like we did when they were toddlers. Almost all angst is temporary and can be solved with food, attention, or sleep. I know that with two of my three, I need to feed them to make them more amenable to anything I’m saying. This is how I find the sweet spot at times. Food, then conversation. We know that the last year or so hasn't been everyone's sweet spot, but we hope you find a moment in each day that feels like it is, or at least that it could be. Happy New Year!
Love, Matt & Amy, Gabe, Ben, Lyndee, Dash, Sunny, and Luna
