Northrop New Year’s News 2023
Dear Family and Friends,
JOY. Is it hard to find this season? I know I find myself checking off the to-do list, expecting joy when it’s done. But, it’s never really done. The laundry or dishes can be done and then there’s a sock on the floor, or a fork in the sink. Is our joy that easily undone? I ran across a poem a couple of weeks ago called “Joy Chose You.” “Joy cares nothing about your messy home or your bank balance or your waistline. Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life. You cannot invite her, you can only be ready when she appears.” Our hope this season is you can recognize the joy that sneaks into your life, especially the joy you didn’t plan for or work for. See the joy of a random text or an especially great cup of coffee or conversation or a puzzle piece that unexpectedly fits. Wherever you find it, embrace it - ready or not. We’ve also included bits of advice for anyone interested whether or not you want it. :)
Gabe
Gabe finished his first year at the University of Minnesota and is halfway through his second majoring in Computer Science. He loves the U and we enjoy having him relatively close to us. He’s had challenging classes, made good friends, learned the public transit system, and visited museums. He has been dating his girlfriend, Katrina (a journalism major), for over a year and they love thrifting and used book stores. During the summer, he worked a lot at Menards and facetimed Katrina in Germany where she lives. He’s excited for his trip to spend time with her and her family after Christmas. This year Gabe is living off campus, attending Gopher Football games, other sporting events, concerts, and of course studying.
Advice: Texting seems to be the best way to communicate with your big kids (or Snapchat, but I don't have that).
Ben
Ben is 18 and will graduate this spring with honors. Last spring he achieved some goals in track and field and has bigger goals for his senior season. He advanced to Section in the discus and placed third. The top 2 advance to State, so you can guess what his goal for 2024 might be. His favorite classes this year are ceramics and foods. Ben was a cross country captain this fall. He’s working on his gainz (muscle and weight gain for shot put and discus and the weight room) so it was a bit more of a challenge. As our only senior, he was a good leader for our young team. Ben got a job this summer at Arby’s and has been a valuable worker. He works about 20 hours a week and enjoys eating the 50% discount on food. He’s currently benching 260# and is still kind and caretaking to those around him. We’ve visited a few colleges and he’s been accepted to all five that he’s applied to. The top choices so far are UW-Stout and Mankato with a few left to visit. Advice: Let your kids decide who they want to be. Support them in their passions with unwavering enthusiasm.
Lyndee
Lyndee will celebrate her 17th birthday in just a couple of weeks. Last spring she qualified for Section in the shot put, discus, and two relays. She was part of the 4x100 that narrowly missed qualifying for state and ran the 4x200 in prelims but not finals. This fall she played volleyball as a middle hitter and was great at supporting her teammates on the court. She plays trumpet in the band. She’s an excellent student who works hard and diligently studies for tests. She worked at the athletic club this summer, tried to continue through the fall, but realized that she needed some downtime with school and sports taking priority. Lyndee is a starter for the basketball team and is proving to be stronger and more confident this season. It is so fun to watch her on the court. She loves hanging out with friends and shopping.
Advice: Feed your teenagers and then they are more amenable to talking. Try not to coach them in the car or at the dinner table, even when you have knowledge to share.
Matt and Amy
Parenting, teaching, and coaching dominate our lives. (Matt wants you to know that he can bench 300# and that Ben is still working to beat his old man). Matt - still the tallest in our family - started year 27 and I - now the shortest in the family - started year 25 this fall, in physical education and 6th grade respectively. I love teaching Minnesota History and learning new things about our beautiful state all the time. Our students challenge us to be our best and we hope we do the same for them. This fall we were busy coaching cross country and football and this spring Matt and I are both looking forward to track and field. Both of our teams are hoping to replicate the successes of last spring. Our girls and boys teams are so fun to coach and we love to help them achieve their goals. We are surrounded with a talented and enthusiastic coaching staff that makes our jobs so much easier.
Advice as teachers: Keep electronics out of kids’ hands as long as possible. It’s one thing we think we did right as parents.
Travel
We traveled mostly to Granite Falls this year to visit my dad and Karla. Some trips were out and back in a day when we could squeeze them in between the kids’ schedules. My dad remains in the care center in Granite where they enjoy his humor. My husband is amazing at helping him in and out of the house when we get to bring him home for a day. Karla is doing better after having stents put in last winter while in Arizona.
Advice: Ask your parents for their stories and write them down.
Our biggest trip happened this summer when Matt, Ben, and Lyndee flew to California to see our nieces in musical theater productions and Gabe and I met them later in Maui! It was an amazing opportunity to travel to Maui with Seth, Kaela and the girls. We spent a week enjoying great meals, sunsets, snorkeling, beach walks, a luau, and so many laughs with them and our kids. What a gift to be able to experience all of that with them.
Advice: Appreciate the generosity of others, even when you don’t think you deserve it.
Pets
Here’s the 2023 rundown–Dash - 12.5 years old still thinks he’s small (he’s not) and loves to cuddle. He tolerates Goldie trying to play with him, but then will escape upstairs when he is tired. He cannot hear us when we call, so when he gets the urge to wander, we are going with him, steering him back like sheepherders with a stick - tapping him on the side to tell him where he needs to go. Cat #5, Sunny and Cat #6, Luna aka Chubs and Tubs are getting good at mouse hunting and sometimes leave me presents on the garage steps. Sunny disappeared for a week before Maui and reappeared in a culvert right before we left. Goldie (Marigold) - 1.5 years old - Yellow Lab. She is so naughty as evidenced by the number of sticks of butter she has stolen off the counter and the uncooked cinnamon rolls she has eaten. She got a D on her behavior report card from the vet who said she might need to be sedated next time she comes in. (She is definitely NOT a fan of getting her temperature taken). She likes to see out the windows so she jumps on top of the dining room table, the tall kitchen table, and her kennel. She is so cute. She may be a good dog someday. Just not yet.
Advice: Don’t assume your big dogs are outside dogs. Choose the most mellow puppy, not the one who is jumping all over you. If you have mice in your garage, get cats.
We hope you find joy in the small unexpected spaces in your life. Look for it. Happy New Year!
Love, Matt & Amy, Gabe, Ben, Lyndee, Dash, Goldie, Sunny, and Luna
