Northrop's New Year's News 2024

 Northrop New Year’s News 2024

Dear Family and Friends, 

So often, we rush right up to moments and then the moment happens and passes and we look back and are sad that we didn’t even get to enjoy it. I’ve learned something important this year - joy is often found in the anticipation before and reflection afterward, because the event itself is fleeting. There’s nothing I love more than looking forward to something. This Christmas season, we found the anticipation of our boys coming home to be filled with joy. I let go of some of the pressure of baking because they wanted to bake with us. Many decorations were left in the bins, not because we didn’t have time, but because we didn’t need them in order to “make” the holiday. As a kid, I clearly remember the anticipation of Christmas Eve and trying to rush my parents through the conversations after church so we could get home and open presents. It seemed to take forever! Perhaps they were trying to elongate the anticipation because they knew that when everything was unwrapped, we’d be ready for something new. On the flip side of the fun of anticipation, our youngest is in her final year of high school. The question posed to us often is “Are you ready for the empty nest?” The answer to that is unequivocally no, but I will not grieve it before it happens. Worrying ahead robs me of the joy of the present. So, it’s a fine line between anticipation joy and anticipation grief. And it’s a line we are walking carefully in this season of our lives.

Gabe

Gabe is doing well at the University of Minnesota. He had an internship in quality assurance for a company called ImageTrend this summer and has continued to work for them part time this school year. He’s also secured an internship in software engineering for this coming summer for a company in Eagan. Gabe’s fall semester was challenging, and he keeps reminding us that computer science classes don’t get easier and that each semester will get progressively harder. When we ask him about his classes, we understand the first sentence and then after that he might as well be speaking a different language. He still loves his gaming and reading. His book collection has grown to four giant tubs in our storage room, two bookshelves at home, and one bookshelf in his apartment. He and his girlfriend of over two years explored Germany, Paris, and Amsterdam last winter so his world view is growing. Katrina is doing well in her journalism classes and had a practicum this summer as well. She writes for the U of M’s news publication The Daily.

Ben

Ben graduated from PIHS with honors in May and had a very successful senior track and field season. He earned All Conference and a trip to State in the discus where he placed 9th and got on the medal stand. I couldn’t watch when he was throwing at Section. Gabe was working the event and we knew he could make the qualifying distance even if he didn’t place first or second. When his throw landed, I watched from afar as Gabe sprinted over to mark it and we knew. It was one of the greatest moments to hug him, Matt, and his coaches. Ben also worked at Crumbl Cookie and we definitely enjoyed the samples he would bring home.  In September he started college at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He began as an exercise science major and over thanksgiving told us he’d switched his major. “To what” we asked, hoping for nursing. “Physical Education,” he said. So, even though he’ll probably live at home forever, he’ll be amazing with kids through teaching and coaching. In December, he officially made the track and field team, so we are looking forward to following him to indoor meets this winter and outdoor meets this spring. He’s found some good friends and his coaches have been amazing to work with. He’s definitely found the right fit. Go BluGolds!

Lyndee

I literally cannot fathom that our youngest will celebrate her 18th birthday in just a couple of weeks. She ended her junior basketball season with an honorable mention All Conference award. In the spring, she qualified for Section in the shot put, discus (5th), 200 (9th), and 4x100 (3rd). One of the favorite moments of my coaching career came when we watched the team finish third and waited for their official time to go up on the scoreboard. When it did, they had not only qualified for state, but had also set a new school record! And though they ran hard at state, they missed qualifying for finals by .005. All the girls are back this year, so they have big goals.  This fall Lyndee switched gears and ran cross country for the first time. It’s pretty amazing that I’ve gotten to coach my girl in three sports. Cross country was a challenge. People would ask me, “Does Lyndee just love CC?” and I would have to reply honestly, “No, she hates it.” She learned a lot about herself though throughout the season -that she can do hard things and that sometimes the value of what you’re doing has to come from the work and not just the results. Lyndee is a starter for the basketball team and is proving to be intense, a tough leader, and so strong inside. Other than sports, she loves playing trumpet, hanging out with friends, netflix,  and shopping. She’s been accepted to Creighton’s Nursing program, Augustana, and the U of M and is waiting to see how this season plays out before she makes a final decision.  And no, we are not ready for how dramatically our lives will change when she goes to college. We still try to throw RCTC into the mix, but she is definitely ready to forge her own path away from the daily interference of her parents. 

Matt and Amy

Parenting, teaching, and coaching dominate our lives. Who knew we’d be at it this long? One of the things I appreciate about my job is that it is cyclical in nature. Predictability and routine are my friends and my comfort zone. But more importantly, each day/season/week/quarter/sometimes class period is a chance to start over. Things go wrong as they often do and in teaching and coaching, we are afforded the opportunity to begin again and to go back and make repairs.  I still get to teach Minnesota History, but this year I also get one period with 5th graders, and one period of math intervention. My days this year are interesting and fun with a great team and lots of fun teaching moments. Matt and I both coached this fall in football and CC respectively and look forward to coaching together in track and field this spring and savoring Lyndee’s senior season. 

Travel

Weddings, AAU, parents! We started our summer travel season with an AAU tourney in Ames, then we drove out to MD for our nephew, Brody’s (and Hannah’s) wedding. Following the wedding, we drove to NYC to adventure there with the CA Northrops. We got to celebrate Gabe’s 21st birthday in Little Italy, go to the MET, see TWO Broadway shows (MJ was the BEST!), visit the 9/11 museum (a MUST see), fireworks with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, shop in Times Square, etc. Then we drove to upstate NY to spend a few days with my sister, Heidi, and her husband in their new home. When we returned to MN, we had two more AAU tourneys, a 5 day tournament in Chicago (where we Lime Scootered to the game…both of us….on one scooter….”why is this going so slowly?”.....”I think we are over the weight limit…..”) And we ended the summer at our niece, Kira’s (and James’) wedding in Maryland. It was a whirlwind, but so fun to see and visit those we love.  We also made trips out and back to Granite Falls to see my dad and Karla. On Valentine’s day we moved my dad into the brand new Veterans Home in Montevideo. It has been a huge blessing to have him there and being so well cared for and respected for his service. We got in one trip to Nebraska to see Matt’s parents in October, and are blessed with weekly visits to see my mom and David who live close by in Rochester. 

Pets

Here’s the 2024 rundown–Dash - 13.5 years old. He is definitely an old man. He spends most of his time napping and barking at things that don’t exist. He likes to wander outside but then forgets where he is and acts surprised and excited when we come to find him.  Cat #5, Sunny and Cat #6, Luna aka Chubs and Tubs like the laundry room better than the garage most days. Sunny still hides under the step and Luna has explored outside in the warmer months.   Goldie - 2.5 years old - Yellow Lab. She is wicked smart and very naughty. She is less naughty when she can go on runs with me. Her food intake is higher than her caloric output, so those runs need to happen on a more regular basis - for both of us. And introducing…..Fergus (Gus)! - recently turned 1, yellow lab/golden retriever mix. He is so sweet, slightly naughty, pesters Dash, and plays well with Goldie. His favorite places to be are on the couch looking out the window and on top of whichever human happens to be sitting on the couch. 

We hope you find joy in anticipation this year. Happy New Year! 

Love, Matt & Amy, Gabe, Ben, Lyndee, Dash, Goldie, Gus, Sunny, and Luna