This year, the Summer Strings Institute put on by the National Philharmonic was back. Leah was accepted into the Prep week (elementary school week) and Molly was selected for their Junior week (middle and early high school). Then Molly was also asked to serve as an intern during Prep week, so for that week both girls were at camp together.
This video is of the end of SSI Prep, including both Leah and Molly.
And here's video of both the chamber music concert and full orchestra concert at the end of SSI Junior.
Both sets of grandparents even came to see the final concert of SSI Junior.
With the girls off at camp for the week and away for the first time since the pandemic began, Jen and I finally got a chance to go away. We'll call this our 18th and 19th anniversary trip since last year's trip never happened. We didn't have enough time to go far, so we found the Hyatt resort in Cambridge, Maryland, and had a lovely few days.
We brought our bikes and biked through the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
We played frisbee golf and putt-putt at the resort.
We hung out in the infinity pool.
And we of course ate at lots of delicious restaurants (Black Water Bakery, Ava's Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Emily's Produce, Jimmie & Sook's, and more).
The girls made it to Manidokan. They were sooo excited!! It was the first time they’d slept out of the house since Jan 2020. The last time was actually for a winter retreat at Manidokan. They had a great week, as always.
Aunt EA, Uncle Scott, Charlie, and Max came to town. Thanks to vaccines and lower transmission rates, we finally got to see them. And we quickly made sure we got a family picture.
We celebrated Caroline and Grams's birthdays with a strawberries and cream cake.
With Max and Charlie in town, we headed to a local playground for some outdoor fun.
And Grams got a picture with all her grandkids on the 4th of July.
We're finally at the end of this unique school year! This is the end of the line for both of them at their respective schools. Here's to new adventures in the Fall (and being in school 5 days a week)!
And for a before and after, here are some girls starting middle school almost 3 years ago, and finishing it now.
Molly was confirmed at Glen Mar Church! We're very proud of her, and so excited for this special day. Thanks Christy for being a great Friend in Faith, and thanks to Jen Rowell for making it all happen.
Molly and Simon performed at their Confirmation services (both of them).
Leah's team, the Quarantween Readers, had a great time in Battle of the Books.
I was worried she was going to miss out on this fun experience since it was over Zoom instead of in person, but it was great! In some ways, it was better than the in-person experience. The girls were very into the competition, and spent every spare moment dancing and laughing. Afterward, Leah said it was one of the best days of her life.
Molly is 14! Her only requests for the cake were that it was chocolate and PINK! So here's a pink ombre striped chocolate cake with peanut butter mousse filling. It was soo good! Molly said this is going to be her choice of flavors from now on. The stripes were a new adventure for Jen. Dang they are hard.
Molly didn't get to have a 13th birthday part thanks to quarantine, but she got to have a 14th. We had a low-key gathering on the back porch, and a good time was had by all.
Molly and her friends decorated cupcakes at her birthday party. There were themed rounds, with a champion of each.
