Riley Viking Award Winner

 

OMG!  Can you even believe how grown up Abby looks here!?  This past week we got notice that Abby had been awarded the Viking Award for her good grades and attitude at school.  Each month a boy and a girl from 6-8th grade is awarded the Viking Award.  They've been doing it for 25 years!  Abby was so honored and if I'm honest, I had more than one tear in my eye as Mr. Vicari read off the reason's she'd been nominated.  He was nice enough to share them with me, so they are written here below.  I am so proud to be her Mom!

Viking Award for March

6th Grade: Abby McGrath

Mrs. Wessel: Abby truly exemplifies what it means to be a model student. In the classroom,
her dedication to learning, willingness to ask thought-provoking questions, and ability to
collaborate seamlessly with her peers make her a truly standout student. She consistently
demonstrates strong character, empathy, and kindness toward classmates and staff alike; a
truly excellent example for her peers to follow. Her passion for science is evident in her
enthusiastic participation in experiments, her never-ending curiosity about the world around her,
and her consistent and thoughtful contributions to class discussions. I do not doubt that Abby
will continue to achieve great things throughout her time here at Riley, and I look forward to
working with her in the years to come. I am so proud of Abby's seamless transition to the middle
school setting and look forward to continuing to watch her grow! Congratulations Abby!

Mr. Hostetler (Band\Choir): Abby is an amazing musician! She plays flute in band,
guitar in rock band, and sings in the choir. She comes prepared and is ready to go for all
ensembles. She leads by example and is a true joy to teach students like her!

Ms. Moore: Abby is a kind and quiet student. She is always willing to help others and does a
wonderful job in art class!

Mrs. Long: Abby is a role model student. She is prepared for class and performs well in her
academics. She is polite and respectful to her teachers and peers. She participates in class and
cares about her academics. Her peers look to her for help as well in math class. Great overall
student! Keep up the great work Abby!

Mrs. Stratton: Abby had a sweet smile every morning for me! I loved it when we would have
a conversation, and she would nod her head and say, "Yeahhhh." It was so cute. She was a joy
to have in class. Also, her cursive was amazing!!

Mr. Zimmer: Abby is a joy to have in class. Her intelligence and eagerness to learn is what every
teacher loves. She does a great job paying attention in class, turns in quality work and actively
participates.

Mrs. Mortimer: Abigail is such a sweet young lady. She brings brightness to the class with
her smile and kindness. She works very hard and is always willing to give a helping hand. I enjoy
our many conversations together even though she needs to remind me all the time that she is a
Packers Fan! Abby is respectful to all those around her.
 
Mrs. Hernandez: Abigail is a kind and compassionate young woman. Her quiet
kindness does not go unnoticed. Abigail is also organized and well-prepared for
class.

Mr. Rogers: Abigail is one of the nicest students I have at Riley. She's a joy to have in class
and is always so nice and respectful. Abigail is most definitely deserving. Congrats Abby!!

Mrs. Schueler: Earning the Viking Award is an honor but to have earned it as a 6th grade
shows everyone that you are on the path of greatness. In fifth grade, you were always eager to
learn and to help others around you. When I think back to last year, I remember you sitting on
the edge of your seat, leaning forward, and a smile on your face. You were such a joy to have in
class. Congrats!

Ice Hogs Performance

Yesterday the whole family attended the Rockford Ice Hogs game to see Abby and the Riley choir sing the national anthem at the start of the game.  It was really fun to see the kids on the jumbo-tron (though, I admit Erin and I got a LOT of joy out of being featured dancing on it as well).  We all had a great time and we even got to take a school picture down on the ice after the game.

 It was a very fun night and I know Abby felt honored to have so many people there to support her.  I have a feeling we've got more of these games/performances in our future with 2 more years for Abby and 3 for Hazel after that!

Eclipse Camping

 

Two plus years ago we started planning our trip to southern Illinois for the eclipse.  The path of totality (which, sounds so silly) was set to hit southern Illinois, about 6 hours south of us.  When it happened back in 2017 people sold it as one of the coolest experiences of their lives so when we realized we'd have another opportunity in 2024, we popped it on our calendars and vowed to figure out a way to see it.

Ed and Marsha's son, Chris and his family, live in Marion, Illinois and it was set to be smack dap in the middle of where we wanted to be, so 2 years ago we inundated this little campground in Marion Illinois with requests for campsites for 4 campers - and it's a good thing we were so far ahead of the game.  Nearly everything was sold out or crazy expensive as the day neared.  We were all so thankful when about 3 months ago the owner of the campground called to get our credit card numbers and set up our reservations officially.  I really had my doubts, but it worked out better than I could have hoped!

We had to book 4 nights, which was fine because the eclipse was set to take place around 2pm Monday afternoon and we'd learned from everyone who went in 2017 that the traffic would be crazy afterwards so we pulled the kids out of school for the extra day and took a 4 day weekend in southern Illinois.

You know what's super questionable in southern Illinois in early April!?  The weather...that's what.  But, God must have been shining down with us because we lucked out with the most amazing weather.  I don't think I could have ordered up a better weekend.  It was sunny, 80 and exactly what I needed for my mental health.  A few days off, some sunshine and the feeling of summer...it really had us all feeling super grateful and thankful.

We'd put so much effort into making our way down there just for a 10 minute block of time...I was prepared for it to pour rain, or not be that cool, or to generally be disappointed.  But mother nature did not disappoint.  

When people ask me if it was worth it....all the planning, all the prep, the long drive down and back and I say hands down, if you ever have a chance to experience a full eclipse, fully in the path of totality, make the time, make the effort and you won't be disappointed.  It was such a cool experience.  

It went from full on sunny as you can see here, to night and back again in probably 10 total minutes.  The sun was fully covered for maybe 4 or 5 minutes, but it was wild how quickly it all happened.  Not like a sunset that takes an hour.  It was so much more instant than that.  The temperature cooled what felt like 10 degrees for the short time.  I even went inside the camper and grabbed a sweater!  The street lights came on, the birds flew to roost and stopped singing, everything was quiet and still, until it all came back up and everything came back to life.  

It was very hard to get photos of the sun while it was happening but these two were the best we got!  In the one above you can see the moon right in the center of the sun.  You can see from the sky that it looks like near dusk and I bet it was only another minute or two before the below photo was taken. 

Long story short this was an experience we will not forget!  

1 Family x 12 (April)

 

I can't decide what's funnier - our pasty white winter skin...or the glasses we got Copper to wear.  Either way, this might make the cover of the blog book for 2024.