Last Friday, Mer and I headed north to Bainbridge, to the middle school. We had been invited there by a student to go swing dancing as part of his birthday celebration. We have been meaning to try swing dancing for a few years now, so it seemed time.
We got there about thirty minutes later than we wanted because of road construction and poor detour signs. Still, we were there in time to get about thirty minutes of basic instruction. We kept switching partners every few minutes, and they were all very helpful. Mer was a quicker study than I, since she had taken some lessons back in the day. After the lessons, they brought in a live swing band of about five members, and it was a great time. The music was fun, and even though I could only try three different steps, it was enough to have an excuse to dance. There were about six CVCA students there, and a total crowd of about a hundred people. It was quite festive, and it was fun watching all the people who could really dance. We stayed about two and a half hours, until 10:30, and went home. We really need to do that again, preferably after a few lessons.
On Saturday we had yet more graduation parties. A new record of five in one day, in fact. It is a bit odd to have to plan eating strategy for a day, but we had to. We both tried to eat small portions at each party, and it worked – we managed to be social and eat at every party. The parties were fun, and included:
– Mer beating me at a lawn game that involved trying to fling golf ball bolos onto a tube ladder.
– A grad party with a lot of people, but no one else from CVCA other than I, Mer, and the family hosting (I guess it was mostly family).
– A paddle boat trip on a tiny pond, because we could.
On Sunday, Mer and I went to church, and then we went for a walk in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Specifically, we went to the Oak Hill Trail, after we were driven away from the Horseshoe Pond Trail by aggressive deer flies. The Oak Hill walk was very pleasant, and we were both happy that we were getting back into exploring the ton of local parks we have, which was something we missed out on last summer.
Mid-afternoon, we wandered over to CVCA to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony for the new expansion that will add new athletic offices and more classroom space. We opened with singing “I Love You, Lord.” Short speeches were then given by RT (the president of CVCA), the chair of the board, and the president of student council. Then, a group of students, teachers, staff members, and administrators shoveled some dirt, and we sang another hymn. We then mingled with folks, and munched on a few cookies.
Later in the evening, we made a quick trip to visit Dubbs. I brought her peanut butter bars, and we made arrangements to go see X-Men the next day (Monday). Dubbs was doing pretty well, and she was off most of her medications. She was to see the doctor on Monday to get cleared to go out and maybe even drive. So, with another work-week date to look forward to, Mer and I went home.