Eastward Ho

To Port Orchard, WA & Milwaukee, WI -- Saturday, May 14 - Wednesday, May 18, 2016

We’ve been on the “road” now for about 5 days, hopscotching our way across the country: San Jose to Port Orchard, WA (~Tacoma) to White Fish Bay, WI (~Milwaukee).  Next in line will be Sudbury and Milton, MA (~Boston).

Meg and the kids skipped the jaunt to Washington, instead, heading directly to Wisconsin for Nemo and Stephanie’s wedding. 

From all accounts, the wedding in Madison was a blast. The happy couple thought of everything; Beth, the proud mom looked radiant, and dancing lasted well into the night. Meg was overjoyed to see the extended family that gathered for the festivities, particularly as we’ll be missing the normal summer camping and Christmas get-togethers for the rest of 2016.

Sister Anne, Kylie, and Meg

Sister-in-Law Patti, Mother of the Bride Beth, and Niece Katie

Meanwhile, I made my way to Seattle for my college buddy, Wendell’s, graduation from the University of Puget Sound.  With a doctorate in Occupational Therapy and an upcoming, full-time teaching position, I should rightfully be addressing him as “Professor Nakamura.” 

Though the weather was stereotypical for the northwest, overcast and grey skies, the rain held off during the ceremony and I marveled at the amazing displays of rhododendrons throughout the area.

Wen's parents and good friend (and former instructor), Julie, were there to celebrate the big event. We definitely maximized our opportunities for eating out, which gave us plenty of time to catch up after not having seen each other for six years.

Since my arrival in Wisconsin on Monday, we’ve all been together.  Thank you, Bob and Angie, for hosting us for one last send-off, complete with an 18 hand game of Cribbage.

And thanks, Uncle Johnny for playing hooky from work on Wednesday to get us to the airport. 

We laid down the law on Wednesday getting the kids into study mode.

Somehow, that promptly fell apart on Thursday and Friday, sigh.  I also started an expense tracking sheet in my journal.  Meg really enjoys my multiple spending inquiries during the day and each evening. I was going to use a spreadsheet on my phone to track the (negative) cash flow, but settled on the paper and pencil method instead so the kids can add it up at the end of the day for math practice.

Interestingly, Dex and Kylie's reactions to being homeschooled have been quite different. While Dex would be thrilled to never do another homework assignment again, Kylie has been fretting that she may not learn enough. We've attempted to reassure her that she can't help but learn loads of stuff along the way, no matter how inept her new teachers are. She seemed only mildly satisfied with that assertion.