Whomptons' Fall 2019
This fall, the majority of our traditionally allocated time was devoted to doctor appointments. Samantha was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and underwent two surgeries in April; her radiation treatment kicked off the beginning of the new school year. Early into Raina's cross country season she injured her hip and she had lots of physical therapy to repair and strengthen the area; she also was declared anemic and there were multiple appointments trying to determine the root cause of her anemia. Krystal added three surgeries to the schedule, in addition to meeting with a number of doctors to manage the mastocytosis. Eric and Lola managed to stay healthy, thank goodness!
Lola took the fall season off from basketball (she played winter, spring, and summer ball) and focused on running, recuperating, and reworking her shot. Eric's cell phone is filled with videos of Lola on the court; they often spend time reviewing her videos to improve her play.
The start of the fall season, for us school folk, begins in August. Highlights of August:
- Krystal won the MICDS Employee Uno tournament with a clutch play at the end, which caused lots of gasps from the crowd. My reward was a ginormous TV!
- Raina began her Freshman year at MICDS and Lola began 5th grade at Ross Elementary.
- Raina began her first cross country season, with 5-6 two-hour practices a week. Running cross country for two hours in 95 degrees is absolutely brutal and I'm impressed that she kept with it.
- Eric's company (no longer Thomson Reuters, now Refinitiv) had a company party at Grant's Farm. We fed the goats, ate ridiculous amounts of food, rocked the dance floor, and did our best to not embarrass Eric too much! :)
- We began watching Jane the Virgin on Netflix. The five seasons of Jane occupied a fair amount of free time this fall.
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| Such a great shot capturing the moment at the Uno tournament. My favorite picture of 2019. |
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| Cutest kid(s) |
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| Family photo with a Clydesdale. The horse is better attired than we are! |
- The Whomptons became "those people" and became Six Flags season pass holders. We went over Labor Day weekend (along with a HUGE amount of people) to try to get our money's worth. Eric and the girls enjoyed riding roller coasters; Krystal rode one coaster which immediately broke her and -- no joke -- required that she take a nap at a picnic table to recuperate.
- Architecture takes the lead in Raina's favorite classes -- overtaking Latin, nudging aside Calculus -- and reveals a whole new way to view the world.
- The Zoo Parent Picnic -- always a great time!
- Krystal chaperoned Lola's class field trip to the Science Center.
- NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri Gala
- Homecoming weekend, with the Fun Run and Carnival. Due to my surgeries, this was the first Fun Run and Carnival celebration I missed in 12 years. On the plus side, Raina's "brother" made it to the Fun Run family photo.
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| Zoo Parent Picnic means everything at the zoo is free. The girls immediately gravitated to grooming the goats. |
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| Lola and Eric were the sole Whomptons at the Fun Run |
October highlights:
- Lola and Krystal joined a Mommy-Daughter Book Club.
- The family spent a lovely evening exploring the Delmar Loop.
- We saw Dear Evan Hansen on tour.
- Krystal chaperoned Lola's field trip to Cahokia Mounds.
- We attended MICDS Open House as a prospective family. Raina showed everyone all the ins-and-outs of being a high schooler.
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| Attempt #1 to reach Howell Island for an afternoon hike. The Missouri River had overrun the land-bridge, so we bailed and went shopping at the Columbia Outlet instead. |
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| A Family Friday Fun Night (actually a Saturday afternoon) at a high ropes course |
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| Lola continued her annual tradition of using Raina's homemade Halloween costume from a few years prior. Here she is, in Raina's Mistborn costume. I believe this was Raina's last homemade costume, so who knows what Lola will choose to do next year! |
- Raina's braces went back on. She was a high level of bitter about it.
- We staffed the Girls on the Run 5K.
- We saw Noises Off! multiple times.
- Lola performed in an All-District Strings session.
- Krystal met with an international expert about her disease.
- Lola's basketball season began. Suddenly the weekdays and weekends were even more jam packed!
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| The Whompton adults attended a Dia de los Muertos fiesta. We paid tribute to our grandmother (both wearing her cardigans), to Roxanne, and to Dr. Stern. |
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| Thanksgiving hike at Castlewood State Park with family friends, followed by our traditional Indian buffet meal. |
December highlights:
- Raina's Robotics team -- of which she is a lead coder -- had their first competition of the season. It was stressful and meant a lot of concentrated robotics time in that week, but they learned a lot and are excited for round #2.
- Lola finished her MICDS application, took the SSAT, and the full family had our interview. She also registered for 6th grade courses at Parkway NEMS AND her parents completed the application for Parkway West. Having multiple schooling options is a great thing but it's stressing us all out.
- We celebrated Christmas in Nashville with Eric's family.
- All the Whomptons plus many Comptons did a Civil Rights tour of Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham, AL. This will have to be a separate posting, because it was so powerful.
- Raina's braces came back off. Permanent retainer for life!
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| Attempt #2 for the Howell Island hike. We could at least see the land bridge this time. |
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| We unintentionally dressed in matching opposites, down to our white socks and black shoes. |
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| We never take pictures in front of a holiday tree. Here's our best attempt. |
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| Even more family. |
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| The church from which Dr. King organized the Montgomery bus boycott. |
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| Crossing the Pettus Bridge from Selma |
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| Standing in the footsteps of everyday heroes. Conclusion of Selma to Montgomery March, near the Capitol building |
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| Legacy of lynching in my home county |
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