It has to be one of the most wonderful questions Kathy and I have ever been asked: an inquiry from our two Iowa nieces, Aidan and Anna, seeing if it would be okay for them to come visit us for several days sometime in August.
Okay?!? Are you kidding?!? It was the kind of question that sends the typical Aunt and Uncle dancing in the streets in glee! Of course, Kathy and I aren’t quite that energetic, so I’m pretty sure we settled for a high-five and maybe a fist pump without ever leaving the comfort of our way-too-comfortable couch. But honestly, we could not have been more thrilled that they wanted to come for a visit. We love all of our nieces and nephews, but aside from Lorelai, who lives right here, they have not exactly been showered with attention from us, thanks to our crazy lives (and theirs.) And by the way, although I should be the one who leads the charge when it comes to the nieces and nephews from my side of the family tree, it’s often Kathy who remembers their birthdays and other important matters. When it comes to that sort of thing, I am a terrible ditz. So this was such a lovely surprise for Aidan and Anna to express interest in coming for a visit- just the two of them- and we were delighted to say yes!
And it turned out to be an absolutely fantastic time, as we knew it would be. They arrived around lunch time on Thursday, and we promptly headed off to the Wisconsin State Fair to take in all of the fun and excitement offered there. Friday was the day that Anna (who will be a high school senior this year) toured Carthage (with the three of us in tow) – and it was also the day that we all were busy in the kitchen preparing for a big party that night. Between cutting up the veggies and assembling cucumber sandwiches, we were all busy – but my wife has a way of making even working in the kitchen fun! That night, we joined a number of friends in seeing the new Meryl Streep film “Florence Foster Jenkins,” and then welcomed everyone back to our house for what amounted to a really delightful (and rather fancy) gathering. Saturday was spent shopping at Prime Outlets, followed by a long romp at the Bristol Renaissance Faire, that left us happily exhausted. Sunday was church (the big send-off for our goddaughter Anneka Barrow) followed by a party at the Barrow’s house- and then we were off to the beach, where Kathy and I remained safely planted on the sand while our nieces frolicked to their heart’s content. The choice for dinner was given to the girls, and they ended up choosing Olive Garden – and we loved our time there, except for the part where they paid for it, over our strenuous objections! Their visit ended Monday with a brief return to Carthage and then lunch at Mike’s Chicken and Doughnuts in downtown Kenosha, a delicious and fun meal which we shared with a friend of Aidan’s who also goes to Luther. (He spotted some of our photos on Facebook and realized that Aidan and Anna were in Racine- his hometown- and reached out to see if a rendezvous was possible. He turned out to be a friendly and interesting young man, so we were glad the rendezvous occurred.) After hugs and kisses they were on their way by about 2:00 Monday afternoon.
Whew! I am EXHAUSTED just from writing about all that we did, but those four days were not the least bit taxing; it was as easy and pleasurable a time as it could possibly be. Aidan and Anna are very easy to have around- just the kind of go-with-the-flow house guests that make it all effortless. But they aren’t slugs who just lay around waiting for someone else to generate the excitement. They brought this irrepressible energy into our house from the moment they crossed the threshold. And the laughter!!! They are two of the funniest people I know and they are champion gigglers, and such fun to be around. And maybe best of all, they are such kind-hearted and appreciative young women, genuinely thankful for even the smallest things.
All of that I already knew- but what I wasn’t fully prepared for was the intense pride I felt as we were out and about with them. They are so bright and comfortable and articulate, and they connect with other people so vibrantly. (The guy in the admissions office actually remarked about Anna’s poise and the intensity of her eye contact, which is quite exceptional for someone her age.) And I have to say that it’s just about the greatest feeling in the world to be able to point to someone so wonderful and say “That’s my niece!” I don’t know exactly how it has happened. It’s Randi and Matt’s skilled parenting combined with the nurturing of an extraordinary circle of friends in and around Decorah – but one way or another, Aidan and Anna have become two very special young women that Kathy and I love with all our being.
But beyond loving them, we like them ….. and that’s maybe the most important thing I want to say here. We would love them no matter what- even if they were sullen or sour or spoiled- but if that’s what they were like, then we sure wouldn’t enjoy being with them. Instead, we would probably be tempted, when asked, to feign ignorance and say “No, I’m afraid those obnoxious teenagers are not with us. I’m not sure who they belong to.” But instead, I felt like ordering a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words I’M THEIR UNCLE! Not that I deserve to take one tiny sliver of credit for who they are. But it sure feels great to be perched on branches of the same family tree. (Forgive the blathering of a completely biased uncle.)
Today in the mail, a sweet Thank You note arrived in the mail from Aidan and Anna. It was nice of them to do that but I’m pretty sure that they got it backwards and that it’s Kathy and me who should be writing a thank you note to them. It would read….
Thank you, dear nieces, for spicing up the lives of your Aunt Kathy and Uncle Greg this past weekend. We loved every moment that you were with us- and so did Bobbi and Ellie. It’s been kind of a tough summer for us, thanks to various hassles and headaches and hurts- plus there is so much going on in our country and in our world right now that is disillusioning and distressing. Thanks for walking into our lives this weekend and reminding us of all that is still right with the world.
Photos below: Aidan and Anna at the State Fair.
It was a rainy day for our Carthage tour, but fortunately Uncle Greg brought his umbrella along for the girls to use.
Friday night, we went to “Florence Foster Jenkins” – and at the party afterwards, we actually had our three nieces, Anna/Lorelai/Aidan, in the same room for the first time ever!
We spent Saturday afternoon at the Bristol Renaissance Faire.
Sunday afternoon we enjoyed some time at the beach- and at Racine’s beautiful lighthouse.
Our last meal together- at Mike’s Chicken and Doughnuts in downtown Kenosha.
