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Year after year we have come to the Air Force Academy to deliver saber cases to graduates, and we’ve even attended some of the graduations. The majestic music, crisp uniforms, a president or other official guest speaker, and the smoke and roar of the Thunderbirds…I love it! This year, we had even more reason to love it…our daughter Nicholle graduated in the Class of 2019!

We had just finished the huge coin rack project (see previous post), in February, and had to start preparing for graduation…and not just for our oldest daughter…our two youngest children Kaity and Jarod were graduating from homeschool high school! Our whirlwind of activity left a hurricane of mess and chaos in our home and lives. Never mind. Just keep calm and keep busy, right? We’ll sort everything out later.

We decided, rather than renting a home for graduation, we would bring our RV and park it in the on-base Family Camp area. We also chose to tow our SUV instead of renting a car.

Everything was packed and ready to go. Some family members were flying out later, and our two youngest were traveling with us in the RV. Of course, as one of our children pointed out, “It’s not a road trip if there’s no breakdown!” One hundred miles down the road, our RV started acting up. And then one of the tires on the dolly popped!

The sun had just set, and my husband said, “Mary, you and one of the kids take the SUV and drive all night (it was loaded full of saber cases we were to deliver to cadets the next morning) so you can set up in Arnold Hall tomorrow morning.” Jarod agreed to accompany me, and we set out.

Rich had said, “I’ll meet you in Salina (Kansas). Don’t stop; just keep going.” So, as we’re sailing along, I see out of the corner of my eye what looks like our RV on the side of the highway. It was! I thought, “That’s odd; thought we’d see them in Salina. Maybe he’s taking a nap?” He wasn’t; he was under it, trying to see what was wrong, as they were still having trouble! Oh well, he had told me to keep going. And what good would it have done for us to stop? That’s what I told myself anyway.

Thanks to Jarod navigating us through some stormy weather, we finally got to Colorado Springs. In Arnold Hall, we looked around for a table to set up. We found out that Bernadette, the woman in charge of the hall, had suddenly passed away! We were so saddened by this, as she was a wonderful, friendly person. We had always enjoyed working with her and are very sorry for the loss.

As we chatted with Firsties, learning about their future and congratulating them while handing them their saber cases, I wondered where we would sleep that night if Rich didn’t make it. I had to repeatedly tell the extremely patient and polite cadets the story of the breakdown, and that they would have to come back later to get their case, if it was glass-covered (we had put these delicate items in the RV to protect them).

Rich texted me later that day to say that he had spent hours getting a clamp out of a tight spot inside the workings of the motor home. He had fixed the problem and saved us hundreds of dollars! What a great husband! And they would be there in a few hours. Whew!

The first two days of our Colorado stay were filled with delivering saber cases. After that, we were free to spend time with our Firstie, and relax and have fun. She took us to the Great Sand Dunes. Great fun! Lots of walking up huge piles of sand, but then short bursts of very fast sledding.

Family members and old family friends started showing up. The day before graduation was the Graduation Parade. We got there early and waited awhile, shivering in the cold. We had brought a blanket, so about ten of us had this spread across our legs! Clouds loomed, and we feared rain as well as the air show being cancelled.

Finally, a voice boomed over the loudspeaker, seriously telling everyone to look up and blow. He explained that this might help the clouds blow away! Suddenly, through the clouds, a jet-black B-2 slowly glided over us, and the announcer said that our blowing must have worked! The bomber was a sight to behold!

Next was a falcon demonstration (the falcon is the USAF Academy mascot). It was fun to watch the majestic bird flying around.

Then the parade started. Thousands of crisp white pants with blue jackets marching in unison is very impressive. Each squadron marched by into its designated position. The seniors (Firsties) were called out, and marched away from their squadrons, signifying their leaving the group to graduate. Loved it!

Our daughter came to see us afterward, hanging out with us in the stands, and taking family photos. We took some photos of her with family. Several have special significance, as they were like the ones her father, Rich, took with his family over 30 years ago in the stands when he graduated!

Graduation Day was another early day. We prepared for bad weather by bringing plastic rain ponchos our thoughtful daughter had provided for us.

Regardless of your political persuasion, you must admit that seeing the POTUS (President of the United States) speak in person is impressive and awe-inspiring. Since we have come for many years to deliver the saber cases, we have been to many graduations, and heard several U.S. presidents speak, including President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush Jr. My husband shook President George Bush Sr.’s hand (he was VP at the time) at his graduation. He also shook President Richard Nixon’s hand as a Cub Scout and President Bill Clinton’s hand as part of an official visit once, when he was active duty.

The graduating seniors marched in, another impressive sight. We found our daughter amongst the sea of uniforms! The Honor Guard (Rich’s cousin is a member) was lined up in two lines on the football field to greet the official party. Many important Air Force members arrived and were announced and applauded.

We had been waiting in the stands for several hours, and there was a rumor that Trump might not make it because he was flying back from Japan. Finally, the motorcade arrived. President Donald Trump stepped out of his limo, and the Air Force band began playing “Hail to the Chief”. The sharp shooters at the top of the bleachers opposite us, dressed ominously in black, looked alert.

Trump, an energetic force moving across the green turf in his black suit and red tie, waved to the crowd and pumped his fists. The crowd went wild, clapping, cheering and whistling. Interestingly, I didn’t hear any boos or negativity.

Trump started his speech thanking everyone for inviting him. Typically, the president and other White House officials have a rotation for speaking at military school graduations (i.e. West Point, Annapolis, etc.). He wasn’t supposed to speak at USAFA until next year. I think he chose to speak at the Academy this year (2019) to announce the formation of Space Force.

Before giving the cadets their diplomas, he specifically honored two graduates. The first, a young man who had won a national baseball award for hitting the most home runs. After recognizing him, he said, “Come on up here!” And he shook his hand and had a photo with him. The next was a student who had been battling cancer. It was in remission, and he had been allowed to graduate. Again, Trump brought the cadet up to the platform to honor him.

GOING FOR A THOUSAND

Then the fun began. Trump explained that the Academy had given him a choice. Since there were a THOUSAND graduates, he could shake only the top cadets’ hand, only the top ten grads, or all of them. “I’m going for a thousand,” he said. And again, the crowd roared their approval.

And he did. We watched as he grabbed each person’s hand and said something personal to each one. Here’s the link where you can watch it: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-stays-on-after-commencement-speech-shakes-hands-with-1000-cadets. Our daughter Nikki said that all she remembers is hearing the announcer say, “Ni-…”! That’s okay, we have an amazing photo that our dear friend Greg Hoffeditz took with his high-powered professional camera from the stands.

After a while, the president shook out his hand as if it were getting stiff, then kept on. I think there might have been one cadet who took a selfie with him!

After all the grads had received their diplomas, the president spoke about the graduates and the Air Force and world they would soon be serving in. He announced the formation of Space Force. He got lots of cheers when he said he would allocate more money to supply and equip the greatest military in the world.

I liked the way he was super affirming of the Class of 2019, telling them that “You’re going to win so much that you’re going to get tired of winning!”

At one point he turned to one of the military officials behind him and joked that tomorrow the media would misconstrue what he had said.

Sure enough, the biggest news article I saw focused on him “giving amnesty to bad cadets.” EVERY president or speaker gives amnesty! It’s a tradition. It is not for seriously “bad” cadets, but those with minor infractions like being late to class or curfew. They get demerits for different infractions that affect their overall record. In fact, my dear sweet husband and his freshman squadron ALL got amnesty from Senator Barry Goldwater after they moved the F-16 onto the chapel wall (read about it in my earlier blog about the 1986 Class Reunion)!

The media totally missed the electricity and energy of the crowd and the president, and the amazing accomplishments of the almost 1,000 USAF 2^nd Lts! But we didn’t. We are so proud of all the new Air Force officers (especially our daughter Nikki)!

After his speech, Trump dismissed the Class of 2019. They responded, “Strong!” in unison, their class motto. Then a thousand white parade hats flew into the air as the Thunderbirds whooshed by! That is always my favorite part of a USAFA graduation.

President Trump and his entourage left, stopping to shake all the hands of the distinguished grads (one of which was another cousin of Rich’s!). He again walked through the lines of the Honor Guard, then turned back, looked up, waved at the crowd and then pumped both fists.

Rock music blared over the loudspeaker as the Thunderbirds started their show overhead. Awesome! I love how the jets zoom by, lined up in perfect precision! So cool! And loud! Our oldest son and his wife had cute earmuffs for their babies to protect their little ears.

We had the best time walking around talking to all the friends and family that made the trek out to Colorado Springs to see Nikki graduate. They all loved the pomp and pageantry of a military graduation.

I hope that as people reflect on all that’s going on in our country right now, that they will see this bright patriotic memory and be encouraged about all that’s right in our nation, despite all the troubles.

And while I am quite late reporting about this momentous event, I think maybe it will inspire and encourage people at this time. I know Rich and I are encouraged not only about our leader and our nation, but also about our daughter Nikki as she starts her Air Force career. She will be starting pilot training soon! Go Air Force!

*All photos taken by Greg Hoffeditz of Doc Hoffeditz Photography.

Today while driving my husband to the airport for a work trip, he informed me that the baby peacocks would be arriving in the mail tomorrow, so I needed to prepare for them.  Add that to the long list of things I needed to accomplish this week, I thought.

I dropped him off and was at a FedEx ship and print center, mailing a saber case to a customer, when I saw a text from hubby that read:  “Peacocks are at post office now!  Pick up!”  Okay!

I then drove to our local farm store to pick up Chick Starter Feed (we were receiving 2 peacocks and 12 chicks).  Since there is no specific food for baby peacocks (that I’m aware of), we feed them the same food we give to our chicks.

The postal workers were happy to see me!  One gentleman quipped, “Oh, those are your chicks?  They flew the coop!”  I hope not.  He shared that once before they had received a larger box full of chicks, and they got loose and they had to run around and catch them!  Fun!

I took my little box full of chirping home.  I put them in the house where they would stay cool (it was about 90 degrees outside) and walked out to the woodshop.  I found a hanging light to use for heat, a cardboard box and some wood shavings from under the table saw.  I put the box in our basement, lined it with newspaper and then spread wood shavings over that.  I put the chirping box in there, cut the tape holding it and carefully opened the lid.  The little birds sat there chirping, so I picked each one up individually and set them into their new home.  Turned out to be 15 chicks and 2 peacocks.  They are so tiny and cute!  Removing the mail box, I added a small waterer and two pans with chick starter for them to eat.

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Now I am periodically going down to the basement to check on our new babies.  I’ll keep you posted on how they are doing!

Our oldest son, Josh, asked us to be his support crew for a 24 hour cycling race he was going to do, the Pace Bend Ultra, near Austin, TX. (www.pacebendultra.com). He would circle a 6.2 mile track continuously for 24 hours, stopping strategically for food, drink, bathroom breaks, etc. We as his support would meet him at “the pit” to take care of his needs and get him back on the road.
You are probably much like we were…oh, okay…without really realizing the scope and magnitude of Josh’ undertaking (or ours). Kind of like when in high school, I was told I needed to go to the nurse’s station because my brother had gotten his nose broken. I had no idea how horrible it was until I got there and saw it.
So, we said yes.
He sent us a lot of detailed notes and website and blog links that he wanted us to read. My husband Rich, being super organized, had me make copies of everything and put it into binders.
We decided to bring the 3 kids still living at home, and Josh had also asked his best friend Matthew to help.
We divided into 3 support teams…Rich and our daughter Heather, myself and our daughter Kaity, and Matthew and our son Jarod. Josh’ wife Emily took care of their small children and also helped with cooking and moral support.

Reading over all of our son’s notes and plans was quite daunting: we were to keep track of his progress, his competition’s progress, and keep a log of nutritional food and drinks that we gave him, what he consumed, and calorie counts. We also had to recharge any lights or battery packs that he was using.

We also didn’t know how the teams would work together. And didn’t even really know how we as individuals would perform. Would we be able to meet the rider’s needs? Would we perform well? Sacrifice our own needs and desires for his, or display our own selfishness or attitudes as the night wore on?
Rich and I decided what shifts each team would do. The race started ‪at noon on Saturday and ended ‪at noon on Sunday. Each team did 2 hour shifts.
In Josh’ notes, it said, “I will want to quit; don’t let me!” It also said that the crew would sometimes be caregivers, and sometimes drill sergeants. I saw this happen amongst the teams, and our son!
Josh started off strong, and we were concerned that he slow down and pace himself, so as not to burn out.
Then, we noticed he was taking a little too long for one of his laps. Josh uses an app called Strava that showed us where he was on the track. He had a flat…no big deal. He had tools to fix that.
Shortly after that, he got another flat and didn’t have another tube. We had to get to him to get him another one.
He was up and running, but later got another flat! We were able to get another rim that he could use.* 

Mad Duck’s team mechanic helps us

I learned how to calculate his laps, but because of my mathematical deficiencies, didn’t quite understand what I was doing. Josh needed each official lap time and average lap time posted on a dry erase board with his current lap number.  The official time was running time so we had to figure the difference from the totals and then divide total mins and seconds by the laps.   It felt good to be helping and being part of the team. I also loved watching each member step up and get involved, giving their all and displaying their unique gifts and abilities.
For instance, at one point in the evening, Josh rode in and we found out his derailleur**, a critical part on his bike, had detached. His friend Matthew jumped into action, looking for the mechanic from the Mad Ducks team, who had helped him before.
He had actually gone to bed. We heard from neighbors that they had heard it pop off as he passed their tent. Matthew and Kaity ran over to the side of the road by these crews, looking with flashlights for a spring that was missing. They found it! A miracle!***
Josh was pretty discouraged and wiped out by this time, and it seemed like he wouldn’t have minded if we couldn’t fix his bike. In fact, he tried to go lie down in the RV, but Emily sent him back out! Matthew and Kaity both said they would not give up on him. Matthew said, “I think I can fix this.”
The screwdriver he needed was not in the bike toolkit, but Matthew remembered seeing a red screwdriver in the toolkit of the RV we rented that he thought would work. It worked! And Matthew was able to fix it!***

“I think I can fix this.”

His original goal had been to ride 380 miles, which would qualify him for the Race Across America (RAAM). The flats and mechanical issue set him back, but he still finished 304.3 miles. He also gained a great appreciation for the veteran cyclists who participate in these long distance races, and learned what he needs to do for next time. Great to meet you Dex, Reed and Charles, and thanks for all your help, encouragement and wisdom.

As support crew, we learned about teamwork and ourselves. It was an amazing adventure that we didn’t fully understand until we were in the middle of it. Thanks, Josh! ****

Additional notes from Matthew, best friend and pit crew member extraordinaire:

*Popped Tubes:
OK, so technically, when we rode to meet him on the course the first time, we brought him a new spare tire AND swapped him the one provided by race officials. Later, he swapped out to his old rim, which then popped a tube the 3rd time. We then swapped the organizers’ rim with him again before another team’s mechanic identified the issue with Josh’s rim – the rim tape was loose and not protecting the tubes inside the rim. One long strip of Gorilla Tape later, it was good to go. We swapped his rim back a few laps later and kept the organizers’ spare handy for the rest of the race. (note to self – do not use untested new parts on race day…)

**Derailleur:
note French-originated spelling
It’s a critical component which both maintains tension on the chain and physically positions the chain under the desired gear on the rear wheel/axle.
The cage and tensioner spring are the components which actually came separate from the rest of the derailleur during the “accident”. The rest of the derailleur remained fixed to the bike.

***When Josh pulled into our pit, he knew something was wrong, because the cage was dangling loose on the chain. I realized that we were at minimum missing a spring because simply putting the pieces back together left us without any tension. So, we headed over to find the mechanic who had assisted us before. He was not on the course any longer (this happened ‪around 3am – need to check log). But, another team heard our discussion and remarked that they had heard a loud pop as a rider went past, so we began searching the road and easement for the spring and other possible parts.

Once we put it back together, other teams commented that they had never heard of locating a part like this on the course and re-assembling the components. Of all of the places on a 6.2 mile course, it seemed providential that the final straw which pulled the pieces apart occurred on a stretch of flat ground in front of the .2 mile section of pits! (and having the screwdriver and no significant damage to the components was also very remarkable)

****Final note is that a number of other teams thought it was remarkable that a rookie crew and rider completed 300+ miles, especially given the number of breakdowns we suffered.

Remember that old cheer we yelled at the opposing team at football games?  “We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you?!”  There’s an organization that strives to encourage Air Force Academy cadets as they complete their final year, and it’s called, appropriately, “Spirit Mission.”

We were super blessed when we were invited to be a part of this mission.  We were attending Parents’ Weekend, manning a table for our saber cases, and visiting our daughter, a Firstie.  I had posted on the USAFA Parents Facebook page about being at the event.  MaryLynn, an officer with the USAFA Class of 2019 Spirit Mission, saw my post and came to visit our table.  The group wanted to give a gift to every senior, 1,014 of them, for Hundreds Night, and asked us if we could come up with a design for a coin rack.  (Hundreds Night is a celebration where the seniors are honored as they are only one hundred days away from graduating.  The doolies, or Freshmen, traditionally also decorate or “trash” the seniors’ rooms.  The seniors participate in a gala dinner.)

They had a possible company that was going to make the gift, but since she knew Rich was a grad and we had a Firstie daughter, MaryLynn thought that it would be more appropriate for us to do this for them.

As we are a family business, we discussed this as a family.  Could we do this in the time frame that they wanted?  We say on our website that we like challenges, and we do!  And this would give us an opportunity to reach every Firstie.  After they see the quality of our work in this gift, maybe they would check us out and order one of our other products, and namely, our primary offering, a saber case.  Plus we could bless Rich’s alma mater and our daughter and her class.

We contacted MaryLynn and told her… “Yes!”  We would do it.  And so, as it often does, the adventure began!

We already offer a coin rack on our website, but we came up with a slightly different design for this project.  Rich did a lot of computations and figured out the different processes we would do to make the coin rack, and how long each process would take per piece. 

He was excited because he got to use a piece of machinery that is an antique that we had never used before…a JBL clamp carrier, built in the 1940s.  This carrier allowed many pieces to be glued and drying at one time. 

He did much of the work himself, but several of our adult children helped with some of the processes, such as stamping our logo on the back, and sanding.  We also hired and trained a new work force, some local teenagers, to help with sanding and staining.  They learned quickly and did a great job.  Not only that, we enjoyed their cheerful, friendly attitudes.  Thank you, Ben, Clayton, Hannah and Mattily!

Each wood piece we create goes through a similar process to get our trademark finish.  After being handmade, the product is stained and sprayed with two coats of lacquer.  It is then hand-sanded and then a third coat of lacquer is applied to produce the smoothest finish you’ve ever felt.

After the coin racks were lacquered the third time, they went to a curing room where they sat for three days.  Once they were dry, I lasered the class crest, cadet’s name, and the Air Force logo on each one.

MaryLynn sent me the names of each cadet, separated into squadrons.  I imported this list into an Excel file.  Then I went about putting each name into my design program.  Each coin rack took 15 minutes to laser.  Remember, there’s 1,014 of them, so do the math!  Fortunately, I was able to do other things in between 15 minute laser jobs (i.e. start a load of laundry, empty the dishwasher, eat lunch, etc.)  I also packed each coin rack after I made it. 

I want to do a shout-out to Epilog Laser, the manufacturer of our CO2 laser.  They are located in Boulder, Colorado.  Amazing product, worth every penny!  We have had it since 2007,  and have never used it this much at one time.  We had a technical issue which one of their technicians walked my husband through over the phone (for an hour and a half!) and got us back on track.  Awesome customer service and tech support!  Thank you, Epilog!  www.epilog.com.

My mother-in-law Joan and my sister-in-law Sandi helped us out tremendously by making meals for us during this project.  They were amazing, and I couldn’t have done it without them! 

Our daughter Heather, who helped with sanding, also helped with cleaning the house when she wasn’t working as a KC135 aircraft hydraulics mechanic for the Air National Guard.  Thank you, Heather!

And our daughter Kaity, a senior in high school who also attends our local college spent countless hours sanding and stamping the backs of the coin racks.  So, when you turn over the coin rack and see our logo there, know that Kaity did that.  Thank you, Kaity!

Our son Chris, when he wasn’t working at a local job where he makes marble countertops and sinks, also did lots of sanding, ripped and crosscut, and did corner rounding with a shaper, and machine sanding.  Thank you, Chris!  You were a life-saver!

And our son Jarod, also a high school senior who attends our local college, kept our house warm and our pipes from freezing by cutting and stacking lots of wood for our wood-burning stove (we heat solely with wood) and did many of the farm chores that normally are divided, so that others could work in the woodshop.  Thank you, Jarod!

After about three months of working on this project, we lasered the last coin rack and began loading the cargo van we had rented.  Then Rich and I drove from Millstadt, Illinois to Colorado Springs, CO.  There was supposed to be a snow storm we were to drive through, but it turned out to only be light flurries. 

We stayed in an Air BNB property that MaryLynn had rented.  The large house was beautifully and creatively decorated.  Our room had a hunting/fishing theme, and another room a cowboy motif.  We highly recommend Michael’s place.  It has slept up to twenty people before!  You can check it out at www.airbnb.com, close to the intersection of Uintah and N. Union Blvd. (downtown Colorado Springs).

MaryLynn and another mom, Leslie, stayed there.  It was great to visit with them, and the next day we all traveled to the USAF Academy at Arnold Hall, where we unloaded all the boxes (Michael said it looked like a lot of pizza boxes were in that van.  MaryLynn commented that it looked like a Jenga game!).

Pizza, anyone? Or a game of Jenga?

We want to send kudos to Bernadette, Henry, Jeanne, and Scott, who always make our visits to Arnold Hall run smoothly!

We got to Arnold Hall, where we were greeted by several parents and sponsors, and even a cadet, who helped us unload the boxes onto carts to take inside. (insert pics)  After getting unloaded, Rich and I went inside to help.  We were amazed by what we saw.  At least a dozen parents and volunteers were around a configuration of tables.  Boxes were stacked into towers by squadron.  There was one table by the door where boxes came in, and then were shuttled to different sections of the room.  People were putting class crest coins and a note in envelopes that were then put into coin rack boxes.  Then the boxes were put into large IKEA bags with squadron logos on them, and checked off on lists, to make sure no one was forgotten.  Later that day reps from each squadron would come and put the coin racks into each cadets’ room.  They would see them after they got back from the gala dinner.

MaryLynn and Leslie were not sure how much help they would have.  Some volunteers had canceled due to the bad weather.  Also, as they pulled up to the Academy entrance, a bus full of athletes was ahead of them, and the security police were thoroughly checking them.  It was a little stressful for them, but finally they got through, and once they got to Arnold Hall, were happy to see many “angels” arrive to help! 

“Angels” appeared to help!

The work was finished much more quickly than they had imagined it would.  It was fun for us to show the parents the coin racks, and see their pleased, happy faces at the gifts their cadets would get. 

We drove our empty van back home on icy roads, stopping in Junction City, Kansas.  We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott, where I am typing this (typed most of it in the van while Rich drove!).  The cook Ryan graciously kept the restaurant open and served us an awesome feast, since he knew we had to drive carefully to get there.  Thanks, Ryan and Marriott!  We saw on social media that the cadets love their gifts!  That gave us warm fuzzies. 

Did we accomplish our goals? Yes, we did.  Firstly, it seems we were able to bless the cadets and their families by making this gift for them.  And we hope it will generate business for us as they see the quality of the coin racks and decide to buy other products, namely our saber case. 

We want to thank MaryLynn and the whole USAFA Class of 2019 Spirit Mission team for their faith in us; it was great to work with all of them.  Glad they let us be a part of their spirit mission to the cadets!  You can check them out at www.usafa2019spiritmission.com.

“We’ve got spirit, yes, we do…” now that we’ve gotten to be a part of this awesome spirit mission! 

We just had our 11th annual CiderFest party!*

When I tell strangers about this party, they usually ask if we serve or make “hard” cider. No, this is a family event!  In this instance, cider is what you make when you press apples in a press, sans the alcohol (if you let it sit a few days, you will have hard cider, though!).

CiderFest, for us, started in 2007. We had returned from Thailand and my husband had retired after 20 years in the Air Force.  Our two oldest, having gotten used to having lots of parties during Rich’s service in the attaché world, I suppose, wanted to have a birthday party. They both have September birthdays.

So, we thought. And thought. And came up with an idea. What if we have a joint party that has an educational bent to it (i.e. the guests learn something)? And no gifts…friends coming to spend time with our kids is gift enough. Right?

And who do you NOT invite? Having a large family, we knew the pain of rejection and people not wanting to come over when invited, for fear of having to reciprocate, and have LOTS of children in their homes. So, we invited whole families, just a few.

What did they learn? They brought apples and learned how to make apple cider. 

Why did we choose THIS skill to teach them, you ask? Because…when Rich was a teenager, he worked for a man who had a woodworking business. Somehow the idea of making a wooden cider press came up, and Rich decided he would make one for his family.  Rich’s uncle, himself a woodworker, and someone my husband truly admired, got wind of it, and told young Rich, worried that it might be too much for him, “You can’t do that!”

Did that stop him? No! Quite the opposite…he bought the kit, acquired the wood, and proceeded to build it!  Having someone tell Rich that he CAN’T do something has the OPPOSITE effect on him. He thinks in his head, “Oh yeah?”  Maybe it was THIS idea that he wanted to convey to his kids. DON’T LET NEGATIVITY GET YOU DOWN OR STOP YOU! Listen carefully to the criticism, make any necessary adjustments, but DON’T GIVE UP!

Well, after 11 years of hosting this party, using the press Rich made at age fourteen (a few years ago our daughter Heather made a second one for a 4H project), we haven’t given up!  In fact, this year was our biggest attendance yet, almost 200 people.

Each year, we add something to the event, and usually end up inviting more new people. Over the years we’ve added buttons that we give away that either our daughter Kaity or our sister-in-law Sandi design, a Battleship game (where teams throw water balloons at a cardboard/wooden battleship floating in our lake), canoe/kayak races, tug-of-war, sack races, face painting, and an obstacle course!

This year, the new addition was a themed party. Normally, we have CiderFest the weekend after Labor Day. In the past, this has proven difficult for me, as usually I attend Parents Weekend at USAFA on Labor Day Weekend. We visit our daughter Nikki, who is now a senior (firstie) there. It is also our biggest sale of the year for our woodworking business, so coming back to jump right into CiderFest prep has always been stressful for me. The last couple years, we’ve been having it two weekends after Labor Day, and this has made me much more relaxed.
This year, we could not do it that way. Heather graduated from Basic Military Training (BMT) that weekend. So, we shifted it to the weekend after that, September 22.

We announced this date to some of our friends, and one of them immediately let us know via social media that this day is Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, of Lord of the Rings fame (LoR) birthdays.
Really? Okay…well… we like Lord of the Rings. So, we thought, it might be fun to celebrate their birthdays. And so began the prep work (while also planning Parents Weekend and BMT graduation).

We came up with LoR door prizes. Rich even bought one of those contraptions that spins tickets or balls around.  We announced a LoR costume contest. We changed some of our CiderFest signs to LoR signs. We also started the party a little earlier…11 am, rather than 1 pm (so we could have elevensies, of course!).  And food…more food, since hobbits have many meals. Just a few little changes. We called our event “An Unexpected Party.”

We even had “unexpected guests,” as our oldest son Josh and his wife Emily and kids from Louisiana showed up on our doorstep the night before.  Rich about fell over, and then shouted, “Hallelujah!  More help!”  I was just happy to see them and have some cuddle time with the grandbabies.

Will we do a themed CiderFest again?  Unknown. Will we host CiderFest again? The question of the year. We ask the kids every year, should we do this again? The kids whose birthdays started it all don’t always come, since they are older and live away from home (but they often come back!). Every year fewer and fewer kids live at home. We had mixed feelings this year. We want to do it, but it’s a lot of work. Is it worth it? Some say yes, some no.

But when one of our friends said his favorite part of CiderFest was getting to work with his grandfather on fixing the hand-cranked 5-gallon ice cream maker that was acting up, we think that’s worth it. And this young man is in his twenties!

Or when a new guest says that three of his favorite moments were when three people fell into the not so warm lake water from the rope swing, we think that’s worth it. When we get hand-drawn thank-yous from kids telling us how much they love CiderFest, that’s worth it.

We tell our kids why we do this crazy party that takes a lot of work to pull off…we want to get outside ourselves and bless others. The last of our children are getting ready to fly the coop (or flee the farm!). As they prepare to leave, we want them to learn and know that life is not all about them. Serving others blesses you!

Lots of life lessons learned from this birthday bash-turned huge event of the year for lots of families…

1. Never give up, no matter what people say
2.  Do something bigger than yourself
3.  Serve others (thank you Rich, Jarod, Kaity, Chris, Mimi and Sandi for all the prep work you did; you are amazing! And Abdel and your friends…you worked behind the scenes, and we weren’t even there! Great bonfire!)
4.  Make mistakes, but learn from them (every year after the party we have a big “hotwash” meeting, where we talk about what we liked and what we need to change or do better)
5.  After hard work comes fun
6.  Get people to help; it blesses them (we love all the people who pitch in and help!  Grosses, Thackers, Gulicks, Baxters, Swensons, Betty, Stocksdales, Katzes, Philip Tinge and the Philzharmoniks…I’m sure there were some I missed…thank you all.  It was also fun to hear of and watch our son Chris getting young people involved to help, as well as watch him in action…thanks!)

I’m sure there are many more lessons. I think we’ll be doing this again. Are you free next September? Wanna help?

*R & R Woodcrafts and Graphics is the sponsor for this event.

“Oh, wow, Mom and Dad, that sure is a lot of junk mail,” says our son as he walks in the house.  We prefer to call it Mass Mailing.  The technical term for it is EDDM (Every Day Direct Mail).

We are trying out a new (for us) way of advertising.  We’re sending mailers out to all the post office boxes at the Air Force Academy.

The fun part was coming up with what to say to hopefully entice the cadets to consider buying a saber and a display case.  I got to use all my college training in English!  And my husband did all the formatting to make everything look snazzy.  We added all kinds of fun flyers and even a special “treat.”  Then we used a focus group (our adult kids) to give their inputs.

Then there were the hours and hours of printing, folding, stuffing, and sealing.

Everyone helped, and I think we put together a good product.  The proof will be what results we have.  Now we have to wait patiently and see…

Hopefully many of you will have these packets in your post boxes soon…check out our BIG SALE for Parents’ Weekend!!!