Daniel Lucas - 1945-2021

The start of 2021 was difficult for our family with Reese's quarantine and Callie's broken toe. But we also suffered a significant loss with the passing of Sarah's dad, Dan. This certainly underscored how important family, friends, and health are. Covid made the grieving process much more difficult, but we were very fortunate to have conversations with our pastor Linda Kurtz and John's parents. It is amazing how comforting some people can be even in the most difficult times. Thankfully we would have the opportunity to mourn with family later in the spring. We have shared Dan's obituary following a picture that captures him on a day when he was radiating so much joy and happiness.

Daniel Lloyd Lucas, 75, passed away in Sacramento, California on February 14, 2021 with his younger brother Ron Lucas by his side. Dan was born in San Jose to the late Joseph Lucas and Hazel Lucas, and he graduated from North Salinas High School in 1962 where he played football and wrestled. He continued his football career at Hartnell College and San Francisco State University. Although his life took him to Wyoming, Nebraska, and Arizona, he was never far from the embrace of his lovable Portuguese extended family in central California. He loved and was loved by his cousins, aunts, and uncles who always created opportunities for reunions and other family fun. Dan is survived by his brother Ron (Teri) Lucas, his daughter Sarah (John) Bowes and his son Zac (Brandi) Lucas, as well as his grandchildren, Keith Lucas, Callie Bowes, and Reese Bowes. The family will be holding a private memorial service to honor his life.

Medical Breakdown 2021

Life in a pandemic is all about calculated risks. Although sports gave our kids much needed social outlets, we also recognized that it increased the chances of their exposure to covid. And in January we got the dreaded call from a friend that their daughter, one of Reese's teammates, had tested positive. The four of us quickly got tested ourselves and waited to hear the results. When the news came, only one of us tested positive for covid, and it was Reese. And just like that our family went into lockdown. Callie couldn't attend her basketball playoff games, John couldn't teach in person, and Reese was fully isolated. To keep our quarantine at 10 days we had to make sure Reese didn't interact with any of us. It was difficult to say the least, but it showed just how strong Reese's spirit is. She didn't complain. Her biggest worry was that she was going to spread it to us. Thankfully, she didn't have any symptoms. 

For the next ten days we did everything we could to keep Reese entertained and connected. The snow outside provided the opportunity to have her make her own snow cones, for example.

We also coordinated FaceTimes with friends and family. The teammate that also got covid was one of her most frequent callers. They spent hours on the phone, playing Among Us and other games. Sarah had to create a social calendar to keep up with all of her scheduled calls and video chats. Thankfully she also had virtual school and Mrs. Naylor was able to keep an extra eye on her to make sure her spirits remained in good shape.

We were also taken by how our local community showed up to support her. This basket is from one of Sarah's colleagues and it had an endless supply of activities and treats. She also had her friends Katherine, Ella, the Adams, the Ryders, and so many others who dropped off gifts and treats. When her quarantine ended, we brought her downstairs and were able to snuggle and hug her with great relief. We also got a sense of how exhausted she was from the whole experience. More than anyone in our family Reese craves and needs human contact, so quarantine was tough on her. And she missed Callie more than anyone, and for the next several nights slept in bed with her.

We burst out of quarantine with all sorts of pent up energy. Callie in particular had missed out on basketball and soccer and was ready to jump right back in. She played two games on her first day back, and in the second game had to be substituted because she was limping. Walking out of the facility she continued to complain that her foot hurt, but her main focus was on how she felt she hadn't played well. Sarah's first reaction was to tell her to suck it up and walk it off. However, after she got a glimpse of the immediate bruising she quickly saw that this might be more than just a hurt ego. We headed to the UK Orthopedic Clinic bright and early on Monday morning.

The appointment was on Monday morning and on Friday morning she was in surgery. Turns out she had a broken toe and the separation in the break was significant enough to require it to be screwed together. Dr, Mancow was fantastic and Callie was a trooper. It was yet another sign of just how resilient our girls are. Callie didn't even need pain medication or laughing gas because of how calm she was during the whole process.

Callie now has a cool set of before and after pictures for her bionic right foot. The top picture shows the break and the bottom picture shows the screw. Callie was a great patient through and through. She listened to all of the doctor's orders and although it was hard, she was patient with her recovery.

As a result, once she got back on the soccer field in early April she hit the ground running and didn't look back. In the end, our 2021 started off in a way that made us wonder how much different it was going to be than the year before. But it also continued to show our strength and ability to pull together as a family.

Thank Goodness for Sports

The three smiling faces that kick off this post tell a small piece of a larger story. These three girls have played soccer together for several years. In October 2020 their parents convinced them all to try out for their middle school basketball team. Reluctantly, they all agreed with the thought that they wouldn't make it since they had not played basketball in any organized fashion. Much to Callie's chagrin, not only did they make the team, but the small number of girls who tried out also guaranteed they were going to be getting a fair amount of playing time.

We soon found out that middle school practices were intense. The schedule called for at least five days a week, two hours a day. Now, Callie and her friends certainly needed more practice, but it was still a bit of a culture shock. However, these girls relished the time together especially since their actual school was all virtual. Basketball practice gave them time together that they desperately needed.

As you might expect, the actual basketball was only one of the challenges here. An early covid exposure quarantined most of the time only weeks into the season, but it was at that point when we realized just how incredible and dedicated the coach of this team was. Coach K didn't let quarantine prevent him from building his team. He held virtual meetings and even had the girls that were not exposed practice while the other ones zoomed in. Not sure Callie was excited to be one of the in person players, but she certainly needed additional time with the ball. 

Once the games started we were pleasantly surprised with how much we enjoyed watching from the sidelines, and were even more taken with how Callie started to get into basketball as a whole. She started playing in both the 6th-7th grade games and the 8th grade games. Coach K clearly liked her athleticism and her attitude. And he continued to show his dedication. He had to miss a game because of his own exposure, but through a parent's generosity watched the game from the sidelines via FaceTime on a phone. The girls gathered around the phone during timeouts and at half time to listen to his feedback. And when the game ended he talked to them for a good 10 minutes as the parents waited and the opposing schools janitors tried to get us all out of the gym. We should note that although all of this makes Coach K sound intense, the fact is that he is a bit of a basketball whisperer. He is extremely positive, supportive, and the exact kind of coach you want for middle school girls. By season's end Callie was already excited about playing in 8th grade.

Reese also had her athletic outlets with soccer transition from the outdoor fall season to the indoor winter season. In fact they even had a tournament on MLK weekend up in Cincinnati. The girls played hard, won a couple of games, and had a lot of fun together.

Reese did have basketball as well. Not surprisingly, her season was dramatically affected by the pandemic. Her league tried to create its own version of an NBA-like bubble, but that didn't do much to create a substantial season. Nevertheless, she still got to play a bit and see some of her non-soccer friends, which is  just as important.

Happy 2021 We Hope

Our pandemic bubble buddies were once again our partners for the next big celebration. We were prepared to stay up until midnight to make sure  that 2020 officially ended so we could head into a new year with new hope and expectations for better things to come. And of course, we wanted to do all of that with Kelly, Kirk, Ella, and Claire. To prepare for the night, Sarah and Kelly produced goods from their day long trip to Cincinnati, including a two and a half hour trip to Jungle Jim's. The night was set to be epic.

Callie and Reese came up with a list of games for the night which included interviews with each of the kids to reflect on the past year and to talk about future plans. But the expectations for the evening were dampened by the realization that the high school senior and sophomore had made plans with friends and would not be present for the entire evening. Callie and Reese got a limited time with Ella and Claire and then had to put up wit the parents all by themselves.

Lucky for those two girls, the four adults are a whole lot of fun. We had champagne flutes that lit up and a willingness to play any and all games on the agenda. We played hearts, an Oregon Trail card game, and our new national parks board game. But there was one game that may have been the highlight of the night.

Above and below you see the two fierce teams about to engage in a match of indoor marshmallow dodgeball. Kirk and Kelly were more than gracious to allow us all to run around their first floor hurling giant sized marshmallows at each other. And yes, it is just as much fun as you are thinking it was.

With the treats, the games, and the company, midnight approached faster than anticipated. We were able to toast the beginning of another new year with people we love. And despite all that the previous year had brought into our lives, we had endured and continued to move forward. 

One minute into the new year is too early to make any predictions of what is to come, but at the very least we know we will be facing it with wonderful friends and family.

A Thankful Christmas Morning

 Christmas morning arrived with smiles and well rested daughters. Callie and Reese slept in until around 8:00am. It's actually a relatively early time for them but late enough to be very reasonable for the adults in the house. Some things to note from this traditional top of the stairs photo - everyone's hair continues to grow since there were no haircuts during the pandemic; Callie is certainly as tall as Sarah even when sitting down; Reese might be getting too big to sit on her Mom's lap.

It was another great Christmas morning. The girls have established a pattern where they open their stockings together, trying to share the joy as they open their respective treats. They look for stocking items that are similar in size to see if they both got the same toothpaste, chapstick, or other goodie. What is so great to see is the shared excitement for each other. The same goes for all the presents, and when Callie opened up her big gift of the year - a blender - Reese was equally excited. (Not sure sure if Reese was excited for Reese's frother since she doesn't enjoy hot chocolate or other drinks in need of a froth) but nonetheless they generally savor each other's happiness.

Of course we all know that the presents we receive do not always include everything we asked for. It is a fact of life and it helps us develop important social skills. In years past when Reese has asked for a dog she has gotten a stuffed animal. This year it was a sweet chocolate dog. She was excited for the chocolate, but behind that smile we know is a hint of disappointment. Better luck next year, Reese!

Christmas morning also included our traditional quiche brunch and a day of laziness. We had nowhere we needed to be and were more than happy to take advantage of that. Most important, we had a wonderful day being together and being thankful for each other.

The Show Must Go On 2020

Although it was another holiday without travel for us we wanted to make sure that some of our holiday traditions didn't break stride. One of the more highly anticipated activities of the season in our household has become tape ball with the Abrams, and for the seventh straight year we got out our tape, dusted off the numbers, and made a massive orb of newspaper and tape.

We added a new twist to our gathering this year with matching pajama pants for the crew. Unfortunately, Reese missed out because we couldn't find pants in her size. Kirk brought it to a new level when he found matching local beer that was officially labeled "Dad." We knew this was a good sign for the evening overall.

Here are the non Dad members of the crew. We were gathered on Christmas Eve, which has become the set day for us. This means we can no longer go with the easy meal of pizza since the restaurants are closed, but we more than made up for that with a fantastic dinner of burrito bowls.

Normally we would gather after the Christmas Eve service at our church. As was the case for so many across the country, we experienced the Christmas Eve service via zoom in our jammies. First Presbyterian did a great job giving us an Advent box for the season that included all the materials we needed, including an advent wreath and candles for the Christmas Eve singing of silent night. It wasn't the same as being in church with everyone, but it was nice to have our extended Lexington family with us.

Once we had celebrated the spiritual and fed the physical, it was time for the emotional. Tape ball brings out all the emotions. The excitement, the competitive spirit, the anticipation, and at times the disappointment. It's amazing what a single die, a ball of paper and tape, and a bunch of unknown presents can spark.

Fortunately it was another year of fun. Highs and lows abounded, but no tears. And after an evening of high energy fun the kids were tired enough to go to sleep quickly in preparation for the next day.

Reese is a Decade

Of course you can't get to Christmas without celebrating Reese's birthday. Even our elf on the shelf, Sam, knows that. Every year Sam is in our tree making sure Reese knows the special day has arrived. And this year was all about double digits.

It was also supposed to be about snow, but the weather had other plans. It was in the 60s on December 11, and that meant that our trip to go tubing at Perfect North was less than perfect. The slopes were snowless and closed, and we had to come up with a Plan B real quick. With a little help from the staff at Perfect North we headed to a place that wasn't really on our radar - Full Throttle.

In case you can't tell, Reese is somewhere in that helmet above. That's right, Full Throttle was an indoor go-kart racing establishment. We would never have sought this out, but as it so happens, the Bowes family apparently has a need for speed.

It should not come as a surprise that Sarah was ready to put the pedal to the metal. Reese was a bit more cautious, and soaked in all the safety video tips. On her very first lap she demonstrated perfectly the hand signal you give to the person behind you that they can pass because you are going very slow. Sarah saw the signal, roared past, and never looked back. By the third lap, however, Reese was feeling much more comfortable behind the wheel and no longer used the pass signs.

What made it even more fun is that we were literally the only ones there and could have stayed there driving all afternoon. But we had tickets to the Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo and didn't want to miss our entrance window. The zoo was a lot of fun and the lights were beautiful. They had a number of food trucks as well, so we were able to eat outside and enjoy everything the zoo had to offer. 

This was a travel birthday year for Reese, and while we couldn't make dedicate a whole weekend to celebrate, we still managed to make sure she felt special. It is still hard to believe she has left the single digits behind. But the fun wasn't over because the very next morning we went to the mall to get her ears pierced. For Reese, this was probably the highlight of the whole birthday experience. 

She was very brave and didn't flinch when the piercing gun went into action. Even better she was very good and dedicated about the cleaning routine. No scary ear infections for her, which was another sign of her getting older and more mature. She is definitely no longer a little baby.