Look Out...She's Legal!

Dana got her driver's license on July 14th. I have never seen her so nervous! Usually, even when she is nervous, she looks cool and calm on the outside. This time I could tell, poor baby. She had herself pretty worked up over this deal. The good news is she passed with a perfect score. The road test lady even wrote "fabulous" on her paperwork.

Our insurance man was ecstatic to hear this news. She did not get a new car or even a used one! However, she did get a new set of her very own car keys! That was what was wrapped in the little box. Congratulations, Dana!

The 4th of July

Our usual tradition on the 4th is to go downtown to the top of the parking garage next to the Federal building. We get there really early; put up our EZ up, get out the snacks and coolers, and set up the lawn chairs. Then we play games and shoot the breeze until it is time for the fireworks. The EZ up is nice while the sun is out. We take it down as soon as we can so the fireworks from neighboring areas can be enjoyed too.

Denny didn't make it this year; too hot. This year's participants were Dick, Kathy and Perry, Me, Dana and Dan, and Dana's friend, Carrie. We had a great time. The fireworks were absolutely breathtaking. The radio was carrying the broadcast from the riverfront. The fireworks were sychronized to the patriotic music of John Phillips Sousa. "Fantabulous!"

Father's Day 2010

Father's Day was bittersweet this year. Denny was recuperating from his surgery in May. The kids wanted it to extra special. He got some really wonderful cards and a miniature table-top pool table. Later, we grilled some deer steaks when the weather cooled off a little. It was a very nice day.

Cherry Pickers

We have a beautiful cherry tree in our front yard. We saw the tree when we bought the house but it had already bloomed with cherries prior to our arrival. Last year was a surprise! We saw the cherries and planned to pick them to eat. Before we could, the birds had picked the tree clean!

This year, the kids decided to beat the birds and get to the cherries. They got quite a few! The cherries are a little sour but we like them that way!

"Determined Dana" & the Doors of Duke

This blog is out of order. I'm trying to play catch up. We went to Duke University over spring break for a campus visit. Dan and I took some pictures while Dana was touring the biology department.

Dana has had Duke in her sights since 7th grade. She wants to major in some facet of biology. We set aside the time to visit and she emailed the professors to see if she could meet with the head of the department and to sit in on one of the classes. The class she sat in on was "molecular cell and neurobiology". I asked her how it went, she had a glazed look in her eye and said, "I thought I would understand SOMETHING!" She said it was way over her head. I laughed and said, "It was a junior level class. You couldn't possibly understand what was going on!" She met with the head of the biology dept. for about an hour. He talked to her about career options with a biology degree from Duke.

As a result, she is more determined than ever to get in. She finished her sophmore year with a 4.0+ grade point average, highest achieving student in Honor's Geometry (she finished the class with perfect 100% in both 3rd and 4th quarters), NHS inductee, Beta club member, cross country runner, nominee for 25 points of light, and has been made editor of the newspaper in her upcoming Junior year. To apply to Duke, you have to have at least a 30 on the ACT. Go for it, Dana! We're behind you all the way!

The Great Game of Golf

Dan had a busy spring. He was playing baseball until the field got washed out in the great flood of Nashville. He tried out for the golf team at his school. He did really well this year by making the varsity team his first time out. He finished the year ranked 4th out of 7 guys on the team. The coach took the top 5 to districts. Our Dan was right in there; rockin' and rollin'. At the end of the year banquet, he received the "most improved player" award. Go, Dan! We are so proud of you!

Dana's Sweet Sixteen

I havent' had a chance to catch up on this blog. It wasn't too long after my "driving with Dana" entry that we found out Denny had cancer again. Life seemed to come to a screeching halt. If you want to find out the latest on his condition, please check: www.teamwoodruff4.blogspot.com

However, this blog is mainly for family events outside of Denny's illness. I will try to catch up on the latest. Dana did turn 16 on April 29th. We fixed her favorite dinner: mostaccoli, garlic bread and salad. She got an ice cream cake this year (as opposed to her usual "homemade" one). Two of her good friends from Missouri came down and surprised her. She has known them since first grade and was not expecting her old pals to show up on her doorstep.
The picture in front of our fireplace mantle is of David, Dana, and Matt upon their arrival at 1am in the morning! They left after school on Friday and got here in the wee hours of Saturday.
This was the weekend of the great flood of Nashville. Little did we know that we would have 13 inches of rain over several hours. They played Nerf football in the rain and cooled off in the mud puddle. They are all hams and very comfortable with each other.

Then, they went bowling. Nashville friends, Perry and Ivie met up with them at the bowling alley. They did "cosmic bowling" under the black lights. How cool! I have no idea who won or if they even cared. I took a picture of them with the bowling balls. Later, everyone came back to the house to hang out and play board games. Dana posed with her pals in our great room. It was one heck of a birthday. Her Missouri friends had to leave at first light to try to get out of Nashville. It took them over 2 hours to get to Hwy 24 from our house. It usually takes less than 30 minutes. It was a wild and wonderful birthday to remember.