Spring Sprung

Good evening, children.

After months and months of sub-zero temperatures, icy roads, and more snow than we've seen around here in a few years for sure, Spring appears to be slowly getting its shit together. We're still a far ways off from cut-off t-shirts, poolside margaritas, and months of not having to go to work (damn it), but we're definitely heading in the right direction. 

This winter was abnormally cold (like we've talked about before), so getting a break from the frigid temps was more than welcome around these parts.

Abby and Nica posing with some elixir in their Science class. 

With that being said, this month saw us tackling a few things we've been looking forward to for months, including a couple plays (Shrek, Cinderella), multiple concerts (Orchestra Festival, as well as Rise Against, The Hives, etc.), the annual Oscar party, St. Patrick's Day, and - of course - Spring Break, which this year started the last week of the month. During the weekdays, both the girls and I juggled work and school (including Abby, who finally got a job this month), as well as the gym and church crap (the church crap being Kris' thing, obviously.)

Anyway, we definitely stayed busy this month, but regardless those three weeks leading up to Spring Break are some of the loooooongest out of the School Year: everyone's funned out with school and the dreary weather (the lack of sunshine, the constant cloudy skies, etc.) The prospect of going on vacation for a week tends to drive teenagers f***ing stir-crazy, so you can imagine how fun that was trying to teach kids this month. Needless to say, when the week off finally rolled around, we were all chomping at the bit to be done with this frickin' month.

So here you go, America - the Houghs' month of March. Enjoy. . .

The city had to tear up everyone's out lawns the last six or seven weeks in order to install some high-speed, fiber-optic internet cables. Our neighborhood was torn up towards the tail-end of this project, and at the beginning of the month I came home one day from work one afternoon and saw all the grass ripped out of the area around my mailbox, and a couple plastic thingies installed into the ground. I've heard good things about this internet service provider - speed's apparently pretty awesome - but I'm hoping they come back and lay down some grass seed before the grass starts growing. This out lawns doesn't need any help in looking shitty this Spring. . .

My buddy Mitch created an AI image of Yours Truly fighting a bear and shared it out on our Kings of the Hill thread one random morning while all of us were at work. God forbid I suggest that it would be totally possible to kill a small bear provided you had some kinda large knife to use in the fight. Not talking about some big-ass grizzly bear or something, I mean like a bear the size of a dog - I could 100% take a bear that size, no question about it.

Abby bought this cheap, little digital camera a month or so ago, wanting the old school Millennial aesthetic of a lower pixel ratio and an imprinted date in the corner in some of her pics. Who knows why Gen Z is suddenly embracing this MySpace-era vibe, I don't get it.

Towards the beginning of the month, Abby and the MHS Varsity Pom Team held their annual Pom Banquet to celebrate the team's season (alongside the JV team) up in the school's library one evening.

Abby, Ella, and the rest of the Sophomores from the Varsity team.

The traditional 'plates' the teammates make for one another. . . for some reason.

As always, Abby made it a point to get a pic taken with nearly every, last girl on her team, starting with Ella (of course.)

(I think this chick's name is Sophia. . .)

With Abigail Cassidy.

With Brooklyn.

A couple with her coaches (and her awards from this season). . .

Abby and her awards.

(I don't know who this is.)

With Mya.

With Jazzy.

Hugging Kara (for some reason.)

A selfie with Brooklyn and Ella, utilizing that digital camera of hers. Straight out of 2006.

Samson's a big fan of hugs, folks.

Kris ordered an anti-ICE knit cap from some online vendor she came across. Every little bit helps.

The MHS Orchestra participated in the annual Festival this month, which once again took place at Bay City Western High School in Auburn. We all thought the kids did really well this year, but they got straight II's for their performance, a I for sight-reading, and a II overall. Alayna didn't really care, but some of the kids were bummed, so Mammassian debriefed the kids once the scores were posted in order to minimize the emotional damage.

Lexi and the Cannonball. Not sure why they're posing so seriously here.

Alayna with Mrs. Mammassian

Lexi, Amelia and Alayna

After the Festival wrapped up, the girls headed off to hang out with their friends, and Kris and I did the same, heading over to the Collier residence where a few other couples were hanging out. Erik, Cory and Collier were ready to get down with some darts when I finally rolled in, which was a nice change-up from the usual euchre shit this group usually defaults to (I'm not as good at darts as I am at cards, but whatever.)

Hanging out in the kitchen, later on that evening.

Not surprising.

Had another DnD session with the 1214 Dewdz this month, our first in a couple weeks.

This stage of the campaign was a little more action-packed than last session, but definitely setting up for an even more eventful session next time (whenever we can all make the same weekend work.)

Clockwise from top left: Russel (the DM, and additionally a Paladin), Yours Truly (a Rogue Thief), Z-Baby (a Fighter), and Mikey (a Warlock.)

We use AI to generate images from our campaign sessions to accompany the play log (a Google Doc that tracks all of our actions and highlights from each session to we can keep track of the story and what's going on.) It's not 100% accurate, but helps to visualize things.

Kris ended up taking the girls dress-shopping for Prom multiple times this month, in Saginaw, in Sanford, and back in Midland. This is a painful, painful process that I fortunately don't have to worry about participating in - definitely a mom/daughter endeavor, and I don't get FOMO over these outings in the slightest.

This is Alayna's final Prom, but Abby's going this year too seeing how her boyfriend is a Junior and upperclassmen are able to invite underclassmen.

Each of the girls tried on dozens of dresses, and - of course - Alayna didn't find anything she wanted to pull the trigger on, while Abby wanted every, last dress she tried on. . .

(This is the dress Abby finally landed on.)

Samson enjoys hanging out on people's beds during the day - he's too good for couches.

Abby, Ella, Brooklyn, and some random kid (not sure where they're at or what they're doing.)

Logan plays in the MHS Band and his outing at Festival was later that Saturday, once the girls were done with dress-shopping.

Samson keeping Sophie company while she works on her homework one weekday morning.

Later that day, Alayna took Abby (and Samson) out around town to get gas and run some errands.

(Abby looks thrilled.)

Ancestry.com updated my DNA this month. I love how they're constantly refining their database and zeroing in on one's ethnic make-up - mine's changed slightly over the years as their technology improves.

Turns out I'm nearly completely English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh. Nearly all other non-Anglo backgrounds in my genetic make-up have all but been erased. Kris had hers updated as well, and, just in case you were curious, she's still about 4% black.

Abby finally got a job this month. The owner of the town's local Biggby Coffee franchise came in to Kris' work and they were talking about hiring and what not, and she mentioned how Abby was looking for a job. He gave her his direct email and had Abby contact him directly, opposed to going through the usual hiring process. After going back and forth for a week or two, she was finally interviewed and started work shortly thereafter, racking up four shifts a week. The cash windfall this 15-year-old came into was insane - she suddenly has all this income (and a ton of cash in tips) that she's burning through like Sherman to the Sea. 

Samson keeps a weather eye out on the neighborhood, ever vigilant.

Kris, in her happy space at the end of another work day.

Samson patrols around the garden conifer in the backyard, hunting for mischievous squirrels.

Sebastian and the Cannonball, driving around somewhere.

Kris and Danielle once again hosted the tribe's annual Oscar-viewing party (they get way more into it than anyone else in this group, that's for damn sure.) I whipped up another category board like I did last year for this, and everyone entered in their picks for the Awards (we've been logging these picks into Bracketology, an app for non-sports Fantasy League tracking.)

Kris didn't want a repeat of last year, when folks were talking over the award speeches and stuff after having a few drinks, so she made a sign so she could shush people. After a couple times doing this, people got the hint.

The White Russian Squad assembles (Cory and I wanted no part of this on a school night, I'll tell you what.)

K-pop performance during the award show - Alayna would have been pleased.

Kris adds in some other folks' picks on the board, which Morgan hung up on his living room wall for us.

Courtney, Kris, Mees, and Lori.

I was winning for most of the night, but lost the last few categories, which destroyed my streak - I think I finished like 4th place out of 20 or so participants. Kris tied for first place, which was fitting.

Some really weird weather one afternoon when I got home from work - snowing heavily but super sunny and bright out, not cloudy at all. No idea where all the snow was coming from.

Alayna took part in the Pit Orchestra for the MHS Drama Club production of Cinderella, her third year doing so.

The Drama Club's Instagram account regularly posted bio pics of various orchestra performers, actors, stagehands, and other crew members in the weeks leading up to the performance. Eventually, it was Alayna's time in the spotlight, so I screenshot it.

Alayna and Sara at Taco Bell during one of their shifts. They apparently haven't heard the age-old mantra of 'If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.'

Abby and Ella edited together a bunch of their social media reels into some kinda bizarre horror trailer. They two have way too much time on their hands. . . 

Alayna takes a selfie of herself eating her dinner so Kris would get off her back about getting something to eat before taking off one evening.

Abby taking pictures at school for one of her Journalism articles (she got placed into Advanced Journalism this year, despite not taking the regular Journalism prerequisite the year before), and has been absolutely crushing it.

Our buddy Holty was performing as Shrek in a local production of Shrek: The Musical at Frankenmuth's local theater, and a bunch of the Tribe decided we should all go out and support him one evening. Beforehand, we decided to grab some dinner over at Frankenmuth Brewing (which I'm a huge fan of.)

Not surprisingly, the wives sat down at one end of the table and the husbands at another. Par for the course.

Alicia, who had bought a ticket before most of us had, was sitting a few rows ahead of our main group, and before these how started stood up and got a group pic of us after we took our seats.

Kris checks out the play's program while folks took a bathroom break during Intermission.

Getting a group pic with Shrek after the show.

Kris will occasionally get drafted into hair-braiding service when Alayna wants something fancy done with her hair. This time it was for the second night of Cinderella, the night after we saw Shrek, which Kris and I would be attending (to watch Alayna, obviously - neither of us really cared about the play itself.)

Alayna and Amelia get a selfie before the show starts.

Abby wasn't coming along with us this evening - her and Ella were using up the rest of their tickets to the Saginaw Spirit (the local minor-league hockey team) that we and the Johnsons bought for them at Christmas. They invited Abigail Cassidy along so they could burn the last ticket. Before the game started, they got a pick with the team's official mascot, which, for whatever reason, is. . . a dog.

Another selfie from the Pit section.

Inside the Dow Event Center

They had a digital version of the play bill for the evening's show (not sure if we ever got a paper copy.)

For whatever reason, they listed Abby as a pit Orchestra member. . . which she most certainly was NOT. Even more bizarre, they had her written down as a violinst, and that chick has never touched a violin in her life.

Each actor, stagehands, Pit Orchestra player, and other Drama Club participant had a short bio and a picture included in the digital playbill, and once again they decided to include Abby in there as well (inexplicably.) Seriously - what the hell?

Meanwhile, Abby and Ella take in another hockey game (both these chicks have leaned hard into hockey over the course of the last year.)

If you look closely up at the Jumbotron at the top there, you can see the earlier pic that was taken of Ella, the two Abby's (Abbies?) and the dog. The girls felt like minor celebrities.

The assembled cast and crew (and orchestra) posed for a group shot.

The Cannonball and Amelia perform during the Curtain Call, following the evening's production (which was cute in a 'high school play' sorta way - not stellar acting by any means but the kids did a good job.)

In the zone.

After the audience had filed out and attempted to pick up their children from the Drama room (for lack of better term - where everyone meets and takes pictures, and there are tables of snacks and drinks set about) the orchestra continued to play music to give the departing audience some semblance of exit music.

Still watching hockey in Saginaw. . .

Amelia and the Cannonball, following the show.

Kris' best friend, Kim, along with her husband and daughter, Makayla (shown here), also came out to check out the show. Makayla, as a little kid, loves stuff like this - getting a pic with a high schooler might as well have been getting a pic with a celebrity.

Abby and some of her Journalism compatriots, working on the school newspaper, The Focus.

Not sure why Abby took a pic of her sister in a chair one evening, but here you go.

Abby and this chick (who has popped up in earlier posts throughout this school year, I still don't know her name) in some class.

Some promotional sign that ended up getting hung up somewhere in the school.

I've been tasked with overseeing our Lodge's Chamber of Reflection, which is a key part to the initial degree in Freemasonry, the Entered Apprentice Degree. I obviously can't divulge anything about this online, but I've taken over the duties of this part of the degree the last few months; whenever we get a new candidate, they call me up and I hang out for the first hour of the degree and make sure it goes off smoothly.

Yes, this is a REAL human skull. It's been in our lodge for well over a hundred years, and nobody knows who it belonged to. You can bet your ass it freaks new initiates out.

At the beginning of Spring Break, which fell on the last week of the month this year, Abby had FIVE Wisdom Teeth removed, all at once. Kris drove her up there in the morning and, following the routine surgery, made sure to take pics and video of the post-surgery wackiness (with Abby's prior permission, of course.)

Removing all the hookups as Abby stirs into consciousness.

She awakens. . .

Walking Abby out of the clinic (Ella offered to take the day off of school - of course - to come along and help Kris with Abby after the procedure.)

Bringing Abby back into the house. . .

This kid was in for a sore, few days.

Kris tries to help Abby get situated on the couch.

A gross bloody selfie with Ella.

I'm surprised Abby wanted pics and video of this, usually she abhors this kind of thing.

Totally drugged out of her mind.

That evening, once Abby had somewhat regained her senses, Kris and I met up with a few other couples for Courtney's celebratory 50th Birthday dinner down at one of Midland's fancier restaurants, The One-Eighteen. Erik had reserved a private room for our eleven-person party, but it wasn't ready when we got there (some other group of douchebags were still in there when we showed up on time), so we hung out at the bar for about a half an hour waiting for the room to free up.

I'm not a huge food guy, and there's not a lot of stuff at this place that ever catches my eye. I ended up getting some overpriced street tacos that weren't my favorite, but I held my peace.

The female end of the table, left to right: Alicia, Amy, Kris, Courtney, Kelli and Danielle.

Mitch and Erik peruse the fancy wine list.

A group pic of everyone, following our meal.

We relaxed our usual 'no boyfriends in the house when parents are gone' rule so that Logan could hang out with Abby while she recovered from surgery in front of the TV. It's not like they were gonna be making out while her mouth was all bloody and gross, and we touched base with his parents, who also came to the same conclusion.

Everyone else took off for home following dinner, but us and the Johnsons ended up heading down to Three Bridges (my least favorite bar in town, but Courtney's favorite) for a few nightcaps. They had live music going on (nothing stellar by any means) seeing how it was a weekend night.

Their beer isn't my favorite - I've had far better local beers around these parts.

The next day, Alayna watched Raider - the Johnsons' dog - while they and the Bos fam headed down to Indianapolis to visit Omkar and his fam, and do some golfing.

That evening, we decided to stay in and just hang low (the night before had ended up being a long night), and both boyfriends ended up coming over to watch a movie with the girls (they settled on Big Trouble, Little China, which I was totally cool with.)

Alayna shows Logan some embarrassing videos of Abby off our family's Home Movies Google Photos album.)

The next day, Alayna hung out at the Johnson's place for awhile so Raider could spend some time outside in their backyard, guarding the property.

Afterwards, she came home and decided to start working on the Watson Memorial Garden in the backyard - her newest project around the house. She's wanting to sand off all the paint on this water pump that's back in the garden, then paint the whole thing sky blue. This process took forever, and was definitely more than they had anticipated - she worked on it for hours and did little more than taking off the pain on part of the handle.

While she worked on that, I took advantage of the abnormally warm weather to Spring Clean the garage (which was long overdue.)

Still at it. . .

Relaxing on the couch after a long, long day of doing absolutely nothing. This month drew to a close during Spring Break, so we'll pick things up next month and you can see how we spent the rest of our time off - stay tuned. 

- Brian