One in college and three entering kindergarten

Today is a big day for me, but a bigger one for Lotte. No tearful college dorm drop-off this year since she's spending her first two years at a community college. 

She will move out and live with her dad soon though. It's closer to college and out of some of The Tripped Up Castle craziness, which will make it easier for her to focus on classes, lessons, practicing, rehearsals, performances, and a job. Not to mention the whole, making new friends and "figuring out the rest of her life" as she puts it.

I don't want to say a lot about today because I don't want to get all teary again. (I think I've done enough of that all summer long). I'm still amazed at this girl, this wonderful, nearly perfect in every way girl, who is all grown up now. 

She's awesome. She's compassionate, loving, kind, talented, smart, and hopeful. She really is on her way and going to all sorts of fabulous places. (And hold onto your hat because the little three go to kindergarten next week.)

Lotte's group takes top honors in Europe

Today's post is simply a plain old Mama brag!

For months and months Lotte and her music cohorts from high school worked hard to raise money for their European Choral trip where they competed at the World Choir Games. Obviously they worked tirelessly on their performance pieces as well. The three gold medals and one silver medal they earned proved that. Ultimately the experience of a 15 day tour through Europe filled with performance opportunities, cultural events and new friends was the most rewarding for all the students.

Finally, a group of them and their directors were featured today on our local news station. What blogging mama wouldn't share it, right?

Rockford Touring Choir takes top honors

Lots about Lotte

If you're a newcomer to the Tripped Up Family you may have the idea that all we talk about is triplets and autism. In fact, I heard that same comment from my teen a few months ago. Can you say OUCH?! After that comment, I've been making a conscious effort to minimize the amount of time my teen hears me talk about autism. It's not like there's not plenty to talk about in her little area of the world too.

New York trip

Top of the Rock

Lotte enters her senior year in high school in the fall. My eldest - my only for 12 years - my first baby girl will be heading off on her own very soon. You can imagine all the plans and busy-ness we have going on right now. She is 1/2 way through her driver's license coming of age process, working a summer job, taking the ACT test, auditioning for theater productions, and starting college applications and planning college visits. She just got back from a drama club trip to NYC over Memorial Day weekend and, of course, had a really hard time coming back home. They saw two Broadway shows, Newsies and Once, participated in two Broadway workshops, and enjoyed Manhattan, Chinatown, and more. For the mom who's never been to NYC, I'm still jealous.

Superhero fun

Central Park

Her recent audition earned her the Soupy Sue role in Urinetown the musical playing at RHS on Aug. 15-17. I've collected some photos of what else is up in her world. She's busy enough that sometimes I think she actually lives at school, not at home. I wouldn't change any of it for the world though. (Please visit Gayla's page to see other photography work.)

March Hare in Alice in Wonderland
Credit Gayla Fox Photography

"You enjoyed our singing!"
Credit Gayla Fox Photography

Sweet 16 - A woodland tea party

Footloose - An adult in midst of church scene
Credit Gayla Fox Photography

Cinderella's Mom in Into the Woods
Credit Gayla Fox Photography

Sleeping Beauty in Into the Woods
Credit Gayla Fox Photography

ArtPrize - without triplets and without voting

Thanks to my lovely teen Lotte who babysat the triplets during their long afternoon nap today, Tripped Up Daddy and I were finally able to attend ArtPrize, a radically open art competition, during its last weekend. Voting was over for the contest, the winners already selected, so we were just there to view and enjoy art. We wanted to see the top winner's piece (which I did find a little underwhelming, personally) and beyond that, took everything else as it came. We took a lovely walk through a sculpture area and toured three separate venues while we were there. I must admit, doing ArtPrize without the triplets in tow was a little bit like heaven. Imagine our first year visiting in its inaugural year with a triplet stroller - we actually did make it into about 2 indoor venues, the rest, well it was mostly seeing the sculptures. Last year, slightly better, 3 umbrella strollers, but the opportunity to linger at a piece and wander at will was so very nice today.

Look closely, you'll see his story

My favorite of the day was a series of portraits of older people by Lauren Taylor, portraits that were detailed with words written into the wrinkles and details of the people's faces. The words were their stories from their own interview with the artist. The artist also presented the transcript of the interview along with each portrait. I guess as a writer it's not surprising I would be impressed with this way of merging life, art, stories and people together.

Just yesterday I was afraid I wouldn't even get to attend ArtPrize at all, and for an art-loving, creative person living in West Michigan, that's a bit unthinkable. So I'm pleased we were able to attend at all. It was fine not being part of the voting this year too. It simply made it about the art, and I guess I didn't care so much about everything else. I did enjoy seeing Rain, found the recreation of President Ford a little eerie, shook my head a bit at Rusty, greatly admired Mantis Dreaming and, as always, stood in awe of what Tracy Van Duinen produced.

 I mentioned that I might actually put up some photos from last year that were still on my phone and indeed I did download a few. I don't remember the artist or exactly what the piece was supposed to present. I just remember being impressed and stopping to enjoy and to think. I felt compelled to record the moment with a photo. The emotion captured on both of these figures was intriguing to me. Again the last two are from ArtPrize 2010 - yet apparently still hold my interest.


I'm grateful for ArtPrize and the entry point it provides for many of my neighbors into art. I'm excited that Lotte is actually considering creating some of her own artwork to enter into the competition next year. I hope you have an ArtPrize type of catalyst in your home that launches you into the conversation of art and creativity too.

Between = In the meantime

When I think of the word between, it evokes transition to me - like when someone says, we're between sitters right now, or I'm between sizes, or all too often in these economic times, he's in between jobs. Transition, in the meantime, or meanwhile - they're all words I use a lot these days. Actually I think it's an excellent description of The Tripped Up Family. We're in transition in so many places, sometimes it's hard to keep count of all of them.

Sometimes the sands pass slowly

Now that Tripped Up Daddy has officially graduated, we're in a between space for him. He's looking for work, working part-time from home and watching after the triplets - which will all change, we hope, once he obtains a new job in his field. He lives now in the meantime.

I'm in my own between space with my career. I'm blogging as I can pull time away from other responsibilities. I contract full-time as a writer in an eCommerce department of a local company. I expect that will continue as a long-term assignment, but don't know how a new job (as yet unknown) for Tripped Up Daddy may affect my activities. I contemplate going back to school for an advanced degree - for what, I'm not sure or exactly how that may change my career path. I live now in the meantime.

As a child of divorce and a blended family, our teen Lotte also lives in a between space of her own. She travels between her father's house and our house regularly. As an only child in one home and the oldest of 4 in the other, she bounces between lifestyles often. She's starting to think about career choices and colleges and requirements and applications. In her own estimation, life really doesn't begin until you can drive and date, both of which aren't allowed until she's 16. She lives now in the meantime.

Our triplets are all moving forward on their milestones, some quicker than others, but they are slowly beginning to catch up. Still, there are activities that are tough to do right now because of their developmental stage (think potty training for Angel and Princess). They are roaming the house much more freely now, and that has led to both joy and frustration as they learn what's appropriate and what's not (climbing into booster seat on her own - good, climbing onto counter to pull knife out of butcher block - not a good plan). Someday our 3 busy toddlers will be really good at following directions, but we're not there yet. They live now in the meantime.

I don't know how long each of these meantime situations will last, but I know they won't last forever. I hope I can live in the present enough to learn every valuable aspect I should while we live in the meantime.