Adventures of the Schoeck Family

Project 52 Week 3

2014-02-16T16:47:00.002-05:00

It can be difficult to get some outdoor adventures during the witner months so Noah and I hit the wall...rock climbing wall.

We are never without a project here at the Schoeck Household. This week we have been working on a project that Steven has been brewing for a while. I was excited to help him as much as I could because it required a trip to IKEA and some reorganizing the living room.

As Steven and I assembled our new IKEA furniture Noah slept. In fact he slept right through us moving the couch into place. He was knocked out after coming home from an overnight youth group event.

We concluded the week with some festivities. We celebrated Chip's Birthday with his favorite, chocolate. Mmmm

Project 52 Week 2

2014-01-20T11:33:00.003-05:00

The basketball theme continues. Sunday Noah had a basketball game. There was some good competition between the teams and all the players played hard.

Taking a rest during his basketball game.

Noah doesn't get sick often. In fact I think his last sick day might have been in 5th grade. But this week he was a little under the weather. He took the day off from school but not school work. Skippyjon was keeping an eye on him making sure Noah got all his work done before he returned back to school.

For Christmas Santa gave Noah tickets to a basketball game. Not just any basketball game but his favorite team, The Miami Heat! This turned into a weekend adventure to Philadelphia and Delaware.

Project 52 Week 1

2014-01-12T10:21:00.000-05:00

Helen Keller wrote "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."
I have always loved that quote. It inspires me to take chances and live life to the fullest. I've also read

"It's all the little moments that make life a VERY BIG adventure."

I agree. There is more to life than waiting for the next big vacation or the momentous milestones we commonly celebrate. Life is also all the little things that happen in between. So as we begin 2014 I want to recognize all the little moments that make up our adventurous life.

Sunday we celebrated Osana's graduation from nursing school. It is always fun visiting friends.

Wednesday was the RHAM Middle School Winter Concert. Steven recorded the 7th grade band play so we can play back and listen to Noah's solo once we got home.

A trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame with a friend on a rainy Saturday.

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

-Robert Brault

Renewed Spirit of Adventure

2014-01-02T21:36:00.001-05:00

We are starting of the new year with the spirit of Adventure and Spontaneity.

We would never have planned a cold winter 5K road race if we had enough time to think it through. But, to borrow the phrase from Nike, early Wednesday morning on New Year Day we decided to JUST DO IT!!

18 degrees didn't feel as bad as we had expected it to be.

Bonus: we finished with a better time than we expected considering neither one of us have been running regularly lately.

We are looking forward to a fantastic 2014. May it be filled with Love, Laughter and Adventure.

Change is Good

2013-04-13T13:57:00.001-04:00

Nothing stays the same forever. Change is inevitable. So, you might as well make it worth while.
I made a big change this week. I cut my hair short. This is something I have been thinking about for a little while now. And if I was going to make such a big change I figured I would make it worth while. So I donated my hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths. My cut hair, usually swept up as trash at the salon, will now go towards making a wig for a cancer patient.
It will take some time to get use to this but so far I like it.

Climb For Air

2013-04-08T21:19:00.000-04:00

We did it! We climbed 32 flights of stairs in gear!

The Climb for Air is a fundraiser for American Lung Association's research, education and advocacy. Our team raised nearly $2,500. The event raised about $25,000.

It was originally scheduled for Saturday Feb. 9 but it was postponed due to the weather. Remember the snowstorm? Well, it was rescheduled for Saturday Feb. 23. Steven finished in 7 minutes and I finished in 8:30. Those times were OK. I was amazed at other people's times. The fastest time went to a 52 year old gentleman (NOT in gear) who finished in 2:30! WOW! It was a great event for a great cause. We are looking forward to doing it again next year and hoping to do beat our times.

The Team

Standing: Brenden Noonan, Kevin Donovan, Steven Schoeck, Joe Amento

Kneeling: Cristina Schoeck, Al Barns

Once we caught our breath and rehydrate with water we went over to O'Tooles for the after party and the awards ceremony. I won fastest female firefighter.

Our Team Page

End Of Another Season

2013-04-04T20:51:00.001-04:00

We had a fantastic sugaring season! Best we ever had!

The sap flowed freely. So much so that after we made six gallons of maple syrup we decided we didn't need to make anymore and pulled the taps.

"Only take what you need"

Every year we learn a little bit more. Last year we marked the Sugar Maple Trees just before the leaves fell with ribbons that didn't last through the winter very well. This year we marked the trees that we tapped with more permanent markers. We got this idea from a trail we walk on with the Anderson Family at Welch Island, NH.

And now onto our next hobby adventure. Stay tuned.

More Syrup Is A Good Thing

2013-03-16T22:21:00.000-04:00

It has been an incredible year of sap. So much so that we recruited the help of these two young strong men, Jonathan and Christopher.

Of course, it was a beautiful warm sunny day. They would have preferred to have a snowball fight. In fact they were teaming up against their cousin Noah.

Meanwhile back inside the Schoeck Sugar Shack (AKA Cristina's Garden Shed) Steven was instructing them on the art and science of sugaring.

The newcomers were very interested.

Supervising.

Once the majority of the water has boiled off we move the operation indoors where we keep a very close eye on the process. This is where it can get tricky.

As the water content decreases and the sugar content increases the rate of boiling off the water goes faster. We have to test it often with the hydrometer to check for the right consistency.

And in the end we have MORE maple syrup. And more maple syrup is always a good thing.

Music to My Ears...Kind of

2013-03-07T21:50:00.001-05:00

Somewhere between school, scouts, sports, band, jazz band and hang out with friends Noah has decided to learn to play the Ukulele. There is a Ukulele Club at school.

Tap Tap Tap

2013-02-25T21:49:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. Cold nights below freezing and warm days. The sap is starting to flow and we are ready too.

So we invited a few friends to help us tap the trees. Of course our experienced tapper Kevin was back this year.

New to our team this year is James.

Sugaring is often more about the fun with friends than just the end product. Everything is better when shared with friends.

Walk in the Park

2013-02-25T21:33:00.000-05:00

What's better than a walk in the park on a warm sunny winter day?

Spending the day with family you have not seen in a while.

We have come together under sad circumstances we are

enjoying our time together.

The Schoeck Family

Is that Don Schoeck or James Bond?

Playing in the snow making a snowman.

Eating the snow??

Mother and daughter

Sharing memories.

Yummy Chocolate

2013-02-14T20:57:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine Day!

Chocolate is a favorite treat in our house and Valentine's Day is a perfect excuse to buy chocolate.

Or if you are lucky, a good friend will send you chocolate covered strawberries for no other reason than "just because."

Photo Book

2013-02-11T21:52:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

Mini Home Gym Progress

2013-02-02T12:40:00.000-05:00

It's all coming together now.

First we sectioned off a small area of the unfinished basement to convert into what would be the mini home gym. Steven framed it out and the father and son team put up the Sheetrock. There was several days of taping, applying joint compound and sanding, applying joint compound and sanding...before I could prime the walls. But then things starting coming together fast and it really started to look like a room.

The walls were painted. The room was wired for electricity. The ceiling went up and the lighting installed. After the floor went down we moved treadmill in and installed the TV and DVD player. So much progress!

It is exciting to see it start to look like what we had envisioned. We created our vision of the gym based on pictures of other home gyms we found on the Internet and in magazines. It is not done yet but it is close. Next week we will install the molding and add the last of the finishing touches.

View From the Kitchen

2013-01-31T00:54:00.003-05:00

We have dogs.
We have a cat.
We have birds.

Well, they are not exactly our birds. They are the birds that visit the bird feeder right outside the sliding glass doors in our kitchen. We placed the feeder there so we can enjoy the continuous flow of activity while we gather in the kitchen. Winter can be harsh for our local wildlife so we help them out by providing them with a free meal. Speaking of free, we fill the feeder with seeds harvested from the sunflowers we grew in our garden during the summer.

The other day there was such a flutter of activity during breakfast that I decided to grab the camera and capture the moment. It was not easy to snap a decent shot. These little guys fly in and out faster than I can focus on them. The few pictures I did get unfortunately had an unsightly glare from the glass doors. Although I did get one nice picture of a Dark eyed Junco sitting still on our deck and a chickadee landing on the feeder.

Feeding and watching our winged visitors helps us remember to slow down, look around and enjoy the simple things in life. It reminds us that there is beauty all around us. The only thing left to do is convince Skippyjon that we did NOT set up the feeder as a bait station for his hunting pleasure.

Win-Win

2013-01-21T10:03:00.001-05:00

I love these wireless headsets. It was Steven's idea to let Noah use them to play Xbox. While Noah "plays" basketball for the Miami Heat, I am in blissful peace sitting in my red chair reading with Sierra snuggled up on my lap.

Growing Boy

2013-01-19T11:54:00.001-05:00

Despite a hearty breakfast before his early morning basketball game Noah came home with a big appetite. Post game snack included fresh coconut water, blueberry protein shake, and half a bagel with peanut butter.

Home Improvements and Updates

2013-01-18T14:46:00.000-05:00

There is always something going on at the Schoeck house. Especially when Steven's hobby is working on projects and my hobby is to organize and reorganize everything.

Noah's room is undergoing some minor updating. He is growing up and all evidence of kiddie stuff has to go. After purging his room of unused and unwanted toys, we moved around furniture to make room for a new desk. Noah did a great job building it.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get a teen to keep their desk neat and orderly?

Downstairs in the kitchen, I had my own minor project. A new kitchen cart is converted to a beverage station. I was calling it the coffee corner but Noah reminded me that we also make tea and hot chocolate as well, not just coffee. So he renamed it "The Beverage Station."

As for Steven, he likes to take on bigger projects. He is building us a cozy little home gym in the basement. Stay tuned for gym updates. Pictures to follow.

Carving Out Time

2013-01-12T23:53:00.001-05:00

Busy. Busy. Busy. We are all so busy!

Weekends are always full. Someone is working a shift, has a meeting or has a game scheduled. What sport depends on the season. Soccer is in the fall; basketball in the winter; lacrosse in the spring.
Whatever is going on, we always carve time to have meals together. As many as we can. It may be a quiet family dinner around the dinner table or nourishing breakfast to fuel us for what lies ahead.
Today, Noah and I went out for breakfast. We were there so early we beat the morning rush. It was nice quiet time just the two of us.

Back to Normal

2013-01-02T22:35:00.001-05:00

Christmas Vacation is over. We are back to our regularly scheduled life. During prayers tonight Noah was thankful for going back to school. As much as I would love to say it is because he can't wait to dive into those books, it's because he gets to see his friends. Although, truth be told, we didn't have to remind him to do his homework. He jumped right in on his own.
Life

Goodbye 2012

2013-01-01T13:44:00.001-05:00

What better way to end the

year than a lazy day at

home playing in the snow?

Noah decided he wanted to build a fort. Steven helped of course.

Once the fort was built Steven attacked Noah.

I went for a walk. Later Steven pushed me on the tire swing.

Schoeck Family Skydiving

2012-10-09T16:29:00.001-04:00

Life is good.

And Life keeps us busy.

It seems I have been too caught up in the moment and have not taken the time to sit down and share the Schoeck Family's adventures in a while. Summer 2012 was filled with fun and sun! But before I start catching up with summer time fun let me first share with you an awesome spring adventure Steven and I went on.

Maybe some of you saw the video already, but if you haven't, check it out.

It was fun!

New Haven Road Race

2012-07-02T22:18:00.000-04:00

We are signed up for the Annual New Haven Road Race!

Save the date: Monday Sept. 3, 2012

Why don't you join us? You can run or walk the 5K at your own pace.

Or you can just hang out at the finish line and cheer us on. It is always a fun time!

Last year we are group grew to include

Steven, Cristina, Anne Marie, Beth

Jonathan, Christopher and Noah

Steven, Cristina & Beth at the 2011 New Haven Road Race

Steven, Jonathon, Anne Marie, Christopher, Beth, Cristina & Noah
2011 New Haven Road Race

Yes, we are drinking beer.

A Muddy Adventure

2012-06-25T22:48:00.000-04:00

Friday was Noah's last day of school. Summer vacation officially began.

Saturday Noah and I went on a bike ride with the Boy Scouts as he begins to works towards his cycling merit badge. While Noah has done long rides before we knew that 15 miles was going to be a challenge. But he was up for it. The Hop River Trail is a shady rail trail that runs along the river. Beautiful New England setting. Somehow the leader of the group lost track of the distance and the 15 mile ride turned into 20 miles. The scouts were too busy riding as fast as they could and blasting through every puddle they could find to notice how far we had gone. Needless to say, Noah was very tired near the end and moving slow. But he never gave up!

On Sunday he was off to his next adventure at Silver Lake Camp.

2012-06-04T23:46:00.000-04:00

Sunday I ran in the Iron Horse Half Marathon. This was my second year participating in the event. To be honest, I did not train nearly as hard or consistently as I did last year and so it was a little tougher to get through. In fact, as I completed the first loop at mile 8 and hearing the announcer call out the names of runners who have already finished depressed me so much so that I considered dropping out of the race. I decided to stay in the race because I was afraid that dropping out would hurt my ego more than my quads will hurt by mile 13. When you are tired and things get tough your mind races with tons of reasons why you can't make it but instead I chose to focus on the positive. Around every turn there were volunteers cheering racers on. You could not help but feel energized when there is a line of people high-fiving you as you run by. There was even a cheer leading squad, pom poms and all! And of course there is the music. There were bands, DJs and bagpipes adding to the party atmosphere. Being at the back of the pack has it's advantages, I saw some pretty funny and inspiring t-shirts. Some of my favorites are:

Are we done yet?

I thought this was the 5K

I run because I can

Thirteen point freaking one

If you can read this I'm not last!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

By mile ten I developed a cramp on my left side and was slowing down considerably. I began to repeat the verse Philippians 4:13 to myself knowing I had the strength to finish. At last I reached mile marker 13 but the finish line seemed so far away and I thought to myself "thirteen point freaking one!"

While I was running, Noah wrapped up another lacrosse season playing in a tournament in Somers. Steven says Noah played some of his best games at the tournament. By the end of the day we were all ready for a relaxing evening at home. We sat out on the deck and watched the storm roll in. Well, except Noah, who was more interested in his book.

May was a busy month and I neglected to post an important update.

On May 5 Sierra turned 11. Aside form going to bed a little bit earlier and a few more naps you wouldn't guess she was getting up there in years. Sierra is my running buddy. The moment she sees my running sneakers come out she sits by the front door and waits for her leash.

Happy Birthday Sierra!