We did the thing called spring. It was good while it lasted.

Alexa: Please bring on summer.

To beat the heat, Mom took us to Champions Riverside Resort to meet up with Colin for a fun day in the water. It was my first time experiencing a Wibit obstacle course, and it was so much fun that mom couldn’t get me off of it for 3 hours! I’m pretty sure we set a record that day.

We did take a break, however, (because we’re such gentleman), to rescue Genesee from the shallow beach and take her to the deeper waters, where all the fun was being had. But Genesee struggled to climb the slippery sides, especially with all the big kid energy bouncing off every corner. So, back to the boring shore she went, where she won the water gun fight against the unarmed kid, so I guess we were all champions at Champions in the end.

To honor Juneteenth, which is a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, we joined the La Crosse celebration at Riverside Park, where we got to visit with lots of friends, meet some of the middle schoolers mom worked with this year, eat delicious food, and learn some magic tricks from mom’s former college student (turned famous hypnotist), Chris Jones!

And then the storm rolled in.

Still, despite the rain ending the event prematurely, we were grateful to soak up all the Black joy that is felt from America’s second Independence Day.

When your great uncle accidentally starts himself on fire, your great Grandma turns 95 years old, and your Florida besties announce a last minute trip to Wisconsin, you rearrange your schedule to figure out how to see all the people at once, because family matters.

So, after driving to Madison to pick up Cha Cha and Ernest from the airport, we swung by the UW Health University Hospital to check on Uncle Norman in the Burn Unit and to convince him to stop playing with matches and gasoline.

Then we looked for a cure for our hangrytitus and found some delicious Mediterranean food and cute outdoor seating at Banzo, before finding a place to rest our heads in the Dells.

Of course, we needed Ernest to get a little taste of the Dells before heading to Waukesha, since he was a first-timer, so we waved down the next amphibious truck we could find and took a wet and wild Duck tour of the Wisconsin River, Dell Creek, and Lake Delton!

And since there likely wouldn’t be time to visit the Milwaukee Zoo, which was on our summer bucket list, we got our animal fix by walking through Timbavati Wildlife Park to feed the giraffes and pet the kangaroos.

Finally, we arrived in Waukesha to give Great Grandma Garcia hugs, kisses, and birthday wishes before heading back across the state (with a midpoint wardrobe change at a gas station bathroom) to get mom to an important wedding that her presence was requested at.

It was a whirlwind of miles, emotions, and love that I wouldn’t trade for anything, because we don’t often get to see my Florence and Garcia family (especially in the same weekend) and these special reunions are always so good for my soul. Turns out, it was good for my tummy, too, since we got sent home with churros and tamales!

Well, look who joined me at basketball camp this year!

For a girl who has hardly picked up a basketball, I must say that my sister’s tenacity impressed me. She was often seen running across the court, chasing the ball that she inadvertently dribbled on her foot, but she never got frustrated, never gave up, and never took a shortcut. She was focused, determined, and smiley, and already asked mom if she can attend camp again next year!

I, on the other hand, get frustrated very easily, so it’s a good thing I’m a natural athlete because I don’t have the determination of my sister – yet. But you know what I do have? Bragging rights. Because with all the odds against me, as a 4th grader in the 4th-8th grade camp, and as last year’s reigning MVP, mom did everything she could to prepare me to accept the reality that I would likely not receive the MVP/Camper of the Week for a second consecutive year. And even though it doesn’t happen very often, sometimes mom is wrong. Because the 2023 Jordan Kappen Camper of the Week award was presented to yours truly: Jaeger Amari Goodenough! And the crowd goes wild!!!

I tried not to smile as I was crowned the camp king, just to play it cool. But when nobody was looking, you know your boy was cheesin’ because I’ve got a brand new Point 3 Backpack and an outdoor Veniceball to remind me of not just my greatness, but also mom’s wrongness.

Whoever said leaf blowers aren’t any fun must not be using them properly.

Since mom is on The Board of Directors for The Pump House Regional Arts Center, and because we love the arts, we attended this year’s Artspire event! With live performances, food trucks, chalk art, and interactive art stations, we had an absolute blast!

Art is healing. Art makes the world more beautiful. Art brings people together.

If Dr. Bee and Lynette weren’t already some of my favorite people, this pizza/pool party (that we invited ourselves to) surely would have bumped them up a few notches.

With a playground of hammock swings in their house and the Mississippi sunset in their backyard, they are living the good life. So good, in fact, that Genesee cried as we had to eventually end the party and head back to our life. “I’m gonna miss my best friends,” she said.

But, I’ve concluded, if we are so lucky to call Dr. Bee and Lynette our best friends, we must be living the good life, too!

From the first day to the last, some of us matured….

…and some of us did not.

But hey, we’re all on our own journey, so who am I to judge my weirdo sister?!

Nonetheless, we both successfully completed another grade level and are officially ready to PLAY. OUR. HEARTS. OUT!!!

But first, we let our hearts sleep in.

Because I’m such a sweetheart, I invited my Queen on a mother/son date aboard the La Crosse Queen, followed by a peaceful dinner at the local movie theatre.

Some people called it “we need parents to chaperone.”

Either way, mom said yes!

And so there we were, sailing the Mississippi and exploring the haunted bathrooms of the Rivoli with 55 of my closest, not-so-quiet classmates. In my defense, I said “pizza dinner,” but for some reason, mom heard me say “peaceful.”

She’s a sucker for spending time with her sweetheart, no matter the quality. And I love her for that!