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Merry Christmas Greetings
21 December 2012
I had been putting off the annual chronicles of life in the Storey-Rogers household, due in part to the
predicted Mayan Apocalypse. After all, why waste time composing a long missive if no one except
zombies and cockroaches will be around to read it? Well, happily, as you can see by the date on the
letterhead, apparently we’re all still here. So this can only mean one thing. SkyNet saved us. And I
predict that tomorrow the malls are going to be overrun with Mayans all doing their last minute
shopping. Frankly, I’m of the opinion that the whole Armageddon thing was a plot cooked up by NASA
scientists who have too much time on their hands since the cancellation of the space shuttle program,
and were hoping that public opinion would support an effort to send a spacecraft to the outer reaches
of the universe to search for the mysterious rogue planet that was apparently going to collide with the
earth and obliterate all life as we know it. (Either that, or else it’s a conspiracy by Congress to avoid
dealing with the fiscal cliff.)
So as another year draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the highlights of 2012, which necessitates the
tedious and mind-numbing task of pouring through a year’s worth of my tweets, Facebook posts, and
Evernote tags. Without all these digital breadcrumbs, I might actually have to remember something for
longer than a week. (Want to see my grocery list for the week of March 20? I’ve got it). In fact, our wired
world actually brought our family closer together recently, when Brydan was filling out his college
application, and needed to list his parent’s degrees. Not knowing where Veda received her Ph.D., he
quickly googled it and came downstairs, complaining, “Why do they care so much about you guys when
I’m the one applying?”
When I leaf through the pages of our big 2012 wall calendar, the most noticeable thing on it is the lack
of white space. In fact there, were three days in April with no entries on them, and some wisecracker
wrote in each day’s slot, “What, NOTHING??” Most of the remaining days are covered with reminders
for rehearsals, music lessons, doctors’ appointments (notably for the triplets’ wisdom teeth removal,
Corin’s hand and nose surgeries, and Ivy Catherine’s surgery to remove a bunion) as well as trips to
various parts of the world. Veda returned to the Maritimes in September for the wedding of a dear
friend, Heidi Weatherbie, and got to spend her birthday in Florence, Italy.
The annual summer trip to PEI was notable for a couple of reasons. It was probably the longest stretch
of sunny and hot weather we’ve ever had there. Sadly, we had to leave the two oldest sons behind:
Devon was taking summer courses at Georgia Tech, and Keenan was doing his ringmaster gig with the
Florida State Circus, which has a summer program in Pine Mountain, Ga. It was also the first year in
many that we were able to make the journey without hauling our utility trailer, having a significantly
reduced amount of gear (including musical instruments). We also took a slight detour via Ottawa to visit
my father, who turned 95 on the 25th of July (same day as the triplets’ birthday). Devon took a couple of
days off from studying to join us in PEI for his birthday, which he enjoyed by para-sailing over the
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Northumberland Strait with his brothers. He turned 19, which happens to be the legal drinking age on
PEI, so at dinner that night, Leith kept shouting to Devon, “Why don’t you drink? It’s OK here!!” I can
hardly wait until Leith’s 19th birthday. The family did manage to reunite on our way back to Atlanta,
however. We took a slight detour to the coast of North Carolina to visit Veda’s sister Joyce at Howell’s
beach house. Keenan and Devon hopped a plane to meet us there and everyone enjoyed the chance to
try body surfing and play more frisbee on the beach.
The triplets got more involved in the summer Ultimate Frisbee league in PEI, which is made up mostly of
college and working folks. But it seems they were missed when they left -- apparently the team’s
standing declined after their three youngest players fled the country. Another outdoor activity we
worked in while on PEI was a sprint triathlon, which Corin, Aidan and I took part in. Aidan decided he
liked the whole concept of long distance racing enough to join his school’s cross country team (where he
got rookie of the year), and complete another triathlon as well as his first half marathon on Thanksgiving
Day (his time was a very respectable 1:28). While a nagging leg affliction kept me from joining him on
the half, I did manage to do 2 sprint triathlons and complete my first Century bike ride (100 Mi) earlier in
the summer. I’ll be happy as long as I can bike more miles than my age.
Other sports activities that kept them all busy during the fall semester included Ultimate Frisbee (Devon,
Aidan, Brydan & Corin) lacrosse (Leith - who has become so obsessed with the sport that he practiced
every day on Grandma’s field in PEI and now keeps his stick next to his bed) and gymnastics, ballet and
tap dancing (Ivy Catherine, with some help from Keenan) and tennis (Corin). Throw in marching band,
football games, National Honor Society, Ceili Band, and Anatomy Club (really? - this club should be
named “How to Pad Your Resume”) and you have the makings of a logistical exercise on par with the
Mars Curiosity expedition. A corollary of such a variety of extra-curricular activities is that there will be
multiple schedule conflicts caused by extra practices, performances and the like which always seem to
happen on the days that a music teacher is coming to the house, resulting in truncated lessons with
sweaty and/or dirty students.
This being the triplets’ senior year in high school, the fall semester is also known as the season of that
incessant question, “Where are you going to college?” So, after multiple sittings at SAT and AP exams,
personal statements, reference letters, and demonstrations of leadership qualities (I had no idea that
they had composed and directed a musical for orphan kids in Sudan in a school they designed with
Autocad and built themselves with solar powered walls they created on a 3D printer while creating a
vaccine to cure sickle cell anemia -- guess I should have googled them). Anyway, so far one of them has
made it across the finish line -- last week Brydan got his acceptance letter to Georgia Tech, so he can
now concentrate on the important part of his education: getting the best shot of a Lamborghini
Gallardo, Photoshopping himself into the driver’s seat, and creating the effect that he’s cruising along
the Autobahn at 200 km/hr. (He also found the time to continue his room renovation project, by
installing solid hardwood flooring himself.) His brothers are holding off until the January application
deadline, while they put the finishing touches on their latest discovery in the field of animal biophysics :
“The Higgs Bison Particle - Eliminating global warming caused by methane gas from cows”, which they
will be presenting at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. (Note to the Nobel nominating
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committee: the deadline for nominations isn’t until June 1). Aidan reluctantly omitted his feat of solving
the Rubik’s cube in 47 seconds from his list of academic accomplishments.
Keenan and Devon continue to enjoy their time in college. Devon has moved into an apartment on
campus with a few of his buddies. He is about to embark on a new phase of his career, called working. In
January, he’s starting a co-op job at Georgia Tech Research Institute for the next four months. He’ll
return to his studies in May. We don’t know much about his new job except that he’s going to doing
something involving guided missile systems, and he’s going through the FBI background check to get Top
Secret security clearance. Never thought we’d have a rocket scientist in the family.
Keenan is following in Dad’s footsteps, by switching his major to economics, and continues to hone his
skill as the FSU circus ringmaster. A short clip of him doing a Rod Serling-esque intro to the Halloween
Circus Extravaganza can be found here:
http://youtu.be/01th_JXdZ04
Perhaps, once Keenan graduates with his economics degree, he’ll start a three ring circus, which come
to think of it, growing up in this family has prepared him well for. Keenan got a taste of “culture clash”
when a roommate from Kuwait moved in and declared that there would be no pork or bacon allowed in
the apartment they were sharing, and started leaving cigarette butts around the place. He also asked
Keenan to wake him up every morning and teach him English. Keenan taught him two words: “Move
out”. Eventually, good sense prevailed and the management moved the offending party to another unit,
and Keenan is enjoying having a two room suite all to himself.
Ivy Catherine is now in middle school in grade 6 which means that, for the first time in 12 years, we do
not have a mid-afternoon pick up at the elementary school bus. She is busy with music, dance, and
gymnastics and is particularly looking forward to attending a Taylor Swift concert in April, thanks to Dad
who got on the website for tickets within a minute of their release.
This is the part of the letter in which Veda documents all the notable quotations from various family
members throughout the year.
Veda: Did you arrange to practice with your friend?
IC:
Well Mom, we're kids. Our job is to have fun.
Veda to Son: Don't tell me; tell your brother yourself.
Son : That is exactly the kind of thing Brother B always forgets.
Brother: We are leaving for school right now and I’m not driving. I am studying for my test.
Brydan: Can I take the Infinity [Gordon’s car]? Why not?
Keenan: My flight to NY got delayed again. I can’t get on another one. I am on the tarmac to Atlanta.
Home by 10:00.
Brydan: Dad needs to learn how to get things done.
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Keenan: Guess what Mom? I’m going to Callaway for the summer. Yep! [To host the circus shows.]
On way to year-end voice recital:
Aidan to Leith: If you have to, just make up some words, but don't throw in any Italian.
Devon to Leith: Leith, don't start at the beginning, or you'll only learn the first words.
Aidan to Leith: The time to be prepared is before now.
Veda to Leith: Do you need the book to look over the words on the way?
Leith:
No Mom, I have them on my ipod.
Brydan: Give me a few minutes.
Veda: Like how long?
Brydan: 7 1/2 minutes.
Veda to Son: Is that my laptop?
Son: You don't even know your own laptop? It is like not knowing your own son.
IC: I wish I had perfect pitch like my brothers.
Brydan to IC -- I used to get blamed for everything. Now, I am taller than Aidan so he gets blamed.
G: I am going to Target after dinner
V: What are you buying at Target?
G: You never tell me what you are going shopping for.
I am going to get a bathing suit.
V: You need a bathing suit?
G: No, but someone else in this family does.]
So ... IC convinced Gordon to take her at 9:00 pm to Target to buy a bathing suit that was 2 pieces and of
a certain variety and also came home with a certain kind of shorts. So much for mother-daughter
shopping.
Aidan to Brydan -- Don't let the middle of my sentence interrupt the start of yours.
IC [after cast removal]: This is the best day. I can walk and we're going to Canada tomorrow. We're going
to see Uncle Phil and Aunt Pat and their hidden dishwasher. Do they have anything else that is hidden?
Brydan to Veda: I'd like to ask you to take my sheet music, but I worry that you'd lose it or it would get
into the wrong hands. [Don't want Corin to learn the same piece even though they have it.]
Devon: "I killed physics!" [He got an A".]
IC to Devon: Mark the days off on the calendar until you come to PEI. Use mine as an example.
Brydan to Veda: I can put this in your purse-slash-bag-slash-suitcase.
Oh there it is -- the suitcase [my purse].
Leith : "I thought I was full of emotion."
[When he sang.]
Son: No, not the lettuce. That is far too healthy.
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Devon [on an extra long road trip to see Keenan’s circus show]: Brydan, just relax. You can read calculus
with me. It will be ok.
IC: If I have kids (which I hope I do), I am going to put them into dance and gymnastics and hope they
don't get bunions.
IC: I couldn't sleep. I had butterflies in my stomach and they had big wings on them.
Aidan: Well, at least I felt sorry that I was making us late to leave for school.
Leith: "Thank you Mom" [for an emergency delivery of forgotten math homework to school.]
Leith: Thank you Mom for the toothpaste.
L: the book I am reading says that mothers are the true heroes of the world because they bring heroes
into the world and I am a hero.
Son: Rounding $21 to $25. That is not cool Dad.
Leith: I couldn't practice my piano, I couldn't find the Greig.
Veda: Leith, how about this one?
Leith: I looked in that stack.
Gordon: Like I said, it's not lost until Mom can 't find it.
Aidan in text to Veda for Senior’s Night on the football field where the parents accompany the kids
about what to wear. “It doesn't matter Mom. Just wear something a little nice.”
IC: Aidan has 10 pair of shoes. I counted.
He has more shoes than I do. He should be a girl.
Veda: IC you have to go to bed.
IC : I haven't even started to eat.
Aidan: You shouldn't have that book in front of you like you are going to have a luxurious lunch. It’s 9:38
pm.
Leith practising his oboe:
This is hard. Then you have to remember, if it is easy, it is not worth doing.
Leith -- Siri is the best. She just answered my math problems.
[That is the natural language assistant on the new iphone -- oh that younger generation]
Leith: What you don't get Mom is that some of us don't need practice because we are experienced.
Son: I want the bread that is not the healthy kind so it tastes good.
Aidan: When will you be back with the Toyota?
Veda: In an hour. Why? Do you need to go someplace?
Aidan: We'll talk about it later.
Veda: Aidan when you come over towards me like that it means you are going to ask me for money.
Aidan: Mom do you have any money for me?
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Veda: Didn't Dad already give you some?
Aidan: Yes, but I thought you might like to contribute as well.
Christmas wish list note from Keenan:
That's it! I understand if I do get coal though, I'm a very expensive child!
Leith: I think I am like Dad, I don’t worry about anything.
Leith: Aidan thinks he's the only one who should eat this yogurt, and eats it straight from the container.
There are others of us who want to eat straight from the container too.
IC [texting from school bus on way home:]
Can u PLEASE make cookies if U havent already?
Son: We need more of these, we are running out [as he opens a brand new box of ice cream
sandwiches.]
Veda: IC, what does that clock say?
IC That it is 7:59
Veda: What does that mean?
IC: That it is not 7:58.
Brydan: I got into Georgia Tech. Now I don’t have to write the 4 essays to apply to the University of
Georgia.
Devon: Mom, do you know where my passport is?
VS: No.
Devon: Why not?
VS: You were using it last.
Keenan: Mom, you know that Devon is “set” don't you? [Reference to Devon’s co-op job at Georgia
Tech’s Research Institute.] I’m jealous.
From one son to another: Oh don't pat yourself on the back.
Who is tallest among the triplets?
Corin "I think we have a clear winner."
Byrdan: I'm taller than Aidan so I am smarter."
Corin: When we were being made only 2 got to be smart?
Devon: I just spent my first 4th of July in the US.
Devon: Things are pretty good. I just had a test for my electrical engineering class, and it went decently
well. I was able to schedule my test for Monday.
Keenan: Hi Mom, Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. My shoulders doing a lot better than yesterday
but I did show today in a sling which looked ridiculous because I did it yesterday without one but Chad
told me to. Don't worry too much about my shoulder it'll be fine. I'm taking some of the Circus people
up to Atlanta tonight and we're going to go to the Aquarium and the World of Coke.
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Son (at restaurant for birthday) -- Just the fettuccine. No protein. They wanted $6 for the chicken. I
wasn't going to let that happen.
Son: I won. End of discussion.
Birthday present: Brydan got a book on cars. "Thanks Dad."
Veda : It's not from Dad, it's from me.
Son: I call it "favouritism parenting." I am keeping a list of what IC asks Dad for.
Devon -- I can't find size 14.5 in cleats.
Why don't you just call Nike (the company) on the telephone?
That's a great idea Mom. [Old fashioned technology.]
Devon: Let me show you Mom how we secured the motif for my apt. And the internet was not help. But,
the man at the Ace Hardware store was.
Brydan. This is a great job. We should market this.
Devon: Not your idea.
Son: Dad, who has gone mad, took the piano out of my room.
Aidan: You should buy Brydan anything he likes if he does that.
GAR: Yes, I'll buy him a coffin, because he'll be dead if he does it [double iron man] [Comment after
Brydan ran 4 miles cross country].
Gordon (to Brydan): Do you have to take your brain back to school?
Love anatomy class and those projects to make clay brains.
Leith: IC, don't you know by now, that if you want to invite a friend over, you need to ask Daddy [not
Mommy].
IC: Isn't is great when a mistake leads to something great?
That is going to be my motto from now on.
Leith to IC: Who sings that song?
IC: Taylor Swift
Leith: Let's keep it that way.
IC: Mom, you know Brydan's camera would be much better, but he'd never let you use it without his
supervision.
Son: I've notice that the ratio weird subs to normal subs is 1:4. [Teacher substitutes.]
Ivy Catherine: Don't tell me that you don't like it.
Gordon: Ivy Catherine you need to file income tax this year.
IC: Why? Do I have to pay money? Daddy, could you do it for me?
Son: Mom, you don't have any post-secondary education do you?
Devon: I have the whole birthday cake to myself with all of these candles.
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IC: I love having a big family.
And I'd love having six older brothers. I'd rather that than six sisters.
GIrls my age say "I feel so bad for you" because I think they are thinking that I'd like someone to do my
nails with. Inside I am thinking. You have no idea.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy 2013.
Gordon, Veda, Keenan, Devon, Aidan, Corin, Brydan, Leith, Ivy Catherine
Garogers@bellsouth.net
VStorey@bellsouth.net
Pictures at: www.sevenstoreys.com