Last Time at Lambeau???

Lambeau Field has to be one of the oddest stadiums in professional sports.  I mean, a football stadium right in the middle of a residential neighborhood is probably pretty strange.  

I feel lucky to have been there a few times in my life, sometimes for games but sometimes just to walk around.  On the way back from Iron Mountain we stopped for another visit...maybe the last for me.

Enter through the Pro Shop

That's as far as my mom got - she wouldn't go up the tall escalator.  Because then she would have to come down the tall escalator.

The escalator leads to the atrium

We took a different escalator to the back of  the pro shop and came upon this giant 50 ft replica of the Lombardi Trophy

And then took one more swing through the Pro Shop before heading home

Last Time in Iron Mountain???

Iron Mountain was a big part of my childhood.  My grandma and grandpa lived there so when I was a child we would go up about 5  weekends a year to visit.  After the boys came, we made it a point to bring them up to see their great-grandparents at least 3-4 times a year.  

Even after we moved to Florida in 1999, we knew we would have reason to come back to Iron Mountain because grandma and grandpa were still alive and my mom and dad had their summer home up here.

Now, grandma and grandpa are gone, my parents have sold their summer home, and with the Florida move coming up, I don't know when we would ever have reason or opportunity to come back there.

So we decided to come up this weekend and visit all our favorite spots that hold many memories for us.  

My view as I drive:

The ski jump:  I don't know how many times we have visited this place but it has become synonymous with Iron Mountain.  The view is really great and it turned into a beautiful day outside.  

C.J. is the brave one and likes to climb all the way to the top...I've joined him - once.

Almost There

Resting at the top

There are steps that people could buy plaques and have something engraved on them and then put on the steps. These are some of my favorites.

and these are the two "famous: people who grew up in Iron Mountain:

Tom Izzo 

Steve Mariucci

After the ski jump we headed over to Main Street Pizza for dinner.  This is the second best pizza we've ever had.  Oddly, it is not on Main Street.

Unfortunately no one had any quarters so we couldn't play the pinball/gumball game.  

Lastly, we headed over to Norway, Michigan to walk Strawberry Lake...it was beautiful.

The End is Coming

I nearly broke into tears a couple times today talking to the 1st and 2nd graders about my last class with them next week.  

This is gonna be hard!

The only thing that kept the tears away was reminding myself that I do still have one more class with them.  Now next week...I can guarantee I won't be able to hold back.  I envision tears and hugs galore.

I have a bond with the older students because I have known them longer, obviously.  But those little ones have a special place in my heart.  

They are pure, they are sweet, they are innocent, they are fun!!!!

And they love with their whole being.

Last night I went to their end of the year concert. They are so special to me.

Yep...this is gonna be hard.