Come What May (uanset hvad)

Dansk (english below):

Siden påske er tiden gået med hverdagsting og små gode oplevelser. Fx opdagede vi, at der skulle være en LEGO-messe (convention) her i Minneapolis. Hurtigt fik vi familien Kozlak (som også er LEGO-gale) med på ideen og billetterne blev bestilt. Messen var en blanding af udstillinger, fra både amatører og professionelle byggere, samt boder hvor man kunne købe både nyt og brugt LEGO. Der var masser at kigge på og tiden fløj derfor af sted. Til vores store overraskelse var der også en dreng fra Benjamins årgang på skolen, som udstillede hans kuglebane og promoverede hans youtube-kanal. Benjamin synes det var rigtig hyggeligt at snakke lidt med ham og se det han havde lavet - det var imponerende.

The Kozlaks and Madsens at the LEGO Brick Convention

So much to see, buy and want!!

Silas nyder stadig at hænge ud med sine venner. De har flere gange taget ud at fiske og hans smågruppe fra kirken har også være ude og spille ”Laser tag” sammen. Han er stadig ofte i Aktivitetscenteret (AC), efter skole, sammen med kammerater. I kirken er der også startet noget ”hygge” basketball op om tirsdagen, hvor de unge kan komme og spille og være sammen. Det er fedt at se ham danne disse relationer.

Vi havde i længe snakket om at vi skulle besøge familien i Winona igen. Denne gang blev det så i kombination med, at Eileen og Dave passede drengene så Mary og jeg kunne komme på date. Vi spiste frokost sammen og herefter tog vi afsted til byen La Crosse i Wisconsin, ca. 25 min. fra Winona, hvor vi havde booket et hotel. Vi brugte eftermiddagen på at gå ture både i naturen og ”down town”. Om aftenen var vi ude at spise og fandt også en lille bar der havde et ”Shuffleboard” - et ønske vi havde haft i længe. Næste morgen tog vi den med ro og efter ca. 24 timer var vi tilbage i Winona og kørte forholdsvis hurtigt tilbage mod Maple Plain så Silas kunne nå fodboldtræningen😊.   

Finally we found a Shuffleboard

Grandad bluffs i LaCrosse 

For ca. en uge siden rykkede Silas’ fodboldhold træningen udendørs og her op til weekenden blev første fodboldkamp spillet. De vandt kampen 3-2 så optimismen på holdet er tydelig at mærke. Silas blev valgt som anføre, så det er han meget stolt af og ved også, at der dermed følger et større ansvar. Den kommende uge byder på 2x træninger og 2x kampe samt en turnering i lørdag og søndag, så der begynder at være tryk på. For et par uger siden overvejede vi kortvarigt igen om Liam og Benjamin alligevel skulle have lov til også at spille, men vi endte med at holde fast ved vores beslutning, da vi ikke ønskede at den sidste tid udelukkende skulle fyldes med fodboldtræning og kampe - og med en uge som den kommende, så var det den helt rigtige beslutning. Det er svært at se, hvordan vi skulle få plads til at køre to mere til både træning og kampe. Så nu spiller vi fodbold i haven og har også taget med Silas til træning, hvor vi så har spillet på banerne ved siden af imens. De deltog også alle tre i en intern klubturnering, hvor de spille ”3 mod 3” på små mål.

Liam @ the 3v3 tournament

Benjamin @ the 3v3 tournament

Silas @ the 3v3 tournament

Silas as goalie and captain in the first game of the season

I forhold til Marys arbejdssituation, så var det ikke længe, at hun var tilbage i hendes oprindelige rolle som fast vikar. Efter ca. en uge blev hun spurgt om igen at tage det guitarhold på High School’en og koret i 5. klasse, som hun havde haft i de forgangne 3. måneder. Denne gang for resten af året samtidig med at hun også skulle varetage sin rolle som fast vikar. Efter noget snak frem og tilbage blev der fundet en løsning og Mary er glad for at kunne få lov til at færdiggøre noget af det hun startede op der efter juleferien.     

Og men hensyn til skolegang, så har der de seneste uger været MCA tests for Benjamin og Liam. Det er Minnesotas egne standardiserede tests som skal måle eleverne i læsning, matematik og science. På skolen fylder det rigtig meget både blandt elever og lærer. Det har givet en god anledning, herhjemme, til at snakke om forventninger, værdier og det at gøre sig umage. Der har også været udflugter (field trips). Benjamin har besøgt ”Fort Snelling” som bl.a. blev brugt under borgerkrigen (Civil war) og 2. verdenskrig. Liam besøgte ”Experimentariet” (The science museum). Begge gode oplevelser for dem begge.  Men ellers kan vi godt mærke, at nedtællingen til sommerferien for alvor er i gang. Skolen går på sommerferie d. 4. juni, så der er kun en måned tilbage i skolen!

Og det kan også mærkes generelt, at vi er ved at være mod slutningen af vores eventyr. Flere og flere ting lakker mod enden. I forrige uge sluttede bl.a. den ugentlige ”church dinner”, hvor vi på en særlig måde har lært folk fra menigheden at kende. Ting hjemme i Danmark begynder også at fylde mere og mere, bl.a. har vi haft en samtale med Sydvestjyllands Efterskole, hvor Silas skal gå til næste år, omkring opstarten osv. Begge disse ting, at ting lakker mod enden og at ting i Danmark begynder at fylde mere, bliver jo kun mere de kommende uger, men vi insisterer på primært at leve i nuet og blive ved med at skabe hverdagsoplevelser for hele familien, come what may.  

Last Handbell choir performance

Benjamin practicing for band 

Middel School Jazz Band concert

English (AI translated):

Since Easter, time has been filled with everyday things and small, wonderful experiences. For example, we discovered that a LEGO convention was coming to Minneapolis. We quickly got the Kozlak family (who are also LEGO-crazy) on board, and tickets were booked. The convention was a mix of exhibits from both amateur and professional builders, as well as stalls where you could buy both new and used LEGO. There was plenty to see, and time just flew by. Much to our surprise, a boy from Benjamin’s grade was there exhibiting his marble run and promoting his YouTube channel. Benjamin really enjoyed chatting with him and seeing what he had built—it was very impressive.

Silas is still enjoying hanging out with his friends. They’ve been out fishing several times, and his small group from church also went out to play laser tag together. He still spends a lot of time at the Activity Center (AC) after school with his buddies. At the church, they’ve also started "drop-in" basketball on Tuesdays where the youth can play and hang out. It’s great to see him forming these relationships.

We had been talking for a long time about visiting the family in Winona again. This time, we combined it with Eileen and Dave babysitting the boys so Mary and I could go on a date. We had lunch together, and then we headed to the city of La Crosse in Wisconsin, about 25 minutes from Winona, where we had booked a hotel. We spent the afternoon walking both in nature and downtown. In the evening, we went out for dinner and found a small bar that had a shuffleboard table—something we’ve wanted to try for a long time. The next morning, we took it easy, and after about 24 hours, we were back in Winona before heading home to Maple Plain fairly quickly so Silas could make it to soccer practice. 😊

About a week ago, Silas’ soccer team moved their practices outdoors, and this past weekend they played their first match. They won 3-2, so there’s a clear sense of optimism on the team. Silas was chosen as captain, which he is very proud of, and he knows that it comes with greater responsibility. This coming week includes two practices and two games, as well as a tournament on Saturday and Sunday, so things are starting to get busy. A couple of weeks ago, we briefly reconsidered whether Liam and Benjamin also should be allowed to play after all, but we ended up sticking to our decision. We didn’t want our remaining time here to be entirely filled with soccer practices and games—and with a week like the one coming up, it was definitely the right call. It’s hard to see how we would have found the time to drive two more kids to both practices and games. So instead, we play soccer in the yard and join Silas for his practices, where we play on the neighboring pitches in the meantime. All three of them also participated in an internal club tournament playing "3 vs 3" on small goals.

Regarding Mary’s work situation, she wasn't back in her original role as a permanent sub for long. After about a week, she was asked to once again take over the guitar class at the High School and the 5th-grade choir, which she had taught for the previous three months. This time it’s for the rest of the year, while also maintaining her role as a permanent sub. After some back and forth, a solution was found, and Mary is happy to be able to finish what she started after the Christmas break.

As for the boys' schooling, Benjamin and Liam have been taking the MCA tests over the past few weeks. These are Minnesota's standardized tests that measure students in reading, math, and science. They are a big deal at the school for both students and teachers. It provided a good opportunity at home to talk about expectations, values, and the importance of doing your best. There have also been field trips. Benjamin visited Fort Snelling, which was used during the Civil War and WWII, among other times. Liam visited the Science Museum. Both were great experiences for them.

Otherwise, we can really feel the countdown to summer break starting. School lets out on June 4th, so there’s only one month left! You can also feel generally that we are nearing the end of our adventure. More and more things are winding down. Last week, for instance, the weekly church dinner ended, which has been a special way for us to get to know the congregation. Things back in Denmark are also starting to take up more headspace; for example, we’ve had a conversation with Sydvestjyllands Efterskole, where Silas will be attending next year, about the start-up and so on. Both of these things—the fact that things are coming to an end here and that life in Denmark is starting to loom larger—will only increase in the coming weeks. But we are insisting on primarily living in the moment and continuing to create everyday experiences for the whole family, come what may.