#kipstrong

“They were helped by West Ham who, as they so often do, rolled out the claret and blue carpet to a team in need, and by Lucas Paqueta's silly red card.”

Welcome to my world. #coyi

My Dad wrote a check for $149.60. My grandfather chipped in $60 cash. I went home with a balance of $70.90. All three figures are huge for a 22 year-old dad and a 21 year-old mom already raising an almost two year-old.

Adjusting for inflation, it would be about $2000 today. A quick search shows that hospital vaginal L&D without complications is about $18,000.

Last one. Promise. Another picture new to me. My great-grandfather Vaclav Polensky.

Wikipedia share.google/DehJkl6ZdYYx...

We went through a lot of photos, records and other material today. I saw some things for the first time, including this. I’m the stylin’ blond kid on the right at my cousin Ryan’s (middle) first communion in Hillsboro. Gotta say, my cousin Jason looks pretty dapper in the turtleneck and blazer.

Grammy (Helen Lacher, daughter of Swiss immigrants) later married this guy, son of Norwegian immigrants. He’s the reason I’m Catholic|3:1|Lutheran.

Bonus Catholic school picture: My grandmother, eighth grader (seventh from left, middle row. St. Mary’s, Mt. Angel, 1921. I started first grade in the same building 52 years later. It was damaged in the 1993 Spring Break Quake and torn down.

Grammy (Helen Lacher, daughter of Swiss immigrants) later married this guy, son of Norwegian immigrants. He’s the reason I’m (Catholic) 3:1 (Lutheran).

My family moved near here almost 50 years ago (1977) from Mt. Angel, about seven miles away.

Scotts Mills. With a small ‘s’ at the end of “Scotts.”

My great-grandfather was the last direct ancestor to emigrate. He came to the U.S. as a teen just before WWI from what’s now Ukraine. His parents, like all of my mom’s side of the family, were Czech.

Apparently, I’m not the only person who thought I looked great.

Full circle, almost 40 years later.

This played a small part.

I still have no idea how, why and when I fell in love with opera. But I’m glad I did.