Photos from Christmas

We've posted photos from our Christmas morning...watch the kids open their presents and see some of the bounty of the season.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Can't *Somebody* Tell Me the Meaning of Christmas?

"Lights please?  Thank you.

"'And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."'

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Merry Christmas from us all, with love in Christ,

--Eric, Mary, David & Sarah

The Snowpocalypse? The Blizzard of '09?

However the media try to label it, we just had a beautiful time with our 18" of snow this past weekend.

The snow began Friday night around 8:30, and it was cold enough that it began to stick right away.  When I woke up Saturday morning the ground and streets were white, but from the bedroom it looked like maybe a 2-3" snowfall.  Imagine my surprise to find about 8" waiting in the driveway when I started shoveling!

Mike Schipono and his AWD Pilot came by to go to the gym; we were two of six guys in the spin class that morning.  Then on getting home I started shoveling again.  By the time I finished the driveway, and the front walk, the places I had started shoveling had another couple of inches on them again, so I had to do it twice.  I then cleared a walkway to the woodpile out back, and at 12:30 Saturday afternoon, we had 16" of snow in the back yard.  The kids, of course, spent a bit of time romping in the snow and sledding back in the Pit, but also a bit of time indoors...it was cold, and windy sometimes.

Later that afternoon I went back out and shoveled again.  The snow was beginning to slow, and the flakes became smaller and less dense.  When all was done, I measured again and with the snow settling, it now measured around 18" in the back yard.

Sunday, church was cancelled, so we stayed in and made the most of our snow day.  It was also a chance to get some pictures of our yard and enjoy the beauty of the gift.  There's still several inches on the ground, and unless it starts raining early tomorrow, we should have a white Christmas in Virginia for only the second time I can remember in our 17 years here.

Foreign Languages in Fairfax County Schools

With the 2010 budget being so tight, there's a move afoot to trim foreign language education in Fairfax County Schools.  I've been forwarded a link to a petition to help keep foreign language education prominent, and available as an immersion program for elementary-age kids.  If you'd like to support this effort, please click here and complete the survey.  Please give foreign language education in Fairfax County a boost!

It's Beginning To Look A *Bit* Like Christmas

A very rare treat today: snow in early December in Virginia!

We're expecting only an inch to three inches max, but as of lunchtime the grass is almost covered, the bare branches are outlined in white, and the gold leaves still on the tree out back are standing out against the field of white.

We have Christmas shopping to do, and then maybe get out the first of the decorations.  I think a roaring fire will be in order when we get home, and begin to make the house look a little more appropriate to the season.

Photos from Mary's Party

I've uploaded the photos from Mary's party from the digital camera; the disposables I need to get loaded still, and I know we'll get more from everyone who took pictures that night.  But in the meantime you can click here for pictures of her 40th birthday weekend.

You May Own Us, But Don't Leer

Did anybody else see this image from President Obama's arrival ceremony in Beijing last week?  Check out the guy over Hu Jintao's shoulder: is it me or is he making a face at the President of the United States?

China may well own most of our foreign debt.  The President may be new on the world stage.  But neither of those gives that Chinese serviceman the right to leer--really, to mock--the President of the Untied States.  I most sincerely doubt you could ever find a similar photo of a U.S. serviceman in a receiving line for President Hu doing the same thing.  I don't care what the excuse is, because there's really no excuse for this shoddy treatment of our President.

Happy Birthday Mary!

This weekend we celebrated Mary's 40th birthday...and we got her g-o-o-o-o-d!

It started with the kids and me taking her to Tokyo One for dinner on her actual birthday, and just as we sat down, a couple walked over and asked if the next seats were taken; when Mary looked up, it was Laura and Glenn Ellingson, all the way from San Jose, CA--her college roommate had made the trip!

Then Saturday afternoon, Kate, Stacy, Anna, and Colleen got all dressed up and a little after 4 in the afternoon spilled out of a limo out front, and told Mary they were taking her away for drinks for her birthday.  She and Laura got changed, then headed off in the limo to the Ritz Carlton's bar for champagne and toasts.  Meanwhile, the kids, Glenn, and I got dressed and started collecting pre-ordered balloons and cake and headed to Maggiano's over in Tyson's Corner.  I had made arrangements for a private dining room upstairs, which we decorated in time for 40 of her friends and family to show up.

When the limo brought the ladies to the restaurant, we could all yell "Surprise!" and it was.  She had NO idea that her parents had made the trip down from Vermont; nor her college friend Alicia and her husband Jake, also from Vermont; nor her cousin, Curtis, who had driven up from Norfolk and whom she hadn't seen in years.  We actually made her cry when we sang Happy Birthday to her when she walked in.

It was a very special evening that no one wanted to see end...well, except the restaurant staff, who finally had to usher us out after our closing time.  We kept the party going a bit longer today with a brunch at the house for everyone who had travelled so far to see her.  It was a tremendous way to celebrate Mary, to surround her with all the love of all her family and friends through the years.

Once we get some photos processed, we'll have them up on here too.  But the memories...oh, those will last another forty years.

25 Seconds of Excellence

Thanks to Liz & Al Ramos, we have video of David's terrific 40-yard pass play for a touchdown last Saturday against Manassas.  Click here for 25 seconds of David's excellent performance to even the score in the first half of the Wolves' playoff game.

One Year On

Friday, November 6, was the first anniversary of my Dad's passing.

I left the house a little early, and stopped to lay some delphiniums (one of his favorite flowers) at the tree we'd planted this fall for him.  The morning light was coming up, and it was quiet: a good time to pray and say that a year later I still miss him.  When I looked up, I saw Sarah in her bedroom window, watching me; she waved, as if to cheer her Daddy up.

Work conspired to keep me nice and busy, and so did the boys' last football practice before their playoff game/rematch against Manassas.  There were plenty of times during the day that thoughts of him cropped up, and while they were more frequent and pronounced than recently, I could handle them well.

Then came a moment in David's football game Saturday morning.  The Sharks had run a play like the ones they had used to beat us on so many times in our first game, and ran a long ways for a TD and the first score.  In the next series, Coach called a timeout and gave the defense some life, because they came out of that timeout with two sacks that quickly had the Sharks looking at 4th and 21.  Suddenly there was a glimmer of hope.

Then we got the ball, ran a few more of our run plays.  And then, it happened: Power Pass Right.  David's signature pass play.

It went just beautifully, exactly as it's drawn up.  By the time everyone realized it was a pass, David was behind the last defender.  Daniel's pass was perfect, David caught it in mid-stride, and was off.  The Wolves bench and sideline went nuts, cheering and hollering for David as he ran 40 yards for what would turn out to be the Wolves' only score of the day.  But suddenly it's 6-6, suddenly there is hope, suddenly the Wolves are back in it, and suddenly it's dawning on the Sharks that this isn't the same team they beat before, and they're in for a long morning.

Of course I was cheering probably the loudest; why not?!  But then I noticed a new emotion working up beside the tremendous pride I felt in my son and his accomplishment.  It was a stab of deep sorrow.

Standing on the sideline, watching my boy so nonchalantly flip the ball to the referee to set up the PAT ("This? Oh, I do this all the time!"), I began to sob.  Tears rolled down my face as I turned away; I never saw them miss the PAT.  At that moment, what saddened me the most was that David's Pappap never had the chance to see him play...would never have the chance to see the tremendous gifts his grandson has, could not share in the moment and could never give him the hug he so richly deserved.  And David, exulting with his teammates, could never know the joy of seeing his Pappap's beaming face on the sideline, his white crown of hair and gold glasses shining with the excitement of the moment, his moment.

I think often that It's Not Fair, that I should lose my Dad when I'm only age 40.  It's moments like those that make me see the broader unfairness, how many others are similarly denied having him around.  Oh, David never saw me crying; he probably didn't register who wasn't there to see him in triumph.  But it's moments like those that nonetheless make up how we are, and how we find ourselves coping, One Year On.

Updates to Photo Albums

We've added some pictures to a couple of older albums, and added a new one capturing the Wolves' heartbreaking loss to the Sharks this weekend in football.

For the photo album in which we remember Dad K., we added two pictures of the bare tree with the delphiniums we laid in his memory on November 6.  And in Sarah's soccer pictures, we added two photos of Sarah with her Blue Lightning teammates this fall.

Finally, the Wolves had their rematch against the Manassas Sharks on Saturday, November 7, and while they did a LOT better than when they lost to Manassas in week 3 (their only loss in the regular season), they still came up j-u-s-t short in the 13-6 loss.  David had the TD: a 40-yard BEAUTIFUL catch that he broke open and ran away from everyone for the score.  But it wasn't enough, and the heartbreak of the loss shows up on the photo album we created for the Wolves' playoff game.

Enjoy, and as always, add your comments and join the dialogue!

The Title Chase Continues

We learned today that the Springfield Wolves will face the Manassas Sharks, the only team they lost to in the regular season, in the first-round playoff game this Saturday morning at 9:30.  We'll be at Greenbriar Park's field number 5, on Stringfellow Road in Chantilly, VA, so while it's technically an away game for both teams, it's a lot closer to Manassas than it is to Springfield.

Any and every-one is invited to turn out in their Wolves' blue-and-white to cheer on the boys.  At practice this week we intend to work on the plays we want to have humming j-u-s-t right when we meet Manassas again (and, I imagine, working on our run defense too).  And for those From Away, continue to follow the Wolves through 703astrosfan at Twitter.  See you at the field!  Awooooo!

It's That Time of Year...

Every fall, the kids begin building their lists of things that would make them squeal with glee on Christmas morning.  And this year being no different from any other, their lists are both extensive and expensive.  However, in an effort to bring some reason to it, when we post this year's list we've done some editing to take out the $250 doll accessory or the truly ridonculous Nerf gun that looks like something out of Blade Runner.  As ever, we will do our best to update the list as ideas come on and off, and cross things out that arrive for late-year birthdays.  And for family members who also often send us their lists...well, Black Friday is less than four weeks off.

One Lousy Halloween

This was easily the worst Halloween for the kids this year.

It started with David having a rough night last night (asthma, coughing, headaches, not sleeping), and hence we didn't get as much sleep as we would like.  He skipped football practice today, which tells you how he really wasn't feeling himself.  Then Sarah's team lost 4-1 in soccer, and by the end of the game most of the girls weren't in the game so much as they were making plans for tonight.

Then when trick-or-treating started, the rains that had held off all day started intermittently.  Nothing horrible, just enough to make the process soggy and drain it of some fun.  There were almost NO kids out tonight; we guess we had maybe 50 total, all night.  And more of them seemed to be 14- to 16-year-olds than before.  The streets were a lot emptier than ever, which surprised me given it's a Saturday night...I would have thought without having to rush rush rush home, everyone would have been around and out and...well, it just wasn't that way.

Then David started feeling tired and not really himself again, and you can tell something's wrong when David willingly gives up trick-or-treating to go home and go to bed.  So by 8 he's home, by 8:30 he's out of the shower, and by 9 he's asleep.  He's convinced he'll make his football game tomorrow, but I can see him doing that and then being just absolutely exhausted the rest of the day.

Halloween will fade; this could well be the last year David wants to go out, and Sarah will soon shift into it being a social activity with her girlfriends moreso than anything else.  But if it is, wow, what a lousy way for it to go out.

For our Halloween photo album, see the link or click here.

Looking Through the Millennium Falcon's Windshield

So when Han Solo moves the lever and hyperdrive finally kicks in, and the stars in front of the Millennium Falcon go from points to streaks, all racing past the viewer's perspective...that's what this month has felt like.

Every now and then there's a month that comes up where, when we turn the calendar page and look at it, all we can do is sigh.

With Gainesville losing to Chantilly last weekend, and with their own 18-0 drubbing of the low-down spying-on-our-warmups Southwestern Wildcats, the Springfield Wolves are now assured of a playoff spot, which in turn means practices and games and etc. just keep right on coming.  Spend plan meetings at work are in full flower, with six down and another 16 to go before Thanksgiving; I have two services to lead coming up at the Lincolnia Senior Center; and David was promoted to Second Class at the Court of Honor for his Boy Scout troop Monday night.  Lest we forget the driving range times with the troop for the golf merit badge, or the soccer games and (rare, now) practices for the Blue Lightning, or Redeemer's Song practice each Sunday, or Staff-Parish three-hour-long committee meetings (I'm told it's not polite to gnaw off one's own leg to escape, but it's tempting sometimes), or...argh, what else am I missing, what's that thing we do 40-plus hours each week...what is it, what is it...

I always wondered how the Millennium Falcon was able to avoid running into any of those streaking stars.  I wish us some luck in avoiding that fate these next few weeks too.

New Photos Posted

Just added: two photo albums, one each for the kids' fall sports.  See Sarah's Blue Lightning take on the, um, light blue team (didn't catch their name) and her debut in goal.  Then check out the Springfield Wolves and David as they began their season earlier this fall against the Gainesville Grizzlies.

Wolves 20, Titans 0

On a raw, cold, windy, rainy Friday night under the lights, the Springfield Wolves made it two wins in a row as they made the Alexandria Titans pay for two costly fumbles that led directly to 14 unanswered Wolves points, en route to a weather-shortened 20-0 win.

David's team knew that for Alexandria, this game meant the difference for their season: lose and there's no way Alexandria could go to the playoffs.  So they came in ready to match the Titans in intensity, and on a soggy, frigid night, made the Titans make mistakes that cost them the game.

At gametime, the wind out of the north was biting, the rain stepped up, and the thermometer read 42 degrees.  The first quarter ended scoreless in a defensive battle; neither team made a first down for the entire first quarter.  But with about 3:00 to go in the half, the Wolves found their rhythm and, after recovering a Titans fumble, marched downfield and Tommy Salvato ran in for the first of his three TDs on the night.  Just before the half ran out, another Wolves fumble recovery led directly to another Wolves scoring drive, and so at the half it stood 14-0.

The third quarter opened with TE David Kleppinger (0 yards on 0 receptions tonight--a poor night to try passing plays) receiving the kickoff and returning it 8 yards.  It would have been a lot more if he'd been able to scoot around the one Titans defender who brought him down.  Then, the next play from scrimmage, the Wolves ran straight up the middle, and ran for an apparent 40-yard TD, that was called back for a holding penalty.  Undaunted, the Wolves then ran the exact same play, with the exact same result--minus the penalty.  Wolves 20, Titans 0.

As the teams lined up for the extra point, the referees consulted with both coaches, and informed us that Alexandria wished to resign, that their players were too cold and were getting too banged up to play.  The refs then stopped the game--an unusual move, but given the ages of the kids involved, and how the rest of the half was likely to go given the Wolves' sudden successes, it's certainly understandable.

Springfield now is 4-1 and has two underwhelming teams to play in the regular season schedule: Southwestern (1-3 headed into this weekend vs #1 McLean), and Fairfax (0-4, playing the second-place Chantilly Chargers).  If the Wolves win both, they would be in a strong position to go into the playoffs based on the points system used in the standings.

Making Progress, One Project At A Time

Why is it so difficult to make progress on projects around the house?

We've been talking for the last couple of years about replacing the 21-year-old, original, contractor-grade windows in the house.  So this year we finally did it; today the workmen installed 22 new windows, and tomorrow they'll install the new back porch door and finish the trim work.

It took awhile to save the money to do this, of course, and that's part of the delay.  We believe in spending cash on large things like this; if we didn't have it saved, we weren't going to do it.  But so many other things around the house aren't nearly as cash-intensive, but still I don't manage to get to them.

Take the new Dad Tree on the front lawn.  I'd been talking for the last two years about putting a sugar maple on the lawn, to replace the twin Bradford pear trees that came down earlier in the decade.  But nope, I never got further than calling around for estimates.  Of course, God works in mysterious ways; I was glad that when the idea hit for having a permanent memorial with Dad's ashes here at the house, why, I now had the perfect vehicle to do it.

But don't ask me about the On3 train set downstairs, the one Adam and Mike helped me bring out of Uncle Albert's basement, what, three years ago?  The one that still doesn't run, where the wiring  isn't made, where track sections still gape apart.  Don't ask me about the north side garden, that traditionally has been a jumble of weeds and that I had planned to turn into something the O'Maras won't cringe on seeing.  And don't ask me about the grand vision for the back yard, with the patios, "man-pad" for the "mammock" and the Cabernet grape vines up the trellis...I'll just get depressed.

How much of this is emblematic of our society today?  The rush rush rush life we lead doesn't leave much time for hobbies, or anything but the most essential home maintenance.  And when so many others around us--all the "Joneses"--seem to have such nice new patios and can find the time to play golf and tennis and etc., well, it's possible for some societal envy to creep in.

That's when I have to fight to remind myself to take it one day at a time.  That a life isn't made of completed projects around the house, or the number of things we can accumulate, or even what others may see when they look at us.  It's made of moments of cheering at soccer games, or holding snap after snap after snap in football practice, or just the conversations from the back seat of the car to and from.  That's what I have to hold onto, and when something like new windows happens to fall into the "completed" column, well, that's just a bonus of life in Northern Virginia today.

Sharks 33, Wolves 13

David's football team suffered their first loss today, a 33-13 home opener that they dropped to the Manassas Sharks.  For the most part, the Wolves controlled the ball and the clock, but were undone by miscues on some huge Manassas plays that led to 50-yard touchdown runs.

David's number was called twice for pass plays, but the first time the ball got intercepted near the line of scrimmage (and run in for a TD), and the second time it slipped through his fingers in triple coverage for an incompletion.

Coach Fisher made a speech after the game that rallied the boys to show the kind of team they are by bouncing back and focusing even more on their practices this week.

After consolation at KFC (amazing the recuperative powers of Original Recipe), he announced that he feels sorry for Herndon, their next opponent, and that he wants to get back on defense so he can put a hurt on Herndon.

Purple Team 2, Blue Lightning 1

Sarah's Blue Lightning soccer team was in action today against...well, we never caught their name, but they wore purple jerseys.  The purple team jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and while we were able to get a goal before the half, it was a stalemate from then out.
Sarah started as a forward, but the purple team was pretty good at keeping the ball deep in our side of the field all the game.  She had one great breakaway play where she charged up the field with the ball and made a great shot...but it dribbled j-u-s-t wide left of the goal.
For the second half, she was the goalie, and she shut them down on at least four saves.  One was terrific: just before the end of the game, a purple player broke free and was all alone--no one but Sarah to stop her.  She charged right at Sarah and kicked HARD; the point-blank shot went right at Sarah, who caught it and kept the score the same!  An absolutely beautiful save for a goalie at this level.
Another save was a little more comical.  The purple team kicked a shot to her, and she went to catch it...but the spin on the ball was so great that it popped off of Sarah and went straight UP in the air a good 10 feet!  Sarah stood underneath it like a center fielder and caught it...again...when it came back down.
All told, a tough game for Sarah's team--they spent too much time in their own half of the field and didn't seem to have the speed to match the purple team.  They're now 2-2, and are off this coming weekend with the holiday, but will be back in action on the 18th.

New Photo Album

Over the summer and early fall, we've had a couple of occasions to remember Dad, who passed away November 6, 2008.  In August we committed his urn to the columbarium at Lakeview Cemetery, Burlington, and then held a scattering of some of his ashes at Shelburne Farms.  Then in late September we arranged for a sugar maple tree to be planted on our front lawn, and I put the last of his ashes to be scattered at the bottom of the hole.  He'll always be with us in Virginia now.  We've assembled a little photo album of these memorial events for everyone to remember him.

Just Another Thursday Night

So after a busy day at the office, I run out to begin the trek home.  Will Metro be running on time, or will I need to bail out to VRE?  Tonight Metro's running OK so I make it to the end of the line by 5:20.

I call over to SACC and ask to talk with Sarah: What kind of Subway do you want tonight?  "A B-L," she said.  Her brother invented that sandwich: it's a BLT, hold the T.  I swing by and pick one up for her, along with the requisite barbeque chips and orange soda.

Then it's off to Brownies; she squirms into her vest (it's smaller on her than it used to be, either that or she's grown in the last two years...nahhh...) and is off playing with her friends.  Home with David to make dinner before he has to run off to Cotillion.

Then I remember the Dad Tree out front: the sugar maple we planted last week.  I check; it needs water, so I set up the hose.  The rains haven't been enough to keep the soil moist, but they certainly prevented us from trimming the grass.  It's a good six inches on that side of the lawn.  I sigh.

Inside to make dinner, then get David ready for Cotillion.  Then once he leaves, Mary and I are back to pick up Sarah from Brownies...home to finish homework and prepare for the next day.  David returns from Cotillion around 9:30; they learned another dance with the girls, but at least he didn't get awarded a "fiancee" tonight like one boy.

I'm amazed at all they do every week.  There's no way I had anywhere near this range of choices when I was their age.  It's all about giving our kids a better life than we had, right?  So why am I tempted to say, their better life will be simply to be less exhausted by Thursday night each week?

Kleppinger Family History

The following information is taken from the Kleppinger family geneology book, written by Stanley J. Kleppinger in 1956.
"The Family coat-of-arms was received in 1947 from Franklin W. Klepinger, of Sun Valley, Calif. His wife's uncle did the research work and found that the Kleppingers took part in the Christian Crusade and had this beautiful coat-of-arms, consisting of a shield, helmet, crest, and lambrequin or decorations. . . . In 1949 we received a picture of the 'Clippinger' coat-of-arms from L. R. Clippinger of Fort Wayne, Ind. . . . It is very much like the one above and no doubt was drawn from the same description. The main difference is that the sheild carries the form of an X, instead of a chevron."
Family history records that Johan Georg Kloeppinger emigrated to the then-British Colonies in America in 1737; Kleppingers have had their roots in Pennsylvania Dutch country since. Johan had come from the town of Pfungstadt, near Frankfurt; to this day, the Kleppinger name is common in Pfungstadt.
The August 13, 1967, Allentown (PA) Sunday Call-Chronicle (page B-6) reports that "the original family name was Klepping and its members prospered as wool exporters to England. It is believed this profession was the basis for the family name (clippers of wool). The Kleppings were one of the best known patrician families in the world of commerce and records of the time note that 'again and again the family offered the English King loans.' Between 1310 and 1740 nearly 40 Kleppings were on the town council of Dortmund, located about 150 miles northwest of Frankfurt in the Ruhr area. In all, they held 417 terms including the mayoralty of Dortmund 124 times. In Soest, between 1447 and 1598, eight Kleppings were elected 30 times as mayor for two-year terms. In 1648, at the end of the 30 Years' War, the family migrated to the town of Pfungstadt."
And you wonder from where Eric gets politics in his blood!

Welcome to A SuperNoVA Family

The very existence of this blogsite tells a lot about the family behind it. In no particular order:

We're not the earliest adopters of new technology out there, since many googles of families have started their own blogs by now. Our legacy website has been up for nearly nine years, with semiregular updates as to our plans, our recent activities, and the like. But a blog? Nah. But come to think of it, this might be a better way to engage: rather than a one-way data dump, we welcome your comments and thoughts as we move through life. So we're gonna give this a try.

We're busy: one of the reasons we're making this leap is to make it easier to post brief bits of news, and make links to calendars and pictures and etc. that are already out there, without someone (OK, me) having to make new web pages and links and etc. all the time.

We're a Northern Virginia (NoVA) family that we think is pretty super. Eric and Mary, married for 16 years, with David (sixth grade, football, Scouts, football, friends, and football) and Sarah (third grade, great in school, loves her friends, and a budding soccer star)...that's us.

And like the eponymous supernova, we burn pretty bright and intense, always on the move, putting out a lot of energy into the universe and hopefully leaving it a brighter place.

So welcome to our story. We can't promise this will be updated every day, or week, but we can promise we'll try to do better in getting our story out to share it. And we welcome you aboard as well. Hang on, the ride can get pretty intense sometimes. But we think it's pretty super, and worth the effort.