Alan George Hipps

We lost Jer's dad on Wednesday. He patiently waited for the boys and me to return from England on Tuesday so we could see him and give him some love. He left Wednesday with Jeremy, his mom and brothers surrounding him telling him they love him and that he would always be a part of them.

Here is the obituary that was included in Sunday's Star Tribune:

Alan George Hipps, age 65, of Chaska, Minnesota, passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, July 23. He was surrounded by his life partner Joanne Hipps and sons Jeremy, Jon and Andrew Hipps.

Al was born on April 4, 1949, to parents Robert O. and Donna Hipps in Troy, Ohio. Al graduated from Edina High School in 1967. He voluntarily joined the U.S. Army in 1968.  In 1969-70 he served in the 4th Infantry "Poison Ivy" Division in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam.  As a Staff Sergeant he was awarded the Bronze Star and Air Medal for outstanding service.  

After his duty in Vietnam, Al attended Iowa State University where he earned a degree in landscape architecture and graduated in 1973. He went on to have a successful career as a landscape architect.  He started his own landscaping company called Nature's Way and most recently was a partner in Gardeener. In his 40 years as a landscape architect, he particularly enjoyed working with his many clients to create natural landscape designs.

Al was an avid sports fan his entire life. His favorite sports were baseball and MMA. Al took his boys on annual baseball trips across the United States to watch games at various Major League Baseball stadiums. He attended over twenty UFC events in person.

In Al's younger years he enjoyed canoeing in the Boundary Waters and fishing. As his family grew he shared that love with his boys through fishing trips to Canada and locally on Lake Waconia.

Al was a quiet man with a kind heart.  He was constantly caring for those in need of a second chance.  Al was also a devoted father, a loving son and an involved grandfather.  His devotion to his children was seen in his near-perfect attendance at his sons sporting events.  

Survivors include his life partner Joanne Hipps; sons Jeremy (Tricia) Hipps, Jon (Rachel) Hipps, and Andrew Hipps; mother Donna Hipps and stepfather Bruce Haight; grandchildren Owen and Walter Hipps; Isabelle, Oscar and Eleanor Hipps; sister Peggy (Philippe) Moineau and brother Jim (Kantharak) Hipps. He is preceded in death by his father Robert O. Hipps.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 29 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Washburn-McReavy

Funeral Home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  A memorial celebration will be held on Wednesday, July 30 at 10 a.m. at the Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel.  In lieu of flowers, memorials are appreciated for the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (cholangiocarcinoma.org) or the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Does it get any better than this?

Sunday was forecasted to be a miserable rainy day...perfect for a movie. The boys have been waiting to see the new Dragon movie so we headed into town. When we came out, the sun was shining and I suggested a quick stroll along the sea. As we were walking down the stairs to the promenade, I said "Does it get any better than this?" more to myself than the boys. Walter quickly responded "Of course not for you, we're at the beach and its sunny out!" He knows me so well.

On top of the sun and sea, it was low tide! Our favorite time to be at the sea as we can find sand...which we did. This led to all sorts of fun building rivers, castles, oxbow lakes, doing cartwheels, and jumping in the waves. The quick stroll lasted until 7:45 pm...when I basically forced us all off the beach. Oh beautiful Brighton...

So hum.

I've been chanting this in my head quite a bit these days. I say it whenever I'm trying to clear my mind of the lists, to do's, and what will tomorrow bring's. So hum, so hum, so hum. I am, I am, I am...

Jer is in MN with his family right now. He left at the beginning of the month as his dad is having a tough time fighting the cancer. We decided to bump up the moving of our stuff and had that boxed up on Friday. I thought it would be quite easy this time but when the moving company came to survey our stuff, they said we had 9 containers of goods...and that we were allowed 3! I spent the last 10 days going through everything and prioritizing what definitely goes, what would be ideal, what would be nice and what we will try to sell or give away. I am so happy that Friday has come and gone...now on to selling & donating the rest. It will happen, it always does.

Since you probably would rather see photos of our sweet boys than all our stuff, here are a few photos from a walk a few weeks ago on Devil's Dyke. I will certainly miss the country pub stops on our walks.

Super Sour (Watermelon) Bon Bon challenge

I didn't think anyone could get me to try a ridiculously sour candy...then my boys asked me and somehow I couldn't say no. They decided they needed to get the event on film, leading to Owen compiling this little video for your enjoyment. (My mouth waters just thinking about it...)

This flower is a gamopetalous.

This is what Walter told me at dinner last night as we was looking at the flowers I had on the table. He then looked at the roses that were part of the bouquet and said "And these roses are polypetalous'." I will let you look up the meanings...or you can ask him next time you see him.

Speaking of Walter, he is now 7! And what a sweet seven year old he is. We had a lovely week celebrating him. On his birthday he enjoyed planned the day. He started with opening gifts, followed by breakfast and playing. He requested that we go to a newly redone crazy golf he'd been eyeing at the sea front. He wanted my homemade mac & cheese, green beans and angel food cake; topping it all of with popcorn and a family viewing of Frozen.

Last Friday the celebrations continued with his party. We took advantage of the sea front pick up and invited all his classmates to stick around for a scavenger hunt, water squirting, swimming, food & cake. Jer & I may have been a bit relieved when it was all over...but seeing Walter's smiles made it all worth it.

FBF - W through the years

In about an hour we will be celebrating his #7 on the beach with all his classmates! Pictures soon...

Squid Racers, Jolly Rocker, Pirate Falls & The Dragon

We finally made it to LegoLand! We went last Friday, when 99% of other UK schools were in session, and had a perfect day for it. The weather was hot, the queues were short and the boys were at a great age for it. We arrived just before the park opened and we shut the park down. I had packed some dried mango and rice cakes, we bought a couple bottles of water, but other than a short break to eat the snacks and drink water, we were on ride after ride after ride. At about 4:00 I started to bonk and made them all stop for another quick snack before getting on the next ride! It closed at 5 and we went for dinner in Ascot where we all refueled and discussed our favorite rides. Those listed above were favs of the boys but the ultimate family favorite ended up being the Jolly Rocker - a big pirate ship that swings back and forth making your tummy drop.

at the Lego Brighton Pier!

That was really fun.

Can we go there again sometime?

Two statements that are music to my ears. When my boys say this to me it makes me feel so good. Wednesday was one of those days.

As mentioned plenty, we are taking full advantage of every moment these days and fitting in all those things we've meant to do before we leave. On Wednesday, we hit up the beautiful West Wittering beach with some friends from school. The draw to this beach was the sand and it certainly delivered. We've been finding sand in our pockets, our ears, my wallet...everywhere!

said sand

As we were getting in the car to grab dinner with some friends before returning home, we noticed our car had a flat. It was a bit of a hiccup getting it fixed temporarily (ever heard of a locking wheel nut key? I now have...) However in the end, we got home safely and even made it up to Legoland the following day. Yes, you guessed it, more on that later.

Rocking pooling in Rottingdean

When we moved into our home here in Hove nearly 2 years ago, our landlord told us in a very heavy German accent 'You must take the children rock pooling in Rottingdean', with major emphasis on the 'r'. We have smiled about it since whenever thinking of what we should do for the weekend. This weekend we actually did go rrrrrrock pooling in RRRRRottingdean and our landlord was very right, it was a must and quite enjoyable for all.

The boys and I are off for our last mid-term break. When we go back, we will go for 6 weeks before we pack up and make our way one way or another to Minnesota. The details aren't all worked out yet, but we are getting close to committing to a flight, date, and an airport. Until then, we are enjoying our home here and soaking up as much as we can.