Sadie Goes to College!

Amy and Paul drove Sadie the 816 miles from our house to her dorm. The drive included many tears and lots of Adele. Within a few hours of moving in, she joined some new friends at a swing dance place wearing borrowed cowboy boots and then went to Taco Bell with a buddy at midnight. A few days later she started classes and seems to be thriving in her new life.

Back to School 2026

Fifty percent of the Bankhead children started the school year in the local public schools.

Miles started 8th grade

Amos started 10th grade

2026 Bankhead Reunion in Midway

Paul and his siblings like to be together. All nine of them plus 7 spouses, 23 kids, 2 parents, and 1 step-parent showed up for a family reunion in Midway. 

Every hike became a game of "How many cousins can we fit on this bench?" Each bench was carefully rated according to comfort, view, and plenty of cousin negotiations.

A ranger gave us a surprise introduction to her OWL!

The creek that ran through the middle of the condo complex provided hours of entertainment. Only one shoe was lost down the black hole at the end. So then, of course, the other shoe was purposely sent to join it.

Amy especially liked having older cousins mix with younger cousins, waterfalls included.

Besides hiking, we spent time painting nails, learning Mahjong, driving Ferraris, and playing Hitster.

Independence Day Boating Shenanigans

We invited a crowd to the swamp for 4th of July fun. The tubing was especially exciting.

 

Amsterdam 2026, part 4

One big highlight of our trip was being together without the distractions of daily life. Wandering around and appreciating all the sights together felt like a great way to commemorate Sadie's graduation and create family connections.

Cobblestone streets

Wooden shoes (Klompen!)

Canals

Rembrandt's house

Trying to copy Rembrandt

 

Amsterdam 2026, part 3

Both Amos and Miles celebrated their birthdays while we were in Amsterdam. We celebrated Amos at a fancy Italian restaurant where the staff played Happy Birthday over a loudspeaker while setting a flaming dessert in front of the birthday boy. (The staff also played a hilarious prank on Sadie, making her think they'd given her extra mushrooms when she requested none at all.) We celebrated Miles in a fancy conference room at the Uber offices with card games and a smart whiteboard and MMA-themed burgers.

Amsterdam 2026, part 2

We took a day trip to Haarlem, where we toured a fully functional windmill, listened to an organ concert at the old church, and got excited about cobblestone streets and aesthetically pleasing train stations.

 

Amsterdam 2026, Part 1

Paul's job requires him to make periodic trips to Amsterdam, so in honor of Sadie graduating from high school, the whole family tagged along on his most recent trip. Amy and the kids visited all the obvious touristy places, and Paul worked half days, meeting up with us at excellent restaurants for leisurely meals. 

Who doesn't love a tardigrade statue? And an entire museum dedicated to microscopic organisms?

Amy loves quirky old architecture hiding around every corner.

Classic houses along the canal and a fabulous sky. Luckily we left Europe right before their crazy heat wave.

We were often too busy eating baked goods from every bakery to smile for photos.

Rick Steves helpfully explained to us that this was a water bottle filler.