It was a beautiful day, the second day of my favorite month of the year when I asked:

“Hey Ben, Emma and Molly…  do you want to go to Hampton Beach with me to see the sand sculpture competition?”

While you weren’t sure exactly what I was talking about, away we went.  This was an unofficial  ‘three musketeers’ kind of adventure, because this time one of the musketeers wasn’t Camden, it was Molly.  She had never been on this kid of outing so she was a little unsure about how things would play out.   It wasn’t long before she got the hang of it and began living the 3 musketeers mantra: “go with the flow, stay loose, try new things and have fun.”

Our first stop was the Friendly Toast in Portsmouth, one of our favorite hangouts.  The food was great, we had eggs and pancakes and bacon and orange juice. Yummy!

We were soon heading south on Rt. 95 toward the biggest beach in the state of New Hampshire. Here’s what we saw when we gazed at Hampton Beach:

I created a goal, “we each have to pick one sand sculpture that’s our favorite… but don’t blurt it out right away, let’s make sure you’ve seen them all first.”  After all, there were a lot to choose from including:

I asked what you thought and Ben said “when you said we were going to see sand sculptures, I wasn’t that excited because I thought they were like the ones we make on the beach.  But these aren’t anything like that, they’re amazing!”

Amazing indeed.

While you were figuring out which ones were your favorites, I had you pose for a photo (of course!):

Ben decided the dragon was his favorite; Emma liked the monster, Molly’s eye settled on the “Frozen” character and I was blown away with the person emerging from the sand. Molly was wondering about the naked sand ladies with “the boobies.” I told her there’s nothing wrong with the naked body, we all are naked every day, it’s natural and beautiful, etc.   Not sure I worded things correctly, but I tried to get the point across.  Uh, come to think of it, that sand sculpture might have been my favorite

We headed across the street and visited the Arcade, playing all kinds of old fashioned games in a very old fashioned place that hasn’t changed much in over 50 years:

After the games, I brought you to the home made candy store and you each picked out some favorites. Everyone tried an interesting flavor of salt water taffy which is a candy they liked over 100 years ago and is still popular.

With cold drinks in our hands, we headed north to Moody Beach (thanks to the Youk) where we went in the water and you guys slept over for the night.  It was a most wonderful day, a classic summer adventure we won’t soon forget.

Grammy and I moved into 44 Waterloo in February 2002.  Things were different back then, let me tell you why:

• Josh and Nicole, aka Mommy and Daddy, aka Auntie Nicole and Uncle Josh weren’t married yet.  They tied the knot four months later, in June, 2002.
• None of you Beaupre & Clickman grandchildren were born, can you imagine that?  It would be another 14 months before Ben, the first, came into our world.
• Tim and Tarah, aka Mommy and Daddy, aka Uncle Tim and Auntie Tarah, were dating.  They wouldn’t marry for another 28 months.
• The successful business Grammy and I started and successfully built – Beaupre & Co. Public Relations – was at its peak, three years after our company had been acquired (bought out ) by a big company in New York City.
• I was 48 years old and Grammy was 46.

Fast-forward 12 years to Sunday, June 22, 2014:

• All 7 of you, my beloved grandchildren, were together at 44 Waterloo for one final time.  The “big house” (8,000 square ft. across four floors) had been sold and Grammy and I were moving out in two days.
• why are we moving?  It’s too big and way too expensive and we want something manageable.
• Ben is 11 years old; Emma 8; Camden 8; Ainsley 6; Molly 6; Jack 3 and Madigan 2.  The big house was “Grammy and Papa’s house,” a place that will stay within your memory banks for most if not all of  your life (except Jack and Madigan).  Six of you literally went from tiny babies in diapers to self-functioning, independent spirits.

It’s impossible to remember everything we said and did together at 44 Waterloo.  Some of your memories will undoubtedly be shaped by the word “big” – after all it was a bit of a  monster with five bedrooms, four floors, seven bathrooms, a giant attic, a hot tub room, exercise room, massively gorgeous kitchen and a warm and inviting office (mine).  It had three decks and a big front porch.

The rooms you will probably remember best are the big “basement” (as you called it), aka family room aka Larry Bird room aka Man’s room.  And of course running across the beautiful kitchen and giant “Great Room” with the wood fireplace.

So many memories!

Sunday dinners, all together.  The sweeping views of the saltwater Piscataqua River from the kitchen and Great room.  ‘Hikes’ down to the “sitting rock” and ‘brook.’  Carefully walking down the 59 steps to go across the metal bridge to the big dock. Playing baseball, football, soccer on the front lawn.  Sitting on top of the pool table.  Me making “Papa Corn.” Playing baseball and football in the basement.  Playing “dogcatcher.” Playing “Smoke on the Water” (Loud) in the basement in between periods of our knee hockey games, strumming our fake guitars.

There are hundreds more.

It was a loud house that’s for sure – whenever we got together we noticed how the sound escalated because of the room size and high ceilings, especially the Great Room where the ceilings were over 20 feet high.

For our last get together, Grammy and I did four special things:

1. we had a “burn party” in the fire pit, burning boxes upon boxes of old business papers. Everyone joined in.  Jack, I think you liked it best!

2. we had our last Sunday dinner together at 44 Waterloo and everyone actually looked at me and the camera!

3.  we got together – the seven of you and me, and then I gave you these instructions: “We’re going to run through every single room in this house, across all four floors.  And while we’re running we are going to scream and holler and make all kinds of noise.”  And that’s what we did – starting with the Great Room floor, then into the basement, then to the third story, then to the attic.  It was a crazy, wild, funny way to say goodbye to 44 Waterloo, to Grammy and Papa’s house, to YOUR grandparents house.

4.  we took an official photo in front of the house:

The big house may be gone from our lives, but each of us will remember something special about it.  That’s the best part, isn’t it?  The memories we create.  That’s all any of us ever leave behind in the end.  Remember this – always.   Make sure when  people think about you they will be filled with positive, inspirational, kind, fun, uplifting thoughts.  Those are the best kind of memories because they fill people’s souls with warmth, sunshine and smiles.

We went to two of your birthday parties this year – one on your actual birthday and one a few days later at Take Flight.  thanks for inviting Grammy and me!

Both were lots of fun, but the second one had some special ingredients: demanding, challenging, scary and rewarding.

You’re not a big fan of heights (you’ve told me this before), so it was cool how you tackled your fears.  That’s an important thing to do in life because one of the best ways to get to a better place is by pushing ourselves and believing in ourselves and trying new – sometimes scary – things.  That’s how we can boost our confidence.

We say to ourselves, “hey, look at what I just did.  I didn’t think I could do it, I was afraid to try it, but I did and you know what?  I feel better about myself. I accomplished something I never thought I could do. I did it, and I survived and I’m going to remember how it feels when I get myself out of my safety cocoon and explore new things.”

Always remember this Ben.  Happy birthday to the coolest 11 year old in the world.  I love you lots.

“We’re off to Blue Job mountain,” I said after picking you guys up in Dover and Madbury on a gray-sky day. “Are you ready for some hiking?”

“Yeahhh!” you shouted from the back of the Youk, the big white GM SUV that has brought us to and from so many adventures (along with our previous ride the black Lincoln Navigator SUV which Emma called “the alligator.”).

And then came the unavoidable question:

“What else are we going to do?”

I gulped. I should have known better.  After all, a 3M adventure has never been only one thing… it’s a combination of things.  I had nothing else in mind beside the hike!

“We’ll see, ” I said, scrambling for ideas, but finding none.

“Tell us, tell us!”

“I will – but you have to be patient!”  That was the only reply I could think of!  Maybe it would buy me a little time.

The sun was peeping out, the snow was finally gone, and we were going to enjoy our special outing.   Someone said hi to Ben – he is famous after all – so he led the way, taking the trail to the right. Up up up we climbed.  About three quarters of the way, we paused for a quick break to check out the view below us.  But the most interesting view was down, not up, and at our feet!

We were surrounded by slithering root structures that popped out of the ground everywhere, threatening to entangle us in its venomous embrace.  Yikes!

I took a selfie of all of us, the wild and crazy hikers.

At the top, we sat and ate our snacks. Everyone had plenty of energy left so after a little more scampering about we decided to head back down the mountain and do the next thing on my list… which was…. uh… I still didn’t know!

By the time we got down Mt. Blue Job, it was much warmer and time for food.  That made the next idea a slam dunk  “How about lunch?” I asked, “are you guys hungry?”

“I’m starved Camden said,” followed by the inevitable “where are we going to eat?”  I quickly flipped it around:  “Where do YOU guys want to go?”

You didn’t have any answers, so the pressure was back on.  “Man, there’s no relief for the weary,” I said to myself. “what’s nearby?  where would they like to go?  Then it hit me, a proven winner from the past:

“How about Friendly’s? You like it there right?  We’ll go to the same one we went to after we brought presents to St. Charles Children’s Home at Christmas last year, remember?”  You did.

They sat us fast and gave us quick service.  Soon we were enjoying an assortment of club sandwiches, mini cheeseburgers, fries, milk and shakes.  And oh yes, sundaes.  Energy restored, we piled back into the Youk.  You immediately asked:

“Where are we going next?”

I needed to pull something out of my hat, and fast!  What could we do, where could we go?  We had already been on a hike, it wasn’t summer so swimming was out, no one wanted to be cooped up inside…. hmm, what were my options?

Then it dawned on me.  We’d go to a place where we could all still stay outside, where you could definitely have fun, a place you hadn’t been in awhile, a place that had recently opened up its full assortment of games and services as Spring sprung.

Saved by my last minute idea, and knowing the pressure was now off, the ride to Rt. 108 was a breeze and went by fast.  As we turned into Hilltop Fun Center you voiced your pleasure with the choice.

“Are we going to play miniature golf first?” Emma asked, and that’s exactly what we did.

Ben was crazy, getting down on the ground to blow his ball into the hole:

After miniature golf, Emma and Camden zipped around on the go-carts as Ben and I watched.  Round and round you go, where it stops, everybody knows!

I wasn’t surprised when you asked, “Can we play some of the games?” We bounded inside and soon you were working hard, trying to win as many tickets as possible.  Emma won the prize when her tickets just kept coming out and out and out and out! We were all laughing our heads off, there were so many!

Our second 3M adventure of 2014 was a success as you headed home with an assortment of mini prizes.

There was a moment of silence before I heard today’s inevitable question:

“When’s the next 3M adventure Papa?”