The Annual Leithauser Run for the Roses Party- Outside! May 1, 2021

Yes, we are having our annual Run for the Roses Party for the 147th Kentucky Derby!

When: Saturday, May 1, 2021- The First Saturday in May!

Where: Outside- 1142 Newark-Granville Road, Granville, Ohio it will spill over into the Love-Fuller's Park-like setting- thank you, Amanda and Brian!

How in Covid times?....outside! please spread out, so many are vaccinated, bring a chair, and get comfy.  If you are not comfortable with this we understand and hope to see you next year.

Time:  5 o'clock just feels like the right start time! Cheers!

Common Thread will play an hour or so before the race...

Post time scheduled for 6:57 pm

What else...

• yes, COMMON AND THREAD! live music! This is going to be special- thank you- Hugh, Kevin, and Jim we have loved each time you have performed at our party.
• We'll provide the juleps (YES yay Emily will be back) and beer (Yuengling and Granville Brewing) and lemonade/ice tea and pizzas delivered....maybe some chocolate-covered strawberries.  Will keep it simple in this unique year.  No need to bring a dish to share, unless you have a beloved classic....yes Betsy and the deviled eggs!! Also feel free to bring a lawn chair, deliver your own patio furniture set up! Ha!
• So less formal, we need visualizing and prayers for weather...rain or shine we have the Kiwanis tent. Grateful to give this a try this year. Thanks to all that dialed in last year.
• Hats, hats, hats....dress festively for comfort! This will be fun!

Once invited, always invited- we love families and friends, those new to town. Granted we don't want a huge party but want those comfortable to join us. We are not overly promoting, not sending tons of emails...not even truly posting on Facebook. "Lower key" is the approach/plan.

Call us with questions! Susan and Joe

Derby look back:

We will miss these two, will they watch at Wooster and Wabash?

Common Thread a few years ago...

Those are some darling hat ladies!

April Planning- Checking In

 Just a quick update about what is going on in our lives on Newark-Granville Road!

1. Yes Derby party plans underway. Low key, outside, details will be posted here soon.

2. Daffodil- Celebrating Daffodils- love this event- love Granville in Yellow! http://www.robbinshunter.org/event-calendar  Make plans next weekend to engage and support the museum, learn and be delighted!

3. GO SCOTS- so fun to watch Clare and her teammates doing well - Joe and I attended a fun win over Allegheny. Pictures below. We had to kill some time at JAFB, watch the Masters and take in some quality time. Then take out dinner alfresco. This week we streamed the game and loved hearing her housemate with the great commentary!

4. The Works- new exhibit open- Cynthia Cort's Art of World Textiles- stunning! There is science and math in those fabrics- I always enjoy the opportunity to learn and be delighted...and see great people! You won't want to miss it!

5. Speaking of missing- last week to see Word Matter by Amanda Love in downtown Newark! 

6. Yes I'm a bit m.i.a. as I work on finishing the grad school class- Principles and Practices of Fundraising! This will allow me to complete the Master Certificate of Philanthropic Studies. I have applied for the MA program- more deadlines I am happy to be checking off! Looking forward to the next class starting in May....you know I'll blog all about it.

7. Grateful for in-person worship at FPC at Trek Brewing!

8. Enjoyed Ray Rays meat plus three last week- welcome to Granville! Thank you for the locally sourced product, creative offerings, and a stunning updated location with outdoor seating and murals! Well done Ray-Ray!

9. Go Big Red- have so enjoyed seeing so many sports live and happening!  Thanks to all that supported and engaged with Day of Giving- big success!

10. Go Aces- Sally and the lax team doing great too- we love the opportunity to be outside and cheer for our girl.  Big game - the cousins battle it on- such a fun tradition we're grateful to resume- this year in Granville!

Day of Giving for Denison- Throw Back Thursday- Home to Granville

 So much fun to reflect on our time on the hill as part of my "work" today! Of course, it started in 1985 with a visit. I had my application completed at Wittenberg- thinking I'd like to do the 3-2 program in nursing there. This was based on the Fiske paper book and AP bio! One senior interview, one tour on a blue-skied Friday, an overnight at the Buxton- done! Thanks, Mom- your recommendation, you were right.

Then I came back to June O in1986, met Lori and Kate and my Mom met their parents. Move-in day that August put the three of us all in a row on the 3rd floor of East Hall. THANK YOU STUDENT LIFE STAFF! The parents continued happy to see one another over those parent's weekends and became friends, even returning to Granville in the 2000s for their own reunion. Lauren and Julie other in East joined the group.  The incredible friends I made and posted with some photos on Facebook! I've got more...the Kahiki ones may be my favorite, or maybe June O, of course, the pi phi pics....Oh was I lucky to have friends with all the women in East and then my angel sisters?  I did not live on the West Quad until Junior year when my friends went abroad.  We also loved welcoming Tracy to our suite that year- she transferred in and her brother followed her.  My brother and sister also followed me!  Good thing I went abroad to the West Quad- that is where I remember meeting Joe Leithauser! I enjoyed serving on June O staff 3 times- after the first year, sophomore year, and returning after graduation in 1990 to enjoy the prettiest time on campus in my opinion.  What fun, what fun those four years were.  But they didn't end there...not at Denison!

Returning for reunions, my sibling's Homecomings and Commencements and to serve on Alumni Council and meet special volunteers like Amy Sibert Lovett.  I also had my dear adopted grandmother through Shirley Hale- pi phi Mom- Beth Jenkins.  I may have moved around- Michigan twice, Nebraska, Kentucky, and Ohio drew me home- it was my "home away from home".  So when Joe and I had a 2nd date in Granville and eventually married I knew Granville would become ours. Lucky me.

All of those cities led to Denison connections and friends "off the hill". And a natural fit from volunteering to working! The luck continued with a job on the hill.  When I throw back I want to find more photos from great work colleagues and friends and volunteers in Colwell House and moving to Burton Morgan 1999-2005! Thank you Lyn Boone for hiring me! I stayed home after Miss Sally was born, only to return to my current role in 2015- thank you Julie Houpt and Murley Miller!  And all of those years I remained a volunteer- volunteers make the world go around and lead to such joy and friendships- off and on the hill. It was Marcia Downs that said- help me get Denison more involved at The Works and I did! That led to not only a job, but a career- thank you. It also led to meeting Adam Weinberg.

I hope you will visit my Instagram and Facebook pages to see some of the pictures. A few here too. Friends from all of the roles and so many generations and my own family- Scott- brother in law is a big bonus! Life on Newark-Granville Road is so special and really is thanks to Denison. Denison is thanks to philanthropy- so it is right to post here and say- thanks for supporting our day of giving if it works for you! https://support.denison.edu/dayofgiving  Thank you! And now it is time for class....Principal and Practices of Fundraising!

Vaccine or Vacation Take Over- excited to have had both!

 Two for me, Joe's second is scheduled, Sally has her first appointment on Monday, Clare has one checked off and Peter texted his dates- Life on Newark-Granville Road is in vaccine mode!  Family and friends are texting and posting their updates- phew, yes, woo hoo!

And this week we did sneak away for some R and R with Nana- taking vacation! We executed last year's trip without Peter- sigh. Watching that Nationals Spring Training baseball was a huge treat- baseball and a cold beer- ahhhh. Joe taught Sally to keep score, yes what a beautiful thing vacation time can be.  Quality time with my Mom was important and I'm glad she joined us for our quick trip and the bridge of her time there with Matt and Dawn.  We missed seeing the sunshine Stoners this trip.  Sally was ready for the beach but Mom and I wanted to shop.  We let them get a head-start to Miami and we lingered to explore the ins and outs of Palm Beach. Yes, the home of Lilly and it was a two stop shopping experience for me.   I was a little taken with how well everyone dressed and almost felt like we were on a movie set- it felt so foreign, surreal compared to our year of staying home. Ultimately we connected and yes, beach time was heaven- floating in the Atlantic is one of my favorite things to do and it had been some time. Finishing this month's book club book- paper version- a special treat!

I'm not one to post while out and about- nothing like saying- we're not home to the world.  I do love the chance to get out of town, explore and see the sights.  The social media break time-out is another healthy change of pace. It had been too long and it was time. Sally and Nana do make great travel companions and I recognize time with them is fleeting so thank you to them both for indulging us and joining.  Joe is my perfect partner- we take turns securing reservations and finding beach space.  It was great to say hello to other families in similar pursuit. It felt in many ways like a collective sigh to find the sun.  It was a quick trip- back for class and Easter but we made it work.  Life on Newark-Granville Road more than ready for more of a return to normal!  I hope you are finding the time you need, I may have waited a bit too long for this one- I needed it and am savoring the memories we made AND happy to be home in our life on Newark-Granville Road.