New Baby in the Family

We have a new cousin...Mom and Baby are doing fine.

Mary came home late last night very very tired. She said the opera was nice. I cam home from Kids choir at 7:30 pm and Matt was asleep on the couch and slept the rest of the night. I watched some TV, then chatted with Sarah for a few minutes and went to bed myself.

I have several errands to run this morning then we go pack up Sarah and bring here home from college for the summer. Sarah is bittersweet about this college year ending. SHe plans to get a summer job and save for a car and hopefully help with some college expenses.

No school for Mary and Matthew, but Mary does have to be at school today for play practice. Guess she has to be there earlier to cue the show with Mr Chapman the boss of the auditorium and really of the crew itself.

That is all for now! I am sure there will be more later.


Gracie!

(I like exclamation points)

Matthew's Wish Comes True!

Matthew pitched 5 innings, that is a whole game for freshmen when there is a double header. He did very well. No walks. The other team got some really good hits and scored 5. The second game was closer 3-2, Matt played second base. We weren't able to be there, be he said he got the bat on the ball, but got thrown out at first.

Mary got her award and it was followed by an unusual movie. I kind of wish I would have excused myself to go watch the rest of Matt's second game. Hind sight is always 20/20. Mary will be going to the Opera tomorrow with the HS Orchestra.

Plans for Thursday have changed. Mary has play practice on Thursday and cannot attend visit day. As Asst Stage Manager, she cannot miss practice as the play is just 2 weeks away. So I will go with Jeff to pack up Sarah and bring her home. Matt said he won't be offended if we miss that game.

Well, that is all. Better get some rest, as I start work tomorrow at 0730.

~Grace

Something New!

Well I had my hairs cut today. A lot! I was in the mood for a bit of a new look and the stylist thought it was time as well. It turned out really nice. I don't take good pictures of myself, but I had no choice. I hope that I can make it look this nice all the time.

Matthew has a baseball game today. It was changed from an away game to a home game! Yay for me! He hopes to pitch but I don't know if that will happen. I will be leaving shortly for the game, instead of going shopping or to the bank.

My dentist appointment was very good! Thank you Lord! I didn't get to pay for the church softball league, every time I go to pay, the "right" person isn't there. Won't have too much time tomorrow since I work 0730 to 1500. We will see.

Better get going.. Don't want to be late.

Grace

A Boy and His Dog

Matthew gets so very tired each night. He works hard on homework, school, baseball choir tryouts and keeping up on home things and church events. Sammy is a good sport to act as a pillow for his buddy. Tomorrow is another double header and he hopes to pitch. I will go for the first game and watch, but need to get back to Greenville for Mary's award ceremony. Time sure does fly by! Good night all! ~Gracie

Extra Extra Read All About It!

Matthew made Village Green, the high school's show choir! We are very proud of him. He is very very happy about it too. I guess I should start working more hours, since we will have two in the premier choir at the high school. This is the year for trips too! Mary will go on an orchestra trip as well. Yikes! Maybe I need to win the lottery, except I don't play the lottery.

Sarah has one exam done, one later this afternoon. Then one on Wednesday. She also has two papers to write. She attended the end of the year party and posted a cute picture of her. She is always cute though right?

The weather is getting cloudy and windy with the forecast of thunderstorms. Jeff says rain for another 24 hours. Tomorrow I get a haircut and my teeth cleaned. Mary will receive her award for her essay about abortion in the evening.

The laundry is almost done, and I really need to get to the bank, post office and a local church to pay for the church softball league fees. There is always something to do!

Better get going!

~Grace

Just a Quick Update

Mary had a WONDERFUL time at the prom last night. It was really nice to see her sooo happy. Her group of friends had a fun time and I guess her date treated her like royalty. Yay! Friends are sharing pictures, so I should be posting more in the near future.

Church went really well. The orchestra did a great job and we had really good sunday school attendance. I had a volunteer to take over as superintendent next year and some new ideas for teachers. The softball team is shaping up really nice too. I still would like to have more girls on the team. Right now we have 4, but one is having surgery this summer so she can't play after June. We need at least 3 girls (or young boys age 13) to play without forfeit.

We had lunch at one of our favorite places, The Halfway Restaurant. I like to eat their breakfast, stack of pancakes and crispy bacon. Mmmmmm. The lunch food is good too. We used the gift card we got at the auction last Friday.

Sarah comes home on Thursday! Please pray for her as she has finals monday through wednesday. Mary and I will visit Central Michigan. That is the last visit until the summer when we will drive to see University of Oklahoma. Go Sooners! I work 2 days this week. My little client is getting better! Thank you Lord!

I can smell the pizza cooking, so I had better get this posted.

Grace (with a smile on her face)

It's Raining on Prom Night

Yes it is raining on prom night, and most of the afternoon. We did have a few breaks for outside pictures! All the kids looked great. The group Mary is with are a really nice bunch of kids. Hope they have a wonderful night and are safe on the roads. I have posted more pictures on the Wilhelm Family Photos so don't forget to check that out!

Thursday's baseball game was really good. Matthew made several outs and got his bat on the ball twice during the first game. He didn't get to pitch, but we are all glad to report that the team won! They weren't as lucky the second game. We couldn't stay and watch either, because there was church orchestra practice. We play tomorrow for church. I am confident that we will do a nice job.

Friday I worked nine hours. My little patient was pretty sick and I was busy keeping fevers down and her trach clear of secretions. She is doing a little better today. Once work was over, the day took on a new feeling. One of will I get everything done that I need to?? Shopping at wal-mart for NEEDED items, stop at the dress shop, prepare appetizer for the preschool auction at church, pick up Matthew from school and then attend the auction. As I was busily falling behind, Mary called and needed me to go open her locker and bring her stuff, esp her prom ticket, home. She was at a funeral. So, I drove over there, found her locker then spent 10 minutes trying to unlock it. Turns out I was at the wrong locker, hers was the next one over. Got back home and had Jeff take the appetizer to church while I showered and then he came back an took me over too. We ended up with some nice things; Gift certificates for our favorite restaurants, "free" haircut and style at my salon, a clock, camping at camp concordia, a piano music box, rollerskating, a handmade crocheted blanket and my personal favorite a MSU bsaketball signed by Tom Izzo and the other coaches! We all came home and tried to watch a movie, but most fell asleep. I saw the ending, but missed parts of the middle.

This morning we did some last minute sewing on Mary's dress, signed Matthew up for drivers education and then went to have Mary's hair done for the prom. It looks very classic, just as she wanted. By 4:30 Brandon was here, we took some pictures and then off they went back to his house for more pictures. We followed in our own car, took some pictures with the lake in the background and they were off to Johnny Carina's for dinner then the prom. They will all be back here to change clothes for post-prom.

Now I am making brownies, blogging, writing thank you notes and then getting ready for sunday school and church. That is plenty to keep me busy!

The rain has stopped for now, but there is more on the way! Pray for safety of out teenagers out there!

Tomorrow afternoon is our first church softball practice. Yay! Hope the weather will cooperate! I am excited about this season...

Happy Baptism Birthday Jeff!

Can you believe it? Sarah will be done with one year of college in one week! Jeff will be going to move her out of her dorm next Thursday. I will be taking Mary to a college visit and watching Matthew's baseball game. Time has sure flown by.

Today is also a very nice day weather wise, so Matt's game should be played! The bad news is that the coach switched him to relief pitcher for the first game instead of starter. The second game will be pitched by the boy from the very first game. Bottom line, Matthew is not a starter. That made him very upset. I guess he is relief for a boy that has been ineligible to play due to academics. Now he is doing better, so Matt was bounced out of the starter position. Doesn't seem right, but that how it is I guess. Matt was so excited about pitching and his opportunities just kept being taken away.

Our orchestra will be playing this Sunday. We have four hymns and an anthem to play. It will be lots of fun. We hope to play a whole service on Trinity Sunday! Kids choir sings on confirmation. Then I hope to take them to sing for the retired folks before school ends.

Tomorrow I work early 0530 until 2 and then will take Mary to the funeral of her best friends grandma. He is very sad. The next day is prom day! I guess the weather is supposed to be nice, so the plan is that Brandon and company will be riding in the 'stang! Mary needs a large scarf to protect her hair from the wind should they put the top down! Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Speaking of driving, I am in the process of signing Matthew up for driver's training! Having all 3 kids driving is a little wierd. His class won't start until next month, and then it will be who gets to drive every time we get in the car. Mary will take segment 2 in June and then her license soon after. Yikes! I must admit, I like when I can ask Sarah to go over to Meijer to get some milk or to pick up the kids from school.

Well, I am way behind on my list of jobs for today. Better get going!

Grace

Game Called Again!

Will Matthew ever get to pitch? The double header was called today due to rain and cold. Matt was told he would pitch the first game, and then he heard from the catcher he was going to let another boy pitch as a reward for bringing his grades up enough to play at all. What does that tell someone like Matthew who keeps his grades up all the time. Now this is just hearsay, but if that boy pitches first for that reason on Thursday's game, I will be pretty upset and have to inquire about this team ethics. Reward the losers and say sorry to those who try hard and succeed. The next games are away in Grand Rapids and I also have orchestra that night. I hope that I can at least see one game.

Mary got her dress today. It looks very nice. She is happy with it and looks forward to the prom. Brandon's grandma died today, so Mary is spending some time with him this evening.

I just got word that I was rejected again at the children's hospital. This is so frustrating! Jeff thinks maybe most of these jobs are hired from within. That could be true. Still I think I would like to talk to someone to see if there is any chance of getting hired with Spectrum.

That is the update...I am a little on the muscle now, so thought if I wrote it out it might make me feel better. Didn't work too well. :(

Until the next news hits~
Grace

Back in the Dog House

I know it has been a long 4 days since I wrote last. Seems like eons ago. Life gets so busy, favorite pleasures like blogging get pushed to the bottom of the priority list. Tonight it ends...and the blog that follows will be quite lengthy so get comfortable. Due the large amount of information and activities, this blog will be written under headings.

Baseball: Matthew has a double header tomorrow at 4 pm. He is supposed to be the starting pitcher. He is very excited. I get very nervous. The weather is supposed to be cold and rainy. Matthew might like pitching in the rain, but cold rain is horrible, especially just sitting there as a spectator. I'll be there though rooting him on! Church softball starts in 2 weeks. I am going to have practice the next two sundays. The team is looking pretty good, if everyone plays that have shown interest. I already have the schedule from the league and a few possible lineups for the first game. I love playing ball!

Bowling: Our team took fourth place for the winter season. Each player on our team won $28.00. I will try not to spend it all in one place. Haaha. We had a fun night with our friends Norma and Randy. I had two below average games and my last game of the season was a 143! Good way to end. Jeff received many awards and patches. High game with handicap, series 75 pins over average and most improved bowler!

Church: Saturday our choirs sang at a local Earth Day Arts and Music event. We did ok, but the event wasn't well attended. They charged people an entrance fee to come and buy things from vendors. I sat at Mt Calvary's table for about one hour and became quite nervous. There was pet snakes in the room across from our table. Next thing I know the man comes out with a snake around his neck. I panicked and moved down as far as I could. The nice man at another table told the snake guy to stay away. Whew! I still didn't like it.

Sunday's service was very nice. It was music sunday. The Chime Team did a wonderful job playing Festive Celebration as a call to worship. That ended our season. I am very proud of them. The kids choir did a nice job with an alphabet song and used prop/posters of letters to add to the song. They are a great bunch of girls. The praise team sang some good tunes and I got to play Halle Halle lujah! It is a fun and upbeat song. The benediction was sung by the church choir, one of my all time favorite songs to sing.

Sunday School went well, and I have finally got the summer sunday school sign up poster done! I am starting early to get volunteers. The stories and themes are great! I am looking forward to it and have some great ideas I hope can turn into reality!

Orchestra plays this Sunday and we hope to have a service where the orchestra plays for the whole service this June. Might try to get the kids choir to sing at the Assisted Living Facility.

One of our members placed flowers on the altar in honor of our anniversary. Here are some pictures. They are very pretty. What a wonderful gift!


Essay Contest: We received word today that Mary will receive a small monetary gift for her entry to the Right to Life essay contest. She wrote about abortion. It was very good and moving. Maybe I can get a link for it our post in the near future.

Healthcare: I was supposed to go for some therapy today in Grand Rapids. Before driving down there, I called to make sure about our insurance. Turns out it would be more expensive than I thought and our insurance personal deductible would be met with only a few visits. Jeff looked into new insurance through the air force. It seems that this will be more affordable with at least the same if not better coverage. Nothing is final yet, probably in the next week. I am going to wait to reschedule anything until everything is settled.

Job: I still have four applications out for possible jobs. My most recent was for a job at the children's hospital in the Pediatric Sedation Unit. Other jobs still out are for the Hematology floor at Children's and two openings on a Med/Surg/Peds at a small hospital east of Greenville.

Lock-In: Saturday night was the youth lock-in. Seems no other mother wanted to stay up all night with the youth, so I got into my night nurse mode and stayed the night. Most of the kids fell asleep by three am, but a few made it all night long. The young adults kept me laughing and entertained most of the night. Earlier in the evening they had a talent contest, games and devotions. I really liked the theme and devotions, very well done! The last group event ended up being a movie, The Rookie. I played a game with a few girls that didn't want to watch. All in all it was a good event.

Prom: Prom is Saturday! The red dress is ready and I will pick it up on Wednesday. I guess the friends are planning on dinner together and then to the dance in the nearby town of Lowell at a nice banquet hall. I will be sure to post pictures!

School: Sarah is nearing the end of her first year of college. She has done a great job! Next week are finals and then she moves home on April 3oth! Wow! Can't believe it. News from Hope College is that she has her AT sports schedule. She will be working Cross Country in the fall (by herself), Women's Basketball in the winter and Men's Baseball in the spring! She is very happy about it! Good thing I bought her some "professional clothes" since you need to be dressed up for basketball season. She is also preparing for the move to a new dorm next year. I guess they will have lofts. She will have a new roommate and live on the first floor. Yay! I won't have to haul boxes up any steps! Now Sarah will be looking for summer work to earn some needed money.

Mary has one more college visit scheduled. We will visit Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant. Many future teachers attend there and the town is pretty nice. With Mary's gift in writing, she could receive some good scholarships. As of this writing, University of Michigan and Wisconsin Lutheran top her list of higher education.

Mary and Matthew have begun the fun of choosing next years classes. Mary has 5 of 7 picked. Matthew has his all figured out. I guess they are going to a 7 class day if possible. Not sure of Mary's choices other than Village Green, Orchestra, Pre Calculus and Government. She has also Dual Enrolled to take Spanish at the local community college in the evening. Matthew choices are Honors English, Honors Biology, Marching Band (wants to march with the sax), Geometry and History. He will be auditioning for Village Green later this week! Matthew will also take his PE requirements. Possible alternate classes are woodworking and keyboarding. We plan to have Matthew in Driver's Ed this summer. Mary will have to complete her second session as well. All of my kids driving? What the heck? That is pretty scary. I guess they have to grow up!

Well, that concludes this blog entry. We are waiting to hear when Jeff's cousin's baby is born. Due on Wednesday. There is a baby pool (no money) and my guess is today, Tuesday! Jeff and Matt think Thursday. That would be nice, since it is Jeff's baptism birthday, and the daddy of this baby is Jeff's Godson, Adam. Jeff thinks girl, Matt and I say boy. I will let you know!

Better get some rest, I work tomorrow.

Grace, a proud mom and happy wife!

Nice Weather, Happy Faces!

Greenville weather is just beautiful yesterday today and tomorrow! Yay!! It is much easier to smile when you have the sun shining and the sky is clear blue! No coats necessary, just a light jacket in the morning. Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be even better. Mary and her friend are going to take a boat ride tomorrow afternoon. Don't worry they will be careful.

Mary and Matt had dentist appt this week. Mary's went fine, but poor Matt still has 2.5 baby teeth that need to come out. They say it won't take much since the root of the baby tooth is small. I go to the dentist in two weeks.

Work has been fine the past few days. I work again tomorrow then I am off till Tuesday. Jeff and I are going to attend a thank you event tomorrow evening. Matthew is helping organize a lock in at church this weekend and has a meeting. I volunteered to chaperone the event during the midnight hours. Probably wasn't my best decision since it is music sunday and I will be singing and directing several groups. YikeS!

Tonight Matthew remembered he had a band banquet after we were already eating. He called after baseball practice and said he was going to stay. I asked if we were supposed to be there and he said, I am not sure. So I ate, picked him up and then was off to orchestra practice, which I might add went very well. Matt did receive a medal for the JV Band perfomance at festival. He was sick that day and couldn't attend. I said wow Matt a medal for being sick! LOL! Hahahaha. He still deserved it, he played with them every other time. Guess he still wants to play the sax. We are going to have to find one and then get him some lessons!

Next baseball game is Tuesday at home. Matthew is slated to pitch. I hope that he does well. It is not easy once the other team is standing there at the plate. I always got nervous before each inning I pitched years ago on the pilot's wives team at Yokota Air Base. Matt's team is going to a college game, UM vs MSU on Sunday morning. I signed that he could go, but I also said it is church time and we are not sure if he can attend. What is wrong with these people to schedule things on a sunday morning!!!!

Saturday is Earth Day Arts and Crafts event at the rec center. Our church choirs will be performing. I will be playing for one song. I hope the keyboard is decent!

Well, I had better get to bed. I haven't heard from Jennie, so I guess I am on for 0530! Her youngest boys both have been sick and she wasn't sure she was going to have day care for them.

Off to Never Never Land!

Bad Weather Affects Baseball

Matthew's baseball team won their first game this afternoon. The weather was cold and rainy with wind. The score was 5-0 at the top of the fouth inning. The other team caught up with some good hits, a few wild pitches and some sloppy fielding. Luckily at the end of the fourth inning, we scored a run and they called the game at that time. Final score 6-5. The second game of the double header was called because of the weather, eventhough the rained stopped. Still it was cold and windy and the field was getting pretty muddy. Next game is Tuesday at home, and Matthew is expected to be the starting pitcher!

Good night!

Grace

PS No pictures today..will have to wait for a sunny game day!

A WONDERFUL ANNIVERSARY

Jeff and I celebrated our 24th Anniversary yesterday. Jeff already has Monday off, so I worked out really nice for us. 24 years ago we were married the Saturday after Easter and this year it was the day after Easter. It doesn't really seem that long, until I start looking at pictures and realizing that my children are almost grown up. Jeff and I had a really nice lunch at a place called Thornapple Daily Grille. I had a gourmet burger with crinkle fries and Jeff had a roast beef/swiss on sourdough bread. We also split an order of haystack onions which were awesome and a delicious bowl of bacon n cheddar soup. Everything was very good. Mary would like it a lot too, they play Frank Sinatra.

Later we ran a bunch of errands including: fixing a tire, oil change, movie return, fill the gas, banking and ordering some pants for Sarah, who needed more khaki pants, but no one has her size. Had to order and have them shipped to her dorm. I also turned in Sarah's schedule to the rec center. She is going to umpire girls softball again. The boss lady was very excited to know that Sarah is back. "She did a great job for us last year"! That is always good to hear.

Then last night, Jeff bought an ice cream cake to celebrate our day with the kids. It had a Easter basket on it, yes, why not? I got the little chocolate bunny that was in the basket. Yay! So our Anniversary was wonderful, and I am married to a wonderful man!

Going back to Easter, church was pretty well attended and there were no major problems. Matthew played his trumpet very well. He played Jesus Christ is Risen Today and I Know That My Redeemer Lives. The kids choir did an awesome job as well. I am so proud of those girls. Easter breakfast was delicious in between services and then we had a McD's lunch. We took pcitures of the kids with Sarah's camera and then some of us fell asleep. I had a headache. The kids got their basket of chocolate and then I made a ham dinner. The ham got pretty dry. Thanks to the family who didn't complain. Next time we eat it cold! We had corn, bread and salad too. Cookies and ice cream for dessert. Time flew by and it was 9:30 pm when we got Sarah back to college. Needless to say we had a busy weekend.

Today is cloudy and rainy. Matthew has a double header baseball game. It is their season opener. He is scheduled to pitch the second game. I am not too happy about the rain, but Matthew says he loves pitching in the rain. Hmm. I will have to go with warm clothes and ponchos. At least they had better seating than the girls and they are closer to the school and bathrooms.

I had better end this now, I have to turn in an important paper to the school, go to the store and work on a few projects at home. Have a great day! I work the next 3 days, so I will try to get some pics of the game posted asap.

~Gracie

Almost Easter

We had a fun day. The movies were funny (Bedtime Stories and Madagascar 2) and we watched some baseball. I got the laundry done! The weather was so nice we spent some time with chalk and playing baseball. I get at least one good hit by a ball each day. Matt's pitching is getting too dangerous without equipment. The family colored eggs and then had a great chicken crescent dinner. Mary and Sarah are working on papers and Matt should be. I still have to play Easter bunny. That comes late at night. Still deciding when to take Sarah back to college. That is all.

Grace

Easter Saturday

Good Friday was well, good! I worked till 1 pm and then we got some errands done. We went to the bank, post office, and several places were Sarah could work this summer. Mary's dress was ready to be tried on, and it looks great. It doesn't need any alterations! Praise the Lord! Mary is very happy with the dress and it does look very nice on her. They are going to steam it for us and then we will pick it up ready to go. Prom is just a few weeks away. Later in the afternoon, Matt and Sarah played some ball in the yard. Matt loves his new cleats. I like them too. Before we knew it, it was time for church. Church was nice. The kids choir sang very well. Dinner was grilled cheese and tomato soup and ice cream sandwiches/bars. Matt and Sarah had a chicken patty sandwich instead. We watched the movie "Australia" last night. We all liked it. Mary stayed busy finishing up a quilt for herself that she started before Christmas.

Today Matt is going to practice his trumpet, then we will color easter eggs, do laundry, watch some more movies, get ready for church and just have fun. It is nice not to have stuff scheduled all the time! The Easter Bunny will have to prepare the baskets too!

Hope your day is as beautiful as it is here in Greenville, MI!

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

~ Grace (aka: the Easter Bunny)

Home Sweet Home

I know it has been awhile since my last post and hope that I remember everything to report tonight. Seems like when I feel as though I am catching up, more things need my attention.

Sunday night bowling went pretty well. We took 3 points. We won the first and second game, lost the third and took total pins by only 1 point! No bowling on Easter, and our final "party" night of bowling is the following Sunday. The TV situation at bowling is out of hand. They used to be on the wall opposite of the alleys. Now, they are right above the alleys. The shows they play on the tv are really quite offensive. They have had fighting shows on every week. I have asked to turn the channel only to have a team say "we were watching that". Well last week, we had the channel changed because the show was 1ooo ways to die. I couldn't believe it. So women's basketball was on and we were enjoying the OU/Louisville game. Then during the 3rd game, the simpsons came on because the ladies Basketball offended someone. That is crazy. Those people must have a lot of pull at the alley to always get what they want. We finally requested it be turned off, after all we are there to bowl.

Monday morning we were off to Chicago. Mary drove 3 hours, then Jeff took over. We had lunch at the Cozy Corner Restaurant. It was pretty good. Then we visited Concordia Chicago, formerly known as River Forest. We had a nice tour and Mary and Matt both got a free t-shirt. It seemed kind of wierd that the campus was so dead. We didn't see many people and it wasn't spring break. The education building was very new and nice. Jeff enjoyed seeing the theater that he remembers watching plays at as a child. After talking with the admissions counselor, we also met with a guy from the education department and the drama department. Seems like there is potential for scholarships for Mary at concordia. They don't really have the call night like they used to, now it is more job placement with interviews and such. Still they say 100% placement after college for Lutheran school teachers and 95% for public teachers. We went by the bookstore and got a lanyard and Matt wanted a new ball cap. All in all Mary said it was OK. I guess it didn't really wow her very much. She did like that is was so accesible to downtown Chicago.

Monday night we stayed with Jeff's cousin Jim and his family. We always have a lot of fun with them. Matt loved being with Logan, Brett and Katherine. Fatime made a delicious lasagna dinner with pumpkin pie and brownines for dessert. Mmmmm. We watched the MSU Spartans lose to NC Tarheels. Oh well they did great to make it to the finals.

Tuesday morning Matthew went to school with Logan at Milwaukee High School. Jeff and I talked to Katherine's class about Japan, since they are studying that right now. That was a lot of fun. Our next stop was Wisconsin Lutheran College. From the time we arrived and parked in our own reserved spot, ate lunch with students, attended a choir class, toured the immaculate and new buildings, Mary was completely impressed. She really liked it there. The dorms were nice and the very small campus is easy to get to class. The fine arts there are just spectacular. They do have an education program too. Laundry is free. Rooms are modern. Best of all the college has already told her if her GPA stays where it is at along with ACT score, she is eligible for a 10,000 dollar scholarship and can also audition for more scholarships for music and drama. We still have one or two more colleges to visit. The nice thing about Wisconsin University is that she would have family just minutes away. That night we spent with Uncle Bill and Aunt Bobbie. We had a tasty meal of pork chops, veggies, applesauce, rolls and cookies and ice cream. Steve Heather and family and Fatime Logan and Kate came too. Lots of fun.! On the way to Bill and Bobbie's we stopped at Jim's school and saw his classroom.

Wednesday we visited Bethesda Lutheran Home in Watertown WI. I have never been there, so it was nice to see the place I have always heard about and recently our sunday school sent money to them as a mission gift. Mary will be spending a week there for summer camp. I wanted to chaperone, but they didn't need me. I think it will be a great experience. I also met a man who had my Aunt Gert for a Sunday School teacher years ago. We had a nice lunch with Bobbie, Bill and little Elsi. She is adorable. Her brothers are very polite and easy to get along with. It is so hard to believe how fast everyone grows up!

Jeff drove most of the way from Wisconsin through Chicago and to our dinner spot, Valparaiso. We know of a good Mexican place to eat. Then Mary drove for a few hours and I finished up the last hour. We got home around 10:30 pm. Twelve hours later we were driving again to my doctor's appointment in Grand Rapids and then we went to lunch at Steak and Shake, shopped at the mall, where Matt got his first pair of metal cleat baseball shoes. Then we picked up Sarah from Hope College and got home it time for Maunday Thursday church. Mary sang a solo, Lenten Love Song, which sounded very nice. She received many compliments. We had a quick choir rehearsal and then got some groceries at Meijer.

Tomorrow I work at 0530 to 12 noon. Then we will need to go try Mary's prom dress on, and do some more errands. Good Friday service is at 7:30 pm. Kids choir sings The Lamb. Saturday we will color eggs and I will play Easter bunny as usual.

That is all for now.. I better get some sleep!

Grace

There are more pictures on Fatime's blog...just click on the link below the Sooner Schooner!

You can always see pics on our family photo album and I will post a link to Wisconsin Lutheran College as well.

Weary and Excited

Yesterday was a long day at work. It started to be an 8 hour day then changed into a 12 hour day. It was a good day at work, just long especially after getting up at 0430! I am off until Friday morning same time, but just till noon.

Today I am going to get some laundry started, groceries bought and plan for our little trip. We are going to visit Concordia Chicago and now Wisconsin Lutheran College instead of Lawrence. It will be lots of fun to see Aunt Bobbie, Uncle Bill and our cousins.

Thursday I have a doctor's appointment in Grand Rapids then head to Holland to pick up Sarah for the weekend. I think we will color eggs on Saturday afternoon. Still haven't decided on Easter dinner.

Sarah has her schedule for the fall: Spanish 2: M W R F 930-1020; Intro to Nutrition: M W F 11-1150; Human Physiology: M W F 12-1250; Human Phys Lab: T 3-550; Injury Prevention and Care: T R 12-1250. She will also get credit for Spanish 1 since she is in Spanish 2! YAY!

As for the rest of the weekend, I need to type up some bulletin annoucements for Easter, practice the piano as the orchestra is playing tomorrow, make some posters for church and pack for the trip, apply for a job and let's not forget bowling! It is position night! We are bowling a nice team.

Matthew is thinking of changing instruments for the band next year, Drums or Sax. I guess we shall see. He might be playing his trumpet for church on Easter! That would be great!

Better go. I am going to make a nice lunch.

Grace

Extra Extra!

Mary just got her ACT score. She scored a 34 in English, 24 in Math and a 25 in Science all without a calculator! Wow! Her writing score was 33. Composite score is 28! I say Good Job Mary!

Concerts A Success!

The Collage Concert at the high school the last two nights was great. Matthew sang in the choir and played his trumpet. Mary sang in the Village Green Show choir, played in the Orchestra and then played her cello as an accompanist to a solo along with a guitarist too. It was beautiful. She had many compliments. Say a little prayer for Mary. She is going through some hard times. Thanks.

I had a long day at work and was glad to get home. Things are a little better and I realize that I like the fexibility of my schedule, but I still think it is time for me to get back into hospital nursing, because if Idon't re-enter soon, I probably never will. I work again tomorrow perhaps a 12 hour day instead of an 8 hour day. There is an opening at a hospital in Carson City, 20 minutes away, on their med/surg/peds floor. Deciding whether I should apply.

We had our last soup supper and lenten service. The chimes played their songs and did pretty well. The director had a shaky night, I clunked the chimes a few times. Now my hat changes to orchestra and we play on Sunday.

We are looking forward to our spring break trip to Chicago and Wisconsin. It will be fun to visit Concordia University, cousins, and Uncle Bill and Aunt Bobbie. A lady from our church will stay with Sammy while we are gone for 3 days. I will pick up Sarah on Maunday Thursday and take her home on Easter. Yay we will be together for Easter!

Well, I am way behind! I need to get over to quilting. Then get the chores done I didn't do this morning and watch the Series Finale of ER tonight!

Have a great day!

Gracie

This link takes you to a cute song that is so true about our taxes. Enjoy it!

http://susie1114.com/10percentisgoodenough.html