Happy Memorial Day (6 days left)

Our Memorial Day was stormy. Woke up early this morning to a thunderstorm, which was kind of nice, since I we don't seem to get a lot of them. Cleared up for awhile, then stormed again.  Didn't do too much, Matthew was working on homework that he missed the past two weeks while in the hospital and had some break time to play the Wii and watch a little TV. The whole family including my mom went out to eat at Outback.  It was very good! I am trying to remember what I did today beside vacuum and hang out with my mom. Not a bad day at all, I guess. 

Sunday was a RED LETTER DAY! Matthew came home from the hospital after two weeks of IV's, lab draws, pain meds and a second procedure to try and remove one of 3 fluid pockets from his abdomen.  Sarah stayed with him Saturday night and Sunday morning so Jeff and I could be at church.  Orchestra played a fun song and it went really well. Mary added a bass slap on her cello for the song. Mom played the organ. I got word from Sarah mid-morning that his white count went down to 13 from 16!  No more fevers!  Then in the afternoon Matthew was discharged home.  We are so glad to have him home.  He is doing well.  Didn't get letters from the doctor, but hopefully the school will accept his word or my letter if needed.  I will certainly be in touch with the surgeon's office with any questions or requests.

Tomorrow we will try to see if we can have a normal day back to regular activities, I might even get that haircut that was scheduled two weeks ago!  Matt wants to try and go to school, we will see how he feels.

Grace

Rollercoaster (8 days left)

Yesterday, Mary swung out of high school. It was a warm/hot spring day and the ceremony was perhaps the best swingout I have been.  I have never heard of swingout until we moved to Greenville, nontheless, I do like them. It is a fun way to celebrate with seniors on the very last day.  The class speakers did an excellent job, including their class moto and song as themes for their speeches. The welcome spoke of paths and used a poem from Frost to link her speech.  The farewell speaker used the theme of lockers in her speech relating that to their high school years and now moving on to dorms and apartments. My favorite had to have been the history, where he used the theme of rollercoasters, keeping in mind their class song "Roll On".  He used the examples of "waiting in line" 13 years to graduate from high school. Spoke of the highlights through the elementary, middle and high school years together. The memorable event was when he had two classmates get up and the "rode the rollercoaster" one more time as class, something the student section did during basketball games throughout high school.  What a great addition to a speech for them to remember.  He finished up with "Ok class of 2010, let's go!"  After the ceremoney we went outside to get pictures out in the sunny grassy are outside the gym.  Mary was happy to get pictures with family and friends, including mom and dad, Grandma H and friends, Mrs Nelson, Brandon, Nicole and many classmates.  Time passed by and it was time for Mary to depart for her senior mystery trip.  I haven't talked to her yet since she got home at 0130, but hope that she had a great time with her class. Her next event is Baccalaureate on Thursday.

Life outside of high school graduation is a rollercoaster in itself.  Matthew is still in the hospital. Yesterday he had a great day.  No fevers, he was an eating machine, even taco bell, and culture negative so far. Then last night he spiked a fever to 101 and his white count rose to 16 this morning. It was 12 yesterday.  He will get another cat scan if tomorrow's white count goes up again.  I am starting to feel like the end will never come. Stress levels are high.

Church softball is a rollercoaster too. We have won our games by a small margin each week. Last week a team conceded at the bottom of the 7th and told us you won, and the players walked off the field. Now they said they won the game.  There is controversy in church ball. That just isn't right.  I sure hope things can get resolved.

Orchestra plays for church tomorrow and I teach sunday school. Sarah will be taking over at the hospital later today. 

Gracie

Stuck (9 days left)

Matthew is stuck in the hospital for another two days.  He had a procedure Thursday to try to remove the pockets of fluid from his abdomen. They didn't get very much, but a culture was done to see if it is indeed infection. So we wait two days for the culture results and a WBC level on Saturday to check progress and watch his vial signs and general well-being.  He has been having low grade fevers 100-101 the past few days. His appetite is non-existent and he looks like he just doesn't feel well. After the procedure today, he has been resting most of the evening and got up to walk once and did great. It makes me sad to see him in the hospital so sick.  Sarah is with him tonight and I will probably stay on Friday night.

Mary swings out of high school tomorrow. She will wear her cap and gown for the first time! She is so excited and Jeff and I are glad we can attend too.  Thursday was academic awards day and Mary received her honor roll award and also the first ever English department award, for Excellence in English. What a proud moment. Jeff held down the camp Thursday and did a great job! He made me really happy by "charting" things for me. I hope that Sarah will do the same, either way, I am glad she is there with him tonight.

Cancelled orchestra rehearsal tonight and will practice on Sunday before church.  Mandatory softball meeting tonight was attended by acting coach, Doug, while I visited Matthew and also picked up my mom from the airport.  She will be with us until after graduation! It is so nice to have  her here.

I am getting tired, so I am going to close.

Grace

If I Could Split Myself in Two (10 days left)

I am home tonight and Jeff is with Matthew.  Social Worker came by and encouraged me to get out of the building. The only way I would even consider that is to make sure his dad was with him. He doesn't need to be alone.  So much has happened over the past 10 days, and we are still unsure of what is ahead of us tomorrow. 

Wednesday was not as good as Tuesday. His followup CT scan showed no change in the size of the abscesses even with a week of IV antibiotics.  His white blood cell count is up from 10 to 12 and his temperature is hovering around 100.  Needless to say he wasn't allowed to come home.  He still has very little appetite and needs a lot of rest.  You can tell he just doesn't feel too good.  He doesn't need so much pain meds which probably "masked" his fever.  Now that he takes tylenol a few times a day, the fever shows up more. I hope that makes sense to you.  The newest development is that Interventional Radiologists may try to remove the areas of fluid in the abdomen with a fine needle and catheter.  There will be a meeting of the surgeons and radiologist to see if it is accessible and beneficial at this time. For now he needs to stay in the hospital for IV antibiotics, as they are keeping it at bay.  He will have missed two weeks of school and don't know what next week will hold.  He has a lot of mending to do. It was very hard leaving him tonight, even though he had his dad.  After all I have been with him 24 hours a day while in the hospital.

It is nice to be home.  The girls and I stopped at Wal-Mart and got some groceries. We were home by  eleven and I have gone through slips on Quicken and Scheduled some bills.  The house looks nice,and  there is clean laundry folded on the radiator.  I still hope to fold a load before bed.  My couch is extra comfortable and I can only imagine what sleeping in a real bed will feel like after sleeping on the makeshift bed in Matthew's room. I have tried to make things as homey as possible in room 7007.  Have a few things on my list to do in the morning.  Sammy was glad to see me and had to give me a real good sniffing.

Tomorrow I will attend Mary's academic award day. Matthew will be recognized too!  Mary will receive her gold cord to wear with her graduation gown Friday for Swingout, Baccalaureate and Graduation. Of course I will be checking in with Jeff too, as the doctors come in early in the morning. It is important to me to keep current on Matt's progress and plan of care.  I plan to be back at the hospital by noon and then get to the airport to pick up my mom. She arrives around 3 pm. It will be nice to have her here.  Feel bad though, since I have no meals planned etc.. Not to organized for company, my focus is on:

1. Matthew getting better and coming home.
2. Mary enjoying her graduation activities
3. Doing some fun things with Sarah with the little time she is home from college.

Not to mention that I have orchestra this Sunday, a emergency softball coaches meeting Thursday that I will need to find a person to go in my stead, and having clean laundry for the family.

Pray for Matthew, as he is anxious about all that has happened to him and the uncertainty of tomorrow. Pray that God will heal his infection and that he can come home soon.

Pray for the girls, who have given up fun times together and kept up the house as much as they can.  Allow them to enjoy each day as much as they can. 

Pray for Jeff and me, as we stay with Matthew each day. Help us to be a comfort to him, strong for him and for all of us to rely on God's great love for the family, esp Matt at this time. We want to make smart decisions.

Guess the laundry will have to wait, as I am getting really tired.  Will try to update as often as I can.

Grace

A Successful Day (12 days left)

Matthew had a wierd episode in the middle of the night. He had some bad dreams and talked kind of goofy.  Went back to sleep and did fine until around 6 when he told me he had another bad dream.  Hmmm. Lots of dreams last night. Doctors are encouraged about his progress and thinks we might go home tomorrow.  Will have a follow up CT scan in the morning to check status of abcesses. His lab work is normal with the exception of an ever so slightly elevated white blood cell count. This afternoon he had a slight fever too. No one is too worried about it. Later this afternoon he napped and "woke up" and talked to me and doesn't remember a thing about it. He is eating better, gets around real well, and is generally a happier person.

This afternoon the girls picked Jeff up from the airport and came over to the hospital. We had Papa John's pizza, Matt's favorite, enjoying dinner together as a family in quite some time. Some therapy dogs came to visit and were so nice. There was a small Dauchshund that did cute tricks, including giving 5 and rollling over.  The Maddey a yellow lab came and laid on the bed with Matthew, snuggled up and matthew pet her for awhile. Finally Bailey came, a Golden Retriever, and was smiling and friendly.  All of us enjoyed their visit and had the chance to pet them.  Matthew's IV got disconnected this evening.  He still has the IV but no fluids are running.  It is heplocked. This means they can still use it for meds like his toradol and antibiotic.  Although he doesn't need too much pain meds anymore. Yay! This made it easier for Matthew to get around.  He got his t-shirt on and we all went exploring around the hospital.  We even went outside for a little while. It was nice to be outside after 5 days inside the hospital. Matthew has really been inside for 10 days! The evening ended with getting soft serve ice cream and watching a little TV together. Jeff will call tomorrow morning after Mary's award assembly.

**Award Assembly tomorrow at 0835!!  It is scholarship day.  We know that she will receive at least one scholarship tomorrow.  She'd like to get more than one!  Who wouldn't?  There will be live feed tomorrow like Monday. Click on the link to the right-GHS Awards.  You can watch tonights jazz concert there too. **

Matthew's CT Scan is set for 10 am, then we will wait for results and a visit from the doctor with news and the next part of the plan, maybe go home.  That would be nice.  Matthew will have lots of homework to make up and the school will provide a homebound teacher to help him if needed.


Jeff was willing to stay with him tonight, but Matthew wants me here since I know the routine and have been in on everything since the beginning.  That is ok with me. I am glad that dad is home and can meet the needs of our young ladies at home.

That is all for now.

Gracie

We Can Smile a Little (13 days left)

This morning started off a little grumpy.  Matthew doesn't do very well early. We had our chat about feeling better if you get moving and doing things instead of laying in bed.  His surgeon came today to spent lots of time discussing his appendix, his abcesses and course of treatment.  We like him very much.  Here is a wierd thing, in addition to Matthew's appendix being in a different place, it was shaped like a tennis racquet.  Clogged at the proximal end by the colon and ballooned out distally with infection. Unfortunately, the appendix fell apart when he pulled it through the incision. That could be the reason for the slower than normal recovery.  So to make sure he doesn't have to be readmitted again, we will be here until Wednesday to get the strong antibiotics.  I think that is a good idea, eventhough I would love to be home with my girls too.

 Matthew perked up a little had a small lunch and did some good walking today.  We had a visit from Justin a friend of Sarah's (and ours too!) We had a nice time. His pain level is less and we are going to try and take pain meds when he starts to feel pain more than a 3 or 4 on a scale of 10. So far so good. Later, Matthew had a chicken strip, pretty much the only good thing in the cafeteria other than the soft serve ice cream I have grown to love! He liked it too.  Had some chocolate milk.

Jeff texted me earlier today that the Air Force has cleared him to come home tomorrow instead of Wednesday night. That makes us happy.  He will arrive in GR at 5 pm.  Mary and Sarah will pick him up and then bring him here to the hospital where Matthew wants to have a Papa John' pizza party with the family!  Sounds fun. Hope his appetite keeps getting better.

Sarah just called me to inform me that MCLC softball team won their game tonight. It was another close one, 12-11 with a few petty issues from the other team.  She described the coach and I know who she is talking about.  For some of the churches, you'd think we were playing for the pennant. Why are some teams so worried about little things.  Just play ball and have fun! Seem to be so susupicious like we are trying to cheat to win.  So silly.

Mary received 4 awards this morning.  I am glad that my mom, cousins and friends were able to watch online or root for her in person.  Two drama awards, Director Choice Award and a scholarship, Directors Choice Award from the Vocal Department and Clark Oliver Award from the Orchestra Director.  We are very proud. Mary spent time with her friend on this warm/hot afternoon.  Guess they went riding in the 'stang and walked on the trail after getting some ice cream. Sounds like a fun afternoon!

Matthew just got back from his evening walk, and we are watching some TV together. Hope this good days turns into a great day tomorrow!

Gracie

Honors Week (13 Days)

Honors week begins.  I had hoped that Matthew would be recovered and we would all be at the assemblies this week. That isn't the case. Matthew did a little better yesterday and ate some solid food including Checkers fries and a milkshake.  Enjoyed our visitors, the Clarks, Daenzers and Mitch Oliver, who came along with his sisters.  They brought some food for him.  Our apple juice was drunk by someone else.  So they brought juice boxes we keep in the room and some cinnamon applesauce.  His pain is under control on IV Motrin aka Torodal.  Still on IV antibiotics and and some meds for his thrush that he got from big gun antibiotics.

Back to honors week.  Mary will be receiving some award in the Leadership Category this morning. You can watch the event live at the link posted under "Look at this" on the right column. I sure wish I was there.  I love awards week and attending the ceremonies.  I will try the link, but don't think this computer and the conncection will support live feed.  Wednesday is Scholarship day, where Mary will receive at least one scholarship from the applications she filled out throught the school guidance office, in addition to her Miss Danish and Burger King scholarships. Thursday is Academics day.  Both Mary and Matthew will be given honor roll awards. Then Friday is the Big ONE..Swingout! Mary's last day of high school!  I sure don't want to miss that one..Grandma and Jeff will be here this week and will be able to attend those as well. 

I slept a lot last night and feel pretty good right now. Matthew is sleeping, so I don't want to turn on the TV.  Need to call the school and I think I am going to call the doctors office as well.  I am thinking that they are a bunch of bobo's.

That is all for now.

Gracie

A Good Day..Feeling Better (15 days left)

Matthew and I enjoyed a visit from Sarah and Mary.  We watched TV, Sarah performed some of her crazy dancing skills and spent time on the internet together.

Below is the link for live and streaming video for Greenville High School. We were going to watch the HS Choir Concert, but the computer I have doesn't support it. Give it a try!  There will be live streaming video next week of honors week. I think they start at 9 am each morning.  Swingout is Friday. Commencement is slated to air on June 6th.

http://www.mhsaa.tv/greenville

Matthew has had a pretty good day. Lots of rest, and not much pain. Using Toradol now instead of Morphine and doing great!  No narcotics since this am! Taking sips of water and walking about well three times a day.  We will see what tomorrow brings.

Time to just chill and relax.  Tiger Baseball is one tonight at 7 pm.  Then maybe some good sleep tonight.

Gracie

Now What?? (15 days left)

Last time I wrote, we were getting ready to go home.  Matthew was happy, had free whitecaps tickets and looking forward to being out of the hospital. Alas, it was short lived.  We got home and he took a nap, as he wanted to at least attend the choir concert he was supposed to sing in. He even thought of singing just his solo!  When he woke up, he felt bad again. Thought he felt a lump under his incision. He put on his suit for choir and then said, Mom I just can't do it. I told him not to worry and he got back in his jammies and on the sofa bed to watch a movie with Sarah. I went to the concert and filled Matthew prescriptions. The concert was very good.  Brandon is home and we sat together.  It was nice to see him again.  After the show he came over and we finally lit the birthday candles and ate birthday cake. Oddly enough, it was still moist. Matthew was sleeping and I hoped for a quiet and healing night.

Friday morning wasn't any better. He woke up with a pain level of 6 even with his meds through the night. The lump or bulge was more noticeable and hard. I talked with the surgeons office and our primary care doctor, none of which could see us, so I requested that they call ahead to the ER and have a surgeon from the group see us there.  I wasn't going to start all over. My buddy Jackie took us to ER and we got right back to a room.   Generally speaking our intial care was speedy and well delivered. The PA wasn't trustworthy.  She asked dumb questions..like why are you here? Dont feel so well??  No kidding, read the chart! I asked her if  she kept her own notebook.  Then she said Matt had strep. Wow, I said he has been on antibiotics for a week! See all that plaque on his tonsil. She swabbed anyway to confirm diagnosis. Meanwhile the surgeon came in. He removed the steri strips and pus oozed out.  Frown.  He opened he incision a little to allow any drainage to escape.  All the peds surgeons here are very nice. Matthew and I trust them all.  The firm bulge remained so he needed a ct scan and labs. When we told the doctor that the PA said he had strep, he said really??  He looked in his throat and said, that isn't strep, he has thrush! The rest of the ER stay was slow and had little interaction with staff.  Results of the CAT Scan came around 10:15 pm.   He has 4 little abcesses. Not drainable, so we are here in our nice private room for IV antibiotics for at least 3 days.  He has been more comfortable since they are letting him have pains meds as often as needed.  Nurses have been nice, got the dressing all fixed up that ER didn't want to deal with. So the drsg was stuck for hours. IV's are all together and better than how the ER sent them up.  We are glad to be on 7 North.   The doctors have been here this morning and we have a good plan of treatment and care for him.  We have meds for the thrush, good pain control and vision of the next few days. Matthew's lungs have some atelectasis which shows his lungs aren't full expanded, so we continue with the incentive spirometer to help expand them.  He will get up to walk around 3 times today.  Increased IV rate since he isn't very thirsty or hungry today.

As for me, I am tired.  Tired of my boy being sick, tired of not experiencing the joys of Mary's senior year, tired of missing Jeff and really tired of eating hospital food and hospital "beds" for parents. I am glad that I can stay and I wouldn't leave him right now for anything.  The girls visited  in the ER last night and we had some good laughs.  Whent he PA got snippy, Sarah said my brother was sleeping!  Watch out for the big sister PA! I am weary. There isn't much I can do from here, but this is where I need to be, to care for my Matthew. I continue to trust in God and am really happy that the Holy Spirit is praying on our behalfs, because I am running out of steam.  Getting calls and messages are helpful.  Glad that I have a way of communicating from my room on the internet.

My hopes now are that Matthew gets well soon without any more needed procedures.  That Mary has a fantastic last week of high school.  It is honors week, she will be awarded honors Monday on Leadership Day,  Wednesday for scholarships, Thursday for Academics (Matthew too) and Friday is Swingout and the Senior Mystery Trip.  Safe travels for Jeff and my Mom who arrive back in MI this week.  That the high school will help us get Matthew sophomore year done with the help of a home teacher.  Graduation and Open House are on my mind just a little.  I have a few weeks before that happens.  God Help us all!

I don't mean to end the blog sounding depressed. I am actually doing pretty well today. The nurses are friendly and the room is pretty big and quiet.  Keep praying! We all need it!

Gracie, God's Child

Rupture or Not? (18 days left)

That has been the question for the past 24 hours.  The conclusion was that it WAS ruptured.  That was news to me! It also explains why it has taken longer for him to recover. Evidently it was more of a leaking appendix rather than a bursted open one.  Matthew was unhappy this morning but is happier now, watching a movie. He just got a surprise phone call and singing message from the Village Green singers at school.  That made him very happy! If Matthew can eat and keep drinking enough today we could go home this afternoon. Here's hoping!

I am very glad that our nurse found us a laptop for our room. It is a better faster computer than in the lounge.

We just moved to a private room with quite a view! We can watch helicopters from here.  Lots of windows.  The child life specialist just came in and told us that the Michigan Whitecaps are coming to visit!  What a treat! Matthew got his tshirt and scrub pants on instead of the dumb gown. 

With a new room comes a new phone number..here it  616-391-7177. Make a note of it.

Will let you know how things go.

Gracie

A Big Change in Plans (18 days)

Sunday didn't go as planned.  Matthew was in a lot of pain after the church luncheon. Mary's birthday cake remains uncut, and we headed to take Jeff to the airport for his military duty and instead of the mall and steak n shake, we went to the ER at DeVos Childrens' Hospital.  We had quick service in the ER and after the lengthy prep for the CT scan showed appendicitis. His appendix was not in the "normal" place, that is why his pain was in the upper abdomen not the lower. By 11:15pm he was in surgery and the girls and I were waiting for an hour and a half before it was over. It was very big and inflamed.  Good thing we got it out! Sarah's friend came to pick them up at 2 am and took them to Steak and Shake before going home. I was sad that Mary's 18th birthday had such a sad turn of events.

It is Wednesday night and we are still in the hospital. He can't seem to find his appetite and continues to have pain and nausea.  We hope that the change of medicines will make a better difference for him.  Our care is starting to meet our expectations and we have total trust in the doctors. Of course we miss Jeff and wish he were here, and he wishes the same.

I missed Mary's last orchestra concert last night which makes me sad, but there is no way I will leave Matthew here alone. Tomorrow is the Choir concerts. Our friend will be coming to sit with him while I attend, should Matthew  still be in the hospital.  We are praying that tonight will  be a turning point for him and we can get back home in Greenville.  We are just trying to roll with all the punches.  Next week is honors week, so I hope that we will all be home in time for the activities. Mom H comes next Thursday.  Then Mom and Dad W will be here the following week before graduation.

My surgery has been postponed  until June 16th.  I am glad that I did that proactively, since  I wasn't sure how long Matt's recovery would be. Gives me more time to play softball. Missed Monday's game, and only 9 people played, one was sick. We won anyway in extra innings! GO TEAM!

Well Matthew wants to go brush his teeth, so I am going to sign off for now.  Not sure of when the next post will be, but hopefully from home!

Gracie

Celebration!

Since tomorrow is going to be so busy with church and getting Jeff to the airport, we decided that we would start celebrating Mary's birthday today.  I baked a cake and wrapped up her presents.  Mary chose to eat lunch at Jimmy's Pub and Grub and had a nice time together.  Presents were next.  Mary was happy when she opened her new microwave oven for college, and a copy of the famous picture of the Sailor kissing the nurse.  Her 18th birthday is off to a good start. It had to end for today though as Mary had to work at McDonald's and then hurry to the closing show of Bleacher Bums.

In the meantime, I went to my patient's 6th birthday party.  It is hard to believe! I have know her since before she turned one!  They had a cookout and cupcakes. She looked very cute as usual, and was happy to see me. That made me happy too since I haven't been at work since the 3rd.  I'll be off until I know that I can walk and carry her safely after my leg surgery on Friday.

Mattthew and I went to work the pre-show activities at the high school.  It  was pretty light until the last 10-15 minutes when we had a rush of people in line to buy tickets. Sarah played the Wii Homerun Derby Competition and won!  We now have the game here are home! Matthew is so happy.

Now, I need to get ready for Sunday School and  be ready for kids choir/orchestra ensemble. 12 hours until Mary is officially 18.  It was a happy day!

Grace

Double Header (22 Days Left)

Matthew's baseball team had a double header yesterday.  I went to the store and made 18 ham and cheese sandwiches and 20 juice bags for the team in between games.  It was pretty cold and windy by the time the first game started. Sarah was bundled, Jeff had a sweatshirt and I wore a fleece over a long sleeve t shirt and we were still very cold.  Matthew didn't play the whole first game :(,  but it was nice to watch our team play some smart baseball and win the game.  The kids were polite and enjoyed their sandwiches. The second started without Matthew too. Disheartened, I walked over to the auditorium to see how the pre-show activities were going before the second night of Bleacher Bums.  Sarah texted me a little later, telling me Matthew was warming up on the practice mound. So I hurried back.  Matthew pitched two innings, both 3 up and 3 down!  His first at bat was great! He got a single with at least one RBI!  I was so proud. It was an awesome hit. The umps called the game with 3 men on and Matthew was up to bat.  Darn! In the end it was a great game!

I had a visit from my employer yesterday morning so I could sign a paper.  Then she gave me an application to fill out because they didn't have one.  What??  I applied on-line.  Too bad everyone has to fill it out. I have gone through so much redo and please do for this company.  I don't know how much more I can do for them.

Announcements and Open House invitations are done and are getting mailed. Volunteers are notified and updates to choir members and orchestra members are sent.

With all the craziness going on, I am determined to make Mary's 18th  birthday a good one.  Don't know how to fit it all in with church and Jeff leaving for military duty in the afternoon. Mary has to work this afternoon and has the closing show tonight. When will we have cake?? Open gifts?? Have a nice dinner???   Somehow I have to succeed!

I have been up since 0500.  Woke up and couldn't go back to sleep.  Now I need a little rest before the rest of today's activities.

Gracie

Opening Night (23 days)

Yesterday was spent trying to catch up on a lot of errands.  I picked up the Prius, paid my PT bill, bought stamps and vacuumed. Mary stamped all the announcement envelopes and then we all worked on the baseball trivia posters for the play. I even got the kitchen cleaned up!  It is starting to look a little more normal. Now we just need Sarah to get her stuff organized and up in her room.

Now on to the show....pre-show activities went fair for Thursday night. There was a light crowd, but good participation with the games and concessions. Matthew and Jeff got the Wii Homerun Derby off to a good start. I sold (and bought) quite a few packs of baseball cards. Tonight should be better attended since it is the weekend, and a nice sunny day so far. The play went pretty well.  It has no scene changes, just bleachers.  Lots of dialogue.  Some funny lines and some suggestive! the crowd almost lost it...when one the character's mustasche came off half way and was blowing around.  HeeHee!  The young man and the rest of the cast continued on without a giggle at all. Way to keep the show going.

I won't be at tonight's show though. Matthew has a double header and Jeff and I are providing snacks between games.  That is this afternoon's project-make 16 sandwiches, then off to sit on the bleachers and watch Matthew play ball! Go Jackets!

Other things on my list for the next few days

• Get out the Open House Invitations
• Prep for Softball game on Monday
• Sunday School Lesson
• Remind Kids Choir we sing on Sunday
• Wrap Mary's presents and make her 18th birthday the best it can be!
• Bake a cake
• Reminder calls to Bleacher Bums volunteers.
• Laundry
• See Jeff off to military duty Sunday afternoon.

I'll be busy! Better get on the move!

Before I sign off~  HAPPY  21st  BIRTHDAY PAUL!

Gracie!

Recovering (24 days left)

I am sorry that my blog has been neglected for nearly a week, but I have been fighting some sort of illness for over 2 weeks.  I finally went to the doctor on Monday and got a prescription for antibiotics.  After 3 days I still feel icky and congested.  Jeff saw the doctor for the same thing next day and is on the same antibiotic. He isn't feeling much better either.  Luckily all the kids are well right now and we want to keep it that way. Needless to say, all those things that I wanted to get done this week have not been getting done in a timely fashion.  I set priorities each day so that deadlines are met. Be patient, I will get through everything as quickly as I can. Still no luck with the Anniversary pictures.

Mother's Day was very nice. Good church service, good food at Brann's Steakhouse and good fun at softball practice.  I didn't play very well, but it is always fun to be at the park. Afterward I was pretty tired and napped on the couch.  Soon after I felt pretty sick and very cold with the chills. Went straight to bed for the rest of the night.  Jeff made me feel better by bringing me a chocolate sundae I wanted from McDonalds.  He loves me!

Monday, Jeff helped with the pizza delivery for the youth gathering fundraiser.  They did pretty well.  I finally got on the ball and made the volunteer schedule for "Bleacher Bums" that opens tonight. I think everything will be covered pretty well.   Not sure how many people will attend the play and activities.

The Chorus banquet was Monday night and I felt well enough to eat a few sweets and take some pictures of the event. Matthew received his Choir letter and Mary received several certificates and The Musician of the Year Award for the 3rd year in a row!  We know that music will always be a part of Mary's life.  I think music will always be a part of all the Wilhelm's lives.

Yesterday was more productive than Tuesday, and I was able to help Sarah go through some stuff in her room and then we hauled it to Goodwill. The Prius is in the shop for a new water pump.  It was defective when we were looking at it last year, and it was replaced before we bought it. So, this pump is going to be free to us since there was a warranty on it.  Yay!! It is supposed to be ready today.  Sarah and I did some shopping last night, getting some storage bins for her frequent moving this summer, birthday gifts for an 18th birthday and some needed groceries. I forgot to mention that Mary and I went to the Senior Girl's Luncheon. It was nice.  The food was finger sandwiches, fruit and cookies with a wierd punch (I had water). Then there was a vintage fashion show put on by some ladies from Goodwill in Grand Rapids.  They modeled authentic dresses, swimsuits and sleepwear from  the late 1800's to the early 1970's.  Well done and interesting.

As I said Bleacher Bums opens tonight.  With some help, the trivia posters are nearly done and we will need to arrive tonight at 6pm to prepare for pre-show activities and concessions at 6:30pm. I hope that we have a good turn out.  It is a rainy, gloomy day. Could work to our favor or defeat.  I am working at the show Thursday and Saturday. This a play about baseball fans at a Cubs game, so our food and fun is related to baseball somehow.  We have guess the number of baseball gumballs, a wii home run derby competition and baseball bloopers to watch.  There will be door prizes each night during the 7th inning stretch. Two tickets to next year's production and a signed softball from the varsity girls team.  Come out and see the show!

Matthew had a double header yesterday and came in as a relief pitcher and did a great job.  He hopes that maybe one day soon, he will be chosen to start a game and pitch longer than an inning or two.  Guess he played 2nd base too. Tomorrow is a double header here in Greenville and Jeff and I are responsible for between game snacks. Matthew wants us to bring ham and cheese sandwiches and juice boxes.

I am still scheduled for surgery next Friday to relieve my tight left calf muscle and in so doing, reducing the pull and pain of the plantar fasciitis that has been causing my foot pain for over a year. With this darn sinus problem, I will have to check with the doctor next week. Surgery would be rescheduled if I am still sick.  It is obvious that this pain won't go away completely unless the muscle is lengthened.  I may have good days, like the last two days, but it hurt bad last night and this morning.  If all goes according to plan, I will be walking in both my shoes for graduation, instead of some type of boot after surgery. Prayers are welcome.

It has been nice having Sarah home again.  We are slow in getting her moved back in, but hopefully that will get done very soon. She will be home until the 11th when she needs to move into a little house near the Hope Athletic fields, where she will be a first responder for Hope College Sports camps. Then in August she moves to a different house on campus for her junior year.  We will bring her back home so she can be at Mary's open house on the 12th and then back to Hope on the 13th when she starts work.

One thing I had forgotten to mention is that Michigan is now a smoke-free in restaurants!  This makes dining in Michigan so much more pleasant.

Guess that is all for now! Skipping quilting to get things done!

Gracie

Home Again Home Again! (29 days)

Friday morning came early and I was off to Holland by 0845 and got to Sarah's dorm before 1000. It rained the whole way there and took me forever to find a place to park.  Most everything was packed up and ready to go.  God is so good. When we loaded up the van with all her belongings, the rain stopped.  As soon as we got on the road, rain resumed.  We weren't too far out of Holland when Sarah realized she still had some paychecks to pick up. So we turned around went back and started toward home again. Rained the whole way home, and got colder.  Jeff met us for lunch at Applebee's.  Michigan has gone to no smoking in restaurants!  We are glad about that. We were both tired, and fell asleep and napped a few hours.

I spent some time posting photos on Shutterfly and got some volunteers for Bleacher Bums next week. Unfortunately, when I looked at the photo album of our 25th Anniversary party, the pictures were very grainy. So those photos are going to take more time.  The new albums now showing are Village Green Trip and May 2010!  Check them out!
 
Tomorrow is finish laundry day, clean up the clutter and work on graduation announcements.  Mary has play practice and work at McDonalds till 5 pm.  Jeff and I are going to attend a 50th wedding anniversary celebration in the afternoon.

That is all for now...

Gracie

Sarah is Coming Home! (30 days left to Graduation)

I should be sleeping and getting rested to be ready to go pack up Sarah and bring her home later this morning. I am anxious to go get her and I know that she is excited to come home too!  Too bad it is supposed to rain tomorrow.  Not  a fun way to move out!

Instead, I am blogging, something I love to do, and have to be in the right mood to accomplish. Today I did the following

• Got the oil changed in the Prius at 0800!
• Got lots of pictures downloaded and uploaded. Now putting them into the online album. Patience patience they will be up soon!
• Organizing volunteers for Bleacher Bums.
• Received official softballs for the upcoming season, plus the third set of rules. Third time's a charm!
• Cooked dinner! Chicken with BBQ sauce, cheese and bacon. Cleaned the kitchen.
• Orchestra practice. Glad to have Mary there tonight. Our music is coming along nicely.
• Shopping, not too much!

Last Monday was the orchestra banquet.  Mary received a few cute awards, teacher's pet and most likely to become a music teacher, and then more importantly her senior plaque.  Mrs Gould, the director has been a great mentor to Mary and it was a little sad, realizing that High School Orchestra is coming to an end.  Their last concert is Tuesday May 18th. Last choir concert in May 20. She can't wait for it all to be over. We will see when it really happens. I have included the picture from Prom Night taken at the Grand Volute. I think it is a great picture!

Think that is it for now...Next time I blog, Sarah will be home!

Gracie

Trying to Keep UP! (32 days left)

I guess I got a lot done today.  Worked on Softball lineups, graduation announcement lists and addresses, consolidated information for my muscle surgery, and found several jobs to apply for, but the website wasn't working right.  Luckily, I talked to some helpful people and discovered the problem and hopefully next time I apply for a job, everything will get saved properly.  Let's hope so.  I also have my sign up list for theatre boosters. I will be calling people the rest of the week and weekend to help with concessions, ticket sales and activities for next weeks show "Bleacher Bums".  

I still want to download and upload some pictures to post on the Wilhelm Family Album. Mostly of the Village Green trip to Florida.  It may take me a while, so please be patient. I need to apply for those jobs and start writing out announcements. The Prius is getting an oil change tomorrow and I am the side dish person for the quilters.  Laundry needs to be done and there is orchestra practice in the evening.  The softball team has decided to practice tomorrow evening as well in preparation for Monday season opener.

Matthew has not been feeling too well lately. He has the terrible cough and congestion that the rest of us had.  He  felt so bad that he told the coach he better not play the second game of today's doubleheader.  The coach gave him a hard time.  I picked him up after choir upset and feeling terrible.  Guess the coach told the team after the first game that they were pathetic. Matthew is very discouraged and depressed about the season.  He has lots of homework too, which will keep him up late tonight. That won't help him get better.  It is just a vicious cycle. :(

Mary worked at McDonald's tonight and even stayed a late when they got busy.  Jeff and I had dinner there and she got our order just right!  She works again on Saturday.  Friday she works at Jimmy's Pub and Grub, where I had a delicious lunch yesterday.

Sarah took a final yesterday, one today and one tomorrow.  She feels like they have gone ok so far. I will pick her up Friday morning.  It supposed to be raining, so it should make for an interesting move out.  I can't wait to have her home, even if it is for just a month.

That is all for now...

Gracie

Sabbatical (33 days left)

Yesterday was my last scheduled day at work.  It felt a little weird. This all came about since I had to resolve and issue with my employer, having to jump through so many hoops.  Seems like they are always finding something wrong that needs correction. It is very tiring and discouraging. Also, I wasn't sure when I would be having the procedure for my plantar fasciitis, so I told my patient's mom to schedule without me this month.  I will get back on the schedule in June.  So for the rest of  May..

• I will spend time with Sarah, and she will help me when I have the minor surgery later this month
• Paint the kitchen window sills
• Get out the Graduation Annoucements and Open House Invitations
• Commit time to help make the spring play "Bleacher Bums" a success
• Attend concerts, lunches and honors week activities.
• Suppose I should get house ready for visiting family and party.  

Tonight is the Orchestra Banquet. There is also a church event our praise team is singing for. I didn't know about the banquet until a few days ago, but I am going to go anyway, since it is Mary's senior year.  I am sure she will get some type of award.  She deserves a mighty nice one in my opinion. She certainly has poured a lot of energy into the program, including directing when the teacher was absent.

Mary is finally scheduled at McDonald's this week. She has 10 hours there, and 4 hours at Jimmy's on Friday. She should be home the rest of the month through the end of June!  Hopefully she can save up some money!

Matthew got the cough that the rest of us had the past few weeks. There is no practice after school, so he wants to come home and get some rest.

Better get going, it is golf buddy lunch day.. We are off to Jimmy's!

Grace

Home Safe and Sound

Mary and Matthew arrived home safe and sound and Brandon picked them up at the high school since I was directing the Chime Team at the Community Bell/Chime concert. The concert was very nice and well attended, maybe 200 people.  We had some very nice compliments from other teams and audience.  I am very proud of our team, they did a great job.  Our season is officially over.

Mary and Matthew told us of more their adventures while at Disney. Yesterday they spent 11 hours at Hollywood studios in 90+ degree weather.  They had fun, but came home pretty tired.  Luckily were able to sleep on the bus and plane. They brought us presents!  That was a sweet surprise!  Jeff has a new giraffe and I got a Mickey Hand oven mitt. I love it!  I found a mickey mug on the counter tonight. We have wonderful kids!

Jeff and I went to softball  practice for our church team.  We are shaping up into a pretty good team!  I love to hit the ball as you know, but my feet really hurt when I run and am on my feet in the field.  I guess I am better getting my feet taken care of and missing a season, then trying to play and barely making it to first base. I am glad that I can still coach the team.

All of us had dinner together at El Rancho.  The food was very good and we enjoyed talking about the kids trip to Florida and finding out more about Brandon's trip out west with the UM Glee Club.  Mary is spending time out at his house this evening and Matthew got all his homework done.  Mary's is done too.  Jeff and I are watching some movies on Netflix via our Wii game.  The first movie was a real loser, Onegin.  Now were are watching the Seat Filler.  Kind of silly, but at least we can laugh some.

I work tomorrow for 8 hours then have a Theatre booster meeting.  I feel bad, wanted to have lots more done by tomorrow, but I kept putting it off because of my other priorities and commitments. I promise to work hard on it this week, since I don't have anymore work days.  Long story, but everything is ok.

That is all for now, so I am off to make sure Matthew's baseball uniforms are clean for tomorrow!

Gracie

Florida report-Day #3 Animal Kingdom and Performance

Mary has been calling each night with a summary of the day's events.  They spent the day at Animal Kingdom until late afternoon when they went to Downtown Disney for shopping.  By 7 they were getting ready for their show at the Waterside stage in the Marketplace at 8:30 pm. My mom, brother and sister all made it in time.  They reported the concert to be really good!  Mary said they the singers had a group inspirational meeting and got all fired up and ready.  After the show, Mary told me that it was the BEST SHOW ever!  I am so happy for them.  Today they are in Hollywood Studios all day and evening.  They fly out of Orlando in the AM and arrive back in Greenville around 3 pm.

I got some housework done this morning and then had a nice day at work. My patient is so cute and doing pretty well. Now I am home and need to work on folding laundry, prepping for sunday school and make sure that Mary and Matthew can get picked up tomorrow somehow, as the chime concert starts 30 minutes before their expected arrival.

That is all for now...

Gracie