Graduation #2 Approaching

We have been counting down to Matthew's graduation and we are just days away!  Last week was awards week and I kept a pretty good diary of that week.  This week I worked over Memorial Day and now have the rest of the week off and don't work until Monday, June 4th.  WooHoo!

Grandma and Grandpa Wilhelm are here now and will attend baccalaureate with us tonight.  Unfortunately, we will miss a church softball game which is fun for all of us. Jeff has been very busy putting the service together tonight and we are looking forward to a nice service  to start off graduation weekend.

Grandma H, Uncle Dave and Aunt Leslie will arrive tomorrow evening.  It will be nice to all spend time together. Mary and Brandon will be going to a wedding on Saturday.  Sunday morning I play for the graduation service along with the orchestra.  Rehearsal went well last night.  Graduation starts at 1500, but some of us need to be in line by 1330 or 1400 to make sure we get a good seat in the gym.  Weather is supposed to be sunny and 75.  Matthew wants to eat at buffalo wild wings for dinner.

Sarah had a wonderful time in Japan and took lots of pictures.  I think she has just about beat the jet lag that comes with all the travelling.  The good news is that she doesn't have to work until next weekend. More time with my girl and that makes this mama very happy!


Gracie

Guess Who I Talked To?

Sarah is safe in Los Angeles. Talked to her on the phone for about 15 minutes.. I am one happy momma!

1. Sunday School prep is done and ready to go tomorrow.
2. Prepping for VBS in progress.
3. Practicing the piano in progress.
4. Quicken postponed.  Again!

Gracie

A Better Tracker for Sarah's Flight

Delta Flight Tracker

My regular flight tracker page has failed me.   It is not up to date or reliable with this international flight.   Use the delta tracker instead.  Upcoming flight numbers are:

1. FLT 1254 from LAX to ATL
2. FLT 2239 from ATL to GRR (home)

Sorry for the problem.


Grace

Matthew's Trip

Matthew got home last night around 0230. He was happy and talked a little about the trip and then gave Sammy some "boy and his dog" time before going to bed.   This morning I found this paragraph about the trip:

 GHS Senior Mystery Trip Class of 2012 · 150 like this

All survived the marathon Senior Mystery Trip. Our first stop of the day was Michigan Adventure. It was a great time, since the lines were short the the sun was shinning. At 4:45 pm the seniors boarded the buses for their next destination, the LST 393. Muskegon's history decommissioned warship. The students enjoyed an awesome meal, catered by Cole's Corners. The seniors were then entertained by Kramer Entertainment. Ending their time on the LST with a dance party complete with a photo booth. At 11:30 pm the seniors were once again back on the bus heading to their third destination. Weren't they surprised, when the buses headed back to Greenville. The students were met by fireworks at Klackles. The students enjoyed breakfast with a twist. Their faces were priceless when they found out they had to caught their pancakes. Thank you Chris Cakes for ending our night on a high note.

Good luck and congratulations class of 2012!!!!!!!

Sarah's Japan trip has come to an end and the first leg of their journey home has begun.  The plane has left the gate, but has been taxiing or waiting to take off for the past 30 minutes.  You can track her flight at FlightAware. It is quite interesting watching their flight cross the ocean.  She is leaving Japan on Sunday early morning and arriving LA Saturday evening.  That's crazy.  Jeff called from Japan when Sarah was born almost 23 years ago in the evening, but you knew of her birth on your Saturday morning!  All that time zone stuff aside, I am so glad everyone had a good time and experienced so much. I am a little sad that it has come to an end for them.  Now, Sarah will have to get over her jet lag and will start working at the Anchorage Marina in Holland like last summer, until she moves to Toledo at the end of July or early August.


Jeff says he feels better this morning, after having another day of fever and chills. I sure hope he can finally get rid of this illness. Matthew continues his 2nd antibiotic and I am fighting to stay healthy in the midst. Mary has been working long hours at Jimmy's, so she isn't home too much, esp in the evening.


Today:

• I need to finalize my Sunday School plan for tomorrow as well as be prepared for a VBS meeting.  SKY starts June 11th!
• Work on Quicken and Bills
•  Hang up my clean clothes!
• Practice the piano.
• Get organized for the months ahead..graduation, parties, moves for my college kids and work!

I just checked the status of Sarah's plane.  They are still waiting for take off!


I'll be updating as each flight ends and a new one begins!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR BROTHERS, ANDY AND BOB!  Have a great day!




Gracie

Matthews Swingout GHS '12

It is a beautiful and quite warm day for Matt's swingout from high school.  He looked so nice in his cap and gown.  Wow my boy is all grown up.  The whole assembly was very well done.  Good speeches, especially the farewell. It was stellar.  Then the Class of 2012 left the gym and we took tons of pictures that I have posted on the online photo album and Facebook.  By 12 noon Matthew was on Bus #2 with his classmates for their mystery trip.  Word came from a chaperone that there first stop was Michigan Adventures, an amusement park. I am sure that Matthew is having the time of his life!  They have two wooden roller coasters.  The weather is perfect too!

Mary was off to work by 11:45 am and probably won't be home until late tonight.  Jeff is feeling better and took the Camry to walmart to get a new battery and a few groceries. Sarah's trip is coming to a close and soon she will be making the long plane trip home.  She will need a lot of sleep.

So, it is quiet at home now. A preview of our lives this fall as empty nesters.  I'm not ready...no choice. My kids are ready to be out on their own and  they are soaring to new heights.  I need to let them fly!  I am so proud of them.

Our summer will be busy with work, activities and moving our kids to their respective colleges.  Are family vacations a thing of the past?  Mary will experience her trip to South Africa in July.  In the meantime I can keep busy with VBS, planning a few parties for my graduates and getting a garage sale together.

I will update when I know anything new!

Gracie

Matthew's Last Day at GHS

Today is Matthew's Last Day of high school. Time really flies..my mom told me that when my kids were little and I wasn't so sure about it.  She was right.  I can't believe my baby is all grown up.  We are very proud of all of Matt's accomplishments and are excited about his future at University of Oklahoma. 

Swingout is just a few short hours away.  I will listen to the Star Wars song as the class of 2012 processes into the gym and enjoy the last assembly of our children's high school years.  Afterward, we will take lots of pictures and wave as he gets on the bus for his Senior Mystery Trip.  I hope he has a lot of fun.

Next, Boomer Sooner!

Gracie

Softball~Stories~Swingout

Tonight was our second softball game. We played well and although we don't need to report the score, we came out on top again.  Our team has really meshed and have good offense and defense.  Next Thursday is Baccalaureate, so the team will be missing several team members and without a regular pitcher.  Yikes!

Another entry to the A-Train Blog arrived this evening.  You can read it at Hope Rolls #7. There are some awesome pictures to see too! They are really seeing and experiencing a lot.

Matthew "swings out" of high school tomorrow.  He will wear his cap and gown and three students will give a speech.  After swingout, Matt will get on a bus with the rest of his class for the Senior Mystery Trip.  A last time for the class to have fun together.  I am excited for him!  Hope he has a great time. He won't get home until 3 am.  Matt and I went to JCP in the afternoon for a white dress shirt and tie and I got a new pair of sandals.  Then less than an hour later when he wanted to leave for the ball game, the camry wouldn't start. Another dead battery.  Guess we will have to buy a battery for the white car too!  Jeff or I will drive him to school tomorrow.  You can watch Matthew's swingout at Greenville HS Events.  It starts at 9:15 am. 

I managed to get a few loads of laundry done, had lunch with Mary at church with the quilters/staff, and made a poster for our new summer kids church volunteers.  Of course, some time was spent working and reworking the lineup and positions for the game.  Our weekly ice cream after the ball game is always fun.

Tomorrow afternoon and Saturday need to be used to prepare for Sunday School and Church, Quicken and bills, putting clothes away and VBS stuff.  Sarah arrives home Sunday by noon and I will be working that night.  It is supposed to be hot!

Mary is still at work and I am waiting for the dryer to be done.  Matthew fell asleep on the floor and will need to be ready for swingout and the mystery trip before he leaves for school in the AM.  I guess I should take a look at his cap gown!  Jeff went to bed when we got home.  He can't seem to beat whatever bug he is fighting. Started a new antibiotic again.  I hate to see him so sick and pale.

Praying for health, safety and happiness.

Grace

Academic Day and Japanese Immersion

It's another sunny beautiful day here in Greenville.  It is supposed to get hot, so I had better take some water with us to our church softball game tonight.  I will be missing at least 4 players but will still have plenty to play. Jeff continues to fight some sort of infection, so I hope that he can still pitch tonight, otherwise it will be me or Matthew.

Matthew had another good day at honors week.  He received an award for his GPA,  a letter of congratulations from the President and his silver cord that he will wear with his cap and gown tomorrow at swingout and on Graduation Day, June 3rd.  He's done a great job and has received a few more scholarships over the past 24 hours!  Boomer Sooner!  Mary received one too!  Go Blue!

Sarah continues to have fun and squeeze in everything possible while in Japan.  Reading about her journey makes me want to go back.  I love Japan so much.  After checking for a blog over the last 24 hours or more, a new post arrived while we were at the Awards ceremony.  Read all about their Japanese Immersion Day!   Hope Rolls #7


Now it is time to head off to lunch at church. Taking Mary's brownie dessert and ice cream!

Have a great day


Gracie

No Error This Time

This morning we arrived for honors week, scholarship day and there was no mistake this time.  Matthew's scholarship was #2 on the docket.   We are very happy and proud.

Heard from Sarah this evening, which is tomorrow morning.  She had been shopping and thought of me when they found a  sock store!  Even sent me a picture.  Not exactly sure what they are doing this morning and afternoon. 

Got the laundry almost done, did a trial run of min chicken crescents. Matt wants them for his open house.  They turned out very nicely as a finger food. Now the question is, how many mini crescents do I need to make?

Still need to write bulletin announcements. Mary made some chocolate fudge pie for dessert tonight and for the Thursday lunch tomorrow. Painter coming in the afternoon to finish the damage from the water leak.

Tomorrow is another day of Honors.  Matthew will be recognized for his academic accomplishments!
It can be seen LIVE at 0845 at Academic Awards.

Gute Nacht! Oyasuminasai!

Gracie 

We finally took pictures of the theatre plaques.  Matthew is the Oustanding Technician and Mary received the Director's Award in 2010.

There Must Have Been an Error

Well, we got to the awards day today and wondered what award might be Matthew's today. We thought that it was going to be an attendance award since Matthew had perfect attendance this year.  That moment didn't come. Only perfect attendance for all four years.  Looks like the School Office made an error when they sent us our notification letter.  It was still a nice morning.

There was a young lady in the bleachers that kept clapping for no reason except to get attention or as Mary thinks to make her hands red. It was driving everyone crazy.  Nearby teachers just sat with a sort of stare.  Occasionally they looked in her direction, but no action was taken until a teach from a different section marched over and marched her and her friends out of the bleachers to the principal at the exit of the gym.  Way to go Mrs M!

It is a beautiful day here in Michigan and I think I am going to clear out some closets in preparation for our garage sale, finish the laundry, write some bulletin announcements and get organized for VBS and summer sunday school.  That is plenty to do!

Tomorrow is another awards day. It is scholarship day. Let's hope the school didn't make another error, Matt needs those scholarships!  

Gracie

Wow! Some More Stories From Japan!

The A-Trainers are spending some time at Technos College now that the weekend is over.  Check out the most recent entries here:

Hope Rolls #5 
Hope Students help Technos Students learn about taping.


Hope Rolls #6
Hope Student Jordan becomes a star



Tomorrow is Day Two of Honors week.  We were notified that Matthew will receive an award.  We have no idea what it will be for.  Stay tuned or watch LIVE on Tuesday at 0845at this link. Activities Leadership Day.

Have a Great Tuesday.  I'll keep you updated!


Gracie

Outstanding Technician Award (1).AVI

Welcome Monday Morning!

Today begins Honors week at Greenville High School.  Leadership Awards in the Fine Arts, Choir, Band, Orchestra and Theatre.  Matthew is all dressed up this morning in a blue shirt and tie.  He will be receiving an award, just don't know which ones.  Here's the good news,  you can watch it LIVE at 0845 at http://www.mhsaa.tv/greenville/events/35172.  Jeff, Mary and I will be in attendance. Tuesday is Leadership Day II, Wednesday Scholarship Day, Thursday Academic Day and Friday is Swingout! Swingout is the seniors last day and go on their last class trip.  Matthew will be receiving awards Mon-Thu!  We are so proud of him!

Last night a NEW ENTRY on How Hope Rolls in Japan was posted.  Eva really has a knack for writing and it is a very interesting read.  I was very proud of Sarah's remarks.  Some pretty nice pictures too.  Here is the link: How Hope Rolls #4.  What a wonderful experience for them all! They sure had some good Sumo seats!

I have the rest of the week off from work, so I am planning on planning VBS, and Matt's Graduation Open House.  Of course there is always laundry and bills.  We are also trying to clear out unused things in plans of having a garage sale with the proceeds put to the OU fund! 

Better get ready.  Get the camera and the tissues!  It's a great Monday!

Gracie

PS: You can access the A-Trainers Blog anytime with  the link under Look and See.  Subscribe at the Hope Rolls site and you will receive emails each time a new entry is uploaded.

A-Train Visit Takao and Giants Baseball Game

Sarah and her friends did a lot today.  They are already sleeping on Saturday night and will wake up on Sunday morning as I go to work the night shift!

The Blog is so well written with great information!

How Hope Rolls in Japan #3

I am so happy for our Sarah....Look at that smile!

 Gracie

News From Japan

Sarah sent a few emails to me last night.  She sounds like she is having a great time.   My favorite so far is:

 "We leave for the baseball game in about 30 mins. I'm very excited and will probably spend too much money there. Oh well. You only live once, right? "


Here is the link to the A-Train Blog: How Hope Rolls in Japan:

A-Trainers Japan Blog

You can subscribe to the blog at the bottom of their page and get automatic emails when it is updated.  Enjoy! I have a link for it under Look and See too.

Got to get some sleep after a good night at work.  Work again tonight in the nursery.  Yay!



Gracie

Birthday Hurdles

Mary's 20th birthday had it's share of hurdles. 

It started out well after she spent the night in Holland where Sarah and Mary did errands in downtown Holland that included coffee at lemonjello's and shopping at the Apothecary Gift Store, where Sarah bought Mary a present!  It is very nice. A sort of wallet/ID holder from Vera Bradley all in Maize and Blue! 

Hurdle #1:  Jeff was still pretty sick. Meds weren't working and he went back to the doctor. His throat was swollen up enough that the doctor wanted a  CT scan of his neck.  Concerned about a possible growing abcess that could potentially narrow his airway. So lunch plans changed to late afternoon dinner plans and I went to the hospital with Jeff, while Sarah and Mary did a few errands for me and had a little bit to eat.

We got home just before 3 pm, and Jeff felt good enough to ride along for birthday dinner and taking Sarah to the airport for her long awaited trip to Japan.  While in the car, the doctor called and said their was no abcess and that he should start on a new antibiotic. Ok.  Things were going better.

Hurdle #2:  We had to order and enjoy dinner at Red Lobster in 45 minutes, so that Sarah could get to the airport. We took some pictures, had fast service and good food and were in the RAV4 with  a few minutes to spare! 

Hurdle #3: The RAV would not start, and we could not get it to jump either.  Sarah and the rest of us were sick, how would we get her to the airport? Called a few taxi, too long of a wait.  Sarah called her friend at the airport and a grandpa offered to come and rescue her and get her to the airport.   Meanwhile, Jeff called USAA to get help for our car. Within 5 minutes car rescue arrived. Miraculously, the guy was just across the street getting ice cream when our call came through. He had a super duper jumper box and had us running a seconds.   We could follow grandpa and see her off at the airport.  That is exactly what happened, only Jeff had to drive in circles to keep the car running while the rest of us ran in and gave a few more hugs and took a picture.  I was glad to meet the professor that was going along with them.

So, mission accomplished. No more deadlines.  The car is running and we are on our way home. Until hurdle #4: The electric goes haywire several miles from our exit home.  Oh no!!  Luckily we made it to the dealer where we bought the RAV and they were still open. Turns out our battery needed to be replaced.  So we waited in the service area for 30 minutes while we got the car back in shape.

Finally, we celebrated Mary's birthday one more time with birthday brownies and ice cream.  They were delicious.  We sang and she blew out a candle I wrote 20 on!   I wanted there to be more celebrating and less stress, but we made it over the hurdles and had a nice end of the day. Mary and I watched her birth video and had a few good laughs.  It will always be a day to remember.

Happy Birthday Mary!

It is officially Mary's 20th Birthday!  No more teenager!  She is staying the night with Sarah in Holland and is helping her get ready for the Japan trip.  I guess we are going to meet up for lunch somewhere to celebrate, since Sarah needs to be at the airport before dinner.  I am pretty excited for her!  A dream come true!  Sarah can she the birth country!  She will have a lot of fun! Maybe I can keep you up on their agenda each day or couple of days.

Mary is happy too, especially since Brandon will be back home late tonight!  What a great birthday present.  She has tomorrow off too! 

Our ceiling is supposed to get fixed tomorrow, thank goodness!  I wonder how long it will take?  I need to go buy some dog food and milk too.   We are also dealing with some scary looking ants in the attic.  Jeff felt good enough to spray and set up some traps.   Will let you know what happens.

Think it is time to head off to bed.  This mommy is tired, but busting with pride!

Gracie

How Do We Say Goodbye.AVI

Matthew's last High School Choir Concert.  They always finish the last concert of the year with this song, Seniors gathering in the middle.  Matthew looks pretty happy!  So proud of my boy!

How Do We Say Goodbye?

You can view the entire show at this link:

GHS Spring Choir Concert 

It's a GREAT Show!

Save the Last Dance for Me

Give Me That Spotlight.AVI

Don't Stop.AVI

A New Week

We have another beautiful day here in Michigan. Matthew is feeling better and went to school. Jeff isn't feeling well at all and will start antibiotics within the next hour.  We are praying the all of us girls won't get sick.   Sarah will be leaving for Japan on Wednesday, Mary's 20th birthday! Neither one of them should be sick on that special day. 

Sarah picked out some luggage and it should arrive tomorrow.  It sure is nice looking and has good reviews.  She has only 48 hours to get ready for her trip.  Mary has informed me that she wants new clothes, so that will be easy...just fund some shopping!   The sisters are together this afternoon getting a manicure and lunch.  So glad that they can spend time together.

As some of you might know we had another water issue in our house.  The overflow drain was never properly sealed after all the work last fall.  So when Mary took a bath the water from the overflow drain flowed into the sub floor and through the ceiling in our dining room.

The seal has been repaired and trialed, and work on the ceiling should begin on Wednesday. Thank goodness.   We also have to deal with a problem with large ants living in Mary's attic room.  Yuck! The joy of being home owners!

Well, I have a few more things to do before my afternoon nap and then work the night shift..  Have a great day!

Gracie

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all the moms and grandmas, daughters and sisters a happy mother's day.  I love everything and every day of being a mom.  My kids are the best and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!  I am not a big fan of being an empty nester.  But, it is part of life.   I really need to add that I am so proud of Sarah, Mary and Matthew, and am excited about their life ahead!

Matthew is feeling a little better, but is still coughing and has a sore throat.  Had some eye drainage last night, but none this afternoon.   I think it might related to the congestion and not pink eye.  Jeff came home from church not feeling well either, and went to bed. Sure hope he feels better, the weather is just beautiful today!

Mary is working tonight and I am on-call.  Checked in with the hospital and they think I should be in the clear, however census can change quick on a labor and delivery floor, so I need to be prepared.  I will sleep a few hours this afternoon.   Sarah will be here until at least tonight. It is always nice to have her home.  We were shopping yesterday for luggage.  Too hard to know what to do.  She leaves for Japan in 3 days and Brandon will be coming home from China! 

I was able to get my chores done yesterday including Quicken!  What a relief.  Rest today and tomorrow. Work tomorrow night for sure!

Have a Great Day everyone!   Happy Birthday to my nephew Paul.  His b-day is tomorrow, but was born on Mother's Day 23 years ago....

Celebrate!

 Gracie

Here's a Quick Update:

Matthew hasn't been feeling well the past few days.  He went to the doctor today and has strep throat.  Got him started on antibiotics and he is sleeping now.

Sounds like Sarah will be "moving" into her room tomorrow. That will be great, so she can unpack a little before she travels to Japan.  When she returns, she will start working at the marina, so time won't be as flexible as it is now.

Made a new list of things to do, and have started working on it.  Hope I can get a lot of it done.

That's all...looking forward to Grimm tonight.

Supper is up in the air until Jeff gets back from jogging.

Grace


Trying to win a mixer for Mary.  Visit this site and we might get an extra chance. http://bit.ly/Jofzsd

Softball Off To A Good Start

Mount Calvary Lutheran Softball team started their season off with a great game. We had our bats on the ball, smart fielding including an incredible throw in from the outfield.   Base running was pretty exciting too.  I was so happy Sarah could come and play with us.  She is a great pitcher. We will miss her when she is working and while  she is visiting Japan.  I was proud that I did not need a pinch runner. We have a bye week next week.

Matthew hasn't felt too well all week, so he will see the doctor today after school.  Don't want him to be sick all weekend without meds. Not sure what we will do on Mother's Day.   I am on-call for night shift and Mary is working.  Sure would like to go to a whitecaps baseball game sometime soon.

Our weather has been very nice and Jeff says we a warming trend is on the way.

Next week is full of fun:

1. Mother's Day
2. GHS Spring Choir Concert.  Matthew's last one.   Wonder if we will make the time to go and listen to high school concerts next year.
3. Mary turns 20!  Happy Birthday.
4. Sarah leaves for 10 days in Japan...I am very happy she can go to her birth country.
5. Brandon comes home from China!  He is having a great time.  Guess he ate some duck tongue today.  EEeewwww.

I'll try to keep you posted!

Gracie

Baccalaureate

It's Been Awhile..Graduation #1 Done!

The last time a wrote an entry is when I brought Mary home from college.  Since then, so much has happened! I hope that I can catch you up properly...

Jeff and I continue to balance work and fun.  My job is going well and I had a good review last week. Part time is plenty for me, especially with the extra on-call shifts every 6 weeks.  I have been called in several times and earned time and a half! Church activities continue too.  Sunday School is winding down and I have been very happy with our new curriculum this year and proud of our teachers.My challenge will be to continue kids' church throughout the summer. Chime Team is done till the fall and the orchestra has one more Sunday to play.  Jeff has been planning for confirmation Sunday which was last Sunday (Sarah's Graduation Day).  He is working on the Baccalaureate Service for GHS in a few weeks. Next weekend he will be speaking at the local weather association about tornadoes and Haiti.  Wish I could be there to listen, but I have to work.



Matthew is finishing up his senior year and excited about starting his life as a Sooner at the University of Oklahoma.  He will be working at our church's childcare this summer and hopes to find some other ways to earn money to make his college career more affordable.  Matt has received awards at the GHS  theatre and choir banquets.  Last weekend Matthew went to Chicago with the GHS Show Choir and had a great time.  They sang at the Field Museum. While we were happy he had a nice time, we missed him at Sarah's graduation. 




Mary has been helping a lot at  home with cooking and cleaning, esp when I work nights. She has also started her job as a waitress at Jimmy's.  She has passed her exam and worked on her own for the past few shifts.  Way to go! Mary is excited about her trip to South Africa with the Women's Glee Club.  It may not be until July, but there is lots of planning to do especially since she is the business manager for the trip.   Brandon has been on his tour to China with the Men's Glee Club for the last week. He is having a nice time.  They have been able to chat on the computer frequently.

Sarah has had a busy last month.  Finishing up school with tests and papers. Preparing and Passing her national Board of Certification test!  Hooray!  With  the families help we packed Sarah up and moved her to a house a few blocks away since she will be working in Holland this summer at the Anchorage Marina as a waitress again.  They called and asked her back. Dave, Leslie and Mom arrived last Saturday so they could attend Sarah's college graduation.  It was certainly an adventure for everyone. The morning was sunny and the Baccalaureate Service was exceptional.  The president announced that graduation would be held outside at the football field.  It was at lunch that Dave looked at the radar and showed us the rain/storms heading toward Holland.  We headed to the field anyway.  The graduates stood and the families sat as the rain begun and continued for 30 minutes. The professors lined up and were prepared to applaud the class as they processed onto the field. The the lightning flashed and the thunder cracked.  The graduation was postponed.  "Students will go the the Tennis Center" and "parents will go to their cars" were the instructions we heard over the intercom.  By then we were pretty wet and everyone was scrambling to get out of the rain.  Jeff was pushing my mom in the wheel chair when out of the blue a nice man a came and held an umbrella over my mom the whole way back to the car at DeVos several blocks away. We sure appreciated him and wonder if he could have been an angel in disguise.  Time continued to tick away, when Mary received a text from Sarah that Commencement would be at DeVos and that tickets are null and void. "Go Now!".

Luckily Jeff and Mary were already standing at the doors at DeVos and would save us seats.  So we bolted from the car and got in line, in the rain again.  Soon we were inside and enjoying our seats in the dry basketball venue.  It was then that I saw God's hand in it all. The only way we could all get into the Graduation inside is if tickets weren't needed. That is just how it turned out.  Sure we were wet, but we were all together to watch Sarah graduate!  It was a wonderful time, and we are all very proud of Sarah! We headed to the Athletic Training room after commencement and enjoyed talking with the professors and taking pictures. Sarah opened her gifts and then we all had dinner at the Olive Garden dinner. Yum!

Matthew was glad to spend some time with Dave, Leslie and Grandma before they left Monday morning.  Jeff and I headed to help Sarah finish moving and then we all headed home. I had work the next few nights where it was quite busy.  Luckily I didn't get called in last night!  However they called and asked me to work tonight. I said no, since our Church League Softball Season Opener is TONIGHT!   Hope we have enough players.  Just having fun!

I have the weekend off, except I am on-call on Sunday night.  Plan to get a lot done.  Time will tell.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Gracie

Enjoy the Grad videos below!

Pomp and Circumstance ~ Hope '12 Commencement

Sarah Graduates from Hope College