Back Home, New Addition

I enjoyed a delicious lunch with my friend, Vicky who is like an Aunt to me.  We had some serious and some fun discussion.  It was a good time.  Left Dearborn about 2:30 pm and stopped about an hour from home for a stretch and a break.  Back home around 5:45pm. It was a long drive, but at least the weather was nicer today.

When I drove up in the driveway our newest car was sitting in the driveway.  Jeff and Matt had the Kia inspected and it passed the test and is now our car.   Sarah is pretty excited, as she will be the lucky one to drive it.  She is more than happy to pass the van down to Matthew.  He isn't as excited about the arrangement.  The car seems really nice, needs a good vacuuming, but Matthew is more than willing to give a good detailing.

Tonight was the meeting for the school musical.  It was a good informative meeting especially for the first time parents of theatre.  Matthew is anxious to get building on the set tomorrow.  I guess it is going to be big...von Trapps house and even a mountain!  As soon as we get plates for the new car and have 3 cars at home, Matthew can drive to school and my job as taxi will be over (for the most part).  All part of growing up!  I have plenty of other jobs to deal with.

I work all day Wednesday and probably work on Saturday too. Choir meets tomorrow and Thursday will be catch up day.  No school on Friday hurray!  Matthew will work on the set in the afternoon and I have a doctor's appointment.  We might go to a Zeeland High School football game Friday night to watch Sarah in action as the student AT. Matthew has Show Choir camp this weekend to learn this fall's choreography.  It should be a good time for him.

Guess that is all. We keep plugging away at whatever life has in store for us.

Blessings!

Gracie

Update from Ann Arbor

Mary arrived home yesterday afternoon just in time to help me with making chicken crescents for dinner. We did that a lot when she lived at home.  They were delicious and we had a lot of fun and interesting conversation.  She collected things to take back with her and then we all  went shopping together at Wal Mart.  Stocked her up with food and snacks and a new fleece blanket to keep her warm at night.  Before we knew it, Brandon was back from his meeting and we were off for Ann Arbor.  Brandon did a lot of reading and Mary and I chatted while she drove the 2 hour trip.  Once we got back to her room, she unpacked and then we had a late night snack, pizza from the cafeteria right down the hall from her room. It was pretty good, even had a wheat crust.  Mary let me sleep on her bed and she slept on the recliner.  Her report is that is wasn't too bad and my report is that it gets cold in her room at night.  Mary is off to class now for the rest of the day and I will be leaving to see a friend in Dearborn.

Jeff and Matthew went to see another car yesterday.  This time it was a Kia.  They liked it very much and will have it checked out by our mechanic today. I guess this was the best of the cars we have seen. Matthew loves to look at cars and would love to get the "new" one but is resigned that he will inherit the van and Sarah will get the drive the next car in Holland, whenever that day comes.

I got a lot done yesterday, over half of the laundry washed dried and folded! I also worked on a few job applications.  There sure is a lot to consider.  I really want to be challenged again, using all of my nursing skills, and I am pretty frustrated and exhausted with my nursing company. They are so petty with the paperwork that I am paranoid after sending it in. On the other hand, taking a full time job in the hospital will mean that I would have to resign from a lot of my church work and miss evening fucntions at school and work on holidays.  This is a huge decision and I don't want to make it in haste but can't wait around when a great opportunity is available.

Soon I will be leaving to see a friend in Dearborn.  We will have lunch together before I head back to Greenville this afternoon.  There is a theatre meeting for cast, crew and parents tonight at 7pm.  I hope to finish up the laundry and work on the computer as well.  Work tomorrow.

That is all for now...have a great day!

Gracie

PS: Jeff and Leslie are in the lead of our Footbal Frenzy!

Good End to a Great Weekend!

Bowling went well for me again tonight!  My first game started out slow, but in the end, I bowled over 100 which is always my goal. However, things got better and I bowled a 167 and then a 123, both over average.  Jeff bowled a 213 on the first game, then a 168 and a 160, so he did well too. Of course the evening ended at McDonald's with our team for fellowship!

Saturday was a good day too.  Our Division I teams won their games.  Michigan and Florida won with a bigger point spread, but Oklahoma won by only 2!  We will have to see who will be in the lead this weekend.  Won't know until tomorrow. 

We also spent time with Sarah for her birthday.  Steak dinner is what was planned so we picked up Sarah and drove to Logan's.  The wait time was 30 minutes, so we called a close by restaurant, O'Charley's to see how long of a wait they had...immediate seating! So off we went to O'Charley's and we had a delicious meal there. Sarah had a Skye Strawberry Lemonade, I had a Strawberry Daiquiri, and Jeff had a beer. Matthew was the designated driver! The food was really good, we had steak, ribs, chicken fingers and a burger. There were delicious rolls and a big salad to start out with. Service good and Sarah was happy it wasn't freezing like many restaurants. After dinner we sent shopping at Wal Mart before heading back to Sarah's house.  I brought her brownies, but she was tired and full from dinner so we left her some and took the rest home.

Tomorrow Mary will come home for just a few hours with her friend and then I will take them back to campus late tomorrow night.  I will see just how comfortable her loveseat recliner is to sleep on!  Tuesday I will drive into Dearborn and have lunch with a friend I had planned to see earlier in the month. Will be back Tuesday evening to attend the cast, crew and parent meeting for the high school play. Back to work on Wednesday!  I will be glad to spend some time with my Mary, here at home and at her dorm.

My feet have been hurting a little more lately, but certainly not as bad as before.  So I have decided to put my old inserts back into my shoes (my therapist said I didn't need them anymore).  I think it helped some. Will continue to do my exercises as usual. I see the doctor again on the 16th of October.

Guess that is all for now...still need to get to the laundry and other chores.  Think it might have to wait for Monday at this time of the day! Have a great week ahead!

Gracie

Excitement in the Air

• Matthew passed his driver's road test and is now an official licensed driver. He really wants to have a car to drive as soon as possible, but has been picky too.  He doesn't want to drive the van should Sarah get a "new" old car.  
• Yes we are looking for another vehicle!  So far we found one that looked really nice, but had more problems than the owner knew about. The cars at Ford were a little steep for the condition they are in. We are not in a hurry, so we can get just the right one.
• Football!  Greenville High School won again last night against Northview.  Next week will be the big test.  We play against East Grand Rapids!  Michigan is winning big against Bowling Green in the Big House!  Mary sent me a few pictures and I posted the new one of her and Brandon in the Links Column to the right.  I would really like to go watch a game, just don't know when. Sooners and Gators play later this afternoon, so I will be hoping for their wins as well. 
• We are going to Holland this afternoon to have dinner with Sarah and celebrate her 21st birthday.  I made some brownies to take with us! I hope they taste good! It will be nice to see her again. Sarah had a great birthday with her friends.  Some took her out at the stroke of midnight for refreshments and then dinner at Applebee's with another group of friends.  Glad she has great friends and fun times. Sarah is doing well in her studies too.
• Mary reports that things are going well at U of M and she was recently in a student made film where she landed the lead role!  Early bird gets the worm!  She loves being the the Women's Glee Club and will be singing in her first concert on October 3rd at 4 pm at the Hill Auditorium on Campus.  It is free!  Wish we could go, but we have previous afternoon commitment and bowling in the evening. The Women's Glee Club, Men's Glee Club, Chamber Choir, University Choir, Orpheus Singers, Early Music Ensemble, and soloists in opera and musical theatre will  be singing for this first-ever vocal extravaganza. How exciting!

• Matthew will be working as part of the scenic crew for the GHS fall musical "Sound of Music". He really likes to build and work on stage.  He has also shown an interest in cooking.  Maybe he could be the next Top Chef!  Problem is, he wants to be a Gator and I don't know if they have a culinary school there.  Otherwise, he still has interest in Pediatric Occupational Therapy or Teaching!

Better get going.  Have to clean the kitchen, take a shower before we leave for Holland in one hour!  Good thing I have already prepared for Sunday School, practiced the hymns for tomorrow and getting this blog out!  Matthew made me a chicken wrap for lunch..Mmm Mmm! Later I still need to start the laundry and work on the balancing our accounts on the computer.  Mary comes home Monday for a few hours and then I will take her back Monday night!  It will be nice to see her again! 

Gracie

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY SARAH!

Twenty one years ago a beautiful little girl was born.  I can remember it like it was yesterday, a day that I became a mommy.  It was a beautiful fall Saturday morning while living at Yokota Air Base in Japan when I wondered if was going to be the day.  After a couple errands and a walk to the dry cleaners, we realized that it was our baby's birthday!  Eight hours later at 6:34 pm Sarah Elisabeth was born!   Now, Sarah is a beautiful young woman, a junior at Hope College learning to be an Athletic Trainer.  We are so proud of all of her accomplishments,  happy smile, her love of sports (especially baseball), her willingness to listen and help her friends and family.  I can't wait to see her and celebrate with her on Saturday!  Happy Birthday sweetie!

I had a good day at work and then a pretty good choir rehearsal.  Tomorrow Matthew will be taking his road test.  He is pretty nervous, sat and read the whole book about what to expect.  I watched as he practiced parallel parking, backing into a parking space and stopping at a pre-determined line in the church parking lot.  He did pretty well.  He does well on the road, so I am confident that he will do great. Jeff will be taking him because I am afraid I might talk too much.  Mary texted me this morning and said she was on ESPN U!  I don't get that channel, so I didn't see it, but was glad to share in the excitement through our phones! I have a great family!  Thank you Lord! 

Gracie

Seasons of Change

The leaves are changing, red, yellow and brown.  The temperatures are fluctuating much cooler the past few weeks, but today we had a little Indian summer, with temps in the 80's.  We are now under a thunderstorm watch till 0100.  We will see how severe they are when they arrive.  Sammy is getting anxious, so they can't be too far away.

I continue to try and keep up with my list of things to do!  Still have to go through the stuff I stored in the "boot room" when we fixed our bedroom, and file papers that stacked up over the last 3-4 months. Whew! My work schedule is 3 days this week, then I am going to only work 2 days a week to try and keep up with house duties and church duties.  There sure is plenty to do! 

Matthew is adjusting to school well. He is no longer working after school and looks forward to working at the high school with the scenic crew for the GHS production of "The Sound of Music".  Mostly, Matthew  can't wait for Thursday to arrive. HE IS FINALLY TAKING HIS ROAD TEST.  Sure hope that the darned parallel parking works out.  That always seems to be the hardest thing to do!

Jeff is keeping busy at church with meetings and preparing services.  He just had a wedding last weekend and was it a lot of fun!  He has another trip to Shaw AFB in October.  He has enjoyed jogging in the afternoon while the weather allows. We are planning some more home improvements in the future.  At least they are planned, not forced upon us!

All is well at the University of  Michigan.  Mary is happy and keeping up with her activities:  classes, working at the graduate and medical libraries, and singing with the University of Michigan Women's Glee Club.  They walked around the Big House and sang Michigan Songs to the tailgaters last Saturday and even met up with the Men's Glee Club and sang all together.  That would have been great to hear!  Her first concert is coming up in November.

Sarah will be 21 years old in just 33 hours!  I can't believe it, my baby is an adult!  She is very excited and will be going out with her friends.  I don't think she will drink too much...or at least I hope she doesn't, it is a school night!  We will be going to Holland on Saturday to watch the big "Pull", a tug of war between the freshman and sophomore class. With Sarah as a Junior she should be rooting for the EVEN year team, but most of her friends are ODD year members.  Matthew wants to watch the pull more than anyone, and then we will take Sarah out for dinner. I can't wait. She already has her birthday present, a printer for her computer.  She is an awesome person and we are so proud of her! (We are proud of all of our kids!)

Finally this week at a glance

• Grace works Wednesday and Friday days.
• Choir on Wednesday
• Sarah's 21st birthday on Thursday
• Matthew takes his Driver's Test
• Friday is GHS Homecoming Football game with parade.  There is also a Pastor's get together that evening.
• Of course, Saturday is Football day...Jeff kept the lead in our College Picks pool. Will he continue to choose the winning teams? Leslie had a great week too!
• Saturday we go to Holland as mentioned above, Matthew has chosen to skip the Homecoming Dance.
• Sunday is church, I think I am playing the clavinova, and another great hour with my awesome Sunday School class. 

Luckily there was a change to my bowling season this past week.  I bowled a 170, 134 and 128 or something like that.  Anyway my average is back to where it belongs!  Jeff did fine too, and brought his average down a little which is good. Hard to bowl over average when it gets too high! Our team took 2 points!

Well, the storms are almost here.  Thunder is audible in a distance.

Gracie

Getting Into a Routine

Jeff's plane arrived earlier than planned.  After numerous changes to the arrival time, I got on the road twenty minutes later than I wanted.  Still we got to the airport in good time and Jeff only had to wait for us about 15 minutes.  We enjoyed watching football and eating pizza at Ucello's on the way home from the airport.  The food was good and we ended up with some free food, since the breadsticks came out late and Matthew pizza was made wrong.  They made good on everything and we will go back and eat there again.  Did some cleaning when we got home and then prepared for a busy Sunday.

Rally Day Sunday was a successful one. I really love my new class, 3-5th grades, and we had a good lesson. I played  for church and was content with my performance.  Played patriotic songs during the offering in memory of 9/11.  There were  people in the congvregation singing along with the songs.  After church was a hot dog lunch and games. I ran BINGO and it is not as easy as you might think.  Everyone had a good time and I think everyone got a prize that played. We were all tired when we got home. Watched our netflix movie, Avatar. I was so impressed that I fell asleep! LOL.  Matthew and Jeff said it was pretty good. 

Bowling season started Sunday evening.  We have a new name~Joker's Wild.  Jeff had a great first week starting off with a 223!  I looked like a brand new bowler out there, never reaching 100 the whole evening.  What the heck??  Hope next week is better.  At least I will increase our handicap!

Monday I worked 8 hours at Hailey's. She is getting so big and is so cute.  We had a nice day together.  After I got home, I made a simple dinner and then was off to kids choir and chime team.  Both were quite successful.  I have some new ideas for the kids and the chimes have started off with great sight reading! Looking forward to a great year!

I had so much planned for today.  I got the laundry downstairs with Jeff's help, and spent many hours sorting through music.  At least it is all organized now, it had to be done. Now  I am going to pay some bills and get to the store before picking up Matthew.  Hope  I can get a lot accomplished tonight!  Work tomorrow.  Then continue working on my list of things to do.

Guess that is all for now...

Gracie

We Remember

Today we remember the horrible attack on America by terrorists.  I was in the library at Lowry Elementary School volunteering, when a mother came in and told us what happened.  Unlike other parents, I left my kids in school and then went home and watched the news coverage the rest of the day.  So let's thank all those who are willing to serve to keep our freedom!  I know I am thankful for my Lt Colonel who comes home today!

Football will be on my schedule of events today.  Oklahoma on ABC and University of Michigan on NBC both at 3:30 pm!  Will have to leave during the game to go pick up Jeff. That's ok!  I can't wait to have him home. I suppose I can work in my room with the games playing.  Will need to practice the piano and get ready for Rally Day too!  Got some of that done already.


No news from Holland lately.  She is doing fine and working hard with classes and clinicals.  I looked up football scores and her high school team, Zeeland West, won their football game last night.  I hope that she didn't have too many injuries.  Greenville High School won their third game in a row and is undefeated this season.

Better get going!


Gracie

Extra! Extra!

Great News from Mary in Ann Arbor~She is now an official member of the University of Michigan Women's Glee Club. See is so excited and very happy!  Her range is similar to mine, a second alto. I assume that they will put her in that section,they would be crazy not to. There is a link the their website under Look and See!  Yesterday Mary secured a job at the Graduate Library the campus Diag.  For now, she will just work 2 hours on Monday and Friday and waiting to hear about the job in the theatre department that she interviewed last week for. Things are great at the U of M!

Matthew has had a busy first week of school. His classes are keeping his nights busy with homework, and he has been working after school all week. It has been really stressful and he really wants to be part of the tech crew for the fall high school musical, winter one acts and spring baseball. So he is going to stop working for now and   maybe he can find a weekend job or a few evenings a week. First he needs to get into a routine with his classes. It will be a pretty challenging year, but I know he is up for the task! Matthew got a 100%  on his vocabulary quiz today! I didn't know most of the words!  Has been a great help today getting the house cleaned up.

I had a nice day at work, took my patient on a walk this afternoon.  She loved it.  It is so amazing to see all the progress she has made over the past month.  Her "cute~ness"  will never fade.  She was laughing so hard that you can only join in and laugh with her!

Jeff comes home tomorrow!  It will be so nice to have him home for awhile. Can't wait for him to see our "new" room and the new pipes in the basement too.

That is all for now.  GO BLUE  beat Notre Dame!

Gracie

Keep on Swimming, Keep on Swimming

That is what Dory said in "Finding Nemo" when the dad was ready to give up.  I have such good intentions of getting things done, then the clock ticks away and I don't reach my goals.  So, I have to just keep going a step at a time and be glad when things get done.  Can say that it doesn't help that I have been a little "blue" lately too.  Sure can't wait to have Jeff home again!

Looks like the tree people came by because all the big tree limb and branches are gone.  Nothing was trimmed though, looks just the same.  Don't know if that means they won't trim it, or if they will send someone to trim it later.  I like the shade of the tree, but don't want it in my house with the next big storm.


Sounds like classes are moving along for all three kids.  Sarah is busy with her art class, drawing new things each week.   Her tricycle is done and looks great, and now has to draw something outside on campus.   She is busy with her Athletic Training classes and clinicals too, of course.  Mary met the University President, Mary Sue, yesterday and had her picture taken with her.  She isn't a big fan of her poetry class, but needs it if she wants to major in English. I know that Glee Club meetings and auditions are coming up. Matthew has a pretty rigorous schedule and is putting his nose to the grindstone each day after work.  He had to know how to say his name in Spanish for class today. 

Work was a long one yesterday, we had a lot to do in Grand Rapids. I was pretty tired when I got home at 7 pm and stayed home with Matthew and had a simple dinner.  It was nice to unwind.  Work again tomorrow.

Still need to plan for kids choir, chimes and Sunday School.  Rally Day is Sunday and I am doing BINGO.  I am teaching 3-5th grade this year.  I am playing for church too.  Can you say BUSY?? What was I thinking?? Working on Monday too. I am pretty crazy for having so much on my plate.

Well, I had better go and get to work!

Gracie

A Good First Day!

Tuesday was a much better day than Labor day.  The weather was better, blue sky, nice temps and a pretty impressive wind.  Our trellises blew over twice, so I decided to let them rest until the wind is over. It is still pretty windy and I think it is supposed to continue tomorrow.  Sure hope that tree doesn't come down on the house.

Matthew had a nice first day of 11th grade.  He likes all his classes and got his homework done in a timely fashion.  I stopped at K Mart after I picked him up from work to get him some folders, as the "other" stores sold out of the good ones.  Tomorrow Matthew will ride his bike to school since I will be working when he needs to get to work. He is pretty excited about it and got his bike all ready.  I bought him a new helmet and bike lock yesterday.  Hopefully the tires will hold their air.  We have a back-up plan in place.Matthew talked to administration about co-op with his job at the childcare center. That would be great! He is hoping to work a full crew gig at the high school this Friday night for an ABBA GOLD concert.

While Matthew was at school, I got some of my chores done at home. The laundry is done, some furniture moved in the house, dishes done and I got the tire fixed on the Prius.  While Matthew was working on his bike, I offered to mow the lawn.  It looks pretty good for my second time. I called public works earlier in the day to have them take care of that tree, so I hope that happens soon.

Sarah called today and was busy with doing athlete physicals this afternoon.  She finished her drawing of the tricycle and texted my a picture.  It looks great!  I don't really know her schedule for this semester yet, but she sure has it all together.

Mary had a good first day. She had Psychology, English and History today and has a good impression.  Tomorrow she has lectures..Freshman seminar, "American Family", Psychology and History. She called me Stonight and we had a nice conversation about all sorts of things. She has met up with her Greenville friends for meals and other activities.  She is looking forward to attending the Women's Glee Club meeting later this week including and audition.

I am working tomorrow for a full day.  We will be spending most of the day in Grand Rapids at appointments.  Should be a little eaiser now that she doesn't need suctioning.  Choir starts tomorrow night too. We will see if I have enough energy to attend.  With Jeff still being gone, I like to spend time with Matthew in the evening.

Guess that is all for now.

Gracie

Down to One

Just got back from taking Matthew to school.  Can't believe he is a junior already, for now I can think of him being home for two more years.  Our nest is half empty, and I don't like it. I will pick Matthew up from school and then run him to work at church. I am going to get the tire fixed after breakfast, and then hopefully get my room back to "normal".  Have some paperwork to do and I know that I will need a nap.  Staying up too late is going to have to end. Back to the grind!


Tomorrow will be different.  He has school and I have work. He plans on riding his bike since I won 't be able to pick him up to take him to work after school.  Can't wait for Jeff to get home, Matthew needs his driver's license.

Grace

Best Made Plans Lead to Disappointment

Today was supposed to be a really fun last day of summer.  I can't say that things turned out that way.

• It was a rainy day, we even had a little thunder. All in all a gloomy Labor Day.
• My morning TV routine was pre-empted with Jerry Lewis Telethon and the US Tennis Open.
• I have to do laundry!
• My new shelves that Matthew was going to put together were not the right color. Thought it was a dark brown/cherry but it looked black.  They went back to the store. Luckily Matthew was able to fix a cabinet and we can use that again and take the other new shelves he made up to my room.
• Took Matthew to the movies and it was HORRIBLE. It was very boring with a poor plot.  Thought that a George Clooney thriller would have more action.  Don't see it.
• Found a screw in my tire.
• Excited about a yummy dinner at Jimmy's Pub and Grub only to find it closed when we arrived. Applebee's was open and we had a nice time.
• My room isn't done. Clothes are put away, but still have boxes of things to unpack.
• Had to finish cleaning Mary's room.  Lots of it was done, but hauled the trash down and closed the window.

For now, I am watching football on TV, need to fold clothes and was supposed to watch a movie with Matthew, but he is playing video games in his room. Guess this is what is will be like from now on.

The clothes are waiting, better get folding.

I miss my girls

Grace

The Let Down

Summer let down has hit home.  First there were the trips and then Sarah goes off to Hope, then I thought I have a couple weeks left with Mary to have fun and get ready for college.  Now that is over too.  Matthew starts school on Tuesday and summer will officially be over.  It sure is weird not having any of my girls home, although I am happy that they are settled and adjusting to being on their own.  Time sure does fly by...So needless to say I am a bit sad, missing my girls and my man and overwhelmed by the work still ahead of me.

• Laundry and cleaning the house
• Finish moving back into my room and get rid of the furniture and stuff I don't want.
• Plan music for my musical groups/and lessons for Sunday School
• Work 2-3 days a week
• Get my eyes checked, my glasses just don't work like they used to.

The rest of our time in Ann Arbor on Thursday was lots of fun.  Brandon and Mary joined us for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and shopping at the M Den.  I had lots of fun there!  Mary went on to her job interview and Matthew and I hung around in her dorm room, contemplating how we were going to rearrange it as soon as she returned.  The job interview went really well. Guess there were 55 applicants and she would be interviewing until the end of this week.  The interviewer was very impressed that Mary contacted her personally and had a resume and letter of recommendation.  Mary interviewed with another lady impromtu for another position as well.  Will let you know what happens. 

Then came the rearranging!  We spent a few hours trying different things and finally came up with a good set up. Her bed is lofted on a book shelf and dresser, so it isn't so high, but does conserve space.  The couch is under her window.  Desk opposite the bed and her fridge and microwave in the corner.  She is much happier. I have posted tons of pictures of her room on our photo album

Originally we were going to have dinner with a friend in Dearborn, but I found out that I was invited to the opening convocation for the class of 2014.  It was quite a walk with the masses and then the Krisler Center wasn't air conditioned!  Still the program was nice and we got to sing the Yellow and Blue and the  Victors!  We waited around for the bus to pick us up, since we were pretty tired from long day. Matt took some really cool pictures at sunset..check the photo album.

Friday we checked out of our hotel room and headed back to campus one last time. The weather had cooled off and the sky a beautiful blue!  Lunch was at my favorite Ann Arbor restaurant. Guess? Cottage Inn!  Manicotti was delicious.  Matthew enjoys the bread with olive oil! Then it was time for our goodbyes at Mary's room.  I wasn't going to cry, but I did shed some tears.  I will miss her so much. Life will be really different with just Matthew at home. I will be outnumbered 2:1.(not including the dog).

Speaking of the dog, we picked him up nice and clean and soft from the kennel.  He got groomed too. He was glad to be home and Matthew and I just relaxed at home. We were tired.  It was much cooler when we got home and I was able to turn off the AC and be plenty comfy in the house.  Hurray! It was about time. Jeff mentioned that there was heavy wind and rain that moved through while we were gone and we did have some tree damage.

Saturday morning I got my Michigan flag up for the season opener football game in Ann Arbor. Mary has season tickets and was so excited to go.  We were going to Holland too, to visit Sarah and exchange cars again. Sarah was very tired from working all morning, but we managed to go out shopping and get her birthday present, a printer for her computer.  She was happy to receive it early.  Can't believe she will be 21 in just a few weeks. Where has the time gone?  Had a light meal at Culvers and then headed home.  With football season started, we kept watch of the scores.  Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma won their games, Hope lost theirs in the last 5 minutes. I finally got some better pictures of Sarah's house and her room.  I posted them on the photo album too!

Church today was very nice, back to regular schedule, bible hour at 9 am and church at 1015.  Fellowship was an ice cream social!  Yum!  Home just afternoon and then headed to Hailey's brother's birthday party at Chuck E Cheeses. It was a fun time.  Hailey loved to go down the slide!  She is really growing up.

Matthew has done a great job, fixing a cabinet that received some damage with all the furniture moving, putting on my U Mich license plate.  Now I am contemplating if I should return the shelves I bought for my room, or use the ones I got for the den to replace the cabinet that Matthew fixed.  Need to work on the list above too.  For now we are enjoying switching between Star Wars and Sound of Music.  Both great movies!

Tomorrow? Matthew wants to do something fun, before going back to school.  Will have to think of something fun to do, and maybe finish up the summer with a dinner at Jimmy's Pub and Grub.

That is all for now...have a great Labor Day!

Gracie

All Moved in to Cooley

Life has been crazy..Life has been busy...Life is always changing....

We headed for Ann Arbor yesterday morning along with the Cory's to move Mary and Brandon to college.  I am so glad that we were able to move together as it eases the load on everyone, well, the guys still had it harder as they move the heavy stuff.  The traffic in Ann Arbor was horrible. I hope that Jeff is here the next time! Cars everywhere, no one moving, people crossing the streets in front of you and moving behind a dumpster for a fire truck! Matthew and I parked the van in the parking garage and walked over to help Brandon move to his 3rd floor room.  There were no helpers in sight, so we just hauled stuff up the stairs.  It didn't help when one of his boxes broke while he was carrying it!  Then Jim and Brandon hauled a love seat up those three flights..what a workout! Then we were off to find Mary's room, same building, E Quad, but in a different house, Cooley House.  They are all connected and you could get lost if you don't follow the signs.  There are two stairwells, one goes to the outside the other ones don't, go down the wrong one and you are in for a surprise. Mary's room is on the first floor and had a very nice view. The bathroom is in close proximity.   Since she has a single room  to herself, we decided how to put the furniture before unloading.  First of all, I had to got get the van and drive in the traffic again!  I ended up pulling up onto the  grass just yards from the front door of  the building.  It was in the shade and we even had some helpers..the move in makers and a few nice guys who offered their services. The move in makers bring a big bin on wheels so you can put your boxes and stuff in it and they will roll it up to your room.  Brandon helped them while the rest of us took some bigger stuff in. The rest of us along with the nice guys hauled in things like the cello and fridge.  Jim, Brandon and Matthew hauled the heavy love seat recliner into her room.  Boy I as sure they were glad her  room is on the first floor! Consequently, her room is pretty crowded since she wanted her bed on the floor, not up on the other furniture, or lofted.  I spent time putting her clothes away and she set up her desk.  Then we went over to Brandon's room and helped him move in to his room.  He has the same single room and kept things the same as last year.

We did get a chance to eat a few times to keep up  with the dehydration of a hot muggy day and lots of moving and cleaning.  Had some good Chinese food right for lunch and Cottage Inn pizza for a late dinner. I love Cottage Inn~Mmm.

Of course we had to go shopping for a few needed things and some groceries.  Coax cable, extension cords and things to prepare and eat in her room like cereal, pop tarts spagetti o's and easy mac. I am sure she can't wait to use her microwave!

Today we will go over and see if she wants to rearrange her room and maybe have some lunch.  Mary has a job interview this afternoon for a position in the theatre department.  That would be awesome!  Tonight I will be going to Dearborn to visit a friend and have some dinner.  Maybe we can find time to use the pool here at the hotel!

Tomorrow we will he head back to Greenville, pick up Sammy and then go to Holland and switch back our cars.  She gets the van back and I get my Prius back.  We hope to have dinner together.

Before all this moving happened we had some fun times!

• Mary and Brandon went trout fishing together, had fun but had to throw their fish back, none of them reached the ten inch requirement.  When they got home we enjoyed a yakimondue and rice meal. Yum.
• Friday Mary's friend came over and they made some cookies and cream ice cream. It took a while, but in the end very delicious.  She and her friend went out to eat and shop while Matthew and I went to the first GHS football game. We won 42-7!  It was so crowded though.  I think sitting on the hill by the band is a good place. You can hear the music and have  a good view of the action. Matthew's friend made a 40 yard return run.  Hooray!  The night ended with a great game of Apples to Apples with friends.
• Sarah came home on Saturday for several hours and we went to a going away party and a birthday party. Both were very nice.  Of course the original car switch took place and I waved goodbye to my Prius for a week.  It is always nice to have Sarah home. Mary worked her last shift at McDonalds.
• Sunday service went well, I had a few mix-ups but recovered pretty well.  It really doesn't help when you start playing a song on the wrong keys!  Sunday evening Brandon, Mary and I went to see the piano that our church was giving to a good home.  It is in pretty good shape and he even tuned a few strings to make a nice barbershop scale.  I bought a tuning kit as I am thinking of changing careers. Can't find a job in nursing, so naturally I am thinking of doing something with music.  The three of us went up to the loft and played the organ and had fun singing hymns together.
• Monday was my work day..8 hours with little Hailey.  The day was uneventful, but tiring as always. Mary spent the day with Brandon and had a fish fry dinner with his family.  Matthew and I got a pizza.
• Tuesday we packed the van, Mary bought a desk chair and covered it, bought some things on her college list and made chicken crescents for dinner.  Matthew worked three hours on Monday and Tuesday. To make her last day a home a fun one, we played three games of CLUE, all won by Matthew, and watched TV together.  We had a lot of fun and laughs.  

Of course, I am still trying to move back into my room.  It sure is a lot of work and can be overwhelming. It is getting there and I sure hope all done by the time Jeff gets home next weekend.  He is doing fine in Miami and busy watching the hurricanes in the tropics.  For now there is no real threat, but next week according to my favorite weatherman, the weather is ominous.

That is all for now.  Took a few pictures that I can't post until I get home.  Next week Matthew starts his Junior year of high school and we will be back to a NEW routine, one with a household of three, Mom, Dad and Matt.

Life is changing...my kids are growing up....what a joyful adventure!

Gracie

PS- I posted a link for 2010 Football Frenzy for all those who signed up for our football picks this season.

Honor Roll

Just wanted to take the time to honor my dad. It would have been his 90th birthday.  He was a great man, passionate pastor and wonderful father.  I miss him so much!  Here's to his memory!

<3 Gracie

Grand Dansk and More!

Well, Danish Festival weekend has come and gone and there might be a light at the end of the repair marathon!  The carpets are being cleaned, which added to my working and moving of things most of the morning.  According to the professionals the carpet should be dry in 4-5 hours.  For the Wilhelm's though, it will be 4-5 days! Hahaha. I am the only one allowed to laugh about this, since I am the one enduring all the craziness!

DANISH FESTIVAL was a lot of fun.  Friday Mary, Brandon, Vicky and I went to walk around downtown. We enjoyed abelskievers (Pancake balls) together and then looked at all the crafts for sale. Before heading back home, I bought a large chocolate chip kringle to share with the Cory's.  It was delicious! Matthew was at work, so after picking him up we went shopping and then back downtown for the Fairy Tale Parade and dinner.  I really wanted a chicken pita, but didn't have cash.  The only place that took my check was pizza hut. It was good and hot too. Mary and Matthew went to watch the stretcher races and I listened to the Danish Band concert. They did a nice job. Mary met me at the stage for the Flat River Big Band Concert. It was amazing as always. Mr Ayres can sure make that trumpet scream!  Wish Dan could hear him play. Got home pretty late, played some band hero and went to bed.

Saturday's GRAND DANSK parade was a bit of a disappointment.  First of all, Jeff wasn't here to march in the band and Sarah wasn't here to take her awesome pictures.   We did have a good crowd from church to watch. We even had a bit of a parking issue.  It got cleared up and we were all in place for the parade.  Much to dismay, when the  carriage with the 2009 Queen's court went by, no one representing Miss Danish was in attendance.  Young Miss and Junior Miss were there waving happily.  Now it is my understanding that if Miss Danish cannot fulfill her duties, then 1st runner up would ride in the carriage, and if she couldn't, then 2nd runner up, Mary, would.  Neither happened.  1st runner up was dancing on another float and Miss Danish won Miss Stanton 2010 and was on their float.  So even after Mary offered to ride for Miss Danish, she was turned down.  That wasn't a good feeling at all. She did enjoy sitting at the parade with Brandon and his family and then having lunch together. As much as I DON'T like clowns, I really missed the clown band this year.  They are so good, and funny as long as they keep their distance from me.  Later in the afternoon, Matthew went to work at the high school auditorium to work crew for the evening concert, Centerville, and country rock group.  Mary and I went to the concert and it was very good. They played "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" at the very end and it was so awesome!  The lead violinist can really play that fiddle.

Sunday was kind of a lazy catch up on sleeping day.  We watched some TV, played Band Hero and Matthew and I went shopping for food.  Mary had lunch with her favorite english teacher before napping for a few hours.  It was a nice day.

Monday was  CARPET DAY.  I took pictures of our hardwood floor so we know how it looks underneath, but the carpet looks so nice too.  Henry helped me move the furniture back in my room and I even slept there last night! It was so wonderful to have my own bed back. I still have lots of stuff to put back in place, and I am going to go through it slowly in case I can throw some of it away.  Brandon came over Monday night and grilled some rib eye steaks and did a great job.  They were delicious.  I made salad, mashed potatoes and brownies! I attended the post-season SOFTBALLcoaches meeting and for the most part had a productive agenda.  The silly 1 +1 rule will stay for another year! I don't like starting with one ball and one strike before I even see one pitch! Boo!

Today we worked most of the morning and early afternoon cleaning out the downstairs so the CARPETS could get CLEANED. There is stuff everywhere! The kitchen in packed full, 3 season room is full, the front entrance room is full and so is Jeff's office! The carpets are clean and look nice, drying pretty good.  The steps are the most wet.  Poor Sammy has to stay in the kitchen.  He has been a good trooper.  I hope he doesn't get mad tonight and chew something up.  He likes to sleep in the den or living room.

Tomorrow we will start putting things back should the carpet be all dry. I WORK at Hailey's tomorrow for 4 hours. It will be nice to see her again. She has been in the hospital the past few days. She had her trach out and needed to be observed to make sure she will be fine without it.  So far  so good!  Hurray!

Guess that catches everyone up for now..have a good day! Lots more picture posted on the Photo Album, take some time to look~

Gracie

What's Next?

I was hoping that I could get a little more "breathing time" but this summer has been quite a challenging roller coaster for me.  It has been quite a while since I wrote last, and even though I wanted to blog a good diary of my vacation, I have decided that Florida highlights is the way to go followed by everything else that has been going on lately. Get comfortable because this could be a long story.

FLORIDA TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Day 1: Mary takes us to the airport at 0530 and we are in Florida before noon. Chil-Fil-A for lunch.  Sarah and Matthew's favorite. Jeff's evening flight was delayed, picked him up at 8 pm and then had a late night supper of our favorite pizza, Papa John's.  Both we don't have in Greenville.  Mmm it was delicious.

Day 2: Matthew woke up with a bad stiff neck.  I iced it for a few minutes until our AT student got up and gave him so good therapy.  Jeff worked his magic too, and although delayed, we were off to the Polynesian Hotel. It was magical to walk in and feel like you were on the islands with all the trees, flowers and waterfalls. Our building was right on the shore of the 7 Seas Lagoon.  I especially liked that we could do all of our traveling to the parks on the monorail. Dave and Leslie met us there and we got to the Magic Kingdom after lunch.  Good thing the park is open until 3 am!  Forgot to mention that we decided to celebrate Mom's bday when we made the reservations so the whole park gave her good wishes wherever she went. She had a birthday button on.  It was a very hot day so mom went back to stay cool at the hotel, while we hit our favorite rides.  Matthew pushed me in a wheelchair  most of the day, which allowed us to get through most of the lines much quicker. Jeff's parents met us at the Magic Kingdom and spent several hours with us enjoying the park. By late afternoon, we were ready to go back and jump into the pool with a slide built into a mountain.  It was lots of fun.  Dan and his family were there too, and the cousins were in teen contest poolside.  Kaitlyn and Matthew's team won. The prize? A free 30 minute boat ride!  Yay!  The whole family had dinner together at the Polynesian hotel. It was pretty darn good too.  At 10 pm a group of us headed back to the Magic Kingdom for more fun.  Can you say Buzz Lightyear 3 times in a row?  We  were back in our room at 3 am and asleep at 3:01. LOL! 

Day 3: Jeff had to leave at 0930 on the Disney Express bus back to the airport.  The rest of us had some breakfast at Captain Cook's and then to the marina at the hotel to cash in on the boat rides.  Kaitlyn took her dad, Dan in the boat with her, and Matthew took Eric in his boat. The rest of us boarded a pontoon and rode the 7 Seas Lagoon with Captain Dave at the wheel.  Check out time was 1100 and then we all boarded waited for a monorail to EPCOT. The first one was "sick" and they had to get a new one.  We finally made it and split up into a few groups so everyone could enjoy what was important to them.  Dinner was in "France" where Ratatouille was a gracious host.  The food was good too. One of my favorite experiences was shopping in Japan where  I was still able to hold a conversation in Japanese!  I was just happy to spend time with family! Disney fun had to come to an end and we loaded up our cars and drove back to grandma's after watching the fireworks from the pool area of the Polynesian.

Day 4: Sunday morning came early, but nine of us at grandma's got up and ready for church in Sanford on time. Eric played the piano during the offering and had many compliments. Lunch was at one of my favorites~ Sonny's Bar B Q.  Sure wish they had some here in Michigan. A few hours later we were off to Jacksonville to spend a few days with my brother and his family. The kids swam in their pool and the adults enjoyed conversation.  Dominoes Pizza for dinner and Disney Scene It for entertainment in the evening. Sarah and Kaitlyn were the winning team.  Eric is quite the musician and composer.  He has written music for cello and was happy to compile them in a book for Mary.  You can see that he has a true passion for music composition and can he play!  It was a joy to watch my Godson.

Day 5: Monday was beach day.  We went to a very nice beach and had a great time!  The waves were pretty strong as were the under currents. I loved jumping in the waves and body surfing too. I got pulled under a few times and went for a ride. My leg felt really good even with all the jumping! The kids made a nice sand castle before the weather became threatening and we left for home.  Guess what we had for lunch?? Chik Fil A! This time the adults enjoyed the pool for a while before Matt and Kaitlyn joined us.  We made an awesome whirlpool. Dan grilled delicious burgers for dinner.  Evening entertainment was the movie  Love and Death.

Day 6: We left Tuesday after a group lunch at Applebee's and got back to Oviedo late afternoon and then took in dinner and a show.  Dinner was Steak n Shake and the movie "The Scourcer's Apprentice".  We all liked the movie very much.

Day 7: Our last day in Florida was spent at the mall in the morning with guess! Chik-Fil-A for lunch.  Marlene and Ernie came over in the afternoon and we went bowling.  My bowling wasn't very good, but my leg/foot didn't hurt during all three games!  Yay!  Some bad weather came through and we were bowling through a Tornado Warning!  How exciting! Had dinner together at Outback and then some scrabble back at mom's.   A nice ending to a great trip.

Day 8: Morning came early and we were at the airport by 0930. We had time to shop where we got a few Harry Potter souveniers and Sarah found her frame at the disney store all at the same price as in the parks.  We had hoped to see the new Harry Potter park, but it was very expensive, very crowded and running out of food.  Maybe next trip we can go there.  Mary picked us up at the airport at 3 pm and then we made a Korean feast when we got home and enjoyed a dinner with the Cory's.

....so what happened since?....hold onto your hats!

Bedroom Update: Jeff was making decisions when I was gone and I came home to a beautiful blue room!  I have always wanted a blue room.  As much as I would like to have hardwood floors we decided to go with carpet in a bedroom.  The carpet we picked out was on backorder, so we will be waiting until 8/23 for it to get installed.  So all of my furniture is still filling up the rest of the upstairs and we all sleep downstairs. It will be nice to finally get moved back into my room.  It should be all done before Jeff gets back from Air Force duty in Miami at Southern Command.

Mary's Reign Ends: The Miss Danish 2010 pageant was held last weekend and a new court was crowned. Mary dressed up nice and wore her crown and sash one more time. She looked so nice.  We were happy with the new queen and less impressed with the crew that worked the show held at a church.  Matthew especially said that the mishaps would not have happened had they held it at  the high school. We thought Mary might get to ride in the outgoing court carriage at the end of the parade, but alas only the "winners" ride in that carriage. Mary is fine with that and is happy the year is over.

Departures: We helped Sarah move in to her new house Sunday afternoon and evening. Just hours later, I took Jeff to the airport in Grand Rapids.  He was in Miami later in the morning and will be there until September 11th.   I spent the morning in Grand Rapids having breakfast and shopping before my surgeon's appointment at 0820!  The visit went well.  The doc was happy with my range of motion and pain relief.  Scar healing well. Need to massage it to keep the skin from thickening.  Fun. I see him again in 2 months.

Bad Pipes: Over the past few weeks I have noticed mud backing up into our washtub downstairs, especially after I run the dishwasher.  So I called our plumber to come and flush our drain to see if a back up of other elements was imminent. Well, while he was cleaning out the pipe his auger got stuck in our  pipes underneath the cement floor of our basement. Since it was the end of the day he had to come back the next day to try to get it out.  They had to break up the cement floor to access pipe. The news was bad.  Our pipe had rotted through. The whole length of the pipe was rotted out and the pipe no longer was round.  All the water from our kitchen and washing machine was draining into the earth under our house! Today they were back and rerouted  new pipes utilizing a tank and pump system to drain the water from the incoming pipes.  So I guess I can't let Jeff go on military duty anymore (lol, not really)...first it was an ER appendectomy, then a leaky AC and water damage and now bad pipes! What's next??? I don't want to know or even think about it.

Work:  I went back to work on Wednesday for 4 hours. The shift went well and Hailey gave me lots of hugs.  She will get her trach out on Monday!  She has come a long way baby!My leg did hurt more today, but not sure if work contributed to that.  I am scheduled to work two days next week.  We will see how it goes.  Getting back to work wasn't so easy. My nursing agency had a bunch of admin stuff that "needed" to be done. I jumped through their hoops and was as polite as I could stand and got it done. 

College Prep: Since I couldn't use the kitchen for a few days, we went out to eat and did some shopping for college. Mary has just about finished her list of things she needs and her storage bins are filling up. She also bought a loveseat recliner for her dorm room for $40.  It is quite nice. She covered it with a black sheet, as her room will have a black and white theme.  Hope we can get it all to Ann Arbor. Think we will need to find a helper with a truck! Brandon will be moving in the same day as Mary and we are caravaning down to campus, just don't know if we can get everything in between the two vehicles.It will be a lot of work for 3 or 4 people. Sarah is getting settled into her new house, Klaaren Cottage, at Hope College. She has begun her clinicals, working at a high school, covering their fall sports. She is dong fine and glad to be around her friends that arrived early like her again. While the girls get ready for college life, Matthew spent some of his summer work pay on Band Hero. It is an awesome game for our Wii.  One person plays the drums, one the guitar and one sings.  We have had a lot of fun with it.   I am not very good, but Mary and Matthew are much better. Matthew received his schedule today: Spanish I, Algebra II, Village Green, Chemistry, Psychology and AP Language. He is happy with it.  Matthew will be working a crew job at the high school this weekend for pay.  There is going to be a concert and they need a crew for lights, spots and loading.

Danish Festival: Officially begins tomorrow. Set up has already started. I suppose I will wander around the craft show area tomorrow afternoon. There is a fairy tale parade for kids and then a fireman's parade after dark.  The Flat River Big Band plays about the same time, so I will have to make time for that, they are awesome. The Grand Dansk Parade will go right by my house Saturday around 1100.  I have a few RSVP  from friends that plan to watch from our front yard. I will let you know how the weekend turns out.

I had better quit as I have been writing for several hours!  I have posted lots of pictures in the photo album, including final pictures of my leg, house refurbishing (aka water damage/pipe trouble) and Florida pics under the August collection.  Enjoy!  I have also posted my beautiful daughters addresses for college this year on the side bar. 

Have a great Friday!

Gracie

On Vacation!

Having lots of fun in Florida with family.  Will update with our vacation highlights when I am creative or rested or both.  It might not be until I am back in Michigan!  Hope your day is a good one.!

Too Much

There is too much going on and trying to keep everything straight is quite a job. So glad that Jeff is home with us!

We are making progress little by little on our bedroom. I got the drapes back, the walls insulated and their holes patched with plaster.  Still a lot of work to be done. Last night I discovered mud in our washtub late at night.  Where on earth did that come from?? (No pun intended). I washed it down and Jeff poured some bleach down the drain and so far no more mud.  I sure hope that it is not a sign of sewage backup!

I really need to start practicing the piano for the wedding in a few weeks.  Between all the therapy and house excitement, I get  tired and put it off.  I know the songs pretty well, but should polish it all up with practice every day.  Guess it is a good thing that I am not back to nursing yet! 

Sarah is done with work and moves out on Wednesday..then we leave for Florida on Thursday. I am going to be riding on a whirlwind! We have doctor appointments and therapy between now and then as well.  Lots planned with brothers and family. I am sure the time will fly by!

Therapy has been a little frustrating. The one gal doesn't seem to be the sharpest tack in the box.  I was running late and called ahead.  They said I could do the exercises but she might not be able to stretch my muscles! I am thinking I can do exercises at home, I need the stretching from a professional!  I explained my feelings upon my arrival and they met my needs.  She also tends to "blow off" some of my questions.  If I tell her that the outside of leg hurts, she responds with, that doesn't have anything to do with your gastroc (calf muscle).  I beg to differ. I am thinking it really means, I don't know an answer, so I am make up something. She ices my ankle when my leg hurts.  I am glad that I don't have any more appointments with her.  I have my favorite, Amy.  I have questions to ask her before my trip! I see the surgeon when I get back.  My biggest concern is that my hard leg will get harder without the PT massage.

Guess that is all for now..I don't feel too creative these days, so hang in there, it will come back in time!

Gracie