Family Update for May

Can you believe  that it is the end of May already?  It  is hard for me to keep track these days, sometimes I don't even know what day it is. A lot has happened in the last 9 months, starting with becoming empty nesters and then my cancer diagnosis. My family has been so supportive I don't know how I would have made it without them.

Now for the updates:


Sarah has finished her first year of Graduate School and is taking making sure her high school athletes are safe and well cared for.  She loves her job as athletic trainer and the students, coaches and administrators all love her!  It was so nice having Sarah home this Memorial Day. She was in Holland for a wedding and then spent time with us.  She will be coming back home for an extended period in a few weeks.  It will be good  to have her home.





Mary finished her junior year at of U of M and also passed her state test that makes her an official English teacher!  Her other good news that she is the new President of the Women's Glee Club. She will do a great job!  Brandon graduated from U of M and I am so glad  that Jeff and I could be there. We had a nice  time with the Cory's.  Mary spent a week at home before embarking on a trip  to Europe with Brandon.  They are having a great time and seeing so many wonderful places.  Click on the link in the right column, where they are sharing their trip with us!

Matthew now has a car down in Norman. Jeff drove the camry down and then flew home after spending a few days with him.  He is moved into his  summer dorm room, taking some summer classes and working at the OU Scene Shop in an apprenticeship.   He will move into his apartment with 3 other buddies in August. I sure miss that boy. Guess I will have to skype more. I need more pictures too!


Sure enjoyed having my mom here to help out after my transplant.  We had a nice time together and her help in the kitchen, cleaning and laundry is so appreciated.  We even enjoyed an event at Gilda's House!  I think it is time for her to come back.  Went home only a week ago after staying in the hospital with me when I had breathing problems.  Glad to say I am on the mend.

Better fold some laundry and get some sleep!

Gracie

CONGRATULATIONS!

Brandon Cory is UCLA bound for Law School! Pretty Awesome! It's Michigan Law School's Loss. Mary and Brandon are finishing up their semester this week.  Brandon graduates on May second!  Planning on being there!  Go Blue! Go Brandon!






Sarah is doing great.  Baseball season..our favorite. Too bad the Tigers have had some really bad days.  She will be giving her proposal about her thesis.  Great Job honey!

Mary is finishing her junior year, and will be continuing her student teaching before graduating next year.  She will also be the President of the Women's Glee Club!

Matt is busy during is last few weeks of his first year of college.  He is going to live and work in Norman.  Jeff will be taking a car to him in a few weeks..

Have a happy day!

Grace

Fun Weekend

 We had a wonderful weekend!  Even with the rain and snow. There was a splattering of sunshine too!

Friday we enjoyed the Annual Collage Concert at Greenville  High School.  We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful fine arts program here.  All three of our kids profited from their participation and education.

Brandon's last Men's Glee Club Concert was one of the best ever!  So glad I was able to attend.  We were able visit with Brandon's family too.

Sunday worship and bible study started our day our right and we supported the Blue Star Moms by having dinner at Big Boy.  Meijer isn't to crowded at 2100, so we all went grocery shopping since we ate most of what was in our fridge.

Eye exam and Lab Day today. Check my CaringBridge for my medical update. 

Now were off for some pizza.  Mmm. 

Gracie

It's OUR Anniversary

 Today marks our 28th Wedding Anniversary.  I feel good and we are going to Ann Arbor for a concert.  I am looking forward to it.  

Grace


PS:
10,000 reasons (click here)
 I love this song.  Remember hearing it first at the Pastors Conference just before my diagnosis of cancer.  I listened to this every morning of chemo.  Maybe I should start doing that now.  Enjoy!

Rain

The past  few days have been very rainy. Good for the grass and trees, but I prefer staying dry. 

Had an appointment in Grand Rapids yesterday morning that went well, and then my mom and I worked in the kitchen. I think we accomplished a lot. Jeff has started the laundry and we will be the folders.

Mary presents her first lesson plan today for her college class.  I guess it is her "final".  A few more weeks and Mary will finish her junior year and Brandon will graduate!  Law school ahead. They will be travelling to Europe this summer for a few weeks.  Sounds like fun!

Sarah and Matthew are fine....nothing new. 

Mom and I work on little projects in the house.  We will work on laundry with Jeff as the leader of the team.   Mom is going to dust and I will rest, I guess.

Friday we will attend the collage concert at GHS and Saturday we hope to attend the UM Men's Glee Club.  Brandon's last concert.  It didn't seem so long ago I went to his first one!

That's all for now....have a good week!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA WILHELM!

Time for Blogger Again

I don't have as much medical news to journal on CaringBridge, so I am going to try to update my blog on family events more frequently now. I try to keep family news here, and cancer news on the "bridge".  This picture was taken on my new birthday 2/22/13, the day of my transplant.

 I am feel pretty good and really glad to have mom here helping out.  Jeff has been balancing so much since the beginning of my fight with cancer. He loves me, takes good care of me, our house and his work at church. I hope to get back to work this summer.  Our congregation has been so wonderful to the whole family.

Sarah continues to love her job as athletic trainer at Summerfield High  School.  The good thing is that they love her too!  Working steadily on her thesis.  She will be presenting her proposal of her thesis next month. She will be staying in Toledo this summer and her sister Mary will be staying in Ann Arbor most of the summer.

Mary is busy all the time.  She was elected President of the Women's Glee Club next year! That was one of her goals as  a  freshman.  Keeping up with her teaching class, student teaching and continues to help at an elementary school each week.  Brandon graduates with his Bachelor's degree next month and will most likely attend Law School at UCLA in the fall.  Mary has one more year of student teaching and some history classes as she is minoring in History.  She will be taking her   English Teacher test on Saturday for the state, not for a grade. 

Matthew has a dorm room to himself now. His room mate moved in with another friend in  the dorm.  Matt likes this arrangement to he has more  room!  Classes are going pretty well and he has been also working on scholarships and acquiring a car for this summer and beyond.  He will be working in Norman this summer and has
rented an apartment with 3 of his buddies. My boy is growing up!  He sure has had lots of experiences.  Unfortunately, his bike was never recovered.

All three have been so supportive to me and do things to cheer me up.  I love them so much and I know they love me. Last report on Sammy, he is doing well and made himself at home.   I am glad he made the adjustment well.

Other than that all is well. Hope your world is terrific.  

Love you all!

Gracie

Good News to the Kids

Jeff and I were some happy after receiving the news about my complete response to chemotherapy, that we texted our children first. It wasn't long before we received hoorays from all three of them. Just another star in our day.

Now for a quick update:

Sarah: Continues to work on her thesis and works at the high school.  She really loves being an Athletic Trainer.  Any recent injuries haven't been too severe, which is good.Sarah calls me everyday and catches me up on her day and I help pass the time as she drives home for 30 minutes. 

Mary: Enjoys her student teaching, however now that the assignments in her classes are in full swing, it is back to work! She has a very busy life at U of M.  Brandon has been offered a full tuition scholarship to Washington and Lee Law School.  UCLA has also offered him some nice financial incentive. He's hoping to hear what Michigan Law School will offer him too.  Harvard is still making some admission decisions, so no word yet.

Matthew: Signed a lease for apartment next year with 3 other buddies. Looks like he will be staying in Oklahoma for the summer and working there at the scene shop and maybe somewhere else too.  In just  a few days he will be talking with the head of the school of drama to see if there might be a possibility of him getting in-state tuition.  It gets pretty involved, but if you could pray for a positive answer, that would sure be appreciated. 

Since our trips to Karmanos Cancer Center begin next week, it will be time take Sammy to his new home.  He has been a guest there several times. I know he will be well taken care of, maybe even spoiled.  Still I am getting a little sad about it. But it is for the best.

Well, that is all...next update? Next time I have exciting news about the kids!

Gracie

A New Semester

The Holidays have come and gone and the kids are back at their college and classes.  It was sure nice having them home.

Sarah- Loves her graduate assistant job as Athletic Trainer at Summerfield High School.  She has built up a rapport with the coaches, students and parents.  Her classes are early in the morning then has time to use the exercise room and have time for lunch before driving 30 minutes to the high school.  She does have one evening class from 7-10pm once a week.

Mary- Has a very full schedule, but is very happy to start her student teaching at a local Ann Arbor High School.  All of  her English classes for her major are complete, so the rest of her classes are teaching classes and history classes.  She will be getting a minor in history and of course getting a teaching certificate. She is still the secretary of the women's glee club and works at the pizza house.

Matthew- Has an English class and the rest are Theatre classes.  Character study, Drafting and Costume Construction. He will be learning to sew!  Matt works 10 hours a week in the scene shop for work study.  He and three other guys are looking at apartments for next year.  Looks like he might be living in Norman this summer.  Anyone have an extra car??

As new and exciting events happen with the kids, I will try to update this page.  We are very proud of them.

Update on Our Kids

Sarah continues to excel at University of  Toledo.  She is on target with her thesis and has one week left of classes.  Unfortunately she can't come home until the 21st because she has basketball games to work at her high school.  She loves what she does and the staff, coaches and kids love her!

 Mary passed her MTTC basic skills test. For all of us non-teachers it stands for Michigan Tests for Teacher Certification. She will be student teaching this coming semester. Time flies! I am so excited for her! She has one final on Tuesday and has a shift at the pizza house on Wednesday evening.  Mary will be home on Thursday! Brandon has been accepted to Georgetown and George Washington law schools.  Waiting to her from Harvard. 

Matthew finishes up his first semester this week and will be home on Saturday and will be home for nearly a month!  I don't hear too much about school, but I guess that might be a good thing.  Another good thing is that his leg/ankle wasn't broken! It was just a bad sprain/strain.  Thank the Lord.  No news on his bike.  Boy, that still makes me mad!

I enjoy seeing the white snow on the ground and look forward to seeing our Christmas Tree up soon!  Not sure how much decorating will get done this year.

Until Next Time~

Grace

Happy Veteran's Day!

Thank you to all who serve and have served in our nation's military and protecting our Freedom!  Special thanks to Bob Scherer, Dan and Lori Brown, Mitch Oliver and my veteran Jeff!  

Jeff and I had a very nice evening in Ann Arbor last night.  We attended Mary's U of M Women's Glee Club Concert.  It was wonderful! Mary looked beautiful and getting lots of her hugs made me so happy.   It was nice to see Brandon and the Cory's too.  More hugs! 

Mary recently completed a project in her English ambiguity class.  It is pretty complicated to this old nurse.  I am just amazed at what she can do!  Have a look at the project: Mary's Garden Path. Brandon has received his acceptance to Michigan's Law School! He is very excited.  Guess the Dean of the Law School handed him the letter in person!  Wow!  He is going to have a very hard decision this winter.

Sarah has turned in a rough draft of two chapters of her thesis about predicting ankle injuries in high school athletes.  Basketball season at the high school has begun for boys and girls, so she is back to afternoon practices.  She loves her work at the high school. The kids love her too.  It's obvious she chose the right profession.  I just talked to her and she is working on a special mission for a special person! 

Matthew is working hard at classes.  Performed a monologue for a class and felt he did a great job.  No news about the bike yet.  Guess there were some tornado sirens yesterday, but no tornadoes, thank goodness.  I sure miss him, but am so happy he is at such a great school. 

That is about it.  Until next time~

Gracie

Family Update

My last post was October 16th, the day of my bone marrow biopsy.  Three days later I would learn I had Multiple Myeloma with Plasma Cell Leukemia, requiring immediate inpatient treatment.  Today I am home and recovering and preparing for Round 2.  I will be using caring bridge to update my medical status, but will try to update family life here as necessary.

Jeff is doing a wonderful job taking care of me, the house and church.  Flushes my central line like a pro and keeps track of all my medicines. 

Sarah checks in on me throughout the week and had begun writing her thesis.  Chapter One: Introduction.  Hoping it is going well for her. 

Mary is home. She has baked cookies, started the laundry and is cooking dinner!  We all enjoyed a pizza dinner last night.  She will need to leave after lunch tomorrow. Mary will be singing with the UM Women's Glee Club Concert next weekend.  I hope to be able to attend.  Dr Brinker doesn't want me to miss it.  I need to stay healthy!

Brandon was interviewed by Georgetown Law School with all but an official acceptance. Sounds like an awesome place of opportunities.  He has been accepted to UCLA, but I told him that is too far away..LOL.  

Matthew is doing well at OU.  He ran his first 5K today in less than 30 minutes! Woohoo! Last night he rain in some sort of zombie survival run. Came out with torn jeans...Guess he had fun.  He's looking good for now...Matthew is participating in No Shave November.   We will see how he looks by Thanksgiving... Mountain Man Matt?  He makes me smile.....always.

Sammy did fine at the kennel for nearly a week. Looks nice after getting groomed. It is obvious he is glad to be home.  Just like me....

Jeff and Grace at the Pastors' Conference

Mission Point Resort, Mackinac Island

An Anniversary, Tigers Win, Family Update

Yesterday was the anniversary of our engagement.   It's amazing that I still remember that 28 years later. My first dinner at the Officer's Club, being speechless when he proposed and hearing the waitress coach me "say yes, lady, say YES!"  Then the people dining  around us cheered and the waitress brought us a bottle of champagne "on the house" to celebrate!  We then hurried off to get my ring sized, but I couldn't part with it, so I wore it home instead.  Evidently our families knew what was happening that weekend, and were waiting for the announcement.  Stevie Wonder's song "I Just Called to Say I Love You" came on the radio and will  be a special memory each time I hear it until I die. We set a date for our wedding quickly, April 13th.  It would be spring break so family would be able to come!  I didn't want to get married in the summer down in South Florida...it is just too hot! I didn't want to be grumpy on my wedding day.

The leaves have turned color early this year. We are going to Mackinac Island next week and hope that the leaves are still on the trees and that we can enjoy their beauty.  The temperatures have also gotten cooler.  The highs are in the 50's.  Still waiting for the first hard frost.   I am happy for the cooler weather.



How about those Tigers!  Back to back AL Central Division Champions!  Miguel Cabrera wins the triple crown for the first time since 1967! That is the highest batting average, most home runs and runs batted in for the season.  Now they have to keep playing stellar baseball to be the American League Champions.

It is obvious that I am having trouble blogging more frequently.  I am very sorry.  So, for this entry I will update our lives, person by person.

Jeff:

• Ran in a 5K Mercy Run and came in first in his age group.
• Continues to be the chaplain for our local Habitat for Humanity
• Helped our 3 kids move in to their college homes and assisted with furniture moves and assembly.  
• Busy with church activities especially since we have two services now.
• Given three weather presentations about weather and the military, hurricanes and tornadoes. I was able to attend the presentation to the American Meteorology Society.  Nice!
• Taking me to Mackinac Island this week, while attending a pastor's conference.
• Taking good care of the grass.  We had is aerated and seeded.  Lots of watering!

Grace

• Still working at Metro Health.  Love my job and the people I work with.
• Directing a new year of Sunday  School, Children's Church and Orchestra.
• Still adjusting to the empty nest situation.  Less laundry and cooking which is nice, but I sure miss my babies.  I still get very sad and can't wait until I get to see them even if it is one at a time.  A hug is a gift!  In the meantime, texting,phone calls and skypeing keep us connected.
• Have had lots of doctor appointments and blood draws lately. Guess I have some anemia and larger proteins floating around causing a little concern.  Seeing a hematologist now to figure out what to do about it.  Will keep you updated.

Sarah

• Celebrated her 23rd birthday.  We sent flowers (a surprise) and a box of gifts.  
• The coaches love having her as an athletic trainer. They love the way she communicates with them.  She has had lots of experiences already and handled them well with professionalism.
•  Sarah has been home a few times since her move to Toledo.  
•  I know that she is happy the Tigers are in the playoffs again.

Mary

• She is back to being busy at the University of Michigan.  5 English classes, Secretary of the Women's Glee Club, K-Grams, working at the Deutsche Schule in Ann Arbor and was recently hired as a waitress at the Pizza House just a few blocks away from her house.
• The house buddies are doing fine, taking turns cooking and keeping up with MOST of the chores.  Guess they still need to work on dishwashing. She has begun looking for a place to live next year already.  Places get filled up quick in a college town.  Most people make arrangements for housing about this time of year for the following year.  I think it is crazy, but I guess necessary.
• Got some really great news yesterday.  Brandon has been accepted to Law School at the College of William and Mary, Thomas Jefferson's school!  Williamsburg, VA is a nice area too.  Of course he is waiting to hear from more schools in the coming months. 
• Brandon and Mary are planning to come home next weekend for the fall break.  Yay!  Wish I didn't have to work that weekend. Guess they are working too.

Matthew

• Is loving the University of Oklahoma.  He has posted some great pictures too.  Take a look at his facebook!  We are now Sooner Parents and very proud.
•  He has been involved with all of this season's productions and has had lots of work on the set for the opera. I sure wish we could go and see it!
• We skyped with Matt and it was so nice to see him! Can't wait for a hug from him at  Christmas.  He has an airplane ticket for mid December.  Yay!
• Please continue to pray for his buddy Mitch who is deployed in Afghanistan.

Closing Thoughts

• I am getting sick and tired of politics.   It amazes me how "blind" people are to the truth. Thinking of coming up with top 10 things I want people to know along with a question that gets them think!  

• Need to get up off the couch and do laundry, quicken and grocery shopping

That's all for now....have a great weekend.

Gracie

                                                                              

Exhausting

You know what is exhausting? Life.  Too much change and too many good byes to the special people in my life in a short amount of time. That's where I was yesterday.

• I was missing my kids, sitting in church alone. So I decided to sit with my buddies the Clarks. It was nice having Jack there keeping my company. Still, I missed Sarah, Mary and Matthew. Almost became reminiscent of when they were young sitting in church with me. Now they are off  starting a "new" life.  So proud of them, but miss them so much. My eyes got teary.

• Guess what yesterday was?  Farewell to the Clarks!  They are moving to the Lansing area which is a really good thing for them as a family.  What that means for me is that Jack won't be coming to play with me anymore, no more softball with them, no more VBS fun and there goes another family that means so much to me.  More tears..A video tribute plays...more tears.

• This was all happening knowing that Matthew's best friend, Mitch, is deploying to Afghanistan. We have known that for a long time, but reality hits and more tears.  He is a wonderful young Christian man.  Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Matthew could use them too, as he is very concerned about his buddy.

•  Had some time to relax before playing for chapel at long term care. Came home to a bunch of doggy accidents that is very abnormal for Sammy.  He seems better today.

Didn't sleep too  well last night or this afternoon. It was a blessing that I was cancelled at work. Don't know if I will sleep too well tonight though, because sub-conciously I will be listening for the phone.  I hope it doesn't ring.  Jeff and I did enjoy some time at the club and then ate grilled hot dogs in hawaiian hot dog buns.  They are delicious!  Tigers lost, I didn't cry, but I am quite frustrated with the Tigers these days.  Hope they can pull it together and at least earn a wild card spot in the post season.

Tomorrow, I will start on my new and updated "things to do list" before an afternoon nap. I will work tomorrow.  On Call on Wednesday.  I do get one more Jack day on Friday! :)

Thanks for listening! Know that I doing ok today.


Gracie

UMWGC in South Africa- The Yellow and Blue

See the whole article at UMich LSA.  Mary is quoted a few times! Be sure to click on the LSA in the upper left corner and see the home page.  Nice picture there!

I Corinthians 15

⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

 

Frustrations, Frustrations!

Today has had it's frustrations.

• My back still hurts, couldn't see the doctor.  Called to let his nurse know.  No response.

• Getting ready for Rally Day.  Lots of clean up and throw away needed.  

• Laundry in waiting. Won't do it in the dark, afraid the bats might come out.

• Watching the DNC..wow they are really nasty.  No voice for the unborn and the far right hates the democrats. These guys are nutso.   The thought of John Kerry as the next Sec of State is scary.
• Stop blaming Bush...I am sick of it.

On a good note,

• The kids are doing well at their schools

• I got a nice haircut.

• Shopping is done.

• Errands are getting done, slowly but surely.

Looking forward to a nice Thursday. How about you??

Gracie

September is Here!

Well, I was finally able to access my own blog and decided it was about time that I updated it.  Thank you to all of those who read it, for being so patient over the past two weeks. Looks like the last time I blogged,  we were still in Oklahoma. Matthew didn't even move into his dorm yet.

OKLAHOMA HIGHLIGHTS

• Matthew moved in to Walker Tower (Jeff lived there too, 30 years ago) with help from us and some nice young men from a fraternity.  It wasn't until later that we realized we could have rented a dolly!  We didn't have that much to haul so we moved everything in one load. Later he had everything put away the way he wanted, just as he always does.
• We enjoyed a night playing some video games, eating pizza, driving go-karts and hitting balls in the batting cage before we stopped and bought Matthew a new Schwinn bike at Target on the way to campus to drop him off. He had Drama orientation in the morning.  Unfortunately, I got a call from Matthew reporting that his new bike broke after two blocks.  He walked to orientation and Jeff and I went to get the bike.  It was  unrepairable, so we returned it and got Matthew a nice, reliable bike to use on campus.  
• Jeff and I drove to Dallas Friday afternoon and spent two days with his sister Kathy and family. We had fun watching Hannah play volleyball and eating barbeque dinner together. 
• Sunday morning we drove back to Norman for church and then more time with Matthew.  We went to a few bookstores and helped him get his books and then had CiCi's pizza before heading back to Michigan.  
• I was sad leaving Matt behind, but I know that he will do great at OU and especially bond with the people at the School of Drama.  Mr Orr, the director, recognized us at an eatery the night we arrived. Pretty impressive.

SURPRISE!

• Jeff and I had a nice ride home Monday, stopping to see my Alma Mater, a Mexican Lunch and a little subway for dinner.  We also stopped in Holland to pick up a few things that Sarah left at the house she lived in during the summer.
• It was about 11 pm when we rolled into our driveway.  Brandon's car was still there, and I was excited to see Mary and her best friend.  When we walked in, we had a bug surprise~they had torn down all the wallpaper off the kitchen walls and repainted it.  Our downstairs bathroom was done too!  They look great.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

• A week later, the three of us drove to Detroit airport to pick up Brandon and Mary's friend Leonard. It was a surprise for Brandon who thought his friend wouldn't be moving back to Ann Arbor till later in the week. After a few delays, we made it back to Greenville with a plan to make it the best surprise possible.  Luckily, Brandon invited us to come over and see his China pictures so the plan worked well and we had a fun with the reveal.  Jim took all of us on a pontoon ride before we went home for rest.
• Tuesday we had the Cory's over for a Korean meal, a tradition, before the move back to college.

• Wednesday we headed out a little later than planned and arrived to Mary's new house around 2 pm.  She will be living with 5 friends, including Leonard and Brandon.  It is a big place and quite nice for it's age.  We had some lunch late, then did some needed shopping.  Jeff hung a shelf for Mary before we left around 6:30pm to go to Sarah's JV football game.  We saw the last few minutes of the game, and her office/clinic at the high school. It is pretty neat to see Sarah at work and the place where she spends her time.  Had dinner with Sarah and crashed at her apartment overnight.
• Thursday we went back to Ann Arbor and helped Mary with more house stuff. We needed another shopping trip and more work on the shelf by Jeff to make it sturdy for Mary's clothes.  Things were shaping up nicely before we left and she has a real nice group of friends to live with this year. We got home by 10 pm and got ready to face another day. This time as empty nesters.

THIS WEEKEND

• Sarah came home for three nights.  She was able to see her friends at Hope and here in Greenville.  I had to work Friday and Saturday night. Both nights went by quickly, but Sunday was very busy in the special care nursery.  Better than being bored, right?
• Sunday we went to church and a birthday party.  It was pretty fun.  Sarah had been wanting a steak dinner for a while, so we drove to Grand Rapids to Outback for dinner. The bloomin onion was good and the salads came out, but then we waited for our steaks for a LONG time. The manager came and apologized and said she would take care of or whole meal! The steaks came out a few minutes later, and mine was cooked well done instead of medium. Sarah asked for medium rare and she had a steak that had a little bit of medium, a little bit of medium rare and maybe a little rare too. It was a disappointment.  Along with taking care of the bill, they gave us a voucher for the next visit.  We gave it to Sarah to take to Toledo, so she can take some friends for Steak next time she wants some. 
• When we got home we finished watching the Tiger game with a win!  Today they weren't so lucky and lost by 1.  Oye! 
• Sarah left just before lunch and headed back to Toledo. She had lunch with a best friend from Hope, now attending MSU Law School.  There was football practice this afternoon and no injuries.
• College football this weekend went ok, I guess.  Gators won, Sooners won, but Michigan lost to Alabama.  They are a hard team to beat too!  Hoping the rest of their season goes better! Our family football contest is up and running, there is still time to join annd play.

LOOKING AHEAD

• Working my third Friday in a row, but had 5 nights off in a row. Watching my favorite little people a couple days this week. 
• Rally Day is next Sunday, so I will be working on getting ready for another year of Sunday School.
• Regular chores, an oil change and a haircut are part of my week.

For now, I think I have everything covered.  Have a great night and Happy Birthday to Eric and Leslie whose birthdays came and went and I have yet to send their cards out!  They are coming!

Love You!

Gracie

Boomer Sooner!

The last few weeks have been crazy and overwhelming!  I never want to do another garage sale as long as I live! So many hours looking through our stuff, set up and organizing, then sitting out in the hot weather waiting for customers.  We had a low turnout and ended up donating most of the stuff to goodwill in the end. Couldn't even sell TV's for 10 bucks!

In the meantime, we have done tons of laundry, helping Matt pack his stuff, the Olympics and working a 3 day weekend right before our trip with my emotions on a roller coaster of happy and sad. I have decided that I have more tears of happiness and excitement than sadness of empty nesting. Notice I said more, because I still have the sad ones too, memories of them being small and now they are grown up and I won't have them home every day after school.  I always loved when they came home from school.  I still do, I just have to wait months instead of hours.

After a long weekend of work and minimal sleep, Matt, Mary, Brandon, Jack, Jeff and I went to Craig's Cruisers, Matt's favorite, which happened to be his half birthday.  We had lots of fun eating pizza, playing games and driving the go-karts. When we got home, it was back to work finishing the laundry, packing making lists, cleaning and paying bills.

Tuesday morning came quick, again with minimal sleep, and we were packed up, said good bye to Mary and on the road by 0830 EDT.  We drove until 3:30 pm CDT, where we stopped in St. Louis.

First we did a little shopping at Union Station then headed to a Cardinals baseball game.  We had so much fun! Home Runs, Fireworks and even watching all the people was great entertainment! I think there was only one family of Diamondbacks (aka Dbacks) who brought posters, spelling D-b-a-c-k-s. For nine innings they "fouled" up the spelling and timing of using said posters. It was so funny.  Even the people next to me couldn't help but chuckle along at their crazy mistakes. The Cards won an got nine hits during the game,  which equals a Krispy Kreme donut special! Spent the night in Cahokia,IL resting up for another day's drive.

Which brings us to today.  We were back on the road by 10 and drove another 8 hours before arriving in Norman, OK.  We had a very nice dinner at the Interurban Restaurant, where we enjoyed fajitas and chips and salsa.  Braums is the place for ice cream, so we stopped there for dessert and then went to WalMart for the first time this trip.  The Comfort Suite Inn is our home away from home.  We stayed here back in March when Matthew had his interview.  It is a nice place.

Tomorrow? This is what is planned so far:

• Meet with an academic advisor.
• Get Matthew's OU ID card
• Move in to his dorm
• Shop for more needed items, including a bike! 
• Buy books??? 

Supposed to be hot with rain in the afternoon. Maybe that will hold off till late afternoon.

Check my facebook for more frequent updates of our goings on, and the photo album has plenty of photos. Say a little prayer for me, my back has been hurting for the past several days. Ibuprofen has kept the edge off.  Hope I can be of some help moving tomorrow.

Better get some sleep!

Gracie

Accomplishments

Things are getting done, and I feel a real sense of accomplishment.  Laundry is done, bills paid, quicken is at a manageable place, garage sale partially set up and ad in the paper and I haven't missed too much of the olympics.  I folded a ton of clothes for the sale this morning, mostly donations from Mary.  Still have to price everything! Thanks to being cancelled at work last night, I was able to get a few more things done.

For now, I need to go the store and also pick up my garage sale kit from the newspaper.  Then napping is necessary so I can work tonight and tomorrow night.  Time is going to fly!  Anxious to have Mary back from her trip.  She is a great organizer!  The Law School Tour blog is great, be sure to check it out and see all the nice pictures!  Sarah is doing well in Toledo and has begun work as an Certified Athletic Trainer. Woohoo!

Have a  nice day!

Grace