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