So two weeks ago I hit the Big 50th Birthday. Now what? I decided I should start counting backwards(probably easier to remember). And how did I spend my special day? Ordering porta potties for a Boy Scout Rappelling and Zipline camping trip. And I was trying not to lose my cool when discussing finances for the trip with a very control freak boy scout leader(he wanted to pay for everything ahead of time-food and portapotty, but I did not yet have a final head count to divide the amount). Anyway, I was busy at Scott's meeting collecting permission slips, liability forms and checks and answering questions that I did not have answers to because we did not do this trip last year. Scott just joined this troop in February. And Tom and I found out that they left a lot of information out that they should have told us(like exactly how much responsibility was left up to us). Tom was busy loading my van with tons of camping and cooking gear. He ended up cooking for about 25 adults-2 breakfasts(hot), 2 bagged lunches and 1 dinner. (It's a good thing I have some very large cooking pots!)It is a big contest to see who can make the best food. Tom made Italian Wedding Soup, Chicken Jambalaya and Cherry Chocolate Dutch Oven Cobbler for dinner on Sat. The soup was the big hit. We were all so hungry, we had Tom serve dinner before 5pm. I guess being outside and hiking up mountains and climbing down ropes and sitting in the cold and dark and wet makes you very hungry! Breakfast included Egg McToms and lots of tasty sandwiches for lunch.

Tom headed up to our campground on Friday afternoon after prepping the food items and loading the van. He wanted to get there before dark. He spent Thursday afternoon shopping for food items. Scott and I did not make the Friday night camping since Scott was in his late night religious badge class until 9pm. I did not want to try and drive down country roads late at night looking for a few boy scouts in their tents out in a farm field. As it was, I got lost on Saturday morning. Stupid GPS. But we arrived in plenty of time to hike up a very steep mountain. It was so steep, they actually carved steps into the granite to get to the summit. I headed off with the boys. Tom stayed at the campsite cooking all day. I was not about to try rapelling(especially since I am currently failing the boy scout medical exam). But Scott was brave and he tried it-way to go Scott! Needless to say, that first step off the mountain cliff is very scary, but the rest of the way down looks like fun. He was brave enough to try it twice. On Sunday we all broke camp after breakfast and headed over to a zipline/ropes course. Scott had actually been there before with a YMCA summer camp outing so he was familiar with the run. He was able to get in 3 runs since we had 34 people and just 2 hrs.

Tom meanwhile packed up and headed home instead to unpack and clean all the pots and pans and our tent and sleeping bags. It was cold and wet all weekend, overcast and I believe it even snowed that evening! We adults ended up going to bed early on SAturday night after singing a few campfire songs around the bonfire and eating our dessert and drinking hot chocolate. I enjoyed hearing the girls from the Venture group singing Girl Scout songs. Boy Scouts usually just do skits, but noone had anything planned. Girl SCouts always have songs to sing! That Sunday afternoon, Scott and I had to empty out our car and I got started on laundry. Scott got started on his homework.

On Monday, Tom was headed off to Salt Lake City for the week. We had celebrated my birthday with the neighbors at a surprise birthday party that Tom organized and our neighbors hosted. On Tuesday night, Scott, Tom and I went out to dinner and I opened my gifts. I was very happy to get a new Swatch watch, OT earrings and tickets to see Straight No Chaser-the Accopella singing group. They are in town this year for one night only. I think we are sitting in the basement! Of course it is sold out. The group is from Indy and we both really enjoy their music, especially their holiday concert. So we try to catch them at Christmas any time they come to town. And I think Tom has caught the traveling bug from Allison and I as we can't stop talking about our European trip this past summer. Tom wants to go on a cruise or travel overseas and go on a cruise. Whatever. Like I have time to squeeze that in! Next summer we plan on traveling to Indy for Eric Seitz's wedding in June, and then travel up around Lake Michigan through Wisconsin and Michigan. And I really don't have that much vacation with my new job so I will have to save up. I already plan on using the first of my time off this Christmas to travel with the family to Florida.

I did get some volunteer time in at Scott's school. This will be the last year that we have to put in 30 hrs of volunteer time. I helped out with grandparents day. The school invites all the grandparents to come visit in the morning. First we fill them up with donuts and coffee and then send them off to get lost looking for their grandkids classrooms. They get to spend some time seeing what the kids are learning and then we all meet in the church for a prayer service. We have enough grandparents to fill up the entire church, so the kids have to squeeze in around them. Then each class puts on a small presentation-a song, a prayer, a video presentation or music presentation. It was a very nice program and all the grandparents loved seeing their grandkids in action -from preschool to 8th grade. I put Scott to work helping pass out coffee and assisting the music director with the songs. And he only had a little technological issue with the buttons!

This past week Scott and I were on our own as Tom had left for Salt Lake City on Monday. I was busy picking Scott up from school at his Lego Club meeting and getting him to choir early in the morning. And he had a paper to write for his health class and a science test to study for. Turns out he was not feeling well on Monday and I left him home Tuesday with a fever. He got through some of his studies and wrote his paper, but he had a ton of classwork to catch up with the next day. Plus we had boy scouts(we left early to get home so he could study for his science test). His semester is coming to an end so the teachers fill up their schedule. He also had a religion test and spelling test to make up. Turns out I had to come home early on Thursday as my blood pressure shot up in the morning. I took a second pill and emailed my doctor since she was out of town. I have a follow up appointment next week, but for now I am taking a stronger dose. Which made me very tired, so I spent most of this weekend sleeping and napping.

But when I was awake I was busy cleaning and shopping. We were going to host our neighbors for turkey day, but I think they felt sorry for me and bowed out. So we are going to have our friend John Dutton over(from California originally) and of course, Allison is coming home on Tuesday. So lots of food shopping and cleaning. I even had enough energy to clean out a few closets and drop off some more of the kids old clothes to the consignment store. And I did have a little fun when I went out to play Bingo Friday night for the high school fund raiser. Sadly this was the first year I did not win anything(it was because Allison is no longer there). Just wait until next year when SCott attends high school!

And SCott was busy babysitting our neighbor's son while they went to a matinee of Jersey Boys, so Tom decided we should all go and see the new Thor movie. Of course, that did me in for the rest of the night.
And speaking of night, I still have more paperwork to take care of for our boy scout troop(counting and separating checks). So enjoy our camping photos!

 The Thrill of Victory!!! (at the bottom of the hill)

 The first step is the hardest!

 Scott looks like a pro!

 Zipline fun!

 The long climb

 Rappelling wall

Here we are at BAse Camp Alpha on our Boy Scout Rappelling/Zipline weekend. I got live action shots of Scott rappelling for his first time, along with a couple runs on the zip line(you have to bring your gear back with you after traveling across a ravine). And here are the steps up the mountain we used to get to the top.

This turned out to be a week of surprises. Mainly a surprise Birthday party for me! I had mentioned to Tom that I did not want to host my own birthday party(too much work). So our very kind neighbors hosted a surprise party at their house. Tom did all the grocery shopping and they did all the cooking. Mainly it was an appetizer party, but there was so much food and dessert, you didn't need anymore. And most everyone who came brought a dish, so lots to eat and lots to drink. Tom kept everyone entertained playing 50 yrs of my life pictionary. What a competitive bunch! There were about 12 of us-a nice number to sit and chat and eat chocolate cake. I had expected we were going out to dinner with our neighbors and we stopped in at their house for a drink before we left. Not! They even did a great job keeping their cars parked down the street so I wouldn't notice the extra guests. Overall a very fun, relaxing evening. And I got some funny gag gifts and a few nice gifts too. It makes turning 50 a lot more enjoyable. Actually nobody could believe I was turning 50(they are so sweet). And one guest thought it was a party for Tom and brought him a gift!

Since we did not go out to dinner on Saturday night, Tom and I decided to take our neighbors out for brunch on Sunday morning, along with SCott. We have some gift cards to use up. Scott missed the Saturday night party since he was sleeping over at a friends. They had spent the entire day in western Maryland navigating several very large corn mazes. Scott really enjoyed the experience. They were so busy with the mazes, they missed out on apple picking. Even Allison had hoped to drive home for my party. Instead, she was off to Virginia Beach on Friday night for a Regional Field Hockey tournament. The first one in a long time for Salisbury University. The team payed for hotels and transportation. Allison had 3 games on Saturday. They needed to win 2 in order to move on to Sunday's games, but they only won 1 game. They lost by a close score to Boston College, got slammed by Penn State and then beat St Joseph. I think Allison enjoyed the trip-her first time to Virginia Beach. But she would have loved it more if they could have swam in the ocean. Their hotel was right on the ocean, so they had time to stroll the boardwalk. So her field hockey and floor hockey season has come to an end. Now she is looking forward to her visit home at Thanksgiving.And sadly her High School Field Hockey team lost their State Championship game as well, so everybody is done and winter sport season starts. Not sure who to follow anymore(can't really deal with the Ravens right now). At least MSU's football team has been worth cheering for(sorry UofM).  And Allison learned her first real hard lesson about college life-you can't always get the classes you want! She called up very upset last week because most of the classes she wanted were already full. Fortunately she worked something out. I just can't believe they are signing up for spring classes already! And of course they will want to be paid.

While Scott was off in the corn maze on Saturday, I decided to take advantage of some free time and get my hair cut and highlighted. I missed my free day on Friday. I was asked to work since one of our new coworkers was on vacation and my boss was afraid we were going to have a lot of new admissions. Instead I spent the day chasing my patients around since none of them were terribly excited to do anything. Scott and Tom had the day off too. I guess Tom spent the day shopping for my party at Costco. He also helped Scott work on a science lab. They are still at it tonight. And Scott was busy cutting the grass and installing my early birthday present bird feeder. I certainly hope this one is squirrel proof. And in the evening I took him over to his first religion class for his boy scout badge. He was not to excited to spend 3 hrs Friday night in a religion class with just one other boy. (he'll survive). And then it was off to serve mass on Sunday morning. I had to pick him up from his friend's house since he spent the night. He is getting his fill of holy!

Since I lost a free day on Friday, I had to hurry to catch up on my weekend projects including updating our boy scout list and permission slips and payments for the upcoming rappelling and zipline trip next weekend. It is supposed to drop down to the 20s this week with possible snow on Tuesday! I just hope it warms up a little when the weekend rolls around. I really don't want to freeze. I was busy looking through our camping supplies as well as cleaning out the attic in the garage and putting away all the Halloween decorations. I still want to enjoy a few Thanksgiving decorations before I put out the Christmas stuff! So I am not quite done.

Last week I had to stop into the doctor's office for a blood pressure check. I have an annual physical scheduled in December. I will see how this medication is working for me. On Weds night Scott and I skipped the boy scout meeting. Instead I sent Tom to collect checks and permission slips while Scott and I visited with a few Delegates and Senators from our county at his school. For his Citizenship badge he is supposed to speak with someone in the legislative office about a topic important to him or his community. They were discussing tax breaks for private schools so I thought this was a terrific opportunity for SCott to meet up and actually speak with someone in the govt. Unfortunately there were only a few representatives and they were too busy to chat. But Delegate Gail Bates gave him her business card and he sent her an email. We'll see if we get a response. She even posed for a photo with Scott(she loves scouts). Allison's troop met her when I took them down to Legislative Day in Annapolis when the girls were in 7th grade. So we are half way there. Plus Scott earned an out of uniform day for showing up.

Well I have to get back to my boy scout packing. I have another busy week scheduled and I am not getting any younger! Literally!

Here is a shot of SCott schmoozing with Delegate Gail Bates and discussing tax breaks for those donating to private schools. Also a few of my birthday gifts from the neighbors including a handpainted serving dish and a few new snow babies to add to my collection. Along with some gift cards and a calendar. 

Another busy week in the Seitz household. I spent the early part of the week at the ER again. I had tried a new blood pressure medication and was having trouble adjusting. My blood pressure shot up and I felt horrible. Of course I started to feel horrible on Monday night during the parent's boy scout meeting. I left Tom and ran home to call the advice nurse and she would only recommend I call 911. I had left Tom stranded at the meeting down the road, so one of our very concerned neighbors stopped in to see if he could help out. He picked Tom up so I could get a ride to the urgent clinic. They basically told me I had to get used to the medicine. I told the doctor I could not go to work or drive the way I was feeling. She told me it would take at least two weeks to adjust to the medicine(that's what they all say). She was willing to give me one sick day(after she just told me it would take at least two weeks to adjust). I guess doctors don't do math. So I went home and took an extra pill(they always start me off on the lowest dose).

So I have slowly been adjusting to the new medication and trying to stick to a lower dose since it is pretty strong. It has its pros and cons like the other meds, but does not seem to be as bad. So far.  I had to go and see my doctor  since I had been to the urgent clinic which meant I stayed home on Tuesday. I was already home on Monday because I had switched my day off with another co worker. It gave me more time on Monday to put out some more Halloween decorations. And go to mass, and walk Cookie and run some errands as well as attend the Mt Hebron Field Hockey REgional game in the afternoon(no wonder I ended up at the hospital!). So Tuesday I took it easy.

On Weds it was Scott's boy scout meeting and I have been making sure to attend with SCott since our upcoming rappelling/zipline trip is coming up and I needed to start collecting permission slips and money. (So I went even though I was not feeling well). Not to mention that I had gone back to work that day.

At least Halloween was a lot of fun. The weather was wonderful-warmer than usual, but with a shower starting around 7pm. Scott went out trick or treating with a few friends and Cookie and I joined them for the walk and to check out all the kids and decorations. One of our neighbor's house had a "witches party" where all the ladies were sitting around a bonfire in the driveway dressed as witches. Cookie was sporting wings this year and the ladies went crazy over her. Even taking her photo. Most everyone was excited to see Cookie in her wings. She was in heaven walking all around the neighborhood, greeting kids and adults and other dogs. She especially loves going up to their front doors and waiting for the trick or treats(no candy for her though). Even though we got sprinkled on for about an hour, Scott and I decided it was a terrific Halloween. And Tom was home manning the house and passing out the candy to tons of really cute kids. Of course our decorations were a big hit(lots of spiders). I even managed to run home and carve my pumpkin that night before heading out! That evening we had a few neighbors over to watch some football and eat pizza and snacks while the boys counted their candy and played video games. The public school kids were out of school on Friday, but Scott had school and a big science lab due so we did not let everyone stay late.

The weekend rolled along and we were still on the run. I had planned on working Friday. Scott was in a 5K walk at school to support our local soup kitchen for the homeless. I also had to work Saturday to make up for my sick day on Tuesday. Tom and Scott were busy taking down Halloween decorations and studying for upcoming tests. On Sunday morning I headed out early to complete my 5K walk with Cookie in tow to raise money for the Brain Injury Association of Maryland. My workplace sponsored our team and we had a great time hiking around a local park. We were sponsoring one of our brain injury patients at the nursing home. In the afternoon I took Scott over to the WAlter's Art Museum for a religous tour with the religious coalition from the boy scouts. We had a rabi, minister, catholic lay person and muslim discussing the history of religion from the Egyptians up to the Medieval times. It was a lot to take in and a lot of people wanting to do a lot of talking in a short period of time. Scott mostly enjoyed looking at all the mummies, suits of armor, knives and weapons and stained glass windows. This was a kick off to his religious medal program. He will be starting weekly classes next week. I thought this was a good addition to add to his Eagle application(when the time comes). Plus someone else is running the program for free. Anything to keep SCott busy!

So I will keep adjusting to my new medication. Work is busy. We have a new OT assistant, but she is going on vacation next week. So more work for the rest of us. Tom has slowed down on his traveling. He did have to go to VA a few weeks ago but just overnight. He also has received several awards at work, but missed his big dinner presentation since he was down in Charlottesville that night. Maybe next time.

Here is part of our walking/jogging team for the Brain Injury Association fund raiser. It was cold! Cookie brought her own coat. Also photos from Halloween night including Cookie and her wings and our Halloween decorations. Scott made a web tunnel complete with strobe light and lots of little spiders. And lastly a shot of SCott at the art museum with the boy scouts.