Another incredibly busy week! I am glad I survived! Last Thursday we said goodbye to Tom's sister Susan and her husband John. We really enjoyed their visit and Allison especially loved having extended family members at her graduation! The two of them headed off Thursday morning to spend the day at the Gettysburg Battlefield and town in Pennsylvania before heading back to Indiana. We made sure to send them off with Maryland Berger cookies and Milwaukee pickles(in Baltimore?). Nothing but the best.

Scott was still in school, but Allison was available to help me food shop and decorate for her neighborhood graduation party last Sunday. We postponed Scott's swim class since he still had a lot of projects to work on as his school year wrapped up this past week. Allison spent most of last weekend working and going to her piano lesson. We also dropped off a gift to the piano teacher-a mini flag with music notes that we picked up in Williamsburg. Allison's teacher loved it so much, she won't leave it outside. And all the other music teachers want one. I spent my last free week taking care of some last minute dentist and doctor appointments before starting my new job.

I actually stared my new job last Saturday. The whole team came in to get familiar with the clinic and the computer system. We are mostly a whole new staff. Some people are experienced with work in a nursing home(like me) and others are not(and were overwhelmed). We took over from a contract rehab team, so they packed up all their belongings and left us with a big mess. My new boss was busy setting up computers and a printer and trying to walk us all through the new system. I started Monday and made it to Weds. On the way to work WEds morning I almost blacked out while driving, so I decided to take the day off and go to the doctor. She decided to send me to the neurologist, who is trying me out on a different blood pressure medication. He said I should have acclimated to the medication in just a few weeks and I have been having problems since I started taking lisinopril in February. I am always dizzy, tired and was having severe muscle spasms in my right hand. Not sure why the cardiologist or my own physician could not recommend trying a different drug. Now I am on a beta blocker(slows your heart down and good for blood pressure, migraines, anxiety, etc. ). I just started taking it Friday night and I already feel a bit better. I just did not want to start a new medication so close to the Europe trip, but maybe this will turn out to be a good thing!

 I was busy at work last Saturday morning; Allison was off to work too, and SCott was at a Boy Scout Troop planning event for the upcoming year. When we all got home we headed over to our neighbors for their son's graduation party. Allison's party was on Sunday. We girls spent Sunday preparing the food. We made about 20lbs of pork, chicken and meatball kabobs, layered green salad, and 2 rice casseroles. Along with appetizers and dessert. And there was nothing left after the party! EVeryone said they loved the meatball kabobs the best, along with my rice casserole. And noone had ever seen a layered green salad before. Must be a Midwest thing.  I think they most enjoyed eating Allison's graduation cake with her face on it! (See above photo). Since we had plenty of dessert,  we had cake left over and I was able to take some to work to share with my new rehab team.  The sad part was that we were all ready to host the party outside, complete with a volleyball net and outdoor grilling. As the first guests began to arrive at 6pm Sunday night, so did the tstorms and the downpour. And that wasn't even Tropical storm Andrea. We enjoyed that rain all day Friday. Oh well, instead it was video games indoors and grilling under an umbrella. As a matter of fact, since the beer was out on the deck, that is where all the men hid, under the big table umbrella! All the neighbors were very generous to Allison, and she has spent all week working on thank you cards!

 Since I missed work on Weds, I had time to stop into Scott's used uniform sale at school. I was not able to find him much, but I did get to sell alot of his old clothes. I also sent him off to his end of the school year swim party  with a veggie and fruit tray. He had a great time at the pool until he scraped the top of his head on the bottom while kicking off the side. Looks like he tried to scalp himself! Hope that grows back. On Weds night I dropped into Pizza Hut with the kids for a GS dinner fund raiser and to drop off end of the year paperwork. And then Scott and I headed out to his BS meeting. It was a bit hectic since he had to help plan for the upcoming Whitewater rafting trip this weekend. After much confusion, the boys and parents made plans for transportation and hauling up the gear along with meal plans. And the boys squeezed in a boy scout meeting too.Tom and I had planned on joining SCott this past weekend but we decided to go biking while the rest of the troop rafted. Tom said he has had his fill of paddling the rapids. Plus he spent this past week in San Jose, CA and did not get home until 2am Saturday morning. Scott had taken off Friday after school with his friend and his mom for the campsite near Pittsburgh. We joined Scott's old troop in that area when they went caving. We had also visited Frank Lloyd Wright's house, Falling Waters and had the tour. It is  a very pretty area in the woods with the huge river running down from the hills. I had planned on Tom and I traveling up on Saturday and biking and then returning Sunday. Apparently Tom did not get the memo. He scheduled his upcoming trip to Chicago next week with an early Sunday morning flight. He thought we were just going up Saturday afternoon for a bike ride along the river on the paved bike paths. I thought we were camping overnight as well(hence the term camping weekend). I really did not feel like a 4 hour drive to bike an hour and then 4 hour drive back. So we skipped the whole thing. Meanwhile, Scott only fell out of the raft once, but he wished Tom had been at the helm instead of one of the other Dad's who is a bit high strung(along with his son). Scott did enjoy jumping into the freezing cold river off a big boulder though. I am just glad he did not scalp himself again! Although this group does make the kids wear helmets. Thank God.  And I was happy one of the school mom's was there with him and her son. She always sends me a text and photo to let me know how he is doing.

So he just got back and is washing off the river water and drying out the tent. Tom is packing for Chicago after cutting the lawn, and Allison is headed out to GS Day Camp to start setting up the archery range for the summer programs. I also had Tom work with her on figuring out a system to mount her bird models to the trees at the Nature Center this weekend. She will probably be teaching her bird class in July for her Gold Award project.  SCott I am sure will spend the rest of the day playing video games, and I have started packing for our European tour. Tom ordered me some Euros from the bank for tipping our tour guides. And I had to call Easy Spirit to find out what happened to my sandals I ordered two weeks ago(no one knows).  I also went into work half a day Friday and Saturday to make up for Weds. Although the staff is all putting in 9 hour days right now trying to figure out the new system. I think we are almost there.

Now if I can just start feeling better! I have too much to do to be feeling like crap.

So Scott finished school on Friday and brought home a nice report card. He is looking forward to a few summer camps at the local community college, boy scout camp and golf camp. Plus I may squeeze in a Parks and Rec camp for kayaking and biking with an overnight. And he only has 1 summer book report due. Allison is looking forward to her upcoming Salisbury University Orientation next week, Girl Scout camp, our GS trip to Europe and our Girl Scout trip to Michigan at the end of July.

Before you know it, school will be starting again! Kathleen