We returned home from Kalamazoo after dropping Scott off to WMU for school. He had a long weekend ahead of him filled with orientation classes and fun events. Turns out, Scott discovered that most of the fun events became teaching moments full of lectures on diversity, alcohol, drug or sexual assault and abuse as well as an orientation to the campus and its buildings. All of which he had plenty of during the several hours of on line courses he had to complete this summer prior to attending school, as well as the program they covered during summer orientation. He was also familiar with the campus since we had visited multiple times prior to his attending during campus tours and during orientation. So he decided to head out on his own mostly. He had already ordered and picked up his books and he spent time locating his classrooms. Also checking on the bus schedule to attend his engineering classes off campus. So he really did not have much to do, except get to know the campus and his new roommate/floor mates before classes started on Weds, Aug 29. He was ready! He did attend the yearly Bronco Bash held at the football stadium to pick up some freebies and get acquainted with campus clubs like the new Esports Club and the Computer club(looking for video game clubs).
Meanwhile, the rest of us were back home and back to work. I was scheduled to go into my old facility on Monday, my last day working for Transitions. The new owners decided to take over on Sept 1st. So after that I will be working on call for the new company.
But before that, I had scheduled a special trip with my mom over Labor Day weekend. She had received an invitation to attend her friend's 60th Wedding Anniversary in Michigan. So I was going to be back on the road headed up north. Since it was just going to be my mother and I, we split the trip into two days coming and going to avoid a long drive. The week before I was busy with hair appointments for both of us, as well as a manicure/pedicure for myself(Allison joined me!) I also had to pack my mom's suitcase and request her medication. So Weds morning I had the van packed and was ready to go! Except the facility nursing staff did not get my message right away about us going out of town and they did not have her medication. I did not realize that this facility has the medication delivered daily(to avoid theft and fraud and accidental overdoses). So none of her medication was in the building. Fortunately, the head nurse was able to get it sent over immediately from the pharmacy thank goodness, although they shorted me by one day. No matter, she could get the medication the day she returned.
So by lunchtime we were off. We stopped halfway to Pittsburgh for a meal before arriving at our hotel that evening. We stopped in Pittsburgh to visit with my brother Dan who is currently working there and has a rental apartment. His wife Sheila was still in Houston with their dog and their son's dog for the summer, and Dan was headed back there over Labor Day weekend to pick them up as well as to celebrate his 60th Birthday!. Glad we caught him for a visit before he left. He has not seen Mom in 3 years, since my Dad's funeral. We had a nice visit at his apartment after dropping off our things at the hotel near the airport. The drive took a little longer than expected as the GPS routed me through downtown Pittsburgh on the West side of town near the airport by Dan's apartment. It was a beautiful drive, over rivers and bridges and through tunnels in mountains, but we hit it exactly at rush hour and driving was slow! So our visit was a bit late, and then we dropped into a local diner. Unfortunately we managed to catch a serious downpour and got drenched before heading into the restaurant. We even had to borrow a few jackets from Dan to keep warm during dinner, but the food and company was terrific! Thanks for the wonderful visit Dan! And a Very Happy Birthday to both Dan and Dave with their special day on September 2!
The next day, mom and I headed to Livonia Mich with a lunch stop in Ohio. Their multiple rest areas sure come in handy! We arrived at the Embassy Suites in Livonia just before dinner on Thursday. I decided to take mom up to the 12 Oaks Mall in Novi after the traffic thinned out a bit for a manicure/pedicure and for dinner, as well as to pick out a gift for the Wedding Anniversary Party. I know the invitation said "no gifts", but I felt I had to bring something. I decided on an engraved photo frame. There was a "Things Remembered" store in the mall, right near the nail salon, as well as a Coney Dog Restaurant and Sanders chocolates! How perfect an evening is that! We had mom's nails done first(that was entertaining!) and then walked over to the "Things Remembered" store. I picked out an 8x10 silver picture frame with "Smith Family 60th Wedding Anniversary" engraved while we ate dinner. I know their family is very close and loves family photos so this should work. There was a Coney Dog restaurant next to Sanders, so after dinner, mom and I picked up dessert, including a chocolate marshmallow bumpy cake(my favorite!) and then the completed picture frame along with a gift bag. A great way to end the day.
On Friday I planned on taking mom to West Bloomfield to have her hair done and in the evening to visit with her brother Joe. Joe and his wife Kathy sold their southern Michigan home this past year, but still own a house in Traverse City. They have spent years remodeling and building onto the Traverse City house and continue to do so. Over Labor Day weekend, Joe had planned on waiting for the delivery for new windows to the house, but opted to drive down state to visit with us. Instead, his wife Kathy stayed behind to wait for the delivery. They conveniently own a rental house located near our Livonia hotel which was currently vacated. Joe was also doing some remodeling in that house too. I managed to find mom a hair salon to visit in West Bloomfield, and then we drove around checking out some old sites like our elementary school and church, Our Lady of Refuge, the Seminary across the street from that where Tom and I were married, St Mary's, as well as a drive by at West Bloomfield High School and finally our old house on Nicholas. And before heading over to visit with Joe, we stopped into Plum Market grocery store on the corner to pick up some of my cousin's pastries from her bakery. She and her husband own and operate a bakery in Novi and sell to this grocery store. There were too many delicious items to choose from(so I bought a variety!). I had planned on taking something to dinner with Joe that evening, but he also picked up some tasty treats. We had no trouble locating the house, and after a great visit, we decided it was time to eat. I was not familiar with the local restaurants, and Joe was not sure what to suggest. So we opted for having him pick up a roast chicken meal and have dinner at the house. That turned out great! Joe picked up roast chicken and mashed potatoes and made some broccoli for dinner and we finished off with a spiced apple bundt cake. All delicious and very relaxing. We had a long day so it was time to say goodnight. We still had a busy weekend ahead of us. We were just sorry to have missed a visit with Kathy as well. Maybe next time.
On Saturday I was looking forward to visiting with Scott! Again! He had the weekend off school for the Labor Day holiday, so I told him if he had time, drive over to Livonia and stay with Gma and myself. His classes had started on Weds. He decided to come visit and got up very early Saturday morning to beat any traffic. The drive from Kzoo to Livonia is down the 94 and about 1.5 hrs drive. He had no trouble getting to our hotel, just in time for a buffet breakfast. Afterwards, we packed up and headed to the Detroit zoo for the day. The place was packed and looked a bit rainy. We opted to rent mom a manual wheelchair to push her around the zoo rather than chase her around the zoo in a power cart! It was certainly a work out for Scott and I! I did not think the zoo was that hilly! And a bit crowded which at times made it difficult to see the displays from the wheelchair level. But most people were very polite and let us push mom's wheelchair up to the front of the display, especially in the chimpanzee house where a mom and her newborn were snuggling while toddler chimps jumped all around! I was surprised how hot it got in the afternoon-we stopped for some root beer ice cream floats and then Coney Dogs for lunch! Can't get enough of those Detroit Coney Dogs! We just finished up our tour of the new penguin house and butterfly/bird house when a huge rain storm hit. Thankfully we made it out to the car just in time after returning the wheelchair. But I had to drive the Lodge freeway in the pouring rain and it likes to flood! Thankfully we made it back to the hotel just as it was finished. We decided to order some Cottage Inn Pizza for dinner. Quite a busy day! In the meantime, Scott had some homework to complete and borrowed my laptop to finish up an online precalc math test and a presentation for his communication class. He certainly had quite a bit of homework for the first week of school(an not even a full week!).
On Sunday, the 60th Wedding Anniversary was scheduled in the afternoon. I spent the morning getting mom ready, as well as myself. Scott was easy maintenance. I had asked if Scott could join us while he was visiting over the weekend. Mom received an invitation to Larry and Isabel Smith's 60th Anniversary. My father was friends with Larry and they attended high school together, Catholic Central. Dad stood up in Larry and Isabel's wedding and Larry was in mom and dad's wedding party. Very nice people. The Smith's had 3 children-two boys-Mark and Hugh and a girl, Claire. Sadly, last year their daughter Claire passed away with cancer. I was surprised to see that they also have 7 grandchildren, just like our family. The day started out with a mass at their parish church in Bloomfield Hills. They are very devoted to the catholic church and had 6 priests officiate their service, one of which is a nephew. On our way over to church, we passed the Franklin Cider Mill. I mentioned to Scott that the Cider Mill was quite a busy place in the fall and had been making incredible homemade donuts and apple cider over many years. Scott talked me into stopping into the Cider Mill to pick up a bag of donuts and a couple of half gallons of apple cider. Yum! After mass, we drove over to a clubhouse in Bloomfield Hills for dinner and dancing. After drinks and appetizers, we enjoyed a wonderful sit down dinner and ice cream and cake while the sons gave a recap of an incredible 60 years of their parent's marriage. I couldn't convince Scott to remain for the dancing portion of the evening, but we had a great time chatting with the company at our table-all high school friends of my dad. I was also happy to hear that they had visited my parents a few times while mom and dad were living in the Assisted Living facility in Michigan before I moved them to Maryland. Such nice people. They even included Scott in their discussions. I was mostly excited to look through some albums and at the enlarged pictures decorating the gift table and the room as they included photos of Mom and Dad which I had never seen before! I did recall mom and dad attending the 50th Wedding Anniversary(only 10 years ago!). Claire had set up a Mystery Tour/party-all the guests took limos and buses downtown to the old Stroh haus for a private party. There was even an article in the newspaper about the event! After we left, I drove Scott back through the Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield area on the way back to the hotel so he could see Gma and Gpa's WB house again. As well as all those crazy, big, beautiful houses on the lakes in Bloomfield Hills and even the large cathedral, Kirk in the Hills.
On Monday, Labor Day Holiday, Scott got up early in the morning and headed back to school. He wanted to beat any traffic or crazy weather that might be on the road, and still had some homework to complete. It was so wonderful seeing him again and spending the weekend with him in Michigan! Meanwhile, Mom and I took an outing to Meijers. I needed gas for the car and also wanted to do some local shopping. We did get stuck in the car waiting for a heavy downpour to go through, but I finally got us in the store and settled mom into another manual wheelchair with a large shopping basket attached! All the power scooters were down, so this was the second best. We had a great time wandering around Meijers and did some shopping as well as picking up some lunch at the deli. We headed back to the hotel since I was meeting up with my very good friend, Laura and her husband Dan. The two had been up North with the plan to do the Mackinac Bridge walk. Unfortunately they report the new logistics for parking, crossing and getting back across the bridge have gotten so confusing and limiting since 9/11 issues that they decided to opt out. Plus they lost their walking buddies. Instead they ended up spending time purchasing a vacation cottage on Houghton Lake with Laura's inheritance from her mom. Such a cute place! Can't wait to visit! They also dropped in on their daughter at college for a lunch date before visiting at our hotel. Laura and Dan were able to stay and chat until Happy Hour and then headed home. It was so fun to see them!
On Monday, mom and I packed up and headed back to Baltimore. Unfortunately we missed visiting with her friends the Dugans who were traveling that weekend. Mom and I drove halfway, to Youngstown, OH before stopping for the night. We spotted a pink cadillac on the road home. It was a very busy weekend in Detroit. Arethra Franklin had passed away and was a resident of Detroit. Her funeral was going on over the weekend and quite a few people in town for that event, including Bill Clinton, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill and Ariana Grande. The funeral procession included 100 pink cadillacs in honor of Arethra's Freeway of Love 1985 Hit song. I did not know that many pink cadillacs existed! I think they were all from the Mary Kay cosmetic company! Detroit also hosted the Jazz Festival that weekend. I did not realize this event is free! That was a lot of people in downtown Detroit! Along with sporting events. It is nice to see the city busy again, for whatever reason.
On the way home, Mom and I spent the night in Youngstown at a new Double Tree Hotel. The place was beautiful-a newly renovated office building turned hotel. The area was just not as handicap friendly as I had hoped for my mom. I was looking forward to sitting out by the pool and enjoying some take out pizza from Little Ceasars! But downtown, there were not many convenient restaurants open, no pool or exercise room-you have to visit the nearby YMCA for that. So we camped out in the room and enjoyed sandwiches we purchased from the lobby. All good. By Weds afternoon we were back in Maryland and I dropped mom off to her apartment before heading home.
both Dan and Dave with their
special day on September 2!
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