You're probably wondering where I have been lately. Seems we had some intense thunderstorms a few weeks ago and I lost my computer to a major power surge. Tom thought he could just change a part but ended up having to replace my entire screen. So now I am back on line!
A lot of activities have occurred between now and my last blog on the 4th of July! We spent the 4th at our neighbor's house at their pool party. Lots of swimming, food and the kids shot off a few fireworks that night(poppers and sparklers).
On Monday I headed off to work while Tom kept the kids busy. I was happy to make extra bucks for working a holiday. Got to pay for those air conditioner repairs. As you may recall, our air conditioner fried in the 107 degree heat. Tom was out in LA while the kids and I were roasting in our house. I was tempted to stay at the neighbors houses but I was afraid I wouldn't get up for work the next day! Tom and I sweated over our decision(literally) to repair or replace. Tom brought in his secretary's son who repairs industrial air conditioners. He recommended we attempt to repair the old conditioner since the parts were still under warranty and it was only 6 yrs old. He also discovered that the air conditioner had never been properly installed. It was missing a valve which controlled the flow of freon. All the past repairmen thought we had a leak and kept adding freon to the system which in reality just flooded the system. After 5 repair visits and lots of money spent, we now have a well functioning air conditioner. Thank goodness since we had temperatures in the 100s for several weeks(not usual temps) along with humidity and it was pretty miserable. The kids and I were sleeping in the basement in front of fans which helped a bit. Tom even found a portable air conditioner for our bedroom which worked great until it leaked into the kitchen ceiling. He bought a floor model system at half price and it did not come with any info, including the fact that it had two drain hoses rather than just the one that Tom discovered. Looks like Tom has a bit more drywall to repair this year. But the portable floor unit certainly worked well! And our permanent air conditioner has never worked better!
Besides suffering in the heat, the kids have been busy with their summer camps. Allison enjoyed working at the Girl Scout Day Camp at the archery range. She found a whole new group of teenage girls that share all her same interests in books, movies and music. She also loved the archery program. While she hung out with the Girl Scouts, earning her mandatory 75 volunteer hours for High School graduation requirements, Scott was busy attending classes at the local community college. He was very excited to complete another year of Legos robotics and a Pets n Vets class too. He loved the variety of animals that kids and adults brought in, including his new love of ferrets. He has been very busy trying to convince us that Cookie needs a new buddy. Speaking of Cookie, she also attended the class on my day off, along with Yoshi our gerbil.
As soon as the kids finished their camps and Tom returned home from a work trip, we headed to Williamsburg to visit Busch Gardens. I wanted to go primarily to see the B52s in concert at the park. I had missed them when they toured through DC and Baltimore, but was happy not to pay extra for the same concert-the concerts are free in the park and we have season passes. Unfortunately, I seemed to be the only one in the family that really appreciated their music. I was terribly excited to be able to stand right in front of the stage! I was also amazed that the last time I saw them in concert was at MSU about 25 yrs ago! Amazing, none of us has changed one bit! The park was a bit crowded that weekend, so we did not get on a lot of rides, but we really enjoyed the fireworks show at the end of the day. On Sunday we headed to the water park for a very relaxing swim day-we even caught the diving and gymnastics show. Our weekend started off a bit rough though with a rainstorm and we discovered a slow leak in my back tire. So we had to take a few hours out for a repair before hitting the road.
When we returned it was off to a whole new week of camps. Scott was at the YMCA and enjoyed the outing to the roller rink. He loves to roller blade which is allowed in the rinks now but first Tom had to help him pick out a new pair of blades. He had completely worn out his hand me down pair from the neighbor's son. He had a great time. Allison had an intense schedule as we signed her up for a Field Hockey goalie camp at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She got a whole new perspective on being a goalie. I we got a whole new perspective on driving around Baltimore. Apparently I got myself lost in a not so nice area on the way to pick up Allison.
I was busy in downtown Baltimore myself as I just started my Catholic Charities Dragon Boat race practices in the harbor. In September our company and other businesses around Baltimore will race against each other in a long boat with a Dragon head in the front and 20 paddlers to raise money for Catholic Charities. This will be my 4th race. They are held every other year. It's a lot of hard work and very wet but a lot of fun. I'll be busy practicing every week this summer.
After the kids finished their camps, we were on the road again. This time to Michigan. We were running late since Allison's goalie camp was held on Saturday morning. No time to pack up the kayak this year. We got to Detroit on Saturday night and headed to Charlevoix on Sunday with a stop over at MSU. We love to walk the campus, visit the gardens, buy ice cream from the on campus dairy and shop along Grand River for MSU stuff. The kids enjoyed discovering two new plants-the buttered popcorn plant whose leaves smell like buttered popcorn, and the sensitive plant that closes its leaves when you touch them.
We spent our week at my parent's lake house swimming and fishing. We attempted hiking on a new path but could not get through the tall weeds and poison ivy. Instead we came across an archery range so Allison and Scott enjoyed an hour of shooting. Tom took on some projects at the house including repairing a bathroom light fixture and working on Dad Bozyk's lake pump(still a work in progress). At the end of the week my college friend Laura visited with her husband and two kids. We enjoyed swimming and the kids loved their tube ride behind Grandpa's boat. We caught a few movies including Despicable Me and Sorcerer's Apprentice during a rainy evening. And the whole group enjoyed dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and Putt Putt Golf at Pirate's Cove in Petoskey with a stop over at the Street Fair in Boyne City. And we did not let the week end without a bonfire, s'mores, and fireworks(our own and a show out of Charlevoix). On Saturday everyone headed out-except for Allison. She stayed to spend a few more weeks enjoying the lake and Grandma and Grandpa's company. I also signed her up for another week of sailing lessons in Lake Charlevoix.
So we are back to our busy schedule in Baltimore. In the news-we awoke a few weeks ago to a large rumbling sound at 5am. Seems even the east coast can have earthquakes-this one was centered near DC-a 3.6. Peanuts next to the shakers in Calf, but certainly a familiar feeling for Tom and I. The kids slept the whole time. Two quakes in one year for us! What are the odds.
Also, Ellicott City was named by Money Magazine as the #2 Best City to Live in the US for Families -right behind #1 Prairie Eden, Minnesota. Watch out Minnesota! We're shooting for 1st place next year!
And Allison celebrated her 15th Birthday this past month along with her cousin Nicholas Bozyk-also 15. I think Allison is a little disappointed that she wasn't able to start driver's training this summer like her cousins and friends in other states. MD does not allow teenagers to start drivers ed until they are 15yrs and 9mos old. Guess they don't trust the kids out here to be safe behind the wheel at a younger age. So next year she will be taking her exam and driver's training. Fine with us. Now if Tom can just keep Zippy going long enough for her to use it as her trial car.
More on our summer activities during my next Baltimore Blog installation.












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