Another slow, quiet week in Baltimore(as if). Happy First Day of  Fall by the way. Our weather has certainly changed and the leaves have slowly been changing too. It is much cooler. Tom is happy to finally turn off our air conditioner and open the windows. We could use some more rain however. I want to put in my fall flowers and throw out some grass seed.

But I would have to be home first. I have been busy running around. Happily for a good reason. Tom's brother Mark was able to reserve a few tickets to see the Pope on Thursday when he visited DC from their Indiana Senator. The Pope was speaking to the Congress at the Capitol in DC. My neighbor Gloria and I took Thursday off work to take a train down to the Union Station and walked over to the Capitol building early Thursday morning. After a quick security check, we made our way out onto the front lawn of the Capitol. It was standing room only, but they had big tv screens set up to witness his 1hr  speech(in english) to Congress. Afterwards we were treated with a personal blessing from Pope Francis when he made an appearance onto a balcony out front. What an incredible experience. After his speech, he headed over to have lunch with the homeless at Catholic Charities. We headed over to have lunch at the Indy Senate office. The staff was very pleasant and happy to host us(even though we were not true Indiana residents). We chatted with the intern staff while munching on sandwiches and then made our way back home. The whole experience was quite exciting and moving. Thanks so much Mark for thinking of us! Tom actually had to pick up the tickets at the Senators office the day before and asked if they wouldn't mind our using them instead of Mark and Linda. They did not seem to mind. We would have loved to have spent more time touring the DC area while we were there, but a few of the nearby facilities were closed for security reasons like the Conservatory. Instead we decided to head back. I had a few errands to run at home that evening and with our hassle free train ride back to the car and drive home I still had lots of time to get things done! Not only did I get the grocery shopping done and cut the grass, but I had to stop into the funeral home to pick up my Dad's urn.

On Friday morning I had to stop into the broker's office to fill out some paperwork and pick up some paperwork for my mom to sign for their investments. All the paperwork now has to be in my mom's name. I was also informed that I should stop into the county courthouse to drop off my Dad's Will. I did not realize that the courthouse keeps all Wills. It was supposed to be a quick visit, but I ended up filling out paperwork for about an hour. I still had to go to work for the afternoon since I took off Thursday.

Saturday morning I was up early to see Tom and Scott off on a caving trip. Scott wanted to go crawling through the caves out near Pittsburgh. We all went a few years ago and Scott loved it. Instead of spending time camping, Tom decided to just drive Scott up for the day and drive back. Scott came back filthy-I don't think he left any dirt back in the cave! The boys go on a 3 hour crawl deep in the mountainside. Tom drove Scott back that evening since we all planned on a trip to ComicCon on Sunday. But first, Tom and I attended a backyard wedding for one of his coworkers Saturday evening.

While Tom and Scott were busy caving, I was busy acting as a tour guide for mom's friends, Gerry and Patrick Dugan. We had just seen them in Michigan last weekend, but it was their turn to come visit all of us. They were participating in an Elder Hostel trip to our eastern shore. They drove down from Michigan and decided to spend the night here in Ellicott City to visit with mom and see her apartment. I picked them up and we stopped into see mom's place before all heading out to lunch at the Rusty Scupper in the Baltimore Harbor. We all had a wonderful lunch while I shared a few historical facts about Baltimore. Then we took a quick drive through olde Ellicott City, although it was packed with tourists enjoying the Fall Street Festival complete with a Beer Garden and 80 performing bands on 4 stages(not sure where they put all this since it is a very small town!). But our guests loved their tour. I also stopped them by our house for a quick visit before dropping them back to the hotel. Later that evening they drove over to take mom out for ice cream near her apt. They planned on heading out early Sunday morning. We were just so happy to see them again and catch up on all their grandkids activities. Mrs Dugan reports that she and mom have been friends since they were 10 years old! A 70 year old friendship!

Comic Con at the Baltimore convention center was quite an experience as usual-more like Halloween for adults. Lots of costumes and Scott and Tom had fun digging through shelves and boxes of comic books. Scott wore his usual Sonic outfit and was asked to pose for photos. We also liked shopping for Halloween trinkets for ourselves.

Scott enjoyed a day off of school this week(another jewish holiday). It gave him time to catch up with some boy scout activities. He was able to sign up for an Eagle coach-first step towards completing a project. I hope to have him build some benches for our residents at the nursing home. We could sure use them.

Thank you for the beautiful flowers and memory angel in honor of my father(Susan and John Potts)

 My coworkers also sent a Peace Lily in honor of Dad B.

 Scott harvested a few watermelons from our garden this year!

 Off to see the Pope in DC!

 Early morning at the Capitol

 Pope Francis speaks to Congress on Jumbotron!

 A Blessing from the Pope(dressed in white on upper balcony)

 Best Friends(Carol B and Pat and Gerry Dugan)

This has certainly been a memorable week-both happy and sad. My father passed away just last Saturday and I was left with the responsibility of making plans for his Memorial Service as well as all the business end of life. I made arrangements for an upcoming funeral service in December in Venice Florida. My mother's side of the family is primarily buried there, so I thought it would be a great final resting place for both my parents. I contacted the cemetery and am busy making arrangements via the internet and phone with a girl named Coral(appropriate for Florida). She was able to do some quick research into all the family member's final resting places and locate a spot for my parents nearby. I am planning a ceremony at the cemetery on morning of Dec 29th. Looks like most of the family members will be attending.

I was also trying to contact as many family members as I could via telephone to let them know about Dad. It has not been easy. My parents have been out of contact with several members of the family for many, many years. Fortunately again technology has been helpful in locating and reconnecting with distant family. Through my cousin Lisa, we were able to contact my Dad's younger sister Fran who lives with my Uncle Dave in Pennsylvania. We also sent news to my Dad's Aunt Rita who is 94 and still living Independently in Michigan(and driving still too!).

Not only was I busy calling and emailing family and friends with the news, we were busy preparing for a trip back to Detroit for the weekend. We had already planned on attending my cousin Ryan's wedding at my Uncle Joe and Aunt Kathy's house in Plymouth Mich. We also planned on bringing my mom to attend her nephew's wedding and to see her brother Joe and other family members. My brother Dave and his wife Sandra were able to make the long drive as well from Texas. I was running around during the week getting my nails done, a hair appointment for my mom and picking out wedding clothes. We all met up at the hotel on Friday night and sat up late and chatted until a tstorm drove us back inside. We sat out on the patio since Dave and Sandra brought one of their small dogs, Griffin(very cute!). On Saturday morning, Dave, Sandra and I stopped into my cousin Lisa's bakery. Her husband John is a pastry chef and makes incredible desserts. I had ordered a Death by Chocolate cake to celebrate my mom's birthday which just happened to fall on the same day as the wedding, Sept 19th. While we caught up with family gossip, Tom was busy picking up lots of Vernors at Meijers with my mom. In the afternoon we dressed for the wedding and headed over to Joe and Kathy's house. We arrived early and Tom and Dave got busy helping to park cars. The wedding was set up on the lawn, complete with a birch bark archway, flowers, lights and pumpkins. You can count on Michigan to be cold and wet, which it was but we survived. It rained in the morning and gave way to a chilly breeze during the ceremony. But it was beautiful in the evening during the reception under multiple tents. The bride and groom were wonderful. Ryan met Margaret many years ago while on a family vacation in Hawaii and then ran into her many years later while watching an MSU football game in a local bar in Charlotte, North Carolina where she had just moved. And the rest was history! The reception was a lot of fun. We had time to catch up with long lost family members and reunited with my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Takis and their kids and grandkids. My best friends Laura and Dan Hejza from Detroit joined us at the reception and it was so much fun to catch up with their family's goings on. Thanks again you two for all the support and the wonderful dinner you ordered our family last week back in Baltimore(again, technology can be very convenient at times as Laura ordered us all a huge Papa Murphy's pizza dinner on line for pick up!). We topped the evening off singing Happy Birthday to my mom and getting in a little boogey woogey to Pharrel's Happy Song. What a great evening! We topped off the weekend with  brunch with Mom's best friends, Gerry and Patrick Dugan. Looks like we will actually be hosting them next weekend when they come out to Baltimore for an Elder Hostel vacation. Looking forward to seeing them again!

Meanwhile the kids stayed behind, Allison traveling from school to spend some time with Scott on Friday night. The two enjoyed going out to dinner along with trying their hand at some gourmet cooking at home! Allison was back to school on Saturday night as she had her first Field Hockey game at Salisbury. She tried out the week before for the Traveling Club Team and once again snagged the goalie position. Sounds like she had a wonderful first game on Sunday with her friend Tyler cheering her on to a win. Scott mostly worked on homework and kept Cookie company. He enjoyed a 4 day school week with last Monday off for a jewish holiday.

Tom and I also enjoyed a Northrop Award Dinner on Tuesday night as Tom won 2 awards for great work on two separate projects. I was happy to join him for dinner and ceremony at the Westin hotel. Congrats Tom.

Unfortunately mom is having a hard time recalling the loss of my Dad and often asks what happened to him. We are doing our best to keep her busy and feeling positive. A Very Happy 80th Birthday Mom!

Sandra B, Mom B and Kathleen

Mom and Me!

 Margaret and Ryan Borg

 Carol, Joe and Kathy,(Brother and Sisters) together again!

 Laura and Dan, Tom and Kathleen(Best Buds!)

 Mom and Dave B

 Sandra and Dave B

 Bakery: Parmentier Patesserie: cousin Lisa with Kathleen, Dave and Sandra

 John  P baking wedding cakes

Mom B visits with Gerry and Pat Dugan

Meanwhile, things keep moving along. Allison and Scott were back to school after a long Labor Day Weekend. Allison was still struggling to get all her books that she ordered online.  She was able to finally get that straightened out and pick up some books directly at the bookstore(although more costly). Besides classes, she is also keeping busy with the try outs for Field Hockey. She enjoyed getting back into her goalie equipment with a good workout.

Scott was back to a busy but short week. Another successful Video club meeting. And another Boy Scout success-he finally met with the Personal Fitness Badge counselor to finish going over his results. And he finally took home the badge! Way to go Scott. As he works towards his Eagle, he has taken on a higher level position in the troop-Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. His new position will start after the end of the month during their Court of Honor ceremony. He was also very excited to get back on the work schedule at the Sports Club. I dropped him off around 6 on Friday night before I went to stay with Mom and Dad for the evening. Scott called about 1 hr later to say the power had gone off throughout the building and that the rink was closed. However, they kept the staff to do some maintenance work, so I picked him up at 10pm. Scott felt bad for the 12 yr old girl that was there to celebrate her Birthday.

Speaking of Birthdays, A Big Happy Birthday goes out to Mike Bozyk who celebrated on Sept 10th.

I also kept Tom and Scott busy this past weekend moving a treadmill into our basement that we bought from one of my coworkers. Apparently it needs some work because it keeps shutting off when the guys increase the speed. Hopefully they can get it up and working  again with some suggestions from Mark Seitz, Treadmill guru, because it was quite the project to pick it up, disassemble, move it to our basement and reassemble. They also kept busy with errands around the house including yard work and taking Cookie in for a haircut. Not to mention Scott's homework. At least he is looking forward to a 3 day weekend again(schools are closed for the jewish holiday on monday).

Happy Birthday Mike B!

This week has been very hard and very sad. I received a call at work on Weds afternoon from the Sunrise nursing staff calling  about my Dad's health. He had taken a turn for the worse and they wanted me to come over to their apt. I sat with Mom and Dad off and on Weds, Thurs and Friday. Early Saturday morning I received a phone call that Dad had passed away. He was surrounded by an incredible and supportive staff at the Sunrise apt complex. I was very touched by their passion, all their help and support getting through this sad time. It is especially helpful since Mom needs all the support she can get right now.
After several phone calls and texts early Saturday morning, I went to be with Mom. Tom and Scott joined us to help move personal items out of Dad's apt. and take Mom out to lunch. She is still a bit confused about all that happened, and of course heart broken to be without my Dad. But he was not who he used to be these past few years. We all love him and will keep him in our hearts.
We are looking to have a funeral service in Florida over Christmas break in Venice. There are several family members on mom's side buried in the Venice Memorial Garden Cemetery, so I think it would be the best place.
On Sunday I stopped into the funeral home to make arrangements for Dad. My mom wanted to have a last visit with Dad. I was not sure they could pull it off since we were planning to have dad cremated to travel to Florida. But the staff at the funeral home was able to make arrangements for a final viewing for mom and myself. We visited one last time with my Dad for about an hour and then went to church. We picked up Tom and Scott and headed out to dinner afterwards.
It has been a very long and painful weekend, as well as a whole new experience for me and my family.
I have a whole new outlook on life which included spending a lot of time  filling out forms and making phone calls and lots of tears. I would prefer not to do this very often.
I leave you with a few recent photos of Dad Bozyk. Love you Dad.

Two Classic Ford Products

Baseball Game Bowie Baysox

 Father's Day

 Mother's Day

80th Birthday Dinner

 Charlevoix House

 Couch Potatoes

 Harbor Boat Cruise and Blue Angels Airshow/Star Spangled Banner Event

 West Bloomfield House

Happy Labor Day weekend! I spent the day at work(double pay). Tom and Scott spent the day at home-Scott finishing up a paper and taking practice online exams for his drivers permit. Tom is working on a few projects around the house. Lately he had to take my van in since the wheel sensor keeps going off. They think it is a bad battery. Tom has also had to change out our garage door opener-the motor on the old one was wearing out. And he also changed out the wheels on the garage door. We haven't been doing as much yard work lately though since it has been so dry and hot. Although it is time to start putting in the fall flowers. And our garden is winding down with not quite as many veggies as we had last year. The deer and bunnies ate most everything.

Renaissance Festival

 Archery

 Jousting matches

School is back in full swing. Scott just finished his second full week of classes. I have to order him a tuxedo for choir, and looks like he will be traveling to Chicago in the spring for a singing competition and some sightseeing.
He also hosted his very first Video Club meeting. He was very pleased with the turnout of about 20 guys. He headed out to school the morning of the big event pulling a wagon behind him full of Mountain Dew, Doritos and an xbox.  Everything you need to run a successful Video Club. He also had to hang posters and make an announcement in the morning. Fortunately his friend Tori helped him out(short for Victoria). At least he could take it easy at his last boy scout meeting. He spent most of the meeting writing a class paper about scouting on his cell phone.

Allison managed to make it through her first full week of classes as a Junior in the School of Business. She had some last minute books and online articles to purchase, but she was pretty well prepared to start a new year of classes. She and her roommates spent some time down at Ocean City before school began. This weekend she came home and spent time with us. She drove home Friday night and worked on some homework and her resume. The professors are already lecturing the kids on the importance of obtaining a working internship next summer. Fortunately Tom looked into internships at Northrop and Allison plans on applying for a management internship next summer(although she will really miss being a girl scout counselor).

We also enjoyed having Grandma B over for dinner on Friday night. I took her to the salon to get a perm and I needed a haircut. Both Tom and Scott got their hair cut this weekend too. We are all getting spiffy for an upcoming wedding that Tom and I and my mom will be attending in a few weeks in Michigan. My cousin is getting married at my Uncle's house in Northville, Mich. So we will be driving up for the wedding and to visit with friends and family. Even my brother Dave and his wife Sandra will be heading up to Michigan from Texas for the wedding. It will be a lot of fun to see everyone again(although I am not sure who all will be coming!) I was also looking through mom's wardrobe to see what she can wear for an outdoor wedding, including shoes. Plus I spent my Friday afternoon completing some business issues with mom and dad's broker at Merrill Lynch. There are still a few loose ends to take care of with their finances. And it looks like we just finished up their taxes from last year after I finally caught up with their accountant.  Never a dull moment. Still keeping a close eye on my dad and his health. He really needs total care at this time.

Since we decided not to go away for the Labor Day weekend, we took the kids to the Renaissance Festival. That is one of Allison's favorite events. She loves to dress up and shoot some archery. We all love the food and the silly plays and shows they put on. And the shops are always fascinating. We invited our neighbors to join us this year as they have never gone before. They were amazed at all the elaborate costumes people wear and how serious they take participating in the medieval times. People really get into character. And not just the staff. After watching the last jousting match of the evening, it was time to head home and catch a movie and some dinner.

Allison packed up on Sunday morning to head back to school. I put together a survival kit full of snacks. She has been enjoying her time on her own, getting used to cooking for herself as well as having her very own room in her very own townhouse. Not like the dorm rooms. Although she did sign up for a modified meal plan so she can eat lunch while she is on campus. And lunchtime gives her time to catch up with her friend Tyler. Now she is looking forward to her upcoming sport events, especially Field Hockey. We spent the rest of our Sunday cleaning and cooking to have the neighbors over for a Labor Day weekend cookout. Finally we were able to enjoy dinner out on the patio. The weather was not too hot, humid or cold. And not too many mosquitoes. We also invited our friend John Dutton over(our California friend). And even Ripley the puppy came for dinner. We are still keeping it calm with Cookie so her leg can heal, so no long walks(or rough housing with Ripley).

So I have not been taking as long walks as I like with Cookie. I was glad to have my swim aerobics class start up again on Friday mornings at the Y.

So school has started up again for another year and summer vacation is officially over! Scott finished his 1st full week of high school as a sophomore. He has a very busy schedule. I even participated in his Back to School night already to meet his teachers and sign up for computer access to his classes. We parents are always connected! Besides the usual science and math, spanish, english and govt classes, Scott also has his 2nd year of Engineering which he loves and I strongly encouraged him to take choir(aka mom signed me up). I think he is warming up to the idea. The choir will be competing in Chicago in the spring. He is looking forward to the trip. They even have a European tour in the summer if interested. Scott is singing as a Baritone. I am looking forward to their upcoming performances. Our school has an incredible fine arts program(and he needed the credit).

Besides his classes, he has taken on the responsibility of running the schools Video Gaming club. He is the new President. He was busy meeting with the club counselor and making posters to hang for next week's kickoff. And soon the robotics team will be starting up again.

He started off the Boy Scout meeting by having his patrol run the evening's activities. We parents decided the boys needed to take more of an active part in running the meetings. Scott's patrol is getting to be the senior group as most of the older boys start to fade out after earning their Eagle. Scott presented the Animation badge which he earned this summer on the computer and had the boys make their own flip chart cartoons.  They also practiced packing their camping chuck boxes with a relay game. We would like to see our boys run something like this every few months.
 So back to a busy schedule.

Allison was settling into her new townhouse at school. She was busy picking up school books and getting into shape for Field Hockey and Ultimate Frisbee season. She did take a break and come home for 1 night to get in her yearly medical physical. The whole family has been visiting the doctor at this time of the year. Last week I drove Scott down to Rockville Maryland to see a dermatologist to assess a mole on his back. We decided to keep it for now. They don't have a lot of specialists for kids with our health insurance, so I had to do a drive. But Scott and I enjoyed our adventure(especially since I got lost). And on Saturday I had to take Cookie into the vet as she was limping badly on her back leg after puppysitting. I think she had too much play time with the puppy as she apparently suffered a partial tear of her ACL in her back leg(knee). Like mother, like dog. Fortunately she just needs some rest and an anti inflammatory. So no more long walks for now. I also spent an entire day with my mom getting her to a few medical appointments of her own as well as a lunch break at the Cheesecake Factory. I also stopped into our MSU friend Diana Wagner's Audiology office since my mom's appointment was in the same building. I haven't seen Diana for about 2 years now since she divorced her husband and Tom's best friend, Matt. Sadly Matt has been declining in health with his history of drinking, so we haven't seen him for awhile either. But it was great to reconnect with Diana and we hope to get together soon. Plus I passed off her business name to the staff at mom and dad's facility as they are always looking for great medical resources. They even want Diana to come in and do a presentation to the residents and family. Good to reconnect. I also had to stop in to visit Dad and drop off his new glasses which I have been trying to order for several months(difficult to do without a prescription). Dad lost his two pairs of glasses when he moved onto the memory unit. I hope these glasses last longer! I was also spending more time speaking to the nursing staff as Dad is needing more help lately and staff is using a wheelchair to help get him around.

Back to School 2015

And as summer comes to a close, we decided to take a day trip down to Busch Gardens to catch one more swim at the water park and a few coaster rides. We planned on driving down on Saturday, but Tom was busy trying to switch the service for our cell phones. And I had Cookie at the vet. Instead we invited our neighbors over for a cook out. I was hoping to enjoy dinner on the patio, but it has been so hot and humid lately. We are hoping to avoid hurricanes this season. They thanked us by watching Cookie while we were gone on Sunday. Tom, Scott and I headed out early in the morning and spent a few hours in the park before heading over to the water park. Fortunately the parks were not overly crowded. We decided to go the week before Labor Day to skip the crowds, but Allison was sad since she did not get to join us. She was starting school the following day and it is too long of a trip. We thought she could come home Labor Day weekend for a trip to the State Fair or the Renaissance Festival.

So looking forward to the Labor Day Weekend!