I can't believe it rained all day. But that was not so bad. I had a lot of homework to do today. I was recruited to teach an OT class to the Girl Scouts at their summer camp next weekend. The girls are earning a Fine Arts badge, and I am going to talk to them about how OT's use arts and crafts for therapy. Allison helped me make a power point presentation today on the computer and I wrote out an outline. I also ordered some small plastic baskets for the girls to weave with yarn and beads(an old favorite at the hospital). We actually don't do as much arts and crafts anymore since hospitals have cut down on our spending budgets. The crafts usually end up with the Activity Therapists. But I am a traditionalist and I still love to do the crafts when I can. I even pulled out all my old craft projects that I made while I was in OT school, including the wooden box that I built and carved in my woodworking class. We also did ceramics and sewing, needle work and metal work, along with a weaving project on our own mini looms. Remember Laura? I also spent some time with Scott on his last book report. We finished his first book report last week when Tom was out of town. We had to make up baseball cards. This book report is going to be a letter, so we are busy getting the book read! Only two more weeks left of summer!
I was hoping Allison would be able to join me as my personal assistant next weekend at the Girl Scout camp, but she is probably going to be busy playing preseason Field Hockey games all day next Saturday. We missed the Pre Season tournament hockey games last year since I had already signed up my Girl Scout troop to attend the camping trip that weekend. This year I didn't sign up since Allison was busy with her Field Hockey and the girls actually earned all the badges they were presenting this year. So figures this year they asked me to help them out with one of the requirements. I wouldn't mind so much except it is about an hour drive to the camp in the late afternoon, early evening. I was looking forward to spending the day watching Allison's hockey games, helping out with the concession stand and then enjoying a pool party at Matt and Di's. Oh well. It's for the good of my profession and the GS organization. And I also found Tom's Eagle Scout medallion which was in the wooden box I made him! I have been meaning to place it in a case on display but Tom didn't remember where it went. Now we know.
So Allison started Field Hockey practice this Saturday morning. I went to an organization meeting for her on Friday afternoon and finished turning in all her paperwork, including her medical paperwork. I had to rush her over to her doctor appointment on Tuesday afternoon. We had several forms to fill out beforehand, and she was way overdue for a Meningitis vaccination. She is not terribly fond of shots, and while the nurse was busy giving Allison tips on how to deal with getting a shot(like singing a song or pinching her nose), she was already done! We also had to rush up to school Monday night to turn in Field Hockey registration paperwork-they need copies of the kids report card(need good grades to play sports), proof you live in the neighborhood to attend the school, emergency forms, mandatory concussion testing paperwork and the medical forms along with their yearly physical signed by the doctor.
Allison would have gone to the meeting on Friday, but I had her busy this past week in a prep class at the Community College for the PSAT which she is taking in October. It was a full week of math and english. She wasn't too excited about it on Monday morning, but as the week went by she actually began to enjoy the class and all the kids too. The math teacher gave homework every night, so it was a nice way to transition back into school which starts in two weeks for us. She also received a big workbook which will come in handy for review.
Scott was back at the YMCA camp-this past week's theme was pirates. I also signed him up for aquatics so he gets to swim twice a day, which he loves. Then on Friday, the whole camp set off for Cascade Lake-one of Scott's favorite outings. He loves it so much, he asked me to take him there in June when our air conditioner was out. His favorite activity is jumping off the platform tower. Even though the weather wasn't terrific, he spent the whole day swimming and jumping and sinking the rafts. Not to mention eating ice cream.
And I was back to my paddle practice this week for the Dragon Boat races in Sept. I didn't get to go last week since Tom was out of town and I had to pick up Scott from camp after work. We started practicing our race pace and starts and paddling the length of the race for endurance training. We only have a few more weeks left of practice. I was just happy that I wasn't too sore the next day and I don't get short of breath during the practice like my partner next to me. Guess those aerobics classes and my evening walk with Cookie helps out too. We had a full boat this past week so we had a better idea of how we all paddle together too.
We were also expecting visitors from Boston on Monday night, however, turns out they couldn't quite fit us into their schedule. They were traveling from Philly to DC and the timing just didn't work for them since we couldn't visit until after work. All that housework last weekend for naught.
Or at least I thought so. Until I mentioned to Tom that we should invite the neighbors over for an Outdoor Family Movie Night on Saturday night. Tom has been talking about inviting everyone over to catch a movie on his new projector. We decided on showing "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and invited most of the families on our street. We ended up with 30 people in all(kids and adults!). It turned out to be an overcast day, but just perfect for watching a movie outdoors. Not too cold or hot, and Tom sprayed the yard ahead of time to cut down on the mosquitoes. We spent all day Saturday doing yardwork and more housework. I spent most of the afternoon edging the curbs and sidewalks around our house(it is not easy living on such a big corner) and I am still not completely done(especially since I do it the old fashioned way with a manual edger). But the ground was nice and soft since we have had so much rain this summer. Tom got the grass cut so I could set up chairs and tiki torches. Scott set up our Tiki bar and served snow cones and ice cream cones to the kids. He and Allison were busy making tons of popcorn on my air popper all day and cutting up veggies. I even sent them up to the grocery store on their bikes so Allison could test drive the new bike. Of course she loved it. Scott and I went riding a few times last week so I could test it out but sadly my hands still fall asleep. Even with the new specially designed hand grips. Allison may have just gotten a new bike. I may end up with her old bike that we got from Matt and Di.
So our movie night was a great success. We had way too many snacks and the kids actually sat quietly and watched the movie, along with some parents. And then some of us parents spent the time chatting. Our old neighbors were able to come, and they left their son Sammy at our house for a sleepover. We exchanged him for Allison who spent the night with their daughter at their new house. Neither kid got much sleep.
We also were visited by our new neighbors across the street who had just returned from a sailing cruise in Annapolis as they celebrated their parents 60th birthday(young ones!). They were busy all day constructing a new basketball hoop-they already had to borrow one of our hoses to fill up the base with water. It was quite the project as the neighbor brought in a contractor to help him assemble the contraption! Looks like the Dad is very sports minded-he was out in the driveway playing catch with his 7 yr old son at 7 am Saturday morning. I don't think Scott is going to be spending a lot of time over there. Organized sports is not his thing.
Anyhow, we had a wonderful evening and had to kick people out of our house around midnite. Then I foolishly stayed up to watch a movie afterwards. Late night for all of us.
Tom was also busy with a few extra projects this weekend-he changed out the brakes on his
Toyota Echo and installed a new radio. His old radio had shorted out and when he pulled it out he actually burned his hands. Guess he figured out why he was having trouble starting the car as it seemed to be drawing from the battery. He replaced the old radio, but now he needs to replace one of the speakers too. He also reassembled the handlebars on my old bike-he is trying a new style to see if it alleviates the numbness in my hands. And he had to replace a few light fixtures that seemed to have blown during one of our many power outages this summer. Fortunately we have missed most of the damaging storms in the area lately, but last Thursday we were under a tornado warning on my way over to pick up Allison from the community college. At least she had a place to go inside. Scott's group usually gets stuck under a pavilion. Tom was able to pick him up though before the storm rolled in.
We also took advantage of the tax free week for clothing and shoes and bought all of Scott's school uniform on Friday. I took him over to the uniform store after camp and had him fitted. I couldn't believe that he jumped from a 10-12 to a size 14 this year! I had to get him all new pants, dress shirts, polo shirts and gym clothes. At least it was tax free! And Tom took him out shoe shopping but we are still looking for an all leather slip on dress shoe. No time in the morning for pesky shoelaces! Allison tried to talk some of her girlfriends into going mall shopping with her on Saturday, the last day for tax free deals, but sadly noone was available. Probably better though since she was worn out from a morning of Field Hockey(lots of running). And she had an organizational meeting at church on Friday night for the Confirmation retreat. Surprisingly, we just couldn't squeeze in a piano lesson! And this is our summer schedule!
Scott decided he wanted to earn some money since there are a few new video games coming out in the fall, so he was busy making up fliers for pet sitting this weekend. Sure enough he got his first phone call and a job this week watching our neighbor's dog while they are in Williamsburg. Allison helped him out by taking their dog for a walk while I walked Cookie in between rain showers today. She had planned on going for a run, but it was just too wet today.
So two weeks and counting for us and it will be back to school! I am not ready to say goodbye to summer! Kathleen and Family
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Well, it was just Scott and myself last week. Tom was off working in California all last week. Sorry he didn't have time to stop in and visit Mike. He flew there on Monday and came home Thursday.
He needed to get home so he could drive to Michigan to pick up Allison. She had been enjoying her last week in Northern Michigan with my parents, baking with Grandma and swimming and fishing with Grandpa. She enjoyed watching all the wildlife in and around the water too. She also spent a lot of time catching up on her reading. She needed some R and R since she is back home now and back to her hectic schedule. Mom and Dad Bozyk drove her back to Detroit last Thursday and Tom drove up to Michigan last Friday. The two drove back to Baltimore on Saturday with a stop over at the outlet mall.
Scott spent his week at Gymnastics camp. He has been taking gymnastics during the school year, and the same facility offers 1 week camps through the Parks and Rec. program. Scott had a great time and enjoyed the added water gun fights and trip to play Laser tag. However, we received a phone call Friday morning from the staff saying that Scott was having chest pains. Both Tom and I missed the phone call and it turned out that my neighbor picked him up. I was off to my aerobics class and Tom was attempting to get his car in working order for the long drive to Michigan. He needed new belts and was trying to figure out why the car was having such a hard time starting. New belts certainly helped. When he stopped back at the house to grab his suitcase, there was our neighbor and Scott. Tom was on the phone with our medical group by the time I walked in the door. I also had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon so I took Scott with me. The advice nurse didn't think it sounded too drastic and made us an appointment. Unfortunately, Scott's appointment was not at the same place that I had my appointment. So I ran to pick up my medicine and stop into the lab for my appointment, ran Scott down near Annapolis for his appointment(turned out to be a pulled muscle from a forward flip into the foam pit off a small trampolene)Whew! And then I drove back for my doctor appointment. In between I was running out of gas and had to stop for a fill up! So much for a nice relaxing day to myself! I did manage to stop in at Michaels Arts and Crafts and buy a poster frame and mat for Scott's Nintendo poster to hang on his bedroom wall. He spent the weekend getting his room reorganized, redecorated and ready for school. We picked up all his school supplies-now we have shoe and uniform shopping to do. All during the upcoming Maryland tax free week for clothes and shoes. I was wishing it was for everything! Mainly Scott needs new clothes and shoes-he won't stop growing!
To celebrate Scott being alive after his chest pain incident, I took him to Cheeburger Cheeburger. They have over 75 different milk shakes and great burgers and onion rings. I guess the waitress did not speak english very well-I asked for two orders of onion rings to go and when Scott opened the bag he discovered just two onion rings! At least I didn't get charged for them! And they were tasty, just limited. Guess it was better for us anyhow. We shared the milkshake though-chocolate oreo cookie. Too much chocolate for Scott.
I spent the rest of the weekend doing yard work and house work. We were expecting visitors to stop in the following week from Boston. I was trying to clean up after my moth infestation. I still have some stragglers in the laundry room that got in the cat food, and some in the canned food pantry, but overall I cleaned most of them out. So I decided to do some heavy duty cabinet and light fixture cleaning as well. I also had to chop down an enormous shrub by the side of our house that tipped over in the snow storm. While I was cutting it down(chain saw mind you), I discovered that it had also split several of its trunks. Tom declined this job since he believed the bush was getting better. I am not sure how much better a bush can get growing sideways across the ground and covering the walkway. Anyhow, this thing is a monster and I am sure it will sprout back quickly now that I reshaped it and took off the heavy top section. I also cut the grass and added a few more flowers to my pots since the hot summer killed a few off when we were on vacation.
This has been an incredibly hot summer and big storms too. Matt and Di invited us over for dinner and a swim on Sunday night. We haven't seen them in a few weeks. We had a big storm on Thursday night with lots of lightning. Once again, the big trees near Matt and Di's swimming pool was hit by lightning which traveled down to the base of the tree and blew the bark off the bottom. Then the lightning traveled underground and hit a shovel stuck in the ground. It actually shattered the fiberglass handle and then traveled along their underground watering system, sending a fountain of water up into the air until it blew out the control box in their garage! The last time they were hit by lightning, it took out their phone system and outdoor lighting system. They get all the exciting storms.
So we are not back back to school yet, but I spent last week helping Scott with his first summer book report. He had to make baseball cards for the book "Because of Winn Dixie"-about a dog. He had to draw pictures of characters on the front of the cards, and write info about the characters on the back. Now we are reading his second book, "Dear Mr Henshaw". We have to write a book report on this one. Allison meanwhile spent Sunday morning wrapping up her Confirmation presentations which were due on Friday. I thought she had finished before we left for Michigan, but she only got the outlines done. I spent all last week trying to coordinate all the girls in several different states. Allison is working with two different girls this year on two different presentations. She is happy about it though. She is helping with a Confirmation retreat in Oct.
So it was nice to chat with Matt and Di on Sunday, share our Michigan dinner of Koegel Vienna hot dogs, Mich. Blueberries in our fruit salad, Vernors ginger ale soda and Tony Packo chili(actually from ohio), and cool off in their pool.
Welcome to our newest bloggers-Neice Stacey and husband Matt! Kathleen
He needed to get home so he could drive to Michigan to pick up Allison. She had been enjoying her last week in Northern Michigan with my parents, baking with Grandma and swimming and fishing with Grandpa. She enjoyed watching all the wildlife in and around the water too. She also spent a lot of time catching up on her reading. She needed some R and R since she is back home now and back to her hectic schedule. Mom and Dad Bozyk drove her back to Detroit last Thursday and Tom drove up to Michigan last Friday. The two drove back to Baltimore on Saturday with a stop over at the outlet mall.
Scott spent his week at Gymnastics camp. He has been taking gymnastics during the school year, and the same facility offers 1 week camps through the Parks and Rec. program. Scott had a great time and enjoyed the added water gun fights and trip to play Laser tag. However, we received a phone call Friday morning from the staff saying that Scott was having chest pains. Both Tom and I missed the phone call and it turned out that my neighbor picked him up. I was off to my aerobics class and Tom was attempting to get his car in working order for the long drive to Michigan. He needed new belts and was trying to figure out why the car was having such a hard time starting. New belts certainly helped. When he stopped back at the house to grab his suitcase, there was our neighbor and Scott. Tom was on the phone with our medical group by the time I walked in the door. I also had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon so I took Scott with me. The advice nurse didn't think it sounded too drastic and made us an appointment. Unfortunately, Scott's appointment was not at the same place that I had my appointment. So I ran to pick up my medicine and stop into the lab for my appointment, ran Scott down near Annapolis for his appointment(turned out to be a pulled muscle from a forward flip into the foam pit off a small trampolene)Whew! And then I drove back for my doctor appointment. In between I was running out of gas and had to stop for a fill up! So much for a nice relaxing day to myself! I did manage to stop in at Michaels Arts and Crafts and buy a poster frame and mat for Scott's Nintendo poster to hang on his bedroom wall. He spent the weekend getting his room reorganized, redecorated and ready for school. We picked up all his school supplies-now we have shoe and uniform shopping to do. All during the upcoming Maryland tax free week for clothes and shoes. I was wishing it was for everything! Mainly Scott needs new clothes and shoes-he won't stop growing!
To celebrate Scott being alive after his chest pain incident, I took him to Cheeburger Cheeburger. They have over 75 different milk shakes and great burgers and onion rings. I guess the waitress did not speak english very well-I asked for two orders of onion rings to go and when Scott opened the bag he discovered just two onion rings! At least I didn't get charged for them! And they were tasty, just limited. Guess it was better for us anyhow. We shared the milkshake though-chocolate oreo cookie. Too much chocolate for Scott.
I spent the rest of the weekend doing yard work and house work. We were expecting visitors to stop in the following week from Boston. I was trying to clean up after my moth infestation. I still have some stragglers in the laundry room that got in the cat food, and some in the canned food pantry, but overall I cleaned most of them out. So I decided to do some heavy duty cabinet and light fixture cleaning as well. I also had to chop down an enormous shrub by the side of our house that tipped over in the snow storm. While I was cutting it down(chain saw mind you), I discovered that it had also split several of its trunks. Tom declined this job since he believed the bush was getting better. I am not sure how much better a bush can get growing sideways across the ground and covering the walkway. Anyhow, this thing is a monster and I am sure it will sprout back quickly now that I reshaped it and took off the heavy top section. I also cut the grass and added a few more flowers to my pots since the hot summer killed a few off when we were on vacation.
This has been an incredibly hot summer and big storms too. Matt and Di invited us over for dinner and a swim on Sunday night. We haven't seen them in a few weeks. We had a big storm on Thursday night with lots of lightning. Once again, the big trees near Matt and Di's swimming pool was hit by lightning which traveled down to the base of the tree and blew the bark off the bottom. Then the lightning traveled underground and hit a shovel stuck in the ground. It actually shattered the fiberglass handle and then traveled along their underground watering system, sending a fountain of water up into the air until it blew out the control box in their garage! The last time they were hit by lightning, it took out their phone system and outdoor lighting system. They get all the exciting storms.
So we are not back back to school yet, but I spent last week helping Scott with his first summer book report. He had to make baseball cards for the book "Because of Winn Dixie"-about a dog. He had to draw pictures of characters on the front of the cards, and write info about the characters on the back. Now we are reading his second book, "Dear Mr Henshaw". We have to write a book report on this one. Allison meanwhile spent Sunday morning wrapping up her Confirmation presentations which were due on Friday. I thought she had finished before we left for Michigan, but she only got the outlines done. I spent all last week trying to coordinate all the girls in several different states. Allison is working with two different girls this year on two different presentations. She is happy about it though. She is helping with a Confirmation retreat in Oct.
So it was nice to chat with Matt and Di on Sunday, share our Michigan dinner of Koegel Vienna hot dogs, Mich. Blueberries in our fruit salad, Vernors ginger ale soda and Tony Packo chili(actually from ohio), and cool off in their pool.
Welcome to our newest bloggers-Neice Stacey and husband Matt! Kathleen
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
So we made it back to Baltimore-Scott, Tom and myself last Sunday. Allison stayed behind to enjoy several more weeks with Grandma and Grandpa Bozyk and the lake house.
When we got home, we immediately noticed that someone had "borrowed" the use of our house. Our back sliding door was unlocked with the patio chairs pulled out from the patio table, and food was left on the kitchen counter along with some pans, cheese stick wrappers next to the couch and someone was into the microwave popcorn. Someone had been playing video games and watching movies(we found a movie on the counter and bed pillows on the couch). Our water was turned on and off by a different valve, along with the ice maker, and the air conditioner had been reset. The strangest thing of all was finding the master bed remade along with throw pillows(Tom hates throw pillows). We thought our neighbors must have used our house-we have been having many power outages lately with two tornado warnings while we were gone, or perhaps we thought our neighbors air conditioner went out like ours did as well. But no note and no phone message. We had asked our neighbors, Dan and Gloria, to watch the cat and gerbils for us while we were gone, which they did. We checked in with them and after an entire week of discussions, finally determined that their 16 yr old daughter and her girlfriend had helped themselves to our house after being asked to check on the pets. Our biggest fear was that the girls had also entertained boys in our house. Both sets of the girl's parents assured us that the girls were accounted for at all times and there were no boys involved. Tom and I still don't believe it. Tom changed all the locks on our house. I also took no chances and dragged all of my oversized comforters off to the dry cleaners. We got a limited apology from Kelsey-their daughter-who did not admit to everything, and some things she actually blamed on her girlfriend which then made her friend mad. Kelsey was grounded for two weeks and she no longer is allowed back in our house unless she is supervised by an adult. And her girlfriend was pretty mad at her too. I understand there was lots of crying. Meanwhile, we can't trust her anymore, and we can't leave our key at our our neighbor's house for fear that their daughter will come over to our place again or let her friends come over to our house. Tom did install a keyless entry though so we could give our neighbors a code rather than a key to get in and then change it when we come back. It is just sad that Kelsey decided to lie to us and use us like she did after how good we have been to her and her family. I guess she figured we would not mind, and we probably would not have-at least if they had asked or even cleaned up after themselves. And the whole bed thing is still a mystery. The friend's mom said her daughter probably made up the bed after looking for our cat in our room. Pika tends to sleep on our bed and hide underneath it and Kelsey said her friend went upstairs looking for the cat. Anyhow, it was quite the week of ups and downs. We decided to wind down by all of us adults enjoying an evening out with no kids at a local winery on Saturday night. We packed a picnic dinner after I got back from work and enjoyed wine and live Motown music at a local winery. It was a fun and relaxing evening after a difficult week. Allison was still in Michigan, and Scott went off for an overnight swim/play date with the neighbor's that recently moved. Scott has really been missing his friend Sammy, and his parents invited Scott to spend the weekend at their new house. They had a great time.
Meanwhile, the new neighbors moved in. They have a 7 yr old boy and 5 yr old girl. A bit too young for Scott and Allison(although Allison sees potential babysitting). We tried to chat with the new couple, Steve and Kim, but did not get much info from them. I think they are overwhelmed with the move in. They had lots of family members over moving boxes over the weekend. I am sure once they get settled we'll have some interesting things to chat about since the wife works for Oceaneering on submarines and the husband is a computer software guy. I mostly see the husband watching the kids, so mom must be pretty busy with work.
I was pretty busy at work-I was asked to work on Friday too but I had Scott to watch and Tom was off to Chicago last week. Scott only had a 4 day camp last week, so he was home on Friday. Instead I offered to work on Saturday.
Scott loved his camp last week-sponsored by the Howard County Parks and Rec Dept-Adventures to Go. He spent the week bike riding, playing laser tag, canoeing and kayaking, hiking and his most favorite activity, tubing on the Antietam River all day. We had a big storm one afternoon, and I was glad to know that the kids had an indoor building to go to and play sports in during the storm. Usually the YMCA camp has the kids stand under a pavilion during the storms which is not much fun. I think I would have loved going to the Adventures to Go camp myself.
Allison was busy in Charlevoix at a sailing camp. She went last year and had a good time. The sailing camp is sponsored by the MSU 4H group. She had a fun week, and also enjoyed Mom and Dad Bozyk's house guest's, the Dugans. Pat and Gerry Dugan, their college friends, spent a few days visiting after we all left. They all enjoyed going out to dinner and a boat cruise around Lake Charlevoix. Allison also enjoyed beating all of the adults at board games each night!
I also managed to get in my water sports last week at paddle practice for the upcoming Dragon Boat races in Sept. It was a bit windy so we all got very wet paddling in the harbor and we only had 9 out of 20 paddlers show up for practice, so it was an intense workout.
I also had to stop into the Verizon store on the way home to figure out how to use my new phone. The screen went black after the battery drained and I was having a hard time getting it to turn on again. Guess I just wasn't aggressive enough turning it back on. Not to mention I couldn't figure out all the different buttons. I thought it had died like my computer screen.
On Sunday, Tom and I spent time getting projects done around the house. We both worked in the yard-I was busy trimming bushes and shrubs and Tom was laying down dirt in some bare spots and holes along with a bit of grass seed all around our yard. We'll probably put down quite a bit more seed in the fall. Tom is also attempting to kill some nasty Bermuda grass that is trying to take over our lawn. It is a viney grass that grows into all the flower beds and covers up all the good Fescue grass. Tom can't spray weed killer since it will kill our whole lawn, so he is trying out a new product just for Bermuda grass. It is a very slow process. I am also fighting a continuiing battle of the bugs. My kitchen cabinets were infested with moths brought into the house from the pet store in Cookie's dog food. I had emptied out my baking cabinet, and put all the boxed goods in the garage until I was sure the cabinets and the boxes were bug free. Tom got tired of the bags of food taking up his side of the garage, so he took all the food to the dump. Guess I won't be baking for awhile. I also have to fight off ants that keep finding a different route into our kitchen. The newest batch is hanging out in the kitchen sink. At least I can wash most of them down the drain, along with the ant traps all over the counters. I would like to be done with bugs now. This winter it was an infestation of stink bugs. What a fascinating year.
We also decided to take a break and shop for a kitchen table(still looking after 6 years). We are trying to find a long skinny table to fit our new(6 yr old) kitchen. We found a set at Sam's Club for a terrific price and we loved the chairs but hated the table. So instead Tom took me bike shopping(again). I finally picked out a bike, but it is still on trial since I test drove it twice this past week to the grocery store and my hands are still falling asleep. The bike shop guy said even the pro racer's hands fall asleep when they ride(it isn't much fun). I may be trading with Allison.
So Tom headed off to LA this week. I will let you know how Scott and I manage a week on our own(fighting bugs and washing sheets). Kathleen
When we got home, we immediately noticed that someone had "borrowed" the use of our house. Our back sliding door was unlocked with the patio chairs pulled out from the patio table, and food was left on the kitchen counter along with some pans, cheese stick wrappers next to the couch and someone was into the microwave popcorn. Someone had been playing video games and watching movies(we found a movie on the counter and bed pillows on the couch). Our water was turned on and off by a different valve, along with the ice maker, and the air conditioner had been reset. The strangest thing of all was finding the master bed remade along with throw pillows(Tom hates throw pillows). We thought our neighbors must have used our house-we have been having many power outages lately with two tornado warnings while we were gone, or perhaps we thought our neighbors air conditioner went out like ours did as well. But no note and no phone message. We had asked our neighbors, Dan and Gloria, to watch the cat and gerbils for us while we were gone, which they did. We checked in with them and after an entire week of discussions, finally determined that their 16 yr old daughter and her girlfriend had helped themselves to our house after being asked to check on the pets. Our biggest fear was that the girls had also entertained boys in our house. Both sets of the girl's parents assured us that the girls were accounted for at all times and there were no boys involved. Tom and I still don't believe it. Tom changed all the locks on our house. I also took no chances and dragged all of my oversized comforters off to the dry cleaners. We got a limited apology from Kelsey-their daughter-who did not admit to everything, and some things she actually blamed on her girlfriend which then made her friend mad. Kelsey was grounded for two weeks and she no longer is allowed back in our house unless she is supervised by an adult. And her girlfriend was pretty mad at her too. I understand there was lots of crying. Meanwhile, we can't trust her anymore, and we can't leave our key at our our neighbor's house for fear that their daughter will come over to our place again or let her friends come over to our house. Tom did install a keyless entry though so we could give our neighbors a code rather than a key to get in and then change it when we come back. It is just sad that Kelsey decided to lie to us and use us like she did after how good we have been to her and her family. I guess she figured we would not mind, and we probably would not have-at least if they had asked or even cleaned up after themselves. And the whole bed thing is still a mystery. The friend's mom said her daughter probably made up the bed after looking for our cat in our room. Pika tends to sleep on our bed and hide underneath it and Kelsey said her friend went upstairs looking for the cat. Anyhow, it was quite the week of ups and downs. We decided to wind down by all of us adults enjoying an evening out with no kids at a local winery on Saturday night. We packed a picnic dinner after I got back from work and enjoyed wine and live Motown music at a local winery. It was a fun and relaxing evening after a difficult week. Allison was still in Michigan, and Scott went off for an overnight swim/play date with the neighbor's that recently moved. Scott has really been missing his friend Sammy, and his parents invited Scott to spend the weekend at their new house. They had a great time.
Meanwhile, the new neighbors moved in. They have a 7 yr old boy and 5 yr old girl. A bit too young for Scott and Allison(although Allison sees potential babysitting). We tried to chat with the new couple, Steve and Kim, but did not get much info from them. I think they are overwhelmed with the move in. They had lots of family members over moving boxes over the weekend. I am sure once they get settled we'll have some interesting things to chat about since the wife works for Oceaneering on submarines and the husband is a computer software guy. I mostly see the husband watching the kids, so mom must be pretty busy with work.
I was pretty busy at work-I was asked to work on Friday too but I had Scott to watch and Tom was off to Chicago last week. Scott only had a 4 day camp last week, so he was home on Friday. Instead I offered to work on Saturday.
Scott loved his camp last week-sponsored by the Howard County Parks and Rec Dept-Adventures to Go. He spent the week bike riding, playing laser tag, canoeing and kayaking, hiking and his most favorite activity, tubing on the Antietam River all day. We had a big storm one afternoon, and I was glad to know that the kids had an indoor building to go to and play sports in during the storm. Usually the YMCA camp has the kids stand under a pavilion during the storms which is not much fun. I think I would have loved going to the Adventures to Go camp myself.
Allison was busy in Charlevoix at a sailing camp. She went last year and had a good time. The sailing camp is sponsored by the MSU 4H group. She had a fun week, and also enjoyed Mom and Dad Bozyk's house guest's, the Dugans. Pat and Gerry Dugan, their college friends, spent a few days visiting after we all left. They all enjoyed going out to dinner and a boat cruise around Lake Charlevoix. Allison also enjoyed beating all of the adults at board games each night!
I also managed to get in my water sports last week at paddle practice for the upcoming Dragon Boat races in Sept. It was a bit windy so we all got very wet paddling in the harbor and we only had 9 out of 20 paddlers show up for practice, so it was an intense workout.
I also had to stop into the Verizon store on the way home to figure out how to use my new phone. The screen went black after the battery drained and I was having a hard time getting it to turn on again. Guess I just wasn't aggressive enough turning it back on. Not to mention I couldn't figure out all the different buttons. I thought it had died like my computer screen.
On Sunday, Tom and I spent time getting projects done around the house. We both worked in the yard-I was busy trimming bushes and shrubs and Tom was laying down dirt in some bare spots and holes along with a bit of grass seed all around our yard. We'll probably put down quite a bit more seed in the fall. Tom is also attempting to kill some nasty Bermuda grass that is trying to take over our lawn. It is a viney grass that grows into all the flower beds and covers up all the good Fescue grass. Tom can't spray weed killer since it will kill our whole lawn, so he is trying out a new product just for Bermuda grass. It is a very slow process. I am also fighting a continuiing battle of the bugs. My kitchen cabinets were infested with moths brought into the house from the pet store in Cookie's dog food. I had emptied out my baking cabinet, and put all the boxed goods in the garage until I was sure the cabinets and the boxes were bug free. Tom got tired of the bags of food taking up his side of the garage, so he took all the food to the dump. Guess I won't be baking for awhile. I also have to fight off ants that keep finding a different route into our kitchen. The newest batch is hanging out in the kitchen sink. At least I can wash most of them down the drain, along with the ant traps all over the counters. I would like to be done with bugs now. This winter it was an infestation of stink bugs. What a fascinating year.
We also decided to take a break and shop for a kitchen table(still looking after 6 years). We are trying to find a long skinny table to fit our new(6 yr old) kitchen. We found a set at Sam's Club for a terrific price and we loved the chairs but hated the table. So instead Tom took me bike shopping(again). I finally picked out a bike, but it is still on trial since I test drove it twice this past week to the grocery store and my hands are still falling asleep. The bike shop guy said even the pro racer's hands fall asleep when they ride(it isn't much fun). I may be trading with Allison.
So Tom headed off to LA this week. I will let you know how Scott and I manage a week on our own(fighting bugs and washing sheets). Kathleen
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
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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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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Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy Fourth of July! Well I survived the week, but just barely. Tom took off last Sunday for San Francisco and returned late Friday night. In the meantime, Scott was off to cub scout camp for the week. He had a great time shooting BB guns and archery, and this year tackled the wood burning task. The boys decorated their own hiking sticks. Not to mention, half of them ended up with a burned finger(Scott included). As Dad Seitz says, the project is not done until you bleed on it. I car pooled with our neighbors whose son was also in cub scouts which worked out great. The Dad volunteered for a few days(I got a bit panicky when the camp called to say Scott was not signed in however). Scott had run off to his Den and the DAd did not know which group he was in. I was just glad he wasn't lost. I hadn't seen him for a whole day since I dropped him off the morning before and he spent the night at their house while Allison had her Twilight party. I spent all day Friday with him and the boys on my volunteer day. It was a very long day. I am impressed with how many activities the boys participate in-Shooting range, Field games, leather crafts, science projects and scout skills. We parents even got to play capture the flag too. And on Weds night we had our own special parent's night complete with BB gun shooting, archery and cooking our own dinner over the fire. I think we had our fill of camp skills last week.
Of course, I had a break in between the cub scout week with Allison's Twilight party. I rushed home on Tuesday night with pizza and balloons. The girls had already started arriving. Allison kept them busy with the Wii trivia game for Twilight and her Bella Bingo game. They all ate and we packed them up and off to the movie theater.We were there about an hour early, so the girls had their picture taken with an Edward(vampire) cut out and went in to see the end of the last movie, New Moon. The newest movie Eclipse started at midnite. Altogether we had 12 in our party including girls and adults. Everyone enjoyed their movie night and the girls stayed up until 7am. They had to crawl out of the basement though in the morning since a few parents had errands to run and had to pick up before 10am. The others stayed a little longer and enjoyed breakfast.
I had to clean up before lunch though since I took the cat to her yearly check up. Tom was even a bit worried about her since she looks like she has lost a bit of weight. Turns out she is fine, maybe a bit hyperthyroid. But they are running more tests to see if she needs to be medicated. Pika is 10 yrs old. They said she looks great, just about 1lb lighter. She just never was a big cat. I even tried to feed her extra canned food, but she is not used to it and turned up her nose.
I had to run home again in time to meet the air conditioner repair man. So far he has been out 3 times and it is still not working. It is completely fried. We are trying to decide on a new unit vs trying to patch this one back together. It is not a good time for the air conditioner to be out. Maryland is having a record heat wave. The kids and I did not sleep at all last Sunday night, it was just too hot and humid. Even in the basement. It has been about 100 degrees almost every day. I bought more fans to blow the hot air around and that helped a bit. Last Sunday I took them to cool off in a local lake called CAscade lake. The kids usually go there with the YMCA camp and have been asking to go back. They have rafts to swim to and a jumping platform as well as water slides in the lake. We had a great time floating in the lake and helping sink the rafts for about 3 hours on Sunday. It was a great way to cool off.
Scott and Allison also spent some time last week swimming at our neighbors house during the evening. Thank goodness for friends and pools. We even spent the evening at our neighbor's house cooling off after dinner last Sunday. They invited Tom and I over for Anniversary drinks, but Tom was already out in California. I enjoyed the drinks, as well as the air conditioning!
Besides putting on her Twilight birthday party, Allison arranged to meet with a few girls this past week to write up their presentations for next year's Confirmation class. Allison enjoyed volunteering last year and signed up again this year. The girls did a great job and turned in both outlines that are due next week. Allison also finished summer piano lesson number 2.
Tom made it home late Friday night and the kids waited to take him to see the Airbender movie on Saturday morning. The kids love the cartoon, and thought the movie was not as good as the series. Tom had a hard time staying awake(I think his long travel day had something to do with it). Plus I hit him with all our issues-dead air conditioner. Not to mention all our electronics were screwed up due to a power surge this past week. Looks like I need a new laptop-the screen on this one keeps flickering now. And Tom had to rebuild our TiVo recorder. And all this with the house surge protector in place.
Meanwhile, other sad news. Tom's mom called to say that Uncle Peter passed away on Monday after his fight with lung cancer. The funeral was Thursday in Virginia. We were very sad to hear about his passing, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Aunt Mary.
Some good news is that our friend John from Northrop managed to get a job with a company here in Baltimore that he previously worked for briefly when he first relocated to Maryland. At the time it was a small, new company and John thought he would give it a try, but opted to stay with Northrop for security(who knew). We are just so happy to hear he is employed and they have lots of work for him. Now we are cheering for Mike Bozyk to find a new librarian position in LA.
We are spending the 4th of July evening at our neighbors-swimming and grilling, and maybe lighting up a few sparklers. Last night we all headed out to hear the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra play their holiday concert and shoot off fireworks. I couldn't believe how many people I ran into from work and school. We even took John with us for the night to celebrate his new job.
So keep your fingers crossed that we get air conditioning soon! I may have to work some extra hours after all!
Happy 4th of July! Kathleen
This is a shorter week since Monday is a holiday. The kids just have 4 days of camp, but Allison is looking forward to archery at Girl Scout camp, and Scott is so excited to be going to his classes at the Community College, including a legos robotics class and pets and vets. He can't wait to bring Cookie to school! We just got back from a neighborhood kids and dog parade in our neighborhood park. Scott ate his weight in cookies and popsicles.
Happy Fourth of July! Kathleen
Of course, I had a break in between the cub scout week with Allison's Twilight party. I rushed home on Tuesday night with pizza and balloons. The girls had already started arriving. Allison kept them busy with the Wii trivia game for Twilight and her Bella Bingo game. They all ate and we packed them up and off to the movie theater.We were there about an hour early, so the girls had their picture taken with an Edward(vampire) cut out and went in to see the end of the last movie, New Moon. The newest movie Eclipse started at midnite. Altogether we had 12 in our party including girls and adults. Everyone enjoyed their movie night and the girls stayed up until 7am. They had to crawl out of the basement though in the morning since a few parents had errands to run and had to pick up before 10am. The others stayed a little longer and enjoyed breakfast.
I had to clean up before lunch though since I took the cat to her yearly check up. Tom was even a bit worried about her since she looks like she has lost a bit of weight. Turns out she is fine, maybe a bit hyperthyroid. But they are running more tests to see if she needs to be medicated. Pika is 10 yrs old. They said she looks great, just about 1lb lighter. She just never was a big cat. I even tried to feed her extra canned food, but she is not used to it and turned up her nose.
I had to run home again in time to meet the air conditioner repair man. So far he has been out 3 times and it is still not working. It is completely fried. We are trying to decide on a new unit vs trying to patch this one back together. It is not a good time for the air conditioner to be out. Maryland is having a record heat wave. The kids and I did not sleep at all last Sunday night, it was just too hot and humid. Even in the basement. It has been about 100 degrees almost every day. I bought more fans to blow the hot air around and that helped a bit. Last Sunday I took them to cool off in a local lake called CAscade lake. The kids usually go there with the YMCA camp and have been asking to go back. They have rafts to swim to and a jumping platform as well as water slides in the lake. We had a great time floating in the lake and helping sink the rafts for about 3 hours on Sunday. It was a great way to cool off.
Scott and Allison also spent some time last week swimming at our neighbors house during the evening. Thank goodness for friends and pools. We even spent the evening at our neighbor's house cooling off after dinner last Sunday. They invited Tom and I over for Anniversary drinks, but Tom was already out in California. I enjoyed the drinks, as well as the air conditioning!
Besides putting on her Twilight birthday party, Allison arranged to meet with a few girls this past week to write up their presentations for next year's Confirmation class. Allison enjoyed volunteering last year and signed up again this year. The girls did a great job and turned in both outlines that are due next week. Allison also finished summer piano lesson number 2.
Tom made it home late Friday night and the kids waited to take him to see the Airbender movie on Saturday morning. The kids love the cartoon, and thought the movie was not as good as the series. Tom had a hard time staying awake(I think his long travel day had something to do with it). Plus I hit him with all our issues-dead air conditioner. Not to mention all our electronics were screwed up due to a power surge this past week. Looks like I need a new laptop-the screen on this one keeps flickering now. And Tom had to rebuild our TiVo recorder. And all this with the house surge protector in place.
Meanwhile, other sad news. Tom's mom called to say that Uncle Peter passed away on Monday after his fight with lung cancer. The funeral was Thursday in Virginia. We were very sad to hear about his passing, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Aunt Mary.
Some good news is that our friend John from Northrop managed to get a job with a company here in Baltimore that he previously worked for briefly when he first relocated to Maryland. At the time it was a small, new company and John thought he would give it a try, but opted to stay with Northrop for security(who knew). We are just so happy to hear he is employed and they have lots of work for him. Now we are cheering for Mike Bozyk to find a new librarian position in LA.
We are spending the 4th of July evening at our neighbors-swimming and grilling, and maybe lighting up a few sparklers. Last night we all headed out to hear the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra play their holiday concert and shoot off fireworks. I couldn't believe how many people I ran into from work and school. We even took John with us for the night to celebrate his new job.
So keep your fingers crossed that we get air conditioning soon! I may have to work some extra hours after all!
Happy 4th of July! Kathleen
This is a shorter week since Monday is a holiday. The kids just have 4 days of camp, but Allison is looking forward to archery at Girl Scout camp, and Scott is so excited to be going to his classes at the Community College, including a legos robotics class and pets and vets. He can't wait to bring Cookie to school! We just got back from a neighborhood kids and dog parade in our neighborhood park. Scott ate his weight in cookies and popsicles.
Happy Fourth of July! Kathleen
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