So Dad has been settled into a new apartment on the locked memory unit on the 3rd floor. He has a very nice apt at the end of the hall with a big window looking out onto the front of the facility.
I really like their memory unit. It is a big cozier-smaller gathering places and many of them(sitting areas with tvs, dining areas, work areas with memory spaces scattered throughout. The memory spaces have items that the residents can touch and handle like a wedding display, an infant crib with infant clothes and dolls, a sewing machine, jewelry and jewelry boxes. Just items throughout the unit that help with memories. I have not looked at all of them yet. And there is a very nice outdoor patio with lots of tables and chairs and huge pots for gardening activities. Also hummingbird feeders.
So mom fluctuates back on forth on liking the idea of Dad having his own space and then crying hysterically because he has been taken from her. And she hates everyone in Maryland and she hates Maryland and she gets mad at me and then I am wonderful. She is a roller coaster of emotions. She calls everyday to see if I can get Dad back in the apt with her. Yesterday she called 20 times and left all kinds of messages. I try to explain to her that Dad needs to be there to get more help. And he really does. He has difficulty feeding himself-he needs set up(cut the food, serve the food). He looks so much better. They make sure he shaves everyday, showers, changes his clothes, toilets and changes his Depends. He just really needs more attention than mom was giving him or would allow. Sadly she just does not understand that he needs help. When he was in the apt with her, she would turn away the help and he would get agitated. Same like when they were living in the WB house.
So Mom felt that they should have stayed in Michigan and then she forgets. It is exhausting. Hopefully they will both settle down(although Dad has adjusted quite well to life on the 3rd floor). They just really want him to get used to the new staff and them to him, as well as a new schedule. So they really don't want mom taking him back into the 2nd floor apt. She still does not understand why he no longer has a bed in their apt. She does get lonely and very sad without him there(I think she needs an audience). I am hoping to keep them/her busy enough during the day with him that she does not obsess on him not being there. He is also staying awake more.
So today they were supposed to go swimming, but I could not get them a ride. They will continue to go to the Sr Center here in Ellicott City 1x/wk on Thursdays. The staff told me that mom agreed to attend a service project event at the Ronald Mcdonald house. I was doubtful. I arrived tonight to enjoy a Mother's DAy dinner with them on the memory unit. She had kidnapped DAd and was holed up in the 2nd floor apt(as was told to me by the staff). But by the time I arrived, mom and dad had gone down to the dining room for dinner. I coaxed them upstairs for the 3rd floor dinner. We had a wonderful meal-ham, chicken-mom's favorite even-fried chicken! Mac n cheese, carrots and green beans, salad and cake for dessert along with drinks. I got Dad a beer. Then we sat out on the patio a bit and I left them in front of one of the tvs. I was busy with rearranging Dad's clothes. I had bought him a bunch of new items since he actually gets his clothes changed more frequently, like socks and pjs,
And Tom wants to try and hook up some type of system to get them their own cable tv in Dad's apt so mom can hang out in his room and away from some of the other distracting residents(so they can have their own alone time). We have another tv for them, but you have to get another cable box. Tom is trying to avoid having to pay full price for another hook up.
So here are some photos from tonight and DAd's apt. Our family will also have Mother's Day brunch with them on Sunday. K-
Mother's Day dinner on memory unit. (I took mom to get a perm last weekend).
They gave DAd a hospital bed in case he needs it and we moved his power recliner chair and dresser.
Sitting area where we will put another tv and chairs. I already dropped off their wooden rocking chair.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Monday, May 4, 2015
As you are all probably aware, things have been a bit crazy here in Baltimore. It seems that riots like to follow Tom and I around, including the LA riots as well as the Detroit riots(when I was little). We better stop moving!
Before the riots started last weekend, Tom, Scott and I were off on a Bike/Hike Boy Scout camping trip. We left last Friday after I spent most of the day out shopping for supplies and packing the van. Scott was nominated to cook for his patrol, so I had to get his supplies while he was in school. Tom was off work after having just returned from a business trip to San Francisco, so he made sure all our bikes were in working order and loaded them onto our bike rack. After jump starting the van(looks like the external GPS sucked out the battery while the bikes were being loaded), we headed out to Lorton, VA. We stayed in a State campground-Pohick State Park near Mt Vernon(plantation home of George and Martha Washington) on the Potomac River. There is a very nice bike path that runs along the Potomac, from Mt Vernon to the Reagan airport. We stopped for dinner at a local Italian restaurant before reaching camp and setting up the tents.
It was a bit chilly last weekend. We got up early for breakfast and then headed out for the bike ride. Tom and I stopped half way along the trail, about 4 miles into the ride with our van in case any of the boys had trouble. Most of the troop completed the whole loop-16 miles. They ended at the Woodrow Wilson bridge for a lunch break. The bridge was recently remodeled and has a very nice(and huge) park underneath with lots of parking too. Tom and I took off on our bikes and rode up into the town of Alexandria. I had never been there before. It was a bit chilly, and early in the day, so we stopped into Starbucks to warm up before heading back to meet the boys. The town reminds me of Williamsburg, Charlestown and Savannah all rolled into one. Lots of old, original buildings from the 1700s. I would enjoy going back to try out some of their restaurants and peek in at the stores.
A few boys followed their dad through Alexandria and up to Arlington, so they made a 28 mile ride. We really did not want to try to herd all the little scouts through downtown on a busy Saturday shopping morning. So we all headed back to camp. We tried to stop into Mt Vernon to hike the grounds, but they have changed the entrance by adding a visitor center. You can no longer just walk around the gardens or farmland, but have to pay to get into the whole complex. So we had to skip that and head back to camp. It was early afternoon. The younger hiking scouts were still off finishing up rank requirements. I decided to take a few boys over to play Putt Putt golf at the camp site. As soon as we finished, I recommended Scott start dinner since we were expecting rain. As soon as dinner was over, it started pouring and did not stop until early the next morning. So we spent most of our time in the tent(sadly, no campfires). At least we missed the small snowstorm they had back home! Crazy.
In the morning we packed up and headed home. It was a bit of a rough start as the new, younger boys are not as well trained in repacking tents or chuck boxes or backpacks. We set our older boys on them to help them get organized so we could leave! It is like herding chickens!(and of course a few of them got sick). All the more fun. Anyhow, we managed to get home early enough to unload and clean up the camping equipment. Then Scott got busy with his homework.
Allison also enjoyed a weekend of camping with her Frisbee team. The girls left this past Friday for a campground west of DC on the Shenandoah river. They had a lot of fun camping out with a bonfire and playing Ultimate Frisbee with teams from all over the DC area.
I had a few more errands to run last week-I had to take my mom to the dentist for a few fillings. Also, the Assisted Living facility decided to move my father onto the memory unit so they could provide him with more direct care. So this past Friday I was busy helping to move all his belongings into a new apartment, as well as trying to calm my mother down. She is not happy about being separated from my Dad. But Dad needed more attention than my mom could give him. It is going to be an adjustment for all of us.
Meanwhile, things seem to be calming down in our Charm City(not so charming right now). But what a different type of experience. People arrived to clean up the city after a night of fires and looting. Even a construction company outside the state volunteered to rebuild the burned Sr Center. We've actually had more media here in town than actual citizens it would appear. I have never seen so many CNN reporters in our city. Guess it was cheaper than traveling to Nepal to cover the quake. And our riots sparked many demonstrations in cities around the country including New York and DC. Sadly, the riots took their toll on our economy and tourism. Many events were cancelled downtown including high school proms, several events scheduled at our convention center, even a trip to our local mall by Dr Oz. He was scheduled to visit and conduct a live show but it was cancelled last week. And that was not even being held downtown! The most fascinating was when the Orioles played without any baseball fans in the stadium. A first in MLB. At least we have that!
So the city curfew has been lifted and we hope things will improve. Baltimore really is a unique city with lots of potential and lots of support and love from its residents. It has actually come a long way as a blue collar shipping town.
Boy Scout Bike Ride with Scott
Tom under the Woodrow Wilson bridge
Scott prepares Breakfast
Before the riots started last weekend, Tom, Scott and I were off on a Bike/Hike Boy Scout camping trip. We left last Friday after I spent most of the day out shopping for supplies and packing the van. Scott was nominated to cook for his patrol, so I had to get his supplies while he was in school. Tom was off work after having just returned from a business trip to San Francisco, so he made sure all our bikes were in working order and loaded them onto our bike rack. After jump starting the van(looks like the external GPS sucked out the battery while the bikes were being loaded), we headed out to Lorton, VA. We stayed in a State campground-Pohick State Park near Mt Vernon(plantation home of George and Martha Washington) on the Potomac River. There is a very nice bike path that runs along the Potomac, from Mt Vernon to the Reagan airport. We stopped for dinner at a local Italian restaurant before reaching camp and setting up the tents.
It was a bit chilly last weekend. We got up early for breakfast and then headed out for the bike ride. Tom and I stopped half way along the trail, about 4 miles into the ride with our van in case any of the boys had trouble. Most of the troop completed the whole loop-16 miles. They ended at the Woodrow Wilson bridge for a lunch break. The bridge was recently remodeled and has a very nice(and huge) park underneath with lots of parking too. Tom and I took off on our bikes and rode up into the town of Alexandria. I had never been there before. It was a bit chilly, and early in the day, so we stopped into Starbucks to warm up before heading back to meet the boys. The town reminds me of Williamsburg, Charlestown and Savannah all rolled into one. Lots of old, original buildings from the 1700s. I would enjoy going back to try out some of their restaurants and peek in at the stores.
A few boys followed their dad through Alexandria and up to Arlington, so they made a 28 mile ride. We really did not want to try to herd all the little scouts through downtown on a busy Saturday shopping morning. So we all headed back to camp. We tried to stop into Mt Vernon to hike the grounds, but they have changed the entrance by adding a visitor center. You can no longer just walk around the gardens or farmland, but have to pay to get into the whole complex. So we had to skip that and head back to camp. It was early afternoon. The younger hiking scouts were still off finishing up rank requirements. I decided to take a few boys over to play Putt Putt golf at the camp site. As soon as we finished, I recommended Scott start dinner since we were expecting rain. As soon as dinner was over, it started pouring and did not stop until early the next morning. So we spent most of our time in the tent(sadly, no campfires). At least we missed the small snowstorm they had back home! Crazy.
In the morning we packed up and headed home. It was a bit of a rough start as the new, younger boys are not as well trained in repacking tents or chuck boxes or backpacks. We set our older boys on them to help them get organized so we could leave! It is like herding chickens!(and of course a few of them got sick). All the more fun. Anyhow, we managed to get home early enough to unload and clean up the camping equipment. Then Scott got busy with his homework.
Allison also enjoyed a weekend of camping with her Frisbee team. The girls left this past Friday for a campground west of DC on the Shenandoah river. They had a lot of fun camping out with a bonfire and playing Ultimate Frisbee with teams from all over the DC area.
Meanwhile, things seem to be calming down in our Charm City(not so charming right now). But what a different type of experience. People arrived to clean up the city after a night of fires and looting. Even a construction company outside the state volunteered to rebuild the burned Sr Center. We've actually had more media here in town than actual citizens it would appear. I have never seen so many CNN reporters in our city. Guess it was cheaper than traveling to Nepal to cover the quake. And our riots sparked many demonstrations in cities around the country including New York and DC. Sadly, the riots took their toll on our economy and tourism. Many events were cancelled downtown including high school proms, several events scheduled at our convention center, even a trip to our local mall by Dr Oz. He was scheduled to visit and conduct a live show but it was cancelled last week. And that was not even being held downtown! The most fascinating was when the Orioles played without any baseball fans in the stadium. A first in MLB. At least we have that!
So the city curfew has been lifted and we hope things will improve. Baltimore really is a unique city with lots of potential and lots of support and love from its residents. It has actually come a long way as a blue collar shipping town.
Boy Scout Bike Ride with Scott
Tom under the Woodrow Wilson bridge
Scott prepares Breakfast
Monday, April 27, 2015
Summer decided to arrive last weekend! And just as quickly, it left. The temperature was in the 80s last Saturday. We were busy catching up with our spring cleaning. Both inside and out. The whole neighborhood was busy cutting the grass and cleaning up the flower beds. Including us. Everything seems to be blooming all at once.
Tom had been out working in LA all last week. He got home Friday night and spent Saturday sprucing up the lawn mower so he could get the grass cut. Scott helped out by restacking our stone wall around the beds in the front. He was not happy to come across a small snake in the process!
At least Tom had a chance to meet up with my brother Mike in LA and they enjoyed dinner together. Back here in Baltimore, Scott and I had a busy week. On Tuesday night we attended Scott's Confirmation pot luck dinner. I asked Scott to put a lasagna in the oven, but he missed the timing. So I had to run and pick up some wings from Pizza Hut, and throw some spinach pie in the oven before heading over. Fortunately there was more than enough food. The dinner was to give the candidates and their sponsors time to think about the whole confirmation process and chat. Scott enjoyed visiting with his friends. They also made sure the kids completed all their requirements. Looks like Scott is right on track for his big day, May 9th. We will be enjoying having Mark and Linda Seitz come visit as Mark is Scott's sponsor.
Scott and I were also busy on Thursday night. Tom assisted with organizing the Resurrection Science Fair. Again, he was out of town during the event, so he conveniently signed me up to help out. Not a problem except I did not want to judge the projects. That is what I was assigned to do anyway. I just remember how strict the judges were on Scott and Allison, and I was not sure I was up to the job. So Tom requested that Scott join me as a judging partner. Turns out we only had 12 projects and 8 judges, so we did not need to interview every kid. However, no one knew how the process worked, including the teacher. Tom usually gave out the instructions. I decided we would pair off and judge at least 3 projects each which worked out. There were also 3 research projects and an engineering challenge(balloon cars). But they only had 8 entries for the engineering contest and two teachers judged the research projects. So it did not take us too long to come up with the top 3 science projects. The number one project was an experiment by two 4th grader boys on the Super Powers of Dog Drool. They placed dog and human saliva in petri dishes with bacteria to see how it would react. The bacteria won, so don't let your dog lick your wounds/cuts/etc! Antibiotics work better for infections it would appear. They did a great job with their experimentation and the presentation. So we wrapped up the evening around 8pm.
And last week was a first for Scott with his track team. He finally competed(twice) last week in a track and field event. He got to throw the shot put and a discus. He likes the shot put better and throws a little over 20 ft. It is a whole new experience for him. He especially enjoyed the bus ride over with the team to a local high school for one of the meets. This is his first, official team sport. He continues to work out at the Y on Friday nights also with a friend. That gives me time to run errands-like picking him up a suit for his confirmation. I get my exercise class done on Friday mornings.
And since we had such a beautiful weekend, we decided to make sure our bikes were up and running for next weekends camping/biking trip with the boy scouts. I was going to take my parents out for a small boat ride on the Potomac as a birthday gift for my Dad, but the weather turned a bit windy and chilly. Best to save that for a warmer day. Instead, Scott, Tom and I took out our bikes on a quick ride up a trail nearby. It was all uphill, and Tom and I decided to take a break midway at a local bakery for a drink break. Scott went on another block to the top of the hill and then we coasted all the way back. Unfortunately I blew my back tire on the way down and had to get off and walk. At least we were close to home for a repair. And later that evening, I had to take Scott over for his Boy Scout annual swim test with the whole troop.I was nominated to mark off the boys as they finished their tests. Scott bailed me out so he could get home and study!
1st Place Winners of Science Fair-Dog Drool
Spring has finally arrived!
Saucer Magnolia
Meanwhile, Allison spent her busy weekend in Delaware playing Field Hockey. Her Club team signed up for the Delaware Beach Bash tournament and needed a goalie. Allison played every game for two days and was completely exhausted(and bruised too). But she had a lot of fun, even though their wins were limited. Seems that the entire team was a bit out of shape. Not used to playing in the spring. She is staying busy with classes too. But managed to finally meet up with a guy that her friends introduced her to since he is a computer science major and they have a lot in common(ie video gaming).
We also kept busy last weekend enjoying dinner with friends at their house(Beth and Barry). Naturally, Cookie came along to keep their puppy company. We will be puppy sitting soon, so we want them to remain friends!
Tom had been out working in LA all last week. He got home Friday night and spent Saturday sprucing up the lawn mower so he could get the grass cut. Scott helped out by restacking our stone wall around the beds in the front. He was not happy to come across a small snake in the process!
At least Tom had a chance to meet up with my brother Mike in LA and they enjoyed dinner together. Back here in Baltimore, Scott and I had a busy week. On Tuesday night we attended Scott's Confirmation pot luck dinner. I asked Scott to put a lasagna in the oven, but he missed the timing. So I had to run and pick up some wings from Pizza Hut, and throw some spinach pie in the oven before heading over. Fortunately there was more than enough food. The dinner was to give the candidates and their sponsors time to think about the whole confirmation process and chat. Scott enjoyed visiting with his friends. They also made sure the kids completed all their requirements. Looks like Scott is right on track for his big day, May 9th. We will be enjoying having Mark and Linda Seitz come visit as Mark is Scott's sponsor.
Scott and I were also busy on Thursday night. Tom assisted with organizing the Resurrection Science Fair. Again, he was out of town during the event, so he conveniently signed me up to help out. Not a problem except I did not want to judge the projects. That is what I was assigned to do anyway. I just remember how strict the judges were on Scott and Allison, and I was not sure I was up to the job. So Tom requested that Scott join me as a judging partner. Turns out we only had 12 projects and 8 judges, so we did not need to interview every kid. However, no one knew how the process worked, including the teacher. Tom usually gave out the instructions. I decided we would pair off and judge at least 3 projects each which worked out. There were also 3 research projects and an engineering challenge(balloon cars). But they only had 8 entries for the engineering contest and two teachers judged the research projects. So it did not take us too long to come up with the top 3 science projects. The number one project was an experiment by two 4th grader boys on the Super Powers of Dog Drool. They placed dog and human saliva in petri dishes with bacteria to see how it would react. The bacteria won, so don't let your dog lick your wounds/cuts/etc! Antibiotics work better for infections it would appear. They did a great job with their experimentation and the presentation. So we wrapped up the evening around 8pm.
And last week was a first for Scott with his track team. He finally competed(twice) last week in a track and field event. He got to throw the shot put and a discus. He likes the shot put better and throws a little over 20 ft. It is a whole new experience for him. He especially enjoyed the bus ride over with the team to a local high school for one of the meets. This is his first, official team sport. He continues to work out at the Y on Friday nights also with a friend. That gives me time to run errands-like picking him up a suit for his confirmation. I get my exercise class done on Friday mornings.
And since we had such a beautiful weekend, we decided to make sure our bikes were up and running for next weekends camping/biking trip with the boy scouts. I was going to take my parents out for a small boat ride on the Potomac as a birthday gift for my Dad, but the weather turned a bit windy and chilly. Best to save that for a warmer day. Instead, Scott, Tom and I took out our bikes on a quick ride up a trail nearby. It was all uphill, and Tom and I decided to take a break midway at a local bakery for a drink break. Scott went on another block to the top of the hill and then we coasted all the way back. Unfortunately I blew my back tire on the way down and had to get off and walk. At least we were close to home for a repair. And later that evening, I had to take Scott over for his Boy Scout annual swim test with the whole troop.I was nominated to mark off the boys as they finished their tests. Scott bailed me out so he could get home and study!
1st Place Winners of Science Fair-Dog Drool
Spring has finally arrived!
Saucer Magnolia
Meanwhile, Allison spent her busy weekend in Delaware playing Field Hockey. Her Club team signed up for the Delaware Beach Bash tournament and needed a goalie. Allison played every game for two days and was completely exhausted(and bruised too). But she had a lot of fun, even though their wins were limited. Seems that the entire team was a bit out of shape. Not used to playing in the spring. She is staying busy with classes too. But managed to finally meet up with a guy that her friends introduced her to since he is a computer science major and they have a lot in common(ie video gaming).
We also kept busy last weekend enjoying dinner with friends at their house(Beth and Barry). Naturally, Cookie came along to keep their puppy company. We will be puppy sitting soon, so we want them to remain friends!
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Did you ever have one of those days? That was my Sunday. Tom and I have a running joke that we seem to break kids that are under our care. When Allison and Scott were little, we had a few mishaps with a couple of the neighbor children under our watchful eyes during playdates. We broke two of them-one wrist fracture and one elbow fracture.
This weekend we had one go to the hospital with an asthma attack. On our watch. We did not cause the asthma attack, but we keep wondering why we volunteer to watch other people's kids. Anyhow, we opened up our house to Allison's Ultimate Frisbee team. All 20 girls. The team travels each weekend to different Universities for tournaments and they usually bunk down at a house of one of the players. Allison has had the pleasure of staying at several different homes, and we thought it was our turn to volunteer. And so we did. We spent last week frantically cleaning bathrooms and making floor space to accommodate up to 20 girls. Also planning a dinner and two breakfasts. Plus the shopping.
As well as celebrating Dad Bozyk's 80th Birthday smack dab in the middle of the week. (We actually had to postpone dinner until Saturday). I did a run by their apt with a balloon bouquet on Weds night, but Dad had already drifted off to sleep by 8pm. It is tough turning 80! At least he seems over his cold. And they removed the room restrictions in their building.
So Friday evening, we were lucky to have just 8 girls sleep over at the house. They all drove up together from school. They enjoyed dinner of pizza and salad(per their request), along with cookies and cheese puffs. EAsy enough. Then they were up watching movies and slept in our basement, our play room and the living room couch. On Saturday I was up early making breakfast-egg casserole and french toast casserole along with the usual breakfast stand-bys-cereal and bananas. They were out the door by 9am. They played all day and then about 12 showed up in the late afternoon to start taking showers and get ready to go out to dinner. Of course they were all sunburned. Our Spring/Summer has officially arrived. I was busy passing out the Aloe Vera gel, along with ice bags, bacitracin and bandages for a few banged up girls. (Remember, this is non tackle football with a frisbee). Yeah, no sprained ankles or wrists! But they did not win any games that day.
Tom and I had been out for an early dinner with my parents. We took Dad Bozyk out to Olive Garden, courtesy of Mike Bozyk, and then opened birthday gifts. We decided to hurry home when we heard all the girls were coming back to the house early. After they cleaned up, they all went out to dinner at Pizzeria Unos(see a theme here?). But not all of them came back right away. Late at night a few girls informed me that Allison had driven one of them to the Howard County Hospital ER. She was having an asthma attack. Oh great. Her parents were in New Jersey-4 hours away. The young lady was admitted to the hospital but hoped to be discharged in the early morning hours. I was waiting up to go pick her up and drop her off at another girl's house in the neighborhood(Allison's roommate). They were pet free and I did not want the girl to have any more issues that might involve our cat. Turns out the hospital kept her overnight, and then kept her until Tuesday morning! Apparently it was more than an asthma attack.
Our girls were up very early Sunday morning. Tom picked them up Einstein bagels and left for the airport to travel out to LA for work. I filled them up on fruit and cereal and they packed up and left. They had a few early games(won at least a game) and then drove back to Salisbury. I still had the hospitalized girl's suitcase and pillow. Her mother arrived at our house in the afternoon from Jersey. Very sweet but a bit overwhelmed trying to find her way around and of course worrying about her daughter. She was just glad she had been staying at our house(little did she know our reputation!). Anyhow, she picked up her daughter's belongings and I offered our house if she wanted to stay. She thought she might stay in the hospital with her daughter, or look for a hotel. But she was going to insist that her daughter see a specialist when she got back home.
In the meantime, while waiting for her to stop by the house, I was trying to decide if I should drive about an hour north of Baltimore to pick up Scott at his Confirmation retreat. Apparently their bus broke down and they had to wait 1.5 hrs for another ride. Both Scott and the girl's mom were supposed to show up at our house at the same time. Scott opted to wait for another bus so I just had to pick him up from the church parking lot. Right before the girl's mom arrived. Never a dull moment.
Anyway, Scott survived his weekend away at retreat from Friday night to Sunday and he had a lot of homework to catch up on. Plus a letter to write to the Bishop due the next day. He also was back in school last week after an exhausting Spring Break. They had a wonderful article in the local paper on the Robotics Tournament held at U of Maryland over break that Scott participated in. Even his Boy Scout troop was in the paper this past week to honor one of the scouts that developed a patch for the Honor Guard used to conduct flag ceremonies. Scott's troop has a group of boys that volunteer for special programs such as activities involving the Wounded Warriors to act as Honor Guards during flag ceremonies. And now they have a National Patch to go along with the job.
We definitely stay busy here in Maryland!
Another Birthday Wish goes out to Sandra Bozyk who also celebrated her special day this past week.
Dad Bozyk turns 80
Salisbury Frisbee girls in the House!
This weekend we had one go to the hospital with an asthma attack. On our watch. We did not cause the asthma attack, but we keep wondering why we volunteer to watch other people's kids. Anyhow, we opened up our house to Allison's Ultimate Frisbee team. All 20 girls. The team travels each weekend to different Universities for tournaments and they usually bunk down at a house of one of the players. Allison has had the pleasure of staying at several different homes, and we thought it was our turn to volunteer. And so we did. We spent last week frantically cleaning bathrooms and making floor space to accommodate up to 20 girls. Also planning a dinner and two breakfasts. Plus the shopping.
As well as celebrating Dad Bozyk's 80th Birthday smack dab in the middle of the week. (We actually had to postpone dinner until Saturday). I did a run by their apt with a balloon bouquet on Weds night, but Dad had already drifted off to sleep by 8pm. It is tough turning 80! At least he seems over his cold. And they removed the room restrictions in their building.
So Friday evening, we were lucky to have just 8 girls sleep over at the house. They all drove up together from school. They enjoyed dinner of pizza and salad(per their request), along with cookies and cheese puffs. EAsy enough. Then they were up watching movies and slept in our basement, our play room and the living room couch. On Saturday I was up early making breakfast-egg casserole and french toast casserole along with the usual breakfast stand-bys-cereal and bananas. They were out the door by 9am. They played all day and then about 12 showed up in the late afternoon to start taking showers and get ready to go out to dinner. Of course they were all sunburned. Our Spring/Summer has officially arrived. I was busy passing out the Aloe Vera gel, along with ice bags, bacitracin and bandages for a few banged up girls. (Remember, this is non tackle football with a frisbee). Yeah, no sprained ankles or wrists! But they did not win any games that day.
Tom and I had been out for an early dinner with my parents. We took Dad Bozyk out to Olive Garden, courtesy of Mike Bozyk, and then opened birthday gifts. We decided to hurry home when we heard all the girls were coming back to the house early. After they cleaned up, they all went out to dinner at Pizzeria Unos(see a theme here?). But not all of them came back right away. Late at night a few girls informed me that Allison had driven one of them to the Howard County Hospital ER. She was having an asthma attack. Oh great. Her parents were in New Jersey-4 hours away. The young lady was admitted to the hospital but hoped to be discharged in the early morning hours. I was waiting up to go pick her up and drop her off at another girl's house in the neighborhood(Allison's roommate). They were pet free and I did not want the girl to have any more issues that might involve our cat. Turns out the hospital kept her overnight, and then kept her until Tuesday morning! Apparently it was more than an asthma attack.
Our girls were up very early Sunday morning. Tom picked them up Einstein bagels and left for the airport to travel out to LA for work. I filled them up on fruit and cereal and they packed up and left. They had a few early games(won at least a game) and then drove back to Salisbury. I still had the hospitalized girl's suitcase and pillow. Her mother arrived at our house in the afternoon from Jersey. Very sweet but a bit overwhelmed trying to find her way around and of course worrying about her daughter. She was just glad she had been staying at our house(little did she know our reputation!). Anyhow, she picked up her daughter's belongings and I offered our house if she wanted to stay. She thought she might stay in the hospital with her daughter, or look for a hotel. But she was going to insist that her daughter see a specialist when she got back home.
In the meantime, while waiting for her to stop by the house, I was trying to decide if I should drive about an hour north of Baltimore to pick up Scott at his Confirmation retreat. Apparently their bus broke down and they had to wait 1.5 hrs for another ride. Both Scott and the girl's mom were supposed to show up at our house at the same time. Scott opted to wait for another bus so I just had to pick him up from the church parking lot. Right before the girl's mom arrived. Never a dull moment.
Anyway, Scott survived his weekend away at retreat from Friday night to Sunday and he had a lot of homework to catch up on. Plus a letter to write to the Bishop due the next day. He also was back in school last week after an exhausting Spring Break. They had a wonderful article in the local paper on the Robotics Tournament held at U of Maryland over break that Scott participated in. Even his Boy Scout troop was in the paper this past week to honor one of the scouts that developed a patch for the Honor Guard used to conduct flag ceremonies. Scott's troop has a group of boys that volunteer for special programs such as activities involving the Wounded Warriors to act as Honor Guards during flag ceremonies. And now they have a National Patch to go along with the job.
We definitely stay busy here in Maryland!
Another Birthday Wish goes out to Sandra Bozyk who also celebrated her special day this past week.
Dad Bozyk turns 80
Salisbury Frisbee girls in the House!
Monday, April 6, 2015
Happy Easter! Spring has finally arrived in Maryland. Thank goodness. The flowers are starting to bloom and the trees are getting their leaves. For those with allergies, this is not a good time. And with Spring comes Spring cleaning! Tom and I started working on projects all over the house including putting away winter holiday decorations. This weekend, Tom put up a bluebird house for me in hopes that a pair of birds hanging around our yard will move in. He also put down crab grass killer and fertilizer on the lawn.
Easter puppy brings treats
Last week he stayed home a day as we had roofers out to the house repairing areas around our chimney and vents as well as replacing our skylight. We would like to have the whole roof replaced and repaired, but it is a bit pricey. For now, we just wanted to keep the rain from leaking into our family room.
We are also getting ready for a house full of girls this coming weekend. Allison and her frisbee team will be bunking down in our house for a tournament over the weekend. All 20 of them! For now I was just getting ready for EAster and the April birthdays.
Saturday was Tom's birthday. Allison came home for the weekend to help us celebrate. We took him out for dinner at Maggiones Italian restaurant. He tried to eat there with Allison a week ago and there was a 2hr wait. So we made reservations and had a wonderful late evening dinner. We wanted to go out to the movies, but the timing was not good. So we came home and enjoyed a variety of cupcakes that Allison picked up at a local bakery and opened gifts. Tom wanted to update his Kindle. And we picked up a new camp chair(in Salisbury colors) to sit and watch Allison play Field Hockey or Ultimate frisbee. I also put together a wine package complete with a gift card that I won in an auction at the high school Viking fest. And a Capitals hockey shirt to top things off. I am also trying to get Tom to look into picking up a Hershey bear tickets package. Plus I picked up a new garden hose rewinder. Just to keep things interesting!
We also were enjoying our MSU in the Final Four basketball tournament. I made sure to put out our school flag, but sadly they did not make it to the end. I knew something was wrong when Cookie's MSU dog collar broke.
On Easter morning, the kids hunted for their Easter baskets before church. They loved all their treats and a few extra gifts including clothes and even an egg cooker for Scott! (He loves to make deviled eggs). We decided to go to Charlestown Retirement Community center for the morning mass at the cathedral on the grounds. We really enjoy the pastor, Fr Leo and his homilies. He always preaches a positive message. Afterwards we had an early Easter dinner since Allison had to head back to school.
My parents have been staying indoors most of the week. Their whole building is closed down for respiratory illnesses-bronchitis, pneumonia and colds/coughs/fevers. Dad seems to have caught a bad chest cold. I had to take both mom and dad to the dentist on Weds. and we spent a few hours there while they got a cleaning and xrays. Mom could not get the whole cleaning done since she was supposed to have antibiotics before her appointment and they missed giving her the medication at the right time at the facility. So she has to go back. Dad needs more work and will have to seen an endodontist and oral surgeon. Afterwards we picked up Boston Market and stopped at our house for dinner. But Dad had had enough, and was ready for bed. So Mom and I packed him up and got him back to the facility.
So they have been mostly staying in the apt with meals brought up to all the residents. I did stop in on Friday for a meeting with the nursing staff and dropped in on mom and dad. On Saturday I took mom over to get her hair washed and set and then on Easter Sunday I dropped off their Easter baskets and Easter dinner. It was so beautiful outside, I had to take them out for a little walk around a local lake. Mom sat in the van since she has a sore knee, but Dad and I went for a short stroll with Cookie tagging along. When they got back, they enjoyed the meal I brought them. So mostly they have been stuck inside. They missed mass and even their swimming pool trip again. Maybe next week they can get out to the Sr Center.
Scott was busy enjoying his week off from school, although he stayed at home. He still had homework assignments to complete. And he spent 3 full days participating in a Mt Hebron HS Robotics competition at Uof Maryland campus. The team was gone from 7am to 7pm each day. He did get out a bit early on Friday and asked me to pick him up. Yuck. Traffic on 1-95 on Friday night on a Holiday weekend is not fun. But I went to get him. It just took a couple of hours. And his team did well, but not well enough to get into the Finals. They came in 17 out of 58. There were teams from all over the world including Brazil and Israel, as well as local high school teams competing. Scott primarily enjoyed checking out all the vendor booths including a Microsoft booth and their free stuff. He was not really needed since he was on maintenance, and the robot was running well. He was not interested in driving the robot as it is a big pressure position and you need a lot of practice. The robot was designed to complete a particular task. They had to pick up and stack containers. Scott was disappointed that the team did not go with a different design that he voted on since other teams seemed to do better. Maybe next year. I also tried to get him to a dermatology appt, but we were running late in the rain and traffic so they had to reschedule. He did catch a boy scout meeting too. And he could not let April Fools Day go by without abusing me. Including adding hot sauce to my water bottle! (too much time on his hands!). So his break was quickly over and he will be going back to school this coming week.
So Happy Birthday again Tom!
Easter puppy brings treats
Last week he stayed home a day as we had roofers out to the house repairing areas around our chimney and vents as well as replacing our skylight. We would like to have the whole roof replaced and repaired, but it is a bit pricey. For now, we just wanted to keep the rain from leaking into our family room.
We are also getting ready for a house full of girls this coming weekend. Allison and her frisbee team will be bunking down in our house for a tournament over the weekend. All 20 of them! For now I was just getting ready for EAster and the April birthdays.
Saturday was Tom's birthday. Allison came home for the weekend to help us celebrate. We took him out for dinner at Maggiones Italian restaurant. He tried to eat there with Allison a week ago and there was a 2hr wait. So we made reservations and had a wonderful late evening dinner. We wanted to go out to the movies, but the timing was not good. So we came home and enjoyed a variety of cupcakes that Allison picked up at a local bakery and opened gifts. Tom wanted to update his Kindle. And we picked up a new camp chair(in Salisbury colors) to sit and watch Allison play Field Hockey or Ultimate frisbee. I also put together a wine package complete with a gift card that I won in an auction at the high school Viking fest. And a Capitals hockey shirt to top things off. I am also trying to get Tom to look into picking up a Hershey bear tickets package. Plus I picked up a new garden hose rewinder. Just to keep things interesting!
We also were enjoying our MSU in the Final Four basketball tournament. I made sure to put out our school flag, but sadly they did not make it to the end. I knew something was wrong when Cookie's MSU dog collar broke.
On Easter morning, the kids hunted for their Easter baskets before church. They loved all their treats and a few extra gifts including clothes and even an egg cooker for Scott! (He loves to make deviled eggs). We decided to go to Charlestown Retirement Community center for the morning mass at the cathedral on the grounds. We really enjoy the pastor, Fr Leo and his homilies. He always preaches a positive message. Afterwards we had an early Easter dinner since Allison had to head back to school.
My parents have been staying indoors most of the week. Their whole building is closed down for respiratory illnesses-bronchitis, pneumonia and colds/coughs/fevers. Dad seems to have caught a bad chest cold. I had to take both mom and dad to the dentist on Weds. and we spent a few hours there while they got a cleaning and xrays. Mom could not get the whole cleaning done since she was supposed to have antibiotics before her appointment and they missed giving her the medication at the right time at the facility. So she has to go back. Dad needs more work and will have to seen an endodontist and oral surgeon. Afterwards we picked up Boston Market and stopped at our house for dinner. But Dad had had enough, and was ready for bed. So Mom and I packed him up and got him back to the facility.
So they have been mostly staying in the apt with meals brought up to all the residents. I did stop in on Friday for a meeting with the nursing staff and dropped in on mom and dad. On Saturday I took mom over to get her hair washed and set and then on Easter Sunday I dropped off their Easter baskets and Easter dinner. It was so beautiful outside, I had to take them out for a little walk around a local lake. Mom sat in the van since she has a sore knee, but Dad and I went for a short stroll with Cookie tagging along. When they got back, they enjoyed the meal I brought them. So mostly they have been stuck inside. They missed mass and even their swimming pool trip again. Maybe next week they can get out to the Sr Center.
Scott was busy enjoying his week off from school, although he stayed at home. He still had homework assignments to complete. And he spent 3 full days participating in a Mt Hebron HS Robotics competition at Uof Maryland campus. The team was gone from 7am to 7pm each day. He did get out a bit early on Friday and asked me to pick him up. Yuck. Traffic on 1-95 on Friday night on a Holiday weekend is not fun. But I went to get him. It just took a couple of hours. And his team did well, but not well enough to get into the Finals. They came in 17 out of 58. There were teams from all over the world including Brazil and Israel, as well as local high school teams competing. Scott primarily enjoyed checking out all the vendor booths including a Microsoft booth and their free stuff. He was not really needed since he was on maintenance, and the robot was running well. He was not interested in driving the robot as it is a big pressure position and you need a lot of practice. The robot was designed to complete a particular task. They had to pick up and stack containers. Scott was disappointed that the team did not go with a different design that he voted on since other teams seemed to do better. Maybe next year. I also tried to get him to a dermatology appt, but we were running late in the rain and traffic so they had to reschedule. He did catch a boy scout meeting too. And he could not let April Fools Day go by without abusing me. Including adding hot sauce to my water bottle! (too much time on his hands!). So his break was quickly over and he will be going back to school this coming week.
So Happy Birthday again Tom!
Friday, April 3, 2015
This past week was the kickoff for Scott's Spring Break. Allison has been busy with classes as she returned to school. She was excited to be traveling back to our neck of the woods to participate in an Ultimate Frisbee weekend of games. Hard to think about playing Football Frisbee when it is so cold outside. But they managed to squeek out a few wins, and Allison managed to resprain her Left wrist. But like a trooper, she wrapped it and kept playing. Now she has bum L wrist and L ankle. Just like a true sportswoman. We would have enjoyed her coming home for a visit, but the girls all stay in one house together(very nice parents of one of the team members volunteer for the event). We also would have enjoyed traveling to watch some of her games, but they landed on top of our busy weekend schedule.
On Saturday we spent the morning storing away the winter decorations(ie snowmen) in the garage attic. I put Scott to work on his 1st official day of Spring Break running up the attic ladder with loads of holiday decorations. We are still at it. Plus we needed to bring down the Easter bunnies. (Spring is really trying to get here). None of the flowers have popped up yet, but soon. Even the Cherry Blossoms in DC are late this year. I was going to take the family down to DC on Saturday for the annual Kite Festival, but it was so cold and windy and I spotted a few snowflakes. Plus we had to be home early to attend our friend's 60th Birthday party. That was alot of fun. Plus we got to take Cookie since it was a house party and they have their Cavachon puppy too. I just had my hands full keeping the dogs out of the kitchen area and getting under the feet of the caterers. And Cookie had her paws full trying to keep Ripley from biting her ears. At least Cookie's ears are a whole lot shorter since she got her Spring Shearing(aka haircut).
On Friday I was busy dropping off Cookie at the pet store for her trim. Also I took Tom and SCott out to lunch at a new Mexican restaurant in our area. Scott had a half day to kick off his spring break and Tom was off work. I needed to pick up a gift card to the Painting/Wine drinking place as a birthday gift and we decided to check out the restaurants in the new shopping complex. Afterwards we had errands to run, and then Scott wanted to spend the evening with his friend. So they worked out at the Y and then it was off to rollerblade. Scott wanted to try out his new rollerblades before starting his new job, and his friend had never skated before and wanted to try. Unfortunately for his friend, the rink was very crowded with kids on Spring Break and he fell down a lot. After 1 hour, he had enough and Tom picked them up so they could hang out here and watch movies and play video games. His friend stayed the night and enjoyed Scott's waffles in the morning before going home.
On Palm Sunday we were up early as Scott served the 9am mass. They always do a re enactment of the Passion and the mass usually runs late. Afterwards we headed over to Mom and Dad Bozyks's for brunch at their complex. Dad was not feeling well and stayed up in the apt for his breakfast. Mom came down and had brunch with us. They did a nice job serving shrimp and Mimosa's(with real champagne), roast beef and eggs, chicken and carrots, green beans and rolls plus homemade peanut butter caramel pie. Afterwards I had Scott dye some Easter eggs up in their apt.
Now I am just getting ready for all the upcoming Birthdays and EAster. Tom celebrates his birthday this coming weekend along with my Dad who is going to be 80! And a Huge Happy Birthday to Dad Seitz who unfortunately celebrated his birthday in the hospital this past Sunday! I think medical procedures should be scheduled after the Birthday celebration.
So Scott will be home this week during his Spring Break. He is just happy not to have to go to school although he does have a few assignments over the holiday. And he will still be busy with a scout meeting and a Robotics Tournament.
And By the Way, Go MSU! Who knew? The Final Four Basketball championship. I need to go put out my MSU flag!
Scott dying Easter Eggs at Gma and Gpa Bozyk's after Sunday Brunch
On Saturday we spent the morning storing away the winter decorations(ie snowmen) in the garage attic. I put Scott to work on his 1st official day of Spring Break running up the attic ladder with loads of holiday decorations. We are still at it. Plus we needed to bring down the Easter bunnies. (Spring is really trying to get here). None of the flowers have popped up yet, but soon. Even the Cherry Blossoms in DC are late this year. I was going to take the family down to DC on Saturday for the annual Kite Festival, but it was so cold and windy and I spotted a few snowflakes. Plus we had to be home early to attend our friend's 60th Birthday party. That was alot of fun. Plus we got to take Cookie since it was a house party and they have their Cavachon puppy too. I just had my hands full keeping the dogs out of the kitchen area and getting under the feet of the caterers. And Cookie had her paws full trying to keep Ripley from biting her ears. At least Cookie's ears are a whole lot shorter since she got her Spring Shearing(aka haircut).
On Friday I was busy dropping off Cookie at the pet store for her trim. Also I took Tom and SCott out to lunch at a new Mexican restaurant in our area. Scott had a half day to kick off his spring break and Tom was off work. I needed to pick up a gift card to the Painting/Wine drinking place as a birthday gift and we decided to check out the restaurants in the new shopping complex. Afterwards we had errands to run, and then Scott wanted to spend the evening with his friend. So they worked out at the Y and then it was off to rollerblade. Scott wanted to try out his new rollerblades before starting his new job, and his friend had never skated before and wanted to try. Unfortunately for his friend, the rink was very crowded with kids on Spring Break and he fell down a lot. After 1 hour, he had enough and Tom picked them up so they could hang out here and watch movies and play video games. His friend stayed the night and enjoyed Scott's waffles in the morning before going home.
On Palm Sunday we were up early as Scott served the 9am mass. They always do a re enactment of the Passion and the mass usually runs late. Afterwards we headed over to Mom and Dad Bozyks's for brunch at their complex. Dad was not feeling well and stayed up in the apt for his breakfast. Mom came down and had brunch with us. They did a nice job serving shrimp and Mimosa's(with real champagne), roast beef and eggs, chicken and carrots, green beans and rolls plus homemade peanut butter caramel pie. Afterwards I had Scott dye some Easter eggs up in their apt.
Now I am just getting ready for all the upcoming Birthdays and EAster. Tom celebrates his birthday this coming weekend along with my Dad who is going to be 80! And a Huge Happy Birthday to Dad Seitz who unfortunately celebrated his birthday in the hospital this past Sunday! I think medical procedures should be scheduled after the Birthday celebration.
So Scott will be home this week during his Spring Break. He is just happy not to have to go to school although he does have a few assignments over the holiday. And he will still be busy with a scout meeting and a Robotics Tournament.
And By the Way, Go MSU! Who knew? The Final Four Basketball championship. I need to go put out my MSU flag!
Scott dying Easter Eggs at Gma and Gpa Bozyk's after Sunday Brunch
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