Sept 3-Sept 9, 2018  Happy National Grandparents Day!

I can't believe it is September already! And after Labor Day! Put away all your white clothes!(Old rule).  Again, A Big Happy Birthday to Dan and Dave Bozyk who celebrated #60 on Sept 2!  Where did the time go?

Speaking of time, I was back home after my road trip with Mom B. I was busy doing laundry on Thursday. Tom was out of town, working in the LA area.  Tom and Allison held down the fort while I was gone. They decided to have the neighbors over for dinner on Labor Day. Turns out, Tom smoked a huge pork roast and then put it in the crock pot on low. Unfortunately it was not done by the time all the guests arrived for dinner, so they opted for bratwurst instead(still a very good choice!).  Now we just have lots of pulled pork in the freezer to eat. Less cooking for Allison and I! Tom spent a short week in LA on business and then headed home for a quick stopover before heading out to Salt Lake City the following weekend.

Allison has been enjoying her new job and has a wonderful work schedule, like Tom. They both get every other Friday off, and work an extra hour each scheduled day to make up for the time. It really comes in handy, especially when we travel. They don't have to use their personal time off for long, weekend trips.  How perfect. But on this particular Friday off after Labor day, Allison signed up for volunteer work at Northrop. The company has a committee that usually sponsors community or global volunteer projects. On this day, Northrop was filling small food bags with rice and dehydrated veggies/protein packets for the World Hunger Association. Family and friends were invited to help out, so I joined Allison at her work place to pack food bags. It turned out to be a lot of fun-the sponsor came in and played music while we worked at our stations. Several tables were set up measuring and filling the bags. Allison and I checked the weight and sealed the bags before packing them in shipping boxes at our station. It was a very well organized production line, and we packed approx 10,000 bags of food in 1.5 hrs. (We all got a little competitive during the event). Other Northrop facilities had hosted this program, so we were competing for # of bags packed and time. The organizer for World Hunger kept count and would ring a large bell every time we hit 1000 bags.  No prize, but we got a Northrop Volunteer tshirt and company photo op! And I got to see Allison's work facility(the non secret areas anyway!). This facility has a lot smaller group of employees, so we did very well for our limited number -about 30 people.

Sept 10-Sept 16, 2018

Happy Birthday Mike Bozyk! I think a great Birthday present will be a new librarian job! Make a Wish!

Over this past weekend Tom remained in Salt Lake City instead of flying all the way home and going back out west. Also, he decided to avoid any possible flight delays or cancellations that may have occurred in our area. We have had an incredibly rainy end to summer. Including the threat of Hurricane Florence traveling up the coast and affecting our area. Everyone was in disaster mode. Lots of airline flights had been cancelled down south, which affects our local airport, BWI in Baltimore as flights are rerouted. Even though they were not predicting a direct hit to Maryland, there was the threat of storms, tornadoes and flooding with downed trees and power outages, as well as flash floods along the coast or river floods similar to the disaster that occurred in Ellicott City in May. So Allison and I prepared the best we could by filling up gas tanks, charging phones and pulling out flashlights and lanterns. We often lose power with trees falling on the lines during regular storms, so we were prepared. Turns out, the storm moved inland rather than up the coast. Thank goodness for us, but very bad for the Carolinas. Glad to hear friends and family were spared in Charlotte, NC. Not so good for those on the coast dealing with flooding.

And we were not completely spared. We had quite a bit of rain from the storm during the week. None of us were able to get out and do any yardwork for several weeks because of the constant rain.  I did finally manage to get out and cut the grass in between rain showers. One good thing about all the rain is that the ground was soft. I had 3 large bushes that suddenly died in the front flower bed-not sure why. But this was a great time to dig them up and replace them. Also, I usually try to get some grass seed down at this time of year. Apparently September is supposed to be the best time for growing grass and I had a couple of large patches on the front lawn that needed it. So I spent time in between rain showers raking, spreading dirt and seed and hay to some very shady spots on the front lawn. I also took advantage of the rain and time off work to do some cleaning in the house. Allison and I took a bunch of her outgrown clothes to a designer consignment store, but they really only wanted professional work clothes.  They did purchase two of Scott's outgrown Columbia jackets, so Allison traded in the cash for some earrings and a dressy sweater for work. Good deal!

During the week, Allison has also been participating in Northrop Ultimate Frisbee. The games are scheduled every Tuesday after work, but not on rainy days. We took advantage of her day off Tuesday night for AMC $5 movie night and saw Crazy, Rich Asians. (chick flick and very cute and funny).

I have not been called into work at my previous nursing home as of yet, so I scheduled another interview at a nearby nursing home for on call work. It is actually owned by the same company where Mom B lives. Hope they send the paperwork soon to get started back to work! There are lots of opportunities out there, just want to find the one/s that fit my new schedule the best.  I also spend time during the week attending to my mom's business and well being. I had a 2 hour meeting with her broker to cover finances. And turns out the renter in the Florida house moved out, so now I am working on getting the house on the market for sale.

 However, on the weekend, Allison and I decided to make a go at the Renaissance Festival- in between rain showers. We all very much enjoy attending at least once a year, getting dressed up, laughing at all the shows, eating tasty treats and even doing some shopping! Last year Allison and Scott attended with some friends. This year Allison and I attended and had a wonderful time!  We visited on Sunday-a little less crowded and a bit drizzly in the morning. But not as hot or humid as it can be in August when it opens. Each weekend has a theme and this was Highland weekend so lots of men showed up in their kilts. I was having a great time sending Scott photos of all the different types of outfits to give him an idea of how to wear his kilt that Tom brought him back from Scotland on a previous business trip. I heard there was even a storm trooper in a kilt!  You certainly never know what you may see at the RenCen festival! One guest was even wearing a Star Trek shirt! Allison and I are purists and enjoy the medieval theme the most, although I did don a pair of fairy wings. Someone asked me if I was The Fairy Godmother! The Game of Thrones is very big as you can imagine, and therefore lots of  Dragon items for sale. Allison's favorite!  We spent our day eating our favorite snacks-crab dip on a pretzel with melted cheese and Old Bay seasoning, chinese food, fried pickles and topped it off with chocolate covered cheesecake! The food is not so medieval, but if it is on a stick and you can eat it with your hands, then it counts!  We also watched several shows including our favorite comedian jugglers, a comedy Shakespeare group doing Othello and something new, an acrobatic show on ropes/ribbons high up in the trees. And of course there is jousting!  Plus Allison loves to get in some archery. I picked up a few tapestries for my dining room wall and we called it a day!  A wonderful ending to the weekend-sure beats having a hurricane!

  However, on the weekend, Allison and I decided to make a go at the Renaissance Festival- in between rain showers. We all very much enjoy attending at least once a year, getting dressed up, laughing at all the shows, eating tasty treats and even doing some shopping! Last year Allison and Scott attended with some friends. This year Allison and I attended and had a wonderful time!  We visited on Sunday-a little less crowded and a bit drizzly in the morning. But not as hot or humid as it can be in August when it opens. Each weekend has a theme and this was Highland weekend so lots of men showed up in their kilts. I was having a great time sending Scott photos of all the different types of outfits to give him an idea of how to wear his kilt that Tom brought him back from Scotland on a previous business trip. I heard there was even a storm trooper in a kilt!  You certainly never know what you may see at the RenCen festival! One guest was even wearing a Star Trek shirt! Allison and I are purists and enjoy the medieval theme the most, although I did don a pair of fairy wings. Someone asked me if I was The Fairy Godmother! The Game of Thrones is very big as you can imagine, and therefore lots of  Dragon items for sale. Allison's favorite!  We spent our day eating our favorite snacks-crab dip on a pretzel with melted cheese and Old Bay seasoning, chinese food, fried pickles and topped it off with chocolate covered cheesecake! The food is not so medieval, but if it is on a stick and you can eat it with your hands, then it counts!  We also watched several shows including our favorite comedian jugglers, a comedy Shakespeare group doing Othello and something new, an acrobatic show on ropes/ribbons high up in the trees. And of course there is jousting!  Plus Allison loves to get in some archery. I picked up a few tapestries for my dining room wall and we called it a day!  A wonderful ending to the weekend-sure beats having a hurricane!

August 27-Sept 5   Labor Day Weekend

We returned home from Kalamazoo after dropping Scott off to WMU for school. He had a long weekend ahead of him filled with orientation classes and fun events. Turns out, Scott discovered that most of the fun events became teaching moments full of lectures on diversity, alcohol, drug or sexual assault and abuse as well as an orientation to the campus and its buildings. All of which he had plenty of during the several hours of on line courses he had to complete this summer prior to attending school, as well as the program they covered during summer orientation.  He was also familiar with the campus since we had visited multiple times prior to his attending during campus tours and during orientation. So he decided to head out on his own mostly. He had already ordered and picked up his books and he spent time locating his classrooms. Also checking on the bus schedule to attend his engineering classes off campus.  So he really did not have much to do, except get to know the campus and his new roommate/floor mates before classes started on Weds, Aug 29. He was ready! He did attend the yearly Bronco Bash held at the football stadium to pick up some freebies and get acquainted with campus clubs like the new Esports Club and the Computer club(looking for video game clubs).

Meanwhile, the rest of us were back home and back to work. I was scheduled to go into my old facility on Monday, my last day working for Transitions. The new owners decided to take over on Sept 1st. So after that I will be working on call for the new company.

But before that, I had scheduled a special trip with my mom over Labor Day weekend. She had received an invitation to attend her friend's 60th Wedding Anniversary in Michigan. So I was going to be back on the road headed up north.  Since it was just going to be my mother and I, we split the trip into two days coming and going to avoid a long drive. The week before I was busy with hair appointments for both of us, as well as a manicure/pedicure for myself(Allison joined me!) I also had to pack my mom's suitcase and request her medication. So Weds morning I had the van packed and was ready to go!  Except the facility nursing staff did not get my message right away about us going out of town and they did not have her medication. I did not realize that this facility has the medication delivered daily(to avoid theft and fraud and accidental overdoses). So none of her medication was in the building. Fortunately, the head nurse was able to get it sent over immediately from the pharmacy thank goodness, although they shorted me by one day.  No matter, she could get the medication the day she returned.

So by lunchtime we were off. We stopped halfway to Pittsburgh for a meal before arriving at our hotel that evening. We stopped in Pittsburgh to visit with my brother Dan who is currently working there and has a rental apartment. His wife Sheila was still in Houston with their dog and their son's dog for the summer, and Dan was headed back there over Labor Day weekend to pick them up as well as to celebrate his 60th Birthday!. Glad we caught him for a visit before he left. He has not seen Mom in 3 years, since my Dad's funeral. We had a nice visit at his apartment after dropping off our things at the hotel near the airport. The drive took a little longer than expected as the GPS routed me through downtown Pittsburgh on the West side of town near the airport by Dan's apartment. It was a beautiful drive, over rivers and bridges and through tunnels in mountains, but we hit it exactly at rush hour and driving was slow!  So our visit was a bit late, and then we dropped into a local diner. Unfortunately we managed to catch a serious downpour and got drenched before heading into the restaurant. We even had to borrow a few jackets from Dan to keep warm during dinner, but the food and company was terrific! Thanks for the wonderful visit Dan! And a Very Happy Birthday to both Dan and Dave with their special day on September 2!

The next day, mom and I headed to Livonia Mich with a lunch stop in Ohio. Their multiple rest areas sure come in handy!  We arrived at the Embassy Suites in Livonia just before dinner on Thursday. I decided to take mom up to the 12 Oaks Mall in Novi after the traffic thinned out a bit for a manicure/pedicure and for dinner, as well as to pick out a gift for the Wedding Anniversary Party. I know the invitation said "no gifts", but I felt I had to bring something. I decided on an engraved photo frame. There was a "Things Remembered" store in the mall, right near the nail salon, as well as a Coney Dog Restaurant and Sanders chocolates! How perfect an evening is that!  We had mom's nails done first(that was entertaining!) and then walked over to the "Things Remembered" store. I picked out an 8x10 silver picture frame with "Smith Family 60th Wedding Anniversary" engraved while we ate dinner. I know their family is very close and loves family photos so this should work. There was a Coney Dog restaurant next to Sanders, so after dinner, mom and I picked up dessert, including a chocolate marshmallow bumpy cake(my favorite!) and then the completed picture frame along with a gift bag. A great way to end the day.

On Friday I planned on taking mom to West Bloomfield to have her hair done and in the evening to visit with her brother Joe. Joe and his wife Kathy sold their southern Michigan home this past year, but still own a house in Traverse City. They have spent years remodeling and building onto the Traverse City house and continue to do so. Over Labor Day weekend, Joe had planned on waiting for the delivery for new windows to the house, but opted to drive down state to visit with us. Instead, his wife Kathy stayed behind to wait for the delivery. They conveniently own a rental house located near our Livonia hotel which was currently vacated. Joe was also doing some remodeling in that house too. I managed to find mom a hair salon to visit in West Bloomfield, and then we drove around checking out some old sites like our elementary school and church, Our Lady of Refuge, the Seminary across the street from that where Tom and I were married, St Mary's, as well as a drive by at West Bloomfield High School and finally our old house on Nicholas. And before heading over to visit with Joe, we stopped into Plum Market grocery store on the corner to pick up some of my cousin's pastries from her bakery. She and her husband own and operate a bakery in Novi and sell to this grocery store. There were too many delicious items to choose from(so I bought a variety!). I had planned on taking something to dinner with Joe that evening, but he also picked up some tasty treats. We had no trouble locating the house, and after a great visit, we decided it was time to eat. I was not familiar with the local restaurants, and Joe was not sure what to suggest. So we opted for having him pick up a roast chicken meal and have dinner at the house. That turned out great! Joe picked up roast chicken and mashed potatoes and made some broccoli for dinner and we finished off with a spiced apple bundt cake. All delicious and very relaxing. We had a long day so it was time to say goodnight. We still had a busy weekend ahead of us. We were just sorry to have missed a visit with Kathy as well. Maybe next time.

On Saturday I was looking forward to visiting with Scott! Again! He had the weekend off school for the Labor Day holiday, so I told him if he had time, drive over to Livonia and stay with Gma and myself. His classes had started on Weds. He decided to come visit and got up very early Saturday morning to beat any traffic. The drive from Kzoo to Livonia is down the 94 and about 1.5 hrs drive. He had no trouble getting to our hotel, just in time for a buffet breakfast. Afterwards, we packed up and headed to the Detroit zoo for the day. The place was packed and looked a bit rainy. We opted to rent mom a manual wheelchair to push her around the zoo rather than chase her around the zoo in a power cart!  It was certainly a work out for Scott and I! I did not think the zoo was that hilly! And a bit crowded which at times made it difficult to see the displays from the wheelchair level. But most people were very polite and let us push mom's wheelchair up to the front of the display, especially in the chimpanzee house where a mom and her newborn were snuggling while toddler chimps jumped all around!  I was surprised how hot it got in the afternoon-we stopped for some root beer ice cream floats and then Coney Dogs for lunch! Can't get enough of those Detroit Coney Dogs! We just finished up our tour of the new penguin house and butterfly/bird house when a huge rain storm hit. Thankfully we made it out to the car just in time after returning the wheelchair. But I had to drive the Lodge freeway in the pouring rain and it likes to flood! Thankfully we made it back to the hotel just as it was finished. We decided to order some Cottage Inn Pizza for dinner. Quite a busy day! In the meantime, Scott had some homework to complete and borrowed my laptop to finish up an online precalc math test and a presentation for his communication class. He certainly had quite a bit of homework for the first week of school(an not even a full week!).

On Sunday, the 60th Wedding Anniversary was scheduled in the afternoon. I spent the morning getting mom ready, as well as myself. Scott was easy maintenance. I had asked if Scott could join us while he was visiting over the weekend. Mom received an invitation to Larry and Isabel Smith's 60th Anniversary. My father was friends with Larry and they attended high school together, Catholic Central.  Dad stood up in Larry and Isabel's wedding and Larry was in mom and dad's wedding party. Very nice people. The Smith's had 3 children-two boys-Mark and Hugh and a girl, Claire. Sadly, last year their daughter Claire passed away with cancer. I was surprised to see that they also have 7 grandchildren, just like our family. The day started out with a mass at their parish church in Bloomfield Hills. They are very devoted to the catholic church and had 6 priests officiate their service, one of which is a nephew. On our way over to church, we passed the Franklin Cider Mill. I mentioned to Scott that the Cider Mill was quite a busy place in the fall and had been making incredible homemade donuts and apple cider over many years. Scott talked me into stopping into the Cider Mill to pick up a bag of donuts and a couple of half gallons of apple cider. Yum! After mass, we drove over to a clubhouse in Bloomfield Hills for dinner and dancing. After drinks and appetizers, we enjoyed a wonderful sit down dinner and ice cream and cake while the sons gave a recap of an incredible 60 years of their parent's marriage. I couldn't convince Scott to remain for the dancing portion of the evening, but we had a great time chatting with the company at our table-all high school friends of my dad. I was also happy to hear that they had visited my parents a few times while mom and dad were living in the Assisted Living facility in Michigan before I moved them to Maryland. Such nice people. They even included Scott in their discussions. I was mostly excited to look through some albums and at the enlarged pictures decorating the gift table and the room as they included photos of Mom and Dad which I had never seen before!  I did recall mom and dad attending the 50th Wedding Anniversary(only 10 years ago!). Claire had set up a Mystery Tour/party-all the guests took limos and buses downtown to the old Stroh haus for a private party. There was even an article in the newspaper about the event!  After we left, I drove Scott back through the Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield  area on the way back to the hotel so he could see Gma and Gpa's WB house again. As well as all those crazy, big, beautiful houses on the lakes in Bloomfield Hills and even the large cathedral, Kirk in the Hills.

On Monday, Labor Day Holiday, Scott got up early in the morning and headed back to school. He wanted to beat any traffic or crazy weather that might be on the road, and still had some homework to complete. It was so wonderful seeing him again and spending the weekend with him in Michigan! Meanwhile, Mom and I took an outing to Meijers. I needed gas for the car and also wanted to do some local shopping. We did get stuck in the car waiting for a heavy downpour to go through, but I finally got us in the store and settled mom into another manual wheelchair with a large shopping basket attached! All the power scooters were down, so this was the second best. We had a great time wandering around Meijers and did some shopping as well as picking up some lunch at the deli. We headed back to the hotel since I was meeting up with my very good friend, Laura and her husband Dan. The two had been up North with the plan to do the Mackinac Bridge walk. Unfortunately they report the new logistics for parking, crossing and getting back across the bridge have gotten so confusing and limiting since 9/11 issues that they decided to opt out. Plus they lost their walking buddies. Instead they ended up spending time purchasing a vacation cottage on Houghton Lake with Laura's inheritance from her mom. Such a cute place! Can't wait to visit!  They also dropped in on their daughter at college for a lunch date before visiting at our hotel. Laura and Dan were able to stay and chat until Happy Hour and then headed home. It was so fun to see them!

On Monday, mom and I packed up and headed back to Baltimore. Unfortunately we missed visiting with her friends the Dugans who were traveling that weekend. Mom and I drove halfway, to Youngstown, OH before stopping for the night. We spotted a pink cadillac on the road home. It was a very busy weekend in Detroit. Arethra Franklin had passed away and was a resident of Detroit. Her funeral was going on over the weekend and quite a few people in town for that event, including Bill Clinton, Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill and Ariana Grande. The funeral procession included 100 pink cadillacs in honor of Arethra's Freeway of Love 1985 Hit song. I did not know that many pink cadillacs existed! I think they were all from the Mary Kay cosmetic company! Detroit also hosted the Jazz Festival that weekend. I did not realize this event is free!  That was a lot of people in downtown Detroit! Along with sporting events. It is nice to see the city busy again, for whatever reason.

On the way home, Mom and I spent the night in Youngstown at a new Double Tree Hotel. The place was beautiful-a newly renovated office building turned hotel. The area was just not as handicap friendly as I had hoped for my mom. I was looking forward to sitting out by the pool and enjoying some take out pizza from Little Ceasars! But downtown, there were not many convenient restaurants open, no pool or exercise room-you have to visit the nearby YMCA for that.  So we camped out in the room and enjoyed sandwiches we purchased from the lobby.  All good. By Weds afternoon we were back in Maryland and I dropped mom off to her apartment before heading home.

both Dan and Dave with their special day on September 2!                                                                               

August 20-26, 2018

Go Broncos! Go WMU!  This was the big week!  We took Scott to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo on Friday, August 24th. We drove up in two cars on that day. Tom and Scott went in his Jeep and Allison and I had the van. We all split up the drive-Scott needed some practice to get an idea of how long the drive is if he ever has to come home himself. He made 6hrs before switching with Tom. Allison and I shared the driving -5hrs each, so it was not so long. Both vehicles were full of Scott's dorm room stuff-clothes, a small fridge, computer stuff, desk chair, cleaning supplies, linen and a rug.

Scott and I spent the previous two weeks making an inventory of what we had and what he needed at school. He had actually done a pretty good job during the summer putting away items he thought he would need based off the orientation check list. We also dug through Allison's items that she brought home from school and was not using. But he needed to pick up linen and a rug. Scott had emailed and texted his roommate to see if they wanted to share items, but never heard back. Scott was rooming blind-he did fill out a survey with personal requests to attempt to locate a compatible roomy, so we were hoping for the best. But since we did not receive any communication from Max, we decided to buy Scott what he would need and then could trade out items if necessary when he got to school.

I was getting ads in the mail all summer about a company that specifically sells dorm room supplies including linen packages, rugs and even care packages!  Scott was gifted with enough funds from graduation to put towards items for his room, so we ordered a linen package that came with towels, sheets, blankets, storage containers and even clip on lights and fans(no ac in his dorm). They also sold rugs specifically for your room size that would be delivered the week before move in time and placed in the room beforehand. Very convenient. I attempted to order Scott his linen package online with a coded discount, but it was not working. So I ordered it over the phone, but the salesperson also could not access the discount code. Instead, I ordered the package and they refunded me the discount. Then we ordered a rug. Scott requested everything to be sent to our house to make sure he received all his items, including the rug. No problem. The box of linens came right away, so we threw them in the wash. (Good practice for Scott since he will now be doing his laundry). However, the rug never arrived. Then the week before we left, I received an email from Villa Nova University in PA stating that Scott's rug had been delivered and what dorm room was he assigned to so they could drop it off?! Are you kidding me?! Since when does Western sound or look like Villa Nova? Guess both letters are at the end of the alphabet?  So they could not send it on to Western-they said it was too late to deliver. Also, they would not mail it to us because they said it was too big. Scott is in one of the biggest  rooms on campus in the engineering dorm. They could give us a small rug(no thank  you) or refund. We took the refund. Tom thought no problem, we can find another rug. Well, not for the discounted price, and most on line orders would be delivered after the move in date. I ended up trying "Wayfair". I have never shopped on their website, but it was terrific! I found a perfect rug, the right size and the same price as the college service! And they delivered it for free right to our house, in just a few days! And while I was shopping on line, I noticed Sams Club selling a desk chair(gaming chair) on sale. Scott was going to take his old desk chair, but I figured he was going to be spending a lot of time sitting in front of the computer and could use a new chair. Especially on sale. That was also delivered fast and free, and Scott assembled it before our trip and really liked it. So he was all set!

We picked up a few more items a few days beforehand, right before leaving for school and while we were out shopping, we thought we would stop into the PNC bank and inquire about getting Scott a student account. PNC is the big bank there at WMU. Scott currently had Suntrust, and during orientation we were told we had to sign up in Kalamazoo to get the student discount. We thought we'd stop in and see if that was true at our local branch. Turns out, it was not true and Scott was able to open a free student account-very quick and simple. I like how they manage their banking system with a virtual wallet(online and phone app). Scott was walked through his new account, and then we drove to his Suntrust bank and closed out his account. Then we drove to the PNC branch that just opened in our newish grocery store to deposit his funds. Good deal.

And while Scott was downloading his class schedule online, he also discovered his book list, so he was able to order all of them before heading up to school. He did try to look for discounts on Amazon, but unfortunately they discovered that the University only allows the students to obtain their books from the school. Of course. At least you could buy used books. But Scott also had to order equipment for Chemistry Lab, as well as a one time purchase of a remote to utilize to answer questions from a smart board. He has 4 classes and two labs-Pre calc, Chemistry with  a lab, Engineering graphics with a lab and Engineering communications(english class/writing reports). So he has a pretty busy week. And two of his classes are in the Engineering building which is down the road from campus. They built a beautiful Engineering facility in an office park just off campus. So Scott has to take a bus each week(for free)down to his classroom. Or he could drive, but the bus is very convenient(and free).

Of course, we could not have a stress free week before the move. Scott woke up on Monday with a swollen and painful cheek. Looked like an infection in the cavity where his wisdom tooth had been pulled. Sure enough. I quickly made him an appointment with the surgeon who put him on antibiotics. He wanted Scott to return in a week to see if the medication was working, but Scott was going to be gone by then. Instead, he had him come back in a few days, and it did indeed seem to be an infection and was clearing up quite nicely with the medication. So to celebrate, Scott and I had breakfast at the new IHOP that opened near our house. It was actually a very good breakfast and more food than I could eat! I especially enjoyed my cinnamon/vanilla pancakes that I took home for another day. We also had to drop Cookie off to our friends after her grooming appointment. Scott was very sad to say goodbye to Cookie(but he can see her picture on the Pet Wall in his dorm each day!) or look at the million photos I printed for him in his own room. Including a few of the family.

So Tom and Scott arrived in Kalamazoo before Allison and I. They had time to pick up Scott's parking permit for his Jeep. We decided he should have his own car at school, primarily to drive to the airport in Grand Rapids, or to drive home as needed. They have lots of great parking around his dorm, including a lot just out front. Tom and Scott also had time to go to the bookstore and pick up Scott's order. Thank goodness because there was quite a line that formed in the store over the next few days. And they went ahead and had dinner at a BBQ place before Allison and I showed up at the hotel. Allison and I had our dinner to go from Outback(yeah drive thru!).

Finally, Move In Day! Students are assigned time blocks to move into the dorm. Fortunately, Scott was first and his roommate second. That would give us time to lay down the carpet and set up the loft beds. All rooms come equipped with the bed frame to make it into a loft. Tom and Scott were so anxious to get started unpacking and setting up the room, including the computer. They even tried to move in on Friday night, but were told we would have to pay a fee for early move in. They opted to save the money and showed up 30 mins before move in time to be the first in line. And hoping they could get in sooner, but no such luck. Each time they wandered into the dorm lobby, they were asked to stand outside while the staff set up. Finally 9am rolled around and they opened the doors. Scott had to check in, receive his room key and fill out a room report(any current damage). Also an Emergency contact form. I was in charge of checking out a large, portable bin for moving items, and Allison and Tom brought up the carpet and computer system in my portable wagon. They had lots of volunteer students on hand to help with the move. You were only supposed to have 15 mins to park your car in front of the building to unload, but somehow we missed getting a parking permit(we were out front about 2 hours before we had a chance to move the cars!). Tom was concerned about on campus parking tickets(bad memories from MSU I guess!). But all the parking on campus was free this weekend-Tom had to ask the security guards several times because he did not believe it). We found a huge lot marked off for move in weekend parking a short walk from Scott's dorm, so after we emptied the cars, Scott and I moved them.

We had a bit of a mix up just trying to get the items up to the room. Tom sent Allison up to the right room, just in the wrong building! Scott's Engineering dorm shares a lobby with the Honors College Dorm, and Allison was standing in front of the 3rd floor room in the Honors College wondering what happened to everyone. Meanwhile, I loaded the portable cart with Tom and a student volunteer and headed up to Scott's room where he was busy filling out paperwork. But we couldn't unload the items into the room until we put down the carpet and set up the loft beds. Where was Allison with the carpet and the computer? After I figured out the SNAFU, I went to fetch her and all the stuff. She could not carry/push it all herself!  And we only had 30 mins to use the portable carts, so we emptied everything into the hallway to go pick up more items from the cars. It felt like a scene from the 3 Stooges! Plus the line for the elevator was starting to get very long, and we could not use the stairwell because there was a bat in it!  What fun.

Anyhow, we managed to get all Scott's items up to his room, move the cars, lay down the carpet, set up the beds and unpack and set up. We needed a few more items, like computer cables and cleaning supplies, so we headed out to lunch and a stop into Home Depot. We ate at one of our new, favorite Kzoo taverns before returning to Scott's dorm room after a quick shopping spree. We did not find everything we wanted, but the campus had set up a tent from Bed, Bath and Beyond selling last minute items as well as delivering pre ordered packages just like the online college linen package I bought for Scott. Great business tactic. We ended up buying Scott a curtain for the bathroom. The rooms are suites with two people per room joined by a bathroom. It has one shower and one toilet, but no door on the toilet. Scott asked if we could hang a curtain as a door. Easy fix with a pressure rod and shower curtain. I also had to get myself a Western Travel mug!  When we returned, Scott's roommate Max had arrived with his parents. He only lives 20 mins from campus, and his Dad mentioned that they thought about having him commute to school. His family is Russian and his mother did not speak much english. So I chatted a bit with Max and his Dad. Max really did not bring much of anything-his laptop, clothes and linen. Plus some drinks and snacks. He said he would think about a microwave. There really are no outlets in the room(two!). So you have to be careful not to blow a fuse, plus there are so many electronics that need to be plugged in, not to mention fans and lights. And they do not allow floor lamps with extra lighting(spider lamps they call them). So I had to take back the one Allison had in her dorm room. Max and his family decided to go back home and pick up a few more items, and we gave Scott a big hug and left him to continue rearranging the room and meeting other students on the floor. Before we left we met one of the suite mates, a 21 yr old transfer student from Dubai. He seemed nice and had moved in the week before(separate move in date for transfer students). But I am pretty sure I noticed the smell of cigarette smoke in the bathroom before we left. And it is a non smoking campus. Hmm. Wonder how that will work out.

Scott had an orientation week schedule to follow which included dinner in the dining hall with his floor that evening. Each of the dorms had their own dining halls, and a few years ago the school decided students needed to engage more, so they closed all the individual dining halls and built one large building. Tom and Scott report the food choices are incredible-like a very fancy food court in the mall. They even have a sushi station!  My biggest excitement for college dining was burrito night!  We were on our own Saturday night, and we stopped into a Hospitality Center that they set up for families. We were able to make a free goody bag for Scott with a Western tshirt, snacks, Western magnets, pens and pencils, as well as to write him cards that would all be delivered the first couple weeks of school. How nice-plus we had free, really good cookies to munch on while writing our cards! And we dropped off the photos of Cookie and Pika to be placed on each dorm's pet board for a bit of reminder of home before heading out for pizza.

On Sunday morning, we awoke at 530 am to the sound of a smoke alarm in our hotel, so Tom decided we might as well get on the road.

Happy Birthday wishes to Sarah Seitz who celebrated her special day on August 20th!

August 13-19

So I was scheduled to work at my previous nursing home for the week.  Our facility was still being run by the previous owners. While I was on vacation in Charleston, the State surveyors came in and gave them a very, very bad review. The new owners requested that multiple items be addressed including building maintenance and nursing practices. The facility was having a hard time keeping a steady nursing team and had a job fair this week. The new company also brought in their own facility manager, so there was a mix of old and new staff working in the building.

That included the rehab staff. We have a mix of therapists, from traveling therapists to full time employees. You never knew who was going to be at work each day. For now, I was still working for my old employer, but on an as needed basis. So my salary was higher, but since I had officially resigned because I thought the old company was leaving, I lost all my benefits. Instead I was fighting with Delta Dental trying to get the kids recent dental appointments covered since my benefits were supposed to be extended, at least through July. What a mess!

And wouldn't you know, the one week I do go back to work I develop a very bad eye infection. Scott had an eye infection back in June, and had an extra bottle of medicated eye drops, so I decided to use the extra bottle and head to work anyway. Much to the fear of my fellow staff members. I looked terrible and pink eye/conjunctivitis is very contagious. I had a hard time treating patients and typing my notes since my eye kept running, was very itchy and my vision was blurry in that eye.

Fortunately, I just had a 4 day work week, so I thought I would have a day off to rest, maybe go to the doctor. However, turns out we still had 3 free Hershey Park Tickets that Tom and the kids picked up at a Hershey Hockey Bears game in the winter. The tickets were supposed to expire at the end of July, but it turns out that the park flooded the last week in July, so the park extended the ticket use until the end of September. We had been trying to schedule the kids for a trip up to the park, but they just could not coordinate time off for 3 people. Instead, I ended up driving Scott and his friend Sammy, who we just reconnected with, up to the park on Tuesday, my day off. It was a bit drizzly, and we had a few passing showers during the day, but we all had an absolutely fantastic time!  So much fun visiting Candy Land! I was actually surprised to see how busy the park was during the week. It is usually absolutely packed on the weekends in the summer, but good to see they still get plenty of business during the week too. However, the lines for the rides were not too bad. I mostly kept myself busy walking the park, attending the shows and visiting the adjoining zoo while the boys caught all the thrill rides. Since it was a bit rainy, we skipped the water park. And Scott and Sammy had a fun time catching up before Scott heads off to school!

I finally gave up on Scott's eye drops on Weds after work and took myself into the urgent care to get something a bit stronger. My eye was still really bothering me. Hope this works better.

And we were still watching our friends dog as they made their way down to Georgia to drop off their son at Georgia Tech. Although on Thursday morning, I got a phone call from our vet. They said a neighbor had called and had found Cookie in the neighborhood and was holding her for us. I said I was staring at Cookie at that moment-she was laying on the family room floor with Scott. Must have been someone else's dog. After I got off the phone I asked Scott where Ripley was! Scott had let both dogs out in our backyard, but only Cookie came back in. Our back yard is fenced off, and Ripley is the little hunter. She loves to sniff around our shed, hunting squirrels and chipmunks. And she loves to dig along the fence line. Turns out, the AC repairmen left our back gate open and Ripley found herself sneaking out the gate! She had wandered down to the sidewalk and a very nice neighbor took her home and called the Plunkett family and the vet. Of course I got a phone call from a very frantic Beth, but reassured her that we had called the vet back and got in touch with the neighbor and were on our way to pick up the little escapee!  You got to be kidding!  I don't need this stress in my life!  This dog is worse than a 2 year old! And Tom was just saying what a great, fun little dog Ripley is-I don't think I can handle all that mischief!  Just glad she was back at our house and safe and not run over! Scott ended up giving both dogs a bath since Ripley was full of mud. Looks like she had a great time! I was very relieved to return Ripley to her rightful family on Sunday night when we had Beth and Barry over for dinner. We wanted to hear all about their trip and Bryce's new school. Turns out they traveled down the coast and even visited the same aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown,  in Charleston that we had recently toured.  Their son plans on studying computer programming at Georgia Tech. They brought us back some goodies including a southern rum cake and spices. The rum cake did not last long-Yum! I was just happy to be able to return Ripley to them in one piece! With all the trips our families have planned, especially to the boys respective schools,

I am sure we will be seeing her again real soon!