The Graduate

Has it really been over four months since my last blog? Holy cow! I'll have to recap our life...backwards since I need time to remember everything that's happened.



Keaton. Has. Graduated. With. Honors.
WHOO-HOO!!! It's hard to believe (not that he isn't smart). It's hard to believe we're old enough to have a son who is old enough to graduate from high school. We're so very, very proud of him! He won numerous awards and scholarships that will help with college costs. He's going to go to Kalamazoo College (whew...not too far from us) and will major in mathematics and computer science. (I still think he's going to be a bookie. He says he and his friend plan to be computer hackers on a beach in Brazil since there's no extradition.) He will also be playing basketball for the Hornets. Their school colors are black and orange, so stock up on Halloween clothing and come and support the team! Look for the motor home parked in the dorm parking lot...that will be me. I'll just park there during the week and will allow him to have some freedom on weekends. I'm not THAT attached.

It was a whirlwind of activities around here for the past month. Keaton's open house party was fun...from what I remember. I, unfortunately, had a nasty bout of hives and was so drugged up on Benadryl and Zyrtec that I honestly don't know how I was even able to stand. (Oh sorry, since Matt makes generic drugs, I need to say Diphenhydramine and Ceterizine.) I scoff at people who whine about allergies...give me a sniffly nose and runny eyes any day. I leer at people who complain about having hives...and they complain about how uncomfortable they are with a smattering of a few itchy bumps. My hives are HUGE. My hives are legendary. My hives should be in movies. If you've ever seen the movie "Hitch"... the part where Will Smith's character has an allergic reaction to food and his entire face and ears swell up and he chugs Benadryl...I look about ten times worse than that. Okay, maybe I exaggerate...I look about NINE times worse than that. Seriously. I can handle hives covering my body...I just scratch until I'm covered in scabs. I can handle hives on my feet...it just looks like I'm walking on marbles. I just CANNOT handle hives on my face or in my throat. Trust me, kids will run screaming and even adults will shudder in horror if they see my deformed face or hear my scary, raspy voice. I was really worried about having a deformed face, having pictures taken with Keaton on this remarkable achievement in his life, and then having a record of my deformity scrapbooked for future generations to see. It really isn't pretty. My nemesis is grass, cat hair, and mold. (I'm allergic to everything and should be in a bubble, but those three things really set me off this time.) Of course, since I'm very allergic to cats, we have neighborhood cats who LOVE to visit my yard and outdoor furniture. My sisters and mom did a good job of playing guard dogs and making people take off their shoes if they came into the house. They're not fanatics about being clean...they honestly were trying to keep me alive. I'm not exaggerating with that one. I had a really bad episode the day before Keaton's graduation and was stupid and refused to go to the emergency room when I had hives in my throat because I HAD to finish Keaton's scrapbook pages for his open house. I gave myself 15 minutes for the Benadryl to kick in as my face swelled about twice in size, my eye swelled shut, and my lips were bigger than Angelina Jolie's. Luckily, the Benadryl did kick in. I know, I know, it was stupid and I should have gone to the E.R., but at the time, I honestly didn't want to waste those precious few hours in a hospital. I've been to allergy doctors and I'm not going back on shots. There is no cure for my hives...only ways to manage them. I have learned to avoid my triggers (or at least limit my exposure to my triggers until I find that bubble to live in - pink, of course!) and have bought stock in Benadryl. So, back to my guard dogs...my house was my one safe zone where I could sit and try to get back to normal. So, I floated (and I do mean floated because I honestly had more Benadryl in my system than is legal since I seem to have built up an immunity to it) around and fought through the fog and haze to try and focus on what was happening. So, if I appeared buzzed, dreamy, trance-like, or unconscious at any time around Keaton's graduation or open house, I apologize. It really was the drugs. Oh, and it also could have been the lack of sleep. Matt and I chaperoned the Seniors' Grad Bash (all-night party after commencement...we didn't get home until 7 a.m.) Then, I only took a couple of short naps for the next several days while we tried to set up for the open house. I'm a perfectionist (I know, it's hard to believe) and it's funny how that all changes at 4 a.m. I quickly learned that 3 hours of sleep is better than hanging a tarp in the garage to cover my cabinets. I wanted everything to be perfect...but realized that nobody will ever know what wasn't displayed. I was the only one who knew what wasn't done, made, or set out. Things went by so quickly. I honestly didn't have time to visit with everyone who came to Plainwell and I'm sorry for that. I tried to get the family together so they could visit, but I ended up working, chugging down the Benadryl so I didn't scare everyone and trying to stay conscious. We were all so happy to have so many friends and family come celebrate Keaton's accomplishment! It seems we blinked and the entire long weekend was over. The good news is that I'm slowly returning to normal...or as normal as I'll ever be. I'm hoping to be normal really, really soon because I really, really need a drink (or several). We have a lot to celebrate - Keaton's graduation from high school and...

...our 20th wedding anniversary! We didn't do anything for our anniversary. Stupid hives. I'm slowly reintroducing normal food back into my diet (I'm so sick of chicken and plain white rice!). I'm not quite ready to eat out in public yet because I really don't want to have a reaction and wind up on YouTube as "The Scary Hive Lady". We'll have to go out and celebrate another time once I'm normal. Matt's trying to talk me into going away to New Orleans, but that's not on my list of places to visit in the hot, steamy summer months. Maybe in the fall...before Keaton's basketball season.

                                               

                                               

                                     

                                     

                                                

                                     

                                               

                                  

Speaking of Keaton, he went to Florida for spring break without us. I guess he really is all grown up. He went with his girlfriend and her family. Matt and I worked on little projects around the house in preparation for the onslaught of visitors for the graduation celebration. Boy, did he ever need a celebration. After a disappointing basketball season, he was really down on himself. It was heartbreaking to watch our usually happy, smiling, joking son become sullen, quiet...and depressed. It was so difficult to watch him lose his self-confidence. It was so difficult to watch him lose his passion for basketball. Some coaches may think they can motivate players by getting them angry or lighting a fire under them. That doesn't work with Keaton. He was repeatedly told he wasn't a good player. He was told he'd never play ball in college. He was repeatedly told he wasn't a leader. We watched him help other players up from the floor during games. We watched him congratulate teammates on free-throws or baskets. We watched him cheer on his teammates while he was sitting on the bench, injured. We watched him work really hard in physical therapy to recover from an injury so he could get back on the court to help his team. We watched him talk with a younger teammate who was frustrated during a game and try and cheer him up. We watched him never, ever argue with a referee in a game - EVER. We watched him pass the ball unselfishly and not take unnecessary shots. We watched him tell his team to settle down after a bad call. We watched him try and pump up his team when they were frustrated. We watched him tell his team to be proud of being a Trojan. Unlike a lot of his team, he didn't spend weekends at parties, he never had a tardy or unexcused absence from school, he kept his grades at all As and never had a detention. Yet, he was repeatedly beaten into the ground and told he wasn't a leader. So, Keaton learned some valuable lessons...life isn't always easy; you'll always have critics; and you can always count on your parents for unconditional love and support. The sad news is that it took him a while to touch a basketball after the season ended. We hope he'll find his passion for the game again over the summer.



Keaton went to the prom with Elizabeth again. They had a great time and even joked about taking the motor home filled with friends to the prom. We even offered to drive them and have our neighbor drive kids in their motor home...and were promptly shot down. Oh well, we tried to be cool.

Back to the present time...we don't have any big trips planned for the summer, believe it or not. We are heading up to Muskegon this weekend for Matt's adventure race. (Bike-riding, canoeing, and orienteering.) I'll cheer him on in spirit while I sit on the beach and relax. We're heading down to Hocking Hills in Ohio for a long weekend later in the month where we're planning on going on a ghost tour. That should be awesome...as long as nothing touches me. That would totally freak me out. For those of you who don't know, I have a sister who used to talk to our grandmother who had passed away...only we didn't know who she was at the time. I was the lucky one to share a room with Laurie and her nightly chats. Next month we're celebrating the 4th of July in da U.P. where we'll be visiting the Pictured Rocks and surrounding areas. We've been talking about taking a long trip in the fall, but it's still just talk. We have 10 more states in the continental U.S. to visit...and those will be long trips down south and out west. Yeehaw!



We have a lot to look forward to in the next few months. I'm looking forward to shopping for college life and decorating Keaton's dorm room. Keaton's looking forward to going away so he doesn't have to make his bed anymore and eating in the college cafeteria. Matt is looking forward to the next chapter in our lives. Cyrus is looking forward to getting ALL our attention since Keaton will be heading out for bigger and better things. We're all looking forward to a fun summer before our baby leaves for college!!!!

The Joys of January

It's February and the groundhog said we have six more weeks of winter. Yuck. As I turned on the news this morning, I saw a winter storm warning in effect for 6-12" of the dreaded "s" word...snow. Double yuck. I can think of another "s" word to use for the coming snow.

We began January without any drama. We had some pretty snowfalls and Matt and I went snowshoeing with friends one day. We worked to finish up the basement - painting trim and touching up marks on the wall from the carpet installation. We LOVE the new carpet and furniture! We should have known it was too uneventful around here. We should have known it was getting too boring around here. We should have known it was time for some drama in our lives. Keaton suffered an agonizing groin pull during a basketball game one night. It was a strange injury suffered after bumping into another player (insert your own joke here). He immediately began to limp and tried to run down the court, but couldn't make it. Based on the view from the stands, Matt thought Keaton had a knee or ankle injury. He went for an immediate visit with the trainer and she thought he pulled or even tore a muscle and suggested he visit the E.R. (This may be the first year we've met our deductible in the first month of the year!) We ran him up to the E.R. and he was poked and prodded by the doctor and he confirmed a severe groin pull. The doctor put him on crutches for at least 48 hours and lots of Motrin. Fortunately we didn't have any snow falling and the parking lots and sidewalks were all fairly clear of ice during the crutches phase of recovery. It was a tough three weeks of limping, pain, and physical therapy. Poor Cyrus missed the extra attention and decided to create some drama of his own...

                                            

Cyrus decided to begin limping one night. At first, I thought maybe he had sympathy pains since Keaton was limping. Then I thought maybe he was jealous because Keaton was getting all the attention. Then I thought how awful it would be to have Keaton on crutches and Cyrus on little doggie crutches. Cy was pathetic when he wouldn't put his paw down and hobbled on three legs. There's nothing more sad and gut-wrenching than a dog hopping on three legs...especially when it's your poor dog. A trip to the vet diagnosed a pulled muscle in his shoulder. I was thankful it wasn't a broken bone or something worse. She put Cyrus on pain meds. and said to keep him still for a week...no running or jumping. Unfortunately, the pain meds. didn't make him sleepy. For those of you who don't know, Cyrus is a miniature schnauzer...a member of the terrier group. That says a lot about him right there. He's a bundle of energy. I think of him as my toddler...full of energy, demands constant attention, pouts, can be loud, puts everything in his mouth, is possessive, doesn't share, and won't let me spend two minutes alone in the bathroom without trying to come in. I spent one night on the edge of the bed, trying to keep him in his doggie bed on the floor next to me so he wouldn't jump up in our bed. That didn't work. I spent another night on the couch, thinking being closer to him might keep him on the floor in his own bed. That didn't work either. After two sleepless nights, I gave up and just let him sleep with me. Since he's my shadow and follows me everywhere, I spent the week on the couch with him on my lap. Needless to say, I didn't get much scrapbooking done...but I did get caught up on all episodes of Wife Swap and found lots of good recipes to try. Cyrus was happy to have my undivided attention. He was sure to give Keaton a look that said, "Ha ha...I get all the attention."

                                              



The seniors were defeated by the juniors in Testosterone Volleyball last week. (The guys play volleyball and the girls coach.) Keaton was impressive on the floor...he even had a kick save. It was nice to see him moving around, but both Matt and I flinched a few times when he dove for a loose ball. He's just about healed from his groin pull. He's fine with the forward and backward motion, but moving side-to-side still causes some pain. The doctors said it can be a long and slow process to make a full recovery because you use your groin muscle daily (again, insert your own joke here).

                                 


Keaton worked hard in physical therapy, did exercises at home, and did his daily ice rubs. (I'll let you use your imagination here because it's kind of strange trying to explain...and looks even stranger while he's doing it.) He was finally able to play basketball again on Friday night. He didn't start and only got about ten minutes of playing time, but that's a good way for him to ease back into the rhythm of the game. He was frustrated, but it's hard to play after sitting for three weeks. With the season 2/3 of the way over, he's hoping to finish strong. Saturday was Snowcoming at PHS. Keaton and Elizabeth met a bunch of friends for Mongolian Barbecue (it was a $9.99 all you can eat night, so the kids were pumped...at least the boys were) and then went to the dance. They had a good time and then Keaton went to spend the night at 'The Man Cave'. (His friend has an apartment above his garage for the kids to hang out.) He went back on Sunday to watch the Super Bowl at The Man Cave and came home $8 richer. We thought he won playing cards, but he won betting on running backs and receivers. He's a true Adams and this only proves my point that I believe he should be a bookie. I think it would look fabulous on his college applications to say he has his own business...as long as it stays profitable.

We're hoping for a fun, fabulous and injury-free February...for both of the boys!
                                   

Happy 2010!

As I sit here waiting for the delivery of our new furniture, I decided to be constructive and update our blog. Matt has almost completed his basement project. It's been years in the making, but the end is finally in sight. He did the entire basement himself: constructing, insulating, wiring, and drywalling.  He did it without me having to call an ambulance, the fire department, or a marriage counselor.  The carpet was laid last week and Keaton and his friends christened it with a late night of playing video games...each kid with his own TV and Xbox. They had them all lined up and were happy to "feast on the Christmas newbs". (Translation: they enjoyed beating all the new kids who got Call of Duty for Christmas and don't know how to play yet.) We have one room left to complete: the utility room. We have tubs and bins and boxes (oh my) to go through and purge. Matt has to mud, sand, and paint that room, lay the tiles, build some shelves, and then I'll be able to reorganize all our stuff...complete with labels. Then, we'll OFFICIALLY be organized and everything will be in its place...finally. I get tingly just thinking about it.

Christmas was a little different this year. We stayed home for Christmas and it was absolutely wonderful to wake up on Christmas morning in our own beds! Matt and I were the ones who were up early and we finally had to wake Keaton up at 11 a.m. to open presents. It sure doesn't seem that long ago when he used to wake up before dawn to open presents. We all got new cell phones this year for our gifts (oh and new carpet and furniture for the basement), so there weren't many presents under the tree. Matt and Keaton got smart phones, so they're able to be connected to the internet and have the answer to any question in the world at the tips of their fingers. I got a texting phone since McKenna is now texting me. (I'm not nearly as texting-challenged as I used to be! However, I refuse to text without proper grammar and punctuation. Texting shortcuts will be the downfall of the English language!) We actually spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day painting the basement. Fun times. Not. Seriously, it wasn't too bad and the time passed by very quickly...so quickly that it made for some late, late nights (or mornings). We ordered Chinese food on Christmas Eve and enjoyed watching 'A Christmas Story' while eating. We worked so hard on Christmas Day, we just had leftover Chinese for dinner that night too. (I had planned to have crab legs, but we just saved those for New Year's Day.)

                                            

                                            

                                            

Speaking of New Year's, this year was a little different too. We went to our friends' house to eat, drink, and play cards like we do every year. But, this year we also went to downtown Kalamazoo to watch the first-ever ball drop. They had events scattered around the area (music, magicians, hypnotist, bubble-guy) to fit every age group. We adults went to the KISS tribute concert and it was fun. The kids braved the cold, cold, cold weather while we warmed up indoors at the concert. We watched the ball drop at midnight, gave each other quick pecks on the cheek (it was so cold, lips would freeze with one another if you lingered) and then headed back to our friends' house for more food, drinks, and cards.

                                           



Keaton went back to school yesterday and is already looking forward to spring break. He's planning to go to Florida with Elizabeth and her family. He's been checking out discount airline tickets with his new phone. We braved a blizzard before Christmas and enjoyed two snow days. The seniors are hoping for more snow days because they won't have to make them up...only the underclassmen. Keaton anxiously watches the weather for any forecast of snow. He's been to some more college games and was invited to attend games at Kalamazoo College and Hope College. He likes both schools and both coaches. I kind of like Hope because Aaron lives there so he can play the babysitting game like he used to when Keaton was little!

With the basement looking fabulous now, I'm thinking it's time to re-do the upper part of the house. Judging by the dirty looks Matt gives me for even mentioning it, I think I'll have to wait a month or two to start another project. Soon, spring will be here and we'll be out and about in the motor home. He can rest then. But first we have landscaping to complete, the garage to paint, and all the odds and ends to finish for Keaton's open house. Matt can rest in the summer...maybe next summer.

November News

It's the end of November and we've already had our first snowfall. We awoke the morning after Thanksgiving to find everything covered in pretty white fluff. It all melted later in the day, but it was a nice surprise and definitely got us in the mood for Christmas.

Keaton finished his trimester with all As...only two more tri's to go until graduation. He was the senior class sponsor of the National Honor Society and read one of the value statements in the induction ceremony. He was smooth...and didn't drop the candle during the candle-lighting ceremony or catch the stage on fire. (Luckily he takes after me and isn't clumsy like his dad, Mr. Butterfingers.) Basketball season officially began...and so did the every-other-day laundry service. Since the team had a day full of scrimmages scheduled the day after Thanksgiving, we decided to spend Thanksgiving at home. (Our first in 19 years!!!) It was awesome! We could sleep in (well, as much as we can with a dog), we could wear sweats (which we did), and we could take naps (which we did). Keaton went to Elizabeth's for dinner and Matt and I played Scrabble. We snacked a little too much and when dinner was ready we decided we weren't hungry. (Thank goodness for Reynold's Wrap.) When we finally did get around to eating, Cyrus was thrilled to have a Thanksgiving plate full of goodies too.

                                 

                                 

                                 


Matt attacked his Black Friday shopping spree with his usual gusto. He seriously studied the ads a week in advance online. He thoroughly took notes and meticulously mapped out his shopping route. He planned and plotted until the wee hours of the morning, took a nap to recharge, and then hit the stores running at 5:15 a.m. He was a warrior...dodging carts, jumping over shoppers, grabbing items, elbowing his way through the crowds. No, seriously, he said it wasn't bad and he really wasn't out for any hot-selling items this year. He did get some new pots and pans for me and some new basketball shoes for him. Nothing too exciting, but good deals. He came home to go to Keaton's scrimmages only to find out there was a mix-up and the games were scheduled for the following day. Keaton, being the mini-Matt he is and thinking he's funny, broke the news to us with a phone call from school that began, "Don't worry, I don't have another concussion." I about had a heart attack. He's NOT funny trying to give me gray hair...especially when I don't have a hair appointment for another two weeks. So, the change in basketball plans cut into our weekend visit with the family so we decided to stay home and help out the economy instead by ordering new furniture for the basement. Yay!!

We celebrated Matt's birthday at The BOB in Grand Rapids with his brothers and friends. He picked the restaurant/bar with classic rock and I was happy to hear lots of 80s music thrown in as well. The food was good and I discovered a Wasabi sauce that numbed my gums and throat. It was great...once I could talk again.

                                

We went to watch some college basketball between two teams that have been recruiting Keaton. We sat behind each bench to watch (and listen to) the coaching styles and Keaton decided he doesn't want a coach who yells. He's still undecided about playing in college, but will keep his options open for now. He really doesn't have to decide until next spring. He was accepted at Western Michigan University and has decided he wants to stay within three hours of home. He's not thrilled that we have the motor home since he's seriously afraid I'm really going to come and stay in the parking lot of his dorm. Silly boy...the motor home would take up too much room. I'll rent an apartment or stay in a motel across the street so I can watch him with binoculars.

The Christmas lights are hung and the shopping has begun. We hope you have the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of New Years.

October's Occurrences

October seemed to fly by, as usual. For the first time since Keaton was four years old, Matt had to miss a parent-teacher conference. I carried the laptop around with me to all the teachers with Matt online for a video conference (like they do on The Big Bang Theory). Just kidding! Matt was in China and they were 12 hours ahead of us...so I didn't think Matt would really be up for a parent-teacher conference at 3:00 a.m.

Matt enjoyed his two weeks in China. There were lots of interesting things to see and do...and eat. He worked a lot, traveled around a lot, but didn't pick up much of the language. On some free time (which he didn't seem to have much of, but made the most of when it was available), he tried some new things. He took a ride on the world's fastest magnetic track train and went up to 275 m.p.h. He drove (well, he had a driver so it was more like rode) over the world's longest bridge (21 miles). He also ate some very unusual food. The diet in China didn't contain Big Macs or pizza (or even rice). He was a good sport and ate lots of interesting things like eel, duck tongue (yep, you read that correctly...TONGUE - how gross!), frogs (not just frog legs, but WHOLE frogs!), octopus, pig ear (yep, like the dogs eat when they get a treat), and puffer fish (yes, it's poisonous unless it's cooked perfectly by a licensed chef) to name a few (and that's all I can name without gagging). Ewwwwww! Matt said I would have been fine with the food since they also had a lot of vegetables, but I'd definitely have a problem with the food looking back at me and, much more importantly, the DOUBLE-DIPPING. It seems the food is placed on a rotating platform in the middle of the table and everyone at the table takes what they'd like from each plate with their chopsticks THAT THEY EAT FROM AND THEN KEEP TAKING MORE FOOD WITH THOSE SAME CHOPSTICKS THAT THEY JUST HAD IN THEIR MOUTHS. Yuck! Obviously they're not worried about H1N1 in China. Matt enjoyed shopping while in China. He liked the open market and using his bargaining skills to get next-to-nothing deals. (Authentic Red Wings jersey for Keaton and Gucci bag for me!) His longest flight was 14 hours (from Atlanta to Tokyo), but he said it went by surprisingly quick. (Maybe it was the free drinks in business class.) Keaton, Cyrus and I were very happy to have him back home. Keaton didn't have to watch Lifetime with me anymore, Cyrus had his wrestling buddy back to play with him, and I could finally sleep. Matt was happy to be home so he could have some dessert...especially chocolate. They don't typically eat dessert in China...most dessert was fruit. Now we all know why the Chinese are so thin. I was sure to have a chocolate fondue for him the night he came home.

                                     

In honor of Keaton's birthday, the high school was closed for two days. We had a high incidence of illness and they closed the school down for a a thorough disinfecting. Unfortunately, Keaton caught a small bug and spent his birthday with a fever, a super sore throat, and then a trip to the doctor's office. Poor kid. Oops, sorry, poor adult. It's hard to believe he's 18. To commemorate this historic occasion, he did run up to the store to buy some lottery tickets. He broke even...he bought $9 worth of tickets and won $9. If his luck improves, we're going to take him to Vegas and teach him how to count cards.

                                               

The seniors decided to have a long Halloween weekend. They skipped on Friday and spent the day up at Craig's Cruisers in Grand Rapids. After go-karts, laser-tag and video games, Keaton and his group went to the mall so Keaton could spend some of his birthday money.

Halloween was fun...as it usually is for us. We all dressed up (even Keaton) and sat on the porch to pass out candy (and Pucker shots for the adults...yum). It was chilly and I was glad to have the shots nearby to help keep warm. The kids enjoyed seeing Cyrus dressed up and quite a few had to come and give him a hug and talk to him. After we passed out candy, we headed down to Kalamazoo for dinner with friends and checked out the block party downtown. It was full of college kids, so we called it an early night and headed for home. We didn't have nearly the usual amount of trick-or-treaters we usually have...which means more leftover candy for us!

                              

                              

We had planned to go camping the weekend after Halloween since it was going to be a beautiful weekend, but Keaton decided to have an allergic reaction to some medication and broke out in hives. So, we stayed home, played connect-the-dots with his hives, winterized the motor home and worked on projects around the house. Definitely not as much fun as camping, but I guess it's better than doing those projects in the snow.

I redid my scrapbook room while Matt was in China and it's now my Princess Studio. All I need is a boa (not the snake...the feathered kind) and a tiara and it will be perfect. I've been working on Keaton's scrapbooks in a frenzy and have come to the conclusion that I'll never catch up. That's okay, because I love taking pictures and documenting all the fun we have.

Here's hoping everyone has a fun and Happy Thanksgiving!

Seniors Rule!

It's been a while since I updated our blog, so here's the latest in our adventures. In August, Keaton went with Elizabeth and her mom to visit Minnesota. It was a quick weekend trip, but they did make it to the Mall of America. (Deb's jealous!!) Keaton had his senior pictures taken and then officially began his senior year. He enjoys his classes (particularly stats and calculus) and has been filling out college applications. He's been talking to some college basketball coaches and playing in a rec league. Keaton and Matt joined an Ultimate league (Frisbee) in Kalamazoo and enjoy spending some time together throwing the disc. Last week was homecoming week and Keaton showed his school spirit at the powder puff game by wearing a skirt and cheering for the girls on the field. He even let the girls straighten his hair...but he drew the line at wearing any makeup. He was the big hit of the night...and the seniors won! Keaton had his homecoming dance over the weekend. He surprised Elizabeth with a romantic dinner that he planned all by himself. He made chicken fettuccine and they had dinner on the patio...complete with music and candles. It was so sweet. (He wouldn't let Deb take any pictures, though.)

                                      



Matt and Deb enjoyed Jeff Dunham in concert a few weeks ago. (He's the ventriloquest comedian.) Deb's cheeks hurt the next day...both from laughing so much and sitting squeezed tightly in a small space for hours. We also spent an awesome weekend in Petoskey. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed some beautiful sunsets on Lake Michigan.

Matt completed two more adventure races and had a great time in both. He came home covered in mud and cuts...tired but happy. He's heading to China next week for almost two weeks. Besides getting a passport and visa, he also had to have six shots. He'll host a supplier event, visit some manufacturing plants and practice his Chinese while he's there. (Deb thinks he'll have fans asking for his autograph as they mistake him for an NBA player.) Many have asked why Deb isn't going with and her answer is simple: pit toilets. She's talked with too many people who have been to China and she prefers indoor plumbing. If he ever goes to Europe, then she'll tag along...as long as they have indoor plumbing. Until then, she'll remain behind continuing to work furiously on Keaton's scrapbooks. She just finished labeling Keaton's DVDs (#239 for you curious ones) and is already hard at work planning Keaton's open house. Speaking of open house, Keaton's graduation will be on Thursday, May 27, 2010. We're planning to have his open house on Friday night or Saturday so out-of-towners can make arrangements. It'll be here before we know it!

With graduation and the open house looming in the future, we continue to try to complete some tasks around the house when we're home. Matt's rebuilding his workbench in the garage. Deb's all ready to come to his aid with the label maker when he's finished. The basement is still a couple coats short of mud, but one of these days that'll be finished...and then it'll be time to sell the house! We're looking forward to having some time to work around the house this fall and winter since Matt's not coaching basketball. Cyrus is looking forward to having another person to play with him. We totally forgot his birthday in September. He's the big 8 this year. Wow...he still acts like a puppy! We thought he'd outgrow the puppy stage, but he still has boundless energy.

The next post will be after Halloween. We don't know what we're dressing up as this year, but we're sure it'll be something fun. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures! Happy Halloween!

Traversing in Traverse City

We enjoyed a fun weekend up in Traverse City. The campground was right across the street from the bay. Keaton was actually looking forward to going camping with us for a change...because Elizabeth came with us. We spent some time enjoying the beach and exploring Traverse City. We did a lot of bike-riding...riding over 8 miles one day! Cyrus had a rough night the first night when it stormed. He didn't know what to do and we pulled an all-nighter trying to calm him down. But, the rest of the weekend's weather was perfect and he enjoyed lots of walks (luckily we had lots of plastic bags). Keaton and Elizabeth went to the mall one afternoon to find some clothes for senior pictures and Keaton came home with a new hybrid. (It's a golf club for you non-golfers.  That might be kind of hard to wear though.) We headed over to the Sleeping Bear Dunes after dinner out one night (since we were up north, we HAD to have whitefish...I think it's required in northern Michigan). Matt was proud to be able to leave his initials on the pinball game at the restaurant. (Nerd.) We tried to enjoy a nice sunset, but the clouds rolled in and blocked our view. Keaton had another milestone...he drove home from Traverse City without us on Sunday so Elizabeth could go to band camp (this one time at band camp...). Matt and I enjoyed some alone time with Cyrus and went out to visit a lighthouse on the peninsula. We came home on Monday afternnon and were able to get the motor home emptied before the rain came. It was another great weekend and Keaton was happy to have us back home...or maybe he was just happy to have the junk food back. We asked Elizabeth what she thought of camping and she said our motor home was just like an apartment. That's my kind of camping, though...air-conditioning, ice-maker, and my vacuum.

Karie & Krew

Karie and her entourage came for a visit last weekend. The time went by quickly, but we tried to pack in as much fun as we could. Karie and krew arrived and caught us having margaritas. Karie joined right in and caught up quickly. The kids jumped right in the pool so we didn't have to worry about baths that night! Friday night was a late night playing spoons with the kids. On Saturday, we headed over to Matt's company picnic and enjoyed ourselves...despite the rain. The kids liked the crafting area making sand art and balloon animals. Karie and I LOVED the crafting area because it was the only covered shelter so we didn't get soaked. McKenna fell in love with Elizabeth and they had to get matching tattoos (I think I've been replaced as McKenna's favorite!). We had originally planned to head over to the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven and visit Eric, but the weather didn't look like it was going to cooperate, so we hung out at our house instead. Keaton and Elizabeth took the kids to Meijer so they could get some yarn and then they spent hours making bracelets. Karie and I headed to Hobby Lobby to hit the 90%-off clearance aisle and loaded up my vehicle...with Karie's stuff, not mine. I kept my shopping to a two-bag minimum!

On Sunday, we headed to the mall and were disappointed to learn the climbing wall that Hunter was planning to conquer was closed...for good. Then, another blow came when McKenna learned that Libby Lu's (her girly, glittery store) was also closed. They handled their disappointment well, though, and decided to focus on back-to-school shopping. While the rest of the group was checking out sales in one store, Matt took McKenna to a "girls-only" store. Matt was the perfect personal shopping cart and just followed her around the store while she browsed and grabbed anything off the rack she liked and handed it to him to carry. Needless to say, when we arrived about 15 minutes later, he had two armfuls FULL of clothes. The only comment Matt had was, "We never did find a shirt to match this red skirt." It was too funny!! McKenna had to buy a BFF (Best Friends Forever) necklace to give to Elizabeth before she left. I'm a little jealous and think I may have been replaced. I guess I'll just have to stock my pantry with even more goodies the next time they visit and win her back!! Hmmm...maybe even a new puppy would help to make me the favorite again!!

Westward, Ho(ly cow we saw a lot)!

Our trip out west was fabulous!! Our first stop was to see the Badlands in South Dakota. Incredible formations and more color than I was expecting. It was a little dry and a little dusty, but I guess if they were green and wet they would be called the Goodlands. The Corn Maze in Mitchell, SD was our next stop. There's a building COVERED in corn cob mosaics. Corny, but something you have to see at least once in your lifetime.

We headed to the Black Hills of South Dakota next. Mt. Rushmore was incredible to see in person. Pictures don't do it justice...you can feel the patriotism in the air. We spent the day waiting for the 4th of July fireworks (but they do them on the 3rd of July for some reason!). After eight hours of patiently waiting (and for me, we all know that's a HUGE stretch), a fog bank rolled in an hour before the fireworks were due to launch, so we admitted defeat and walked the 2.5 miles back to the car (downhill, luckily), and called it a night. The next day, we stopped to check out the Crazy Horse Monument (from a distance) and we took a tour of Custer State Park. The wildlife was incredible to see so close to our cars (luckily none under any cars). We saw donkeys and stopped to feed them. The buffalo were HUGE and right next to the car. We saw elk, deer and antelope and I broke into my rendition of "Home on the Range" (Home, home on the range...where the deer and the antelope play...) I don't know about playing, though...I was quick to pull my arm back in the window after one snorted at me. Later, we went into town a few miles away to watch the 4th of July fireworks (actually on the 4th of July!) While in the Black Hills (which are more like mountains), Matt and others did some rock climbing...complete with harnesses, ropes, and anything else you might need to avoid a plummet to your death. He climbed about 200 feet and loved it! Keaton and I stayed back at the campground, did some shopping, read and soaked up some sun. I have a fear of heights, a fear of breaking a nail...and a fear of breaking every bone in my body, so the rock climbing did not appeal to me in the least. We headed over to some rock formations called the Needles and did some climbing on those rocks. (Those I can handle because you're not making a vertical ascent...and you don't have to get your hands dirty.) We did a 5+ hour hike near Sylvan Lake one day (the lake featured in National Treasure 2). It was pretty strenuous and the air is very thin, so we were all huffing and puffing pretty good. We went up to Harney Peak and I made friends with the ladies and their giant schnauzer behind us. Keaton and the kids practically ran up the trail and arrived a good 30 minutes before us adults...who actually took time to look around and enjoy nature's beauty (while trying to catch their breath and cussing out the husbands for picking such a strenuous trail). The view at the top was worth the sweat and struggle...as long as I didn't look down! We could see our campground in the distance and it was very, very, very tiny. (It's really the 2nd largest KOA in the country and is huge when you're not looking down at it from the top of a mountain.)

                                   

                                   

                                   

                                   

                                   

                                   



We headed over to Devil's Tower and were somewhat disappointed not to see any evidence of UFOs or aliens in the vicinity. I had to know why it's called Devil's Tower and the ranger told us that the Native Americans called it Bear Tower (the deep vertical grooves look like a bear clawed his way to the top). During the translation into English, it was misinterpreted as Bad God's Tower...eventually becoming Devil's Tower. (I'm sooo ready for Jeopardy!) The kids weren't too excited about the history and took off to climb on the rocks at the base of the tower. I'm making Keaton watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind to appreciate his experience.

                                              

Grand Teton National Park is absolutely breath-taking. The mountains actually don't look real...they look like a back-drop from a movie set. We drove around the park and saw a moose and her baby eating in the marsh. Incredible!! We saw antelope, more moose, deer, more elk, and a black bear and her two cubs. We hiked on the trails and came upon a bull moose enjoying a snack about 25' from us. I was snapping away on the camera and a guy came up and told me I could get closer to it (I assumed he was talking about the moose) as long as he was eating. I told him I was close enough to the action! People asked if I was nervous being that close and I told them that as long as I could outrun the last person on the trail, I wasn't worried! I was worried about all the "Beware of Bear" signs, though...especially since too many people tell me that my lotion smells like cotton candy. Needless to say, I skipped the lotion on our hiking days and dealt with dry, scaly skin...it's better than being a snack for a bear. Speaking of bear, if you're approached, you're supposed to stand still and not run. They may charge you, but they bluff sometimes. If they do attack you, you are supposed to lie on your stomach and wait for them to finish their assault. Yeah, right! I had to quit reading all the information because I was having anxiety attacks. I figured that, again, as long as I could outrun the last person in our group, I'd be okay. We saw waterfalls, canyons, and again I broke into song during one of our hikes..."The hills are alive with the sound of music..." (They say singing is one thing to do so you don't surprise bears and I wasn't taking any chances!)

                                      

Yellowstone was interesting with its geological formations (it's on top of a volcano), but it was STINKY. The smell of sulfur is pungent and prevalent in a lot of the park. Old Faithful was awesome to see, as were the mud pots, other geysers, and hot springs. We came across one hot spring with steam billowing out from it and a buffalo sitting in the steam...like he was enjoying a day at the spa. Stinky, but cute! We saw lots of wildlife, but they were all so far away...not close-up encounters like in the Tetons - except for the buffalo walking down the middle of the road escorting us for a while! I loved the buffalo...especially the babies! Yellowstone is huge and we had to drive and drive and drive to get anywhere to visit anything. We went on an animal search at 5 a.m. one day and were rewarded with seeing a grizzly (way off in the distance). I was too busy yawning to see it...plus Matt didn't share his binoculars with me.

                                     



We stopped at the Battle of Little Big Horn on the way home and decided to make some longer driving days and get home a day early. Keaton was THRILLED to hear the news...he'd get to see his beloved Elizabeth a day earlier. He pretty much slept while in any vehicle, so he's one well-rested kid!

The motor home was awesome! I still don't like the mountains and get especially nervous when I can smell the brakes of the vehicle in front of us, but I did like the Ford engine's automatic downshift feature. I especially liked the room with the two slide-outs and LOVED being able to use the bathroom while in transit. We were able to pick up six new states on our quest and we're now up to 38 states we've visited in an RV. We're not sure about next year's adventure...but it will be definite cause for celebration: Keaton's high school graduation and our 20th anniversary! We're happy to be home and look forward to planning the next adventure!

Stark Raving Mad Adventure Race

Team Lost Dumasse (Lost Dumbass) finished in 25th place out of 83 in the Stark Raving Mad Adventure Race in Muskegon over the weekend. Matt and friend, Dave, competed in the endurace race that included 15 miles of bike-riding, 2-3 miles of canoeing, and 5k orienteering. The goal was to find the marker, punch their passport and finish in under six hours. There were 28 markers in all and they found 18. They finished in 5 hours and 45 minutes. Whew. They had a great time and were thankful they trained because it was pretty grueling. Kelly and I had a great time on the beach, enjoying a picnic lunch and strawberry daiquiris. We were thankful they made it back in one piece and weren't wandering in the woods all night (we needed someone to start the campfire!).

Keaton and Cyrus enjoyed a weekend home alone. Keaton had his ACT on Saturday morning and two lawns to mow on Sunday. Cyrus definitely wins the prize for being the most enthusiastic upon our return home! It was a fun weekend and I'm very proud of the guys for finishing the race and doing so well for their first competition. Now they're looking forward to competing in more races and are trying to talk Kelly and me into competing either on a 2-person women's team or coed team. I think Kelly and I will stick to hanging out on the beach, enjoying our slushies (frozen drinks)...that's enough adventure for me!

It's Summer Already???

Holy cow...Keaton is now officially a senior. Wow! I don't know where the time went. I think he's looking forward to summer, but he'll continue to keep pretty busy. He'll be playing basketball, mowing lawns, scouting some colleges, and hanging out with Elizabeth and friends.

In other news, Matt and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary on June 8th. We celebrated twice - once at The Melting Pot and once at Red Lobster. We're looking forward to camping this weekend up in Muskegon. Matt will be competing in his Stark Raving Mad Adventure Race (5k trek, 15 mi. biking, 3 mi. canoeing). I'll be back at the campground enjoying cocktails. It should be a fun time...at least for me!!

Prom 2009

After playing in two basketball games in the morning, Keaton had to change from sweaty athlete into debonair young man. He was so handsome...and he looked so grown up! It's been 13 years since he wore a tux and he's never looked better! Uncle Bub was very generous and let Keaton drive his car on prom night. Keaton was pretty pumped!! We posed for some pictures at home and then we headed over to Elizabeth's house to pose for more pictures with her friends. Keaton and Elizabeth decided to go out to dinner alone (at the Black Swan in Kalamazoo), so after the other kids left for dinner, we went down the road to the gazebo to take even more pictures. They were so cute!! Matt and I went out to dinner at the local pizzeria. We laughed as every table was pretty much a set of parents we knew who had a child at the prom. All we needed was some music and we could have had our own prom!

Everyone had a fabulous time at the prom. Keaton said it was really fun and they divided up their time between Elizabeth's friends and Keaton's friends. Keaton was voted Prom Prince (prince/princess for juniors and king/queen for seniors) and was very surprised. After the prom, the kids stopped at Steak and Shake for a while. It was a night he'll always remember!

Busy Spring!!

Whew...it's been a busy and exciting time here in P-town (as the kids call it). Keaton's basketball team won the District Championship in OT, with Keaton making the game-winning basket at the buzzer (you can see the news story by clicking on the link on the right)!! He was pumped and I don't think his feet touched the ground for a week! We made our annual trek to Tennessee for spring break and the boys were able to play a few rounds of golf despite the snow on the course the first two days! Basketball season gave way to golf season. Keaton is also playing AAU Basketball so he spends just about every day on a golf course and then he's on a basketball court with practice 1-2 times a week and tournaments on the weekends. He's had a bit of a break for the past couple of weeks thanks to a concussion received during open gym one night at school. He was going up for a lay up and a kid pushed him from behind and Keaton went head-first, mid-air, into a brick wall. He suffered some good abrasions on the side of his head, elbow, and shoulder. He was unconscious for a few seconds (this is what we were told...we weren't there) and then the coach rushed him to the hospital. Keaton doesn't remember the incident and can only recall a few bits and pieces of what happened until we arrived at the E.R. His friends said he was a little wobbly and Keaton insisted he didn't hit his head and he was ready to play. His CT scan didn't show anything unusual and verified the fact that he is hard-headed. He was a little annoyed by me waking him up every two hours and shining a light into his eyes to check his pupil dilation. He only had a very mild headache the next day and was a little sore from the bumps and bruises. He was checked out by his pediatrician and told to take two weeks off from basketball to recuperate, but he was cleared to golf, so Keaton was pretty happy to at least be able to get out on the links. He still has some bruising and a little bit of a black eye that I was sure to photograph for his scrapbook. It was scary for us but Keaton was a trooper and said I was really annoying. Yep, it sounds like he's back to normal.

                                      
We were finally able to take out the motor home last weekend for the inaugural camping trip. The trip had some minor changes in it than we had previously planned. Before Keaton's test to see how hard his head really is, we had planned to let him stay home with some friends for the weekend. But, that plan was nixed and I decided I needed to have him tied to me all weekend, so Keaton wasn't too happy to lose his freedom. Keaton argued that his friends would be with him to make sure he was okay. We weren't confident with his friends' ability to take care of him based on the fact that they tend to lose their cell phones weekly and one thinks he can levitate. We enjoyed our time in the motor home. It was so nice to have room to move around and not bump into one another or do a sideways shuffle to get around each other. Keaton didn't seem too thrilled to be stuck with us, but at least he had his phone so he could text his friends. He managed to survive just fine.

Keaton has decided to get back into the dating pool again. His new girlfriend is Elizabeth (Bizza) and he's known her since elementary school. Best of all, she loves basketball and she has an uncle who is an asst. coach at WMU!! She's a dedicated girlfriend and went with Matt and Keaton to a basketball tournament in Ft. Wayne all day on Saturday - even though Keaton couldn't play. She's better than me -I stayed home with Cyrus and took a nap. Their prom is on May 16th and we're really looking forward to it. Keep your fingers crossed the weather will be beautiful!!

We're counting down the days until summer vacation. We're leaving on July 1st for Mt. Rushmore and then will continue on with stops at Devil's Tower and the Badlands before reaching our final destination of Yellowstone National Park. We're looking forward to our adventure...maybe even doing a little rock climbing while we're out west. Well, not "we"...Matt's going to try it, but I have vetoed it based on the fact that I would get dirty and/or even break a nail. Keaton is also a little reserved. He'll probably want to just hang out at the pool and text. Life is good! :-)

Keaton's Night

Tuesday night was parents' night for the basketball team. Even better than escorting his two wonderful parents out on the court, Keaton was able to finally realize his dream of dunking. During the third quarter, he stole the ball at midcourt and drove down the floor and went up for a two-hand slam. It was awesome!! Plainwell had a huge upset win over the number-one team in the conference!

The Bounder

Here it is...our new home away from home! We picked up the new motor home (a Class A 32' Fleetwood Bounder) last Saturday down in Indiana. We went with our friends and they followed us home - taking pictures of us along the way. The ride home was uneventful - except for the cargo door flipping open and flapping in the wind. Matt was able to pull off to the the side of the highway and close it. It was good practice for him merging in and out of traffic. Keaton and Cyrus were pretty excited and both should sleep pretty comfortably in it - Keaton on the pull-out bed and Cyrus with us (as usual). Keaton didn't seem to be too excited about driving it. (He's probably wondering how he can drive because he sleeps the entire ride in any vehicle!) I drove it through the neighborhood and decided it would be a while before I drove it on the road because it's HUGE!! It's like driving a bus. I might try driving it when we're on straight, empty roads in North Dakota and I don't have to make any turns. I figure if the road is straight enough, I can just put in on cruise control and go play cards in the back with the boys. We're looking forward to warmer weather so we can do some re-landscaping on the side of the house where we'll store the motor home. Since it sticks out a little farther than the travel trailer did, we'll need to add some more shrubs, rocks, and paving blocks. Shoot, we might even have to add a little more yard. We're also looking forward to some warmer weather so we can take it and try it out for a weekend before we head out west. Summer will be here before we know it - as soon as we get rid of all this darn snow!