Summer: Cyrus Style

Cyrus isn't an ordinary dog.  He doesn't like to get his feet wet.  He's the only dog I know who doesn't like to touch the grass because it could be (gasp) wet.  He actually prefers to play fetch in the driveway.  If someone does throw his ball or frisbee in the grass, he'll retrieve it and then make a direct straight line for the driveway and trot back on the pavement.  He avoids grass whenever he can.  He doesn't like to be in the sun...or wind, rain, snow, sleet, fog, or humidity.  He prefers to be in a climate-controlled house. With all the hot, hot, (did I mention HOT?) weather we've had lately, we've all been trying to stay cool inside the house enjoying the central air. But, we decided we all could use some fresh air over the weekend. So, we forced Cy to come hang out with us out by the pool. Of course, he had to float in the pool...absolutely no swimming for this dog.  Heaven forbid his feet got wet!

Keaton's Open House Scrapbook

It took a year, but we (well, I mean Matt) patched the wall and repainted the garage where I had hung Keaton's Open House Scrapbook.  This is the official scrapbook...now all neatly bound in a book, ready to go on the shelf.  I decided to create a slide show, add some music to it, and have one final viewing before I tucked it away.  The music is from Beethoven's Symphony No. 7...one of Keaton's favorites when he was little.  He used to climb on a chair, wave a drumstick around (the musical kind, not the chicken kind) and pretend he was conducting the orchestra.  I miss those days...before he loved hip hop music, dawg.

Summer

Summer is here...finally.  I took my first dip in the pool on July 2.  Let me rephrase that...I got in the pool to clean it on July 2.  Then, I got a little sunburned.  I usually don't burn, so I was pretty surprised to see burn lines from my suit straps.  Later, I was even more surprised to find I had a burn on top of a burn that must have happened while I took off my straps.  Who knew you could get a burn on top of a burn?  It's a good thing I'm not European and go topless!

We headed up to the Hart/Mears area to celebrate Matt's parents' 50th wedding anniversary last weekend.  We enjoyed a day with the family on the beach.  I tried to enjoy the shade since I really didn't want a burn x 3.  So, last week while I was patiently waiting for my skin to heal and bronze, I made mini scrapbooks for Matt's people.  This got me in the mood to scrapbook, so I spent today sorting papers and neatly filing them away in bins...also neatly labeled.  Keaton thinks I'm going to end up on that show, Hoarders.  The only thing I save are papers and mementos for the scrapbooks.  They're all neatly stacked and labeled in plastic bins.  When I finish a scrapbook, I then go through the appropriate bin, select what stuff I want to include in the book, and then recycle all the rest.  I'm so NOT a hoarder.  I have no problem throwing things out.  I guess I'm an anti-hoarder.  Matt, on the other hand, saves EVERYTHING and then some.  I've begun to call him Sanford because he thinks he can find a use for everything...including things I throw away.  All I can say is that Keaton better be very careful of what he thinks or says about me.  I can always put naked baby pictures in his scrapbooks and then share his books with all his friends.

Home Sweet Home

Wow...those eight months with Keaton away at college certainly flew by.  Keaton is enjoying his home-sweet-home again.  The move back was interesting.  I think the stuff in his room multiplied.  I know he didn't pack all of that stuff when he moved into his dorm back in September.  We were able to pack all his stuff into two vehicles when we moved him in...it took us two vehicles AND a trailer to get his stuff home again.  (And that's with a few carloads of non-essential stuff he already brought home over the last month.)  Unfortunately, Keaton developed some hive issues the last week at school.  His elbows and hands were covered with nasty hives due to some mold and dust in his dorm room.  (I told those boys they have to dust at least once a quarter.  This is why I may have to live in the dorm next year.)  While Keaton and Matt loaded the vehicles and trailer, I cleaned and mopped.  So, of course, I was covered in hives before we left.  Needless to say, Keaton and I toasted the end of his freshman year by sharing a bottle of Benadryl.

Speaking of Benadryl, I kept the bottle handy over the weekend while traipsing through the Huron National Forest during our Geocache Road Rally.  We went with our friends up north to Roscommon for a weekend of camping and caching.  (For those of you who don't know about geocaching, it's like a treasure hunt using a GPS.)  We had 52 caches to find in 24 hours throughout Roscommon County.  We spent a lot of time driving from cache to cache on two-track roads and then hiking through the woods.  (They call them roads...I definitely think they should be called trails.)  Oh, and did I mention that it poured the night before so everything was especially wet and muddy?  Our friends' Jeep had a few inches of caked-on mud by Sunday, but luckily we didn't get stuck once.  Whew! (I called dibs on driving and not pushing if we got stuck. There was no way in hell I was getting covered in mud.)  We had a lot of laughs and found all 52 caches in 15 hours after driving about 200 miles total.  (Well, the guys did.  We girls stayed in the car when it got dark because I didn't want to lose any more blood to the mosquitoes and I especially didn't want to stumble upon a bear.  Remember, I wear lotion that smells like cotton candy.)  All in all, it was a fun adventure.  The best part of it all is that I never once had to pee in the woods.  Thank God.  The guys were kind enough to find us appropriate restrooms to use.  Matt knows me well and was happy I was willing to spend a weekend out of my comfort zone...I don't like bugs, I don't like to get dirty, and I refuse to pee in the woods.  Overall, I guess I really didn't get out of my comfort zone much:  I didn't go after the caches that looked muddy or were deep in the woods; I enjoyed hot showers and the comfort of our heated motor home at night; I enjoyed eating in a restaurant; and I slept in on Sunday while Matt was up at 7 a.m. to find the last seven caches.  Now they want me to go geocaching more with them.  We'll see...I still think geocaching would be more fun if there was jewelry in the caches.

Happy 21 Years to Us!

Wow...has it really been 21 years since our wedding?  The years just fly by when you're having fun.  And we've had a LOT of fun, mishaps and adventures over the years.  (This gives me lots of writing material whenever I decide to publish our memoirs!)

How did we celebrate our anniversary?  We moved Keaton back home from college.  Yay!!  Keaton was pretty anxious to move back home and get into some cool, air-conditioned air.  (His room was about 110.  It's a good thing he wasn't on the third floor!)  So, after we all cooled off and enjoyed a nice home-cooked dinner, we had a good laugh at how much weddings have changed over the last two decades.  But, one thing from our wedding day remains the same...we're still happy together after 21 years!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Tall Guys Lawn Care

Matt and Keaton have their own lawn care business...aptly named "Tall Guys Lawn Care".  They started their business last year as a way for Keaton to earn some money for college.  We knew the summer jobs would be gone by the time Keaton was finished with the semester.  (K's semester doesn't end until June...most college kids are finished with classes in April/early May.)  Since Keaton is away at school until June 8th, Matt has been solely responsible for maintaining five lawns all spring...six, including ours.  And, we've had a lot of rain.  A LOT OF RAIN.  So, that means more and more mowing for Matt.  I think he's counting down the hours until Keaton is home next week so he can take the reins...I mean the lawn mower.  Keaton should be an expert mower by now.  He's been "mowing" the lawn since he was 18 months old.  Of course, it may not be as much fun as it used to be for him, though...our mower doesn't blow bubbles.

Covert Camping

Memorial Day weekend found us camping over in Covert (near South Haven).  It was a rainy, chilly weekend...except for a hot, sunny day on Monday which allowed us to dry out before we packed up to return home.  We had a pretty good storm on Sunday which really scared poor Cyrus.  He slept all day on Monday and Tuesday, recovering from his ordeal.  The weekend wasn't a total washout, though.  We went into South Haven to do some shopping and I found the sign for my scrapbook room that I've been trying to find since our last camping trip to South Haven...three years ago.  I was one happy camper when I stumbled upon it!  It looks fabulous on its new throne.

Eskimo Kisses

Cyrus spent most of the day today recovering from yesterday's harrowing experience...surviving the thunderstorms.  As I was walking by his beloved sleeping place...MY bed...I couldn't help but smile and grab the camera to get a shot of him giving his favorite stuffed animal an Eskimo kiss.  He LOVES his liger (lion/tiger = liger) and sleeps with it every night.  As a matter of fact, at 10 p.m. each night, he grabs his liger, parades around the dining room table, pausing in front of our coffee table like he's wondering if we're coming to bed, and then off he goes to cuddle with his liger...in MY bed.  I wonder if he can secretly tell time.

Hide and Seek

Cyrus has become a bigger baby than he already was.  For some reason, he is now scared of clouds.  It began last year then he became afraid of thunder...which progressed into being afraid of lightning...which progressed into being afraid of rain...which has since progressed into being afraid of clouds.  Seriously.  I now have to give him Valium to try and help him cope with storms.  He starts to shake when he looks out the window and sees dark clouds approaching.  He shivers, pants, and tries to dig furiously at anything and everything while looking for a place to hide.  Today's storms found a new hiding place for him...under our plant.  I have to give him credit for originality.  Since it doesn't seem like his Valium is calming his nerves, I think I'll give it a try to see if it calms my nerves.  My patience is wearing thin...and it's not even summer yet.

Happy Harry Fest 19

Harry Fest 19 was a fun time on Saturday.  Food, drinks, rides, live music, a poker run, and a silent auction...it had something for everyone.  Matt, a.k.a. the President of the Harry Stout Foundation, has been logging some long hours for the past couple of months.  The goal of Harry Fest is to raise money while celebrating Harry's life.  For those of you who don't know about Harry, he was a classmate of Keaton's who passed away suddenly at the age of 12.  Matt (and Harry's Dad, Joe Stout) coached Harry in basketball.  It was a tragic loss here...but Joe found a positive way to celebrate Harry's life and keep Harry's compassion alive.  When Harry was in elementary school, he asked if he could buy a pair of shoes for an underprivileged classmate.  Harry then put the shoes in the student's locker anonymously.  WOW!  That just shows what an awesome kid Harry was.  So, this led Joe to form a non-profit organization that helps kids around the area.  Harry's Foundation donates shoes to the 'First Day Shoes' program in Kalamazoo...a group that gives new shoes to underprivileged students for their first day of school.  They offer senior scholarships to students in Plainwell and Otsego  (Harry went to Plainwell and Joe attended Otsego).  They give money to area school band programs...Joe is a drummer and music was such an important part of Harry's life.  It's just an all-around feel-good organization that lives by Harry's code:  Eat, drink, and be Harry!

Our Trip to Hell and Back

We went to Hell and back last weekend.  Seriously.  We visited Hell, Michigan while we were camping in nearby Pinckney.  Matt and his partner (his adventure race partner...this isn't Jerry Springer) had their Spring Fling race last Saturday.  (Hey, wait a minute...Spring Fling?  Matt doesn't have a "partner".)  Matt and his partner (maybe I should clarify...his race partner) were in the lead after the canoeing portion of the race.  They said they did well biking.  But, orienteering was challenging for them both.  Each had ideas about where they were and the best way to get there.  They couldn't agree quickly about the best route to take.  (I personally think they're beginning to sound like an old married couple.)  Over the winter, they took a search and rescue class and are now officially certified not to get lost in the woods.  Somehow, their training didn't really give them extra help and they finished five minutes after their allotted time.  They were so disappointed.  So, after they showered and dosed up on ibuprofen, we went to Hell.  We stopped for ice cream (who knew you could get ice cream there?) and looked around a bit.  It was interesting...not as hot as I was expecting.  There wasn't any fire or brimstone.  Nobody with horns.  It was actually a cute little drive-by kind of town.  I imagine my hell would be something completely cluttered, disorganized, and dirty...and I wouldn't have any cleaning supplies or my label maker.

So, we enjoyed our first weekend of camping for the year.  Keaton came home to babysit Cyrus.  Keaton had some friends over and this time none of the neighbors called the police.  Whew!  We came home and Keaton had a nice big bag waiting for me for Mother's Day.  He bought me a plant, some jewelry, and (best of all) a Snickers.  He just may win the "Son of the Year" award again this year.  Matt washed the motor home and I got to spend the rest of the day watching movies that Matt and Keaton won't watch with me.  Cyrus, however, cuddled with me and enjoyed watching the movies.  He just may be my favorite now...until someone brings me a Snickers.

April Showers Bring...Snow???

We awoke this morning to see everything covered in a layer of white. It's pretty to watch the snow falling...but I'm over winter and ready to move on to spring and finish my spring cleaning. I've scrubbed just about every inch of this house armed with soap, water, and a toothbrush. (Luckily Matt wasn't in trouble so I didn't have to use his toothbrush.) We've washed windows, screens, and curtains. I've washed walls and woodwork and scrubbed every piece of furniture, picture frame and knick knack we own.  I've washed every blanket, comforter, and pillow in the house.  We've moved furniture to clean and scrub under and behind everything...and I mean everything.  (I've even taken apart toilets to clean them.)   Matt broke out the ladder to finish my tall items and I'm happy to report that I'm just about finished with the house. (Poor Matt cringes when I climb a ladder barefoot, and since I'm always barefoot, he just took over the ladder duty.)  I bet my house is cleaner than Martha Stewart's house.  One more room to clean...and then maybe it'll be time to switch closets around and pack away the winter clothes. But, looking outside today...I don't think I'll be pulling out any summer clothes for quite a while.

Matt had a business trip last week in New Jersey (or New Joirsey as the locals pronounced it).  He had a tour of a facility in New York and a conference. One night, after the conference, they took a boat trip to see the Statue of Liberty...but it was foggy and there wasn't much to see.  It's probably a good thing because the camera he took with him wasn't working.  I would not have been happy to not have pictures for the scrapbook.  He had a little trouble getting home on Thursday when his flight was cancelled due to a mechanical problem.  (I guess it's better to find out about a mechanical problem BEFORE the flight instead of learning about it while airborne.)  He finally made it home about 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning.  He was anxious to get home on Friday so he could go to Pinball at the 'Zoo in the afternoon.  Matt goes every year to check out the latest pinball machines and play lots and lots of pinball.  This year, I tagged along and was not surprised to find that I was one of only a handful of girls in the entire building.  We played many pinball games and I actually beat Matt once or twice.  They had some old machines and some new machines...the brand-spanking new machines cost between $5,000 and $6,000.  (Do you have any idea how many shoes and purses I could get for that?)  I was spoiled after being allowed to play a guy's Iron Man game (insert your own joke here) that he didn't let the rest of the crowd play.  He had it all pimped out with LED lights and an extra sound system.  Matt was pretty happy he took me along so I could use my feminine wiles to check it out.  It was pretty sweet...and that's saying a lot since I'm not a pinball nerd like Matt and others at the show.  I'm glad I went, though, so now I can veto any machines I don't like from coming into the house.  My personal favorite at the show was "Creature from the Black Lagoon"...it's also one of the most expensive games.  Of course it is...I can't help it, I have expensive taste.

Keaton and Matt went to cheer on the Red Wings on Saturday.  They had a great time and Keaton actually stayed awake on the drive to Detroit.  (I'll have to mark that in his milestone book.  He never goes more than 20 minutes without falling asleep in a car.)  On the ride home, Keaton did stay awake long enough to get out of the parking ramp...and then he slept all the way home.  Of course he did.

Cyrus isn't enjoying all this wet weather...especially when I make him wear his raincoat.  (I'd make him wear his boots too, but he won't leave them on.)  He was supposed to get his hair cut on Wednesday, but as I was getting ready to take him to the groomer, he started limping.  I took him outside and then he wouldn't put any weight on his front leg at all.  There's nothing more heart-wrenching than seeing a dog hobble on three legs.  I took him to the vet and he started walking just fine once we were there.  The little stinker.  She did some tests and diagnosed him with a strained muscle and gave him some pills.  (I'm the one who needs the pills.  I'm telling you, it's like having a toddler in the house.)  While we were there, I had him get his yearly shot and spring tune-up.  If he faked his limp to get out of going to the groomer, then he deserved a shot...he's not pulling one over on me.  The little stinker.

After I finish my spring cleaning, it's time to finish the family website I made and work on family trees.  I do like things all tidy and organized.  Then, it's time to get back to scrapbooking and I need to get started on my quilts.  It's really no wonder I don't sleep...lots to do and not enough time.  Speaking of time...it's time to go shovel.  Just kidding.  Matt put away the snow shovels a few weeks ago.  I guess we can blame this latest snowfall on him.

Happy Easter!

Our little honey bunny in his Easter bonnet (and bib) at 6 months! It's hard to believe it was only 19 short years ago!!

Keaton's Spring Break

Keaton spent his first college spring break at home...relaxing and catching up on his sleep. It was far from boring, however. Over the weekend, Matt and Keaton headed to the Breslin Center to watch the high school basketball state finals. I stayed home with Cyrus and worked on creating a Robinson family website and created another slide show of some baby pics of me and my sisters. (Turn up your speakers and click on the triangle button on the right to play the slide show.) My weekend was without incident...unlike Matt and Keaton's weekend.

Friday was pretty uneventful for them. A nice drive over to Lansing. Basketball. Eating. More basketball. More eating.

Saturday was another story. While on their way to get some breakfast at the hotel, Keaton (who was walking briskly, hunched over a little with his hood up to ward off the morning chill in the air) walked right into the corner of the hatch door of a van someone left open. Idiot. (Not Keaton...the moron who left the door open.) Being guys, they surveyed the gash on Keaton's forehead, wiped off the blood and continued on, anxious to get to the first game of the day. I asked if they thought about going to the hospital to get some stitches. Of course they couldn't because they'd miss too much basketball. Keaton said it was fine...he just brought extra kleenex and kept wiping the blood off his forehead the rest of the day. Ugh. So, a little behind schedule on Saturday morning, they drove over to the Breslin Center. Traffic was pretty thick as people were trying to turn at a really short light. Matt made the light...and then was pulled over by a state trooper for running a red light. Oops. Now they were really running behind schedule. Matt dropped Keaton off at the door so he could get their tickets from their friend waiting outside the arena. Matt went to park the car and as he pulled up, they closed the lot. He was redirected to another lot and as he pulled up...they closed that lot. He was then redirected to another lot...and surprisingly it wasn't closed...but he missed the driveway and had to double back to get back into it. The rest of the day continued without mishap, thankfully. (Based on Matt's luck that day, it's a good thing he didn't waste any money buying a Mega Millions ticket.)

So, Keaton's spring break is about over and he's getting ready to head back to campus. He slept, ate, worked out at the gym, went to an exciting Red Wings game (OT and then a shoot-out), visited friends and watched three west Michigan teams win state basketball championships. He helped his dad and uncle try to install a microwave and stove without the proper tools. He watched them improvise and try to use jumper cables as pliers and use a screwdriver and hammer to cut wood. I'm sure Keaton will always remember his first college spring break...and his adventures with his dad. He'll always have the scar on his forehead to help him remember.

Cheers!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and the Irish love of storytelling (and alcohol), I decided to update my blog and share with you all a wee story. Matt and I picked Keaton up from school for his spring break. He wanted to stop at the store to pick up a video game. I waited in the car because, believe it or not, video game shopping is about as exciting for me as watching golf. I pulled out my phone to text my sister, Karie.

Deb: "It's not fair. I'm bored. We just picked Keaton up for spring break and they're in Game Stop. He's anxious to get home and play video games."

Karie: "Sory you are board." (Ah ha...based on the spelling, I knew McKenna grabbed Karie's phone. She's notorious for texting on her parents' phones.)

Deb: "Hey...is that you, McKenna?"

Karie (a.k.a. McKenna): "i am doing home work"

Deb: "Smart and pretty...wow!!" (Notice how I use proper punctuation in my texts? It might be why I take so long and always seem to hit the wrong buttons.)

McKenna: "i am not the pretty 1 u r!" (Can you see why I love her so, so much?)

Deb: "Flattery will get you everywhere! I'm planning to come hang out with you guys over spring break...or you guys can come here."

McKenna: "I'm up for that:)"

And here's where my texting went to hell. For some reason, an old, incomplete text from my draft box flashed and was sent to Karie WITHOUT ME DOING ANYTHING. I didn't hit the send button. I didn't do anything...except corrupt my sweet, innocent niece.

Deb (Again, the text was sent all on its own.): "As chilly as it is now, I might have to make hot chocolate with buttershots for tomorrow night. He's..."

McKenna: "I'm kenna"

Deb: "I don't know why my last message went out. That was a really old text...ignore that one."

Karie (She quickly took back her phone after McKenna asked about hot chocolate and buttershots. I'm sure she shrieked and ripped the phone from McKenna's hand before I could do further damage...she knows my other texting mistakes.): "I am cooking dinner and unloading the dishwasher so yes it was kenna txtin and she said she can't wait til spring brk!!! She said buttershots sounded good even though she has never tasted them...hahaha!!! Gonna have to keep a close eye on that girl for sure!;)"

Deb: "Sorry about that. That was an old text...I have no idea why it was sent."

Karie: "Thats ok."

Deb: "I'm about to pee my pants from laughing so hard. Keaton just figured out it was a draft that was in my box too long and was automatically sent out. But, one day she'll think i'..."

Deb: "Damn it...I suck at twxting. One day she'll think I'm the coolest aunt."

Karie: "Hahahaha! Hope your Valentine's text isn't in your drafts...lol!"

And that's why I'm not allowed to text children anymore.

Cheers!

K(eaton) Basketball

Our first year of college basketball is behind us now. What a fun adventure! Keaton enjoyed his season...even with his knee problems. We couldn't have hoped for a better experience! He played almost every minute in the JV games and was in for a few minutes of action with the big guys on varsity a few times. (**Mom's Brag Alert**: Keaton scored 27 points in the game against Hope College. He had five 3-point baskets in a row. It was awesome to watch him play the game he loves...and have fun! Oh, and he only missed one (yep, 1) free-throw all season.) He was welcomed to the team...and entire basketball family...with open arms (of course, after showering). All the families were so nice and friendly. The coaches were all positive and kept a sense of humor throughout the entire season. The guys on the team were awesome!! There was a real sense of camaraderie...it must be all those bonding times eating together and playing video games. It's been such a welcome change from high school ball: no parents yelling at the players, no players criticizing each other and bickering, no coaches belitting a player, and no slumped shoulders and hanging heads coming out of the locker room. It's such a nice change! The best part...I don't HAVE to have a drink before each game. Not only are my nerves calm, but my liver is much happier! Keaton had a nice fan club at his games and we're so grateful for the support from family and friends! College basketball is definitely much different than high school; it's so much faster and more physical. Holy cow, he's playing against HUGE MEN!! But, Keaton's accepted the challenge to be a scorer on varsity next year. He's working hard off-season with lifting and gaining some weight. The trainer has him eating six (yep, 6!) times a day. We're hoping he'll be able to strengthen his knees and won't suffer from patellar tendinitis (or Osgood-Schlatter as Keaton and his beloved Web MD believes he has/had). So, to honor Keaton's basketball season, I made a little highlight slide show. Just click on the triangle start button on the right and turn up your speakers. (For those of you with little ones and/or sensitive ears, there is a little profanity in the song. But, hey, Keaton's in college now...this is one of the tamest songs I could find in his music library.) Oh, one more thing to look for while watching the slide show...Keaton is #44. However, he is wearing #43 in a few pictures...he wore #43 in a JV game and then changed into #44 for the varsity game. (Just a fun fact in case you're ever on Jeopardy and the category is "The Life and Times of Keaton Adams.)

We had the banquet last weekend and it was fabulous! Wow...another nice change from potluck high school banquets in the cafeteria. It was catered and very nice! One dad made a highlight DVD that was incredible! Matt copied the JV games for the JV players and I made 27 photo books for the entire team and coaches/trainer. One last basketball story to share is a quote from Keaton. We took him and his beloved Elizabeth out to dinner after the last K game. He said he's really looking forward to next year and "being socially dominant". He said he won't have to sit in the middle of the seat in the van for away games anymore...he can have a window or aisle seat; he won't have to carry the extra bags around; and he can boss the freshmen around next year. Aim high, Keaton!

We purged our basement and are now officially clutter-free! Matt built shelves in the basement and we have everything all neatly stored and labeled. (Our stuff was neatly stored and labeled before, but we just had way too much of it!) I forgot how much crafting I used to do. Now that I can get to it, I have to start getting crafty again...after I finish my 500 scrapbooks (I'm not kidding...I have about 20,000 pictures to scrapbook) and quilts. We shredded 13 years of tax records and now have what was in three bins all neatly compressed into one portable file box. (Neatly labeled, of course!) We had eight bags of shredded papers to recycle and our Durango was filled to the roof with donations to Goodwill. I'm sure the neighbors thought we're either moving or covering our tracks as insider traders. It feels so great to be purged. Now Matt can get his long-awaited pinball machines for the basement. I can't say no anymore...unless I want him to get the garage finished first. Hmmmmmm....

Matt and I have had some laughs at our mishaps lately. One day, Matt went out to shovel the driveway until I watched him limp up to the garage with his boot in his hand and his sock hanging off his foot. I then watched him crawl into the bathroom and just shook my head because there's no telling what he just did. Well, he left a nice bloody trail from the chunk of glass wedged into his heel. The strange thing was that he wore those same boots days before and walked a few miles snow-shoeing in them...with the glass in them and it never bothered him. Luckily he dug out the glass and didn't pass out while doing it. (I wasn't dressed at the time and really didn't want to take him to the ER in my p.j.s...and Heaven forbid...without my hair and makeup done!) I've had what I call my "Lucy Moments". I relearned the principles of refraction of light when I thought Matt had replaced a white light-switch cover with a pink one. I was all excited and thought he was so sweet to install something pretty for me...until I discovered that the light from my red robe makes the white switch-plate cover look pink. Who knew? I also learned the hard way that my hand does NOT fit in the kleenex box. I was putting on my makeup and needed a kleenex. There was one left...at the bottom of the box, of course. (And by box, I mean in the cardboard box INSIDE the decorative ceramic box.) So, I carefully reached and dug and finally got the kleenex...only to discover that I couldn't get my hand back out of the box...uh, boxes. Unlike Lucy and her crying, I start to laugh when I get stuck. I don't know about Lucy, but when I start to laugh really hard, I have to pee. The harder I laugh, the more I have to pee. Well, my right hand was stuck in the kleenex box...and I'm right-handed. I honestly thought I was going to have to call Matt to help me get my hand out of the box...or help me go to the bathroom. Since that really wasn't a call I wanted to make (and have Matt's cubicle neighbors think I'm even crazier than they think I already am) I oiled up my hand and got it out. My bladder was very happy. I have another story about texting...but it's a little naughty. Let's just say to always double-check...no triple-check...who your message is going to before sending any texts. Seriously. Check. Then check again and again. ;-)

We headed back to good ol' Kearsley to watch the younger generation play some basketball. It was strange to be back at the high school and middle school. I don't remember a lot. (I still believe that all the fumes from the gallons of Aqua Net hairspray I used has marred my memory.) I do remember kissing Matt in the hallway at school, so we HAD to pose for a picture for old time's sake. Keaton was thoroughly disgusted.

We had an ice storm a few weeks ago and it was really pretty. Keaton called to say they lost power at school. He went to his teammates' house and crashed. I was thankful he was warm and he could shower and study. He was thankful he was warm and could plug in his laptop and cell phone. Their team really is like a little family. They all look out for each other and it's such a nice relief to not have to worry. (Well, I still worry, but I don't have to worry every second of every day. My gray hair isn't coming in so fast and furiously now..whew!) Really the only thing I have to worry about now is who I accidentally just sent my last text to...

Snowmageddon

Holy cow...make that holy WHITE cow! Our blizzard warning went into effect on Tuesday at 5 p.m. The news all day was that the "Blizzard of 2011" was on its way. People were storming the grocery stores, stocking up on food and water. (I, myself, went grocery shopping on Monday morning...thus avoiding the lines and crowds. I get a gold star for being prepared. I also made sure we had gas for the snow blower. Make that two gold stars for me. Actually, just make that gold jewelry.) The news coverage started on Tuesday night and people were told to stay off the roads. They interviewed one couple in Grand Rapids who were the only customers in a restaurant. They seemed surprised they were able to park right across the street from the restaurant and they were the only diners. Duh...smart people were at home...or had the delivery guy bring them pizza. Schools closed left and right around the region...even the colleges (yay, Keaton!). Reporters on the news led people to believe that the end of the world was coming...not quite Armageddon, but Snowmageddon.

We awoke to about a foot of the white stuff on Wednesday morning. Turning on the TV, all local stations were broadcasting live news feeds from around the area. "The Blizzard of 2011" was top news around the area...and I didn't get my Matt Lauer fix for the day. Not good. The news crews stood in snow drifts and reported that we had a lot of snow. Yep. The news crews stood on sidewalks not shoveled and reported we had a lot of snow. Yep. The news crews stood in snow drifts next to roads and reported that a lot of roads were not plowed. Yep. The news crews reported that people were stranded in their vehicles because they were stuck in the ROADS THAT WERE NOT PLOWED. THESE WERE THE SAME ROADS THAT THE STATE POLICE WARNED PEOPLE FROM DRIVING ON...PERIOD. This latest breaking news kept me from watching The Today Show...and Matt Lauer. I get so frustrated with people who fail to heed advice...and news reports on these people and their mistakes and then make me miss out on my morning ritual.

So, with all that said, Matt (not Matt Lauer...sigh) worked from home on Wednesday. We opened the garage door to about a foot of snow. Poor Cyrus jumped in the fluffy white stuff and promptly disappeared. I tried to get Cyrus to wear his cute little booties, but he just kept kicking them off. Unfortunately, Matt couldn't get the snow blower to start on the tractor, so I started shoveling. I'll just say that I shoveled the porch, sidewalk and about 1/10 of the driveway before the neighbor came over and plowed for us. There are still nice people in the world.

Awakening this morning, there were lots of schools closed again today...including Plainwell. (Sorry, Keaton.) I was so happy to see the sun coming up and my life back to normal; no local live news feeds reporting on "The Blizzard of 2011" and Matt Lauer live on The Today Show. It'll be a good day.

So Happy Together

Happy New Year! I'm having a good time playing around with different forms of media online. I'm so definitely NOT a techie, but I think of myself more as someone who accidentally stumbles upon the technology...after much frustration and cursing. So, here's the slide show I made for Matt to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Just click on the picture on the right and the slideshow will begin on another page automatically. (YouTube kept blocking my song due to copyright infringement, but I found a way around it...shhhhh!) Be sure to turn up the volume. Don't make fun of the different hair styles, hair colors, and/or fanny pack. I had a hard time finding pictures of just me and Matt...so that explains why Keaton is in so many of the pictures, in case you were wondering. Well, plus Keaton is MUCH cuter than we are. I'm going to try to update the blog more frequently and will try to include music...as long as I can remember how in the hell I did it last time. Enjoy!

December's Delights

As 2010 creeps to an end, below is a poem I came across online and thought it was a perfect ending for the year. We hope you have a fabulous new year...free from stress, wrinkles, gray hair, and unwanted calories. Cheers!


Twas the month after Christmas and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste.
All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).

I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,

The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---

I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"

So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

~Author Unknown

November News

The last day of November means it's time to update the blog before Christmas is upon us. (Plus, I just put a batch of Chex Mix in the oven, so I have 45 minutes to kill.)

We're proudly wearing our black and orange and cheering on the Kalamazoo College Hornets at their basketball games. The team played against Western Michigan University in an exhibition game. Keaton got some playing time and had a nice rebound and block. Keaton has had some playing time in the varsity games and scored his first official college basket in the game against Manchester University. He's been playing center and it's a new challenge for him. (He's a forward and has never played center before.) He's outweighed by at least 30 pounds in every game, but he pushes right back and holds his ground. He played in the JV game and only had a few rests on the bench to catch his breath. He was tired, but happy. Even though K hasn't won a game yet, Keaton is having a good time. The guys on the team (and coaches) are positive and supportive. There's no blame, no bickering, no yelling. It's such a nice change from high school basketball. Keaton's learning and will get more playing time as he gets bigger and stronger. He's hoping he gets bigger. He said he still doesn't have hair under his arms and he thinks he has Osgood-Schlatter disease, so he believes he's not done growing yet. I think he spends WAY too much time on Web MD...but the pediatrician gets a kick out of him and his self-diagnoses.

Speaking of basketball, I suffered an injury that I really do think is all due to the game. At my last dental cleaning, they discovered that I had a broken tooth...snapped right off the roots. They asked if I was in an accident or suffered some trauma. So, either Matt hit me in the mouth while we were sleeping or it's from clenching my teeth from stress. I don't think Matt caused it...even though he once hit me in the stomach while dreaming he was catching a frisbee. I think it's from clenching my teeth during high school basketball games. I used to have a drink before the games...I guess I should have had a few more.

Keaton came home for a day-and-a-half at Thanksgiving. I was planning to just have Chinese, but I felt guilty getting takeout when the poor college kid said he's tired of cafeteria food. We had a good time just relaxing and sitting around in sweats and pjs. Cyrus was the most excited for Thanksgiving dinner...he jumped up and staked his claim at the table at 8:15 a.m. He did get a plate full of goodies and he enjoyed every bite. (I think he might have actually smiled!) Keaton went back to school for basketball on Friday and Matt and I headed over to Flint to visit and drop off Cyrus on our way to a game in Ohio. (We know it's a long way to drive for a babysitter, but it is Sir Cyrus, after all.) We got home in time for Matt to put the Christmas lights on the house before the snow starts. (Another year without injury...whew!) We'll be putting up the Christmas tree without Keaton this year, so that will be different. But, maybe we'll Skype him and he can watch and tell us where to hang ornaments. Isn't technology great?

The Chex Mix is finished...so let the Christmas season begin!

                                      

Happy October

October was full of celebrations...Matt's adventure race, Keaton LOVING basketball again, Keaton's 19th birthday, and Halloween. Let's take a step back in time and review...and erase any new wrinkles (I wish!).


We kicked off October by heading out on a ghost tour down in Portage. It was a walking tour through a historical home, along a haunted trail, and through a cemetery where they supposedly see a shadowy figure of a woman walking through the graves. Yeah, right. We didn't hear anything or see anything, which was disappointing. I would have loved to have seen something or heard something...but nothing can touch me. That would be disgusting. I have serious germ issues and anything dead touching me would be beyond horrible. I don't think there's enough sanitizer in the world to disinfect awful, rotting, putrid, dead germs. We did work up an appetite out in the cold, crisp air and we now have a new favorite Mexican restaurant with really yummy food...and even better...fabulous margaritas! Ole'!!


The next weekend, we packed up the motor home and headed over to Ft. Custer near Battle Creek for Matt's adventure race. (Biking, canoeing, running, and orienteering. Yucky, dirty, sweaty, and not for me.) He and his friend finished the race with their best time (4 hours and 43 minutes) and found all 29 checkpoints. They had a great time and finished in 30th place...out of 70 teams. Team Lost Dumasse (supposed to be Lost Dumbass...but the race organizers frown on profanity) is taking the winter off and will resume their training in the spring. I will not be joining the team unless channel surfing and drinking are included in the race.

                                   

The following weekend, we headed over to Flint to catch all the kiddies play in their various sports. We were able to watch Cody and Hunter play some football on the big field under the lights and I especially loved watching McKenna get her cheer on. (She was pretty darn cute!) The weather was fabulous and it was fun to go back to high school. I have to admit I don't remember a lot about high school...it must be a side effect from all the fumes from the Aqua Net I used for my big hair in the 80s. (And I did have some big, crunchy hair!) We were able to watch Trevor play some great defense in his soccer game before we headed back. Karie and I attacked Kirkland's (the best home store EVER!) down near Detroit and were thankful we brought McKenna along so she could guard all our stuff (and we could blame her when we kept knocking stuff over!). The poor girl sat on a bench as we kept piling stuff around her. She was a good guard dog and didn't let anyone take our treasures. A lady commented on how well McKenna did holding out her arms to rest them on our stuff so other shoppers couldn't take anything. After our second round in the store to buy even more stuff, we called it a day. We couldn't fit anything else into Karie's car and we could barely squeeze McKenna back in the car. Next time, I'm bringing a U-Haul!


We were thrilled to receive a text from Keaton after K's (Kalamazoo College's) first basketball practice. He LOVED being back on the court. He was so excited and pumped after the first practice. We're thrilled he has his passion for basketball back. He's loving the laundry service for athletes. He puts his practice clothes in a bag and it's all magically cleaned, folded, and waiting neatly in his locker for the next practice. They did a lot of pre-season training by running, lifting weights, and doing various workouts. They sprinted up hills (and in Kalamazoo, the hills are HUGE!) and worked their way up to jumping rope for 1,000 repetitions and doing 100 crunches in a row. Ouch. He never complained and didn't even mind the 6 a.m. practices. He and his roommate were the first two at the gym for their first official practice. They showed up at 5:17 a.m. Practice didn't start until 6 a.m. but they were too excited to sleep. The coach was probably thinking...oh boy, freshmen. Who knew he'd like to get up early? He actually said he prefers the early morning practices. Keaton is happy and is loving college life!!


Matt and I went on our short fall color tour along Lake Michigan one night. We stopped in Saugatuck and climbed Mt. Baldy (insert own joke here). There were 300 steps to conquer it, but the view was awesome! I had on flip-flops, of course, so it was a little tricky on the sandy steps on the way down. Luckily I made it without falling...or ending up on YouTube. We headed over to the lighthouse in South Haven and took a few pictures before heading to a local restaurant for some fresh seafood. It was yummy!

                                               

We spent another fall weekend camping over in Allendale. Since Cyrus was the only youngster with us, we made him pose for fall pictures in the pretty leaves. We went with our camping compadres and had fun carving pumpkins and playing cards. Once again, we lucked out with the weather and made it home before the tornado warnings and hurricane winds.

Keaton's 19th birthday came quickly. We showered him with presents in his dorm room before we took him out to dinner.  He was impressed that I could pull off a mobile party...complete with an ice cream cake, punch, plates, napkins, cups (all matching, of course!)...and even birthday candles. Move over, Martha Stewart! It was really strange not making Keaton chocolate chip pancakes for his birthday breakfast. (He's had them every year since he turned two.) It was nice to at least be able to visit with him for a little while on his birthday. We'll just have to start a new tradition...like me getting presents on his birthday. I did all the work, after all...WITHOUT any pain meds.

Matt and I donned our Halloween costumes over the weekend to pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Matt liked his costume so much that he even wore it to the Lions game on Halloween. Cyrus was so good and didn't bark once at all the kids...believe it or not. He sat on my lap and calmly let kids pet him. I think he was dazed and confused at all the costumes...or he got into my hot chocolate with Buttershots. Either way, it was another nice Halloween. It was a little bittersweet not to have Keaton pose for the annual Halloween picture with Cyrus and the pumpkins on the front porch. (I can name every single costume Keaton has ever worn...in order. I don't think that's too obsessive. I just think I have a fabulous memory.) I'm sure Keaton was happy I didn't make him wear the Santa costume. But, there's always Christmas, right?

                                          

Big Changes

Our baby bird has left the nest. It's been 456 hours and 47 minutes since we moved him into the second floor of Harmon Hall at Kalamazoo College. (48 minutes...not that I'm focusing too much on how long he's been gone.) We fit his staples of survival into two SUVs. He packed the bare minimum and I had to step in and play the mom card and insist he pack more than he thinks he needs. I just didn't see him surviving with 5 pair of underwear and one bath towel. I knew there was NO way he'd be doing his laundry every 3-4 days. He pretty much thought he'd be fine with a few changes of clothes, his TV, chair, and the futon. Shopping for supplies was another battle. He's definitely a minimalist.

So, we arrived on the campus of K (what everyone calls Kalamazoo College and what I'll be calling it from now on since it's just easier to type one letter) bright and early one morning to move him into his new life. We lucked out with a perfect moving day...sunny and 70 degrees. There was a long line of vehicles waiting to unload and we got in line. Keaton jumped out to go get his registration information and I waited for a spot to open up so we could unload the vehicle at Hoban Hall. One opened up right in front of the main door and I was thrilled we were so close! (K is VERY hilly and I wasn't looking forward to lugging all of Keaton's stuff up and down hills...or watching Matt stumble and fall with Keaton's TV.) Matt was able to pull right in front of me and we started to unload Keaton's stuff. Well, that's when Keaton called to tell us that we were at the wrong dorm...Keaton should be moving into another dorm (Harmon) down the road. So, we put everything back in the vehicles and rolled down the hill to the next dorm to meet him. He said that he read his dorm assignment and thought it was Hoban...back in June. He never looked at it again all summer. Sometimes I worry about him. If he decides to study abroad, I'll be totally freaking out that he'll plan to go to Spain and will end up in Sweden - he'll tell us it's an easy mistake...they both start with S. Ugh.

So, we moved him into his room and got him unpacked for the most part. He shares a bedroom with one guy - a fellow basketball player - and he shares a lounge with two guys - one football player and one tennis player. We didn't spend much time unpacking before it was time for brunch and separate seminars for students and parents. They were informative and gave us some insight into campus life. I will say that I honestly think Matt and I were the youngest parents on campus. After the seminar rounds were finished, it was time for the convocation. It was a nice ceremony and the professors all wore their robes and cords and lined each side of the sidewalk and applauded all the freshmen as they walked by to go to the chapel to sign their matriculation. It was all very regal...full of pomp and circumstance. Afterwards, Keaton came out of the chapel laughing saying that he felt like he was in a Harry Potter book. He can always find something funny about every situation.

                                     

                                       

After walking back with him to pose for a picture by his dorm, we hugged him, kissed him and told him we loved him. Then, it was time to leave. I had a flashback as we were walking back to the car. Keaton had the same expression on his face as he walked toward those big double doors of his dorm as he did back in kindergarten. Just like in kindergarten, he walked into the building full of excitement and confidence. No worries. My heart gave a little hiccup, but no tears. Matt was happy as he forgot to bring the box of kleenex in case I had a breakdown on the drive home. I will admit that I had a hard time sleeping the first week. I had a thousand worries on my mind...the "what ifs" kept me up a lot that first week. But, they slowly went away as Keaton would email or call and relieve my worries. He was adapting to campus life and was happy.

So, now we're about three weeks into our separation and I have to admit that I'm not drinking nearly as much as I thought I would be. It's taken some getting used to, but I think we're adapting to Keaton's absence. The dishwasher doesn't run as often, my loads of laundry are definitely smaller, and I don't seem to go to the grocery store as often as I once did. Yay! Cyrus used to run to the door the first week of separation anytime a car drove by...expecting to see Keaton. It took a little while for Cyrus to realize Keaton wasn't coming home anytime soon. So, he's taken to being under my feet that much more and doesn't let me out of his sight much. I don't like going into Keaton's room and it squeezes my heart a little whenever I do...it's just so empty. But, Keaton came through town for a quick visit over the weekend on his way to see his beloved Elizabeth (she's up at Grand Valley State University) and he chattered a mile a minute and seemed very happy with his classes and life in general. He just seems so grown up all of a sudden. He stopped by again on his way back to K to lie on his bed (he said he misses being able to stretch out his arms) and grab his Zetterberg jersey (he's going to see the Red Wings at their season opener on Friday night).

Matt and I have been trying to get ready for winter. With my directions and a lot of Austin Powers maneuvering, Matt was able to park two vehicles in the one-car stall in the garage. It is pretty impressive. Getting them out might be another story, but they're all tucked away for now - safe from snow. Matt and I are planning a camping trip to Fort Custer over the weekend. Saturday is Matt's adventure race that he's been training for - biking, canoeing, and orienteering. As always, I'll be back at the campground supporting him with my book and drink in hand. We went on a ghost tour last weekend, but were disappointed not to see anything. We did hear some whispering that was recorded by the West Michigan Paranormal Society earlier in the week at the historical haunted house, but I didn't hear much except a lot of white noise. Oh well. We went to an art festival in Grand Rapids over the weekend and found it very interesting. There were all sorts of mediums - metal sculptures, paintings, cloth, mosaic tiles, wood carvings, and some things that I'm not even sure what qualified them as art. Some things looked like a preschooler made them. Some I just didn't get at all...sod as art. Even enclosed between a frame, it's still just sod. But, I'm glad we went. We're not art connoisseurs, but we know what we like...and it isn't sod.

I have our Halloween costumes all ready for us to put on in a few weeks. We'll be wearing them during K's family weekend (it's Halloween weekend - maybe because K's school colors are orange and black). Keaton just shook his head when I told him what we're dressing as and that we'll be wearing them on campus. He's used to us embarrassing him...as a matter of fact, I think he's just accepted it over the years and just expects it. Plus, we've been dressing up since he started trick-or-treating so I don't see why we should ever stop. It's fun to dress up...even the dog gets into the act. He's really looking forward to it...yeah, right. Poor dog.

Summertime

Without any big trips planned over the summer months, we've still traveled a bit and created our own adventures. Matt and I headed up to Muskegon for his adventure race in June. He and his partner (not "partner"...his race partner) had a lot of fun and finished with their best time yet.

A few weeks later, we packed up the motor home again and headed down to Hocking Hills in Ohio for a long weekend. Cyrus and I were attacked by Cujo and I suffered my first-ever (and hopefully last-ever) dog bite. The crazy owner of the crazy dog stood by helplessly while I got dizzy spinning in circles as Cyrus ran around my feet trying to stay alive. He wouldn't jump in my arms and Cujo kept chasing him trying to bite him. I couldn't do anything but spin to keep from getting tangled up in the leash, falling down and having Cujo rip out my jugular. I finally put my hand down and pushed the crazy dog away so I could grab poor Cyrus and the psycho dog bit me. The owner apologized and I told her that's why dogs are supposed TO BE ON LEASHES in a campground. I just about bit her myself...idiot. Her husband came over later to apologize and thanked me for not kicking their dog. I again told him why dogs are supposed TO BE ON LEASHES in a campground. I had a hard time not kicking him...idiot. I am wondering if I need anger management classes. There seem to be too many idiots in the world. I don't know if I have the time or the energy to try to change them all. Okay...deep breath in...deep breath out. We did enjoy the Hocking Hills area. There were many pretty waterfalls and canyons to explore. The area is supposedly haunted, but we sadly didn't see or hear anything.

                                   

                                   
A few weeks later, we packed up the motor home again and headed up to the U.P. to visit Muskallonge Lake State Park. We took a day trip to TRY to visit Pictured Rocks National Park...note that TRY is the stressed word. We stopped at the ranger station and were dismayed to find that the main road is closed for repairs. We would have to drive a couple of hours to the west end of the park and then take a boat trip to see the rocks. (We had hoped to drive along the lake shore road and stop at various points of interest for photo opportunities.) So, we stopped at a couple of scenic spots before the construction and posed for some pictures. The gang went out to tube in the Two-Hearted River the next day. When the group returned, I asked how it was. Keaton's reply was, "My life flashed before my eyes. I thought we were going to end up in Canada." According to Matt, Keaton and Elizabeth were in Matt's little dinghy (feel free to insert your own joke here) and one of the oars broke. They got caught in the current and kind of were swept way out into Lake Superior. The other kids had to swim out with their inter tubes and pull them out of the current. I don't know why Keaton has issues in rivers. (Remember the flipping of the river raft in Colorado. That was another moment he had where he said his life flashed before his eyes.) I'm thinking he probably should just stick to pools in the future. I think they're more his speed.

                                      

My sisters and I had a surprise retirement party for our mother. It was a little tricky to pull off, but we did it. The kids were all great and didn't let anything slip. I'm not sure if we were just lucky...or if we just taught them to be really good fibbers. Hmmmm...that could be a moral dilemma. Everyone seemed to have a great time though.

Speaking of great times, Matt and I went away to Mackinac last weekend to celebrate our 20th anniversary. (It only took about two months to find time to get away!) We enjoyed some alone time, visiting the sites and eating lots of whitefish and fudge. We even found some time to donate some money to the casino.

                                   

                                   


Keaton was just assigned his dorm and roommate for college. It looks like he and his roommate will be sharing a lounge with two other guys (I'm thinking "Man Cave" will be the theme). He's looking forward to going to school in September. He registered for his classes and will be taking his mandatory Freshman class (kind of a freshman focus class), a computer science class, and Calculus. Basketball will be gearing up and he's looking forward to getting back in the gym. We see so little of him now that I think we'll have an easier transition when he leaves in the fall than I originally expected. It will be interesting to see how Cyrus will react when Keaton leaves. I'm thinking Cyrus is going to just move right into Keaton's room. I'd expect nothing less from Sir Cyrus than to claim Keaton's queen-sized bed as his own. I also think he'd watch a lot of TV if only he had thumbs to work the remote. He seems to like the Food Network...and reruns of Baywatch.

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!!!!