Florida, Pre-Day 1

Florida, Day 1 Pre-Day 1

Well, let me back up a day to Wednesday, the day before vacation. It started off full of hope and excitement, but ended up pretty crappy...literally. Gary and I dropped off Arty to be kenneled on the way to drop off Gary at the airport for his flight to Florida. He was going to drive down with his dad and the boat, but his dad left a week early and Gary couldn’t leave with him because of work. So Gary bought a one way ticket to FL for later in the week (he’ll help drive on the way back).  Anyway, I drop off Gary at the airport and start to head back so that I’m home before the boy gets off the bus (it’s almost an hour drive from the airport to our house).  About 15-20 minutes into my drive, I get a phone call from Gary...his flight is delayed by an hour. Oh geez, had we known, we could’ve stopped and had a nice leisurely lunch together (a rarity, for sure). Nothing we can do about it now. Sigh. I make it home in time to mow, get the boy off the bus and continue mowing while he plays in his rock pit (that makes for a happy boy). During that time, I get another call from Gary...his flight is delayed even longer by 3 hours. So instead of arriving in Florida at 3:30, he’s now landing at 6:15pm. That makes for a long day of travel considering I dropped him off at noon. I always try to look at the positives and while this sure sucked for Gary, it could’ve been worse if Michael were with him or if it happened to Carole and I the very next day.

Gary’s bad luck mojo left him after he landed and it came to visit me that evening. After dinner, it was time for the Michael’s bath. He always plays with his water toys after getting shampooed and soapy. That’s the stage he was in, the playing part, when I received a text from Gary asking me to find something off of the desk. Michael is usually fine in the tub for me to be able to do quick tasks, like make his bed which is right across the hall from the bathroom, with me popping my head back in to make sure he’s fine (yes he’s 11, but he has special needs and the fear of him having a seizure and drowning make me a bit protective). So I figure I have enough time to run down 7 steps, check the desk and then make it back to the bathroom without anything happening. 

Well, let this be a warning to all parents to never leave your child unattended. 

Apparently, it was enough time for Michael to drop a deuce....in the tub. No, no, no! This isn’t happening. This was not part of my completely planned out scheduled evening that included something along the lines of getting the boy to bed on time, painting my toes and maybe having a glass of wine. Crap, in the literal sense, has ruined our evening. I say “our” evening because I had to give the boy a shower in the other bathroom to clean him up before I could even tackle his bathtub. He HATES taking a shower and it was torture for both of us. Poor kiddo. 

You know I usually include a picture with each blog post, but I didn’t think you’d want to see a tub full of poop.  You’re welcome.

The only bright side to all of this, was that we were headed to warm and sunny Florida the very next day. Oh yeah, did I mention that the weather we were having in Ohio was 50 degrees and rain for almost the entire 2 weeks leading up to our vacation? And that the weather in Ohio was going to be upper 70s and mid-80s and beautifully sunny the ENTIRE time we were gone? Oh, and the weather forecast for Florida, the Sunshine State, was possible rain, rain, and thunderstorms for every. single. day. of our vacation. 

It made me almost not want to leave. Almost.

bullets

What we've been doing lately, aside from slacking on this poor little 'ole blog, in bullet form:

I am in love with Michael's new kicks!

• Doctor's appointments for the boy - MRIs, x-rays, neurologists, orthotics, physical medicine, pediatrician, neurosurgeon, dentist....you name it, we've probably seen a doctor for it in the last 2 months.  And there's 4-5 more appointments to go before Thanksgiving.
• Insurance...and all the paperwork and headaches that go with them not paying what they should and trying to come up with the money for what they don't cover.
• School and all that goes with it.

We heard Michael sneak out of his room after bedtime and we found him reading a comic book (The Simpson) at the top of the stairs with his partner in crime.

• Conductive Education, a unique therapy-like program from Hungary that Michael has been participating in during the summer and after school.  We're thinking of signing him up for their 5-week/4 hours a day program starting in January...but have to figure out how to get him out of school without penalizing him.  We're also applying for a grant to help fund his therapy.  It's $1,200-$1,700 per session depending on the session type and the hours in that session...and our insurance company doesn't cover this program (nor does any other insurance company in the US).
• Continuing to have Michael self-feed...he's getting better at it, but we have to keep an eye on him because sometimes he'll feed the top of his head or the dog.
• I'm starting a photography business...so I'm testing the waters with my tippy toes by doing some portfolio building.  Getting my business plan and marketing and websites/social media up and running.
• I was able to attend one of my nephew's football games, finally (usually Gary goes to the games and I stay home with Michael, but the last game of the season was free and we thought we'd try it as a family).  Michael would have liked it more without the announcer (not sure what it is about the loudspeaker voices, but they really upset him).  He did great otherwise and loved to cheer and clap.  

That's our nephew with the fumble-recovering-game-winning play, in OT no less!!  Go Dillon!!

• Attempting to keep the house clean...or at least making sure we have food and clean underwear. 
• Michael's name/number came up for our state/county's waiver program that will help with medical bills, so we've started the application process...it takes about 3 months to complete and become officially approved.  We're just starting the 2nd month - hoping for a January start date.
• Volunteer work with the Care Train (an organization that raises money and provides toys and food vouchers for needy local families at Christmas).  I'm on the auction team, so I solicit businesses for donations of goods and services and money.  This year was a record breaker:  we raised over $150,000 for our community....we love our hometown (except for the cold weather!)
• Volunteer work with Brighter Beginnings, where Michael receives Conductive Education.  I helped redesign their website and they've asked me to join their Board of Directors.  It is my hope to help make a difference for Michael and all the kids.
• Halloween was a success for Michael.  He stayed out and watched the kids trick-or-treat for almost an hour - his longest yet.  He cheered for the Buzzes, Woodys, and princesses.  :)  He was dressed as an astronaut.

• Working on cleaning closets, going through clothes & toys, trying to get rid of stuff before we're trapped inside with tons of crap all winter long....and suffocating.
• In between all the craziness, we went to Florida for vacation.  It was nice and we had great weather.  Lots of time for Michael to play in the sand and the water.  It was relaxing, but it took a TON of work to make it happen, if that makes any sense.  You know I'll blog more about this later, with lots of pictures.

Yes, he buried himself in the sand...

...and he had a GREAT time doing it!

Hopefully, I'll be back sooner rather than later to share more stories.  

another sister trip to Seattle - Feb 2010

Okay.  THIS will be the last old post I have to catch up on.  Really.  I think.  Geez Louise, I have been so behind on blogging some of my favorite adventures!  I better just get to it then, huh?

We had some airline credits that we had to use or lose, but only enough to put towards one ticket.  Where to go, where to go...and in February?  After discussing a whole bunch of ideas, Gary decided that I should visit my sister Keni (again-yippee!)...especially since he was going to head to Florida the following month for a fishing tournament with his dad.  Well, what was a girl to do but honor her husband's decision?  :)

So I booked a flight to Seattle, with a connection in Chicago...in February....during winter....the same weekend we had a forecast for 9-16" of snow.  Did I mention that it was a non-refundable flight??  Yeah, I was a little concerned I wasn't even going to make it to the airport, let alone to Seattle.  Oh, and if I did make it to Seattle, I was in for a treat:  rain predicted for my entire trip.

Luckily, I made it out of Columbus on time.  Only to be stuck in Chicago - but only for a couple of extra hours.  The lady I sat next to on the plane was also flying to Seattle to babysit her granddaughter, so we had a lovely dinner together at Harry Caray's restaurant.  It sure did help to pass the time!

Josh picked me up from the airport around 11:00pm their time (2:00am my time), so we didn't stay up too late chatting...I was whipped.

The next morning, I was gently woken up by my cutie-pie niece and I went with Josh to drop her off at preschool.  It stopped raining on the way home, so Josh and I went for a little hike near their house while my sister finished up her work stuff.  Then Keni and I went to get a mani-pedi (they have early morning happy hour discounts - so fun and great marketing on their part!) while we talked about home decorating ideas.  I asked her to stop at Home Depot and I ran in (wearing those cheap-o pedicure flipflops--quite a site, I'm sure) and grabbed a bunch of paint swatches and idea books.

We went back to her house, grabbed Josh and then went to happy hour at The Tides, in Gig Harbor.  We ate a bunch of appetizers and had a few drinks while picking out wall colors, tile colors, countertop colors, etc. etc.  It was very fun for me to help give them ideas, knowing that I wasn't going to do ANY of the work (especially since Gary and I were still working on his parents' house)!!  BTW, Keni and Josh's remodel turned out fabulous!!

That evening, Gabby schooled me in x-box playing Lego Batman.  I totally sucked and she totally rocked.  In fact, she had to put my guy on "hold" a few times because I was keeping her guy from advancing and even told me, "Aunt Val, I think you need more practice".

The next day Josh and Gabby left for an overnight trip with a friend and her dad.  Keni and I took off on a trip to Ocean Shores, WA.  Another trip to the WA coast, but with a beachfront hotel (the Shilo Inn) and no hiking required.

(This is definitely something we don't have in Ohio.)

We got there in time to get settled in our room, pour a glass of wine and head to the beach for sunset.

It rained the entire drive to the coast (almost 3 hrs), but right when we got to the beach the skies seemed to brighten up around us in a giant circle.  So we spent a good hour walking around, taking pictures, drinking wine, being silly, etc.

(taken with my phone)

 Just when the sun went down and we were finished exploring, the skies darkened up again and started to rain.  We had to run back to the hotel, but the heavy rain came just as we made it inside.

We had a few restaurant options for dinner, but we drank so much wine we decided to just order a pizza and have it delivered to our room.  :)  We ate, played games (dirty scrabble) and read books.  We were out cold by 9:00 pm...so sad...but sleep was one thing we were looking forward too.  :)

The next morning, we drove Keni's car out onto the beach (totally legal there...and it was raining again) for another look at the angry, crashing waves.

We had the most delicious and hearty breakfast at the plainest looking dive of a diner (I can't remember the name of the place, but they were trying to sell the place to move closer to their children/grandchildren).  The husband and wife owners were a hilarious comedy team too.  So fun!

We fed our bellies and cruised the beach strip one more time...and did a quick stop at a jetty.

(Get off the rocks!!  It's dangerous!)

(a little blurry, but you get the idea of what happened...you should never, ever stand on a jetty...the dude above was lucky he wasn't knocked INTO the water)

(and these people evidently didn't learn or care that medics were carting someone off after being knocked around on the rocks by the waves)

After the jetty drama, we headed back to Keni's house, stopping at the mall on the way home, and then The Melting Pot for yet another happy hour.

The next day we took a hike across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (do you remember that bridge from the History Channel and history books?? That was swaying crazily?? Famous for crashing into Puget Sound only 4 months after it was completed??

Yep, this is the same bridge, only brand spanking new).  It was crazy windy, but luckily not raining.  We were on the lookout for the local orca pod, but didn't see them.

this silly little girl makes my heart happy

 Making wishes.

On my last night, Keni and Josh went out to dinner (it was Valentine's Day after all) while I watched Gabby play SuperGirl and packed.

Later, we all hung out in their hottub to chill one last time before heading home...which was quite an adventure because I got stranded in Chicago overnight because the Columbus airport was snowed in.  I took advantage of my extra day of vacation and had one of my favorite Chicago pizza pies delivered to my hotel room (if only the Weber Grill delivered--that would have been heaven!).  I ate pizza while watching some chick flick and slept comfortably in a big 'ol bed....much better than the other option of camping out on a cot at the airport, for sure!  Good call Gary.  :)

I cannot wait to visit with my sister again (I wish we lived closer) - we always have a great time together!

spring break: a couple days in Michigan

We (G, me and M) were thinking of heading to Florida for Michael's spring break this year, but Gary had training at work that he couldn't miss.  I had a little bit of cabin fever, so I planned a little excursion to Michigan (the Northern Woods, as the locals call it) to visit my great aunt and uncle, Sarah Catherine and Charles (whom she fondly calls "Oppy").  I had not seen them in almost 20 years and they had only seen pictures of Michael.  I planned on taking the boy along thinking he might enjoy the trip, but I couldn't do the trip without help.  My dad has been doing lots of traveling, visiting friends and relatives that he was unable to see while caring for his wife Margi for almost 10 years.  So, I asked my dad to join us and he readily agreed!

We drove the 7 hours on a rare, beautifully sunshiny Wednesday at the end of March.  We got to our hotel, East Bay Lodge on Houghton Lake, around 7pm, ordered a pizza from Buccilli's Pizza (voted people's choice awards for the last 6 years, and it was very GOOD), shopped for breakfast foods that the hotel owner said he'd cook up for us the next day (are you kidding me??  What kind of hotel offers that kind of service with such a LOW room rate [$34/night]?!).

The hotel itself was old and creaky, but it was also a very laid back, comfortable place...perfect for us.  The view was outstanding.

Michael did great during the 7-hour drive, but I was completely surprised that he didn't fall asleep until after midnight.  He was so excited and bouncing on the bed...lots of energy that was bottled up during the car ride.  Oy vey, was I tired the next morning.

We met with Sarah and Oppy in the morning (an hour late because of the sleep issue I just mentioned) and had a lovely visit.  Michael was getting a little fidgety (okay, he was VERY restless), so we left and took him on a hike at a nearby park called, Marguerite Gahagan Nature Preserve.  The parking lot to the preserve was completely empty except for the 4-5 used condoms by the trail entrance.  OMG--eeewww (we didn't have the heart/nerve to tell the Oppy's about it...but other than that, it was a lovely walk)!  We didn't stay there long; only to do a quick loop around the shortest trail.  We drove back to our hotel to eat a quick lunch and to change Michael.  He seemed to do much better once we were on the move again.

We went back to the Oppy's and they had a private dining room set up for dinner.  Their daughter-in-law, (Mary Jo) and her two kids (Rachael and Nathan) joined us for dinner.  Great conversation, lots of reminiscing, and we really enjoyed meeting them.

Lots of talking and storytelling going on...

Took pictures of pictures-which seemed so wrong, but I didn't have a scanner and wanted to capture them somehow.  

After dinner, Mary-Jo had us follow her to Higgins Lake so we could talk some more and Michael could get out and explore.  To heck with the swings at the sandy park, he headed straight to the water...of course.  I was a little worried about how cold the water would be because the last of the lake ice just melted the day before.  Luckily, with the sunshine and the shallow area of the lake we were at, it actually wasn't that bad.  He had a blast playing in the sand and splashing in the water, while us adults had a good time talking.

After we left Higgins Lake, we drove back to our hotel and I was able to capture the sunset on Houghton Lake.  The boys waited in the car patiently.

The boy went to sleep at a decent time the 2nd night, so I was able to relax a bit with my dad and get some shut-eye myself, but I woke up at 1:00 am to some guy chopping wood DIRECTLY outside my open window. Are you kidding me?!?!  Who does that??  Apparently, the owners and all their friends were getting ready for the dog trials/camping that started the next afternoon...but still...at 1:00am?!?!

I made breakfast in their kitchen (the hotel owners left and we were the only ones left at the place...that's how laid back it was), while my dad did his best to entertain Michael.  We then headed back to Sarah and Oppy's to visit one last time before hitting the road. (I wish I had set my f/stop correctly so we could all be in focus, but I'll blame it on being in a hurry and not paying attention.)

On the way home, we stopped by Frankenmuth ("Michigan's Little Bavaria").  I'd heard great things about this little town and couldn't wait to see what it looked like.  It's been described to me as visiting Germany without leaving the country.  Since I was born in Germany but left before I was a year old, I really wanted to check this place out.

My dad had talked and talked about this famous chicken that I just HAD to try.  Well, we get to the restaurant and my dad says he'd rather eat at McDonald's (like he requested for most of the trip - he really likes their coffee).

My guess is that the restaurant was so good because of the great memories he had with Margi (my step-mom) and he decided to keep those memories rather than make new ones.  And that's okay with me.  She was sick for almost half of their 23 year marriage, so he doesn't have a lot of happy memories at the end.....he can keep this good memory for himself.  Plus, it's sometimes a crap shoot eating out with Michael.

This sign says, "Saying hello brings happiness in", or something like that.

The drive back home was pleasant and uneventful, except for the blasted seizure Michael had at a rest stop in Bowling Green.  It was nice to spend some time with my dad and especially cool to watch my dad and Michael together.  My dad loves to make silly faces and crazy sounds...and Michael enjoys it to say the least!

Here is Michael waiting in anticipation for something crazy from grandpa Jimmy....he knows it's gonna be funny.

Michael really, really had fun with him...because my dad is quite a goofy character!  :)  And apparently, being goofy runs in the family.