Our Past Week

I haven't blogged in quite a while for several reasons.  First of all, I have been working almost full-time to complete my contract with Grand Rapids Public Schools and the Kent ISD.  I still have some remaining days on my contract but I was advised last week that I can carry over the remaining days until Sept.  The grant expires Sept. 30 so I can work up until then with this contract.  I am meeting with GRPS officials next week on Thursday and Friday to discuss work options after that.

Our past week has been filled with several unexpected events. Tom's mom has been ill and hospitalized.  She is doing better but is still in the hospital.  So our schedule was adjusted from what we had planned.  We are so thankful for the wonderful health care facilities in Grand Rapids.  Special thanks to the Meijer and DeVos families for their additions at Butterworth Hospital.

We have also been working to get Jen's house ready to rent.  That mostly fell on Tom's shoulders.  Tim Anderson has been helping as well too and we are so thankful for his willingness to work alongside Tom.   Our grandson, Jack, even got in on some of the work and made a contribution to the effort.  The renter will be moving in next week.

Our plans to move to the Cabin were changed because a dear friend of ours, Betty Stanley, passed away on Tuesday and we wanted to attend her funeral on Thursday.  So we came north on Friday.  We really didn't 'move' up but came up for a few days and we'll return to Caledonia on Wednesday if not before.  We'll bring our 'stuff' on the next trip.

We found things in good shape here.  We stopped briefly at the Cabin, turned on the water and the heat and headed straight out to Brimley for Robbie, my nephew's, open house for graduation from Brimley High School.  We returned here late last night and dropped into bed.

This morning Charter Cable was here to set up our internet/telephone/cable so we are back in touch with the world again.  We haven't had a much luck with our hot water heater and it needs repairs or replacement which we will be working on today.  I told Tom that I would rather have internet than hot water but I may change my mind if I don't get a shower soon.

We are heading to my parent's for dinner.  The yard is so wet and full of standing water that we can't work much outdoors.  It is 51 degrees and raining right now.  So I guess I might just have to take a nap.

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