Pictures from the weekend....

Had a surprise visit this evening from Mario's nephew by marriage, Mario from Naperville, married to Nena, Mario's sister Elena's daughter. He had business in Jacksonville and called about 4:30 and said he'd like to come to Quincy and have dinner with us. We made a tentative plan to take the train to Chicago to visit their family after Christmas for a few days. Maybe we can get Elena and Fidel to come from San Antonio too.

Wonderful Weekend

The weather was perfect for soccer, an outdoor wedding, traveling, and a softball team picnic.

Whew! I am out gas.

Blake's team won their game against St. Louis DeSmet, and he had a good game. We think Uncle Chris should come and watch more often. After the game, we had picnic food at our house with everybody. Then Chris was off to meet the party bus in his dark brown tux for Isaac's wedding. Mario, Maria and Makenna, and I drove out later. The wedding and reception were at the Mt. Sterling winery. We'd never been there before, so it was a brand new experience for us. The wedding was outdoors overlooking beautiful background scenery, and the reception was indoors (thankful for the air conditioning :o) We had the best food we think we've had at a reception. At about 9PM, Grandpa Mario and I took over baby duty so the kids could have some fun with their friends. All the guys from Quincy High were back, and I loved seeing them. They still remember the cooking I did for them when they were in high school. In fact, one of them taught his mom and his fiance how to make turkey pie. (He still calls me Mom occasionally.) Well anyway, it was a great evening. Makenna wore a beautiful dress and got passed around to many friends throughout the evening. She slept on the way home, then stayed up to play til past midnight. Glad I still have all the baby toys. Grandmas must have good toys, as Hannah once reminded me.

On Sunday morning John and Carolyn brought Mom over to see Chris and family. I was the only one up and at'em when they arrived bright and early, but soon everyone had rolled out except Makenna. (Never wake a sleeping baby--Great Grandma Dotty's advice from the past). Carrie's family arrived about 9:00. So we had a little breakfast of hot cinnamon rolls and muffins, and Makenna joined the crowd. She loves playing with her cousins; Blake especially can make her laugh. On this trip she seemed to prefer Grandpa to me, and that's ok with me. I will get her to myself in November when I travel to Phoenix with Blake.

So the visitors from Jacksonville departed around 10, Chris and Maria departed, Tony and Carrie and gang departed, and we went to noon mass. Next I had the last of 4 TEC meetings; our weekend is Oct. 4-6. We have 19 candidates, and we expect a few more will join this week. My eyes began to close at 4, so I took early leave for some sleep.

The day ended with Mario's KC softball team picnic in the evening. Always fun and good food and storytelling with this group. We agreed that we need to get together before New Year's Eve, which is sometimes how it goes.

I am so thankful everybody got where they needed to go safely. The weekend could not have gone any better.

The Arizona Camachos are home

Chris, Maria, and Makenna arrived safely in St. Louis last night. The trip is so much easier for them now from Phoenix. I picked Chris up at the Ewersmanns this morning and played with Makenna for awhile; also I visited with Maria and her mom. Maria and Makenna will be here tomorrow, and we will all go to Ike's wedding in the evening at the winery near Mt. Sterling. I have heard it is a beautiful setting. Of course, first we get to take in a soccer game. We thought we were free and clear for Saturday, but the coach announced a make-up game for Blake's team at 11 AM. Well Chris will get to see him play.

More Thursday info...Good News, Bad News

I saw my friend Jan Faler in the hospital today, and she is coming home this afternoon. They changed some medications, and she is in a much better place. She looks very good and is smiling with ease. YEH Jan!

Chris called this morning to say he has a badly injured ankle. Got it playing soccer last night. Five minutes left in the practice when he did it. He can put weight on it, just barely, and has pain in both the ankle and knee. They are getting on the plane this evening. So no golfing for him Friday. Maybe we will be going to the dr.! It is swollen, but he could get his shoe on this morning. But he may walk down the aisle at Ike's wedding with a pretty noticeable limp. I said just put a little sign on that says "Playing soccer." Everybody will understand.

Cleaning Day

The time has come for a cleaning day. I have gotten so bad at this. I wish I could just hire somebody because using my umph for cleaning leaves nothing for anything else in the day! But there is nothing fun on the calendar for today. It just says CLEAN.

I will head up to the hospital to visit my friend Jan Faler. She had an abdominal CT yesterday and has been running fever for several days. There is infection somewhere that has not yet been found. So she needs prayer.

Had a great Bible study yesterday. We have our teeth sunk in to the Book of Revelation, although for this study, we are often referring back to other places in the Bible for information that supports what is in this book. Very enlightening so far. I like my new group a lot. All ages, young mothers, elderly gals, and a few in between. Makes for great conversation. As we left yesterday, one of the younger gals said to me, "I always learn something from you." She was in my group last year too, so I am trying to figure out what she has learned from me??? Well anyway, God uses us and we don't even know it.

Chris, Maria, and Makenna will be in the air tonight, so we will pray for safe travel. I drive to Maria's folks' house Friday morning to pick him up. Maria and Makenna will stay in St. Louis for a day with her family and drive up Saturday. Chris is planning to play golf with his high school friends when he gets here Friday, then the rehearsal dinner for Ike's wedding Friday night. I will have Carrie's gang Saturday for lunch so the kids can have some time together. Hmm. I think I will wait to clean until AFTER the weekend! Yeh. That makes more sense. :o) Well I am looking forward to getting my hands on that Phoenix baby doll.

Yesterday I got my angry scar shot up with a steroid medication. The dermatologist also told me about a scar treatment in the form of a patch that might help. They are called silicone scar sheets. If the inflammation doesn't lessen, I will get another treatment of steroid injections in a month. I will also continue the acupuncture in the area. The dermatologist says doctors have no idea what causes this to happen, while the acupuncurist says there is a blockage that is not allowing the tissue to drain properly, thereby creating the inflammation. All I know is my left chest always hurts from this angry scar, and until I get this cleared up, I will not be free and clear of the entire cancer experience. And that's what I want. No more evidence! That's my only complaint today.

DWTS update; looking forward to the weekend

Picture Repeat....to the right of Blake....note the "Lion People"

DWTS update

Well one of my favs is already gone. I do think Edyta has something else to do. She did not seem one bit sad that she is already off the show. I still like my early picks: Brooke and Derrick and Toni and ? I think I will quickly tire of Cloris' act. Maybe others will continue to be entertained by it. The football player will be a sentimental favorite, and his partner Kim (?) has been paired with early losers in the past, so maybe she will get to stay around for awhile.

I am looking forward to Chris and family's visit this weekend. I will pick him up Friday at Maria's folks' house. Then Maria and Makenna will drive up on Saturday. Ike's wedding is Saturday evening, so we will all be attending. They will head back to St. L on Sunday morning and catch the afternoon flight back to Phoenix. Not much time, but we will make the most of it.

Had fun with the Dede kids at Blake's soccer game last evening. Cora has branched out to being a ball boy. Oops. Ball girl. She loves to run, and we had a good conversation about the cross country team. Maybe that will be of interest to her in the future. While we were talking about how much she likes to run, Hannah quietly turned around and said, "I just like to walk." Cora immediately reacted. "Hannah, you don't like to walk. You like to sit." Hannah just smiled and agreed.

Nolan story....

If you look back at the picture of Blake in the Homecoming parade, you see he is sitting next to a boy with really big curly hair. Well, the boy came by with Blake's friend yesterday to pick Blake up, and Nolan jumped on Carrie's lap and stayed there until the boys left. Then he said to Carrie that he was afraid of that "lion people."

Dancing With the Stars

Some questions and impressions from opening night of the new season....
Did Cloris have a little too much bubbly before the show? I've never seen anybody bleeped on this show!
Does Edyta have something else to do in a couple of weeks? Why did they partner her with the funny guy who can't dance?
LaLucci looks incredible for a gal in her 60's. Hope she loosens up a little. I'm still pulling for her.
Lance Bass and Lacey....did she just now find out he's gay? Her comment leads me to think this.
I like the personality of the chef. Hope he stays in for awhile. Also the guy from Married With Children. Rocco and Ted I think are their names.
Derrick and Brooke have got it. They are my early pick.
Toni Braxton and her partner are also hot together. They could also end up on top.
Well it is too early to tell, but I think those two couples were pretty impressive.
The show has broader appeal than ever. Lots of different styles. Can't help liking the football player who is so light on his feet. Will be interesting to see if he drops 30 lbs. like a lot of the stars do through the competition if they stay in it long enough.

Blake's First Homecoming Sept. 20, '08

We had a great time watching the Homecoming parades of both high schools Thursday evening. Blake and his soccer buddies had a great time too. We were on the wrong side of the street to see him, so Tony ran ahead with my camera to get the picture. Saturday night was the dance, preceded by moms taking pictures and dinner at The Pier. Parker's mom and dad hosted a post-dance party for a couple of hours. Sounds like everything went well for the weekend.

I enjoyed lunch with Uncles Jimmy and Bill Haycraft and Jonny and Shirley, along with Mom and several sisters and a couple of nieces on Saturday afternoon in Springfield. Saturday evening brought some good gabbing with sisters. Sunday I went to mass and lunch at Hardees, again with lots of family. The reunion committee meeting for the Nov. 1 Johnson reunion was productive and funon Sunday afternoon. Carolyn, Diane Hungerford (Jamie and Cathy's), Barbie, and I sat with loads of pictures, some from Joni too who couldn't be there, and had lots of laughs, storytelling, and choosing photo groupings for our reunion trivia game. I must say I am really enjoying this and hope we have good attendance at the reunion.

Chris is back in the USA :)

Got a call this afternoon from Chris; he was on a layover in Charlotte, NC. He enjoyed being in Germany and Austria for the past week for work. He's ready to see his girls. I'm sure Makenna is wondering, "Where in the heck is my daddy?" They will be here next weekend for Isaac's wedding.

Nolan story....
After lunch today Nolan was apparently entertaining the daycare kids. Not sure exactly what he was doing, but when Carrie told him it was naptime, he pleaded, "Not now, Mommy. I'm making everybody waff."

I will be away this weekend. Will post Blake's Homecoming photos when I get back.

Another beautiful day....

After days and days of rain, we're having our second consecutive day of sun and 80 degrees. I will be outside for some of this! The grandkids are out of school today, so maybe a trip to the park. We'll see. I am sure Carrie has her hands full today. No school because of a small fire at the 4-6th grade center. No major damage, just smoke throughout the building to clear out.

To anyone who reads the blog, I'd like to tell you that niece Stephanie is going to have surgery on Oct. 1. She is experiencing some of the same problems she's had in the past, so the doc is going after it again. So we need to lift Steph in our prayers so this surgery is successful. I always pray for the doctor and nurses too, that their skills can be fully employed and their hands steady and healing. I have been so fortunate in the past year to have top-notch medical care, and I will pray that all things fall into place for Stephanie on Oct. 1 and after.

I am hearing all good things about our two new college coeds. Cassie is happy with her choice of Wake Forest and Paige is loving her life at Augustana. YEH!

Today I go to lunch with my friends Suzie Longo and Sharon Mackenzie (wives of Mario's Quincy College soccer coaches from 1969-73). We have made a pact, since our lives don't cross naturally in soccer anymore, that we will get together at least 3 times a year for birthdays. So today we celebrate with Sharon.

This evening, both high schools have their Homecoming parades. QHS first going east down Maine, then QND going west downtown. First time in over 30 years both schools are on the same weekend with their celebrations. Lots of fun for onlookers.

I will be in Jacksonville this weekend. On Saturday, we have lunch with Uncle Jimmy and Jonny in Springfield. On Sunday, I get together with the reunion committee for the upcoming Johnson reunion on Nov. 1. So it will be a fun and busy weekend.

I watched Blake's soccer team battle Sacred Heart-Griffin to a scoreless tie last night. It was a hard fought game and Blake made some nice plays. Cora is still the concession stand queen; she amazes Carrie adding up those orders and coming to the correct total. Since she dislikes the work at school so much, is there a future in concession stand work? She seems to love it!!! :)

Chris in Dresden today

Got a quick call from Chris today. He had left Berlin by train and was heading to a meeting in Dresden. He said everything is going very well. Always good to hear from him. And amazed that he sounded like he was calling from next door.

Anybody following OJ #2? or is it #3? I think he has been in trouble once since '94. Well, looks like what might hang him up this time is the stuff itself....the stuff that was supposed to be handed over to the Goldmans way back when. The prosecutors are saying OJ had no claim on the stuff. So that makes the argument that he was just trying to get his stuff back mute. He is not looking too happy right now. In fact, today, I thought he looked like the most tired man on the planet.

I listened to David Archuleta's single today. The kid has a future. The CD will be out 11/11. Looking forward to it.

Anybody see Carrie Underwood performing on the country music festival last week? The girl can sing....but that walking around the stage like a funky chicken kinda distracted me!

Well those are my opinions today!

Nolan Stories

It has been a few days since I told any Nolan stories. Here are a couple of new ones.

Because of the many consecutive days of rain, Nolan and the little daycare kids were restricted to the patio today. So Nolan had to get creative on what to play in the limited space. He picked up the pool net/cleaner, which has a handle and a net-type basket on the end, and told the other kids he was collecting their money. They all had their hands in their pockets when Carrie investigated what he was doing, because it looked like he might be whacking them with it. When she asked him what he was doing, he said, "Playin' chuch." Fortunately, only one of them had a couple of pennies in his pockets. Wouldn't be good for the daycare kids to go home and tell their parents that Nolan "took up a collection" and has all their money.

A few days ago, I was talking to Carrie on the phone and heard a pretty good calamity developing in the background. She said she'd have to hang up and go check out what Nolan was up to back in his bedroom, because all three daycare boys had come out crying that Nolan hit them. So when she got to his room, he had covered his head with blankets. She admonished him that he couldn't hide from what he'd done and asked why the boys were all crying. He peeked out from the blanket and said, "I was just being a helicopter...."

Chris safely to Germany, Frank and family doing ok

Chris made it to Germany with no problems according to his short email to me this morning.
Frank and family are getting along ok, just waiting for the water pressure to normalize. Lots of cleaning up to do in the neighborhood, but compared to Galveston, where he has a rental home, or I should say HAD a rental home....I think his neighborhood came through fairly well. He says the highway to Galveston is littered with boats. Until they can bulldoze those boats off the road, nobody will get to go there and see what's left.

Good News from Frank

We are speaking and emailing a couple times a day with Frank. The best news is the electricity came back on this afternoon. They were not expecting that. However, there are problems with the water supply/pressure that have not been fixed yet. They have taken a little drive in their neighborhood. Houses are all still standing, but many beautiful old oak trees are broken off, and many fences are torn up and strewn about. It's a big mess.

Mario had his first day of float-building for QND Homecoming today. He has a freshman class homeroom, so that's who he gets to work with. I spent the afternoon at our 2nd TEC meeting. Gave my talk. They liked it. Don't have to change anything.

In the morning I have my 6th acupuncture treatment. What I would really like is if this angry scar would clear up! The first round of needles and lidocane worked for 2-3 days. I will get another zap tomorrow. If that doesn't do it, I will get the steroid injection and I'm not sure what else from the dermatologist on the 24th. The thing is driving me crazy! That's all I have to complain about today.

Chris heading to Germany and Austria

Just got a call from Chris. He is in Philadelphia waiting to board the plane for Berlin where he has meetings for work. He will also be in Dresden, Munich, and a city in Austria I've never heard of called Klugenfurt. He'll have to make several train connections and flights through the course of the week, but I am sure that he can follow all the signs and be where he needs to be. He will be back in the US next Friday night.

Watching a lot of the news from Texas. A most moving picture today for me was the old upright piano laying in the middle of a street. We used to have one of those, and it took four strong fellas to move it. That speaks of the force of the hurricane.

Today was a slow day here. Mario is doing schoolwork and ISD work, and I have spent a lot of the day on the couch. I got sick in the middle of the night last night--I had a blizzard yesterday evening at Dairy Queen for the first time in months, and it wreaked havoc in my digestive system for about 6 hours. So I guess I will cross blizzards off my list too. So I watched several shows on Court TV of Dominic Dunne's "Wealth, Power and Privilege" I think the show is called. People with lots of money seem to get away with more crime than the average person. That seems to be the point of his shows.

It has rained all day and the forecast doesn't look any brighter for tomorrow. But no complaining here after thinking about what our Houston family is going through.

The Houston Camachos are OK

I just spoke with Frank. The night was scary because of the tremendous wind. Their house in the SW Houston area has some areas of leakage but no broken glass. Their backyard fence, as well as their neighbor's fence, is destroyed. They lost power at about 2AM and do not expect to have power for awhile. They have plenty of food and water, and that's a good thing, because there is a huge tree down and blocking the exit from their subdivision. Good that the landline phones still work. It is comforting to be able to talk to them. They do have a battery-operated small TV and radio, as well as the kids' MP3 players that have all the techno gadgets. Frank is pretty sure his rental house in Galveston is gone, however. The tenants had evacuated, thankfully, but he is feeling that there is not anything left there.

Another hurricane for Frank

We've corresponded with Frank (Mario's younger brother), and they are going to ride out the storm in their home in southwest Houston. They've stocked up on canned goods and water and will likely endure high winds and a lot of water. Gotta have hope here.

I have joined the fitness room at Blessing Hospital. Since I have finished my time with the PT, I need to do something to continue the exercise program that has helped me a lot. When I signed on to volunteer at the hospital Tea Room several years ago, one of the benefits is free use of the fitness room. It has all the machines and bike that I used in the past year, so I go a couple times a week. I ride the bike for 10 minutes and use light weights for about 20 reps on each machine. Sure won't get skinny doing this, but I will fulfill the doc's order to "keep moving!" :)

I did a little work for my church Thursday evening. We are a pilot church for a new program called Best Practices for Parishes. There are three groups: Prayer and Worship, Ministry to Family and Pastoral Care, and Stewardship. I worked in the last group. Lots of good and interesting conversation among the five of us. We evaluated how well our parish is performing in each of the areas of stewardship. We're trying here, but there are lots of areas where we can improve. We have 1500 families in our parish, but our weekly mass attendance is about 40%. I don't know how that stacks up with the average, but what are the other 60% doing on Sunday morning? Hm.

I finished my TEC talk on the Paschal Mystery. Haven't timed it yet. It's supposed to be 30 minutes long. I use more of an interactive approach than just straight talking through it, so the time will go quickly. I just hope they get the point! Teens Encounter Christ. It's an awesome thing to witness.

Chris is leaving for a weeklong trip to Germany on Saturday. His boss Barry and 3 others are going on the trip. He has to make a number of travel connections to trains and planes moving about the country over the course of the week. He told us the names of several companies they are recruiting (if that's the right word) to bring their businesses/industries to Phoenix. He loves the work. He and his family will be here the last weekend of September for Ike's wedding, so I will get my hands on that babydoll again:) Now that's something to look forward to!

Tony's eye is looking much better. Seems to have come through it without any permanent damage. Just a few days of pain and off work Mon. and Tues. Wear those safety glasses all you home repairmen!

Had a good breakfast with the Bible study this morning. We heard an informative introductory presentation on the Book of Revelation. I am looking forward to this study because there is so much in this book of the Bible that I do not get.

This evening the cancer support group met. There was a new woman there who told us that about 4 years ago, she was given less than six months to live. Stage 4 breast cancer spread to bones and I'm not sure where else. She had an infant at the time. She is 38 years old and you would never know by looking at her that she'd been sick a day in her life. We are not in charge. The best thing about this group is we all walk with God and know how blessed we are.

Is anyone watching America's Got Talent? I have never watched this show before this year. The dancing dads and the boy baton twirler are doing it for me. And I think Jerry Springer is wishing he had found this venue a long time ago instead of that crazy show he's been associated with.

More Photos of Blake on the Soccer Field

Tony took these pics at Canton last week.

Big Soccer Game Today

Had the crosstown rivalry today when QHS played QND in soccer. Blake plays on the JV team, comprised of sophomores and juniors. His team won their game 1-0. Blake had a couple of shots. Keep shootin' and one of them will go in eventually!

I got my Paschal Mystery talk started today for TEC. I will continue working on it throughout the week, and it will be ready to preview on Sunday.

Wednesday morning I return to my Bible study group. We are going to study the Book of Revelation. This should be interesting and timely! I will tell you if I learn any must-know info! :)

Tony's eye has improved today. He saw the doc again this afternoon, and apparently he had a divot in his eye which has begun to heal up. Lucky. Wear those protective eyeglasses everybody.

The weather was so mild this morning that I spent about an hour outdoors walking. And I finally swept off the front porch. Long overdue. Almost time to put summer flowers away and get fall colors out.

"Your closet is like a mini-mall"

Had a good day Saturday with Cora, Hannah, and Nolan. We fed all the animals we could find--the deer, geese, llamas, ducks, and buffalo at the Veterans' Home and the fish at the cemetery pond. Aunt Sam sent a bag of dollar store toys and crafts that kept the kids busy while I took a short nap. I think they are just as happy with the dollar store toys as the expensive ones! Then Cora told me my closet was like shopping in a mini-mall. I asked her if she found anything she liked, so she and Hannah picked out hats and purses, and they found a hat for Nolan too. We finished the day with Cora making mac and cheese and "fancy sandwiches" for all of us, and Hannah made the brownies. They are getting pretty good in the kitchen. Blake's team won their game in Belleville, and he had 3 good shots on goal. Next time maybe one will go in!

On Sunday I went to the first of four meetings to prepare for TEC # 254 on Oct. 4-6. Saw lots of friends from past TECs and have a good feeling for this one. Getting candidates is the big challenge for the October TEC. Fall sports, homecomings, farm harvest, all seem to keep this weekend in jeopardy. So there was a big effort to organize recruiting for the weekend. I am giving the Paschal Mystery talk. Will get started on it tomorrow, as I have to preview it to the group next Sunday.

Tony had an accident yesterday--working on the back yard fence and somehow hit himself in the eye with the plyers (sp?). He made a trip to the ER where they told him he had a deep abrasion and recommended he see the opthomologist today. So he went to Dr. Sieck today, and he is wearing a patch and has to go back tomorrow. They dosed him with antibiotic eye meds, and he hopefully has no permanent damage.

Friday

This photo of Mario and 3 of his brothers was taken at the airport in Guadalajara, Mexico.
L-R Mario, Edmundo, Frank, and Andy
Edmundo lives in Mexico City, Frank in Houston, and Andy in Guadalajara

Had my 1-yr. check with the surgeon yesterday. Everything looks good with the two incisions, but the area where the port rested in my chest is inflamed and the scar has a keloid. What that means according to the dr. is the incision didn't heal like most, and there is scar tissue rolled up there. He gave me an appointment with the dermatologist who would shoot it with steroid meds to quiet it down, or whatever.

Well, hold on. The acupunturist took a look at it this morning and called it "an angry scar." She put three needles in it during my treatment, then shot it with lidocaine. In a couple of days, it should calm down. She says in acupuncture terms, there is a blockage there that is keeping it inflamed.

I am having some good results from the acupuncture treaments. They are costly, as my insurance does not pay for acupuncture, but I have decided after studying it and talking it over with Dr. Espejo, who has been behind me all through the PT that has been so helpful, that I have everything to gain and nothing to lose by taking these treatments. She is young and well-trained, and a healer just as the PT Natalie is.

I told my surgeon yesterday I feel like I am a lucky girl. He shook my hand and looked me right in the eye and said, "You ARE a lucky girl." Then he said he'd see me in a year. So I guess once you've had this, your doctoring days don't end just because the tests are normal.

Lucky, grateful, thankful. If I can just get this flare-up where the port was cleared up, it'll be back to LBC for me. (life before cancer!)

We are heading out to dinner now with the Stevens for Mexican food. Then Cora, Hannah, and Nolan are spending the night so Carrie and Tony can go early in the morning to Belleville to see Blake play soccer. The kids will be here all day. So far, I have plans for 2 parks, feeding the ducks and fish at the cemetery pond, feeding the deer at the Veteran's home, and letting Cora cook macaroni and cheese and Hannah make brownies. Hopefully, Mario will entertain Nolan with some boy things while we are doing the cooking. Nolan has been asking me to play my guitar for him, so maybe I will teach him a song. It'll be a busy day.

Little Carrie

I've always wondered if you put black curly hair on Hannah if she'd look like Carrie did when she was a little girl. Well, I don't have to wonder. In this picture, she looks exactly like Carrie did when she was younger.

Visiting Paige at Augustana

Paige loves her new life as a college co-ed!

Grandma, Mom, and the girls in front of Paige's dorm. Her room is the 3rd floor left corner.

Paige's Augustana home

You have to be coordinated to get into bed. And sober!

Grandma's little girls

Grandma brought Paige some goodies!

What else is in that bag?

Beautiful scenic walk on campus

original Augustana Library

"I love you, Ginny." "I love you too, Paige."

A side adventure on the way home from Rock Island.....

"I've never seen this before."

Must be a special house to go through all this trouble to move it.

On Monday, John and Carolyn, Bailey, Grandma Dotty, and I traveled to Rock Island to see Paige. Three hours to get there, three hours there, and three hours to get home. A long day. Worth every moment. Paige is in a beautiful setting for the next phase of her life. I noticed how comfortable and spacious her dorm room is. Fridge, microwave, TV, futon, plenty of space for clothes. Books, computer, and school supplies resting where they may. Our Paige is at home in her new home, and it is comforting to see how very relaxed and and content she is. Makes it easy to leave her there! Her calendar is organized, and she has a plan. The cafeteria is just down the 1st floor hall in her dorm, as are activity and game rooms and a little necessities store. She likes the food, especially the selection of desserts. But it is not looking like she has put on any of the "freshman 15." All the walking she is doing to get to her classes will keep that in check. We had a great lunch at TGI Fridays, and there was a K-Mart run as well. All in all, except for the 4-Runner acting up a bit and making John a little nervous, it was just a great day.