She Graduated!

Lots of posts about Hannah lately . . . this is her year! She graduated from good ole' CHS on Sunday and I can't believe she will be a college freshman in the fall. Ugh . . . as Lisa asked “Why, b/c that means you are getting old?” Thanks for the reminder! With Hannah being 12 years younger than me, I always had sort of a maternal instinct toward her. (Of course, she might call is "being bossy." Ha!) Seriously though, the past weekend reminded me how much I want to protect her and keep her safe. When she lived at home, it seemed pretty easy - mom and dad could watch her! :-) Now that she is off to GVSU (and Nicaragua in 2 days!!), I will have to trust that He who "knows every hair on her head" will continue to protect and guide her. In case you didn't get it the first 1000 times I said it - I am proud of you Hannah Rose and I love you!

And since I am a such sentimental sap, it is times like these that I can't help but feel incredibly grateful and humbled by the amount of support we have from our aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Their presence in the lives of my siblings and I means so much!

Oh Thirty . . . So You've Arrived

I have to admit, this was the 1st birthday I was not looking forward to. (I'd say "dreading," but that sounds a bit dramatic.) I think it's the accountant in me. 30 is such a . . . well . . . round number. Why is 30 bad? Why is 40 bad? Why not 28? Or 37? Sigh. Anyway, turning 30 made me reflect on all the things I thought I would've done by now, but haven't. It made me sad.

So, I decided I can't look at it that way. My twenties were filled with college, living with the Sisters, buying a house by myself (and later selling that house), dating, many adventures with friends, a loving and supportive family, a few trips to Europe and capped off by marrying my best friend. When I look at it that way, it was a great decade!

Now that the big day has come and gone, I have to admit that Jane was right when she said, "Thirty isn't so bad." :-) And I hope Lisa will be right when she says, "This next decade will be wonderful for us!" I can only imagine what the Good Lord has in store! Here's to thirty!

(For memory's sake, I celebrated at the cabin with my family over Memorial Day. On my actual birthday, Brook spoiled me by taking me out to dinner and sitting through SATC 2. He also got me a dozen roses and made chocolate covered strawberries, too. We decided no presents and are saving for a vacation later in the year. The next day, I celebrated with Brook's family. It was a week-long birthday week and I felt extremely loved. Thanks, everyone! :-)))))

Memorial Day Weekend at Sand Lake

People sometimes wonder why we drive 4 hours to the other side of the state for a weekend at the lake, when we have one in our very own backyard. It is something I can't explain. My parents bought the "cabin" almost 10 years ago and there is no other place where I feel like I have totally escaped reality. It is a wonderful feeling. Add that to the fact that almost my whole family is there = a great time! This year, I took Friday off and we left Thursday night. Veronica and Brandon (with Sophie and Maria) were there when we got there and Dad got there around midnight.

The next morning, we were up bright and early to have breakfast at the local "greasy spoon." The girls then headed into "town" (AKA Tawas City) to stock up on groceries, while the guys put the dock in. Luckily, the weather was beautiful and the lake was warm, so putting it in wasn't too big of a deal. (Easy for me to say, since I didn't help!) Mom and Hannah arrived later that night, after Hannah's very last day of high school.

The rest of the weekend was full of lots of laying in the sun and playing in the lake . . . along with a birthday celebration to be discussed on a different post. :-) As always, it was a great weekend and I'm already looking forward to the 4th!

Our resident fish

And Sophie . . . not so much!

"I'm outta here!"

Other Happenings

After making the trip to Concord to see Hannah in her prom dress, we went down to Indiana to attend the wedding of one of Brook’s friends from law school. We had fun catching up with his friends and I particularly enjoyed hearing stories about Brook from law school! ;-)

"The Family"

(AKA Brook and his roommates)

We spent the night in Kokomo after the wedding and drove back to MI on Sunday after Mass. Then, I went to Concord for a baby-sitting adventure and Brook went home. Wes & Jaime were celebrating their 5 year anniversary with a cruise to the Bahamas and I volunteered to watch their kids for a few days. Oh boy, did we have fun! Monday, my mom and I took all the kids (Sophie included) to the Treehouse in Chelsea. Afterward, my mom took us all out to lunch at Big Boy – Maria’s favorite (what a funny kid!) By the time we got home, we were all exhausted – including me – and all took nice long naps. The evening went better than I expected . . . I thought I’d have trouble getting the kids to want to go to bed, but they all went without any problem. And the bonus was that they all slept really well that night.

The many faces of Sophie Mae!

Tuesday, Julia was the first one up and it was neat to have that one-on-one time with just her. She sat on my lap and jabbered away, asking me questions that I couldn’t quite understand. LOL! Later that morning, I got to take Maria to her ballet class – just her and I. It was a special thing for us to do together and it was so fun to watch her at her class. She was SO into it! I took her to the store afterward and let her pick out some treats for her and Connor to play with later. When we got home, my cousin Cassie brought her son Trenton over to play with the kids. After lunch, they all went down for naps and then Jaime’s mom came to pick them up and . . . I went home. They have their moments, like any other kids, but I had a great 2 days with them.

What a happy little girl!

Time to go outside and play!

"I like to eat bubble and gross Aunt Chrystal out!"

All "Growed" Up

Earlier this month, my “baby” sister went to her senior prom. This event proved to be surprisingly emotional for me. I suppose it is because she is 12 years younger than me and, while she is my sister, I have always felt somewhat of a maternal instinct toward her – wanting to protect and keep her safe (OK, and tell her what to do!! LOL.) As always, she looked beautiful, but even more important is what is on the inside of this young woman . . . I continue to be inspired by her zeal to make a difference in this world. Just lately, she signed up go on a medical mission trip to Nicaragua in June. What is most incredible to me about this is that she isn’t doing it b/c her friends are. . . . no, she knows virtually no one on this trip (I’m sure she will come home with many friends, though!) And just as my trip to the Philippines did, this trip is bound to change her life and how she views the world. Can’t wait to see how God uses it to enrich her life!

NYC Recap

I can't believe that it's been over a month since we went to New York! (Where the heck did April go?) We left early Monday morning (April 5th) . . . Veronica taking the first leg of the trip. Things were going just fine, until we got to the Pennsylvania hills! Oh my, someone give me some Valium! Of course, by the time we got there, it was my turn to drive. You must understand that I am terribly afraid of heights. After we stopped for gas and grabbed something to eat, I got behind the wheel and my hands were sweating and stomach in a major knot. I had to keep telling myself that a major wind gust was NOT going to pummel us off the highway and to our untimely deaths. And since I am sitting here writing this, obviously my fear was unfounded. :-)

We made it to New Jersey around 5:30 and took a PATH train into the City, instead of driving and parking in Manhattan. (Thanks for the great advice, Carly!) We got to our hotel, which was tucked in between flower markets in Chelsea, around 6:30. By this time, I was definitely in need of a cocktail! The drive stressed me out just a tad, in case you hadn't noticed. We set out to eat at an Irish pub not far from our hotel. It was a perfect little place to kick off the trip. After we ate, we went to the Empire State Building. When we got to the top, I hugged the wall, of course! :-) I think my fear of heights is getting worse with age - I had been to the ESB twice before and it was never this bad. What is my deal?? We went up to Times Square afterward and were wowed by the obscene lights; then, decided to experiment with the Subway, since we needed to use it early the next morning. It was then back to the hotel to get some sleep and be ready for a very full Tuesday.

Tuesday, it was Upper Manhattan day. We had "VIP Passes" to the CBS Early Show. HAAAAA! Have you ever watched the show? If so, you know they have a very small outdoor audience. So, they lure audience members by promising backstage passes. Hahaha, again! We were told to be at the studio "no later than 7:15am." So, we got up early and rushed around to get up to the studio . . . only to find out that you watch the show first, then everyone who is there gets the tour. Oh well, we had fun there, made new friends and were on TV every time they panned the audience. Good memories!

From there, we went to Central Park for a nice stoll and enjoyed the beautiful blooming flowers and trees. Then . . . it was off to do some shopping! Woo hoo!!!!! We leisurely stolled down 5th Ave and made our way over to Rockefeller Center. At this point, it was time to go back to our hotel and take a nap. :-) Later that afternoon, we did more shopping and then went out to a fabulous Thai restaurant for dinner.

Wednesday . . . our last day . . . was Lower Manhattan day. We went to St. Paul's Chapel - a fabulous place, right by Ground Zero, which became a spot that served the firefighters and police officers after 9/11. It is still a chapel, but also a semi-museum now - very touching! I highly recommend going there! From St. Paul's we went over to Wall St and then took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. In between seeing the sights, we made plenty of time for shopping. It was so hot that day (87 degrees) that I was "forced" to buy a new outfit and wear it out of the store! I was sweating my rear end off! After a long day out and about, we walked through Chinatown on our way back to the hotel. I wanted to find a new purse and have heard that this is "Purse Heaven." Unfortunately, none of us were good at the whole bargaining game. (We needed our husbands to help! They rocked in Cancun for us!) So, I left without a purse. :-(

Later that night, we went out to Benihana's for dinner. It was our last night in Manhattan . . . the days went way too quickly! We had a great dinner and then V and H wanted to do some souveneir shopping; so, we headed back to Times Square.

The next morning, we got up early and hopped on the train to go back to our car. We were then going to Hobokken to go to Carlo's Bake Shop, AKA the "Cake Boss!!!!" Yay! We picked up an assortment of goodies and even saw a few people who were on the show. Then . . . it was time for the long ride home. The ride home was much better than the ride there. Not sure why, but thank goodness! It was such a great trip and I will always treasure the memories I made with my sisters.

A Distinguished Man

Last night, my parents, siblings, much of my extended family and I, along with many community members, gathered at Jackson Catholic Middle School to honor Henry and Albert Th*rrez for their commitment and generosity to Catholic schools, the Catholic Church and the community in general. I am proud to call Henry my grandpa. How do I describe this amazing man? I struggle to find the words . . . he is one of the best men I know. He can make you laugh with his silly stories or cry with his tough love. In a world where grey rules, he is a black and white man - he sees things as right and wrong. He lives by high standards and expects those around him to do the same. He has built an incredibly successful business and never once taken out a loan (personally or for the business.) This is something he is extremely proud of (and should be!) He is persistent and hard-working. He has taught me that anything worthwhile is worth working (hard) for. At 87, he still goes to work almost every day. After work, he comes home to work outside . . . picking up leaves, clearing trees with his bulldozer or shovelling the driveway in the winter. Of course, this last part really isn't work for him - he loves his toys!

As I reflect on Grandpa and who he is to me, I realize it is b/c of him that I am who I am in regards to my faith . . . he loves Jesus and being Catholic. And he isn't a fair-weather Catholic. He has been to Hell in back, serving in WWII. He has endured tremendous tragedy - losing 4 children. I guarantee that he would say his faith is what got him through those times. He knows the importance of attending Sunday Mass and never misses it. Even in the Philippines during WWII, he would go to church, bringing his fellow soldiers with him. It didn't matter what the weather was or the distance. He would go. And the Rosary was (is) his constant companion. (Look at the back of their motor home and you can't help but notice the devotion he has to Mary!) He and grandma instilled these virtues in my mom and she has instilled them in us. Of all the things grandpa has done, this, by far, is the most important.

Grandpa knows that everything he has if a gift from God. Because of that, he and my grandmother are incredibly generous. They don't need to be, but they are . . . to their family and to many, many worthy organizations. They have created quite a legacy for their family . . . a legacy that makes me wonder: what great things will I do with my life? My biggest fear is being mediocre. I always wondered where that came from. And now, I know - thanks a lot Grandpa! Haha! Because of him, I want to make a real difference in the world. I want to be extraordinary and help people, just like he has done. Thank-you, Grandpa, for creating such an incredible and lasting legacy.

As a side note, Tom Izzo was the keynote speaker. One word: WOW! What a great speaker and overall good person. Tom's wife, Lupe, also attended and spoke. I had no idea that they are such strong Catholics - so much so that a Jackson area priest accompanies them on away games and sometimes says Mass for them in their suite. Amazing.