We took Ian out to get a little experience behind the wheel before he started Driver's Ed. He did a really good job his first time out!
Now, he's a couple of days into the 3-week Driver's Ed class and drove on the road today! They've increased the difficulty of the class and the testing process, so he's looking at considerable homework...just what he wanted to do over summer vacation! Well, in the end, he'll be able to get his permit, so I think he'll live. :o)
So, as many of you know, I've learned over the past year or so that my body doesn't tolerate gluten. Yeah, it's a pain, but I feel so much better when I don't eat it...not to mention all the long-term effects. In fact, the Celiac could very well have played a part in my big drama episode last year with the multiple clots in both lungs--my doctor is investigating this for me.
Living gluten-free is much easier than it used to be. There are so many yummy products out now. We even have a gluten-free bakery in Grand Rapids! In fact, I just finished the website for Coco Charlotte. The owner, Erin, studied in Paris, so she knows baking! I got a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving that was totally amazing! I could go on and on...
Also related to this subject, I've also been given the leadership responsibility for our local Celiac Support Network in Barry County. We've just had one meeting since I have been leading it, but it went really well and we had a lot of new people show up. The word is getting out and I think we're going to be able to help a lot of people with our group. We meet on the 3rd Monday of each month...visit the site for more information.
The boys have finished up their first trimester in school and they did an amazing job academically! Christopher has a 4.0 GPA (including one AP--college--class) and Ian is right up there with a 3.94 GPA. They're both great kids and we're very proud of them.
We had a kind of fun week at work this week. We had a cubicle decorating contest and Slipper Day, which was kind of fun. There are pictures on my Flickr site, if you're interested.
I know it's not October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month), but if you haven't had a mammogram recently, please make that appointment! When it hits someone in your family, you realize the importance...just kind of drives it home and you make the call. Don't wait for that, though...make that appointment today!
Have fun getting ready for Christmas! I'll try to post again really soon!
So much has been happening! I'm not sure where to start! I guess I'll start with the boys.
Christopher was nominated as one of the Students of the Month for September. (I'll try to get a scan of the newspaper picture up soon.) He has really enjoyed marching band this year and even thinks that he wants to pursue a career as a high school music teacher. He has gotten very serious about his trumpet playing, too. He has decided to enter the Solo and Ensemble Competition in January. We took him to a college fair last week, so he's already considering where he will go in just 2.5 years! Science Olympiad starts this coming week and he's anxious for the new season of competition.
Ian finished his football season today. His team did really well with a 7-2 record! He really enjoyed being on the team, but he doesn't think he'll play in future years. Marching band is one of Ian's favorite things now--he's first-chair in the trombone section! That's pretty good for a freshman! He's really enjoying high school--and especially his Computer Science class. He thinks that he probably wants to pursue a career that has to do with computers and criminal science.
Scott played the piano today for a good friend's wedding. I had forgotten how much I enjoy listening to him play. He's been extremely busy with work, putting in about 50 hours most weeks. He's hoping that things will settle down eventually in that area. Two of the photos that Scott took on our Washington DC trip have been chose for inclusion in the newly released fourth edition of the Schmap Washington DC Guide. They are in the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima) section (click through the pictures to see his "by line") You can also see the full-size photos here and here.
I'm going to be taking over leadership for our local Celiac Support Network, so I've been working on a website for that, making decisions on some changes, lining up guest speakers, etc. I'm excited about the possibilities; I think there are a lot of people in the Barry County area who would benefit from our group, but just don't know that it exists.
My cousin, Brady, who is finishing up a degree in computer animation, recently had some of his artwork published in his school's promotional brochure! The model in the picture is Lisa, a break-dancing skateboarder, who will be a character in his video game that he will be designing. Click to enlarge photo, of course!
What a busy summer we have had! Christopher took Driver's Ed. in June and July, so he's been driving on a learner's permit for almost two months. He's doing really well and we are conficent that he will become a very responsible driver. He does enjoy driving and is very careful to follow the rules of the road. He hopes to save enough money to buy his own car when he turns 16.
Ian went on a mission trip to Niagra Falls with the church and had a great time ministering to the people of that area. He worked on various projects--inside and outside (including pulling weeds one day) and really learned a lot from his experience. He is now playing Freshman Football at school. His team is 2-0 so far, so they're doing very well. He's #57 on the team. (If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you will see him just above the ref and below the Trojan head.)
Both boys are marching in the High School band. They play different instruments, but somehow ended up walking into the stadium next to each other...maybe the band teacher just has a sense of humor...I'm not sure. The songs this season are mostly from the three Shrek movies, which is the reason for the green t-shirts. They'll wear their normal band uniforms for the rest of the football season.
Yesterday was Grandpa's memorial service. It was great to be able to honor him with a military service, even though it was hard on us emotionally. I think many of us had to start the grieving process over and it brought up a lot of sad feelings that we thought we had already dealt with. We're really going to miss him. Many friends and family traveled to Augusta, MI to attend. We were able to get a four-generation picture while we were all together, so that was nice. This song has brought me a lot of comfort:
Dancing With The Angels - Monk & Neagle
Memories surround me But sadness has found me I'd do anything for more time Never before has someone meant more And I can't get you out of my mind There is so much that I don't understand But I know
Chorus: You're dancing with the angels Walking in new life You're dancing with the angels Heaven fills your eyes Now that you're dancing with the angels
You had love for your family Love for all people Love for the Father, and Son Your heart will be heard In your unspoken words Through generations to come
There is so much that I don't understand But I know
Chorus
Bridge: We're only here for such a short time So I'm gonna stand up Shout out And sing Hallelujah One day I'll see you again
Not many people are fortunate enough to ever see a meteor fall from the sky. I have actually seen two in the past couple of months! One was on March 24 at about 8:00 pm. This one was reported by our local news station. The second one was the evening of May 11 on our way home from Grand Rapids. Scott, the boys, & I all saw that one. This picture is kind of what it looked like, but this isn't a picture of either actual sighting. The news station said there was a meteor shower to the south of Grand Rapids, which is where we were at the time.
Today was filled with a LOT of walking and a lot of monuments/museums. It was a busy, but fun day. We started out early and saw one of the new R2D2 mailboxes on our walk. It was really cool. They're unveiling the new Star Wars stamp at the gala on Wednesday night. We're secretly hoping that George Lucas will be there in honor of the event. They're not saying much, though, so we'll have to wait and see. Scott's trying to get 3 extra tickets, so we can all go.
We got in lines very early to get tickets to see the Holocaust Museum (no photos allowed) and the Washington Monument (inside). We couldn't get tickets beforehand, so we were really surprised to be able to get in to BOTH on this day. The Washington Monument was amazing. When you stand at the base, you think it goes on forever! We took a bunch of pictures from inside, too. We weren't allowed to take any pictures at the Holocaust Museum.
While we were waiting for our scheduled times for the above, we were able to visit several other sites on the National Mall. (BTW, with a name like "National Mall", you'd think you'd be able to do some shopping, right? Not so.)
We saw the WWII Memorial, the Vietnam and Korean Memorials, and the Lincoln Monument. We also went on a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which was pretty fascinating (no photos allowed inside). The view from the top of the Washington Monument was really cool, but we were all a little disappointed with the Holocaust Museum (just a little too depressing for our taste).
See all the photos here, along with descriptions of many of the photos.
Well, it's been almost a year in the planning, but we have finally arrived in Washington DC. Scott's position as the Mail Coordinator at RBC Ministries brings us here for the National Postal Forum. We decided to make the trip as a family last year after Scott found out that the conference would be in DC. It was really a place that we wanted to take the boys.
We didn't get much sleep this week, as much of our time was spent packing and getting ready to go. In hindsight, I should have taken the day before we left as a vacation day, but such is life.
So, we drove to my Aunt Jeannine and Uncle Randy's last night and spent the night. We had a good time catching up with them for a few hours. Aunt Jeannine spoiled with pizza and pop and even found a gluten-free pizza for me! We're hoping to see the rest of the family during our return visit. We haven't had a chance to see the baby (Aaron), yet. He's really adorable in the pictures we've seen.
The boys LOVED the flight. It was the first flight that they remember. The only other time they were on a plane was when they were both under 2 years old.
Once in DC, we settled into our hotel room and went to Chinatown for lunch, since it was only a few blocks away. The arch in Chinatown is beautiful and there are quite a few restaurants to enjoy. We went to Fuddruckers the first night, which was very good. We were all tired, so we just took it easy the first night. Scott & the boys went in the pool and we ordered a pizza.
Well, we've been busy redecorating. I've finally got some pictures to share! They're from my camera phone, so they're not real high-quality pictures, but you'll get the idea.
Ian's room after being painted.
Christopher's room, after painting. (He's showing off his Christmas present and his class ring in the picture.)
Fabrics that we're looking at using for our bedroom. (We're going for a tropical, relaxing theme.)
Fabric that I think we're going to use for the living room.
The lyrics to this song have made a big impact on me in the past few months, so I wanted to share them with you. Take time this year to ponder your life in relation to God and the people you love in life...it makes a difference!
Seasons of Love
Five hundred twenty-five thousand Six hundred minutes, Five hundred twenty-five thousand Moments so dear. Five hundred twenty-five thousand Six hundred minutes How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights In cups of coffee In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In five hundred twenty-five thousand Six hundred minutes How do you measure A year in the life?
How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love Seasons of love. Seasons of love
Five hundred twenty-five thousand Six hundred minutes! Five hundred twenty-five thousand Journeys to plan.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand Six hundred minutes How do you measure the life Of a woman or a man?
In truths that she learned, Or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, Or the way that she died.
It's time now to sing out, Tho' the story never ends Let's celebrate Remember a year in the life of friends Remember the love! Remember the love! Seasons of love!
Oh you got to got to Remember the love! remember the love, You Measure in love know that love is a gift from up above Seasons of love. Share love, give love spread love Measure measure you life in love.
We are so thankful for new beginnings...and the beginning of 2007 is no different. While we realize that all of the life experiences we go through help to define who we are, it has been a rough year and we are anxious for a "new beginning". Even through the hard times, we have seen God's hand and experienced his guidance, love, and comfort. He has been so good to us!
One thing that I've decided to do for 2007 is to take a photo every day (I actually started about a week ago). Just a way to sort of document the year in pictures. I will post these online and you can see them by clicking on the www.flickr.com button to the left, under the phone.
Another new thing for the new year is our new site design. It had been the same for a long time and was in need of a new look. I hope you will all find it pleasing. I do hope to update our blog more frequently, so I hope you'll check back often for updates.
In Loving Memory of Raymond George Schaft 12/6/16 - 12/1/06
Since a few lines in a newspaper can't even begin to do justice for this amazing man, our family has chosen to write this letter (post) to him as a tribute. You are receiving it because you have touched his life or the life of one of his family members in some way and we wanted to share it with you.
He was known by many names: Ray, Raymond, Jim, husband, Dad, Grandpa, Great-Grandpa, Chief, golf partner, brother, friend, and Ray-Ray by the aides in the Alzheimer's Unit. To me, he was Grandpa.
Grandpa had an amazing life. He was a hero his whole life--his name even means "mighty protector". Grandpa served our country on the USS Paducah in World War II. He was proud to serve in the US Navy. After his time in the service, he became a firefighter with the Detroit Fire Department. He worked his way up the ranks until he retired as a Fire Chief, about 30 years ago. He put his life in danger every day he worked to save the lives of others.
On September 8, 1945, Grandpa married the love of his life, Dorothy. Through good times and bad, they stuck together. Their commitment to their marriage is truly an inspiration to every couple who knew them. They were always there for each other..."till death us do part."
Family was everything to Grandpa and he showed it in so many ways. He was always giving and loving and caring. One way that he showed his love, especially for Grandma, was in how he wisely saved and invested finances, so he could provide for her. This was very important to him, even to the end. Even in the last stages of Alzheimer's, one of the things he continued to ask about was how they were doing financially. He was a great provider.
We are very thankful that unlike most Alzheimer's patients, Grandpa never forgot who we were. Sometimes it took a little prompting, or hearing our voice, but he did recognize us and knew who we were. He was always happy when family was able to visit and often talked about "his two beautiful daughters" or asked about his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Scott and I feel so blessed that our sons have been able to know their great-grandparents in a more in-depth way than most people ever have the opportunity. Grandpa has made a profound impact in Christopher and Ian's lives, which they will never forget.
Grandpa was the youngest of 11 children. He still has one older sister, who survives him. Of course, he leaves behind his wonderful, loving wife of 61 years, Dorothy. In addition, his twin daughters, Sandra (Bill) and Linda (Ken), his grandchildren, Kim (Scott) and Bill (Mell), and three great-grandchildren, Christopher, Ian, and Austin.
It has been Grandpa and Grandma's wishes that they both be cremated upon their deaths. Grandma will keep Grandpa's remains until her passing, at which time, they will be buried together. Therefore, there will not be a funeral or memorial service at this time.
In the spring, we will be having a full military ceremony at the national cemetery in Battle Creek, near Fort Custer, where he will be buried. There will be a color guard, the playing of Taps, and a 21-gun salute. We think that Grandpa would have been very please with this ceremony to honor his memory. Grandma will also be presented with a memorial flag at that time. If you would like to attend this service, please let one of us know and we will make sure that you are notified when we set the date.
In lieu of flowers, Grandma would like to put any gifts into a trust fund for the great-grandsons' college education. Even though Grandpa was never able to attend college, it has always been very important to him that his future generations "get a good college education".
Thank you for the special part that you have played in either Grandpa's life or in one of our lives. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers, as we are going to miss Grandpa tremendously. While we are sad that he's gone, we are happy for him, as he is now in the presence of his Lord.
Yes, it's Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for this year. We have been so blessed.
For those of you who we haven't been able to talk with over the past month or two, I'll give a short recap. I had some health problems...flu, then pneumonia, then one morning, I collapsed (passed out). Well, to make a long story short, I had multiple blood clots in my lungs. It was pretty scary for a little while, to say the least.
Through it all, though, we witnessed God's hand, His comfort, and His protection.
It's one of those times that make you realize that in the end, none of the material "things" in life really matter. It's pretty eye-opening...and you live your life a little differently when you've been through something like this.
Well, the bad news is that our toilet overflowed for about 20 minutes while no one was home, which spread throughout the house. Because it was water from the toilet, it was considered "contaminated" water and whatever it touched has to be replaced...which included all of the carpet in our house...upstairs and down!
The good news is that we have homeowner's insurance and they will be covering the cost for the new carpet, as well as the cost of the professional cleaning team that came in to extract the water from the floors and walls. God is so good.
We've decided to repaint before the new carpet is installed. We're starting with the boys' rooms. I'm sure there will be pictures along the way, so I'll post them as they are available.
I just happened to run across this picture and it made me smile. The boys certainly don't look like this anymore, but they sure were cute at that age! I don't have a very current picture to post, but maybe soon.
Life certainly is busy around here. Christopher is going to be playing football in the fall and Ian is looking toward running track. Both boys did a great job in school this past year--almost all A's with a few B's mixed in. Ian also marched in the Memorial Day Parade...his first marching experience.
Scott's still enjoying his new job and had a chance to go to Orlando for a conference with work a few months ago. Next year, the same conference will be in Washington DC and we are all going along. It will be a great family vacation.
Kim's been busy with websites. Some new sites include: All The Good Stuff, Prairieville Farm Days, and Soggy Bottom Labs. So, if you're looking for some great fudge, some country music, or a puppy, check them out! Special thanks to Vicki for a great job on the artwork for the Prairieville Farm Days site!
Since the last post, we have had to move Grandpa into the Alzheimer's Unit full-time. It was just getting too confusing for him to switch back and forth between the settings. For the most part, he seems happy there, but he does miss Grandma. He is Resident of the Month this month, so they are having a party in his honor, which he should enjoy. Grandma is recovering from a recent fall; she fractured 2 vertebrae in her neck, so it's been a rough patch for her.
Guess that's about it for now. Take care, everyone!
Living gluten-free is much easier than it used to be. There are so many yummy products out now. We even have a gluten-free bakery in Grand Rapids! In fact, I just finished the website for Coco Charlotte. The owner, Erin, studied in Paris, so she knows baking! I got a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving that was totally amazing! I could go on and on...
The boys have finished up their first trimester in school and they did an amazing job academically! Christopher has a 4.0 GPA (including one AP--college--class) and Ian is right up there with a 3.94 GPA. They're both great kids and we're very proud of them. 
My cousin, Brady, who is finishing up a degree in computer animation, recently had some of his artwork published in his school's promotional brochure! The model in the picture is Lisa, a break-dancing skateboarder, who will be a character in his video game that he will be designing. Click to enlarge photo, of course!
What a busy summer we have had! Christopher took Driver's Ed. in June and July, so he's been driving on a learner's permit for almost two months. He's doing really well and we are conficent that he will become a very responsible driver. He does enjoy driving and is very careful to follow the rules of the road. He hopes to save enough money to buy his own car when he turns 16. 
Ian went on a mission trip to Niagra Falls with the church and had a great time ministering to the people of that area. He worked on various projects--inside and outside (including pulling weeds one day) and really learned a lot from his experience. He is now playing Freshman Football at school. His team is 2-0 so far, so they're doing very well. He's #57 on the team. (If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you will see him just above the ref and below the Trojan head.) 
Both boys are marching in the High School band. They play different instruments, but somehow ended up walking into the stadium next to each other...maybe the band teacher just has a sense of humor...I'm not sure. The songs this season are mostly from the three Shrek movies, which is the reason for the green t-shirts. They'll wear their normal band uniforms for the rest of the football season. 
Yesterday was Grandpa's memorial service. It was great to be able to honor him with a military service, even though it was hard on us emotionally. I think many of us had to start the grieving process over and it brought up a lot of sad feelings that we thought we had already dealt with. We're really going to miss him. Many friends and family traveled to Augusta, MI to attend. We were able to get a four-generation picture while we were all together, so that was nice. This song has brought me a lot of comfort: 
Not many people are fortunate enough to ever see a meteor fall from the sky. I have actually seen two in the past couple of months! One was on March 24 at about 8:00 pm. This one was reported by our local news station. The second one was the evening of May 11 on our way home from Grand Rapids. Scott, the boys, & I all saw that one. This picture is kind of what it looked like, but this isn't a picture of either actual sighting. The news station said there was a meteor shower to the south of Grand Rapids, which is where we were at the time.
Today was filled with a LOT of walking and a lot of monuments/museums. It was a busy, but fun day. We started out early and saw one of the new R2D2 mailboxes on our walk. It was really cool. They're unveiling the new Star Wars stamp at the gala on Wednesday night. We're secretly hoping that George Lucas will be there in honor of the event. They're not saying much, though, so we'll have to wait and see. Scott's trying to get 3 extra tickets, so we can all go.
We got in lines very early to get tickets to see the Holocaust Museum (no photos allowed) and the Washington Monument (inside). We couldn't get tickets beforehand, so we were really surprised to be able to get in to BOTH on this day. The Washington Monument was amazing. When you stand at the base, you think it goes on forever! We took a bunch of pictures from inside, too. We weren't allowed to take any pictures at the Holocaust Museum.
While we were waiting for our scheduled times for the above, we were able to visit several other sites on the National Mall. (BTW, with a name like "National Mall", you'd think you'd be able to do some shopping, right? Not so.) 
We saw the WWII Memorial, the Vietnam and Korean Memorials, and the Lincoln Monument. We also went on a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which was pretty fascinating (no photos allowed inside). The view from the top of the Washington Monument was really cool, but we were all a little disappointed with the Holocaust Museum (just a little too depressing for our taste).
We didn't get much sleep this week, as much of our time was spent packing and getting ready to go. In hindsight, I should have taken the day before we left as a vacation day, but such is life.
The boys LOVED the flight. It was the first flight that they remember. The only other time they were on a plane was when they were both under 2 years old. 
Once in DC, we settled into our hotel room and went to Chinatown for lunch, since it was only a few blocks away. The arch in Chinatown is beautiful and there are quite a few restaurants to enjoy. We went to Fuddruckers the first night, which was very good. We were all tired, so we just took it easy the first night. Scott & the boys went in the pool and we ordered a pizza.
Since a few lines in a newspaper can't even begin to do justice for this amazing man, our family has chosen to write this letter (post) to him as a tribute. You are receiving it because you have touched his life or the life of one of his family members in some way and we wanted to share it with you.
I just happened to run across this picture and it made me smile. The boys certainly don't look like this anymore, but they sure were cute at that age! I don't have a very current picture to post, but maybe soon.
