Mrs. English teaches English

Ensign English

2012-01-23T15:50:00.002-05:00

What a proud weekend. The video is of Matt getting his first salute from his Drill Instructors. It is tradition that after the official ceremony the DI's salute the newly commissioned Ensigns. You can see that the DI has just the slightest bit of a smile on his face.

You may be wondering what they are doing with their other hands. Another tradition is that the new officers give a coin to the DI - the coin tells him what kind of job he did. Silver means great job - any other metal means terrible job. Matt gave silver.

Maybe it will work again

2012-01-10T13:54:00.003-05:00

I have been looking at old blog postings, and today I came across a posting from three years ago where I was reflecting on how much I loved tulips. Miraculously a beautiful bouquet ended up on my table shortly after the posting. Maybe the flower fairy is looking out for me and within the next day or two a beautiful bouquet of flowers will appear.

It's Wabbit Season

2012-01-08T13:25:00.004-05:00

We have been battling with a skunk for the last 6 months. You would think that with the calendar saying winter we wouldn't be bothered by the black and white beast. Well when the temperature says spring what's a furry little creature to do but stalk my dogs.

Christmas night Butch got sprayed for the 4th time this year. Dan and the neighbor are determined to catch and destroy the little varmint that is calling our high grass home. Elmer Fudd would be proud.

My how they've grown

2011-12-31T09:42:00.004-05:00

Since Timmy and Katie are both from Hillsdale the wedding was definitely a local affair. This included A LOT of kids that I taught. As I looked out over the dance floor I realized that I taught probably half of the 25 and under group. So I decided to capture some of my former students.

No one really knows, in 8th grade, where they'll be at 25. Here's where some of them are in life today:

Operating Room Nurse
Chiropractic School
Admissions officer at Adrian College
Financial Advisor
Teachers
Arena Football Player for the Cleveland Gladiators
College Students-undergrad and graduate school
and current high school students-with me as their teacher

It has been a while since I have seen some of these former students, and I do look very different from when I taught them years ago. I look so different many of them didn't recognize me. (I'm taking that as a compliment)

Both Dan and I are proud to say that we have touched the lives of all of these successful young men and women in some way-when you think about it that's pretty powerful.

Another wedding

2011-12-31T09:31:00.003-05:00

A few years ago one of the boys' friends got married,and the night before the wedding all the guys spent the night with us. Well yesterday another one of the "group" tied the knot, and yes the boys did stay with us.

They all came barreling in after the rehearsal dinner. The last time it was just the guys, well things have evolved in those three years, and our house was the place to be. Dan and I thoroughly loved having everyone here.

The only sad thing was that Matt had to go back to Rhode Island and was not able to be at/or in the wedding.

Every parent worries about the friends their children pick. My boys picked GREAT friends.

Candidate Officer

2011-12-14T14:25:00.003-05:00

Today is the day that Matt goes from being an officer candidate to being a candidate officer. It is also the day he gets to eat like a normal person again.

We talked with him on Saturday. He passed all his tests - there are no more rollable offensives. So it's official he will be graduation January 20.

He is working out details with another SWO to be roommates in San Diego. The nice thing about this is that this other guy is a class ahead of Matt and will be able to get things in order before Matt arrives.

Matt sent this picture as a bit of a tease. I know it's only a head shot and his gig line is off, but I think he looks GREAT!

57 is Nate's lucky number

2011-12-04T11:45:00.007-05:00

Track season is here. I know what you're thinking, it's way to cold outside for track. When I say track I mean indoor track. Since the end of last football season this is what Nate has been training for - to be back on top as one of the Big Dogs in the shot put.

Well yesterday the proof was in the pudding, or in Nate's case in the throw. Nate had a personal best indoor throw of 57'3". (That's with a 16lb shot mind you.) That throw was far enough for him to take second place and be preliminarily qualified for indoor nationals in March. Nate also broke the indoor shot put record for the college. He now holds every shot put record in Hillsdale: middle school, high school, all area and now college-both indoor and outdoor. Needless to day Dan and I are extremely proud. Nate has worked very hard for the last two years. I'm happy to see that all his hard work (and eating is paying off).

After the throws were done Nate's coach came up to me and told me he would like to see Nate put on 8 more pounds. YIKES - I know some of you are thinking no problem, I can do that in my sleep, but for an athlete it is not so easy. But in Nate's event mass moves mass, and Nate is a Big Dog now and that's what Big Dogs do. So I guess it's off to the store for Mom.

You've got mail

2011-12-03T10:00:00.008-05:00

Next week Matt is able to receive packages. Up until this point any package has to be opened in front of the DI and the class. Of course, there are comments made by the DI. Matt, never wanting to be the center of attention, made it VERY clear to not send packages.

Getting package privileges coincides with making the shift from Officer Candidate to Candidate Officer. I know it seems crazy, but this is a very important milestone in the OCS process.

For Matt this comes a day before he comes home for Christmas. And, like many other OCS families, I thought I would just forget about sending a package (since we're going to see him the very next day). Then I found out about CADIO boxes. These are boxes sent by families to celebrate this shift in status.

They are quite elaborate. At first I was overwhelmed by the entire thing. Then once Dan and I got organized, I actually enjoyed putting it together.

Getting the contents of this box will be the first time since Matt's arrival in Newport he is allowed to have sweets and caffeine.

Contents of Matt's box:
Men's Health magazine
Rolling Stone Magazine
Skittles
Nutella
Graham Crackers (I forgot to put a butter knife for spreading)
A photo album
postcards from friends from Hillsdale
Better Made pretzels
Starbucks instant coffee

Gettin' out the Christmas Crap

2011-11-30T12:48:00.007-05:00

So today we have a snow day - and the overwhelming consensus on facebook was to put up the tree instead of go into work and check papers. I took their wise advise.

Last year I decided that we had finally graduated from a kid tree to a more sophisticated - all the ornaments match - tree. So when Dan got the stuff down I was excited to see what I bought. (It has been a year, and I am getting older, so my mind isn't as sharp as it used to be). I did remember that I was going with gold and red tones. All the ornaments are up - I was able to incorporate some old ornaments that fit the new gold/red theme.

As I was sorting through the tubs and tubs of old ornaments there were a few family favorites I had to put up-even though they do not fit the new decor. The first must-hang ornament is Matt's ND Joe Montana ornament. When Matt was younger - this was the only ornament he insisted on hanging. It always hung front and center, and every time he would walk by the tree he would stop and pretend he was Joe Montana. Some of you may remember the days when Matt played/thought about ND football 24/7.

The other two must hang ornaments belong to Nate. The first is a Santa on a spring. Nate would hang this on the bottom of the tree so he could lay on the ground and bounce him. The spring has definitely seem better days - not much bounce left. The other ornament is a LEGO Santa. Yes, Nate still loves to play with LEGOs.

My favorite Christmas item is a letter that Nate wrote to Santa when he was in Kindergarten. This was the year that we attempted to have a Norman Rockwell Christmas and cut down our own tree. We went over the hill and through the woods looking for the perfect tree. Within days of putting up this "perfect" tree the needles started falling off. Nathan was so upset that his tree was dying he wrote to Santa asking him to fix our poor little tree with his magic. To this day whenever I read this letter I start to cry. This letter is something I will cherish forever.

Christmas is not about the stuff-it's those moments that happen between worrying about the stuff.

Thanksgiving in Rhode Island

2011-11-27T12:20:00.003-05:00

What started out a bit rocky - or better yet rainy - turned out to be beautiful. For the long weekend Dan, Nate, and I went to Rhode Island to spend the holiday with Matt. We left on Wednesday night and drove straight through. When we left Hillsdale it was raining; when we got to Newport it was raining. If I didn't know better I would have thought the rain clouds were over our vehicle the entire way. The ride there was a white knuckle adventure-to say the least.

Once there the weather turned BEAUTIFUL. We had 3 days of perfect 65 degree, no wind days. Every morning I would go running along what is called The Cliff Walk. This 3+ mile stretch of coast was where the rich and famous has summer homes during the Gilded Age. The mansions are just beautiful.

None of us has ever really visited a vacation town along the Atlantic coast. We went to a small fish market - we could not believe the size of the lobsters that were in the tank. Then to top it all off-prices at 4.99 a pound!! I pay more for lunch meat at the deli. We were tempted to buy one, but the thought of having a live lobster in the cooler creeped me out. So instead we asked the guy working the counter where a good place was to get a lobster dinner. We were not disappointed. Lobster bisque, salad, and a whole lobster for $16.00.

Dan and I decided that when we hit the lottery we're moving there. We absolutely loved it. But for now another visit in January-when Matt graduates will have to do.

OCS - Week 6

2011-11-19T09:09:00.004-05:00

Matt has survived for 6 weeks now. For the first 4 weeks the focus was on pushing them to the breaking point. At week 4 Matt had what's called RLP inspection. That stands for Room-Locker-Personal inspection. The Drill Instructors came into their rooms like whirling-dervishes yelling, screaming, measuring, all while tearing up their rooms - In the end all that was left were clothes and personal belongings everywhere. Matt was lucky enough to pass. Those who didn't were -rolled back- into the next class. In other words they flunked and have to repeat.

So far Matt has come through with flying colors. He leads the group every morning in PT (workouts). As far as he is concerned they don't work out enough. He mentioned that he is getting kind of weak when it comes to push ups.

Right now all the SWO's (Surface Warfare Officers) are deciding what port they want to be assigned to. Matt has narrowed his choices to three: San Diego, Norfolk, Hawaii. I just got an email from him that he is fairly confident that he will be in San Diego-he's happy about that.

If this holds true he will be on a MCM class ship. It's purpose: mine sweeper. It is a smaller ship with a crew of about 80. There are no women allowed on this vessel. if this comes to fruition, Matt will spend his training in San Diego and then he will be flown to Bahrain for his first deployment.

If the San Diego placement does not happen, Matt will be on a carrier either out of Virginia or Hawaii.

Dan, Nate and I are leaving Tuesday after work. Our destination Newport Rhode Island. The base is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday so Matt has until the Saturday after Thanksgiving off. Then he has until the 16th of December before coming home for about 10 days. Then just a few short weeks until his graduation on January 20th.

Mommy Dearest

2011-10-30T17:01:00.007-04:00

I always hate this time of year. Summer clothes need to be put away and winter clothes need to be brought out. This morning that's what Dan and I did. We went through our closet and gave it a thorough cleaning.

We're not savers, yet we threw away all kinds of clothes. Some had stains, some where (what was I thinking when I bought this) ugly.

As we were purging I decided that I do not want any more wire hangers (get the connection to the title)in the closet. Holy cow - I cannot believe how many I threw out. For anyone looking for Christmas gift ideas - some nice padded hangers will be nice. You know the ones that rich people use.

I even had Dan go out and buy some plastic containers for most of my sandals. I have walked into my closet more times today - just to look at the order. Both Dan and I feel so accomplished.

Fed-Ex left a package

2011-09-25T18:25:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week Matt finally got his official orders. We got home from work and there was a fed-ex package in the garage. I guess it really is real. His last day of work was yesterday.

At Pepsi they are celebrating Employee Appreciation week, and the other day Matt was honored with a "major award". One of the route drivers nominated him for something (not quite sure what that was-I don't think he's sure) and Matt won a $25.00 voucher for Pepsi merchandise.

We are going to enjoy these last two weeks as a family before Matt leaves. His departure date is October 8. No details on flight time as of yet.

Sorry for the delay in posting

2011-09-05T15:09:00.004-04:00

OK let me start off with an apology. I notice my last posting was at the end of July. Here's the story. Right after I posted that Dan and I went up to Mackinac Island for our anniversary. Had a lovely time.

When we got back home Dan had to start his now position at Hillsdale High School as the counselor. This is in addition to his old position of middle school counselor. As you can imagine the work load is enormous.

I found out that I got reassigned to the high school. I have spent the last three weeks moving and organizing my new room. I will now be the 9th/10th grade English teacher. I have already taught 9th grade English so the material is not the issue. My students in English 9 have always been those on the advanced track. Teaching them is easy. Now I teach English 9 to the general population-a whole new ballgame. Finally today September 5 I finally am ready to start school. Nothing like waiting till the last minute. Dan on the other hand is still at school trying to get every high schooler and middle school scheduled into classes.

We celebrated N8's birthday on Saturday with "Gator" meats. We had gator that was battered and fried, gator sausage, and last but not least, gator legs. I liked the fried gator the best. The legs tasted like frog legs.

Silver Anniversary

2011-07-30T14:10:00.004-04:00

When you get married you're all caught up in the wedding part of things-the ceremony, the dress, the reception, the band. You forget that there is the marriage part. In almost every ceremony the person officiating says, "Do you take this person for... better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health." When you're young you only think that there will be the better, the richer and the health. It's not until the passage of time that you realize that there is worse, poorer and sickness.

In the last 25 years we have experienced all these things in our marriage. When I got married at 21 I didn't know what I didn't know. Now that I'm 47 I still don't know what I don't know, but I know a lot more than I did. The worse, the poorer, and the sickness have definitely made the better, the richer and the health that much more sweet.

Reflecting on 8th grade

2011-07-23T12:22:00.005-04:00

I am sitting in my classroom on a Saturday afternoon boxing 11 years of my professional life. Next year I will no longer be a middle school teacher but a high school teacher. While I am excited about the curriculum in high school I am sad to be leaving middle schoolers.

At the end of every year I have students write a thank you note to someone at the middle school who has effected their life. Over the years I have gotten my fair share of notes. I have taught over 1000 students here in Hillsdale and in looking at these notes I have had a positive impact on many of them. Here are just a few of the comments I have gotten-some are more serious than others:

I love your hair
You push us to all do our best
You are willing to put kids before yourself and there's really nothing more anyone can ask of you.
You make school fun
I like that you are a kid at heart-you have a firm side and a fun-loving childish side.
You showed me how smart I really am, and that there's a purpose to coming to school.
You're like my mom and that makes me happy in class.
I would love for you to teach 10th grade English. (I am going to be teaching a section of 10th grade English!!!)
I love how you dress
You have beautiful shoes.

I hope that when my students find out that they will have me again they're happy.

SNAFU

2011-07-13T15:34:00.002-04:00

With every up there is a down. As Matt is getting all geared up to leave for Rhode Island he gets a call yesterday that his start date is backed up yet again. He is not reporting in August; his new start date is October 23.

Needless to say he is not very happy. This is the third time that his start date has been backed up. If anyone knows someone who can make a call - he sure could use it.

DIYers

2011-07-10T12:33:00.002-04:00

Dan and I watch a lot of DIY shows. Last year we added onto our back deck; this year we are adding cabinets and a concrete counter top. We made the counter top yesterday and took it out of the mold today. For a first attempt we are pretty happy with it. We need to clean it, sand it, and seal it before it can be used.

We had been looking online for suppliers. Everything was so expensive. We finally got smart and called the local concrete guy. They had everything we needed - all for only $50.00

24

2011-07-10T11:07:00.004-04:00

Every year part of our 4th of July celebration revolves around Matt's birthday. This birthday was even more special since he has only a month before he reports to OCS. We celebrated with the Ozogs, we celebrated with the Rodens and Matt also had his annual Matt Fest. By the end of the weekend he was one tired puppy. (Are you still a puppy at 24?)

Roden part of the weekend

2011-07-06T20:25:00.007-04:00

It was so very nice to have all my brothers and their families together. It has been 5 years since we have all been in the same place at the same time. I know it made my parents happy to have all their children around them too. I don't think they would trade any of us.

The big kids

Uncle Phil and Neil

Polish 4th of July-Garage party included

2011-07-06T19:34:00.009-04:00

FAMILY!!Do you think there is enough to drink? What a great day - Allen and Sarah did an excellent job hosting 60 family members. For those of you reading this who are not part of the Ozog Family this is not everyone. If I had to guess it is about 2/3 of the family. I think that the word is spreading, and next year will be bigger and better than this year. Morgan and Brian playing Corn Hole-Morgan is now the Corn Hole Queen of Plano TX Dan - the grill master. It was nice seeing cousins I haven't seen in 25 years-one of the perks of reconnecting with facebook. The highlight of the evening had to be when we had to take cover from a summer storm. We immediately moved to the garage-where Chris broke out the accordion. We drank, we sang, we reminisced about garage parties from back in the day, and we danced. Not to brag, but I am the Polka Queen of the group. Matt was so impressed with my Polka skills he mentioned it on the way home. What was most awesome about the day is we all picked up where we left off. When I was a kid we would get together all the time - if there was a holiday the Ozogs were celebrating. I am very blessed to have such a wonderfully close family, and I know if I ever needed anything I could call any of my cousins and they would be there for me. How great is that!!

Look at those guns

2011-07-02T08:39:00.003-04:00

It's the beginning of a great weekend. It started yesterday with the invasion of the Chicago Rodens. It continues today with the arrival of the Texas Rodens - along with a dose of Ozog Family fun.

Last night after dinner the 4 boys took dip in the pool. Here they are giving me their best bodybuilder "pose".

My baby's becoming a man

2011-06-22T16:38:00.002-04:00

So tomorrow Nate starts his internship at Consumer Energy. I don't think blue jeans and skull t-shirts are appropriate clothing for the work place.

Nathan has never asked for money, so I was very open to helping him get a starter wardrobe that is presentable in the "big people" world. We went to Kohls to get Nate some pants and dress shirts. I remember when I got my first job at NBD when I was 18. Like Nate I did not have an appropriate wardrobe and my mom took me shopping to get started. After 30 years I remember that kind gesture, so it's nice that I am now in a position to do the same for him.

This outing was quite stressful for Nate. He had a hard time wrapping his head around dressing like his dad or Papa. After some time he was able to purchase 4 pants 6 shirts, t-shirts, dark socks, underwear, and a belt. So he has enough variety in his attire to wear a different pair of pants every day of the week! Pretty good for someone who wears Hillsdale College shorts and some sort of Hillsdale College t-shirt every day.

The best part of the shopping trip was when the cashier let me use my 30% off coupon 2 days early. Nate said the reason we got this was as a payback for enduring my second surgery.

Send Nate good thoughts tomorrow!

Thoughts on a Tuesday

2011-06-21T08:07:00.002-04:00

Here are some random thoughts as I sit drinking my coffee on Tuesday morning:

I'm happy that Nathan is FINALLY starting his internship this Thursday. He will soon have money in his pocket

I'm glad I no longer have staples in my stomach-got those out on Friday.

Had the flu this weekend - quite painful to throw up with stomach issues.

Feeling for Matt - he has only had two days off in 3 weeks. While he's making a lot of money he hasn't had any time to enjoy his last weeks before leaving for R.I.

We have another bird's nest in a hanging basket-this time 5 baby birds. Nate is the only one tall enough to reach the basket, it's sweet; he has named all the babies and takes great care when watering the flowers every day.

Going to the Dr. tomorrow. This appointment is with the dermatologist-hopefully no skin cancer to deal with. I'm sick of dealing with health issues.

medical update

2011-06-10T09:59:00.002-04:00

Well it's Friday; I've been in the hospital 5 days. I am doing extremely well. The reversal surgery was on Monday-it lasted about 2 1/2 hours. Everything went great. I was out of it for about 24 hours; on Tuesday afternoon I got up and began my road to recovery. I have walked the halls continually trying to regain my strength.

I was finally allowed to eat a liquid diet yesterday. Canned soup never tasted so good (it was 5 days since I had anything to eat). This morning they brought me a "soft" diet. As soon as they dropped off the tray my dr came in to check on me. He was so pleased with my progress he has them take the soft food and bring me a tray of real food. Eggs never tasted so good.

My dr. will be back around dinner time. If all goes well with the eating today I should be going home tonight. While I have enjoyed being the test subject on a new hospital bed-I miss my own bed.

Everyone at the hospital has been wonderful. The nurses, nurses aides, shift administrators, food service workers, and janitorial staff have been so nice to me. They were so excited to have me back to get put back together. Again I have been quite humbled by the support I have gotten from complete strangers. I would recommend Hillsdale hospital to anybody!!

Now that this chapter is hopefully behind me - what will I blog about?

I know - it's been a while

2011-05-30T19:37:00.003-04:00

Yes I am aware how long it has been since I last posted. Let's see. Since going back to work I feel GREAT. I have enjoyed every minute of being back. These last two months have flown by. Now I am getting ready for the reversal surgery. That is scheduled for June 6. So I have one more week before I go under the knife again.

I have to admit I am a bit nervous. Before I didn't know what I didn't know. Now I know what I know and some of the things I know are not pleasant to deal with.

For the last two weeks I have spent every spare minute checking research papers. I finally got those checked today. I told Dan that I feel like I need to nest-I'm trying to get everything in order before next week. Today we opened the pool and I pulled out some ornamental grass that has gotten away from me, yesterday I trimmed the scrubs, I'm trying to keep up on my laundry and keep the house in order.

Before, because it was such an emergency, we survived day-by-day. This time
I want to be prepared, both while I'm in the hospital and when I get home. The thing I'm most looking forward to, when all this is said and done, is eating fresh vegetables, especially homemade salsa.

It has definately been a journey. Going through this had made me mentally stronger. While I don't wish this for anybody-I do feel better than I have in a long time.

Kiddie Table

2011-05-02T10:38:00.004-04:00

Even though Matt is almost 24 years old he still eats at the kiddie table. From what Matt told us about the table talk - I think it was more like Matt coaxing the boys to eat and Paige talking about anything and everything.

Nest

2011-05-02T10:35:00.003-04:00

The other day I was outside trying to get my flower boxes in order for spring planting. This is what I saw in one of the hanging baskets on the back patio. I am going to leave it alone and wait for the birth of the babies. I'm kind of excited.

Best of the Best (in Hillsdale)

2011-04-17T09:44:00.004-04:00

Nathan had another track meet this weekend. It seems like every time Dan and I do NOT go to the meet N8 has a great day. Yesterday Nate broke the outdoor shot put record for Hillsdale College. The previous record was 53'9". Nate's put was 53'10". This throw provisionally qualifies him for Nationals now in both shot and disc.

As of today, Nate holds the shot put record at Davis Middle School, Hillsdale High School, Hillsdale Area Best and now Hillsdale College. I guess he needs to branch out of the county.

The pic on the left is from 2007 when Nate was a senior. The pic on the right is from last week. He's a much bigger boy now throwing a much heavier shot (16lbs as opposed to 12lbs in hs).

I'm not sure who all reads this blog so I will fill you in on the latest development. Graduation at Hillsdale College is May 14. Since the end of football Nate's plan was to graduate then, and not take his 5th year of eligibility. Since track has started these plans have changed. Nate is now not graduating on May 14.

Instead he is taking his 5th year. He will be pursuing another minor degree, participating in track, and getting things together to go to grad school. The only difference is he will be living at home and commuting. He is very blessed to have this chance, not only to participate in the sport he loves, but to also have time to get his ducks in a row for grad school.

Back to work

2011-04-11T16:05:00.001-04:00

Well today was my first day back to work. I feel pretty good. A bit tired but good. The kids are happy that I'm back, although I realize that this is a honeymoon period - after two days they will be back to normal.

While my stomach doesn't hurt, my feet do. I guess 8 weeks without wearing shoes will do that. I also have teacher voice. Teacher voice is the raspy feeling in your throat from overuse. Again I haven't really talked in 8 weeks and today I talked a lot.

All in all a great day.

You could hurt somebody with that

2011-04-03T11:44:00.005-04:00

Nate came home last week with this big honkin' ring on his finger. It's his championship ring from football. It's very impressive to look at. Hopefully perspective employers will be impressed. The EPEP stands for Every Player Every Play. On the side it has his number "52". His name is also engraved on the inside. Because of the generosity of a donor this cost nothing to the players on the team.
Now on to track. Yesterday Nate competed at Purdue. Because of the weather Dan and I did not go. Nate called about 2 o'clock all excited. He had just finished throwing the discus and not only had a personal best but he won the meet. His throw was good enough to provisionally qualify him to the National Meet at the end of May. Needless to say Dan and I are checking out hotels in the San Francisco area for Memorial Day weekend.

Memory Lane

2011-03-27T20:19:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting here watching Grease on TV. I remember seeing the movie at the theatre t Fairlane. I was in 8th grade and a group of girls went at the end of 8th grade to celebrate summer vacation. After seeing the movie we went back to Cindy Cristman's house for a sleep over.

I loved the movie so much I went out and bought the 8 track with some of my paper route money. While I love all the songs my favorite is Beauty School Dropout. Loved it then; love it now.

Lakeland

2011-03-18T08:07:00.004-04:00

A while back Dan decided to take a few days off and go to Lakeland Fla with his brother Mike. All the planning happened before my saga. Even though they both wanted to cancel I was adamant that they go and have a good time.

They were there for three days and watched the Tigers every day. On Wednesday I was able to watch the game on TV. While I didn't see Dan and Mike, I did see lots of women fanning themselves to say cool. And yes that did tick me off as I lay on the couch under the covers.

I'm glad they had a great time but am looking forward to Dan coming home today. With him gone I have had to play with Daisy-at times that can be a full time job.

Sunny Day

2011-03-14T08:51:00.002-04:00

It's been a little over a month since my surgery. This last week seems to have been a turning point in my recovery. I wake up feeling good, where before, mornings were always challenging.

I still have a nurse that has to come by every day to change the dressing on a wound. The encouraging thing is that two weeks ago the "hole" was 7 cm (about as long as a pinkie finger). Yesterday the nurse measured it, and it is now down to 2.2 cm. I go to the Dr next, and all the nurses feel confident that by that time the wound should be healed and they won't be coming every day. (While I love that they come every day to take care of my medical needs - I hate that they have to come every day)

I am getting more adept to having the ostomy bag. I will admit I am still a bit nervous. Since I rarely leave the house I have the comfort of my home when I have to take care of things. I'm starting to venture our a little more to get used to having this appliance in a more normal setting.

The plan is to go back to work after spring break-which starts April 4. I hope that by then I will be strong enough to not only handle the student day but the after hours that add to the day.

When I went to the Dr last week we talked about the reattachment surgery. After playing out many situations we are sticking with the original plan. I will go in sometime after Memorial Day to have the surgery. Unlike the last surgery where I spent 9 days in the hospital - the Dr. assures me that this is a 3 day stay. He also promises me that I will be back to 100% a month after the procedure.

Through all of this I am thankful for many things: family, friends, coworkers, nurses, and most of all good insurance. I am very blessed-some people live with this for the rest of their lives. I am doing it for 4 months. In the big picture not that long.

Medical update

2011-02-27T12:39:00.002-05:00

I've been home from the hospital for a little over a week. During that week we were without power so having a stress free recovery (or hot shower) was a little difficult.

I was so optimistic when I left the hospital. For the first 3-4 days, every day I saw improvements in my health. The last couple of days I have hit a plateau. I have a scar from an incision that is not healing as quickly as it should, so I have to deal with changing the dressing for that. Luckily I go to the Dr. tomorrow and my nurse comes on Tuesday.

Mornings are definitely the worst. I get up around 7:30. At that time my intestines start to stir causing some cramping. A bit uncomfortable. After that settles down I get the right mindset to shower and dress. This process takes about 2 hours. Needless to say that after two hours I'm ready for a rest. I then spend the next 3-4 hours recovering from the morning.

When I was in the hospital the Dr. said I needed to take at least 4 weeks off. This week is the beginning of my third week. If things don't improve a bit more quickly I will not be returning to work in two weeks.

Putting my needs first is something that is very foreign. I am learning to ask for help. I will say that through all this Dan has been wonderful. Because of the ice storm he was able to be home with me all last week. I am a bit nervous for Monday -
Dan goes back to work and I am on my own.

insides out

2011-02-18T08:49:00.003-05:00

I'm sure there are some people out there who are just thinking I'm being lazy with my posts. That is absolutely not true. Here's the story:

Dan and I went cross country skiing at Garland February 4-5. We had a great time, but the entire time we were there I was having some abdominal pain. Got home Sunday night and got ready for the week just like always.

On Monday I went to school not feeling great - but decided to tough it out. I made it two hours. The abdominal pain was excruciating. My plan was to go the the hospital ER and get meds. I was in the ER 7 hours before the admitted me. The last time I was in the hospital I was having Nathan.

I met with a surgeon (who also happens to be one of the team doctors for the college football team.) He told me that my diverticulitis has turned into diverticulosis (or vise versa) and that surgery was quite possible. He admitted me to hopefully contain the illness without surgery.

I had a very good day on Tuesday - I really thought the meds were working. Well Wednesday was not so good. I woke up extremely sick. Apparently I had developed sepsis. Next thing I new I was in surgery. I don't remember much this day. Dan tells me that all the hospital staff was extremely worried.

For the next week I had good days and bad days. Things did improve when I was allowed to eat and drink again.

I have been home for two days. Dan has been wonderful. I cannot even put my own socks on. I am home for at least a month. I will have a visiting nurse come over at least once a week to help me learn the ins and outs of my ostomy bag. (There is a lot to it)

The plan is that when school ends I will go back to the hospital to have my intestines reattached. While I am excited about that the surgical procedure and recovery is similar to what I am experiencing now.

Thank you to all of you who have sent notes,cards,flowers, prayers and thoughts my way. I an extremely touched by the outpouring of support by friends and family.

Rocky

2011-02-02T13:17:00.002-05:00

Dan and I thought when the kids outgrew toys we would be able to have a nice finished basement space. Well the kids room has turned into the workout room. Matt's latest purchase is a heavy bag. He hung it up today and began to get his swell on. I will admit I have been wanting one of these. I want to try kickboxing.

545 miles

2011-01-23T14:39:00.003-05:00

For the last two years I have been diligent about going to the gym. For about the last 18 months I have recorded every workout in a notebook. Well today I took out the notebook and added up all the miles I traveled - either on the treadmill, the bike, the elliptical or on the road. The grand total = 545 miles. When I figured out how far that was driving, I would be between DeMoines Iowa and Lincoln Nebraska.

What a bunch of Smarty-pants

2011-01-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

Named to the 2010 GLIAC All-Academic team from Hillsdale College for football:

Mike Blanchard Sr. Biology Hillsdale, Mich.
Eric Burke R-Fr. Undeclared Indianapolis, Ind./Heritage Christian
Evan Duey Sr. Economics Northville, Mich.
Steven Embry R-Fr. Chemistry Clinton, Mich.
Daniel Gaines R-Fr. Biology Simpsonville, S.C./Hillcrest
Nick Hixson Jr. Chemistry Remus, Mich./Chippewa Hills
Ben Jones R-Fr. Undeclared Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon Catholic Central
Reid Meador Jr. Chemistry Whiteland, Ind.
Anthony Mifsud So. Accounting Dearborn, Mich.
Kam Mueller Sr. Biology Oxford, Mich./Oxford
Brad Otterbein Sr. Business Hillsdale, Mich. Ridge Riebold Jr. Financial Management Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty
Tyler Sandner Jr. Marketing Grand Rapids, Mich./Catholic Central
Joe Vear Jr. Biology Hillsdale, Mich.
Ryon Wiska Jr. Chemistry Northville, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central

Also named All-Academic and receiving the new GLIAC Academic Excellence Award for players with GPAs 3.5 or higher:

David Bakker Jr. Biology Holland, Mich./West Ottawa
Evan Jacobson Jr. Accounting Walled Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Northern
Ed Hojnacki Jr. Physics Commerce, Mich./Walled Lake Northern
Aric Geerlings Jr. Biochemistry Norton Shores, Mich./East Kentwood
Nate English Jr. Math Hillsdale, Mich.
Phil Doerfler Sr. Biology Allen Park, Mich.
Ron Bedway Jr. Accounting Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./North

Congratulations Nate

2011-01-11T09:48:00.002-05:00

Nate is the big winner of the family football pool. We predict 26 college bowl games. Nate knew a few days ago that he was in the running. After every game he figured out his win/loss percentage and what his odds were of winning based on that information.

He also knew that him winning was dependent on Alburn winning. After the win he calculated out all kinds of stats and arranged our family sheets in ranked order. I guess that's what math majors do. I'm just happy he has some discretionary income so he won't ask me for any.

knit-one-pearl-two

2011-01-05T11:05:00.002-05:00

My mother is always either looking for a deal or looking for the latest and greatest cleaning product. This little rag is THE BEST washcloth I have ever used.

I was in Detroit a few weeks ago and saw my mom knitting. She was learning how to knit homemade washclothes because, "They are the best." I listened to her rave on and on about these things and nodded my head in agreement - all the time thinking this woman is crazy.

Well, after Lord knows how many hours of knitting and reknitting, she is finally able to bang out a washcloth. She sent me home with one at Christmas. And yes I agree it is the best washcloth I have ever used.

I hope that when she reads this she takes the compliment and the hint and makes more.

House-to-House

2010-12-30T13:19:00.006-05:00

The Ozog's have been doing House-to-House for well over 30 years. That term is something we all know. In looking at Dan's facebook I was surprised to see people posting questions about it.

House-to-house was always the highlight of the holiday week when we were kids. We got up early and went to all our aunt's and uncle's houses. When we were younger it was always cool to drive with people who were not your parents. The goal was to not drive with the same person twice.

Over the years as we grew up house to house continued, but not as robustly as the early years. This year Dan and I decided to go just to the end and have dinner with the family. Well a lot of my other cousins had the same idea. Holy Cow there must have been 60-70 people at my parents house.

One of the things that makes the Ozog family unique is its welcoming spirit. We are definitely an in-your-face family. There is no warming up period. And with house to house everyone shows up at the same time, so it's instant chaos. While this is something that I am very use to, it took Matt and Nate a minute to get use to it. I guess I now know how Morgan and Gwen feel when they visit.

Dan and Suzi.Sr. Pat, Sr. Ann and Aunt Lottie. It was nice to see Sr. Pat up to the day. Dan will do anything for his mother-in-law. Here he is cleaning up a spill. Some of the cousins. Nate, Matt, Chris, Mary Ann (who I haven't seen in YEARS), Rick, Kate, and Al
Al and Uncle Wally-Look they have the same hair!! Me and Bobby - again haven't seen him in years.

**Pictures compliments of Lori's facebook- thanks Lori***

It's been a busy Christmas

2010-12-30T12:42:00.007-05:00

We started out Christmas on December 22 with a trip to Ann Arbor to celebrate with the English Family. After that we did Christmas Eve at our house, followed by Christmas day at Busia and Papas. Spent the night there until the 26th. Home for a day and then back to Plymouth for the Ozog Tradition House-to-House.

These pics are from the English Family Christmas. It's nice to have little ones running around. Brody (top left) looked so cute in his Christmas outfit. The only bad thing was he didn't have a belt. On more than one occasion he lost his pants while chasing something or someone around the room. We were able to fix this with a pipe cleaner. Maureen did a great job putting everything together. She was a little worried. This was her first party - usually she is the girl who brings the rolls. No one left hungry!

Christmas at Busia's is always lively. Brian, Heather and the boys were in. Eric, Patti and the girls and Heather's family also joined us. There are always SOOOO many presents under the tree. The little boys had no problem figuring out the Santa thing. We all must have been very good, Santa brought lots of great things for everyone. The second highlight of the day is singing St Lat to all those December (January) birthdays. Unlike last year the music was not too loud and the little boys seems to enjoy the Polka Dancing.

Merry Christmas Mrs. English

2010-12-15T10:59:00.004-05:00

There are times when 8th graders give their teachers a little something for the holidays. Today I got the sweetest sweet. One of my students made gingerbread people for all her teachers. She painstakingly went to the trouble of decorating them to look like each teacher.

Every day when I get dressed for school I take an inordinate amount of time picking out just the right necklace. And every day in class at least one student every hour will mention my necklace. Well, this students depicted me wearing a beautiful necklace. I am very touched.

August 7, 2011

2010-12-12T17:12:00.003-05:00

Matt went on Friday and signed on the dotted line and swore an oath to Uncle Sam. He starts OCS on August 7, 2010. (That is if things in Washington don't delay things - ie budget cuts) At least now he has a definite date. In the meantime he will continue subbing and hopefully be able to get his Pepsi job back when the weather breaks.

Trying to get into the Christmas spirit.

2010-12-05T09:15:00.003-05:00

For some reason I am having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit. I came across this youtube video - and yes I was able to sing along. I do prefer a faster beat though.

Cancer Free

2010-12-04T08:09:00.008-05:00

I had my last procedure yesterday. As of today-NO MORE SKIN CANCER! Out of the three spots: face, head, back - the removal from the head was the most painful.

I felt like a baby Chrissy doll. Baby Chrissy was the most sought after doll when I was in the 5th grade (for those of you who are too young to know). She had this red hair that you could lenghten by pulling straight up from the top of her head.

After they stitched up my head the tension was so tight that for about 8 days I felt like some little girl was pulling at the top of my head trying to make my hair grow.

And yes I did have a Baby Chrissy doll. Got her for my birthday. She was big enough to wear real baby clothes. While I loved her I never loved her as much as baby Thumbalina.

The parts are ordered

2010-12-01T07:30:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we got the approval to have the car fixed. The dealership in Madison WI seems very on-the-ball with keeping us informed on things. Hopefully this diligence will be apparent in its workmanship. One more hurdle we have crossed.

Dan and I are usually very uptight about things like this. We are both trying to take a different outlook. We decided that it's crazy to worry about things we have no control over. And we obviously have no control over this. I have to say I like the calm as opposed to the stress and tension that worry brings.

Where is the car today

2010-11-25T18:49:00.003-05:00

Well the car has been moved from Osseo Wisconsin to Madison Wiscoson - a little closer to Hillsdale. Dan got a call yesterday - estimated repair $8,000. Holy Crow. I was expecting it to be 4 or 5, not 8. I guess we'll find out next week if they are going to fix it or total it. If the insurance company decided to total the car this will be the second car on two years that I have totalled. Neither incident was my fault.

This made me smile at 7:30 in the morning.

2010-11-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

Nate's speech

2010-11-22T11:52:00.002-05:00

This is from the Charger's football banquet that was held a few weeks ago. Nate definately does have the gift of gab. We are VERY, VERY proud of him. We cannot tell you how many people have come up to us thanking us for the effect Nate has had on their son's life.

What would you do?

2010-11-22T11:01:00.003-05:00

When this football playoff situation came to light last week, Dan and I were not sure how far the Chargers would go in the playoffs. If they won on Saturday they would travel to Deluth the next Saturday. We knew we couldn't afford to fly to all the games, so we decided to drive to St. Cloud, and then fly if the Chargers should continue their run.

Well this proved to be a costly mistake. On our way home, just about two hours outside of Minneapolis we hit a deer. We were in a town called Osseo Wisconsin. Interestingly we live near an Osseo Michigan. The car was not drivable. We ended up having to spend the night in a hotel. There was another couple in a similar situation, except they hit a BEAR instead of a deer.

We were able to get a one way car rental - this was somewhat of an ordeal - to get home. On the plus side we were not hurt, and we do not think our car is totalled. We are also friends with our insurance agent and were able to talk with him right after the accident.

I guess this was one of those situations where you don't know what to do until you're faced with it. So for now we are safe and sound at home, while my beautiful, roomy car, with the heated seats, sits in a lot in Osseo Wisconsin.

The end is here

2010-11-22T10:56:00.003-05:00

Well Nate is officially a "Former" football player. The Chargers ended their season on Saturday with a loss against St. Cloud Minnesota. Both teams were evenly matched, but the Chargers fell short.

There were no stands on the visitor's side so the Hillsdale fans had to sit on the home side. With the loss, this was not the most enjoyable place to be. Behind the visitor sideline is the Mighty Mississippe, not so mighty this far north though.

It was COLD. If you can't tell this picture is of Dan and I.

Senior Day

2010-11-18T20:31:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday was Senior Day. It follows the same general format as high school. Parents escort their player on to the field while the announcer says kind words about them.

These are some pics that Matt took. We were shocked to see similar pictures on the front page of the local paper. I guess it was a "Local boy does good" kind of story.
Even though Nate is a big guy, he's never going to be too big to give his mommy a kiss.

I do have things to say

2010-11-17T07:38:00.003-05:00

I know, I know - where are the postings? I have lots of pictures and videos to post, but the battery in my camera died, and until I get a new one my camera is the only one enjoying my stories. And yes I did try going to Walmart, but they do not carry the battery I need so I had to order it (One of the many perks of living in a small town).

Hillsdale College did make the playoffs. That means Dan and I will be travelling to St. Cloud Minnesota this weekend to watch Nate. If the Chargers win we will be travelling to Duluth the following weekend.

Last football game - maybe

2010-11-13T18:47:00.003-05:00

Well today may have been N8's last football game. The Chargers won and ended the regular season 9-2. I'm not sure how I feel about ending this part of my life. I have enjoyed EVERY game from 7th grade on. Rain, snow, heat, mud, they have all been fun. I know that Nate wishes for a different outcome personally. He has been battling injuries since he entered college. Tomorrow is the team's banquet. Every year each senior gets a chance to speak. Nate has always been a very eloquent speaker. I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say.

Weekend update

2010-11-07T10:31:00.003-05:00

OK I realize that it has been a while since I last posted. It's not like I don't think about it. Here is an update on what has been going on.

Nate has decided not to take a 5th year in college and will be graduating May 8, 2011. It has been extremely difficult for him to constantly deal with injuries season after season. Besides he will have all his course requirements done this year. He is planning on throwing for the Chargers this spring (if his foot can handle it).

Matt is in Las Vegas for the weekend. He met one of his friends who now lives in Oregon. The two are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel. We watch a reality show that is filmed there and the hotel looked like just the place for two good looking guys.

On Tuesday I am having some skin cancer removed. While I am not happy that this is happening already, I am glad that the cancer that is being removed is the easiest to treat. I have three spots that need to be removed. Hopefully I will have all this taken care of before Christmas.

Hopefully this has all of you updated on what's happening in Hillsdale. I will try to be more diligent in posting.

313

2010-11-07T10:20:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago Nate had a game at Wayne State. It's nice for Busia and Papa to travel 20 minutes instead of the usual hour and twenty. While the outcome was not a good one -the Chargers lost, we did have fun.

Nate was able to not go home on the bus and after the game we went to Lafayette Coney Island. It was fun, especially when the server balanced the utensils on the salt shaker and toothpick.

Another win for the Chargers

2010-10-17T10:06:00.003-04:00

What a beautiful day for football. The Chargers were at home (thank goodness) against Michigan Tech. This game is always a big game. Both teams came into it with only one loss. Hillsdale was able to pull out yet another win. Nate did see limited playing time (3 plays on the punt team). His foot is still not 100%. The good thing is if he doesn't play, he doesn't get hurt.

Nate is definitely making the most out of football in spite of his injury. He is the one to watch on the sidelines. Not a week has gone by where a Charger Fan has not made a comment either to Dan and I or Nate about his enthusiasm.

This season has been personally disappointing for Nate. He worked so hard in the off season and started the year so well. The injuries have proven to be just too much for him. Even though Nate has the option of coming back for a 5th year he decided, this week, that he is going to graduate in May. It was difficult watching him the last couple of weeks. He has definitely been struggling with this decision. In talking after the game yesterday - he is ready to move on. While he will have fond memories of Charger Football you can tell that it's time for him to launch.

Because of all the tape, padding, and other injury aides - Nate has to wear two different shoes. His shoes and a much wider shoe to house all the stuff.

We're all wondering what we're going to do on Saturdays next fall-we have all the tailgating stuff!!

Nate IS traveling this weekend

2010-10-07T18:24:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been a long couple of weeks. Nate has been nursing his foot for the last two weeks. He was able to practice (not very well according to him) on Tuesday. Did not practice on Wednesday. And again practiced today (a light day). He is traveling with the team to Columbus, but he may not play.

I know what you're wondering. Are we going? Of course we're going. Before we know it this part of our life will be over, and there won't be football games to go to. So we might as well enjoy it while we can. A group of parents are meeting early to watch the Michigan/Michigan State game at a bar in Columbus (God help us). After that it's on to Ohio Dominion for a 7:00 pm game.

Anchors Away

2010-09-28T07:29:00.002-04:00

I know many of you have been wondering about Matt. Well yesterday at 1:00 he heard from his recruiter - he has been selected for Officer Candidate School for the United States Navy. All he knows as of now is that he is in. His recruiter thinks that he will be going to Rhode Island either January or February. I think that everybody in the house is happy that Matt will finally be starting his own life - not just living in Mom and Dad's basement.

With every up comes a down. Nate is still not feeling any better. They took an X-ray after the game that showed nothing. He is waiting to find our when he is scheduled for a MRI. Until then he is doing his best to stay off his foot - when he is walking he is wearing a boot. I'll keep you posted.

This puts everything in perspective.

2010-09-26T11:04:00.007-04:00

I feel like I'm on a gerbil wheel

2010-09-26T07:50:00.003-04:00

Now that we are back in school and football season has started I feel like time just rotates like a merry-go-round. Monday through Friday - work, Saturday - spend the day watching football, Sunday - clean, laundry, get ready for another week at school.

First let me update on Nate's game last week. The Chargers played in Ashland Ohio. I absolutely love watching games in that stadium. It was a good game with the Chargers coming out on top. Nate was able to play, even with his ankle not being fully recovered. We had Max for the weekend. While he didn't watch much of the game, he did have fun playing on the baseball field with some other kids his age.

During the week we suffered a tragedy at school. One of my former students, who is now a junior at the high school, collapsed in the hallway at school and was later pronounced dead. Since the high school principal, assistant principal and counselor are all new, much of the responsibility of getting things in order fell upon Dan and the principal of our building. It was a very hard week for everyone associated with Hillsdale Community School, staff and students alike.

Yesterday the Chargers were home. Nate seemed to be playing better and running faster. He was having a good game - until the end of the first half (again) when he started experiencing pain in his (other) foot. He tried to play the second half but was not able to do so. Dan and I feel so bad for Nate. We don't understand why these things keep happening to him. Nate, of course, is devastated. He worked so hard this summer getting ready for the season and to be sidelined week after week with some sort of injury is so disheartening. After the game we took him to the hospital for yet another x-ray. He will hopefully get the results today at injury check.

I know that many of you are waiting to find out about Matt. As of today he is still waiting to hear from the Navy. That, too, has been stressful not only for him, but for Dan and I.

Sometimes I wish the boys were the ages of Ben and Neil - when they were that age I could fix all their problems. Now I can't - I just have to sit back and go with the flow.

I don't want to end on a down note - We finally won the 50/50 raffle this week at the Charger game. We all pooled our tickets together: me, Dan, Norm, Al, Paige, and Meg. Matt was too cool to sit with us-too bad for him. We won $340.00 and split it (no mom it wasn't $840.00 - we were messing with you). Just for the record, though, I had the winning ticket. And yes we have already given some of the money away, just to keep the good vibes going.

injury update

2010-09-16T08:17:00.003-04:00

Nate called yesterday - he practiced yesterday for the first time since Saturday and said he felt ok. As of today he is planning on playing on Saturday.

2nd game curse

2010-09-12T13:14:00.003-04:00

I don't know how many of you remember what happened in Game 2 of Nate's season last year. He sprained his ankle severely and was out for a few weeks recovering.

Well yesterday was week 2 and, you guessed it, he twisted his other ankle. He was having a good game. The score was back and forth between Hillsdale and Grand Valley. In the middle of the second quarter Nate went to tackle a guy, fell on him, and then on the ground, twisting his ankle as he fell. To make matters worse he got flagged for a personal foul-late hit.

After that Nate had his ankle taped and did play a few more series before calling it quits for the night.To make matters worse Hillsdale lost the game. It wasn't your typical loss either.

With 1:16 left to play Hillsdale is up 35-34. Hillsdale has the ball on the 3 yard line. They decide to score; the score is now 41-34. The extra point was blocked and a Grand Valley player ran it all the way down the field for 2 points. Now the score is 41-36. Hillsdale kicks an onside kick-Grand Valley gets great field position and ends up winning the game 44-41. Talk about a night of roller coaster emotions. Needless to day no one here is in a very good mood.

#52 is 22

2010-09-05T10:02:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to Nate - 22 years old today. My how time flies.

Chargers win home opener

2010-09-04T11:21:00.003-04:00

And I thought Friday night football was reserved for high school. Hillsdale College had their first game of the 2010 season last night. It was a great game. Hillsdale won. But even bigger than that (ok I'm being a bit proud here) Nate played very well.

After three years of patiently waiting to get his change - he was finally able to show what kind of football player he is. He had a great game. He was relaxed, confident, and a leader on defense.

What I loved most about the evening was that after the game the first things he did was look for his mommy (me) to give her a big hug.

This is the weekend of Nate's birthday, and over 20 people came out to cheer on Nate and the Chargers. For some of the posse this was their first exposure to Division II football. Needless to say they are hooked. Great football at a great price, with no TV time outs and ample room in the stands.

Sorry there aren't more pictures - I just couldn't get it together-I guess the players aren't the only ones who had first game jitters

BFF

2010-08-26T09:08:00.002-04:00

Even at 48 years old Dan still likes to play. Now that they boys are grown the only one for him to play with is Daisy. And she LOVES the attention.

footnote-these pics are taken with our new camera-thanks Bri and Heather

A couple more pics from "vacation"

2010-08-22T17:30:00.003-04:00

My friend loaned me the bounce house she has for when her granddaughters come to visit. The bouncing wasn't what they liked though. All of them loved crashing into each other on the slide.

Even though we have tons of toys the favorite things to do was smash rocks. One morning all 4 kids took hammers and went down to the rock pile and started smashing away. Megan and Paige loved it so much they continued when the little boys went down for quiet time. Do they still have chain gangs?

We're on vacation

2010-08-19T09:08:00.009-04:00

They boys played army guys in the shot put area while we watch Nate at practice Watch practice from the top of the bleachers Nate taking a break from the first day of pads.

For years we have been taking the Roden girls, both the Texas girls and the Jackson girls for a little R and R. This year we have included the two Chicago boys, Ben and Neil - ages 3 and 2 - at Club English. The boys came here on Sunday and are going home on Saturday. It has been awesome. We work out, swim, play, have parties, watch movies, go watch football practice, and play with the dogs. They love their vacation (what we call it every morning). Yesterday Joanne and her kids came over for the day and tomorrow Busia, Papa, Al, Sarah and Kate are coming over to help celebrate Ben's 4th birthday before they all head home on Saturday. The other day Matt taught the boys how to do cannon balls - their new favorite thing.

Weekend wedding

2010-08-17T09:50:00.006-04:00

Three of the four of us traveled to Traverse City for Maureen and Rob's wedding. It was beautiful. Mary Ellen and Randy were gracious enough to offer of their beautiful backyard for the event. Maureen and Rob, surprisingly, had a live band playing. They were AWESOME. They played lots of classic rock, blues and jazz. Even though there were no single ladies for Matt, that didn't prevent him from cutting a rug.

Football Camp - day 1

2010-08-13T11:47:00.002-04:00

Today is the first day of football camp for the Hillsdale Chargers. Generally the day is spent in meetings and testing. Nate had his first round of testing this morning. He was so excited about his results he called Dan as soon as he had a minute.

Weight - 228 (he worked hard all summer to put on 10 pounds-ahh sweet youth:)
40 time - 4.7 seconds. This is down from his usual 4.9. For those of you who do not know speed testing-this .2 seconds is HUGE!
Pro Agility - a personal best even though he fell down.

He was so excited about how he tested. There are other areas of testing, but I'm not 100% certain on the numbers, and he gets mad at me when I misinform readers.

Dan did ask Nate how he stacks up against all the other linebackers. Nate's response was that his numbers put him toward the top of the entire team!! I hope he continues to have a good showing.

First day in pads is Thursday.

One down one to go

2010-08-12T15:00:00.002-04:00

Nate is off to football camp today. I remember 4 years ago when we took him to camp. We spent days getting things together; Dan and I both went; we helped him get his room all set up, and we made sure he was all situated before we left. After 4 years things change.

Nate got his stuff together (in about 2 hours); he loaded up the truck(while Dan and I sat and watched a movie), and left while Dan and I were at the gym. While part of me was a little sad that he didn't say goodbye, another part of me was happy that he is back where he belongs.

There were a few things he forgot - luckily we do live close enough and dropped them off for him on our way to lunch. No we didn't go in to see his room. We sent him a text telling him to meet us outside. As we waited for him we were watching all the parents helping their freshman sons. Four years ago I was not ready for my boys to launch into their own lives. Now everyone is ready. The boys want to be on their own and we WANT them on their own!

Family Dinner??

2010-08-08T17:07:00.003-04:00

As summer winds down it is getting harder and harder to find time to eat as a family. We decided a few days ago that we would have a smoked turkey dinner on Sunday. Well, along comes Sunday and Matt informs us he has to work, and Nate is doing some things at the college. So our family dinner turned into dinner for two.

With Nate leaving for football on Thursday and Matt ever so close to going into the Navy we don't know how many family dinners we have left.

Dan cooked the bird outside - as you can see it came out picture perfect. The rest of the meal: twice baked potatoes, green beans with almonds, crescent rolls, was equally as good. And it will eventually get eaten.

Fun in the sun

2010-08-08T16:52:00.004-04:00

Usually once a summer we head over to Napolean to hang out with Al, Sarah and the girls. This year Friday was the day. The weather was beautiful - we just hung out on the boat eating, drinking, and swimming. This was one of the few days that both Matt and Nate could be there.

After about 4 hours on the boat we headed in for pizza and cards. Busia and Papa joined us - congrats- to Kate for winning the pot. Just as a coincidence it was someone's birthday, but we aren't talking about that.

Great Trip

2010-08-03T09:40:00.006-04:00

In addition to switching the drain fields Dan and I went to Mackinac Island for our anniversary. Neither of us have ever stayed on the island, and we decided to stay at Mission Point.

We had nothing keeping us in Hillsdale, so we decided to become tourists in our own state. We first headed to Frankenmuth and lunch at Zehnders. We had the traditional meal - chicken with all the fixins'. And yes, for those of you wondering, they still put the little plastic animals on top of the ice cream. We got blue monkeys.

After that we headed up to the island. We are lucky enough to know someone, Jeff, who works for one of the ferry companies, and then we were lucky enough that he was working when we got there. He saved us $50.00 by giving us free boat passes.

I will admit, I am usually a vacation planner, but with this trip I planned nothing. When we got off the boat I felt like we were unloading the ferry to Amity Island (from Jaws) We had no idea where the resort was and headed in the direction of the hotel taxi. Neither of us wanted to pay $5.00 a person if it was close enough to walk.

Once we got to the resort it was like being on Nantucket. The weather was great; we checked in, got drinks and sat in two of the many Adirondack chairs overlooking Lake Huron, reflecting over the last 24 years (26 if you count the two before marriage). We had dinner on the outside terrace, where Alexandria, our Polish waitress, served us.

There is no air conditioning in the rooms and we were afraid it would be too hot. The rooms were so homey and comfortable. The breeze from the lake really made it nice to sleep. I couldn't get over how quiet it was. It's quiet at our house, but it was silent on the island. I didn't realize why the difference until the drive home-we didn't hear any birds.

We wanted to bike the island and go on a catamaran ride, but it was raining. We are definitely going back!! Don't have any pictures of the two of us-that's kind of hard when there are only two of us.

Because of the rain we left the island around noon on Monday. We had no place to be, so we decided to head to Petoskey and check out the scene there. We had lunch at a really nice pub, overlooking Traverse Bay. After that we walked around a bit -Petosky has a very quaint downtown area and then headed home.

In the past we have not really celebrated our anniversary-we enjoyed ourselves so much we decided that from now on we need to take a day or two and honor our time together.

Doesn't everyone celebrate this way

2010-07-31T12:10:00.003-04:00

Well our anniversary is in just a few days, and we have started the beginning of our celebrating with an annual event-switching of the drain field.

When we built the house 11 years ago the drain field was finished around this time. The guy who installed it installed a split trench system - meaning there are two fields that have to be rotated from year to year. He gave Dan the tool and told him to make sure he remembers to switch it every year. Eleven years ago when I mentioned that we should switch it on our anniversary, Dan was mad.

But we have never forgotten, and switching the field is an annual reminder that not everything about marriage smells like roses - sometimes things stink a bit!!! ( you see what I did here don't you - smell-drain field.)

Pics from CA

2010-07-29T07:47:00.003-04:00

Nate spent the last 4 days in Los Angeles. He went to see a friend from school; while he was there he hooked up with my cousin Mark. Nate and Mark had a blast. One of the things they did was eat at a Polish restaurant. This restaurant, Polka, has been featured in Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Nate was all excited-his thinking was if it was on a TV show the food has to be GREAT.

He ordered spinach soup, perogi, goulash and golumpki. Nate was expecting out of this world Polish food, what he got was Polish food that tasted like Busia's. Being the math major that he is he put two and two together. If this food is SOOO good and it tastes like Busia's food than Busia's food must be AWESOME. Maybe we should have Guy Fieri come to Busia's house for a meal.

He was taken aback with all the Chatski in the place. He said it reminded him of Uncle Stan's basement. The picture above is the counter where the cash register is. Nate says it takes up half the restaurant and is full of Polish Stuff - including a picture of Mark shaking hands with Pope John Paul II.

From our conversation this morning he had 4 days of extreme fun.

Here comes the Bride

2010-07-28T09:41:00.002-04:00

Over the Memorial Day holiday our oldest godchild got married. Maureen is 6 months older than Matt and a teacher. The wedding was awesome. We saw Maureen, along with the rest of her family, the other day, and she gave me this picture. It's only a copy that's why it's a bit grainy.

Maureen and her husband, Brian, left yesterday for a two week honeymoon in Europe.

Poor Butch

2010-07-27T11:23:00.003-04:00

Butch has had a rough summer. First off he had some cancerous growths removed a few weeks ago. Hopefully the doctor got them all.

Then last night while we were gone he got sprayed by a skunk. I guess it was just a matter of time before that happened. Luckily the internet has all the answers and we mixed a conconction of hydrogyne peroxide, baking soda and dish soap. I think it worked.

Nate's look-a-like

2010-07-25T19:57:00.004-04:00

Last week I posted a video of Hanson where one of the guys looked and danced like Matt. I guess fair is fair. Here is Nate's look-a-like. For those of you who don't know this is Steve O from the the show Jack A** and other dumb guy shows.

A bit late

2010-07-25T19:36:00.003-04:00

You may remember a few month ago I ran a half marathon. I was just looking back at my postings when I realized that I didn't post a picture of me crossing the finish line. I was so disappointed with my time I didn't order the "official" picture.

Well, time heals all wounds and I finally ordered the pic a few weeks ago. So here it is.

Yes I did run a 13.2 miles, yes I did finish, and yes I am thinking about running another.

Update

2010-07-24T08:54:00.002-04:00

Here's an update from the past week.

Dan has been working on scheduling - both for the middle school and the high school. (No high school principal, assistant principal, or counselor). We're saving for our next trip, so the extra money is definatly going to come in handy.

We got out carpets and furniture cleaned this week. The guys who clean our stuff have been doing it for well over 15 years. It's always a warm feeling when workers come to the house and remember not only us but the dogs.

Nate finished up his laureate on Friday. He seemed to really enjoy working with math modeling formulas. Don't ask me what he did-I really didn't understand it. He leaves for California today. He is spending a couple days with a friend from school. He is also planning on meeting up with Mark Ozog - who is very well connected from what I hear. I'm sure he will have a blast.

Matt has been working almost every day at Pepsi. Yesterday he has to be in Coldwater at 5:00 am-which means he had to be up at 3:30. Today he has to be at the Kroger in Hillsdale at 9:00-which means he has to leave at 8:50. He definitely likes today's hours better than yesterday's.

A few weeks ago Dan and I got new bikes. Tomorrow we are going to a local rails to trails bike trail for a 20 mile ride. We have been riding 10 to 15 miles locally, so 20 miles should be no big deal. These are the best bikes we have ever had. They are called Townie. A bit unconventional in design, but super comfortable.

Matt's double

2010-07-15T11:40:00.003-04:00

I saw this video when I was working out this morning. The guy with the aviator glasses and leather jacket looks JUST LIKE MATT. Can't wait to show him.

Oh No, not again

2010-07-14T20:17:00.002-04:00

Some of you may remember the Friday before Matt's graduation and the incident he had with the floor of his apartment. For those of you who don't know - lets just say Matt and Nate were roughhousing and the floor caused one of his front teeth to become dislodged from his mouth.

Well - it happened again. Last Saturday the boys were at a tent party (coincidentally with the same people as earlier). Matt was walking in front of the group-turned to tell them something-and-when he turned back around walked right into a pole. And yes, he knocked out the other front tooth.

This time (because the boys are now experienced in finding a dentist on Saturday) they came home only after Matt got is tooth fixed.

For those of you keeping score-this is now the THIRD time Matt has cracked his front teeth. His dentist called on Monday telling Matt he should have crowns put on. Thank God we have good dental insurance.

Smarter not Harder

2010-07-11T19:04:00.004-04:00

We have a problem when it comes to home improvement. We get about 90% done and then stop. We decided that we are getting this deck 100% done. Today, with the boys help, we moved bushes and put together hanging baskets.

The bushes that the boys moved were originally against the house; we moved them in April when we started this whole deck project. When we first moved them it took Dan and I a week to get 5 bushes moved. Matt and Nate dug the holes, moved the bushes, and filled the holes in 3 hours - it sucks getting old. At least Dan and I are smart enough to realize when we can make things easier for us (notice Dan supervising while the boys do the grunt work).

As you can see from the pictures we put up privacy lattice the other day. It's not that we don't like out neighbors, but now that we have a hot tub we sometimes want some privacy-if you get my drift :).

Tomorrow we move dirt and rocks!

4th of July weekend

2010-07-08T13:10:00.003-04:00

We were very busy over the 4th weekend. We spent the 3rd at Allen and Sarah's house. As always everyone had a great time. It's nice seeing relatives. Nate played in his first poker game. In talking to him afterwards he now thinks he is an adult because he played with the old people. No he did not win. Even though he is smart he had a hard time keeping track of the crazy games that they play.

Matt was the best big cousin. Neil and Ben really took a shine to Matt - he was helping them fish and they were actually catching fish. Watching Matt made me realize that one day he will make a great dad. He is so patient with little ones. (This is not in the near future-he doesn't even have a girlfriend)

Brian, Heather and the little boys spent the 4th at our house. We swam and played and watched movies and ate treats. Just like the girls before them, it's about time the boys realize what a resort Aunt Donna and Uncle Dan's house is.

Dan is still doing things at school, and decided not to go into work on the 5th. It was nice just relaxing after such an action packed weekend.

Happy 23rd Birthday Matt

2010-07-02T10:10:00.003-04:00

My Little Boy
I remember when you were my little boy,
An extension of my very being.
My every waking moment belonged to you.
One evening when I called you to supper,
You came to the table all grown up.
Where did all the in between go?
Too soon I was to let you go.
Now, I shall always call you "my son"
But in my heart...
you'll always be my little boy.

I can't believe that I have a 23 year old son. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. It actually hit me when I was thinking back on things this morning-Matt is older now than I was when I had him. Where did the time go? Yesterday I was holding a baby; today I'm looking at a man and I couldn't be more proud.

Summer Chores

2010-06-23T16:46:00.003-04:00

All teachers have a list of chores that they tackle once summer begins. My list is as follows:

Wash the house siding - always a big yuck.
Wash the windows inside and out-including the screens
Wash the kitchen cupboards
Clean the grout in the kitchen, laundry room and hallway

Call the guy to clean the carpeting and furniture.

I do a little each day so I still have time to sit by the pool and read. I have already read one book - Sylvan Street - not very good.

I remember being a kid and having to wash my two bedroom windows. My favorite part was always washing the screen. I loved when the soap would bubble up on the screen and the sidewalk. It reminded me of a giant noodle strainer. I still enjoy cleaning the screens, but this year recruited the help of Matt - who happened to have the day off the day I did the back of the house.

What a storm

2010-06-22T12:05:00.007-04:00

Friday night we had quite a storm. The winds were unreal. We were without power for about 3 hours that night, and the furniture on the pool deck ended up in the pool. All-in-all we didn't think much of it - UNTIL we drove into town on Saturday morning only to find everything closed do to not having power.

What we saw looked like a war zone. Trees and power lines were down everywhere, power was out, cable was out, internet was down. One of the most beautiful homes in Hillsdale was covered with downed trees. The chimney was totally demolished and the addition the owners put on the back was also destroyed.
This is the back view of the house above. You can somewhat see the white of the house. The chimney is definately not on top of the house.

We went a few more blocks and noticed a friend of ours outside cutting up down trees that fell into his yard. He was lucky, his neighbor not so much. He had what looked like a tree torpedo stuck in the roof of his garage.

After seeing all of this we realize how lucky we were. This was due west of the house probably no more than half a mile away. A friend of mine who works at the sheriff department said that this was a tornado that never touched the ground, so technically it cannot be called a tornado. I'm sure anyone who sustained damage is calling it a tornado!

I can't believe it's been almost a month

2010-06-17T12:26:00.004-04:00

WOW I haven't posted anything for almost a month. It's not that we haven't been doing anything, it's that we've been so busy. The end of the school year is always hard. There are days we put in 15-16 hours.

We finished up the year (with kids) last week. I am still working on committee work, and Dan is still working on scheduling for next year. We have been able to squeeze in time to FINALLY finish the deck. Matt and Nate were a huge help. There are still a few odds and ends to go, but the majority of the project is done.

We really wanted the wrap around steps; they did add a lot of time and expense to the project, but we think the outcome was well worth it. We had a staff party a few weeks ago and everyone fit on the patio area. We knew we did the right thing when people sat down on the steps to eat. (That's exactly what why we did it that way)

Honey Do List

2010-05-22T11:47:00.002-04:00

We haven't been home much and when we are home it seems like the weather is not agreeable to doing outside work. Here is the list of things we would like to get accomplished this weekend

Open pool
Wash front porch
plant flowers in the boxes
Work on the back patio (phase II)
Cut the Grass
Iron
Laundry
Grocery Shopping
pull weeds

I don't thing we'll get to everything. Some of my flowers are already in bloom. I guess I never realized how many purple flowers I have planted.

Run Donna Run

2010-05-17T19:04:00.006-04:00

This weekend was my big race-the Chicago Half marathon. I have been training since the start of the year. Before this weekend the furthest I had ever run was 11 miles. Well I am alive to say I DID IT.

I was hoping for a time around 2hours 25 minutes. My time was 2 hours 35 minutes. I am a bit disappointed with my time, but I am proud that I stuck with it and actually did it. I'm happy I was under a 12 minute mile. I think it works out to 11:54 minute mile. I was doing really well up until mile 10. At that point my legs felt like jelly and the wind was getting the best of me. I don't remember much of mile 11 or 12. I don't think I will ever forget the last mile and all the people cheering me on.

Crossing the finish line and hearing them announce my name was overwhelming. I saw Dan right when I crossed the finish line and I was so taken with the look on his face. You could see him beaming with pride.

I have been talking about this for months with my students. The Thursday before I left they made me a big card wishing me luck. Today when I got back they wanted to hear all about it. Even they were proud of me. While I'm glad I did it, I don't know if I will do it again. The pain I feel today is quite intense, and knowing how muscle aches go I think tomorrow will be even worse.

I don't have a picture of me crossing the finish line. Hopefully these will be available soon. (And yes I do know I look like my mother in the picture at the top of the page - especially the way I'm holding my hands together ( a typical Ozog trait).

College Graduation

2010-05-17T18:45:00.009-04:00

I was quite overwhelmed on the day of Matt's graduation. It's the day that every parent dreams of. All the hard work (by both parent and student) has finally paid off. It seems like when the kids are young things take forever. In looking back time just flew by. It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating his high school graduation, and here we are marking yet another milestone. I feel like Dan and I have done our jobs and raised a fine upstanding young man.
The weather was a concern all day. Luckily it held off for the outdoor ceremony. I have to say Tom Izzo, the guest speaker, was awesome. His message was perfect for not only the graduates but all present.
There is a bit of a sad note though. One of the graduates was wheeled into the proceedings by his father. When we asked Matt about that, he said that the young man had developed cancer. When he got his diploma the entire graduating class gave him a standing ovation. It was quite touching to witness. Sadly we found out he lost his battle with cancer 6 short days after graduation.

Family gathering

2010-05-17T18:34:00.007-04:00

We were lucky enough to have almost the entire Roden Family -less June and Gwen :( in Michigan to help celebrate Matt's graduation and Paige's first communion. We had a wonderful time. As always we had way too much food.
The high point of the night came when Sarah and Patty pranked Matt. Matt had already left for the night. It was around 10 pm or so when they decided to call Matt and pretend Patty was from the Registrars Office informing him that he had a balance on his account and would not be able to participate in Sunday's festivities.

Needless to say the first thing Matt did when he hung up was dial Mom. I let him rant and rave for a minute or two before handing the phone to Patty who proceeded to say, "You've been Punked." I only wish we had video taped it. Not only did we all get a good laugh, all of Matt's friends at Adrian got a laugh as well.

Grade 16

2010-04-28T19:14:00.004-04:00

We went down to Adrian today with the truck to get some of Matt's bigger things to bring home. He is done with all his classes and officially graduates on Sunday Summa Cum Laude. I had to look up the spelling for this posting and found out that Summa Cum Laude translates to with highest honors or with highest praise. Dan and I are both very proud of what Matt has accomplished.

We took Daisy with us to get a couple pictures of the two of them with the Adrian College mascot - the bulldog. You may notice that Daisy and the AC mascot share the same overbite. Got to love it.

Order in the court

2010-04-18T19:45:00.002-04:00

A few months ago, Matt got a questionnaire in the mail from US Federal District Court. He filled out the forms and sent it back. We hadn't heard anything, so we assumed he wasn't picked for jury duty. Yesterday he got his notice. He needs to report to District Federal Court in Kalamazoo in May (around the 17th).

He's very excited. I don't know if he's excited about being a part of the judiciary process or the $40.00 a day they pay.

Driving Miss Daisy

2010-04-08T13:07:00.002-04:00

Daisy absolutely LOVES to be in Dan's truck. She usually sits in the passenger seat straining her neck to see over the dashboard. Whenever Dan gets home she refuses to come out. She sometimes will stay in their for hours laying down soaking up the sun. I took this picture when the boys were working on the new deck. The weather was gorgeous and Daisy spend the entire afternoon lounging in the truck while the men toiled away.

Spring Break project

2010-04-08T12:54:00.008-04:00

Dan and I are off this week and Dan has started his first outdoor project of the season. We are bumping out our back porch and turning it into a huge deck. The reasons are two fold. First, the porch in its present state is too small to enjoy. Second, the addition will encase the hot tub from the neighbor's view.

Matt and Nate were home this weekend, and the three English men enjoyed some male bonding while working with power tools. Two favorites were the power post hole digger and the sod cutter. Both saved tons of time.

Happy Easter

2010-04-08T12:47:00.004-04:00

We celebrated Easter in Hillsdale. We had lamb, potatoes, asparagus, corn, rolls, that kielbasa and egg dish (I'm not even going to try to spell it), tons of appetizers and way too many desserts.

The weather was great. I can't remember the last time we did the egg hunt outside. Megan and Paige thought it was SO cool that they were able to go in the hot tub and run around the yard in their bathing suits. Sarah even took a dip.

It's always nice getting together with the family-everything is always so relaxed. I think that this day can be classified as a success.