Two Inches...

My 17-year-old nephew was in a car accident this morning, and the paramedics told him that if he had been two inches taller, he probably wouldn't have survived. He crashed into a semi-truck and the entire roof caved. Apparently he hit the central wheel base of the truck, and if the impact would have been to the right or left even slightly, the top of the car would have been completely cut off. I saw the pictures of the car and it made me feel sick. Apparently the driver of the truck didn't even approach Nick's car because he assumed the worst. Over the years my nephew has struggled with being the kid who's shorter than all his peers. All I can say is that I am thankful beyond words for the two inches that have turned out to be vital to Nick's life.

He is okay. Bruised, scraped, and scared...but thankfully okay. After seeing those photos, I'm honestly not sure how he walked away from a crash like that with only a band-aid and a headache. I know that if I would have seen something like this on the road, I would have assumed the driver of the car probably hadn't survived. I could cry. Thankful does not even come close to my thoughts tonight. Thoughts of how much worse this day could have been send shudders down my spine.

They took him to the hospital, and have done every kind of scan you can imagine to make sure there are no internal injuries. My family is in the process of piling in the car and driving down to Indiana to visit. It's probably not essential that we go there, but we all just want to give Nick a hug and tell him we love him. I am feeling pretty shaken right now, and still pretty upset, but also tremendously thankful that he wasn't seriously hurt.

This was written earlier today. We are back home in MI now, and all seems to be as well as could be expected with Nick. Tonight I am really wishing that he wasn't quite so far away, but it is what it is.

First Day of Fall

Today marks a change in the official time of year, but given how our summer has been here in Michigan, there's not much of a difference. If anything, today has been warmer than most of the days in recent memory.

Personally I'm ready for the cooling off period that is afforded by this time of year.

School started again, and I'm busy and overwhelmed as usual. I'm reaching that point where I really need to be done...I crave the finish line! And yet it's still pretty far off in the distance, with a lot of hurdles between where I am and that magical endpoint. I know it will be here before I know it...time always has a way of flying right on by, but I'm just tired. And I'm too old to be where I am. That's the real crux of the issue right there.

As I look out my window, it's only 8:10 p.m., and it's pitch black out there. That's the one part of this time of year that I don't particularly enjoy: the darkness that envelopes us and eats people's joy.

I'm rambling tonight because I don't have that much to say, but I still feel the need to write. I passed up my regular book club meeting tonight because I had a hectic and overwhelming day at school, and I barely slept last night. That, and I didn't manage to finish the book we were reading. Again. And here I sit at my computer blogging, instead of either studying, or getting some much needed rest. Dysfunctional and nonsensical, I know...

That's messy me for you!

Panera Bread Power Outage

My sister and I went to Panera Bread for lunch this past Friday, which was a rather rainy day. Just as we were placing our order, the power went out. We waited in line for several minutes as the power flickered off and on multiple times. Each time the cycle occurred, the huge stack of pagers on the counter would flash and beep, jumping around as if in frantic excitement.

Finally I asked the manager how long she would wait before declaring the power gone and closing the doors. She asked if I had cash, and I said, "No, I actually have a gift card." She shook her head and explained that they couldn't process any plastic without power. She then turned to the clerk who had been taking our order and told him to write down orders for everyone currently in line. Looking back at me she said, "If the power happens to come back on while you're still here, please come back up and pay for your food. Otherwise, enjoy your lunch."

So we happily ate our lunch in the slightly eerie glow of the emergency backup lights. I guess we had some fortuitous timing...we left Panera Bread with full tummies and my gift card still full too, cool!

Foot Loose

...and Fancy Free!

The other day I was lying on a blanket in the grass with my son. We were outside in the yard, enjoying the 94 degree day. For some reason, feet became the name of the game. I got a few cool, if random photos of our feet, Michael's feet, and doggy paws to boot: (ha-ha get it, to boot!)

where dog meets man

Arriving in Hell, On Left

Yep, that's right...today n we took a day trip to Hell...Hell, Michigan that is. :) We had a great time, even though Hell is so small that if you blink while driving by you're likely to miss it entirely. Michael's sister, Margaret has been visiting from Scotland, and she decided her visit wouldn't be complete without stopping by Hell so she could send a slightly singed post card back home.

We all got a good laugh when the computerized voice on the GPS said, "Arriving in Hell, On Left." Yes indeed, this tiny town has made the most of its name...there is no shortage of cheesy hell jokes and amusing decorations!


There's a general store on one corner where you can buy all sorts of themed paraphernalia, including Halloween decorations galore, as well as the a fore mentioned post cards. Then on the other side of the parking lot, there's "Hell's Kitchen," where you can get some pretty darn good grinder "sand-witches." We all had a good time playing with Charlie on the porch while we waited for ours.

In the middle of the two shops, there are a myriad of photo-ops, as well as a miniature golf range for the kiddos. Completing the package is a church with a question mark for a steeple. I know some people wouldn't be able to see the humor in that, but we had to laugh. I think they actually do real weddings!

Hiding in Plain Sight

This morning as I was mowing the back yard, a lovely sight caught my eye. There is a bird (I think a finch, though I can't be sure) who has built her nest in the lowest branch of our walnut tree. She's presently sitting on her eggs, which just tickles me to no end.

I only saw the nest because of the strands of nesting material that are hanging down from the branch. It's actually quite a smart little spot...low enough so that the baby birds (hopefully) won't fall, but still protected from predators bu the thick grown of leaves all around. If you didn't specifically look, you wouldn't even know the nest was there.

I'm mildly concerned because of our Jack Russell's hunting tendencies, but I'm keeping a close eye on the pet I so love. I feel fiercely protective of these baby birds and their mamma, and I honestly don't know what I would do if Ditto caused them any harm. In short, this simply can't happen, so I'm going to make sure it doesn't!

Isn't springtime sweet!

Container Gardening

This year has really gotten away from me in terms of gardening. It seems like spring was upon us in one instant, and now it's almost flown right by. Still, I couldn't let the season go without doing my traditional planting of annual flowers in containers for the back deck.

Sunday was a beautiful day, sunny with a cool breeze. I spent a couple of hours at the store, picking through what was left of this year's flower selections, and then I came home and planted until the sun went down. Here are the resulting pictures:

Final Grades & Scholarship Award

Life has been a whirlwind for me lately, what with my most recent crazy semester coming to an end immediately prior to us welcoming our new baby home! This morning I finally had a chance to catch up with all my grades from this past semester. Considering I took 19 credit hours, I'm happy to say that I still got almost entirely straight A's. Here's the breakdown of my semester:

1. Life Science for Elementary Teachers - A
2. The Developing Child in Early Childhood Education - A-
3. The Developing Child in Early Childhood Education Practicum - Pass (A)
   
4. The Developing Professional in Early Childhood Education - A
5. Field Experien III: Elementary - Pass (A)
6. Reading/Writing Connections in Elementary Grades - A
7. Literacy Across Curriculum for Intermediate Grades - A-
8. Math for Elementary Teachers I - B+

Not too shabby...plus, I received a pretty fantastic bit of mail yesterday too! I've been awarded a $1,151 Gail Ardis Hughes Elementary Education Endowed Scholarship for the 2009/2010 school year. Especially in light of the fact that we now have a new mouth to feed/bum to keep diapered, this will be a tremendous help with expenses this coming year! Let the good times roll!

Since When?

does Kroger close at 1:00 a.m.? I know we are in a major recession, but this caught me off guard! I guess it makes sense - I mean it's a really great way for them to unobtrusively cut their costs, but wow...I had no idea!

Wouldn't you know it, the one time in my life when I might be likely to need something from Kroger after 1:00 a.m., it's not open. I guess there's always Meijer...but maybe a better plan would be to keep a backup stock of formula and diapers on hand! :)

Welcome to the real world...

My Life Will Never be the Same Again...

On May 1, 2009...I became a MOMMY!!! We got THE CALL about our precious baby boy on Thursday, April 30, and we welcomed him into our home and our hearts the very next day. Charles Michael Emerson was born on April 28, 2009. He weighs six pounds, 12 ounces, and he is 20 inches long. His daddy and I could not be happier, or more overwhelmed and exhausted!! For more details (including lots of pictures,) hop on over to our adoption blog and see the big story!