I'm Home and the Sun is Shining

Actually in Naperville the sun shined all weekend....it was 101 on Sunday, the day of Emily's graduation. But back to why I haven't written for 3 days. Saturday morning we left at 5 a.m. and I only got up at 4:30 so by the time I got dressed and ready to go, there was no time for writing the blog. I then rode till almost 12 noon to get to Naperville, and the Nook doesn't work for writing the blog unless I have WiFi....so obviously I couldn't write in the car. When we got near Naperville Tom called and said that Will had a baseball game at 12 noon, and gave us instructions on how to find it, so we drove directly there. After the game....now about 2 p.m. we went to Kick's Shoe store, and all left with at least one pair of shoes, except Matthew....I personally came out with two pair. Emily and her friends met there, to take pictures in their cap and gowns in a riverfront park right behind their store. So for a while the store was filled with graduates and their mothers. I think a few took home shoes too! After all that excitement, we went back to Tom and Karen's house and rested and then had a great dinner that Tom grilled for us. He was kind of a short order cook, making brats, steak, chicken and even a piece of fish for Kennedy. By the time we were done eating dinner, it was late....well in a day that started at 4:30 a.m. it was late, and I went to bed at 9:30 or so. Sunday morning I got up at 7 a.m. to take my pills, and then went to the couch where Matthew and Presley were watching cartoons, and I kinda napped till others started moving around 8 a.m. We all needed to take showers and wanted to make sure we all had hot water, and there were so many that needed to get in there, all while trying to make enough pancakes for all to eat, getting their hair done and dressed appropriately to have pictures taken at 12 noon in the front yard. Thus, no time to write my blog. From then on it was a series of trips in the car between the graduation ceremony, back home, and then out to dinner celebration. They held the graduation at the Northern Illinois University, Convocation Center in DeKalb, which was about 1 hour west of them. The graduating class was about 1000, and it was the first graduating class from Matea Valley High School. Aurua has 3 high schools, and all three were held at the same location, but at 12 noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., it was a great auditorium, and each student was given 10 tickets, so for Emily's commencement ceremony there were about 10,000 guests as well as the 1,000 graduates. They had people directing traffic and we drove in and parked and left just as easily....not waiting in lines for ever to get out. The commencement ceremony ran just as slick. They read everyone's name and they all walked across the stage at a fast pace, and we couldn't believe how quick it was. We were in and out of there in just a little over an hour. We were in the second row of the section that started rising in the back of the auditorium, so as they marched in and out, they were right in front of us. They also had a big screen hanging from the ceiling that showed it all upclose for those that weren't as close as we were, and then when they got their diploma's we could watch on the screen.

After driving back to Tom and Karen's and putting up our feet for about an hour, we all got back in the cars to drive to Bucca's in Oak Park about an hour to the east of Naperville. Naperville restuarants to hold a group of about 40 wasn't available because of all the parties being held. We met 2 of Emily's friends and their families and friends along with Em's mom Amy, and a couple of Tom and Karen's friends. It was a wondeful evening of more great food, conversation and picture taking. We returned to Tom and Karen's late....maybe 10 p.m. and then Em opened her gifts....something I had waited for all weekend, as I had given her a special gift. It was my class ring from 1962 which was 50 years ago, June 3rd. I had put it on a chain and also gave her matching earrings, and a picture of me with my dad and my grandma in the background, so I had that picture recreated for 2012.

Obviously, I wasn't able to write yesterday morning, as we were in the car at 5 a.m. again. But it was a great weekend, and I want to thank Annie and Doug for taking me there, and Tom and Karen for taking such good care of me while there. I did really well all weekend, never taking any breakout pain meds and only napping for a short time on Saturday after getting to there house late afternoon. So I am so pleased at how much stronger I am getting. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers that give me that strength. Love and Prayers, m