What could have been

June 30th. Today would have been my dad's 70th birthday. It's strange to think about that because he died at the young age of 47. In my mind, my dad is not an old man. In my mind he's still in his mid 40's. It seems odd to think of him as a guy in his 70's. I often wonder... What would he be like? How would he look? What would he be doing? Actually I already know the answers to those questions. He'd be short with gray hair and a beer belly. He'd have a gruff exterior and a teddy bear interior. He'd be running a charter boat on Lake Erie while enjoying his retirement. He'd be delighting in his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. These things I know, but sadly they were not in God's plan.

As I contemplate what dad would have been like at 70, I am saddened to think about the things I wish my dad could have seen:

I wish dad could see my successful career as a teacher. When he was dying I was working as a teachers aid (while looking for a job as a full time teacher) after twice turning down a job as a police officer. Dad thought I was foolish to turn down a good job with benefits when a teaching job was uncertain. Two months after his death I got my teaching job and will begin my 24th year in August. I wish he could know I made the the right decision.

I wish he could see me in my great marriage. He got to meet Tami and Jessi before he died and he loved them. However, he died 11 months before our wedding. I wish he could see me as a husband and once again know I made the best decision of my life in marrying Tami.

I wish he could see my kids. He was already nuts about Jessi and I know he would have been crazy in love with Michael and Abby as well. I wish he could see me as a dad. I know I would love to have seen him as a grandpa.

I wish he could see me in my house. It isn't large or fancy, but it's a nice home. I wish he could come over and affirm my choice of residence. I wish we could sit on my deck and drink a beer together. I wish I could talk to him as a man experiencing things he'd already lived through.

I wish dad could see me as a stable, well adjusted, hard working American man. Somebody that will proudly carry on the Meyer family name.

But alas, none of this was meant to be. I don't pretend to know the mind of God or what His will is. I don't know why He took my dad at such an early age. It's not my place to ask why, but only to accept that God has a grand plan and that plan did not include dad living to a ripe old age. In my humanness, I will always wonder why, but deep down will know that whatever the reason, it was for the best.

I miss you, Dad. Today I'm going to drink a beer in memory of you and your 70th birthday. Here's to you!

It's WEIRD!

Baby watch continues.

Last week Sveta and Jessi came down to swim on a hot day. During the visit, the topic of baby names came up. Sveta was asked if she wanted the baby to be a boy or a girl. She answered that she wanted it to be a girl. This was no surprise to me. To real little girls, all other things are girls as well. Their dolls are girls, their stuffed animals are girls, their imaginary friends are girls... everything. So hearing Sveta wanted a girl baby seemed normal. However, it wasn't until asked WHY she wanted a girl that things got funny. It's because she likes the girls name her parents have picked out, but not the boys name. In fact, Sveta emphatically stated about the boys name, "IT'S WEIRD!!!!!!!". So Sveta's preference for the gender of the baby has nothing to do with anything except her parents' choice of names.

I won't share what those choices are because I don't feel it's my place. You'll all know in a very short period of time. Hopefully sooner rather than later :-)

Why didn't...

Why didn't somebody tell me about this?????

I took Abby to the library yesterday and I headed straight for the audio book section. I love listening to books on tape in the car. I found some that really interested me, but in the summer I don't drive much, so I decided to skip the audio books for now as most are 10-14 hours in length. However, as I browsed the library a little more I happened upon a new section. A big sign announced something called "PlayAway Books". My curiosity got the best of me and I just had to see what these were. As it turns out, PlayAway Books are audio books, but they are not on tape or CD. They are small, self-contained audio players (think MP3 player about the size of a large matchbook). The player comes with all the buttons (play, rewind, fast forward etc...), a set of ear buds and a spare AAA battery. All of this stuff comes in a case the size of a VHS tape. It's quite the nifty little set up. Now I can listen to my audio book ANYWHERE, not just in the car. Hence the name, PlayAway Books. I repeat... WHY DIDN'T SOMEBODY TELL ME ABOUT THESE THINGS SOONER?????

Many of you may already know about these nice little advances in technology, but they're new to me. Admittedly I haven't been to the library in a long time. I guess that's evident.

My current book is a non-fiction selection called "Scorpion Down", by Ed Offley. It's the true story of the submarine USS Scorpion. The Scorpion was sunk by the Soviet Union in May 1968. The sinking was tragic enough (99 Navy sailors killed), but it became even worse when the Pentagon covered up the whole tragedy by simply claiming the Scorpion was lost at sea. I'm only in the first chapter, but it's already a fascinating "read".

I can't wait to check out more PlayAway books. I'm quite pumped about this new discovery.

Well.......

Well, okay. So it didn't rain ALL day today. However, by the time it cleared up and the sun came out, I had to teach the weekly Bible study in our home. I'm not complaining, just sayin'...

Finally!

I finally got a few days off work. A few days without many commitments taking me away from the house. YES! Now I can catch up on some yard work and other things that have been piling up and neglected because I haven't been around much. Wait.... what? It's going to rain for two days straight? You must be kidding!

It never fails.

While I'm at work the weather is beautiful. I get home early enough, but I'm too tired to do much else for the day.

Get some time off, the weather is cruddy and I'm stuck indoors for two days.

UGH!

Baby Watch!

The baby watch continues. The official due date is one week from tomorrow. There have been no more preliminary contractions or twinges of pain. It looks more and more like baby Morton will arrive very near or even after the due date. For now we wait... and wait... and wait some more. As difficult as it is for us, I can only imagine what's it's like for Jess. I know she is terribly uncomfortable and more than ready for the baby to arrive. Until then, the excitement builds.

I have to face it

I am off work tomorrow. Normally that would be a good thing. That's not the case this time. Tomorrow I will be meeting some of my teacher friends at school. Our task will be to clean out Nancy Long's classroom. It's going to be a tough day. We will be boxing up her personal possessions for her family and preparing the educational materials for the new, incoming teacher that will take her place.

Keep in mind the room we are cleaning out is the classroom in which I spent the last 15 years. Nancy moved into the room on June 7th and died less than 48 hours later. This will be my first trip back to school since her death and it will also be the first time I have seen any of my colleagues since then. It is going to be a very difficult day. As we are cleaning I'm sure there will be lots of tears. I'm sure we'll be telling stories and reminiscing as well. There will be a lot of laughter mixed with all the tears. It's going to be an emotionally draining day. I don't HAVE to go. Nobody is forcing me. However, I feel like it's something I need to do. I have to face this. Tomorrow is that day.

Can't beat it!

Anyone who owns a pool knows they are a tremendous amount of work and require almost constant maintenance. Today all the hard work paid off in a big way.

After coming home from my summer job at the bottling plant, I went out on the deck to finish the job I started yesterday. I was roasting and pouring sweat within minutes. When the job was done, I jumped into the pool. OH MY GOODNESS! The relief and refreshment was instantaneous. The water was absolutely perfect. It was at that moment I was reminded why I own a pool. Yeah, it was THAT good!

Lazy Hazy Crazy

You know what summer days are like around here. Hot, humid, dense, thick and hazy air. The atmosphere has that look of thunderstorms ready to pop up at any moment. Clouds building in the distance and there's always a chance of storms. That's the kind of day it is today.

I was working outside on the deck today and sweat was just pouring off me. It didn't take long before I heard rumbling off to the west. I knew what was coming. Soon the wind picked up a little bit and a storm rolled through. It was brief and there really wasn't much to it. You may think I was disappointed at being chased indoors. On the contrary. These hazy days when storms could form at any second are one of the things I love about summer. I also noticed a song rattling around in my head and I found myself humming as I worked. It was just kind of background noise for me, but when I stopped for a water break I identified the song. It was Nat King Cole's, "Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer". I love summer... storms, heat, humidity and all. Here's a small snippet of that song that was buzzing around in my head this afternoon.

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer

Just fill your basket full of sandwiches and weenies
Then lock the house up, now you're set...

You probably know the rest.

Morton Miscellany

I've got the Morton family on the brain today...

First, Happy Birthday to my favorite son-in-law, Barry Morton. Okay, he's my ONLY son-in-law, but happy birthday anyway. Barry is a great guy. I couldn't ask for a better husband for my daughter or a better father for my grandchildren. He is a blessing to our family and I'm grateful for him.

Next, we're on BABY WATCH! Our daughter Jessi Morton is very pregnant and about to pop. She's due July 4th, but we're guessing baby Morton could decide to show up any time. Jessi has been experiencing sporadic contractions and even took a trip to the hospital last week which turned out to be a false alarm. There are only 12 days until the due date... I'm predicting an early arrival, but I've been wrong before.

Finally, Sveta. As if she hasn't had enough change in her short little life, the arrival of the baby will once again bring about more change. She'll do great though. She's going to make a wonderful big sister and will be a big help to her momma when the baby comes. I'm also thinking of Sveta today because of my tomato plants. Why? Well, last year I learned she loves tomatoes. At her other grandparents' house she would pick grape tomatoes and eat them right off the vine. That's all I needed to hear. I planted some grape tomatoes in my EarthBox this year. They are coming along nicely and I can't wait until she picks one of my tomatoes and pops it in her mouth. It sure makes me glad I don't use pesticides :-)

A Favorite Day

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. The first day of summer. The summer solstice. The longest day and shortest night of the year.

Welcome summer, my old friend! I've waited a long time to see you and I thought you might not show up this year. I'm glad you did though. Temps are in the high 80's and low 90's for the foreseeable future. It's time to jump in the pool!

Time. Money and Energy

Time, money and energy. All three are things that we love to have, but we're not likely to ever have all three at the same time. We never seem to hit the trifecta.

Think about it. When we're young we have plenty of time, lots of energy, but no money because we have no job. When we're adults we have some money, still a lot of energy but no time because we're always working. When we're old we have time, more money than we've ever had but no energy because we're just too old and tired to do anything.

This is exactly why I look so forward to retiring. I would love to have the opportunity to do a little living while I have the time, money and energy to do so. I think this is why the death of my friend Nancy is hitting me so hard. Yes, I lost my best friend at school and I will miss her a great deal. It's more than that though. It's knowing she was within 48 school days of retiring and starting her new life. A life without 6th grade students treating her poorly every day. A life where she could wake up and do whatever she wanted to do without being tethered to her job. She was only 53 after all.

This also brings to mind my own dad. He died of Leukemia at the very young age of 47. At this point I only need to live until April to outlive him. That thought blows me away. My dad was also very close to retirement when he died. I'm not sure how close, but I know he was starting to plan for it. This makes me sad because my dad loved kids and never got to experience the joys of being a grandpa. Knowing how much fun I've had with Sveta the last 16 months and knowing how totally excited we are for the birth of our next grandchild in a few weeks, causes me to mourn for what my dad never got to experience... the sound of a grandchild calling your name and the feeling of pure elation when that child jumps into your arms and wraps her arms tightly around your neck. I wish my dad had lived long enough to feel that special feeling.

Thinking about all this causes me to want to live life to the fullest and make the most of every day. This is why I have no regrets about splurging a little on a two day trip to San Diego. We really spent more than we should have, but it's only money and as referenced above, we don't know how much time God will give us on this earth. We had an opportunity and we took it.

If you're thinking I sound like I'm in the early stages of a mid-life crisis, I think you'd be mistaken. I think I'm just sad at the loss of loved ones. Sad knowing all the things they'll never experience. I'm not sure what label to put on my feelings today... Reflective? Melancholy? Pensive? I don't know much, but I do know one thing. I'm grateful to be alive and thankful for God's daily mercy and grace He heaps upon me. I am a blessed man and right now I'm going to end this post and get back to counting all those blessings. It's going to take a while.  

Things learned

After my trip out west, I thought it might be fun to make a list of things I learned while in Phoenix and San Diego.

1. No matter how you slice it, 115 degrees is H-O-T, hot, hot, hot! People say, "Oh, but it's a dry heat.". My reply is simple. "So is an oven."

2. If you need rocks for any reason (landscaping etc...), Arizona is the place to be. If you can figure out how to transport them home, the supply is endless.

3. And speaking of landscaping, there are actual road signs in Arizona that announce to motorists, "Landscaping Ahead" and "End Landscaping Area". I'm still baffled.

4. It IS possible to experience a temperature difference of 45 degrees in less than one hour of driving. The road trip from Phoenix to San Diego proved it. Amazing!

5. If you like to cook and eat roadkill, don't go to Arizona... you'll starve! I didn't see one dead animal in the roadway during the entire trip. Very unusual for a midwesterner like me.

6. If litter bothers you, move to Arizona. They had some of the cleanest roads I have ever seen. The litter around here bothers the daylights out of me.

7. If you ever find yourself homeless, somehow make your way to San Diego. There is a large population of homeless people there. I'm guessing it's the weather.

8. If a street performer causes you to stop in your tracks and watch, apparently you should give them a dollar. Who knew? BTW--- there were some cool street performers in San Diego.

9. If you don't have at least a MINOR understanding of Spanish, you may have a tough time in the southwestern United States.

10. It pays to know people. A family member works for Marriott and got us the employee rate on a really fancy hotel room. We never would have stayed here without that special rate.

11. Just because a hotel is swanky, doesn't mean it has free wi-fi in the rooms. We learned this the hard way.

12. Never underestimate the power of a good map. We had several maps provided for us on the trip and they were invaluable. Map of Phoenix, map of downtown San Diego (especially valuable due to the absence of free wi-fi in the hotel room).

13. You don't have to spend a ton of money to have fun. Walks on the beach and boardwalk offer lots of free entertainment.

14. Expensive restaurants are overrated. Keeping it simple where food is concerned really keeps expenses in check when traveling.

15. Plan, plan and plan some more. Traveling doesn't have to be stressful and difficult. Making detailed plans and executing the plans minimizes travel woes.

16. There's always something new to see. Rock formations, sand dunes, motels that are blasts from the past, a real naval aircraft carrier to name just a few.

17. A long drive in the car with just your spouse can be a lovely thing. It's amazing how nice a drive can be when there are no kids yapping or complaining from the backseat. Pure enjoyment :-)

18. Some people have more money than they know what to do with. The yachts in San Diego were mind boggling. Who has a yacht with a helicopter and full size speed boat on it? Sheesh!

19. Seeing all the navy ships still causes me to swell with pride. We still live in the greatest nation on earth.

20. Things change. I saw a Japanese Destroyer enter the harbor. With all the WWII stuff in the area, it seemed almost surreal. I know the war ended nearly 70 years ago, but that just struck me.

21. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence (or in San Diego). As nice as it is, I wouldn't want to live there. Yes, it's beautiful and the weather is nearly perfect year-round, but the midwest is my home and I love it here (except when it's cold and snowing).

22. People in Phoenix complain about the summer heat the way we complain about winter cold. Apparently the people in San Diego never get the pleasure of complaining about the weather. They don't know what they're missing!

23. It doesn't matter how old you are. It's still fun to walk barefoot on the beach, dip your toes in the surf and gather interesting seashells. That never gets old.

24. God created a marvelous and beautiful world. I will never see all of it, but I will continue searching for new things to see.

My body is WHACKED out!

We all know what jet lag is. After spending a week out west where there's a three hour time difference, then flying the redeye back home, needless to say my body was a bit out of whack. It took Sunday and Monday to feel normal again. Things were fine until I received a phone call yesterday afternoon. My summer job was to begin, but there are no first shift hours available this week. The only thing available is third shift. Yeah, you guessed it... I worked all night Monday and will do the same the rest of the week. At this point I have no idea which way is up, what is day or what is night. My body has no idea when to sleep or when to be awake. I'm typing this right now, but at this point I'm not even sure I'm awake. Maybe I'm just dreaming that I'm blogging.

Deeply Blessed

I always know that I am blessed. God blesses me in many ways I'm aware of and also many ways I don't even realize. This was completely clear this week. Consider the timing of Maria's death. Tami had already scheduled a few days off work and I had just finished school for the year. If she had died at any other time, I probably wouldn't have been able to accompany Tami on the trip. Consider the seamless and flawless travel plans to and from Phoenix and to and from San Diego. Travel mercies were granted in great abundance. Aside from the sadness and stress of dealing with the death of a family member, everything else went very, very well. This can only be for one reason... prayer. My own and prayer and the prayers of my friends and family.

I also got to celebrate Fathers Day a day late. Yesterday, all 3 kids called to wish me a happy Fathers Day. Today we went to lunch with Michael and Abby. Tomorrow we have dinner with Jessi and Sveta. All this brings to mind how utterly and completely blessed I am. I have a loving wife, three amazing children, a super son-in-law, an adorable granddaughter and another grandchild due to arrive in the next few weeks. I am a man deeply blessed and I know it.

Sole Deo Gloria!

Home Sweet Home

You've heard it a million times. It's nice to go away, but it's always good to get back home. We arrived home safely about noon today. It was quite the whirlwind trip. We are really tired from flying on the Redeye all night. I will be back to normal blogging tomorrow. I'm sure you're all tired of hearing about Arizona and San Diego. Thanks for your patience during this difficult week.

Headed Home

Phoenix was difficult. Dealing with the death of a family member is never easy. Add to that my friend, Nancy's death and it made for a very tough week.

However, San Diego was wonderful. More on that at a later time.

Tami and I will be flying into Indy early Sunday morning and will arrive home sometime in the early afternoon. I'm sure we'll be wiped out after the redeye flight.

Thanks so much for your prayers this week.

San Diego

San Diego is breathtakingly gorgeous! I love this place! The weather, the scenery, everything.

Unfortunately I don't have free WiFi in the room (only in public places). Therefore I am making this post short. I've got sights to see and things to do, so I'm not going to spend a lot of time blogging right now. Hopefully more later if I get the chance.

On another note, we've heard Abby is having a great time on her cruise. We received this photo from her and I wanted to share it.

The little stinker has a balcony room. Tami and I have never had one of those...

Heading West

As you know, we are in Phoenix, Arizona. Today we have decided to head west. Yes, west. But home is east, you might be saying. True, but Tami and I have decided to head to San Diego, California for a few days. Most of you are probably thinking the Meyers have finally and officially lost their ever-lovin' minds. Allow me to explain. Once you hear my explanation, you may think differently.

We have been here since Saturday. Tim has expressed great appreciation at our being here and I feel we have been a help and a comfort to him in our 5 days here. Tim has also said as much. Also, we are in Phoenix during the hottest time of year. Yesterday the temperature was 114. Humidity or no humidity... that is just plain hot and you can't do anything outside. San Diego is in the low 70's and the weather and scenery are gorgeous. Last night after the funeral about 30 people (Family and friends) were at Tim's house for a dinner. After a time Tim went off by himself. Later he explained that although it has been wonderful to be surrounded by so many people that love him and are concerned for him, he is ready for things to settle down (translation= Hey everybody, I love you all, but I'm ready to get my house back and y'all can go home now). I guess there is such a thing as too much togetherness. It's clear Tim now needs some quieter time to process, to grieve and to get his affairs in order. Tami and I are never ones to overstay our welcome, so we altered our plans. At the recommendation of some family members, Tami and I decided to spend a few days in San Diego. It's only a 5 hour drive. I have never seen the Pacific Ocean and neither of us have ever seen the beauty of San Diego. It seemed like a fairly easy choice after Tim indicated he was ready for folks to start backing off. We will let you know how things go.

Nancy would have laughed

I mentioned the special relationship I had with Nancy Long. We knew each other well enough to say practically anything. A few weeks ago we were discussing Nancy's eligibility to retire in October (one quarter of a school year). Nancy, being the always loyal teacher, said she was contemplating sticking it out for the whole school year. She said she felt uneasy leaving her students in the middle of the school year. I looked at her and said, "Nancy, we've been friends a long time, and I feel like I can say this to you. If you don't retire the first day you can, you're a fool". I said it lovingly, but meant every word. She laughed because she knew how stressful teaching has become and she knew I only said what I said because I wanted her to start enjoying her retirement as soon as possible. No offense was taken. She just sloughed it off, shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know. We'll see." We left it at that.

I was sobbing when I first heard the news and Tami was doing her best to comfort me. Through my tears I told Tami that Nancy was supposed to retire in October and now she'll never get there. Then I said, "She didn't even get to enjoy her summer vacation". Then it hit me and I had to laugh when I said, "Heck, she didn't even get to enjoy a whole weekend". I know Nancy would have laughed at that too. She worked her tail off for 30 years after beating cancer and died months before retirement. That makes me very sad. Nancy is in heaven with her Lord and Savior and I rejoice in that. I miss my friend so much already.

Continued Prayers

Please continue to pray for me and my family. The memorial service for my sister-in-law is this afternoon (Wednesday). It's going to be a very sad and emotional time for all of us. Couple that with not being able to be home for the funeral of my dear and cherished friend, Nancy and I'm having a rough go of things. I am struggling with not being home to grieve with my school family, but right now I am where I am supposed to be.

I was touched (and pleasantly surprised) to hear there were 150-200 people that attended the vigil on Monday night. The result was the photo in my previous post of the memorial at the school door. That is quite a tribute to a wonderful friend.

Impromptu Memorial

I received this photo from a co-worker. This is an impromptu memorial placed at the main door of the school. I was so touched to see what the community did for Nancy. She was such a dear friend. I cannot be there for her visitation or funeral and it is absolutely KILLING me. I know Nancy would understand why I'm in Arizona. I also know The Lord has me here for a reason.

A tremendous loss

I received crushing news yesterday. One of my closest friends from school passed away suddenly and unexpectedly over the weekend. I worked with Nancy Long for 23 years. She was a dear, dear friend. In my school, co-workers are more than mere co-workers... they are like family. I am devastated.

Nancy was on vacation in Tennessee with her husband, Kenn. She told him she didn't feel well and went to rest on the couch. She fell asleep there for the night and never woke up. We don't know what happened yet.

Nancy was due to retire in October. She needed to work only one more quarter and was going to ride off into the sunset with a 30 year teaching career behind her. She never made it. She was in her early 50's, thin as a rail, didn't smoke and didn't drink. She did beat cancer many years ago, but I cannot imagine that had anything to do with her untimely death.

We traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia with the Long family in 1996 when Michael was two years old. I worked for Kenn Long several summers many years ago. The bed my granddaughter Sveta currently sleeps in belonged to the Long family originally. Nancy and I swapped classrooms just last week (due to new teaching assignments). We worked very closely together and shared a special working relationship. We had even convinced our students  that we were brother/sister. It was our joke that went on for many years. Nancy and I had very similar personalities, we were both short in stature with dark hair and brown eyes. It didn't take much to sell the kids on the this joke. Once the kids had taken the bait we would always playfully argue in front of them about who was the older sibling. I even called her "Sis" to keep the joke running. The kids got a real kick out of it. To this day, students (current and former) still believe it.

I am going to miss my friend. I regret we didn't get to have a retirement party for her and give her the send off she earned.

I do take comfort that Nancy was a believer. She is now absent from the body, but present with the Lord. I will miss you greatly, Sis.  

It's early!

There's more to adjusting to this trip to the southwest than just the 3 hour time difference (that's challenging enough). I've noticed how much earlier the sun rises out here. By 5:30 the sun is up. I don't just mean it's peeking over the horizon. It is UP! These two factors combined have made it pretty difficult to get much sleep. I was wide awake at a quarter 'til 5 this morning. Why wouldn't I be? My body thinks it's nearly 8:00 and the sun is shining to beat the band! I also don't sleep well in hotels. I wake up every hour or two. When I look at the clock I always hope I've gotten an extended time of sleep, but that's not the case.

Sooooo.... here's a bright and early good morning greeting from Phoenix, Arizona.

Arrived safely

After traveling all day yesterday, we arrived safely in Phoenix last night. Every aspect of the day went smoothly. The TSA security check, the flights, the layover, the rental car and the hotel. Not one hitch in any of it. Shucks, the airline didn't lose our luggage either :-) It was a little scary how well things were going. It was almost as if things were going TOO well. You kept thinking something had to go wrong at some point, but it never did. Praise be to God for travel mercies.

Upon arrival we called Tami's brother, Tim. He said he was completely wiped out and requested we not come over until Sunday. We had a restful night and we are getting ready to go and see him now. 

We are having a little trouble with the time change. We were up at 5:30 because our bodies actually felt like it was 8:30. I'm sure we'll adjust. 

As always, thank you for your prayers.

Sad News

Sad news from our family in Phoenix. We knew it was coming. We just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Maria passed away tonight about 10:30. She died peacefully in her sleep. Tami's brother, Tim, is understandably devastated.

We fly out tomorrow about 2:30. I am glad we are going to be there. Once again, I request your prayers.

Another Change

After careful discussion and consideration, Tami and I have decided to fly to Phoenix instead. We were able to get plane tickets and a rental car for just about the same price as gasoline and hotels if we had driven out.

Tami spoke with her brother this morning and the situation is grave. Maria is not expected to live through the weekend. Prayers for the family would be much appreciated.

By the way, please pray the AC in the rental car works really well. Here are the forecasted high temperatures for Phoenix over the next few days. 112, 108, 109, 107, 107.

Ummmm... WOW!

Change of plans

God is sovereign. The Lamb is on the throne. My plans are not God's plans.

Vacation is off. My sister-in-law, Maria, in Phoenix, Arizona has been battling cancer for several years. Until recently she has been holding her own. We received a phone call this morning informing us that she has taken a fast and drastic downward turn. Due to some experimental treatment she has a hole in her intestine that cannot be surgically repaired (due to her frail condition). In turn this hole is going to cause sepsis. Sepsis is what is going to ultimately cause her death. She has been given anywhere from hours to days to weeks to live.

The decision to cancel vacation is a no-brainer. Instead of leaving for Michigan this evening, Tami and I will head west and drive to Phoenix. I wasn't expecting to drive all the way across the country this week, but Tami and I feel the need to minister to the family in any way we can. Please pray for us as we drive across the country with only hours to prepare. Also pray for ways that we can be a witness for Christ in this time.

I will try to update this blog as often as possible, but there may be a few days where you don't hear from me.

To God be the glory.

One to go!

My students are finished for the year. They walked out my door today and didn't look back. I'm sure they were tired of looking at me day in and day out. Tomorrow is my last day. We have a teacher breakfast in the morning, then we are free to work in our classrooms until it's time to go home. I won't say there won't be a sigh of relief and maybe a shout for joy when I drive out of the school parking lot. It's been a long year. I'm ready for a break.

Vacation Getaway!

Just a few more days this week and I will be finished with school for another year. We won't be wasting any time going on vacation either. I'm done at school Friday afternoon and we're leaving for our vacation this weekend.

Tami and I were talking a few days ago and we realized this is the first vacation we've ever taken without kids. Other than our honeymoon (and we barely knew each other then!) and the occasional weekend trip, we've always travelled with children. Keep in mind Jessi was seven when we got married, so there were no adults only vacations after we got married (and none since). Abby is leaving Friday to go on a cruise with her cousins. Michael is off on his own and working for the summer. Jessi is in the homestretch of her pregnancy. I'll be off work, the kids are all doing other things. Tami and I found ourselves with an extended period of time with no children. We're not about to waste the opportunity sitting around the house. So....Vacation, here we come!

We're not doing anything fancy or expensive. We both enjoy the simple things in life, so this won't be an extravagant trip. We will be going to South Haven, Michigan on the shores of Lake Michigan. It's a quaint little town with shops and restaurants on the water. A nice beach for long walks and watching the sunset. The weather is still too cool for swimming, but we're not big swimmers anyway. There's a long pier with a lighthouse at the end. We can take a leisurely walk and check out the action. There's a drawbridge and marina where fishing boats come in. We also like to find small, local restaurants. We can eat in the large, chain restaurants at home. We like to try something different on vacation. We also enjoy visiting wineries. We've been known to sample the fruits of the vine on occasion. There is also the possibility of Tami getting a few extra days off and we may extend our trip. If that happens we'll head up to the Upper Peninsula and Mackinac Island. We may even swing through Frankenmuth on the way back home. Frankenmuth is an old German town. My grandparents used to visit there on occasion. My grandpa swore they served the biggest ice cream cones in the world. And he LOVED his ice cream!

No matter what we do, it's going to be wonderful to get away and very interesting to travel without the kids. I know it's going to seem very strange (at least at first). We are so looking forward to a break from the grind of everyday life. When we return we then get to start the baby watch. Baby Morton is due July 4th, but as you know, the tiny bundle of joy will arrive whenever it doggone well pleases. There's a lot of blessings worthy of rejoicing right now.

One of those moments!

I spend a lot of time talking about the negatives of being a teacher in the 21st century. The blatant disrespect from students, total disregard for rules and authority, the breakdown of the traditional American family unit etc... Today, I experienced one of those moments that makes everything worthwhile. One of those times that reminds me why I ever became a teacher in the first place. As the school year winds down, I am now seeing some classes for the last time until next year (and some for the last time ever). Today, as one class was leaving my classroom for the last time, a student walked up to me, looked me directly in the eye and said, "It was nice being in your class this year, Mr. Meyer. Have a nice summer". Goosebumps immediately appeared on my skin and a big lump jumped into my throat. I think this reaction was caused because the comment was so unexpected and straight from the heart. Nobody told this kid to say this. Just when I think all is for naught, something like this happens and it restores my desire to teach. Many of the rewards of teaching are intrinsic. It's not about the money or the recognition. Knowing that some kids really do appreciate what I do and value what I'm teaching. THAT'S what makes it all worth it. Who would have thought I would have gotten a pat on the back from a 5th grader? Just when I was feeling lower than low, God sends this little guy my way for a pick-me-up. To God alone be the glory!  

23 years

This week I finish my 23rd year of teaching. After all this time there are still a few things that amaze me. You would think that I've seen and heard it all, but each year brings new and challenging things. As teachers we always say, "Our job may be stressful, but it's never boring". Kids are always doing something different and coming up with new stuff. Here's a list of things that still amaze me:

* How much kids can grow and change in a 10 month school year
* Crazy things still happen even after you think you've seen it all (see last week's rabbit story)
* The last week of school stirs feelings of pure elation (I guess we never grow up)
* I still know more than my students (although they think I'm pretty dumb)
* Given a chance, children will lie to avoid almost anything
* Children use more effort avoiding work than it actually takes to do it
* Children can be so cold and cruel to each other
* Children can be so compassionate toward one another
* Some things never change. For example, boys still tease girls to show they "like" them.
* Some children are so needy (not just financially) it breaks your heart
* Children are so resilient
* Children only remember the stuff you don't want them to
* Just when you think you can't face things another day, you find the strength to go on
* A coffee cake in the teachers lounge can change EVERYTHING!
* Eating chips and salsa at 7:00 A.M. is commonplace
* A schedule disruption can ruin a whole day
* Every Friday at 3:00 feels like you just hit the lottery
* Sadly, children know more about "adult stuff" every year.
* I'm now considered an old timer (some former students are actually my colleagues now)
* New trends in education are not always better. Sometimes the old way is best
* God is good. ALL THE TIME. He always provides what I need whether I realize it or not.

Graduations

Our family will experience 5 high school graduations in 4 years. Last year it was Michael. Today the second of those 5 takes place. Congratulations to my niece, Mary who graduates from Summit Country Day high school. Next year it will be my niece, Lauren and the following year Abby AND her cousin Emily will graduate. This is mind boggling. I remember when all these kids were just rug rats running around the house. Now they are growing into young men and women.

On another note: Happy 44th birthday to my little brother, Kerry today.

June Swoon!

Happy June! The month that begins many things I love about life. School's out, swimming and fishing season, grilling out, hanging out with friends and family, yard work, ice cream, vacation, baseball season in full swing, nights spent relaxing on the deck, coffee and reading my Bible on the deck, and a multitude of other summer activities.

I'm into my June swoon! Life is good!