The Graduate...

Now we are off to Muskegon, Michigan to attend the graduation of our oldest grandmonster from Waypoint Academy (High School). Bonnie actually flew out the previous week so she could take our road trip with us. Therefore, Tuesday, June 1st, Bonnie, Claude and I packed up my red Buick and headed north.

Our first stop was a traditional stop for Claude and I on this journey to Muskegon. We always stop at the McDonald's in Dry Ridge, KY for breakfast to eat enroute to Muskegon. My traditional breakfast of a plain biscuit and a medium Dr. Pepper obtained, I was happy to settle into the back seat of my vehicle while Claude drove and Bonnie rode shotgun. I finished crocheting a baby blanket I had started.

We lunched just inside of Michigan at Wendy's. Then we headed to Grand Rapids. The Krispy Kreme donut shop is in Grand Rapids. We bought 2 dozen donuts for dessert that evening with the family and continued on to our hotel in Muskegon.

We checked in and let Claude get a 30 minute nap before heading over to Nissa's home for the evening. Nissa and Todd were fixing dinner for us. Todd grilled pork tenderloin and venison. Yum!!

While they were cooking we distracted them long enough to get pictures of each of them with their Harley motorcycles.

Dinner was a great way to break the ice for the next few days. Katelyn had a lot of her family attending this graduation. Her guests would be her great-grandmother (Bonnie), her grandparents (Claude and me), her mom (Nissa) and Todd (her father in training), her aunt (Andie) and uncle (Jake), her siblings (Paul and Aubrey), her father and his wife (Scott and Jennifer), Todd's boys (Derek and Mitchell), a dear high school friend (Caleb) and surprise family (Aunt Lynette and her cousin Shannon). This combination with her biological father and her mom and family that lived through that divorce could have been very tense. But Nissa and Todd starting us all off together at their home with a nice dinner was the perfect beginning to the next few days. We all found we could be together and get beyond the past events of our lives and all the feelings we had about those events. Thank you Nissa and Todd for getting us off on the right foot.

After we arrived at Nissa's home, the door bell rang. Katelyn figured it was Scott and Jennifer. But she was very surprised when she answered and there stood Shannon and Lynette. Katelyn had no idea they were coming. Hugs were given and received.

A little later Scott and Jennifer arrived. Then later in the evening Jake arrived. We had a wonderful evening eating and talking. Paul played his guitar for Gramma Bonnie. Then Aubrey sang while Katelyn on the piano and Paul with his guitar accompanied her. So fun to have them share their talents with us.

Here are some pictures of all of us during our first evening together: Katelyn sitting by the TV, Lynette and Claude, Todd and Nissa sitting together, Shannon and Katelyn, Bonnie, Scott, Claude, Shannon, Aubrey, and Katelyn sitting around the table, and then Sandi  and Lynette.

Before we parted ways and headed to our hotels for rest we determined to meet together Wednesday afternoon to decorate the meeting room at the hotel for Katelyn's openhouse.

Wednesday morning I headed to Walmart to get the chips and soda pop for the openhouse. I lucked out and found a sale on golf shirts for $3 per shirt. I found 3 I really liked in my size. An unexpected and totally appreciated bonus. Then I went to the beauty supply store to buy hair cutting scissors to give haircuts to Nissa and Katelyn. Then back to the hotel to unload my purchases.

Claude took Bonnie to the breakfast buffet at the hotel while I showered and got ready for our day. Then we all headed to Nissa's.

Katelyn and Nissa got haircuts. Nissa pressed Katelyn's robe. Scott and Jennifer arrived. We all eventually headed back to the hotel. While Katelyn and Shannon walked to the Dollar Tree for balloons, the rest of us met in the meeting room and began decorating it for the day's graduation celebration festivities.  There was a reader board with Katelyn's name on it. Lynette struggled to get those plastic table cloths to open up and lay flat on the tables. Bless her heart she hung in there and got all 5 of them on their tables. Jake and Scott taped all the things on the walls. There was some kind of silliness with a headband. Katelyn and Shannon got back with the balloons and we added them to the center pieces. The room turned out really festive.

Nissa arrived. She had picked up the ice and the coolers for the soda pop. She brought Katelyn's robe and hat. Katelyn got my curling iron and Nissa fixed her hair.

We originally planned to have pizza and cake after the graduation. However, it became apparent the graduation ceremony would be longer than we thought. It didn't begin until 7pm and was going to be at least 1 1/2 hours. That would put dinner at 9pm at the earliest. So we determined to eat the pizza before the graduation at about 4:30pm. While we ate we visited and watched the slideshow of Katelyn's life several times.  

Eventually Katelyn got dressed and Nissa headed off with her to the college where her graduation would take place. The rest of us headed to our rooms to get dress and we all met up at the theater at the college for Katelyn's high school graduation.

This was a small graduating class from Waypoint Academy. There were only 20 something graduates. The girls were white caps and gowns and the guys were blue caps and gowns. They all carried white roses (the class flower). Katelyn sang with the Glee Club. She is in the white cap and gown and is the 2nd from the right end of the Glee Club on the stage. They sang the National Anthem and had the audience participate. They also sang the class song "Imagine" by the John Lennon.

The Saluatorian and the Valedictorian each spoke. The gave out many, many, many awards to these graduates. Katelyn received many of these awards. However, the first award given was a total surprise. Waypoint Academy gives an award to one student each year as recognition for outstanding service to their community and school. These is an award of great honor and no one knew who would receive it. Katelyn was the honoree of this award. It touched her little heart strings and she sobbed as she crossed the stage to receive this award. One mother sitting behind us yelled out, "You go ahead and cry. It is okay!!" Eventually diplomas were handed out and the graduates left the theater.  

The graduates gathered outside for one more class picture. Then they swarmed, literally, to get final hugs from each other and those who had come to support them in their graduation. Andie and I dutifully followed Katelyn to each friend and took pictures of her hugging them. We told her we were her paparazzi!! I know we all felt such pride at her accomplishments but I truly think Nissa was the most proud of her.

After lots of hugs and grins and tears of joy, we all headed back to our open house room at the hotel. I picked up the cake and a big veggie tray along the way. Katelyn picked out the cake a month before and placed the order. It says, Katelyn Defied Gravity, Congratulations. The 'Defied Gravity' is from a song in play "Wicked" that Katelyn really likes.

We managed to get a good picture of Katelyn with her parents. Todd and Nissa are on Katelyn's right. Scott and Jennifer are on Katelyn's left.

People gave Katelyn gifts during the three days we were all together. We chose to give her our gift during the final portion of her open house. Katelyn asked for a set of scriptures. We purchased a set with blue leather covers. When she went to open it she was having a difficult time opening the layers of tissue paper. Go figure, no tape just tissue paper and she struggled. The picture I took she had a grimace on her face. I asked her to pretend she was opening the gift again...that picture she was looking up to the sky. I asked her to try one...more...time. That was the best picture and we were all relieved we got it right!! We also gave her a T-shirt that says "I is a college student".

I had all my kids together. My big picture goal was to remember to get a picture of my three kids together.  I remembered and actually got a great picture of Andie, Jake and Nissa. Aren't they just the best looking set of kids any parent could hope for?!?!

Thursday was a free day and we suggested a quick trip to Holland, Michigan. We have been there for two Tulip Festivals. It's a beautiful town and well worth the visit.

We started our visit to Windmill Island and Gardens in the Post House. This is a replica of the old post houses in Holland. You would have stopped there for food, a place to sleep and also feed and rest your horses. Inside the Post House they show a video about DeSwaan. DeSwaan is the name of the windmill. It is the last windmill brought over from Holland. After it was brought to the United States, Holland declared all remaining windmills National Monuments and would not allow them to be sold to other countries. The stipulation on bringing it to the United States was that it be a working mill for grinding wheat into flour and that it be used for educational purposes. To that end, they have a miller that runs the mill. She has spent years in training in Holland so that she knows how to run this mill.

After viewing the video about the mill we headed to the front of the Post House and found the skis made with wooden shoes. Now this is a great photo op and we found volunteers among out group to pose for a truly great picture. 

Then we headed over the canal. They have built a foot bridge just like the ones over the canals in Holland. It is actually a drawbridge. The pictures has everyone in our group on the foot bridge with the exception of me. DeSwaan Windmill is in the background.

There is a grind stone at the base of the windmill. Another must do photo op. Katelyn and Shannon hesitatingly agreed to humor an old lady (me!) so I could get a picture of them with 'their noses to the grind stone'. See, it had to be done!

We toured the inside of the windmill and walked the cat walk around the top where they can move the blades to catch the wind. Then we headed back down the canal to the other little bridge that takes you to a replica of an Dutch village.

Now I have to record here that the canal was alive. I mean really alive. There were enormous Carp thrashing, not splashing, I really mean thrashing about in the water. They were all over the place and they were huge and making lots of thrashing specticals of themselves. We marveled at all of this activity. There was now a man painting the hand rails of the first foot bridge red. Scott talked to him a bit and he told Scott they were definitely Carp. He assured him it was mating season. However, he did add that he had NEVER seen them this active. We stood on the second bridge and watched this amazing acitivity fo quite a bit.

Claude and I took Andie with us and headed back to the hotel earlier than the others. We were going picking up Aubrey and Paul from school. The others remained and did their own thing in Holland.

We retrieved Aubrey and Paul from school and took them home to do their chores. When they finished them they grabbed their bathing suits and we headed back to the big swimming pool at the hotel. Claude and Andie got a good little nap and I watched Aubrey and Paul swim.

That evening Scott and Jennifer met us pool side and we all headed to The Pita Place for dinner. Lynette and Shannon joined us and Bonnie treated all of us to a great dinner. Then we took Aubrey and Paul back to the hotel to swim. We sat around the pool and Nissa and Todd joined us for some final conversation before we parted ways.

Friday morning it was time to head back to Kentucky. Katelyn was coming home with us. She will work the summer part-time at Sadieville's City Hall and Claude is hiring her some more of the time to help him built the tractor/foot path down our hill this summer. Nissa took Katelyn to work with her so we met them all where Nissa and Todd work. We loaded Katelyn's stuff in the trunk and said final good-byes. I took my final three pictures.

The first was a generation picture: Claude, Katelyn, Bonnie and Nissa.

The second was a family picture: Todd, Katelyn and Nissa.

And the final was Sandi, Katelyn and Claude.

So there we have it...our oldest grandmonster is officially graduated from high school. Where did that time go??? We are going to be blessed with a summer of her in our home. What fortunate grandparents we are!!!