A week from today and it's back to school time! I think it kind of boggles Sawyer's mind that he's going to be a senior; you spend so many years looking up to that group as you go through the grades, thinking it seems like forever before you're one of the top dogs. Now, boom, it's here! At this point his class is planning on going to Philadelphia in April for their senior trip and I know ideas are rolling around for a senior class prank.
This week a number of his classmates joined Sawyer at Alfred University for calculus class. Four mornings a week they will arrive on campus for class at 8:20 am, then drive to school afterward. We're delighted that he was able to get into the class since math is a high priority for the program he's interested in at SUNY New Paltz. And the AU professor he's taking it with has designed an entirely new curriculum and approach to teaching calculus that will make the class more enjoyable and understandable. It's being done under an NSF grant with a "homemade" textbook that thankfully only cost $20. I know we'll get sticker shock next year when we start purchasing college books.
Sawyer has also resumed his job at the University's dining hall this week. He'll work a couple nights each week. It's wonderful to see him starting to really be independent and taking charge of his life!
And.... we saw the shots from his senior picture session last night. Wow! Loved them! We are fortunate to have a number of professional photographers in our area, but the choice was easy for us to pick since we've known Janet for a number of years and have seen quite a few examples of her work. She put together a video slide show of some of the best shots that you can watch by clicking here. We had a some family shots taken as well that aren't included, but take my word for it they turned out great! We've ordered some professional prints and will be getting the digital files as well.
And yes, Sawyer is still receiving treatment. Daily meds with a trip to the hospital once a month to check in with the doctor and receive an infusion. Same pattern, repeated between now and January, 2015. He continues to do well and one wouldn't have a clue that he was "sick" if you didn't know it! Thanks as always for your continued caring, thoughts and prayers.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Last few weeks of summer
While my summer is officially over (back to work today; good thing I really enjoy my job), Sawyer has a few weeks left before starting his last year of high school. He'll be gearing up for college applications (SUNY New Paltz is still his top choice, SUNY ESF #2, Green Mountain College #3) and looking at potential scholarships. He's having his senior pictures taken on Friday; looking forward to seeing those!
He was the picture of health and strength last night when he walked in the door about 10 pm after spending the day on the farm helping my dad with hay. Wish I had taken a picture. Baseball hat, tousled hair, tank top, ripped jeans, muscled arms and chest, slight tan, relaxed smile. With the loading and unloading, he handled over 1200 bales!
He got a call from the Make-A-Wish office asking if he'd be on a Rochester radio show in a few weeks. The radio station does an annual on-air fundraising event for Make-A-Wish and they want to record an interview with Sawyer talking about his wish being granted.
September 7th is a 5K walk/run in Rochester to support the CURE organization. We'll be participating and would love company if anyone else is so inclined. We have greatly benefited from CURE's services and hope to continue to help out with their fundraisers. Mark has sold tickets for a raffle a few times and we both volunteered last year at a large brunch/auction. Information for the walk/run can be found at http://curekidscancer.com/cure-5th-annual-walk-and-5k/
He was the picture of health and strength last night when he walked in the door about 10 pm after spending the day on the farm helping my dad with hay. Wish I had taken a picture. Baseball hat, tousled hair, tank top, ripped jeans, muscled arms and chest, slight tan, relaxed smile. With the loading and unloading, he handled over 1200 bales!
He got a call from the Make-A-Wish office asking if he'd be on a Rochester radio show in a few weeks. The radio station does an annual on-air fundraising event for Make-A-Wish and they want to record an interview with Sawyer talking about his wish being granted.
September 7th is a 5K walk/run in Rochester to support the CURE organization. We'll be participating and would love company if anyone else is so inclined. We have greatly benefited from CURE's services and hope to continue to help out with their fundraisers. Mark has sold tickets for a raffle a few times and we both volunteered last year at a large brunch/auction. Information for the walk/run can be found at http://curekidscancer.com/cure-5th-annual-walk-and-5k/
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Alaska adventure
It's true, Alaska is just as beautiful as you think. Gorgeous waterways and mountains all around, all the time. We certainly treasure the gift of the Make-A-Wish cruise and the memories we have from it. We "sailed" on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas ship which held about 2100 passengers and 850 crew (very few were from the United States so it was fun to experience a wide range of accents). It's considered a medium size ship; makes me think the big ones must be gi-normous because this was was no small object!
After a nice stretch limo ride to the Rochester airport and uneventful flights through Chicago to Vancouver. We boarded through a very smooth process in Vancouver and went up what's considered the "inside passage." After cruising at sea for the first day we docked the following days at Ketchikan, Icy Straits, Juneau, and Skagway. Each of those days we were able to get off the ship and explore. Sawyer and his friend Dan were able to go on tours in each town that got them a few miles out into the wilderness to look for bears (no sightings unfortunately, but they saw lots of eagles and interesting plant material), walk along the Mendenhall glacier, ride a tram up a hillside in Juneau, climb a 70 foot cliff, rappel down an 80 foot one, and go along a zipline. They both really enjoyed the nature trails and walks but especially liked the cliff adventures.
The amazing sight of the trip was the Hubbard Glacier. Our last full day was spent cruising at sea, and along the way we stopped in a bay to see the glacier. The crew was very excited since the last few trips they had been unable to see it since it was socked in fog, but we had a clear, sunny morning and the ship was able to get within a mile of it (which, in ship terms, is very close). We heard pieces break off and create what is called "white thunder" - a large crack that reverberates across the bay. The glacier was huge, and striated with beautiful white and blue ice.
The crew also said we lucked out with the weather. The week before had been cloudy, foggy and rainy. We had clear blue skies each day with temps in the upper 70s. I packed a variety of layers and only wore about a quarter of what I brought!
On board there were lots of options to keep us busy. Two pools, hot tubs, lectures, theater and musical performances, a casino (we just walked through, didn't try our luck), movie theater, small library, pubs, mini golf course, rock climbing wall, fitness center, etc. Sawyer and Dan were able to roam about on their own schedule and do what they wanted.
There was a basket of goodies and coupons for us in the room when we arrived, plus a dozen roses and a bottle of chilled champagne! It was part of the gifts on behalf of the crew and Royal Caribbean for Make-A-Wish families (there was one other family on-board, we met them on our last day). We were also given Wishes-At-Sea t-shirts to wear for the fundraising event the company holds for Make-A-Wish. They sold the t-shirts for $10 and held a mile walk around their jogging track. They raised $2000! Our room worked just fine for the four of us - there were two pullman bunk beds that folded down from the ceiling for Sawyer and Dan. They (and Mark) were good about keeping things mostly picked up and not spread out everywhere :)
Other perks were a tour of the kitchen galley and the bridge. The ship has its own butcher shop, fish shop, bakery, pastry chef, soup chef, etc. They work 6 months straight (7 days a week, no days off), then have 2 months off. The various crew throughout the ship had 4, 6, or 8 month contracts, then 2 months off. Depending on their job, they might get a day off, or at least some hours in the middle of the day to be able to get off the ship and explore. The crew was terrific: genuinely friendly and seemed glad to be working there.
We found the food to be well-prepared, fresh, and with an eye toward healthy. Rarely was there anything deep fried and/or greasy. We ate primarily in a large cafe instead of the more formal dining room. It was an all-you-can eat buffet, much like eating in a college cafeteria, but with a much broader range of options and ethnic choices. It was different everyday and even though there was always a selection of desserts they were often low-fat and/or no sugar. Our favorite was the self serve soft yogurt machine!
We ended by dis-embarking in Seward and taking a 2.5 hours bus ride to Anchorage. It was a lovely ride through valleys with beautiful mountains, lakes and streams on both sides.
That's a basic overview, I don't want to bore anyone with more details! I'd recommend the trip certainly. Mark even enjoyed it, and I never thought I'd get to go on a cruise with him!
After a nice stretch limo ride to the Rochester airport and uneventful flights through Chicago to Vancouver. We boarded through a very smooth process in Vancouver and went up what's considered the "inside passage." After cruising at sea for the first day we docked the following days at Ketchikan, Icy Straits, Juneau, and Skagway. Each of those days we were able to get off the ship and explore. Sawyer and his friend Dan were able to go on tours in each town that got them a few miles out into the wilderness to look for bears (no sightings unfortunately, but they saw lots of eagles and interesting plant material), walk along the Mendenhall glacier, ride a tram up a hillside in Juneau, climb a 70 foot cliff, rappel down an 80 foot one, and go along a zipline. They both really enjoyed the nature trails and walks but especially liked the cliff adventures.
The amazing sight of the trip was the Hubbard Glacier. Our last full day was spent cruising at sea, and along the way we stopped in a bay to see the glacier. The crew was very excited since the last few trips they had been unable to see it since it was socked in fog, but we had a clear, sunny morning and the ship was able to get within a mile of it (which, in ship terms, is very close). We heard pieces break off and create what is called "white thunder" - a large crack that reverberates across the bay. The glacier was huge, and striated with beautiful white and blue ice.
The crew also said we lucked out with the weather. The week before had been cloudy, foggy and rainy. We had clear blue skies each day with temps in the upper 70s. I packed a variety of layers and only wore about a quarter of what I brought!
On board there were lots of options to keep us busy. Two pools, hot tubs, lectures, theater and musical performances, a casino (we just walked through, didn't try our luck), movie theater, small library, pubs, mini golf course, rock climbing wall, fitness center, etc. Sawyer and Dan were able to roam about on their own schedule and do what they wanted.
There was a basket of goodies and coupons for us in the room when we arrived, plus a dozen roses and a bottle of chilled champagne! It was part of the gifts on behalf of the crew and Royal Caribbean for Make-A-Wish families (there was one other family on-board, we met them on our last day). We were also given Wishes-At-Sea t-shirts to wear for the fundraising event the company holds for Make-A-Wish. They sold the t-shirts for $10 and held a mile walk around their jogging track. They raised $2000! Our room worked just fine for the four of us - there were two pullman bunk beds that folded down from the ceiling for Sawyer and Dan. They (and Mark) were good about keeping things mostly picked up and not spread out everywhere :)
Other perks were a tour of the kitchen galley and the bridge. The ship has its own butcher shop, fish shop, bakery, pastry chef, soup chef, etc. They work 6 months straight (7 days a week, no days off), then have 2 months off. The various crew throughout the ship had 4, 6, or 8 month contracts, then 2 months off. Depending on their job, they might get a day off, or at least some hours in the middle of the day to be able to get off the ship and explore. The crew was terrific: genuinely friendly and seemed glad to be working there.
We found the food to be well-prepared, fresh, and with an eye toward healthy. Rarely was there anything deep fried and/or greasy. We ate primarily in a large cafe instead of the more formal dining room. It was an all-you-can eat buffet, much like eating in a college cafeteria, but with a much broader range of options and ethnic choices. It was different everyday and even though there was always a selection of desserts they were often low-fat and/or no sugar. Our favorite was the self serve soft yogurt machine!
We ended by dis-embarking in Seward and taking a 2.5 hours bus ride to Anchorage. It was a lovely ride through valleys with beautiful mountains, lakes and streams on both sides.
That's a basic overview, I don't want to bore anyone with more details! I'd recommend the trip certainly. Mark even enjoyed it, and I never thought I'd get to go on a cruise with him!
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