What Up!

Well Rob and I got out for a weekly walk for the first time in forever a couple weekends ago. Just went down a dirt road near the house, didn't go for long because rain was coming, felt a few sprinkles on the way back. Things have been rough, I emotionally bottomed out after the last run to mom's house, I'm now taking a regimen of multi vitamin, B-Complex and St. John's Wort it's helping me over the hump but I don't feel 100% at all. This too shall pass.

This is just a cute pix I took real quick of all the kids chillin' on the couch watching some Disney show, they love iCarly, Suite Life, Cloudy with a Chance, and Victorious. There won't be many times like this once Alex heads off to school so I've got to snap 'em when I can.

Stuffed mushrooms from the kitchen!! Used some leftover spinach dip, some bread crumbs, the stems from the mushrooms, and some parmesan cheese. Yum!! One of Ben's favorites!

Working on winning back the yard. The grass in some sections is waaaayyy high. Rob finally broke down and bought a new weed whip. Out with the old in with the new. He made that thing work for a good long time.

Ethan started Junior Golf Academy with week!

And Ben and Ethan are both doing swim lessons in Imlay City.

For the next couple weeks I'll be working a Creative Arts Camp in Rochester at the Paint Creek Center for the Arts....more details to follow!

I Survived

The first full year of all the kids in public school has just ended. We all made it although we had a pretty big loss along the way. Looking back it was in a way good they were in school while things went south with mom, it gave them something to keep their minds into and took the pressure off me in keeping up with their academics. I have enjoyed being a substitute teacher and look forward to taking on more in that area next year.

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Ethan and Ben received their final report cards today. Ben had all As and Bs and improved in virtually every area, interestingly his 2nd tri grades were the worst of the three which is not surprising considering all that happened but they were still decent. I was extremely happy to see that his reading scores greatly improved; going into the fourth grade year he was at a 3.8 (third grade, eighth month) and his final report was a 5.8 (fifth grade, eighth month)! Excellent Benny Boy! He is also continuing his advanced math status.

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Ethan on the other hand was all over the board with grades, mostly As and Bs, a couple Cs not in subject areas but skills & conduct, the worst being a D in neat and organized work. Geez. He is also advanced in math and his final reading score was a 5.3 (fifth grade, third month) which totally shocked me because he is sort of a stinker about reading with me. But obviously he's getting it done at school. E is the athletically motivated kid in the family and doesn't read much for pleasure like my older two who gooble up books, Ben can go either way and does go through periods of book reading on long rides or to kill time, mostly if the Gameboy is out of commission.

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Fox has not received his final report card yet but we know he has all As. He got a certificate of Academic Excellence at the Middle School Honors Night although Rob and I were a little disappointed they did not further recogized the kids by saying their GPAs and noting other activities the students were involved in. Although they took time to note the Spelling Bee, Art Work, and Student Council participants. Many of the kids that got good grades were in sports and other personal endeavors which in our eyes is always notable.

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There are some changes coming down the pipe for next year as the school adjusts to more financial constraints so I'm already purposing to think and speak that all will lead to a positive situation for each boy at their various grade level and also for Alexandra at college. Change is good overall, sometimes uncomfortable, but always necessary.

Graduation-Banquet-Performance

Pre ceremony snap of Alex, little brother Ethan, fellow NBHS classmates Nicole and Dakota (red shirt) who were ushering the big event, and A.J. a friend from the Lansing area who was kind enough to make the trip over to support her during this special event.
The gymnasium was a bit warm but it could have been worse, thankfully it rained all day and cooled things down a bit. We were impressed by the percentage of the class that graduated with honors, it was encouraging to see. After the ceremony the seniors were bussed over to the Rec Center in Lapeer for Project Graduation, an all-night party. Alex had a good time but as expected was exhausted the next day and she had to work at BK to boot.

Looks like we made it! Well, Rob almost didn't - the car died on him on the way back from Westland but thankfully his parents hooked him up with some wheels to get him back to North Branch for the night. What, is that somewhat of a smile I see on his face?

Also last week was the Junior High Boys' Track Banquet. Most of the medals went to 8th grade runners but it was good for Fox to see them get recognized, hopefully it will inspire him to up his game next year. He did get a certificate for being a Scholar Athlete which was nice. The coach was very happy about how many of the team kept their grades at 3.2 or above as well as improving their performances on the track and field. It was low key but a very nice event.










Friday the two choirs I've been working with, the Ruth Fox Choice Time Choir and the NBE After School Chorus presented their songs mostly to parents and grandparents. They did a nice job although the sound system in the elementary gym is not conducive to choral performance. The speakers are way out in the gym and there are no monitors on stage so they had a hard time hearing the accompaniment and kept rushing the tempos. All in all it went well and several parents made a point to thank me for my time and express their children's delight in being in choir. I'd like to do it again next year but be done before the end of the year craziness. There is so much happening in the last few weeks of school with sports, awards nights, performances, etc. things start to overlap way too much. I'm thinking October to February would be good.

Finality

This is a year of many endings in the Parton family and with endings comes new beginnings. Sunday was Alex's last time on platform in the main sanctuary with the youth group for a Youth Sunday. Although she'll sing with the group throughout the summer on Wednesdays, when the next fifth Sunday rolls around she will be away at college.

After church the whole gang headed down to mother's house for one last time to finish getting the last of the stuff out of the house and pull a few perennials from the garden. I was glad to have everyone with me because I don't think I could have done this last run on my own even though trips prior I worked solo. It was an odd feeling to see the place completely devoid of personality. I know it's just a house but it was a house mother loved and made many ammendments to, a house I cleaned for years, a house the boys did chores at for gramma, a house where we had meals and played games around the dining room table, a place I did my computer work from while she did activities with the boys. We enjoyed the community pool with gramma and all the community events downtown, the kids trick-or-treated there, we went to free concerts, and just loved running up to Starbucks or Kroger. My family had an emotional investment in that place because it was connected to mom/gramma and it kills me to just let it go to the bank. Yes, it's just a house but it is full of memories that thankfully are also recorded in my heart and mind as well as my kids' and husband's. Out of all the harrowed years I've been through with my mother the years she lived there were probably the best we'd had.

Before loading up and locking it down for good we had a toast with a bottle of Sparkling Cider and each went around to say a thanks to gramma, the memories, etc. Even Jake came with us, he loved taking walks around the neighborhood and being spoiled by gramma. No where else was he allowed to sleep on the bed!

I'm not sure which stage of the grieving process I'm on. I don't seem to be running through them in order but I do know that if it weren't for my kids and a husband who is doing his utter best to be supportive and understanding during his own grief I'd be going absolutely nowhere right now. I forget that Rob had a connection to Judi as well as I did, he respected her very much and loved to debate with her. She was one of the few people that could hold her own to his strong set opinions and one of the fewer still that could shed a new light to make him see things differently, albeit not often. Wednesday is Alex's high school graduation, it will be a bittersweet day. I'll try to keep my chin up for her because she's worked hard and is excited to be done and moving on to bigger and better opportunities at GVSU but there will definately be a void in the festivities.

Closing the door on an era and waiting for a window to open....

Swing Out! - GVSU Orientation

Lately I've been turning down a lot of sub jobs because I'm trying to get an editing job done. But Wednesday they were in a pinch in a special ed room that I had been in before and had a great time. However, this day I felt like the worst sub ever. If anyone has ever worked with impaired kids they know that taking them out of their routine is a very tricky thing to do. Since the teacher left quickly and didn't leave a lot of instruction the aide and I did our best but we had many tears, attitude, and lots of bosses. Somehow we made it through, thank goodness for an open computer lab, we took the group down and let them all have some free computer time and that finally chilled everyone out. Go figure. Below are a couple shots of my new little buddy Maddy and me as we waited for her bus to arrive. She has CP but it doesn't slow her down a bit, she is a delight to be around and actually quite smart albeit her physical limitations hold her back from displaying it fully.

After school the boys and I went to watch the kids swing out.

We waited anxiously with slushies in hand on an extremely hot afternoon.

Finally we could see the band!

Then all the seniors, without their robes because of the heat....

There's our girl in the middle of the picture with the plaid top.

Yesterday was Parent/Student Orientation at GVSU. It was fabulous, I am so excited for Alex and she is pumped too. It definately paid off to get it done early as she got an awesome schedule for her freshman year. NO classes before 11am, none on Fridays for the Fall and only one from 11-11:50 on Friday in the winter. She passed out of the university writing requirement because she did the English AP test which was cool, and did not have to take the Math placement exam. She also found out she'll be in a suite and not traditional housing which she is very glad about and she got the names of her suite mates to make contact with over the summer.

Freshman Classes: Math 110, Intro Psychology, Environmental Science, Intro Communications, Roman Civilizations, Creative Writing, Spanish 101, and Logic. She may still add into a choir class too but has to check into when they are offered. She also applied for her on campus job, so we're off to a good start.

Her BFF texted her when we got home and told her she got her cords at the Class Night so her final GPA is apparently over 3.0 and she was also awarded a Michigan Competitive Scholarship which is $625 per semester. The financial person that spoke with us at orientation however, said they have not received word if the state is going to honor those scholarships yet so I don't know if the high school knows something GVSU doesn't or they just went on automatic.

The fun never ends!

Greetings all, so what hasn't been going on lately? We are all into baseball games, they started out a little shaky but kicked some butt in last Friday's game. Hopefully they'll start using Ethan on the infield more instead of leaving him out in the field just because he's got an arm and can throw the ball back in; a strong first baseman is crucial. I think Ethan is the man for the job. Found a Junior Golf Camp for Ethan to attend this summer at a course in Davison which isn't too far. It's one day a week for a few hours and at the end they get to play the course. He's pretty geeked about it since he's been wanting to do more with golf. Ben finished soccer last Saturday, they ended on a great note with Ben making 2 of the 9 goals scored. Way to go!

Fox is done with track season also, there's an Invitational Meet this week but he wasn't invited, no great loss for him, he was ready to be done. His mile has been a consistent 6:40 and the 200 around :45 usually. Got the acceptance email from Lake Superior State University for the Robotics Engineering camp, he made the cut out of many applicants, way more apps than spots available so that feels good. He also received a $200 scholarship which will help cover costs. Kudos to my number one son.

We had a soggy but fun time on the Grand Rapids trip. Thumbs up to Blue Lake bussing, very comfortable ride, friendly and safe drivers. The first stop was a bit of a bummer because it was seriously raining so it was mostly the in-house exhibits at the zoo.

Next we headed over to the public museum, which was awesome! I have to take the little guys back there sometime to explore some more. There was not enough time to take it all in and we had a question sheet the group had to fill out so we spent a lot of time running around trying to find answers to the random questions on the sheet.

Third stop, I must confess I took a couple little cat naps during the show. It was an early morning and my eyes went on system overload from the huge screen. But the technology is incredibly cool, you just can't help but reach out to try and touch a fish swimming by.

Our final stop I took a ton of pictures at, they have updated and added a ton of stuff since I have last been to the botanical garden. I'll be sharing some other pics in future posts. I love the sculptures and was amazed at how much was actually in bloom already. Hats off to their wonderful staff and volunteers. The bottom right corner is Fox with one of his favorite people, math teacher, Mr. Peplinski.

WHAT IS IT?

I don't know but get a picture!

The incredible glass sculpture. Yowza!

This past Thursday was the Art Show and Collage Concert at the elementary school. The 4th graders sang songs and played some selections on their recorders and percussion instruments. They did a wonderful job and the transitions were seemless. Below are some of my favorite pieces from the art show. Sorry, the pics from the concert did not turn out at all. They also had a drawing for some fish but the boys didn't win one. God bless art teachers everywhere, they rock!

Friday was Senior Walk-Out, their last day of classes. The whole class comes out with a balloon, the principal calls the Class of 2010 released and they all let the balloons fly off. Kinda cool. Here's Alex in the shades and gramma's hat by her BFF Dani. This week we go to GVSU for orientation. Woot.

Well, my musical theater camp had no registrants. Bummer, but actually I'm ok with it since I was feeling extremely overwhelmed about it. I really just need to spend time getting the house together still and tackling all the outside areas that need attention. Plus I just don't want to be in charge of anything for the moment. Time to decompress and refresh.

It's That Whirlwind Season

It is the clash of sports seasons for me right now with one boy in soccer, one in baseball and the other in track there is something game or practice-wise going on daily. Thankfully they are all a relatively short season, two are done by the end of May, the other lingers through to the end of June. Fox has been in a mood to dress up for school and has worn his suit in on a day when he didn't have track practice and has donned a dress shirt and tie on occassion as well. He is talking about running for class president next year. Hmmmm.


Last Thursday I got to chaperone Ethan's class field trip to the Sloan Museum in Flint. The program was an extension of their Michigan History unit and focused mainly on the logging industry. The kids worked on making their own log stamps from an eraser. It was a decent presentation overall but knowing what they've covered in class already it didn't really explore any new ground for them. I still vote Sarah Gardiner's Michigan History class the best around. All my older kids got to take her class while we were homeschooling. I may try and get Ethan in on it too if I hear about her doing one in the area again. This Thursday I get to accompany Fox's class on their trip to Grand Rapids. We'll be visiting the zoo, natural history museum, botanical gardens, and seeing an IMAX movie; hoping the weather will be nice.


Friday I attended a Mother's Day Tea in Ben's class where the kids all read a poem and also a Poetry Recital for Ethan's class. Everyone did a great job. After the poetry recital I had an opportunity to talk with one of the mom's who is on the school board. I've been contemplating running for a position that may be open for the November election. The only drawback is, if I am on the board I can not substitute teach any more. I can still volunteer and do my choirs but I can't work for the district, I could however, sub in other districts but that's not as fun.

And now for a little poetry break:

An acrostic poem by Ethan.
M akes a garden in the summer.
O ther people need her help.
T hinks of brilliant ideas.
H ates to fight with my sister.
E veryone in my class likes her as a substitute.
R eveals the truth.

Thank You Mom by Ben
Thank you, Mom.
Thank you, Mom.
For holding me tight in your arms.
You will always be there when I need you.
I'm sorry I get angry.
But you know I love you.
Thank you, Mom.
Thank you, Mom.

Ben is leaving his mark in the elementary school......

Each year Mr. Watson, the art teacher, makes a tree for the 4th Graders to leave their mark as they finish the year and prepare to make the move to the upper elementary. It is a very endearing concept that touches my heart. What a wonderful idea.

Alex's days are numbered; May 21st will be the last day of classes for seniors. She went to prom last weekend with some buddies from school who also happen to be a fledgling rock band she's now singing with. Didn't get a detailed report about the prom but from what I gathered it went well without much drama. The "band" has been getting together to practice but they aren't always very productive, which is pretty typical with young musicians (and even older ones for that matter). Perhaps they'll get it together enough to play a few songs at her Open House in August....we'll see. The last Thursday of this month I'll be heading to GVSU with her for Orientation where she'll get to register for classes, get her on-campus job assignment, and hopefully find out what dorm room she's in. Very exciting. Having a senior is a very stranger place to be in as a parent; part of you is sad about them leaving the nest and another part can't wait to get them out and not have to deal with the super-tude any more! Her commencement ceremony will be one of the hardest days for me, not having my mom there. But all the kids know how gramma felt about education and want to honor her by doing well in their studies. How blessed is that!

Can't Seem to Stay Away

Well, it's been two months since I've blogged. I really miss it. It's a silly, mundane thing but you sort of get in a groove with posting. People have been asking me if I'll blog again and encouraging me to do so. Guess I'll continue with what I've started.

Updates on my wonderful children:
Alexandra-In betweenst senioristis attacks she is finishing her senior year on an up note academically. Her college class ended last week and now she is hoping to get some decent hours at work during the summer. She has all but a few thousand dollars to go to pay for her first year at Grand Valley State University. Scholarship applications are still out there and we're waiting to hear back if she will receive any more monies. Hoping to have Freshmen and subsequent years PAID IN FULL!! Commencent ceremony will take place June 2 and she'll walk with no braces!! We're very excited about that!

Fox Robert-The last progress reports I received shows him keeping his all A streak in tact. His GPA is a 4.13. Woot! We are now in the throws of track season and he is doing well in that running the 1600m and the 200m. He has also applied to a Robotics Engineering Camp at Lake Superior State University and we're waiting to find out if he'll attend on scholarship or not. Friends are accruing and he is genuinely enjoying his educational experience. Next year he will advance directly to Algebra, forgoing the normal 8th grade math and he has decided to remain in band at least through middle school.

Benjamin-My middle son is becoming a wealth of knowledge, constantly sharing facts with us that he's learned from school and his own accord. AYSO soccer is in full swing and he is becoming a very strong player, got a goal in the first game of the season and has been a great defenseman. He has consistently received high marks on his report cards as well and next year he will move on to the upper elementary and is looking forward to that. He has however expressed that he may want to go back to homeschooling when he gets to high school. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Ethan-This has been a great year for my youngest, his teacher and classmates have been wonderful and I have enjoyed being their one and only sub for the entire year. He is again participating in recreational baseball but we're not to excited about how that's going. We'll stick it out for this season but have discussed looking into a travel league for next year. Grades are excellent and although he still enjoys and does best in math he has expressed social studies as his new favorite subject.

Me? - I've been keeping busy by working with two choirs, one during Choice Time at the upper elementary on Fridays. I have nearly 20 students (mostly girls) that bless me there. Then I hop over to the lower elementary for my NBE After School Chorus and work with a group there which started out with almost 50 kids and has settled into a regular group of 30, which is plenty. We will have our first program on Monday, June 7 in the elementary gym. I am very much looking forward to that. Also, I am planning and directing a Musical Theater Camp through my church in June for kids entering 3rd - 6th grade. The program is called Praise Rocks! In addition to that I've been subbing, trying to keep up with my writing jobs, and working on organizing all the stuff I've inherited from my mom's house, lots of stuff, good stuff, just need to find a place for it all.

So that's what's up with us. Work is going well for Rob but we're both hoping that a shift will come soon that will allow him to be home during the week more. We've hit a few speed bumps along the way but continue to perservere through it all. God is good, all the time and his mercy endures forever, even when we tend to act like idiots sometimes.

Hope all is well with you my friends, looking forward to reconnecting with people through your comments.

Farewell for Now

This past weekend was the funeral mass for my mother Judith Ann (Pesto) Quatrine. It was a beautiful pre-spring day and many came out to pay their last respects. The Guest Book had no less than 210 names, people were literally signing in the margins. She was loved, respected, and revered by all and will be missed but remembered with fond memories.

In true Judi fashion I purposed to take as many pictures as I could of family and friends. Since her request was not to be laid out but instead be cremated immediately it gave an entirely different vibe to the whole visitation. Although people were sad and sorry the overall atmosphere was light and filled with happy stories of Judi-ness.
The only off set was that none of her family, my aunts or cousins spoke to me, not one word the entire seven hours of visitation or at the funeral. This was mind-blowing to me, unfathomable, totally unacceptable and would not have pleased mother at all. They did however speak with James and my sister-in-law Shelly. No worries, it was a big room and there were lots of people. There were friends from all walks of life, grade school, high school, people she taught with, church friends, ladies she volunteered with at the soup kitchen, someone from St. Vincent DePaul brought a plague to honor her as a Jubilian for all her service stating they'd need 5 people to replace her.

Our neighbor from down the street growing up, Julie (Dusty) Torres, flanked by myself and my brother James.
From my Dad's side, Uncle Ken, Aunt Phyllis, cousin Vince and wife Bernadette, his mom Aunt Jan and me.
Two sisters I went to high school with, Julia Salerno (left) was in my grade and an elementary school playmate and her sister Paula who was a couple years ahead in school was mentored by my mom in many ways as she took on responsibilities as Union Steward for the district. A quote from Paula about my mom, "You may not always like what Judi had to say, but you had to respect her, she was a smart cookie and knew her stuff. She would never ask anything of you that she wasn't prepared to step up to herself."
Again from Dad's side (his family always loved mom, even after the divorce), Great Aunt Marge, cousin Deb, Great Aunt Vi

<--Sheri (Moskowitz) Noga a friend & confidant from my harrowed teen years. Bernadette, a dear friend of mom's from St. Ambrose->

The aerobics ladies! Sue, Andra and Anita who brought food over twice a week during the final lap of the journey and prayed diligently with and for mother throughout the entire ordeal. I now consider them all friends myself. [Ethan took this picture.] The Tangles girls! My friend, whom I've known since high school, Anna (Natasy) Thaut, the only hairdresser I'll ever go to and Becky DiBella who did mother's hair for years and transitioned into a friend as well.

My buddy and sounding board, Jan Klisz, whom I inherited through marriage and has been there through thick and thin.

My niece Nichole, my brother-in-law Paul Anthony, my sister-in-law Julie and the soon-to-be high school graduate and my mini-me, Alexandra Elizabeth!

Friends from The Path, Shelly and Frank Sollars.

High school chums, Julie (Walbrecht) Hiotaky and Sue (Poma) Hawkins who blessed me so much by driving in from Antioch, IL with her fabulous hubby Steve.

My cousin Ken and his wife Linda who lost her mother to lung cancer earlier the same week we lost Judi, so we are kindred spirits in mourning and knowing the joy of seeing someone released from suffering.

Fox Robert Parton rockin' a new suit and super cool sunglasses.




<--Benjamin Atticus (age 10)

Ethan Daniel -->
(age 8)

A final photo of the estuary with a candle placed by Benjamin to represent gramma's light shining down on us for ever, and a white rose placed by Ethan symbolizing gramma's pure love that will continue to grow in our hearts.

The Luncheon afterward was graciously hosted by a fellow retired teacher and friend of mom's Dorothy Wassinger. It was a casual affair with yummy cold salads, no alcohol and lots of mingling, which was mother's signature style. Of course after my brother's truthful and heartfelt eulogy my aunts were no longer speaking to him. They came in and made an embarrassingly quick exit causing all mom's friends and neighbors plus family from Dad's side to inquire of my brother and I as to what the matter was. Typical of the sisters Pesto was all we could reply.

Left side photo: Sue and Steve Hawkins, Rob and myself, Alex and Ben

Right side: Fox Robert, my dad Dennis, Dorothy W., Alex, Me, Ethan, and Joe Lentini Jr.

Long time friends of mom's from her college years, Judy and Ray Holland and John and Georgia Boyse. They were a great blessing during those final weeks, Judy and Georgia came over one day with lunch and had a wonderful visit with their friend. Mother appreciated all the calls and visits from everyone and it really helped keep her going. I wanted to have a big "celebrate life" party to get people together before the funeral but when I talked to her about it she said it would be too depressing and awkward. She was better off visiting with people one on one or in small groups. One evening a group of teachers from Salk Elementary, where mom used to teach, stopped by and serenaded her with songs that they changed the lyrics too, inserting her name wherever they could. It was quite a hoot and she loved it.

This last photo has two of mother's main stays in town. Mr. Gary (boyfriend Gary my brother and I started referring to him as) who was the BMOC of the Starbucks crew and dear to mom's heart. The morning before she went unresponsive she asked to see Gary. So at 5:30 in the morning I called his cell, he was over within half an hour. I'm not sure exactly what she told him because I let them have privacy but what I gathered from her request was she just wanted to thank him for being such a good friend. She really loved him a lot and thought the world of him. Next to him is her across the street neighbor Jackie who went through everything with us, and I mean everything, she helped take care of the pets, the house, mom, us, you name it. She is a fabulous human being and a great blessing. Words cannot express my gratitude to these fine individuals.
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It's been quite a journey and one I wouldn't trade for the world. I will very much miss my mother but I will also purpose to carry on her legacy by impacting and speaking out for the lives of children, giving my time and talents freely, and reaching out to people that I know are in need. I also forgive my family for their terrible behavior as we paid our last respects to a wonderful lady, may they somehow make peace within themselves.

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This however will be my final blog post. In light of recent events I do not feel as though I want to share my life publicly for the time being. Those that truly know me and care about me are welcome to get a hold of me and be a part of my life. These are the ones I will hold dear in my heart and I am happy to say that I now consider many of mother's friends my friends as well. God is good all the time and his mercy endures forever. May you be continuously blessed with challenges and accomplishments in your life. I know I have much to be thankful for.