I have been so busy the past week and a half that my head is almost spinning!
Pat and Leslie came to visit us 2 Thursdays ago and created their own long weekend. As usual, we had a great time and Connor LOVES having Gramma and Chief come over and play at his house. :)
On Monday, Connor and I picked up my grandmother, Granny, from the airport. It is her first time in Michigan and actually the first time she has ever stayed at our home...any of them. :) It is such a treat to have her here and I am so thankful she was willing to come!
My mom and dad, Nana & Monte-D, arrived on Tuesday afternoon. My dad headed back out on business sales calls Wednesday through Friday.
Granny was a gem and did ALL of our laundry and then started in on all of Declan's clothes (many of Connor's hand-me-downs). It was so fun bringing back many of my favorite old outfits to life. It is hard to believe there will be a tiny little guy wearing some of those newborn outfits...maybe even some of the preemie ones that Connor required for a few weeks. Granny got spots out and we even made 2 trips to Bed Bath & Beyond for baby hangers. :) His closet and dresser are full. I ordered the crib on the 29th after Granny made it very clear that she did NOT mind being moved from his room into the lower level. She was perhaps the most anxious to see his room come together.
While all of this activity was going on at the house, Brian was actually going through the interview process with Intuitive Surgical. He was approached the Thursday that his mom and dad got here totally out of the blue. It is still medical device sales, but they sell the Da Vinci robot. It is the only robot on the market and is highly sought after by patients and hospitals alike. He had interviews and ride-alongs all week and received the formal offer letter on Friday afternoon.
We are truly grateful for the opportunities that Johnson & Johnson Ethicon Endo-Surgery has provided and for giving Brian his first "civilian" job out of the Air Force. There is certainly no animosity what-so-ever and we will miss many of the EES contacts we have made over the years. The job with Intuitive is simply a great opportunity when there are a lot of unknowns for the full-line EES sales reps. The job change will keep us in Grand Rapids, so although it is an adjustment for all of us, Brian bears the brunt of the "change".
Brian gave his resignation notice on Friday afternoon and while out to dinner he got a call from his pseudo-manager in Detroit. Since he will be working for a competitor, EES wanted all of their assets returned immediately. We spent some time gathering the hundreds of pounds of product and literature to return as well as his car, iPhone, iPad, etc., etc. My dad and Brian drove to Detroit to drop everything off yesterday. B will get a cell phone and car "allowance" with the new company, so we are now car shopping.
Backing up just a bit, on Saturday we all jumped in the mini-van that my parent's rented and headed "up north" for the weekend. We stopped at the Sand Dunes and Traverse City on Friday and arrived in Macinaw City to spend the night late that night. We headed over to the historic, picturesque Mackinaw Island on Sunday. It is one of the few places in America that does not allow cars. We did a carriage tour that took us around the island and we sampled lots of fudge at several of the 17 fudge shops on the island. Although it was warm even in northern Michigan, it was a lot of fun. The Grand Hotel is truly spectacular and the setting along the lake is stunning.
We spent another night in Mackinaw City and then we drove even further north, into the Upper Peninsula (the "U-P"). It was about an hour and a half north and we visited the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Sault ("Soo") Ste. Marie, Ontario is just on the other side of the St. Marie River. The primary point of this visit was do experience the Soo Locks. We did a boat tour and went up/down on the river. Before the Locks, ships or boats of any kind could not handle the 21' elevation difference between Lake Huron and Lake Superior and it would take 2 months for the boats to travel on land around the problem area. The locks allow the process to take 20 minutes instead. Although a little over Connor's head, he liked the boat ride and it was the highlight of Granny's trip. :) Once the tour was complete, we turned around and headed home for the next 5 hours.
When we got home, Declan's crib was on the front porch waiting for us!!
So, yesterday while my dad and Brian drove to Detroit and back (thank you, Dad for going so I didn't have to go!!) I worked, looked up cars, assembled a crib, & moved the furniture around a bazillion different ways with my mom until we found something that works pretty well. His room still needs to be painted and lots of other touches, but I am very pleased with how it is all coming together!
Brian spent most of the day in the car or getting his new phone and other gear at Verizon and then working tirelessly to solve the corporate contacts problem. He was finally able to get all of his old contacts on his new phone.
After a super busy day, we still had to eat...and we needed to go to the store to get all the food for today, the 4th of July! We are having friends over for a cookout during the day and then we are the primary "hosts" for our neighborhood 4th of July potluck party at the clubhouse at 6:30...whew!
My head is still spinning, but I need to go take a shower before I head to the clubhouse to setup at 10!
Granny and Monte-D are heading to Meijer Gardens & Sculpture park this morning. Thank goodness my dad extended the rental time and picked up a different car since our family is down to the good ol' VW Passat!
Many pictures to come...they are still on the camera.
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