Preparations have begun for our 2nd annual, summer trip to the
northern Michigan town of Petoskey. Ginny’s family has a tradition of
heading to this throw-back town when the temperatures rise that dates
back to at least the 1920’s. Last year her family bought a cottage so
that the tradition could continue. This year, the trip falls at a
great time for our family- because my role with the church is ending,
I will be able to join them for 2 weeks in the middle of their
adventure.
I will be using the time away to continue work on some writing of our
journey with Eliot and life in the aftermath. I am hoping to catch
some kind of Hemingway inspiration while near Lake Michigan that
results in words churned out by the thousands. But if not, there are
worse places to not be getting things done. Last year during our
Michigan summer, I wore a sweatshirt more often than not- whereas,
home has currently reached the stage that your shirt is wet before you
close the door on your way outside.
Ginny will herd the rascals north on Wednesday, and I will be joining
them on the following week. Here’s a recent NY Times article on Petoskey;
we’ll be sure to post some pictures and updates on life on Lake
Michigan.
Our bathroom is being remodeled while we are away. It’s the lone throne of the household, so it made sense to go ahead and do it while we were all able to potty elsewhere (although, half of us still go in our pants). So, hopefully, we can wow you with some before & after shots of the bathroom when we return.
I am still working & waiting on what the next phase of my work life
looks like. There are some exciting opportunities on the horizon
including the possibility of a role with 99 Balloons. That, along
with writing and continued consulting, constitute most of the
discussion currently. The process is still at the stage where I am
excited and hopeful for what is to come, but must admit it feels both
exhilarating and scary to head toward a destination that is blurred on
a path that seems clear.
I think, for the most part, we have absorbed the blow of Hazel’s
seizure and the fallout to our psyche. We seemed to walk around
glazed for about a week, and are accepting the foreign reality that
everything really is fine. This, for us, seemed hard to grasp as I
think we sort of instinctively cowered down in expectation of another
epic storm at the first sound of thunder. When all you have known is
Katrina, it’s quite difficult to grasp the refreshing nature of a
summer shower.
8,261 Comments
Preparations have begun for our 2nd annual, summer trip to the
northern Michigan town of Petoskey. Ginny’s family has a tradition of
heading to this throw-back town when the temperatures rise that dates
back to at least the 1920’s. Last year her family bought a cottage so
that the tradition could continue. This year, the trip falls at a
great time for our family- because my role with the church is ending,
I will be able to join them for 2 weeks in the middle of their
adventure.
I will be using the time away to continue work on some writing of our
journey with Eliot and life in the aftermath. I am hoping to catch
some kind of Hemingway inspiration while near Lake Michigan that
results in words churned out by the thousands. But if not, there are
worse places to not be getting things done. Last year during our
Michigan summer, I wore a sweatshirt more often than not- whereas,
home has currently reached the stage that your shirt is wet before you
close the door on your way outside.
Ginny will herd the rascals north on Wednesday, and I will be joining
them on the following week. Here’s a recent NY Times article on Petoskey;
we’ll be sure to post some pictures and updates on life on Lake
Michigan.
Our bathroom is being remodeled while we are away. It’s the lone throne of the household, so it made sense to go ahead and do it while we were all able to potty elsewhere (although, half of us still go in our pants). So, hopefully, we can wow you with some before & after shots of the bathroom when we return.
I am still working & waiting on what the next phase of my work life
looks like. There are some exciting opportunities on the horizon
including the possibility of a role with 99 Balloons. That, along
with writing and continued consulting, constitute most of the
discussion currently. The process is still at the stage where I am
excited and hopeful for what is to come, but must admit it feels both
exhilarating and scary to head toward a destination that is blurred on
a path that seems clear.
I think, for the most part, we have absorbed the blow of Hazel’s
seizure and the fallout to our psyche. We seemed to walk around
glazed for about a week, and are accepting the foreign reality that
everything really is fine. This, for us, seemed hard to grasp as I
think we sort of instinctively cowered down in expectation of another
epic storm at the first sound of thunder. When all you have known is
Katrina, it’s quite difficult to grasp the refreshing nature of a
summer shower.
8,261 Comments
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on June 24, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Matt, I love reading your comments and musings on FB. You have a true gift with words. Your sweet family is sooo precious. It was so good to see you at Clay Alan’s wedding.
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on June 25, 2010 at 8:51 am
I so understand your Katrina-summer shower example. You are able to verbalize exactly how JB and I feel a lot of the time. Thank you for the blog and I look forward to what you are writing. Have fun on your trip!
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on June 30, 2010 at 10:03 am
Keep the faith … and keep writing! Stumbled across your blog several years ago during Eliot’s life and have followed since. Having walked in similar shoes many years ago, there was an instant connection. Thanks for sharing your heart and being transparent. Another instant connection came this morning when I read about your family heading to Petoskey. For half a lifetime at least, we packed our car with tons of kid-gear and traveled from Arizona, and then Missouri, with Matt’s four younger brothers to the family cottage at Bay View for rest and re-creation. May it provide the same to you and yours.
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on July 1, 2010 at 8:56 am
Isn’t it a great place. I’m parked at Roast & Toast currently. Thanks for the encouragement.
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on June 30, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Hey do you guys know about the Chase Bank thing for the Chromosome 18 registry? Here’s the link! http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/742557551-chromosome-18-registry-and-research-society?src=charity-details-wall-post-self&ref=mf
Matt, I love reading your comments and musings on FB. You have a true gift with words. Your sweet family is sooo precious. It was so good to see you at Clay Alan’s wedding.
I so understand your Katrina-summer shower example. You are able to verbalize exactly how JB and I feel a lot of the time. Thank you for the blog and I look forward to what you are writing. Have fun on your trip!
Keep the faith … and keep writing! Stumbled across your blog several years ago during Eliot’s life and have followed since. Having walked in similar shoes many years ago, there was an instant connection. Thanks for sharing your heart and being transparent. Another instant connection came this morning when I read about your family heading to Petoskey. For half a lifetime at least, we packed our car with tons of kid-gear and traveled from Arizona, and then Missouri, with Matt’s four younger brothers to the family cottage at Bay View for rest and re-creation. May it provide the same to you and yours.
Isn’t it a great place. I’m parked at Roast & Toast currently. Thanks for the encouragement.
Hey do you guys know about the Chase Bank thing for the Chromosome 18 registry? Here’s the link! http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/742557551-chromosome-18-registry-and-research-society?src=charity-details-wall-post-self&ref=mf