Summer Recap

OK! I know I've been negligent in my writing lately. I wish I could chalk it up to being super busy with work, but that's not really it (although, I have been busy - just not very productive).

Mason has had an eventful summer. Her first one as a teenager (I know, I still shudder at the thought of what's to come). She's really growing up FAST. If Jenny were still here, Mason would be able to look her straight in the eyes - right now, she stands almost 5'4".

She finished 7th grade with a flurry - almost making straight A's - only a B in Mathematics (which is odd, since she is always telling me that Math is her favorite class). She achieved High Honors - so I guess she's doing well in school. During Summer School, Mason managed to pass all of her music pieces so that she could join the Concert Band for eighth grade. She's been first chair for the past couple of years in Cadet Band - she probably won't make first chair, but playing with the Concert Band will help her to get better.

In June, Mason spent a week with the Elseys and the McNeills in Michigan. They were staying at a friend's house on Saddle Lake. It was sort of like going to camp, except when I went to camp we didn't have Jet Skis, ski boats, inner tube rides and nice comfy beds. She took a lot of pictures, which we'll soon upload to Flickr.

The month of July was spent around the house. We watched the fireworks on Chicago's lakefront. Mason hung out with Grandma and Grandpa V and played with her friends. Found some kittens in the garage (no, we didn't keep them). I got stung by bees - luckily, our neighbor Flo came to my rescue with an Epi pen. I was stung on the leg and toe (of all places) and both of them turned purple and swelled up to about double their normal size. It took about a week for the color to fade and the swelling to disappear. If only Mason had been taking video of me at the time - surely would have won the $10,000 prize! Although, bleeps would have been required for family viewing.

I've been trying to clean out the house a bit. Hopefully, I'll have it in shape to put it on the market by next Spring. We did have a few storms blow through here, one caused our neighbor's tree to fall on my roof - unfortunately (or fortunately if you're State Farm) no major damage to the house - would have been nice to get a new kitchen ;-)

Yesterday, Mason returned from a two-week trip to Sarasota. She spent some time with Jenny's brother Bob (who seems to be doing much better, but he tires easily) and his girlfriend Renee, her kids and grand kids. Renee showed Mason a great time - spending nearly every day in the pool and when they weren't swimming, they were at Disney World, Busch Gardens and a local aquarium. She flew all by herself (well, other than the flight crew and the 100 other passengers) - it was tough to put her on a plane alone - but she handled it like a seasoned pro.

That about sums up the Summer. School starts in a couple of weeks. I'll work on getting the pictures uploaded soon.

~ Max

Visit From Family

Last Thursday, Mason and I got a nice surprise. My mom, aunt Linda, uncle Vern, cousin Josh and his girls stopped in the Chicago area on their way to the visit grandpa Cimino in Maryland.
We were originally trying to meet them for dinner on Wednesday night, but due to some miscalculations, they arrived too late. So, Mason and I got up a little earlier than normal and drove out to their hotel and met them for breakfast. It was nice to see everyone. Not sure why the photo has a bluish tint, oh well.

~ Max & Mason

Viola is Recovering

We've been to the hospital a couple of times to see Viola (Jenny's mom). She is in some pain, but managed to put a little weight on her hip yesterday. She'll probably be in the recovery room a couple more days and then she'll move to a physical therapy room. I haven't spoken to the doctors yet, hopefully I'll be able to today.

She does have a great view of Chicago from her room.



~ Max & Mason

Viola is in the Hospital

Jenny's mom, Viola, went in for surgery today. She had what is called a "Total Hip Arthroplasty". According to her husband, Bob, the surgery went well, but she lost a lot of blood because the procedure took longer than expected. She's at the La Grange Hospital, and doing fine.

Mason and I will be going to visit her tomorrow. I know that Mason is a little worried, but Viola is in good hands. She should be home in a few days.

It's a Whole New Look

Not exactly sure what caused her to make this decision. Mason's always been pretty attached to her hair (pun intended). Her long, red hair is, well, her trademark - her brand. It makes her stand out from the crowd. Literally, it makes it much easier to spot her in a crowd ;-) The color is the same, but today Mason's locks are about 12" shorter.



Mason decided to donate a pony tail to Locks of Love, a well-known charity that makes wigs for kids. Hair donation is a simple way to provide a child with locks of love. Donating it is actually very simple (it's the growing it that takes the time and effort). If you have a ponytail that is 10 inches or longer, you can donate hair so that that a kid whose lost theirs can look more like themselves.

Children undergoing chemotherapy, suffering from alopecia areata, or recuperating from scalp burns face multiple hurdles. In addition to the physical challenges of medical treatment, children also must combat low self-esteem and poor self-image from losing their hair. Oftentimes, bald children believe it necessary to hide their condition under hats and feel they stand out among other kids.

When kids feel better about their appearance, they feel brighter about the outlook for their future. With renewed confidence, these children will go out in public again, without feeling self-conscious. They can look proudly in the mirror. They see themselves again.

A custom human-hair wig can cost more than a thousand dollars to make and is too expensive for many families. But, several non-profit groups are working with volunteers to make wigs for financially disadvantaged kids. To make this happen for a child, all you have to do is donate your ponytail, the next time you get a haircut.



We went to Fantastic Sams in Forest Park and they made the process even simpler. Judy, Mason's hair stylist, took care of everything. She gave me the hair donation form to fill out and then she packaged the hair and shipped it off to Locks of Love.

I think a few of her friends will be surprised on Monday. I think she looks great of course :)

~ Max

Neon Golf

I'm continuing to chronicle Mason's Spring Break. We've had a great time together.

On Friday, Mason decided that she wanted to go play mini golf. The closest one to us is in Norridge - Putting Edge. It's a psychedlic, black-lighted, 19-hole, glow-in-the-dark course with a little Chuckie Cheese added for good measure.







Mason held her own, finishing 3 over par. I didn't break any course records, but was lucky to finish at 3 under par :) We played some video games and some skee ball. Mason won enough "tickets" to get herself a stuffed turtle.



~ Max & Mason

Garfield Park Conservatory

Recall that I had mentioned that Mason had only received less than an "A" in one class last quarter? That class was Science. So, yesterday Mason and I went to the Garfield Park Conservatory for an extra credit assignment.

It's actually a very interesting place, especially if you're into plants :] We're talking all kinds of plants, some with very historical value. There are few plants that were on display at the Columbian Exposition, the Worlds Fair that was held in Chicago in 1893. Not just decendants of those plants, but the actual plants and trees themselves (although they house some decendants as well) that makes them over 105 years old.

Mason's assignment was to take notes and report on a new exhibit about Sugar from the Sun. The exhibit details how a plant uses air, water and light to make sugar. We saw oranges, pineapples, mango, papaya and banana plants. Of course we took some pictures and will upload them to Flickr. I'll post some here later today as well.

It was good to do something indoors, since our weather here is still more like Winter.



Hopefully its warmer and sunnier where you are ;)

~ Max & Mason