Swirling - Week of Feb. 16th

"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." ~Dr. Suess

Typically, when you can ask someone which year of schooling went by at record speed and their senior year is the most popular answer.  As parents, it's odd to remember your own last year of high school while watching your child complete theirs.

Seniors have many of "this is the last time I will..." moments.  Saturday marked the Swirl Dance which is always held at the end of February.  Brody and his date Madison, along with Cam all decided they wanted to meet for dinner that evening.  Madison's mom had the genius idea to take pictures at a nearby hotel.  This was incredibly smart because the outdoor temperature was hovering around 20 degrees.

After a delicious dinner at Applebee's, the friends arrived at the dance right on time.  The gathering takes place in the cafeteria converted into a dance space.  It's unbelievably crowded, but Cam always manages to navigate the space.

The assistant principal even guided him to a secret exit so he wouldn't have to fight through the crowded front doors.

It was a later evening for Cam, so sleeping in was on the agenda for Sunday morning.  We were invited to a brunch for the Adaptive Ski Association of West Michigan.  It is a yearly celebration to thank the athletes and volunteers for all of their efforts.  An assortment of eggs, toast, bacon, pancakes, sausage, biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, fruit and danishes provided crowd pleaser options.  A photo montage from the season played in the background and we played a round of bingo. 

As we left the building, we were all given an official ASAWM shirt to advertise our happy memories until the next season in 2027!

Camology Quotes:

Cam always keeps his language appropriate so when he does belt out a word he doesn't normally say, it's a surprise to us all and laughter always follows. Jane informed her son that his protein shake, Premiere Protein was now offering a chocolate peanut butter flavor. His immediate response:

"Holy crap! I can't believe it!"

A Break in Winter - Week of Feb. 9th

"Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax." ~Mark Black

It was a busy week leading up to Cam's mid-winter break.

Thursday's activities were split between morning and afternoon.  The "Battle of the Hills" Unified Basketball tournament took place at Forest Hills Northern High School. Teams from across the district came together for some unforgettable games full of teamwork, sportsmanship, and community spirit.  Jane made a quick appearance in between work meetings to cheer on Cam.  Our senior made it onto the Forest Hills Instagram page when someone snapped a pic of the Northern mascot, the Husky saying hi.

After Chris arrived home from work, our next destination was Clock Mobility, the leading mobility equipment provider in West Michigan.  Lori's Voice, one of our local non-profits, was setting up for a photo shoot/campaign announcing their van giveaway.  They requested that Chris and Cam be in the pictures along with the executive director Rebecca and her daughter, Gracie.  Chris is on the board of directors and Cam is included in some of the brochure pictures for the organization.

Jane and her son introduced Gracie to one of their all-time favorite cartoons, Curious George.  With Jane's phone, they played an episode for Gracie and she really seemed to like it.

That evening, Oma joined us to stay for three nights.  Cam's mid-winter break from school was scheduled for Friday and Monday.  Jane had a scheduled vacation day on Friday.

Anne Lamott said "Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you." And that is exactly what we did.  A few strolls in the milder weather gave Cam and his grandma a lot to smile about.

For Christmas, Jane had purchased Grand Rapids Monopoly for the family.  It was the perfect time to crack open the game.  Over the course of the next three days, our group played for a few hours each session.  Oma informed us that she had never actually played Monopoly.  That was a big surprise to us all but not a surprise that she thoroughly enjoyed the board game experience.  We all laughed so much during our time purchasing property, adding houses and eventually hotels.  Cam was quite frugal and cautious with his bank account, very akin to real life.

Saturday morning, Cam requested a special breakfast for Valentine's.  Jane made homemade apple turnovers. Her son told her they were good, but not quite as good as Heidi's Farmstand 😉 

Auntie Jo stopped by on Saturday to catch up with us all and exchange Christmas presents.  We had such a nice visit and Cam received quite a few Reese's, his favorite chocolate treat along with new books and a hat/shirt from her travels.

Also for Valentine's Day, Chris arrived home in the afternoon with a beautiful bouquet of a dozen roses for Jane and a single rose for Oma and Auntie Jo.  Cam received a plant that doesn't need any watering and we can watch it grow.

Cam told his mom that she needed extra hugs for Valentine's which she was happy to accept!

Camology Quotes:

Chris and his son were headed back from power soccer practice on Wednesday evening when Chris was explaining that he had created a voice assistant for his AI agents.  He was pretty excited about it and asked Cam if he wanted to talk to the virtual voice assistant and ask it any question.  Cam resoundly replied:

"Um Dad, they are not your friends, you know.  I am your real friend and I am right here!"

A Super Weekend - Week of Feb. 2nd

"In one minute you can change your attitude, and in that minute you can change your entire day." ~Spencer Johnson

It was hard to believe we entered into the month of February this week.  The brutally cold weather seems to be hanging on a bit longer than we'd all like.  Fortunately, the weekend brought some much-needed sunshine over Michigan.

Saturday's activities were split.  Chris made his way to the Cannonsburg Ski Area to volunteer for Mary Free Bed Hospital's adaptive skiing day.  

Cam and his mom were destined for Grand Haven.  They picked up Oma in the early afternoon and made their way to the Grand Haven State Park to get a closer view of the frozen water.  Of course, on the way there they made a slight detour for some Starbucks treats!  The sun glittered on the small patches of the big lake that were visible.  It really was fun to see.  Back at Oma's apartment, Cam and his mom assisted with a few tasks before heading back to Grand Rapids.

Sunday was termed a "double-header" for the Weatherford family.

First up was the last round of adaptive skiing for the season.  It is always a bittersweet day for us.  We all agreed that this may have been our best skiing with Adaptive Skiing Association of West Michigan since Cam started 7 years ago.

Even though it was just 23 degrees, it actually felt warm with the bright sunshine and zero clouds in the sky.  The Cannonsburg snow machines were working overtime showing off a few large mini mountains of new white stuff.

Each trek down the slope seemed better than the last and before we knew it, our time was up.  Mr. Jim and his daughter, Aliya were fun and always full of positivity.  They even told us they hope to be on Team Cam next year as well!

In honor of Cam's stellar stint with ASAWM, here's our favorite video of one of his runs!

We made it back home before our SuperBowl guests arrived for the next round of fun.

Cousins and friends joined us to hang out and watch the final football championship game.  The younger kids are very happy that Cam lets them all play with his childhood toys.

Even though we may have eaten too much food and stayed up a bit later, it was worth it to have some extra time with our peeps!

Camology Quotes:

Cam seemed to be in a bit of a philosophical mood at bedtime one evening when he declared: 

"Life goes as fast or as slow as you make it!"

The Transition Tour - Week of Jan. 26th

"And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." ~Meister Eckhart

It was an eventful week in the Weatherford household.  Jane left for a business trip Tuesday morning during a snow event and arrived back home very late Wednesday evening.  She was in Orlando where the high temp was 53 degrees.  The very same day, Cam remained home since school was closed due to the winter weather.

The elusive ceiling track remote finally arrived at our home 9 days after it was sent on its way via UPS.  Midwest Patient Lifts is our Michigan provider and they even included a nice cozy blanket.

Cam and his mom made it to Mary Free Bed after school on Thursday to pick up his updated AFOs (ankle foot orthotics) which help keep his legs in alignment when standing.

Friday morning we were destined for a tour of the Transition Center.  The Center will serve as Cam's continuing education after he graduates in May.  

The program serves young adults from across the Forest Hills Public School district who have a range of abilities and developmental needs. The center focuses on preparing students for independent and community life, employment, continuing education, and recreation/leisure skills after school services are complete.  Cam was very impressed that the desk areas were all adaptable for his power wheelchair.  He always notices the accessibility aspect and he commented on each zone and function as it related to how he would use it.
Chris and Jane were excited to see how things were set up and they all left the building with huge smiles.

Cam's parents made a quick trip to check on Oma's cottage after dropping off their son at school.  Lake Michigan's ice coverage is 40% and it certainly goes out quite a ways until you can see the water.

On Sunday, our fourth adaptive ski lesson at Cannonsburg marked the "warmest" day yet with temps in the mid-20s.

We were all laughing about how our bodies have acclimated to the colder climate this winter.

The afternoon gave us our smoothest runs of the season and the sunshine definitely made it feel warmer than it actually was!  Chris and Cam now ride the chairlift every time together.  Even though the process still makes Jane a bit nervous, the guys have settled in.

Our volunteers Jim and his daughter Aliya have been such positive teammates every week.  Jim is an expert tether guide maneuvering Cam down the hill without any wipeouts!

Camology Quotes:

After Friday's tour, Cam was dropped off at school at the same time as Brody.  Jane and Brody's mom checked in with the front office.  Cam asked if someone could call his classroom. Jane asked Cam why he wasn't just going there, to which he replied:

"Because that would not be copasetic!"

Brody's Mom: "Do you even know what that means Cam?"

"Of course. It means that it is not really ok."

Brody's Mom: "I'm leaving now..."