Another Best Day - Week of June 22nd

"The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness." ~John Muir

Being away from your daily routine and amenities can be challenging.  The bed never feels quite the same, the surroundings are filled with unique noises, and people are unpredictable.  But being at camp, away from it all, can also bring new experiences, cool people and familiarity seeing old friends.

Cam said to his parents upon camp dropoff: "You guys need a break too." Cam is definitely intuitive and we told him that he could use the distance from his mom and dad as well.

Cameron's week at Indian Trails is always themed and this one was "Decades Takeover" alluding to fun things over different past years.  Indian Trails Camp motto is "Another Best Day." Over the course of the 5-night stay, Cam made a homemade lava lamp, sunglasses, suncatcher, disco ball and other items.

Our camper declared his favorite activity was being on the zipline for the first time!  His other favorite activity was eating s'mores and his favorite memory was when they were all laughing at the clothespin game. We're hoping to see the pictures posted on the camp website in the next couple of weeks.

This was Cam's first time with older campers (18+) and it definitely suits him.  He completed a mindful summer exercise reviewing his own well-being.  His thoughts on the following were: Physical- eating broccoli and tomatoes helps me feel healthy, personal situations challenge him the most and family and friends add meaning to his life.

Chris and Jane had two days at the family cottage and picked up their son from Indian Trails campground on Friday morning.  He was very chatty on the drive home and enthusiastically told us about his week!

After a very relaxing day and evening, Cam slept in on Saturday.  The next afternoon, we were headed back to the big lake to celebrate our cousin's birthday!  Cameron had a lengthy conversation with "Uncle" Jeffrey about the possibility of legal action in different matters.  We saw some fireworks thanks to our neighbors next door.

Birthdays when you're younger can be magical.  Such was the case for our cousin's bday when she and Cam each had a kiddie cocktail complete with edible glitter!  As Cameron will say: "sometimes you have to take one for the team." 😄

It was fitting that we ended our day with a sighting of swans on Lake Michigan.  Swans are a sign of transformation and personal growth which was also one of Cam's summer goals.  His ultimate summer goal, though, that he provided from his time at camp was simply: "To Have Fun!"

Camology Quotes:

There's always unknown when it comes to experiencing something different.  Cam's parents weren't certain how their son would feel after attending his first adult week for camp.  They were undeniably relieved when their son stated after pickup:

"When do we sign up for next year?  I want to go again!"

New Friends! - Week of June 15th

“There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met.” ~William Butler Yeats

Sometimes, we don't have a plan.  "Winging it" is not the most comfortable place to be, but usually things fall into place as intended. 

Such was the case when the school year was over for Cam and we didn't officially have anyone to buddy up with our son during work days.

Brody's mom reached out to Jane indicating that a family friend had just graduated college and was looking for summer work.  Miss Brynn is a graduate of CMU and just hired at Forest Hills Northern as an ASL teacher.  She is energetic, positive and loves playing games.  She'll spend about 20 hours a week with Cam going on walks, running errands and hanging out.

Before school was over, Cameron made a request.  He asked if there was any way he could talk to a guy during the summer months.  Fortunately, we had recently met a pre-med student, Diandre, through a Grand Valley State University project with Dr. Lisa.  Diandre is attending grad school and working at a hospital a few days a week.  We talked to him about spending a couple of hours a week talking with Cam.  It's been such a positive experience welcoming two new friends into our home!

This week, Cam had an appointment for a new custom seat back fitting for his power wheelchair.  Life Beyond Barriers is located in Rockford and two of the physical therapists have known Cameron for quite a few years.  The process takes awhile and involves capturing a foam 3D image of a molded back.  After Cam is seated and in position, the therapists remove the air and ensure that the backside has the proper fit.  Now the wait begins as everything is processed through insurance and the order is finally placed.  We are expecting a minimum of three months to receive the new customized back cushion. 

Wednesday evening featured a very special dinner at our home with two families—our longtime neighbors, whom Cam has known his whole life.  The kids are all older than Cam now and somehow, all of the locals were able to make it with spouses, significant others and kiddos.  Anna's two daughters found some of Cameron's childhood toys and we all laughed remembering the multiple times so many years ago of all of the kids playing together.  Everyone contributed to our meal and it was a feast of pulled pork, roasted veggies, spinach salad, chips, dips, coleslaw and homemade desserts.  We're not sure when we'll be able to gather this crew again, but we were incredibly happy it worked out.

On Father's Day, we celebrated Chris in honor of the amazing dad that he is!  Cam found some funny things on Amazon to give his daddio...a pair of socks with writing on the bottom- right sock: I'm Not Sleeping, left sock: I'm Just Resting My Eyes and a small jar of Dad Jokes!😁

Later on Sunday, Cam was scheduled to check in at Indian Trails Camp.  He told us he was excited and a bit nervous. Funny enough, his parents felt the exact..same...way.

Camology Quotes:

There is a game Cam likes to play called "Name in Five- Animal Edition" and each person asks a yes or no question.  The word to guess was Rhino.  Cam was asked if you would have this animal as a pet to which he responded:

"Well, if you did, you may have to be in a mental hospital."

Sleeping In - Week of June 8th

“Better to get up late and be wide awake then, than to get up early and be asleep all day.” ~Matthew Henry

Perhaps the most obvious change in school ending for Cam is the newfound freedom of sleeping in...every...day and not just on the weekends!

George Gershwin wrote the lyrics, "Summertime and living is easy..." which definitely resonates with our son.

Monday evening, Cameron and his dad surprised Jane with an early birthday celebration! She finished work to find the two guys plating dinner followed by cake and presents 🥳

Chris left the next morning for his annual fishing trip to Canada.  Jane had the day off of work on her actual birthday so she and Cam headed north to pick up Oma.  Cam's grandma planned to stay with us until Saturday.  It was a day of more surprises with a delivery of Edible Arrangements from Auntie Karen!  That evening, Auntie Jo arrived for another celebration and dined with us sharing Jane's chosen dinner of sushi. 

Meanwhile, Cam's dad was catching a bounty of fish for us in the province of Ontario.  To reach the destination, they boarded a sea plane for a 35-minute flight. Even though the weather wasn't the greatest, the fishing was stellar.  The cell service at the remote location wasn't ideal but Chris checked in with us daily.  

Cameron and his grandma played games, strolled the neighborhood and shared lots of laughter during the week.  Saturday's lunch was early for our crew because we had a special event to attend.  Cousin Calla's spring dance recital was being held at a local high school near the cottage.  We arrived with 15 minutes to spare thanks to Cam's always on-time departure.  The dancing was fun to see with lots of different songs and arrangements.  Immediately following the end of the recital, we all headed back to the cottage for outdoor relaxation with family and friends. Calla showed us one of the smallest turtles we'd ever seen.  Coco and her dad put together a most delicious meal with the best brats and burgers from a local meat market.  Jane's favorite, the blueberry brat, was grilled to perfection.  Coco had special birthday candles to add to the mini cupcakes as an extra added touch for dessert.  Our cousins are simply the best!

It was a quiet Sunday morning.  Cam and his mom settled Oma back into her place Saturday evening, thanking her for such a fun week!  

Shortly before lunch, Jane had a little surprise planned for Cam...he actually guessed who was coming into our home before his mom could even get the words out.  Miss Amanda and her new baby, Quincy had arrived for their first visit since sweet Quincy was born.  We had such a nice time catching up and shared lunch together.  

Amanda provided Cam care for the longest consecutive duration of time, right up until she had her first child.  As Cam noted after mother and daughter, left..."Miss Amanda is already a great mom, Mom!"

Camology Quotes:

It seems to be a rule of thumb in our household (and most likely many others) that unusual events tend to occur when one parent is out of town.  Such was the case on Thursday when we experienced the rare tornado warning in our area.  Shockingly, Cam did not wake up when the sirens were going off.  Jane kept a close eye on the radar and the threat passed quickly.  However, the morning news covered the event quite extensively...to which Cam declared:

"Mom! You need to wake me up when these things happen- I am really surprised I did not hear anything!"

All About Community - Week of June 1st

"Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else’s help.” ~Heather French Henry

Giving back is a bit of a family mantra for the Weatherford fam.  Our community has provided so much for us ever since Cameron was born.  

Renew Mobility is a local non-profit that enhances independence by providing access to mobility equipment.  Jane has been on the board of directors for more than five years.  Renew has provided multiple wheelchairs for Cam over the years.  The equipment is provided at no charge and the only request is a donation for the non-profit and return of the item when you're finished.  On Monday, a few board members and the Program Director of Renew met at Culver's.  Our team worked for 3 hours for our non-profit to receive 10% of the total proceeds for that timeframe.  Cam chipped in as well!

Thursday was the final day of the school year.  Cam's bus driver, Miss Taylor, quickly moved into our top 3 list of all-time favorite navigators for school!

West Michigan Miracle League (WMML) has been a part of our community for almost 15 years. For the final spring game, our Cam fans did not disappoint.  Miss Barbara, Cam and Brody's grade school teacher, has always attended a game every season since the two guys were in her kindergarten class!  Patti and Steve our dear friends and longtime neighbors made the trek as well to support Cam and watch him receive his final game medal.  The Home Depot team volunteered and offered everyone hot dogs and chips following the games.  A fellow player, Daniel, is pictured with Cameron.  They drive the same type of chair and both have baclofen pumps.  As an added bonus, they're friends too!

The weather couldn't have been better for baseball.  After some downtime in the afternoon, we were excited about our dinner plans.  Cam loves seeing adults who drive power wheelchairs and have independence.  Our friends Matt and Jill both drive their own vans.  Jill has a service dog, Tarzan.

We grilled burgers and hot dogs and everyone contributed to our meal. Jill made a homemade strawberry pie and caprese salad.  Matt brought homemade brownies.  After dinner, we played such a fun game called Everybody Knows!  It's a trivia card time and we played guys against girls.  The guys barely won 😉Such a super fun evening!

Babe Ruth is quoted as saying, "The way a team plays determines its success."  Our team play this week provided shared success.

Bob Feller once said, "Every day is a new opportunity...That's the way baseball is."  We couldn't agree more.  Make it a great day everyone!

Camology Quotes:

At dinner one evening we were talking about foreign languages. Cam mentioned that he took Spanish in school.  Chris disagreed and adamantly told him that was not the case.  To which Cam quickly responded: 

"Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete..."