Best Buds Party! - Week of July 6th

"I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.” ~Nancie J. Carmody

An impending event can bring up a host of emotions.  Some may feel excited, anxious and overwhelmed.  Cameron knew his official graduation party "open house" was forthcoming but it did seem to creep up rather quickly.  

It turns out that Open House Graduation parties are rather unique to the Midwest part of the country.  The term "open house" is widely referred to as visiting a home that's for sale.  Many people in Michigan attend multiple open house/grad parties in a single day with the knowledge that you can arrive when it suits you and leave as soon as you're ready to head out.  

Prior to the Best Buds Celebration, though, there were a few more surprises in store...Wednesday evening, our dear friends, the Flegel's requested to stop by with Cam's graduation party present.  We were a bit puzzled and couldn't imagine what they were dropping off.  Craig and Cara have an expansive garden at their place and Chris and his son often head over to load up on vegetables.  We were all collectively surprised when they appeared with two huge potted tomato plants!  Each had its own personal metal customized "tag": Cam's Cherry Bomb Corner and Cam Lord of the Vine.  The cherry bomb and yellow tomatoes respectively are his absolute favorites!

Friday morning, Ms. Barbara, Cam & Brody's very first grade school teacher stopped by to drop off cards for her former students.  She told us she had a wedding to attend on Saturday so she wanted to ensure they both knew how much they meant to her.  Barbara hasn't missed a baseball season for the best buds since they began playing!

Friday also marked a big birthday for Cam's dad...Chris was officially 50!  He opened some funny shirts from Cam and gifts from Jane.  (Throwback photo included in the collage on Chris's bday in 2013 of father and son).  In the early evening, Cam's mom had a surprise for both her son and husband.  Jane had secretly planned for Ms. Ann to hang out with Cam while she took Chris out for a dinner at MDRD, located on the top (27th floor) of the Amway Grand downtown. Then, Cam's parents were very surprised when a close friend (Jane's colleague) treated them both to their dinner all the way from New Jersey!

Saturday was the day of the highly anticipated Best Buds Graduation Party!  The open house time was scheduled from 3-6pm but we had some work to do before that.  Brody and Cam were both ready to pitch in. Chris and Cam picked up the 200 bundtini cakes for dessert.  Decorations were assembled and arranged, the tent and tables were put in place and the delicious food arrived from the Garage Bar.

We've often said that Cam and Brody are a great pairing.  Brody is carefree and sometimes "bends the rules" while Cam is typically routine-driven and concerned about going "outside of the boundaries" as it relates to anything with rules.  The two best buddies provide balance.  

Ever since kindergarten, they've had each other's backs, celebrating the victories and sharing in life's sorrows, exemplifying what it is to be a true friend in the purest sense.  And thankfully, their families gel together quite nicely too.  Sharing this event with the Cole family felt like it was meant to be.  The warm sunshine met a slight breeze and the food was kept inside the air conditioned cafe.  

Overwhelmed and thankful were the chosen emotions of the day.  Each family member, godmother, close friend, teacher, helper and physical therapist showed up!  Cameron couldn't believe all of the people who came and how many of those people he and Brody had in common!  We may not have captured pictures of every single guest, but the endless conversations the remainder of the day (and many to come) reminded us of the presence of each person gathered in celebration.

On Sunday, although a bit weary, we made our way to another grad party for Caden, Madison's brother.  The dessert and coffee display there were a special treat for Cam and Brody since they missed out on the bundtinis at their own event.  It was nice to relax and chat with the families.

When we returned home, our dear friend Molly stopped in to drop off Cam's graduation gift.  The two shared some serious laughs, as they always do.

Sunday evening, as the sun was setting and we were talking about the weekend celebrations, one thing was abundantly clear...we are truly blessed.

Camology Quotes:

As were discussing the upcoming party for the best buds, we weren't certain if Cam was serious or joking when he made the following comment:

"So, do I need to stay for the entire whole time at my graduation party?!"

Our Country's Celebration - Week of June 29th

"Laughter is the fireworks of the soul." ~Josh Billings

Cam has always been a huge fan of celebrations, but fireworks have never been his personal favorite. 

Our week was filled with multiple opportunities to gather with family and friends.

Late afternoon on Wednesday, we made our way to Holland to visit our aunt and uncle and their kids and grandkids (our cousins) at Maple Beach.  We typically see this entire crew only once a year.  Two families live in different parts of the U.S. and two other families live in different actual countries all together.  It was a very warm afternoon with high humidity.  Somehow, our cousins made everything comfortable with a cool mister, beach umbrellas, tasty drinks and appetizers.  During our relaxing time, Cameron asked his uncle for the origin story of the Jellema cottage.  It was a lively conversation with many questions peppered in. 

The traditional shrimp boil mastered by Dave is always the highlight.  Cameron loves the sausage, corn and potatoes.  He happily gives up the shrimp to his parents.  The cornbread and applesauce were good accompaniments to our feast.  The dessert of mini bundt cakes, known as bundtinis hit the spot.  That evening the U.S. was a contender in the World Cup so a large screen was set up outside for viewing.  We played one of Cam's favorite games "Guess In 10 Animals Edition" which brought on a lively discussion about hair versus fur (which still remains in question!).

Cam's new buddy, Diandre, showed up with a Culver's lunch on Thursday.  The guys hung out together for a couple of hours discussing different things and playing some games.

Later that afternoon, we were on our way to Lake Michigan!  Jane and Cameron picked up Oma on their way.  Chris drove up earlier to change out the kitchen faucet, which is much easier when no one is around.  We arrived to full sunshine and couldn't wait to have dinner on the deck.

Friday was a nice day and we enjoyed time with cousins and shared a tasty meal together.  A fun nickname we learned about was a new cousin name for Cam's grandma.  Instead of Aunt Mary Ellen, they call her "Aunt Melon" which we all instantly loved.

Jane always tells Cam that every sunset is different.  When you see a picture, they definitely appear similar but to see the sun making its descent towards the lake and morph and change in person seems almost poetic.

Saturday was the 4th of July!  Oma had a shirt for the occasion that read "Party like it's 1776" to honor our country's 250th birthday.  We had a relaxing day.  The weather wasn't as cooperative until dinnertime so we were still able to have our meal outside on the deck.  We could hear the fireworks, but couldn't see them until we went up our roadway.  Even so, they definitely subsided much earlier than the typical city fireworks that we hear in Grand Rapids.

On the final day of our extended weekend, the beach was our destination later on Sunday.  We celebrated a cousin birthday and actually went into the water to cool off.  

Cam's beach chair has to be lifted up one level of stairs so he can be transferred back into his power wheelchair.  

We were all thankful to have some Lake Michigan water time before heading back to the city.

Cam is hopeful that in his lifetime, a power wheelchair could transport him to the beach and right into the water, all under his expert guidance and driving.  Until that time, the family and friends that surround us are always willing to assist in any way they can.  For this priceless gift, Cameron and his parents are forever grateful.

Camology Quotes:

In a recent conversation, Cam learned about the National Parks Lifetime Access Pass that he can apply for since he has a disability.  Following his research, Cameron declared:

"For once, my disability is actually a positive thing!"

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..."

Best Bud Break - Week of May 25th

"I wish I had invented blue jeans." ~Yves Saint Laurent

We all take things for granted. We don't always think about what may be easy for some is insurmountable for others.  

Clothing in general is different for someone in a power wheelchair.  Wearing a shirt with a cool design on the backside isn't feasible when you never see someone's back.  

Cam is a big fan of blue jeans. He hasn't been able to wear them due to typical restriction of the fabric.  Recently, Jane found a cool pair of magnetic jeans made with strong magnets where there would normally be a zipper.  These are a game changer for Cam!  He was so proud to wear them on Memorial Day.

Saturday's West Michigan Miracle League game time was scheduled at 11:30am for Cam and Brody. 
The weather was in fine form.  The volunteers were from Meijer and organized by a longtime friend, Carrie.  Her son, Gibson and Cameron were preschool buddies.  Their shirts depicted an awesome slogan, "Stronger. Together. Unity." Carrie insisted that she be assigned as Cam's buddy for his game.

The Cam Fan audience included Miss Mary Jo and her mom, Cris.  They are both longtime friends of our family and they always attend a game each and every season.  Brody knows them too so a group pic was in order.  

After the game, we were headed to a family favorite, Culver's!  Cam was stoked that Brody was able to hang out with us for the afternoon.  Our group enjoyed a most delicious lunch and back at home, the guys chose to watch a movie and chill.  

Before Brody was picked up, the dudes soaked up some sunshine.

On Sunday, Cam was headed to a grad party for one of his friends, Abby.  It was a double event with another high school graduate, Emma. 

As the weekend came to a close, Jane was telling Cam about a campfire song she learned as a Girl Scout that still holds true:

Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver, and the other's gold.
A circle is round, it has no end,

That's how long you'll be my friend.

Camology Quotes:

Even in the middle of the night, Cam's humor shines through.  He called for Jane because his legs felt tight.  When his mom asked which knee was bugging him the most, he replied:

"Please try to crack both knees...for good measure."

Blog Post #1,000 - Week of May 18th

“There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more.” ~Robert M. Hensel

Temple Grandin is quoted as saying, “I am different, not less.”  It is a lasting reminder that we continuously learn from each other.  

Cam faces daily challenges, obstacles and roadblocks.  

He has chosen positivity (for the most part) and does show us that you can always look at things from another perspective and through a different lens.

Because of his perseverance and that "can-do" attitude, his mom committed to posting his blog every week and suddenly, we made it to Blog #1,000!! 🥳🎉To celebrate Cam's graduation, Jane created a book filled with the words of family, close friends and teachers.  The words describe when they first met Cam and how he has influenced their lives.  And of course, each entry featured pictures of the folks providing the written input.  Over 80 pages fill the keepsake.  Cam is humble and was quite overwhelmed by the book's content.  

Cameron's school program allows him to finish out the school year if he chooses.  So, this week he continued his 6am wake up call to make the bus pick up each morning.  Sometimes, the deer pause their morning breakfast to watch us make our way down the driveway.

Wednesday evening we were invited to Brody's birthday dinner at a nearby restaurant.  We were stopped in our effort due to a dire message on the screen of the Cam Van alerting us that there was an issue.  Erring on the side of caution, we abandoned our plans.  When Chris started checking under the hood (thanks to Mr. Nick, Amanda's husband) he was surprised to find a nest of some sort and a chewed up wire.  We have no idea how much money was saved by Cam's dad playing mechanic but we were so thrilled he was able to fix it!

With the early Memorial Day weekend, school was not in session on Friday and Jane took a day off of work.  Cam was scheduled to work at GVSU with the graduate PT students.  

Professor Dr. Lisa always tells her students that Cam is one of the best teachers she's ever known.  

Following his sessions with the students, Jane and her son were interviewed by a pre-med student who wanted to practice talking to families and gathering information.
Many of the physical therapists who were there overseeing the students are long graduated and work in the community.  Many have known Cam for quite a few years and cannot believe he graduated high school!

Saturday morning, we were trekking north to pick up Oma and head to the cottage.  There was a brisk wind and the weather did not look promising, but we had committed to spending one night at the big lake.

We brought a giant Yahtzee game found at Costco. It was so much fun to play the oversized family favorite!  Cam was the only one of us to get a Yahtzee and somehow Oma still managed to win!

It was nice enough outside for our foursome to enjoy dinner on the deck.

The sunset tried valiantly to peek through the horizon.

We drove back home in the rain on Sunday.  Cam had been invited to the grad party of his longtime school friend, Tiana.  Her plans to have an outdoor gathering were changed due to the buckets of rain coming down.  There wasn't a good way for Cam to make it inside her home so Tiana ran out to see her buddy.

Later that same day in the early evening, the sun blanketed our backyard.

A neighborhood creature appeared on our grass just looking to soak up the warmth.

The fox is a rare sighting for us.  

Summer is coming and we are starting to feel the change that will bring us more consistent sunshine.

Cam asked his mom how many more blog entries she will write.  Her response: "It turns out people want to know what you're doing, so at this time, there is no expiration date."

Camology Quotes:

Cam's use of the English language does take us by surprise. It's not the complicated words that he'll sometimes use. It's more of the way he speaks, like an old soul.  When discussing a documentary on tv, he indicated:

"Funny enough, I didn't even know that!'