August Rush

That's the title of one of my favorite movies. Why I titled this post that, I don't know, except that Ausgust is rushing by and so is summer, and I don't know where it went. My last post was dated July 17th and the last month has been a rush of activity. Pat and I left for Illinois on July 23rd. We took our grandson, Colin, with us. It was a major roadtrip (three 7 hour days). I was really worried about how Colin would make the trip, but he was a real trooper. We kept him plied with movies, Nintendo DS games and books, and he was quite happy. After our first day, we pulled off the freeway in Sidney, Nebraska, and he asked Pat, "Grandpa, how long would it take on an airplane?" Pat answered, "3 hours". I could see Colin's wheels turning, and I said, "Yes, Colin, we'd be there by now, but heaven forbid that we miss the adventure of the roadtrip." Personally, I'd take the plane anyday. The trip along I80 to Illinois has to be one the most boring, least scenic trips ever. Miles and miles of nothing but flat, flat barren land. It really doesn't get very interesting till you get into Iowa, but who am I to complain. I'm just along for the ride, whether I want to be or not.

Our visit in Illinois was alot of fun. Pat's Aunt Catherine had a 90th birthday party on July 26th. So that was our first stop. We spent three days in Urbana, Illinois visiting with alot of family and friends who had made the trip to help her celebrate. Her actual birthday is today, August 27th, but the party was held in July because more people could come then. It was great seeing so much family, many of whom we hadn't seen in a long time. After our stay in Urbana,

we went to Savanna, Illinois, and stayed with Pat's sister, Pam and her husband, Jon, for a week. Colin had a great time, because he got to meet and play with alot of cousins that he had never met before.

We got back to Utah on August 5th. It was great to get back home, but we found out one of our cats disappeared the weekend before we got home. Pat, of course, was ecstatic. He hates cats. I'm still in mourning. Sherman was such a cool cat, and I just can't figure it out. If I knew what had happened to him, I might get some closure, but I don't. I've been checking with the animal control and the humane society, in case he got picked up, but nothing. I just hope he found a new home, with people who love him.

We were home long enough to wash clothes and read the mail, then we FLEW to Sacramento to visit some of our friends that we hadn't seen for more than a year. We spent three days with them and had a fun time. They were heading to Alaska for an Inland Passage cruise from Seward, Alaska to Victoria, Canada three days after we left. I was kind of envious, but we all began planning our next European vacation, once this year is behind me. We're going to take a river cruise down the Danube, probably next spring. It will be my celebration trip for getting through 2009.

This last month has been the "Get out of Dodge" month. It's the first time in a year that I've been able to go anywhere other than the Huntsman Cancer Center, and it's been so nice to be free to just do what I want to do, without doctor's appointments, etc. to contend with. I still have my reconstructive surgery to look forward to, but that won't be till October, so till then, I'm enjoying getting back to some normalcy.