"Winter Break" in Florida

At Grand Valley, our semester that begins in January is called winter semester. At many other universities, it's called spring semester, and at first, it was difficult to get used to the different name. Grand Valley also has spring and summer terms, each 6-weeks long, so mistakenly calling winter semester spring semester can get confusing. Anyway, I now get why it's called winter semester: because it's winter during most of it. So, I choose to call what everyone else calls "spring break" "winter break." This year, I took a much needed respite from winter and went to visit my parents in Florida.


All, the Lobster of Redness, a favorite among my family members.

I even got to have breakfast with Hope and Heather, as they were in town just one day when I was there.

Unfortunately, I spent almost half of my trip not feeling so great, as I think I got food poisoning. So here we are, already at the airport.

I do believe this is the first time I've ever been on a Harley, and maybe the second time on a motorcycle. The other one was not parked at the airport, though, and I actually rode on it while it was moving. :-)

Christmas in Tucson 2009

I made my first trip to visit Mike's parents this most recent Christmas. We were there for a week and had a great time.

I think this is the best photo of Mike and me yet.

From left to right: Chris, Jeanne, Michael Sr., Jen, Mike, and Heather

Columbus Zoo -- November 2009

Around Christmas time, the Columbus Zoo stays open at night to showcase its Christmas lights. Mike's parents were still in town, and we all bundled up to walk around in the cold. Mike's dad bought a hat in the gift shop, and he got lots of cute comments on it. He was easy to find, too. :-)

One of the highlights -- for me, at least -- was seeing the baby elephant that was only months old. He was adorable as he played with this 35-pound ball.

It was pretty cold out, and hot tea and hot cocoa were definitely needed.

Thanksgiving 2009

For the third year in a row, Mike's parents braved the cold to come visit him for Thanksgiving. They're very brave, particularly since retiring to Arizona some five years ago. Although I'm an avid cook, I like it when Mike's parents take over the holiday cooking. At some point, though, I should really cook for them. Maybe once Mike gets his kitchen renovated. :-)

Besides, I couldn't do much better than this yummy one!

Mike's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Haley, also joined us.

The Wilds -- August 2009

I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted here. I'm currently on Spring Break, which gives me some time to catch up on stuff like this. These photos are from a day trip that Mike, Steve (Mike's brother), and I took to The Wilds, a conservation place for all sorts of animals. Steve had just moved to Youngstown, Ohio for his first post-Ph.D appointment as Assistant Professor of Music at Youngstown State University, so he met us in Cumberland. If you're ever in central Ohio, I really do recommend it, as it supports wildlife conservation, and plus, you get to see all sorts of cool animals: http://thewilds.org/

At The Wilds, you basically go on a safari on a vehicle to see the animals. We decided on going with the open-air one, as it wasn't too hot that day. On a couple of occasions, we made some stops so we could get a tad bit closer to the animals. I thought many were soooo cute, and I took many, many photos. Here's a sample.

We all agreed that these catfish were pretty creepy, especially since they seemed like big bugs with their mouths opening and closing, begging for food.

It was a great day trip to the Wilds. Now that it's March, it seems so long ago, much longer than six months. Fingers crossed for spring to come!

Grandpa Gross

In November 2008, my mother's father died after battling lung cancer for more than a year. I've wondered whether I would actually post about this, and now with a bit of time having passed, I think I can. Here are some photos of my more recent visits with Grandpa and his wife of 40+ years, Iris.

Spring Break 2005 in Florida. It was really winter break for me in Grand Rapids, but spring in Florida.

This was taken in late 2005, when I visited in December.

Iris took Grandpa to Illinois to celebrate his 80th birthday in June 2007. Here they are with Aunt May (Grandpa's younger sister) and her son, Danny.

Ever since I went to Illinois for graduate school and went to visit at least once a year, Grandpa and I have been pretty close. When they moved to Florida, it was even nicer to visit since I could enjoy some sunny weather as well.

I last went to visit both Grandpa and Iris in June 2008. I was in Daytona Beach, grading Advanced Placement exams, and so went to see them. I'm really glad I did, as this was the last time I saw Grandpa.

My brother, Mitch, wore his Navy dress uniform to the funeral events (church service, wake, burial).

Grandpa was buried in Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. He had served in the Army in Japan shortly after World War II. Mitch and my cousin, Gregory, served as pall bearers.

Mitch was presented with Grandpa's flag, which he then presented to Iris.

Mitch clearly broke protocol by kissing Iris on the cheek.

The church memorial, the wake, and the burial all were beautiful services and wonderfully memorialized the good man that was my grandfather.

Family in Florida

My family in Florida has somewhat expanded, as my cousin Jeff got married in October. I wasn't able to go to the wedding, but I was glad to meet his new family. Here he is with Rhonda, and his son, Jeremy. Jeremy had just finished his semester at college.

And here's Brynn.

Aunt Claudia, being a clown. :-)