The First Three Weeks of Summer

This post is dedicated to the memory of Brianna Lyn Ingvall

May 1, 1992 - August 4, 2009

Several of you have asked about what we did this summer. I'm happy to share it all with you but I should warn you...though we spent a fabulous six weeks traveling (four with Steve), it wasn't nearly as exotic a trip as Egypt or spring break on the Indian Ocean... and you know I have trouble being brief!

It was one of the longest "vacations" we've ever had, and at the same time it was the shortest "summer" we've ever had. The kids didn't get out of school until July 1. Oh yes, let me tell you there was plenty of squawking going on around here mid-June. Michael is old enough to remember that most schools in the States finish at the latest by the second week of June. How quickly they forget that we had 3 weeks off in December, 3 weeks off for spring break, plus 2 sets of week-long Muslim holidays out of school!

Our flight out of Dammam, Saudi Arabia left in the early morning hours of July 3. After a brief two hour layover in Amsterdam, we continued on to Detroit. From there, we rented a car and drove five hours to Chautauqua , NY (near Lake Erie) to visit my Uncle Lee and his new bride, Ann. It was great to finally meet Ann and absolutely wonderful to see how happy the two of them are together.

Ann has a home in the Chautauqua Institute on Lake Chautauqua . It's a gated town/community with programs going on for nine weeks during the summer. Day and night you can attend lectures, concerts, exhibits, etc. pertaining to art, music, religion, and academics. I would say it's similar to day camp, but for adults. We tried to beat the nasty jet lag with a steamboat tour of Lake Chautauqua , attending a symphony, finding a used book store and going on long walks around the beautiful community.

In an effort to keep everyone happy, one day we planned a day trip to a winery for the adults and then went to nearby Lake Erie so the kids could play. Unlike Lake Michigan, which has a sandy beach, this Great Lake had a rocky beach with some very interesting rocks and water washed glass. There were tons of flat, round stones that made for an impromptu class in skipping rocks. After several hours of scouring the beaches, I completely lost the battle with my rock hounds (all three of them) about hauling rocks in the suitcases the rest of the summer! I did however manage to get them to narrow their treasures down to just the best of the best. And it wasn't just rocks coming home with us: Michael found a starfish! Somehow we were able to transport it all the way back to Saudi unbroken, where he proudly displays it on his dresser.

We left Chautauqua on the morning of July 8th, which happened to be our 20th wedding anniversary. We commemorated the milestone by driving six hours from Chautauqua, NY to Kalamazoo, MI with two boys fighting in the back seat!

As we got closer to where we used to live, we all enjoyed pointing out how our old "stomping grounds" had changed. It was really bittersweet to drive by our house and remember all of fun we had there, as well as our wonderful neighbors.




Waiting in Kalamazoo were loads of friends we were all longing to see. We had lots of laughs and fun staying with the Pfeiffers - our "twin" family: they have two boys nearly the same age as our boys, or as Lisa likes to put it, "someone for everyone." We had a great time golfing, laughing, shopping, playing, eating Eric's BBQ ribs, going out for sushi, talking ...our time ended before the fun did.





The boys also got to have sleepovers with their best friends, Drew (Jacob) and Jonathon (Michael). It was really heartwarming to see them embrace each other for the first time in over a year. I think they finally believed all the times I told them that when you've found a good friend, even thousands of miles won't take them away from you. They had so much fun playing we had to drag them away.


We will always treasure the afternoon we were able to spend with our Michigan friends and neighbors: Jay, Mary Jane and Brianna (unfortunately Abbey was out of town). We had a wonderful time laughing, talking, coloring Sponge Bob pictures, playingLegos and eating Mary Jane's fabulous cooking. Brianna had more courage, strength, warmth and positive attitude in her little finger than most people have in their entire bodies. She lost a three-year battle with leukemia less than a month after that special afternoon we had together. We will always remember her smiling face and wonderful hugs. We love and miss you, Brianna.