There are possibly more efficient ways to travel from Peoria to Grand Rapids.  Here’s how Bud did it Tuesday:

Step 1.  SweetGuy takes Bud to train station in Bloomington, pushes him out the door while still moving, cause he has to get to Nashville.  Bud waits, waits, and waits in train station.  After many phone calls with worried Mom (that’s me), he boards the train which is now due to arrive in Chicago just 15 minutes before his next train departs for Grand Rapids.

Step 2.  Train is en-route to Chicago.  Mom worries, worries, worries, worries and checks the Amtrak train status page incessantly.  It continues to say the train will arrive in time.  The engineer tells Bud they will be 20 minutes later than what the web states.  Worry, worry, worry.

Step 3.  Mom thinks of many alternate plans.  She can drive to Union Station, take Bud to Grand Rapids, and get back home around 5 AM.  Bud can get a midnight bus to Grand Rapids, getting him home around 5 AM.  Epiphany!  Maybe Bud’s Aunt, who lives outside Chicago, might be willing to take him to Grand Rapids.  She’s really nice like that.

Step 4. Mom calls Aunt.  Aunt graciously agrees.  Mom calls Bud to tell him of plan.  “Bud, where is the train now?”  “Just pulling into Joliet.”  “WAIT, BUD, AUNT LIVES CLOSE TO JOLIET, MAYBE YOU SHOULD GET OFF.”  (Yeah, I was a bit hyped up at this point.)  I keep Bud on one line, call Aunt on another to make sure that works for her, Aunt says great, “BUD, GET OFF THE TRAIN… NOW!”  Bud hangs up.  I hang up.  Aunt hangs up.  This is a pretty good compromise, Bud will get to Grand Rapids by 8 or so, and Aunt will be home by midnight.  Bud calls back – “I didn’t get off.”  The train pulled out just as he was trying to get off (no doubt they were trying to make up time because they were 3 1/2 hours late!).  Bud thought about jumping for it, but did not.  Smart move, big guy.  Train/human collisions will leave a mark.

Step 5.  Mom checks train status incessantly.  Bud may still be able to make his connecting train.  Alternate plan is to have Bud take metra train back out to near Aunt’s house.  Cousin is in on the act now and instructs Bud how to take the metra train.  He will only have a small window to catch this train as well.   Here’s the really fun part:  Grand Rapids train leaves EXACTLY on time at 5:20.  Bud’s train arrives at Union Station at 5:21.

Step 6.  Catch metra train to Aunts.

Step 7.   Aunt takes nap while Cousin #2 picks Bud up at metra station.  Feeds him Taco Bell.

Step 8.  Gloriously wonderful Aunt drives Bud to Grand Rapids.  Bud arrives at 10:45.  Not too bad for him.  Not so good for Aunt who arrives home at 2 AM.

Total travel time = 20 hours (Bud-12, Aunt-7, SweetGuy-1). 

Dad put up an amazingly strong fight.  He found out he had lung cancer in December.  Complication after complication ensued, and he visited the hospital time and time again – a place he abhors.  He just kept pushing his doctors to be aggressive with their treatment.  Even when it seemed obvious to all around him that it was time to let it go, he didn’t give in.  I admire his determination so much. 

Yesterday, though, it was finally time to throw in the towel.  His body is failing and he will not be with us much longer.   Hospice was called.  Dad is comfortable, just exhausted.  As I understand it, he is at peace with what is going on.  Though in some respects his existence has been miserable for the past few months, I am so thankful he has had this time – and we have had this time.  SweetGuy, Bud, Magoo and I have all been able to spend quality time with him.  Actually, we’ve spent more one on one time with him than we had in years.  Distance and busyness has caused us to have flitting get-togethers that are hyper and delightfully fun, but sometimes lack substance.  I’m so thankful for the substance. 

SweetGuy and I just returned from watching the high school musical production of Peter Pan. 

Two years ago during his senior year Bud was the Stunt Beast for the musical, Beauty and the Beast. He wasn’t the main Beast (Bud has inherited his lack of singing ability from his Mama’s side of the fam), but he was the next best thing.  He danced, fought the wolves, killed the bad guy, and was lifted up in the air by a thin wire during the transformation scene.   Magoo, and her best friend, Bud’s then girlfriend EL, were on the stage crew.  SweetGuy and I were bubbling with pride over each one of them… Bud had grown from doing the smallest of part on the crew of the musical his freshman year to being the BEAST (#2) his senior year.  The transformation from small, shy, awkward kid to a big strapping capable talented young man seemed all the more evident when watching him on stage. 

I saw the same thing tonight.  I was proud of Magoo and EL when they did the stage crew as freshmen.  I don’t think any more of them now that they are in the spotlight. But, what I do marvel at is the transformation and maturing in just two (TWO!) short years.  On stage, Magoo is assured, capable, talented and GOOD.  I don’t cringe watching her, hoping she doesn’t mess up; rather I watch her with wonder enjoying every talented move she makes.  And well, EL, she was Peter Pan tonight, the unequaled star of the show.  In Beauty and the Beast, Magoo and EL spent about half the show in the dark under a plywood box moving Beauty’s bed in and out of the set.  Now, EL is flying above the stage with a confidence and talent few people possess. 

And it’s not just Magoo and EL.   We’re blessed to know so many of these kids and in a show that is about never growing up, what we see beyond the show is how clearly (and excellently) so many of them have grown – Jacob, Brian, Zack, Jenny, Tim, Marc, Joel, Calen, Stephanie, Brad, Megan, Matt, Erica, Josh, and more… have, without a doubt, Never grown up. Bravo. 

It is one of my delights to watch Bud and Magoo both get consumed in a book.   Bud started a monstrous 1000ish page book the last time he was home.  He had finished it within three days.  Last summer Bud was perched at the end of our driveway watching for the Harry Potter shipment to arrive.  Once the book was in his hands, he didn’t speak to anyone for 36 hours.

The day before yesterday Magoo decided she would die if she didn’t re-read Twilight immediately.  I have to read this book.  I don’t know much about it except there is a Facebook group called “Because I read Twilight I have unrealistic expectations in Men” and it has over 30,000 members.  So, males, maybe you should read this book so you understand a bit more about what a girl is looking for in a guy.

She didn’t own the book so she picked it up at the school library yesterday morning.  Despite a full day of school and a nearly four hour musical practice, she had somehow managed to read 200+ pages of the book before going to sleep.  Yeah, so Magoo, did you pay any attention in class at all yesterday?  Ah well, isn’t that just the best feeling  - being so consumed in a story that you really can’t put it down.  Choosing between sleeping and reading, and reading comes out on top in a landslide. 

While everyone in our family could be accused of staring at computer screens way too much, I’m glad we still can get lost in a book.