So thought I would catch you all up again on the happenings of the Collette's.  Let's just say Fall is here and everyone is back to college and doing well.  Nicole is crazy busy with working and student teaching on top of taking care of her two little ones, which are doing great.  Jake started Pre-School- I can't believe it- and that means Verity gets special time with Grancie while he is there.  I love that part.  Drew is enjoying his last season of college running- he has decided to not run track this season- God is pulling him in a new direction and he is going with that path.  He has been busy as well, classes, running, starting a Jr. High Ministry, besides having a lovely lady in his life that is in Michigan, lots of driving back and forth on the weekends-enough said.  Kelsey is finishing up her nursing degree at Grace and is loving the field.  She did a rotation in maternity and LOVED it.  That girl has a special place in her heart for little ones.  She is still cheering on her LO football team through her father as they recap the game each week.  Not the same as having her here, but dad will have to take what he can get.  Hard to believe but all 3 kids will graduate from college this coming year.  So crazy to think of no kids in school.  Guess I will have to dote on the grandbabies now.

Dave is finally out of the basement and in his new office at Farmers.  Likes the new firm and is busy as ever.  Add to that all the missions stuff, and the night duty for grandbaby care and he is barely keeping up.  He has been great with giving me time off from watching the grandkids with Free Day passes- I love them.  He takes them for the entire day over at Niki's and I have the day to do whatever I want all day.  It gives me just enough of a break to gear up for the next week.

So that leaves me...besides watching and playing with the grandkids, which I love.  I am busy working on special Christmas projects for the family, working on Nursery stuff for the new Woodside Campus, I took the role of Nursery/Toddler Coordinator at our Lake Orion campus, so I  am trying to stay on top of that...add in some Short Term Mission team planning and you have my life.  Its a great life- even if it is busy.  For those of you who care...biggest loser is ending on Dec 2nd with our finale.  To date I have lost 36 pounds and 43 inches.  I have been thrilled with the results..now my job is to continue on once I don't have to go to group anymore.  I like the way I feel and look, so I think it will be motivation enough to keep going.  So thats about it...catch next time.

Long Days is the name of the game for the last three weeks.  My dad had surgery back on May 18th and is still in the hospital three weeks later.  In those three weeks he has gotten a staph infection which is in his blood stream and they had to take him back to surgery on June 1st to reopen up the back and clean it all out and basically start over, but this time with a major infection.  Found out yesterday that they are going to have to take him back to surgery on Monday the 8th to do the same thing over again- and now the infection has gotten into his gallbladder so they are going to have to remove that as well.  So I have been spending tons of time at the hospital with my mom and just trying to help take care of him.  Long Days.

I love my dad and can't imagine life without him in it on a daily basis.  Maybe its because I am a daddys girl and always have been, but these last three weeks have been hard.  The reality of the fact that he is 71 and really won't be here forever has begun to set in- but I am not ready for that and won't even go there.  So anyway..that is where I have been at- so for the lack of updates--if its of any interest I am still losing weight on the Biggest Loser and to date have lost 23 pounds and 28 1/2 inches.  It is a struggle right now, just because my mind is else where- but I will continue to push on.  If you think of send up a prayer for my dad.

Weigh in was on Thursday night and I was excited as I thought I had had a good week going into the weigh in- it was also measurement night.  So I dropped 2 more pounds and I lost 6.5 more inches for the month- so to date my totals are:  20 pounds and 24.5 inches since February 1st.  So I am pretty excited and even better, motivated to continue on and meet my goal.  Dave dropped 5 pounds this week and I dont remember the exact inches but he did lose some as well.

So there you have the latest...get outside and enjoy this great weather we have been having.