Delivering Elijah: September 2012

8/13/2019 Delivering Elijah: September 2012

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Delivering Elijah

September 2012


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Table of Contents

Delivering Elijah

The Origins of Doughnut Liberation Day

This is Shepherd

Ultrasound

Comments

Jon Morgan Shared an image - September 18, 2012

A Month of Birthdays

Kayla's 12th Birthday

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails . . .

Proud Big Sister

Comments

Ultrasound: 20 Weeks, 7 Days (9/24/12)

Comments


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The Origins of Doughnut Liberation DayToday we celebrated Doughnut Liberation day. This is basically a day where we spend a couple

of hours at a bakery in Clare called Cops & Doughnuts.

Ive referred to this kind of visit as Doughnut Liberation Day, because I see our return trips to

Cops & Doughnuts as follow-up to the trip we made there about a year ago with the Hollidaysand two of Kaylas friends, Hannah and Hailey.

Prior to last September, I had heard about the Cops & Doughnuts store, but I had never stopped

there for donuts or to check out their souvenir shop. I actually hadnt spent a lot of time in the

city of Clare, other than passing through on the way up North, or attending a Job Fair which was

held at the Doherty Hotel.

My first visit actually occurred earlier than September 2011. It was a day when we had lost

power starting that morning, so while we were waiting for electricity to be restored Louie

Holliday suggested that we go up North to attend a Family Carnival which was being held in

Clare. He also mentioned the possibility of stopping at a few garage sales, and getting donuts.Im not sure why, but Josh was the only one with me, and Louie had Athena with him. So, the

four of us headed North towards Clare.

The carnival turned out to be not much fun, plus there was an admission fee, so we spent the

majority of the time stopping at garage sales, where I picked up a really great set of bags and a

computer case with a telescoping handle and wheels. One of our last stops was at Cops &

Doughnuts where we took a few minutes to eat a donut.

Well, Im pretty sure that this trip quickly became a legend in the Holliday household, because

after that whenever there was a slow moment, or an afternoon with downtime, or basically any

kind of opportunity at all, Athenas younger brother Noah would ask about going to Cops &Doughnuts. He tried so hard and asked so often, you would think that he had never tasted a

donut!

It was a Saturday late in September. The kids and I were still getting started for our day. Louie

texted me asking me if I wanted to join them on a color tour up North. We were going to stop

North of Clare, shop at Jays Sporting goods, and then eat at Cops & Doughnuts.

I told him that it sounded like a good idea, and suggested to Kayla that she could bring a friend.

She wanted to ask her friend from around the next corner, Hannah. I told her she could ask, but

to please be quick because we were getting ready to leave with the Hollidays.

After a few minutes, Kayla returned with Hannah, and Hannahs little sister Hailey who also

wanted to go. I hadnt counted on bringing a fourth person, but there didnt seem to be any harm

with it, and we were in a hurry, so I welcomed her to our little trip up North.

We climbed into our van, and pulled around to the Hollidays house, where the Hollidays were

also getting ready to leave. After a little bit of negotiating, we agreed to swap Josh for Athena so

that all of the girls could ride together, and so that Josh could ride with Noah. On the way up


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North, I made the mistake of asking for music requests. The girls all asked for Hannah Montana

music, so thats what we listened to on the way up.

Louie tells the kids about John Meyer

The girls inside the Army Surplus store

Our first stop was at the former site of John Spikehorn Meyers house. There isnt a lot that I

can tell you about him, except that he maintained a sort of bear refuge behind his house. Thank

goodness that Louie knew more about the history, because it allowed him to explain to the kids

why the billboard-sized photo and the remaining structures were important.

After visiting the site of John Meyers former home, we headed South back towards Clare wherewe stopped at the Jays Sporting Goods store. Not much happened there, except I immediately

realized what a mistake it was to take so many kidsfour of them under my responsibilityinto a

gigantic retail store filled with guns, fishing poles, canoes, camping chairswell, a whole lot of

stuff, some of which was set out on display where kids could climb, touch, hold, poke, or swing

around.

Louies wife, Jenny, summed it up the best when she walked out of the womens bathroom, and


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told Louie that she didnt want to be stuck with watching allthese kids. I had always planned

on staying in charge of the four that we brought, but it struck me as kind of funny.

On our way out of Jays Sporting Goods, we walked out to the back edge of the parking lot

where people were selling puppies. Your brother and sister begged to get one, but I told them

no. At the time we had a cat, so it didnt seem practical.

Next, we visited the Army Surplus store which was next to Jays Sporting Goods. A store with

army clothes, guns, bombs, and tents probably wasnt much better for kids than Jays, but it was

at least a little bit smaller.


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Kayla holding one of the puppies

Me


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Once we were done there, we got into our vehicles and finally headed for Cops & Doughnuts.

The name Cops & Doughnuts is a play on the stereotype that police officers like to stop at

doughnut shops on their breaks. I couldnt tell you if this is true or not, or even more true for

police officers than, say, construction workers or computer programmers. Doughnuts are

generally pretty popular with people, otherwise there wouldnt be as many bakeries around that

sold them.

At that time, Cops & Doughnuts was separated into two main rooms. There was the bakery side

where you could pick the donut that you wanted from the display case, and the souvenir side

where you could sit and eat your donut, browse the shelves and racks filled with sourvenir

clothes and knick knacks. There isnt much thats special about ordering the donuts on the

bakery side, other than the fact that there are a lot of different kinds of donuts to choose from,

plus the people who work there all wear uniforms that look like police uniforms. If I remember

right, the bakery is actually owned and operated by two actual local police officers.

Well, the one thing that is unique about Cops & Doughnuts when you are picking out donuts is

that they have a specialty donut which they call the Squealer. Basically, its a donut that has

bacon stuck onto the top of it. Ive never tried it, but two of the kids who have joined us for visits

to Cops & Doughnuts have eaten them, and I think one of the adult Hollidays had one too.

The Souvenir, or retail side, of Cops & Doughnuts has tables and chairs towards the front for

eating your donut, Police officer paraphernalia along the sides, and towards the center there are

racks with lots of Cops & Doughnut branded clothing.

Along the left side of the room, there is a guest book where you can fill out your name, maps on

the wall where you can insert a pin showing where you are from, and an area of the wall that

has giant lines drawn on like the background of a mug shot. This is placed there so that people

can take free, mugshots of each other. There is even a dry-erase board which can be used as a

slate. You just fill in the blanks with your name, crime, etc.

So, as the people in our group finished eating our donuts they began to slowly spread out

across the retail store side of Cops & Doughnuts. There was a lot of clothes and police gear on

display. The kids took turns having their mug shots taken. Josh and Noah disappeared for a

little bit.

When Noah re-materialized a little bit, he pointed out that he had put on a pair of handcuffs to

make his next mugshot more realistic. At first, we were all a little surprised, but this quickly

turned to concern when Noahs parents started to realize that the handcuffs were, indeed,locked around his wrists and there didnt seem to be a key visible.

They asked for help from the employees, and thats when we learned that there wasnt actually

a key for the handcuffs. By this time, Noah was pretty scared and upset because it was taking

so long to remove the handcuffs.

An officer from the Clare Police Department responded to an inquiry from the Cops &


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Doughnuts staff, but as it turned out they also didnt have keys for the handcuffs. Eventually,

Noah and his parents were driven to the police department where someone used bolt cutters to

remove the handcuffs from Noahs wrists.

We returned a couple of times after that, and before long I began to think that these visits to

Cops & Doughnuts should be a somewhat regular thing. The incident with the handcuffs were

so memorable (especially for Noah) that I thought it would be cool to reference it in some kind of

holiday-like sounding name.

So, I thought of Doughnut Liberation Day.

Subsequent visits were pleasant but not quite as eventful. I now have quite a few volumes of

photos taken in front of the Mugshot wall, with the kids holding a slate describing fake crimes.


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This is Shepherd

This week your mom discovered that her stomach has gotten big enough that it gets in her way

when she tries to wash the dishes. So, that most likely means two important things:

1. Youre getting bigger; and

2. Im probably going to need to do the dishes more often until youre born

Your brother and sister just finished up their first week of school. Actually, they didnt start

school until Tuesday so it wasnt a full week, but its still quite an accomplishment. I have a

feeling that things will be a little bit different on Sunday when they are going to bed knowing that

they will have a full week of school ahead of them.

I dont think we could have picked a community with a better school district. For the most part,

weve had some good luck with teachers. Kayla really liked choir last year, and although there is

a new choir director I think she will have fun again this year.

There wasnt any particular reason why we ended up living in Shepherd. At the time, we were

living in West Lansing but I was commuting to Mount Pleasant each weekday. Your sister,

Kayla, was just a little more than a year old at the time. Your mom was pregnant with Josh when

we moved.

So, we shopped around for an apartment in the area, and happened to find a two bedroom that

was available on Tara Court. If I remember right, the landlord was extra nice to us because I

worked for Special Olympics Michigan.

Moving to Shepherd changed everything. I realized this the same day that we moved most of

our stuff into the new apartment when I took your sister on a walk towards the center of the

Village. There was a park within walking distance, and of course some stores. Lansing is

jammed packed with parks, museums, a baseball stadium, and a zoo, but we never really took

advantage of them. We just never felt like we fit in there, but I think that both your mom and I

instantly felt comfortable here.

The hardest part about being away from my hometown is that I dont really have a legacy here.

In Hartland, there are people from my neighborhood, former classmates I graduated with, and

evidence of my ancestry. Here, nobody has ever really heard of the Morgans, Cornells, or the

Parshalls.

In away, this has been a good thing because it has given me the chance to have a fresh start

with people. I dont have a checkered past, or anything, but sometimes its better not to be

surrounded by people who knew you when you were in elementary school.

One thing that Ive learned from being the New Kid on the block is that it j ust takes a little extra

effort to put yourself out there so that people can get to know you. It can be daunting to be in a


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room where nobody knows you, but the fastest way to get passed that is to meet at least five

people.

I dont think that youll have any trouble meeting new people or making new friends, because

between your mom, me, and your siblings, you will constantly be surrounded by people who

want to meet you. (And, it wouldnt hurt if they sometimes offered to change a diaper, too)

There has been a lot of improvements made since we moved here. The water tower has gotten

a fresh coating of paint, for example. Not a huge influence on my life, but its a little better to look

at when we drive through town.

Back in 2007, during Shepherds Sesquicentennial Celebration, a group of art students from the

high school painted a mural onto the side of the train car in front of the train depot (dont worry,

they had permission). It turned out really nice, and its still there. Did I mention that there is a

Train Depot? This was a favorite destination for your brother and sister when they were younger

(Thomas the Train was really big in each of their lives back then, so it worked out that we lived

close to the railroad tracks).

One thing that we have now that wasnt there when your brother was a baby is a walking trail

that loops around behind the schools now. The three of us attended the grand opening, when

they served free hot dogs and gave a tour around the tral to show us what it would look like.

The Shepherd schools went through some remodeling. Shepherd now has a brand-new

auditorium thats almost as spiffy as the one that Hartland built during my Senior year of high

school (Okay, its most likely better, but still doesnt have a band pit, like ours did). After five

years watching elementary school concerts in the gymnasium, the auditorium seats feel like

heaven.

And, finally, Shepherd has a brand new community library. This is one of the newestdevelopments. We didnt take enough advantage of the programs that the library here has for

younger children back when Kayla and Josh were younger, but I hope to find out more after

youre born. Well, maybe Ill wait until youre at least a year old.

So thats just a quick preview of what will be waiting for you to discover after you are born.

Shepherd might be snow-covered in February, so it might be two or three months before we can

spend too much time outside (Which reminds me, Shepherd has a hill next to Salt River Park

that you can go sledding down during the winterdefinitely something you will need to try as

soon as youre old enough).

Well, thats just about everything that I wanted to share for tonight. After Im done writing thisentry, Ill be spending a few minutes in the kitchen before I can get to bed.

I have some dirty dishes to clean.


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Ultrasound

Theresa Morgan

Update: Ultrasound is scheduled for Jons Birthday, Sept 24th, if baby cooperates wellhopefully find out if itll be pink or blue! Heart rate was 154 today and the little one took a

good swift kick at the dopplar when doc was listening. LOL Also it was confirmed I do

have an umbilical hernia about an inch and a half in diameter at the moment. Hopefully it

doesnt get any worse than it is now. But its a just haveto deal with it issue at the

moment.

September 10, 2012

Comments

Jenni Van Heck-BlackI hope the umbilical hernia thing dont get worst. Good Luck


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Jon Morgan Shared an image - September 18, 2012


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A Month of Birthdays

Were celebrating one birthday after another this month. On Sunday, the kids and I took your

mom out for dinner at Applebees and surprised her with a gift certificate to CelebrationCinemas. It took a little bit of thinking, but I finally realized that she had a lot of movie watching

in her near future thanks to the release of the latest and (finally) very last Twilight movie.

Your sister also made your mom a gift card for an endless supply of hugs, which I thought was

really sweet. Fortunately, Kayla is always ready to give you a hug whether you have a coupon

or not.

Its important to mention that some of your relatives are also celebrate birthdays this week. Your

Uncle Alan had his birthday on Saturday, and your Aunt Amy, who is my sister, will be

celebrating her birthday on the 20th.

Then, your sister will be celebrating her 12th birthday with family this upcoming Saturday. I can

barely even believe that she is that old. Her birthday is on the 23rd of September.

And, finally, there is my birthday, which is on the 24th. I dont know why it is, but between my

sister growing up, Kayla, and your mom, it seems like Ive always been destined to share my

birthday with everybody else! Well, its actually pretty neat.

Your brother will be turning ten on November 11. For most of the time, he was the lone wolf of

the family because he was the only one with a birthday that wasnt in September, but I guess

now youll pick up that honor. Dont worry, I dont think hell mind.

One gift that I know that I will be getting on my birthday is another opportunity to see you viaultrasound, and most likely we will be able to finally learn if you are going to be a boy or a girl. It

definitely will make writing these blog posts a lot easier!


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Kayla's 12th Birthday

Jon Morgan shared Theresa Morgans status.

Theresa MorganHad a short, but fun weekend celebrating Kaylas 12th birthday and my childhood

churches 150th. Now tomorrow is Jons 38th birthday and ultrasound day. Praying the

little bug will be cooperative and let us see if its pink of blue.


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Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails . . .


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Proud Big Sister

Comments

Melinda Ryckman HuzzeyThat smile must mean shes not to disappointed its not a girl


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Ultrasound: 20 Weeks, 7 Days (9/24/12)


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Baby Clothes

Comments

Jon MorganSo are you saying that when it comes to buying clothes you like to monkey

around?

Jon MorganOr that you made off like a bandit?

Mary Smithaawwww Lil Peeta is going to be so cute!!

Nancy Boynecute

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Delivering Elijah: September 2012