Christmas Celebrations!

Colts vs. Titans

The Titans game! We won 23 to 0!

We got to see 2 records set - Dallas Clark broke the Colts record for the most yards in a season from a Tight End. That was cool to see, but the best was when Marvin Harrison made his 1,102nd completion to become the 2nd most successful WR in NFL history...second only to Jerry Rice, who is likely never to be surpassed. Way to go, Marvin!

What an AWESOME Christmas present - Thanks Brad and Crystal...we all had a great time!

Christmas Eve Mass

Christmas Eve Mass

went well. The kid's program went smoothly and the choir sounded awesome! J practiced hard and his work paid off.

Some of the kids acted out the Gospel reading. On the day before the program, the kids practiced the whole thing. R got to be a shepard, and had a staff and a costume and everything. When walking down the middle of the gym, he held the staff out and tapped the floor with it as though he was blind. Thank goodness he didn't do it again during Mass!

M did a great job getting everything ready - the sound, the stage, the chairs, the programs, the children...

I'm proud of all 3 of my boys!

Crazy Indiana weather!

We had crazy weather today. Storms tonight, lots of wind. This afternoon was a different story. We were out shopping and had no jackets, no coats, no hat, gloves, scarves, snowpants, no chattering teeth.

The temperature you see above is real. Here in Indiana, on December 27th, it got up to 71 degrees. Crazy Indiana weather!

Maggiano's

We're @ Maggiano's w/ Mare and Dan!!

Gingerbread House!

Gingerbread House! (part 2)

J made a gingerbread house in school! Our Speech Therapist came to our classroom and ran my groups for me so that I could come to class with J and help him. The kids did a great job with a gingerbread play, too! J even had a couple of lines - he was awesome!

WHAT?

R had German rotations last week. They went to different 4th grade rooms to learn about German castles, language, culture, and - apparrently - candy.

Does the brand name of the candy look ODD to you? A GERMAN candy?

WHAT?

Best Friends

Friendship, Virginia. Flannel. Sunglasses that date the picture. Long road trips. Mountain Dew and Big Red chewing gum. 1983 Mercury Capri. Cleveland ONLY! Space Monkeys. The Macarena. "What about THAT guy?" Keystone Light. Shandies. Andy Capp's Pork Rinds. Cheez-its! Grand Canyon. The Smith-stonian. Sunsets in Sedona. Sunset over the Pacific Coast. "Elk are large" road signs. Inaugural porta-potty. Trapped on the circle in DC. Doogie drives a VW? Grasshopper stuck on the windshield. Gas caps left behind. Terre Haute, Tulsa, Tucumcari, Tempe. "No smoking in the car!" I go I-port? 121 degrees as we unload our u-Haul. Dancing at 3 am in a monsoon. Fruity Pebbles, 3 meals a day. Rice Krispie treats. The Zoo (not the animal one.) Homerun Derby. Thanksgiving dinner in the basement with Swift - Eckrige Turkey Rolls. Watching deer gather at Mc Cormick's Creek state park.

Hollywood Blvd. Piercings. The Quote Board. Oh, the Quote Board... "Where is my Ding Dong? I didn't eat it, I just can't remember where I put it." Stray cats. Late night construction projects - "the beer stand". Ruter house. Stairwell silliness. Squeezing through the windows of our lounge to get on the roof. Quantum Leap. Wings. One more Wings. Friends. Everybody Loves Raymond. Better Off Dead. The Breakfast Club. Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas. Signing up for copies of Emmet Otter at Blockbuster all over the US. (Yeah, we did.) Midnight trips to the bus station. Buying new underwear so we don't have to do laundry. Dennis Leary. Billy Crystal. Jeff Foxworthy. Led Zepplin. The Piano Man. Bill's animal sounds CD. "Why me? Why now?"

The donut guy. What was in his tool box,anyway? Krogering at 3 am. Orange tic-tacs. Honey roasted cashews. Dimpled, pasty white a**. Jim driving 80 mph in traffic to the airport. Pictures of middle-aged asian women on the airplane. Poker at the Super 8. Murphy's Irish Pub. Drawing the process of photosynthesis on a napkin in Bennigans. Freezing in Flagstaff. Painted Desert. Chicken Livers at Freddy's. "Oh you see so much more when you're not driving!"

Best Friends.

Choir Concert

This morning was R's first choir concert. They sang 6 songs, including Dinah, Tak For Maden, Winter Fantasy, Laugh Ha Ha, Jubilate Deo, and Winter Wonderland. The kids practiced every Wednesday morning before school, and will give another concert in the spring.

They warm up with the same choral exercises that the Indianapolis Children's Choir use, and are trying very hard to learn proper technique and everything! Fourth graders, and they're doing great work! Their teacher is excellent, and extremely patient. She's great at motivating the kids, and they love her!

R really enjoyed it, and was also thrilled that Mrs. C asked Daddy to accompany them. R was so proud! J and me were, too. They did a fantastic job.

Some things are just not right...part deux!

Okay, I meant to include this pic in the original Target sack & election sticker post... But here it is, FINALLY.

WHAT??? Seriously? Really?

We don't even make our own American Flag pins?

Karen took me out for a birthday afternoon... we had a lot of fun shopping, eating, and talking. Thanks, Karen!

Balloons

Apparrently the view of the flatlands in central Indiana is beautiful from WAY up high. Recently, we've had balloons pass right over our house and land nearby. This fall, we've had as many as 15 in one week that I've noticed. We took these pics from our front yard and from the edge of our neighborhood. It looks like they landed in a recently-tilled cornfield! (Do we have cornfields in Indiana??)

Corn? Maybe it used to be soybeans. I can't remember.

Some things are just not right...

On November 4th, I did my patriotic duty...I stood in a LONG line at 6:35 AM in the cold (at least it wasn't raining!) to get the chance to vote. I walked out excited that I was part of such an incredible election. Then, the election results came out and I realized...

I stood in line for

2 hours and 20 minutes

to vote for John McCain and

all I got was this sticker???

Then, I went to the grocery store. I got the week's groceries, and my kids saw the reusable bags. 99 cents! At their urging, I put 4 of the bags on the belt, and then starting sorting my coupons. Before I knew it, the clerk was done ringing me up, and I paid.

Loading the bags into the trunk of the car, I didn't notice anything. Carrying them into the house, it still didn't register. Then I looked at the pile of bags and saw...


What??? Why buy the reuseable bags and then send them home EMPTY in a PLASTIC bag???

Some things are just not right...

Classic Beauty

I posted pics of Dad, now it's Mom's turn! In the first two pics, my Mom is the youngest. Isn't she a cutie?

Sadly, I need to scan more photos... Check back again soon!

Family pics

My parents gave me a box of pictures. Tons of family pictures - both sides of the family, from recent to years long past. Some of my favorite pictures from my Dad's side are here.

My dad is the sweet little boy in these pictures...

My dear "Bapa" (see earlier post) is pictured with him (above and right). The beauty and clarity of these black and white photos is remarkable. I love working with photos of this quality - and these subjects!

Doesn't my Dad look cool?

I wish I had a bike like that.

How about that hat?

My Dad is sporting the goggles.

Happy Halloween!

I saw a dear friend the other day in the parking lot outside of Target, and she reminded me to do an update, so here goes!

Halloween, WOW! What a fun time. Remember when we were in college and it was just fun to dress up and go out and drink? Well, now that we've got kiddos, the holiday takes on a whole new meaning...

Unfortunately, for my kiddos, who are now 2nd and 4th grade, they don't really care about their costume anymore, and they don't want their parents tagging along with them while they scope the neighborhood for candy. *sigh*

So, this year, a friend took her son and our boys to trick or treat, and we sat in the driveway of our "E.T" - like neighborhood and passed out candy. It was fun, but I have to admit that I was a little sad that the boys didn't want us to go along. They were both dressed as football players - wearing their uniforms from our church league. They just wanted candy...not really concerned about dressing up anymore.

Here's the best part - Mark and I went to a costume party over the weekend. We weren't concerned about the candy anymore - just worried about our costumes! Mark dressed as a Monk, and I dressed as Sarah Palin. We looked awesome, if I say so myself... and we got NO CANDY but didn't care!

Eventually the chaos died down around here and the boys fell asleep watching a movie. I got on the computer and tried to find some fun pics of Halloweens past to share, and here's what I found!

Peace to you all!

Football, football, and more football!

Well, John did great in his last flag football game of the season. He scored 2 touchdowns, and he had a ton of fun.

Riley also had his last tackle football game this weekend. The Eagles went up against Nativity, and they lost even though they tried really hard. The team worked well together, and the coaches were great! Riley loved being part of the team.

J's game face

J's last flag football game of the year was today. We had perfect weather for it! 67 degrees, sunny, and the leaves are starting to change...like I said, perfect!

His team did really well. They had 4 first and 4 second graders, and it was funny to watch the intense, focused 2nd graders and the easily distracted 1st graders trying to work together. Coach Chris did an awesome job with them - they learned some plays and drills and everyone got turns to be QB, RB's and WR's. They even scored 5 touchdowns today!

R is in the playoffs now - his first game is tomorrow at 3. I'll let you know how that turns out!

Cake Decorating!

A long, long, long time ago, when Nellie still lived in the totally awesome state of Indiana, she and I took a class at the public library on cake decorating. After the class, we were inspired, and this the deliciousness we made. Wanna know the secret?

Fall leaves

Fall leaves...

There is a single tree in Holliday park, right behind the nature center, that turns out the most beautiful yellow leaves I have ever seen. One year, while R was busy with Kindergarten, J and I went to the park and looked around at the beautiful fall colors. At the time, it was early November, and J had just gone trick-or-treating with the neighbor kids and really understood what was happening well enough for him to be excited about it.

But, and there's always a "but" to a story like this one, he had on shoes that he HAD to wear, but were too big for him, and as he ran to the neighbor's house to get candy, he fell. Hence, the-bright yellow band-aid on his forehead.

Recently injured or not, he was a good sport and posed for pics under my favorite fall tree.

(It's a Ginko tree, by the way.)

Bapa loves Gram

She's been gone a few years now...and all of us who knew her, loved her. There has never been any question or doubt in my mind of the love Bapa and Gram felt for each other. They were together through the worst times, and celebrated the best times together. Their love has been an inspiration, a goal, for everyone in our family to imitate.

Gram and Bapa started dating when she was only 15. After High School, they ran away together and got married secretly over the weekend, and took a short honeymoon in Chicago. Not long after that, Bapa set Gram up in an apartment on the top floor of a house, and he joined the Navy. He was gone for 4 long years, working on a ship as a mine sweeper - his ship went ahead of the fleet searching for mines in the water - setting them off before their fleet came through so the Americans could pass safely. I can not imagine the heartache Gram must have felt during those long days.

When Bapa got out of the Navy, he went to work in Michigan City, but the company he worked for fell on hard times. They thrived when they had been making supplies for the war, but later had only orders for new railroad cars to fill. Bapa liked the work, but it was inconsistent, and with a wife and child on the way, it was frustrating.

My dad was born, and Bapa pulled some strings to get a job on the South Shore, a railroad that ran from South Bend to Chicago. There he got consistent work, a consistent paycheck, but also was gone 7 days a week. We can only imagine the strain it put on their relationship, but their love stayed strong.

After a lot of hard work, when my Dad was about 4 years old - 1950 or so, Gram and Bapa were able to buy their first house. Bapa knew someone at the bank, and because he was in the Navy, he got a military loan. He was able to buy his first (and the one he remains in to this day) house in 1950 for just $5,800. A two bedroom, one bath, with a basement...it was perfect. No garage, no driveway, but all that would come...

Bapa kept working for the railroad and Stevie was born...just 4 years apart, the boys would fight like all brothers do, but have been close as adults. (Ask Stevie about going fishing with his big brother!)

A garage was added, a driveway, and after hours and hours of hard work, Bapa finished the attic and turned it into a two-room bedroom/study for the boys. Hardwood slats cover the walls everywhere, perfectly fitted and finished to this day, 50 years later.

The boys grew up, as kids will do, and Jimmy got married. Stevie later joined the Marines and got married, too. 3 grandchildren and 3 1/2 great-grandchildren later, the house still stands as a symbol of the love Gram and Bapa shared for so many years.

When Gram passed away, all of us felt a hole in our hearts and in our lives. She genuinely loved each and every one of us. I am convinced that the love she shared with Bapa fed her, especially through the tough times near the end when we all thought our hearts would break.

Thank you, Bapa and Gram, for the shining example of love you have shown us throughout your lives and throughout the years.

I love you.

The Little Red Barn

Bapa has a little red barn in his backyard. It's stored many things over the years...a baby carriage that we used to push my cousin, Mandy, around in when she was tiny. A few balls and bats, lawn mowers, mice (much to Bapa's frustration) and most importantly, memories.

When R was little, I started taking his picture in front of the barn. It's something I do now every time we go up to visit Bapa. The little red barn hasn't changed much over the years, but the boys sure have. Here's a small sample of the many shots I've taken.

Family Photos

Here's a few oldies but goodies...

My parents and me posing for a groovy pic sometime in the 70's...

Uncle Joe and Me hanging out in his backyard by the garden...again sometime in the 70's...

And my Grandma holding me sometime in 1974. I hadn't thought about these pics in a long time, but went through some old ones today and was glad to find these. I hope you enjoy them, too!

I love the muppets...

Don't know if this works...I hope so!

Karen and Me at the Grand Canyon

Karen and I have driven from coast to coast together...twice. And we're still friends. Can you believe it? We've been to DC to watch Bill Clinton's Inauguration - even though we were stuck behind a port-a-potty and couldn't see anything. We have been to the Grand Canyon at least 4 times, and have been to L.A. and Chicago together...and lots of places in between that I can't remember. She claims we actually spent the night in Las Cruses, New Mexico, but I can't remember that - on that trip all of the hotel rooms we stayed in have run together in my mind.

I do recall one of our trips back home from DC. We were staying in a cheap hotel somewhere in Ohio when Karen's dad called and told us that he'd just heard about a murder where the body was stashed in the wooden box below the mattress and box springs in a hotel room. CREEPY! Between that story and the cockroaches that were crawling on the ceiling, we might as well have kept on driving...or slept in the car.