Meg's Mumblings

COLORADO 2008

2008-09-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

Me, Linda & Susan went to visit Lisa for a long weekend for Labor Day Weekend . . . here is my blog......

DAY 1 - Thursday, August 28th

Flight to Denver was OK - some turbulence that freaked Susan out :)

Denver airport - took tram to baggage claim, wasn't bad, pretty quick - then went outside to wait fo the Budget rental car bus to take us for our rental car. I used Fast-track and they just told me where the car was and my keys and paperwork were already in the vehicle!! I was expecting a Ford Fusion, but got a silver Subaru Forester Wagon. It drove very nice and great gas mileage...........but a little SMALL inside - too small for us. I think the drive to Grad Lake was about 2 1/2 hours - a LOT of it was mountain driving. Almost was killed by a guy in a truck pulling a mobile home or whatever, he cut us off and I had to slam my brakes and lay on the horn. Very scary.

Grand Lake is BEAUTIFUL. I remember being here two years ago when Bob & Matt went golfing here and Lisa and I did girl stuff!

Anyway, found the Winding River Ranch and got the Alamosa cabin. Two bedrooms, living room, mivrowave, refrigerator, NO TV stations, but had a video player you can rent videos for $1. Lisa ended up bringing over her DVD player and the movie Enchanted which was cute, and she brought DVD's of Greys Anatomy and Scrubs. I had never watched Scrubs before, so I kinda got caught up on what that's all about. The Ranch has a baskeetball court, swingset, volleyball net, fire pits, andlots of other things. Lotz of horses running around the property - you can ride them too. We are righ ton the Colorado River facing the Rocky Mountains - WHAT A VIEW!! Lisa got here I guess about 5:30pm and we went to town for dinner. Had a great pizza, bread and salad. Then went into the RMNP (Rocky Mountain National Park) and saaw lots of Elk. Went to see Lisa's cabin, then went moose hunting. We found them, but too dark to take photo's. Pizza place was called Grand Pizza or Grand Lake Pizza - not sure EXACTLY, but if you are ever in Grand Lake, I recommend it!

Came back to the room and talked for a bit. Gave the girls my contribution to their sea turtle obsessiion - seat turltle wooden ornaments!!

Slept pretty good for having no TV to watch, but was up at 5:45am (would have been 7:45am at home!). Linda took Logan out for an early morning run and they had fun!! Logan licked a horse :) We are leaving at 8:00 for a "surprise" from Lisa - I actually figured out what it was and Lisa is mad at me! So, what else is new!

Day 2 - Friday, August 29th

Was up bright and early 5:45am. Guess we left around 7:30-7:45 and had some breakfast i town - then drove about 40 minutes to our destination - Sled Dog Kennel Tours. I love dogs, so I had a good time - but the ownder/tour guide was kind of cocky. Funny he knew the exit number to get off the freeway for Novi! Guess he spent a little time in Commerce. I think his parents live or lived in Milford. Anyway, tey had about 5 dogs that run around and greet you, but he owns 82 of them. He went over their food and vet information and differences in breed, ,etc. Then we went on the scenic trip over to the other side of the mountain into Estes Park where Lisa used to live and work. Very Beautiful! We had dinner on the deck at St. Mary's Lake Lodge then Lisa took us to see the trail work she did as well as the bathroom she built last summer. Then we went back via Old Fall Creek road. The road isunpaved, narrow and on way. Very scenic and a little bit scary, but we drove slow and not too much freaking out!! Later in the evening we went to town and went to a bar. Met a couple people Lisa knew from work. the girls had 3 drinks, I had 2 diet cokes and we left at 10:30pm for "home". One of the guys we met was an indian man who was actually in a couple movies. He was one of the indians in Lonesome Dove and also one called Lucky Luke.

We got back and Lisa and I watched Enchanged and went to bed at 12:30 - probably slept from about 1:00 to 5:15ish - out of bed by 6:15am. Read to start Day 3 :)

Day 3 - Saturday, August 30th (My birthday)

Me and Susan went out for coffee and also took Logan for a quick walk. Lisa and Linda went for a 2 hour horseback ride - they saw a bull moose (actually two of them) and so Susan and I went to town souvenier shopping!! I had actually forgotten it was my birthday, I just didn't think about what day it was :) But the girls reminded me and so now I guess I am a year older - DARN IT! We then went to town and had lunch and went for a plontoon boat ride on Grand Lake. The homes were nothing under 1.5 Million! We saw one house that Tim Allen owns, as well as one owned by Hallmark. Some of these expensive homes you can't get to by car - you eihter hike in or boat over. After that we went to Hot Sulfur Springs and soaked in hot tubs and hot pools for about an hour and a half. We were all SO relaxed after that we all went to bed early....yes, even ME.

Day 4 - Sunday, August 31st.

Up bright and ealry agian. Lisa and Linda went on a hike that took 6 hours. Susan and I went to Arapoho Bay Raod which is a beautiful drive (9 miles) around thelake. We got to the end and then went on a short hike about a qurter way around Monarch Lake and then came back (maybe 1.5 miles total). We had a bite to eat at the Dairy King in town and then Susan came back and went horseback riding. When everyone came back we went out for Mexican food in town. We are now back watching some episodes of Greys Anatomy. We are pretty much packed and will hit the road by 9:30am to head toward the airport. It's about 2 1/2 hours but just in case of traffic we are leaving plenty of time............................

Day 5 - Monday, September 1st - Labor Day - travel home day :(

Well..............we had coffee and breakfast with Lisa in town and said our goodbye's. We had such a great time with her.

Hit the road about 9:00 - think we got to the Budge rental car place around 11:30 - to the airport before noon. Look around the shops at the airport and started boarding the plane at 2:30. This would be 4:30 Michigan time. The plan took off right on time at 3:00 (5:00). We arrived "home" to Detroit about 7:40, and by the time we walked to baggage pick up and got our "stuff", Bob was there waiting for us and we got home maybe by 8:45. It was good to be home in my own house and my own bed, but I sure had a great trip. Now we are back to the school year and the old routine!!!!

I had an appointment with a cardiologist today. I need to start taking a baby aspirin every day and go back and see him in 6 months. Dick & Michelle are coming in this Friday and I'll pick them up at the airport and then they will be "in town" for about 10 days.

I think this is enough for one blog :) Photo's attached of my trip!

Not sure if this link will get you to all my photo's or not, but I'll include it

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AauW7do5bt2az&emid=sharshar&linkid=link5 :

RETIRED

2008-08-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

I have been officially retired as of July 1st 2008 ! Some days, even though I worked for 30 years at Ford, I feel like I never worked. I love it. I am more rested and less stressed. I am taking it pretty easy right now but am putting together a plan to mega clean my entire house! I am not sure where to start though. If it's the kitchen it will take FOREVER cause I want to empty every drawer/cabinet - go through all my pantries (I have a HUGE walk-in pantry) and throw out expired stuff that got shoved to the back.................I plan to just do one or two cabinets depending on how big they are, per day - it may take a few days just to do the pantry!!! Eventually I need to replace carpeting, paint rooms, get new drapes/window treatments, etc..... It is just so overwhelming right now that I don't know where to start! My bedroom might be a good choice - I have so many clothes they don't even fit in the closet/dresser any more. I esimated if I start with my bedroom, I can only do about 2 hours a day before I go nuts....... so it may day 2 to 4 weeks just to get through it all!!! Yikes!

So far, the only plans I have is to visit Lisa in Colorado August 28-September 1st. Linda and Susan are flying out there with me and we should have a really nice visit with Lisa and her puppy, Logan (Logan's photo is on this blog for your viewing pleasure) ......... I can't wait, even though I HATE flying!!!!! Oh well..........gotta do what ya gotta do!

Enjoy your summer and I hope to be writing again soon . . . . .

IT'S GETTING CLOSER

2008-04-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

To my retirement date :) I have about 11 1/2 more weeks until retirement :) Yeah! I just started my transition into "getting things ready to go". I sure hope it goes by fast between now and June 27th..........then things can slow down.

March was very busy. I had my 30 year anniversary with Ford. Had a luncheon at Giulio's (not sure how to spell that, but it's the Italian Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency,Dearborn). For my 30 year anniversary gift I ordered myself NEW POTS AND PANS :) Have not gotten them yet, but am looking forward to them!!! Susan had her 23rd Birthday on March 25th. For her birthday I took her and Lindsay to Mt. Pleasant to the Soaring Eagle Hotel and Casino. Susan lost a little moolah - I on the other had left $149 richer :0 Of course between what I spent on the hotel, food, etc.............I was still in the hole . . . . .

For Easter, Linda and Lisa met in Florida - their father was there on vacation so they decided to invade his vacation for a few days. They all had a great time! Unfortuantely I have not seen Lisa for quite a while now so I am looking forward to getting out to Colorado this summer! Lisa now has two dogs - Logan her 1 year old Germany Shepard and Luna her, well, mutt I guess who is just a pup. Luna is short for Lunatic :)

For April we have a wedding coming up. My niece Jenna is getting married on Friay April 25th!! I am looking forward to that. Dick & Michelle will be coming in on April 21st and staying wiht me until the 29th. I am also looking forward to that - I alway hope that while they are there we see deer in the backyard! Just a little standing joke with me & Dick. April will just fly by. May 6th Matt will be 16 and getting his drivers license.................yikes, my baby will be out driving on his own! His is a pretty good driver, but you just never know who else is going to be out there with him....................

That's all for my updates at this time............Except Lisa got a TERM job (4 year position with benefits for the Rocky Mt. National Park). This is great so I don't have to worry about her for at least the next 4 years since she will have medical bennies. Yeah Lisa!!!!! It is also a promotion to a Leader job, so it is a lot to be proud of...........

Until next time.................

HOLIDAYS ARE OVER

2008-01-11T04:29:00.000-08:00

This year the holidays weren't so bad :) Lisa came home for a long weekend in November, which is better than not seeing her at all, although I miss her on Christmas Eve when everyone is there! This year we had all the food catered (except for a couple dips and chips :) and I thought the food was great and everyone seemed to like it. We also did a different gift exchange, this year instead of picking names and buying for someone specific, we decided to do a dollar store grab bag type thing, but made a game out of it (for the adults) I guess it is officially called the White Elephant, with maybe a few minor changes! Everyone got a number, and number 1 went first and picked a gift........then 2 could steal the gift or open a new one, and so on - then at the end #1 was able to keep his gift, or steal anybody's gift. It was a good time I think! No major illnesses over the holidays (no flu bugs, but maybe some sinus/cold stuff going on), so all and all the 2007 Holidays were great. On New Years Eve we did not do the traditional Chinese Food to my disappointment, however . . . . . we did go to the Red Wings game (me, Bob and Matt) and had a great time.

Now we're in to 2008!!! Hope it's GREAT!!! This is the year I retire. I can't wait. Today is January 11th, so I have 24 weeks to go, then I will be a retired person :) Yes!!!!

Also, reality set in and I found out that I weighed more than I have EVER weighed in my life, so I just started Weight Watchers on November 14th. I have done SO SO SO many diets over the past couple years (last time I was successful on a diet was when Lisa graduated in 1999 - and then I slowly put it all back plus some). I have tried to excersize only, that didn't work, I tried to diet only, that didn't work (several different diets), so this time I decided to combine them - started Weight Watchers at the same time I started excersizing. A freind offered to train Susan and I with weights once a week, so we took her up on that - I am actually getting stronger! AND, it has made the numbers come down on the scale - the first week I could not believe I was already down 7 pounds - week 2 another 2 pounds - week 3 minus 1.2 - week 4 minus 3.6, week 5 minus 1.6, week 6 I DID NOT WEIGH IN - I TOOK A PASS CAUSE IT WAS RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS AND I WAS SCARED!!! Week 7 I was down .6 (better than nuttin!) - week 8 I was down 3.6 - SO my grand total to date is 19.6 pounds lost. The SAD thing is that I have SO MUCH to lose that nobody has noticed. I have NOT gone down a pant size yet, HOWEVER my pants were getting very tight and now I would say they are very loose - - BUT, I tried on the next smaller size, and they are still a little tight - I mean I COULD wear them, but not comfortably, so I'll just wait..........hopefully not too long!!!! I still have about 44 pounds I SHOULD lose, HOWEVER if I lose another 30 I will be so happy - hopefully my way of eating healthy will continue the rest of my life and some day I will be down all of those 44 more pounds (to my TOTAL that I wanted to lose was between 54 and 64 pounds - WOWZERS!).

I also decided that I am going to be a brunette - at least for a while. I have been a blonde for so long. Maybe add some hi-lites for the summer, maybe not---I am actually kinda liking the brown hair. Lotza changes to come in 2008.

Matt is skating through 10th grade. He's playing hockey and starting basketball this week. Keeps both him and us busy. Matt will be 16 in May - and will get his drivers license - that is just SO scary. I am sure he will be a safe driver, but when they first get on the road they just don't realize that they have to watch everyone else's driving too!

Not sure what this summer will bring. I just don't know what I want to do, but I do want to go on SOME kind of vacation!!! I mean, I will be retired! Maybe a trip to Colorado, maybe make it a longer trip and go to Arizona - or maybe a cruise, or maybe Hawaii. So many choices :)

Lisa is doing well in Colorado - she loves it out there and I am so proud of her for being such an independent strong person. Linda had a house built in 2007 - she is working for the city of Novi still - must be around 3 years since she was actually hired in. I am proud of her too for being able to manage her life so well and doing all this on her own! Susan went through Ross Medical training in 2007 and got a job in a doctors office in Farmington Hills as a Medical Assistant. I am very proud of her for never giving up! She is such a hard worker and did so well in her medical traing (Almost all A's!!! yeah!). Susan is very content still living at home and taking care of her dog, coming to Matt's games, and helping me around the house. I appreciate her for all she does for me - I think I'll keep her :)

So, I am hoping for a really quick winter, a mild spring and then a fantastik start to my retirement. So much to do!!! I keep making mental notes on all the things I want to accomplish while I am finally able to. First thing is the house! Going through things and getting rid of stuff, then decorating the way I want to - get new carpet, new furniture, new blinds and curtains, new paint job, new wall decorations . . . . and I want to frame some pictures that are favorites, I want to go through all the photo's I've taken and organize them, put them in photo albums (this will take me years to do!!!), start collecting things for Matt's graduation party (it will be here before I know it) - maybe even think about setting up another family reunion! I was thinking of maybe a cruise or something this time - make a real vacation out of it - last time (the only time we've done it) was a weekend in Chicago and it was fun, just short :) A cruise would be great - we could see people when we wanted, do things on our own when we wanted, and someone else would do all the cooking and work :) Sounds good to me.

OK - I will end here for now and update when I can!

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT TWO THOUSAND EIGHT!

(photo is of Lisa and Linda at a Red Wings game when Lisa was in town - it was Orange Hat day and everyone who attended the game got an orange Red Wing hat!!!! -- you have to be a Detroit Red Wing fan to know what that's all about!!!)

SUMMER 2007

2007-07-31T15:17:00.001-07:00

OK, so I was writing this blog and it vanished on me!!!! So, I'll start over.

This year marks 30 years since I've graduated from High School. The Fordson High School 1977 Reunion is next weekend, but I am not going to any of the events. I had planned to be on Mackinac Island, but as it turns out my husband is going Up North to Canada with his friend Bill to Bill's cabin on their yearly trip. The class reunion information is:

Friday night event
The bar mixer will be on Friday night at the Traction Bar starting at 7 pm.
Fordson Tour
Saturday, Aug 4 - Tour of Fordson 11 am - 1 pm
Enter from the east, Neckel side of Fordson
Evening Party
Join us as we get together to celebrate Fordson's Class of 1977 30-year
Reunion at the beautiful Fairlane Club in Dearborn on Saturday, August 4th. Tickets are $45 per person which includes dinner and entertainment.

Sounded like an OK thing, but I really didn't hang out with many people from High School and the ones I did hang out with don't plan to be there, so it would basically be like me with a bunch of strangers . . . and with my husband being up north I would be going by myself!!! THAT's NOT going to happen :)

Well, I am now less than a year (11 months) from RETIREMENT! I am very excited about that and I'm counting down for real now. My last day of work will be JUNE 27, 2008. My ACTUAL retirement date is July 1, 2008.

I went to Boston this year on July 5 through 8 for my niece Hannah's Bat Matzvah. I had never been to one and it was a good time and a touching ceremony! I loved it. I was disappointed last year that I could not make Emma's - I had plans to go visit Lisa in Colorado last year, which we did, so I missed the Bat Mitzvah - but I was able to go this year to Hannah's. We flew Northwest - our plane was supposed to leave at 6:30am on July 5th, we were in the plane, about to go up and then - the brakes came on! I think, if I remember right, it was something about the generator light came on. Needless to say we headed back, deplaned, then had to walk about 20 gates down to board a different airplane. The flight itself was OK as flights go, but I HATE Flying!!!! I am nervous the entire time, so that part was less than enjoyable for me. The photo with this blog is BEAUTIFUL HANNAH at her Bat Mitzvah.

Matt was busy between golfing, open gym and hockey so far this summer, but no hockey for August! He is doing a lot of golfing and enjoying it. Matt now has his drivers permit and is doing a great job driving. He won't be 16 until May 2008, but they like them to have their permits for a year to gain experience - I think it's a great idea !!!

Susan is doing GREAT at Ross Medical Training. I am VERY proud of her. She has 1 month to go and then she will do an externship for 6 weeks, then hopefully find a good job. She is "dogsitting" for 2 sled dogs - I think they are malamute-husky's and the boy (Aspen) is like 105 pounds and the girl (Jingles) is not much less than that! They are beautiful dogs, but they SHED bad. We went to visit them and of course I was wearing all black - and came home full of white dog hair! My 3 puppies didn't like that too much :)

Linda is VERY busy at work. She built a house in Howell and will close on August 13th. She is very excited and nervous about her new home. Once she's in it will be fine and she will be very happy :) She has been going to a Neurologist about her migraines and he put her on Topomax and that has been helping a lot. She also QUIT smoking a few months ago and I am very proud of her for that too!

Lisa is still living and working in Colorado - Estes Park - Rocky Mountain National Park. She and her boyfreind Tim have been together for a year now, and she also has a puppy - Logan, her German Shepard. He is SO cute! I saw him back in February when Lisa came to visit. She will be taking a trip to Seattle the end of August, first of September for her friend Brian's wedding. GOOD LUCK BRIAN AND MALISSA. I like Brian a lot, good "kid".

Other than that, I don't have too much news.

Dick and Michelle are coming in on Monday (August 6th) and will be staying with me until August 20th - not sure about their whole itenerary, but it will be nice to hang out with them! Most of the time I will be working, but that way they won't get too sick of me!!!

Greg and Rachel will be getting married in September - the shower is August 12th in Clinton at a place called something like "Where Friends Something??" Hmmmmm guess I don't really remember what the heck it's called - and their wedding reception will be there too! They are actually getting married in Vegas, then the reception is the week after the wedding.

OK, that's all I have FOR NOW. Hopefully it won't be so long before I blog again!!!!

FAMILY AFTER HANNA'S BAT MITZVAH 7/7/07 - Sitting: Kathy, Michelle, Margaret and in the back: Pat, Emma, Rod, Hannah, Rick, "Bob" AKA "Bobby", and Renee

New on the Homefront

2007-03-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

First, wanted to say that my husband, Bob, is now RETIRED!! After 37 years with Ford Motor Company, he has taken the buy out package and is going to stay home and gets things in order in the house, take care of PAPERS/FILING all over the house, then start painting! We have been in this house for 14 years and it's time to start paying attention to it. It will (I hope) be nice to have him at home and take some of the stress off of both of us having to figure out how to get Matt here and there and who is going to stay home from work so that we can let the cable people in, or the phone company, or whomever!!! I think this is going to be a good thing.

On another note, we've had a couple deaths that have hit close to home. First, my sister-in-law, Julie's, father passed away. He was such a good guy and he will be missed. He stayed with my brother and his family during the summertime and then lived with his son and daughter-in-law in the winters. I remember him BEST for his great stuffed cabbages, nobody will EVER be able to come close to his - and also his love of the dogs! and the kids!!

Last Sunday (February 25th) my Aunt Kate passed away in Council Bluffs, Iowa. She was my mother's older sister and my mother's best freind. She had 9 children (6 boys, 3 girls). Her youngest was hit by a car and killed when he was 4 years old. We were visiting at the time for his oldest brothers wedding. I will never forget that. Another one of her son's passed away a few years ago, I think he was working in Texas when he died - and her husband, my Uncle Les passed away of lung cancer a few years ago too. http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=GB000086644100

My Aunt Kate will always be remembered for her great sense of humor, her love of children, her stories, and her great home-cooked meals! I was blessed that I was able to visit with her in the last couple years on our trips out West and was able to get a lot of photographs of her which will always mean a lot to me. Talk about a lady with a big heart, that was my aunt.

Kathy, Ron and Patty drove to Council Bluffs for the funeral. A blizzard came through and stranded them for a couple days (they were suppose to be back on the road for home on Friday morning - but I BELIEVE they got out of there last night (Saturday night). Haven't talk to them yet, but hopefully they had a safe trip home and Pat will make a flight from Detroit to Boston today.

I've added a photo of some of us "kids" with Aunt Kate taken I think in the summer of 2005? I was also there last summer (2006), but I thought this photo was a good one to add.

It's been a long time

2007-02-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

Well, saying that I have been busy is putting it mildly. But, WHAT exactly have I been doing? I don't know!!!! I have a lot of new jobs at the office with several people leaving the company one way or the other and it is actually just exhausting me and stressing me out. I have to work until June 30th of 2008, and depending on your age and years you have with your company, that's either a very short time, or a very long time!!!! I feel like I am in 11th grade in high school and have to finish this year and make it through next year before I can Graduate! Do you remember that feeling??? Like it's never gonna get here. However.....like I said, I am so busy I really think the time is going to fly by.

Bob will be retired as of next week, February 28th 2007. I think he has accepted it and will keep himself busy between doing things in the house and volunteering to do things with hockey, etc.

Christmas went pretty well. We had 43 people at the house and we ordered some stuffed cabbage and city chicken from Alice's catering in Livonia. It was AWESOME and I am sure we will be taking advantage of her cooking in the future! The winter was pretty mild up until about 2 or 3 weeks ago (after it hit FEBRUARY) and then we had such cold weather the schools closed for 2 days just because of the bitter cold!

Lisa came home for a visit too in February bringing her little bundly of joy (Logan) with her. He was I think just over 3 months when he was here. So, we had the 4 dogs all together for 5 days and things didn't go too badly . . . . Wilson got a little aggressive at times, but all and all he did pretty well (except for the bite on the nose!!). I was so happy to have Lisa home for a few days - it was not long enough.

Matt played his first year of High School JV hockey. He really enjoyed it a lot and he had a great coach. He plans to play Spring hockey and hopefully he will make the team again next year.

Susan worked for the City of Novi in the Water Department as a seasonal employee and her employment ended on December 22nd. That would have been a wonderful job for her full time but they are currently not in need of a full time person - darn it! So, she is working part time for Rite Aid and she plans to check out Ross Medical School which is a 7 month program and it touches on things like medical billing, blood pressure, xrays, etc. Hopefully things work out and she flies through the program and gets a good job! She works hard and deserves a break.

Linda is still working for the City of Novi in the water department. She got a "promise" ring from Tony this past Christmas and they are currently checking out houses and most likely will be getting married in the near future. They are taking their time, which is wonderful!

Lisa is trying to get a "term" job out there in the Rocky Mountains which would mean I think a 4-year position with benefits!! that would be nice for her, but if not she will still have her season job for the park plus be ivolved in fires. She loves it out west!

I will be putting a family photo on here of all the "Howe's"....which is pretty cool. It has 43 people in it, we are missing 15, so it could have been 58 people had everyone been able to make it on Christmas Eve.

This summer we are planning to trip to Boston which we are getting excited about. My niece Hannah will be making her Bat Mitzfah and I have never been to one, so that will be cool. Being a Catholic myself I have not experienced a Bat Mitzfah.....not even sure if I'm spelling it correctly! We may even decide to take a trip to Washington DC too, not that it is very close to Boston, but if we have a few extra days, well, we'll see.

That's all my updates for NOW. Hopefully I'll be back on before I retire :)

JUST ADDIN' SOME PHOTO'S!! ENJOY.

2006-10-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Create Your Own!

OCTOBER IS HERE!!

2006-10-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

Michelle with the dogs! and the deer in the yard!

Unbelieveable!!! It is already October. We've been busy between football games and hockey games, plus we just finished our annual hockey golf outing fund raiser!! It turned out OK - I think everyone had a good time - but a few problems came up (like running out of food!!!). I'm glad it's over for the year.
Not a whole lot going on. Lisa was home about 4 weeks ago and is coming back this weekend for her freinds Donna and Jason's wedding. She is a bridesmaid!!! Linda and I will also be going to the wedding. Lisa has been in California the last couple weeks on wildfire duty. I'm glad she is now on her way back to Colorado. Fires are just so unpredictable. I am looking forward to seeing her this weekend although it will be a short visit.
Don't have much else going on right now, which is a good thing because I'm just so exhausted most of the time, I am happy it's quiet.
Dick & Michelle were in town for 2 weeks and it was really good to see them! They finally believe me that I have deer (as well as lots of raccoons as we found out) in my backyard...................photo attached!

SEPTEMBER 1ST

2006-09-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a while . . . not much to add. Went to Frankenmuth with my friend Karen yesterday.....had joined the Zehnders Birthday club online at www.zehnders.com and you get a free meal - - - there was SO much food!!!! We also went to Bronners and got some ornaments and they give you a free ornament for your birthday!!!
Today Matt went for his contact lens class . . . he wore his contacts about 6 hours today and had a hard time getting them out.....I sure hope he continues to wear them since he never wears his glasses.
Linda got a new kitten this week. Not even sure what she named it! I haven't even seen it yet, but plan to this weekend........maybe I can get a picture of the kitten and post it!
Life is getting pretty busy again . . . Matt is playing football and hockey, plus school starts on Tuesday. Just can't get any better than that. the summer sure is short.
Lisa is coming home for the weekend -- I'll be picking her up late Thursday night and taking her back Sunday night. It will be good to have her home for a few days.
that's my update, maybe i'll have more to add soon!!! toodles

PHOTOS

2006-07-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Some photos - beautiful scenery, animals, Lisa & Matt horseback riding, Bob & Matt at golf course, and Matt standing at their campsite.
I took about 140 digital photo's and about 150ish photo's from my 35mm camera. Way too many to post. I'll add more of my favorites after I get them developed! Ta ta for now!

MORE PHOTO'S FROM COLORADO TRIP

2006-07-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

JUST A FEW OF MY FAVORITES!!

COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH!!

2006-07-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

First wanted to say that on the way to see Lisa, we stopped over in Council Bluffs (Iowa) to see some relatives! Had a great time there. We ate at a restaurant called Tish's and had an outside table. Very good food (if you are ever in Council Bluffs!) and we had a great night between great weather and good company! There was my cousin Deb and her husband Doug, My cousin Bob and his wife Ginny, my cousin John and his wife Diane, and my cousin Barb! I was very happy to be able to stop in for dinner and had a great time!
After dinner, we went and stopped in to see my Aunt Kate! I always love to see her! She has the best sense of humor and always has stories to tell and picture to see! My cousin Pat was there as well as my cousin Mary and her husband Mike. Always good to see them and was happy they had time to stop in to see us on our very short stop to Council Bluffs! We stayed at a very very nice hotel called the Ameristar which was a hotel and casino......so......I went and fed the machines $50 and then called it a day! One of these days I'll get it back!!! ha ha

The Colorado Rocky Mountains have the absolute most awesome scenery ever!!! This is actually my 3rd visit to the Rocky Mountains (I was about 16 years old the first time I went) and we were there in 2003 and again this week! It is very surreal and captivating to surround yourself in the beauty of the mountains and the animals and the cool mountain air! Here's a few of our adventures.........
It is always an adventure crossing the mountain tops! It appears that you could just go right over the cliff, but my daughter who travels that road almost daily assures me that it never happens!!! We let her drive!! Going over the mountain on a clear day is awesome . . . . we also went over in the evening, in the clouds - - - now THAT is a scary thing! We did see some Big Horn sheep around the continental divide, but they were high up on some rocks and probably didn't turn out very well in my photographs . . . . . .
On day 2, Bob, Lisa and Matt went camping....oh, I went with them, but didn't spend the night, I preferred a nice comfy cozy bed! But, while we were at the campsite, we took a little ride. We saw this OWL swoop down and grab a small animal, maybe a chipmunk or ground squirrel, and fly back up to a rock . . . in the meantime it is spotted by a coyote . . . . the coyote went and sat in front of this rock staring up at the owl anxiously waiting for him to either drop his prey, or maybe he was trying to figure out a way to get up onto that rock himself . . . . it was an experience to watch! Something I am sure I will never see again.
Lisa and Matt went to a documentary type thing on coyotes and I went back to the room . . . . the others camped out, getting up at 3:00am and doing some star gazing!!!
The next day (Saturday) Matt and Lisa went on a private, guided fly-fishing afternoon. Photo's above for your viewing pleasure of them holding fish that they caught . . . of course, it is catch and release, but loads of fun from what they tell me!
We ate dinner at some pretty good restaurants . . . if you are ever in Estes Park, a couple places to check out are the Rock Inn and also Mary's Lake Tavern. There is another place that was a steakhouse which was GREAT, but unfortunately I can't think of the name at this point!
On Sunday, we went over the mountain to the "West Side" called Grand Lake where Bob and Matt went golfing - - - - I guess the course was a little over their head, but they managed! While they were golfing Lisa and I went to Hot Sulfur Springs Spa and treated ourselves to a private bath in the hot sulfur springs water (suppose to be healing and contain a lot of minerals), and I had an herbal body wrap and Lisa had some type of body scrub. Very interesting. Afterward, she and I sat in a hot tub of sulfur springs -- VERY hot stuff!!!! We then drove back to get the boys who were finishing their 9th and final hole!!!
It was a good day for us all!
Before going to Grand Lake, we did go see Lisa's new apartment in Lyons. It looks very cozy and I think she will like it. Cute little town too!
On Monday Lisa wasn't feeling too well, so we took it easy that day......however, Tuesday (4th of July) Matt and Lisa went for a 2 hour horseback riding trip through the YMCA of the Rockies and had a great time while Bob and I went to look for more sheep!!
That evening we walked over to Lake Estes which was very close to the Holiday Inn where we stayed and watched the fireworks! Awesome show!
I really wish my video recorder wasn't broken cause I really missed some good video opportunities during this trip!
Wednesday Lisa worked and so the rest of us hung out in the park, and at the Stanley Hotel as well as McGraw's farm at the Twin Owls and did a little hiking/sightseeing.
We left for home at 5:00pm on Wednesday and drove straight through! Got back home at 2:30 on Thursday!!! Great Trip!

ITS JUNE!

2006-06-05T04:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to:
Michelle - June 6th
Deb B. - June 6th
Kathy - June 24th
Bobby - June 24th
Renee - June 29th

In case I don't blog for a while - the rest of the summer b-days are:
Jenna - July 3rd
Ronnie - July 13
(Deb & Pat anniversary - July 16th)
Lilly - Aug 2nd
Rick - Aug 11th
Pat - Aug 12th
Christina - Aug 16th
(Marg & Bob anniv - Aug 16th - 15 years)
Chuck - Aug 24th
Mackenzie - Aug 25th
Jonathan - Aug 26
(Kathy & Rod anniv - Aug 29th)
(Dick & Michelle anniv - Aug 29th)
Margaret - Aug 30th
Marlena - Aug 31st
*****************************************************************************
Note: Fox photo is just there cause I like it!!!! Who knows, maybe it's his birthday too!
Thanks for the fox photo Lisa!!!
*****************************************************************************
GOING TO COLORADO JUNE 28 TO JULY 8. Hopefully I'll have some photo's to download when we get back!
*****************************************************************************

IKEA

2006-06-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well, the new IKEA store is now in Canton, which is about Oh maybe 10 miles from me. Brother Steve will be working there part time, so he had passes for the family to go shop today before the grand opening which is this coming Wednesday. The top floor was all the rooms - bedrooms, bathrooms, dormrooms, kitchens, family rooms, kids rooms, etc. Then downstairs was all the fun stuff - rugs, pillows, kitchen gadgets and accessories, pots & plants, light fixtures and all kinds of fun stuff!!! I got out just under $100. It was a good trip.
Whats been going on besides shopping??? Well, I was scheduled to have a sleep study, but it has now been postponed to Friday, June 9th. I am also scheduled for a stress test, BUT I just pulled my calf muscle and I can't barely walk let alone do all the walking on the treadmill! I doubt that will happen.......so, we'll just have to see. We are on a hockey break right now and I'm kinda enjoying that! We were busy watching the Pistons, but that's all over now too!! My niece Kate will be graduating this week and her party is Saturday which will be a good time. This week we have lots of appointments and meetings -- dentist, sports stuff, hair, etc.
OK, that's all for now! We'll be back when I actually have something to say . . . . .
ONE MORE THING --- Congratulations to my nephew on his marriage!!! Mike and Laina were married on May 13th! I tried to download a photo but it didn't work cause it was a scanned .pdf file andI don't know how to get it in here! Oh well!!!

2006-04-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Lisa took this picture in Colorado!!!
Cool, huh?

Susan just got a job (seasonal) with the City of Novi (where Linda works) reading water meters for the summer! Hopefully that will look good on her resume for when she is trying to find a full time job!!!

I'VE BEEN TAGGED

2006-04-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

I've Been Tagged - Thanks Tracy

My friend Tracy "tagged" me so I get to tell you the following interesting facts about ME...

4 jobs i've had
Engineering Information Coordinator (current job -- Administrative work - Ford Motor Company)
Administrative Assistant (to Managers and Execs at Ford Motor Company)
Co-op Student - worked for Dearborn Federal Credit Union
Salesperson - Sears @ Fairlane Town Center (way back in 1976/1977)

4 movies i could watch over and over
I love LIFETIME movies - all of them - and could watch them over and over -- that counts for more than 4 movies!

4 places i have lived
Dearborn Heights, MI
Detroit, MI
Novi, MI
TBD (maybe Florida, maybe Nevada, maybe North Carolina ---- )

tv shows i like to watch
House
American Idol
Desperate Housewives
SOAP OPERAS (CHANNEL 7) All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital!!!
Oprah
(sorry -- that was too many, but whatever)

places i've been on vacation
Florida (a few times - Disneyworld, etc.)
Chicago (family reunion a few years ago)
California (visited relatives in 1975)
Iowa (visiting relatives in Council Bluffs)
Colorado (Rocky Mountains - to see Lisa!!)
Mackinac Island!!! And up North!!

Websites I visit daily:
Detroit News
Weight Watchers
Northville (High School and Middle school)
Ask Management (something for work!!)

4 favorite foods
Chocolate Chip Cookies - home made
Popcorn
Blueberry cobbler
Ham
(oh, did I leave out the veggies???)

4 places i'd rather be
South (in nice, warm weather)
On a cruise on the ocean!!
In bed
Hawaii

4 bloggers i'm tagging
Lisa
Tara

SPRING THOUGHTS

2006-04-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

It has been too long since I've posted anything on here, so thought I would get in and see what pops up in my head!!! First thing is that Lisa has moved out of Michigan (again) and is living in Colorado. She moved the day before Easter and got in to Estes Park on Easter night. She starting working in the Rocky Mt. National park on her 25th birthday (April 18th). She had a good first week. I am hoping that a permanent position comes her way before October because she does not want to come back to Michigan, I should rephrase and say she is not coming back to Michigan, and I'd love for her to find something permanent with BENEFITS!!!! We plan to take a vacation out to see her this summer. Last time I went I wasn't feeling well and could have had a better time if I was doing better (it was the week before I got my gall bladder out!!).
So, what else is new??? Hmmm - Linda is still working for the City of Novi. She has her own apartment (I think that was in a previous blog!). Susan is STILL with the Humane Society for now. Matt is double rostered in hockey for the spring. He is playing for his High School Junior Varsity Team (he is currently in 8th grade). He also plays for the travel team he has been with the last 2 years. We are enjoying it even though it takes up a lot of time......it's still lots of fun!
Susan and I went to Mt. Pleasant (2 hours away) to the Soaring Eagle Resort and Casino on Thursday and Friday last week. I was up $150 at one time, but figured it wasn't enough that I could retire on, so I went ahead and kept gambling - - I lost the $150 and then some! Susan broke just over even - - - she made about $5 on the trip!
Other than that, Matt will be making his Confirmation on May 9th - he turns 14 years old on May 6th!
My new job is doing OK. I actually got a little promotion effective May 1st. I don't even know what my new title is, if there is one :) I was called an "Engineering Information Coordinator", so they may just keep that title. I basically ship things to Japan and track things coming in to Ford from Japan (Yamaha) and when we send them. I also track warranty information from Mazda.....and I do some administrative things like sending out meeting notices, agenda's and minutes and also coordinate overtime, foreign and domestic travel.....and miscellaneous stuff that comes up. It keeps me busy :)
Well, it's time for bed - - - 10:25 PM and I get up at 4:20am, so better get going!
Until next time . . . . . . . . . .

Oh............Lisa's new blog address in case you want to see what she is up to:

http://journals.aol.com/marmotfuzz/vixen

WAY FORWARD

2006-02-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I have survived the Ford "Way Forward" salary job elimination!! My husband's job is safe too. With almost 28 years put into my career, I'd really hate not to be able to get my 30 in. Although I will have 30 years on March 7th of 2008, I can't retire until July 1st, 2008 (due to some time off I took after I had my 3rd child). One person who was let go at Ford put his alarm clock up on e-bay, pretty interesting - - - here is the web address in case you are interested in checking it out:

<http://cgi.ebay.com/Dual-alarm-clock-Used-for-7-yrs-by-former-Ford-Engineer_W0QQitemZ4436787590QQcategoryZ79643QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem>

I saw that there was also an article in the Detroit Free Press on this:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006602010464

Anyway, just thought I would post the good news about my job! Actually the position I have been in for the past 5 years was eliminated, BUT they did find me a new job, and I am taking 1/2 of what I was doing with me into my new position. I think I can do this new job for the next 2 1/2 years!!!! There is a lot less stress and my new section seems to be a lot of fun, and very helpful.............until next time, ta ta for now!

BRINGING IN 2006!!

2006-01-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to All who read this blog. Today is January 12th (the night before Friday the 13th!!) and I have just a few minutes to do some blogging. Christmas was nice. We had Christmas Eve with the family here at the house, about 45 of us showed up. It is always nice to see everyone and we were happy that the Florida and Boston relatives could make it in for the holidays.
Matt had a hockey tournament December 26 through 28 and we made it to the semi-finals where we lost in a shoot out - - - I hate when that happens and it seems to happen a lot during tournaments!!!
January 3rd it was back to work. Ford is planning to slice it's employees beginning January 23rd, so I'm just hoping I don't get it - - -I'd like to wait 2 years so that I have my 30 years in. My 28 year anniversary (company anniversary) is March 7th.
I have a couple photo's to share from Christmas . . . . The 5 guys are my brothers (Tom, Dick, Steve, Bob and Chuck) - The 5 girls are my sister-in-laws (Michelle, Julie, Brenda, Debbie and Renee) The dog is Tiny and she is on Matt's head! The next picture is my 3 girls and Tom's 2 girls (Lisa, Jenna and Linda standing - Kaitlyn and Susan sitting - and Bobby is also in the picture). The last picture is my oldest dog, Wilson. I just thought that was a perfect picture!
Enjoy!!!!
Until next time . . . . .

BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!!!!!

2005-12-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well, the update is that it is VERY cold outside! Winter is here. Right now it is snowing and we expect about 6 inches or more by 3:00AM. Luckily I have a vacation day tomorrow so I don't have to get up and drive in it (unless I decide to drive Susan to work so she doesn't have to drive in it!!!) That will all depend on whether or not Matt has school - if he has no school, I will drive Susan to work. We'll just have to see what happens.
Our tree is up! This is a record. We usually get it up a couple days before Christmas. I have MOST of my Christmas cards done --- just a few stragglers to finish up. I keep saying I may cut back on my Christmas cards, but then I look at the list of names and I don't ever get to see so many people who were important in my life and think it's the only time they hear from me, so I still send out about 50 cards or more. I just think it's important. I'd like to get so much done this weekend, but I always have good intentions!
What's new since my last post????? Chuck & Deb moved!!! Janet moved!!!! Linda moved out - but I don't think that is new! I guess it's been a month!
We have several birthdays in December
4th - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANET!
5th - HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!!
10th - HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDA!!
12th - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM!!
28th - HAPPY BIRTHDAY DICK & BETH!!!
I don't have my "Important Dates" calendar in front of me, but I know Brigette's birthday was this week too! I am probably leaving someone else off . . . but my memory isn't as good as it used to be! I'll have to find my birthday sheet and update later!
This week seemed to bring some bad news too. I went to the funeral home for 3 different people this weekend! Mrs. Marge Ialungo who was our next door neighbor the entire time we lived on Garling Drive!!! A friend of mine's sister-in-law passed away - she was only 65! Lastly another friend of mine lost her father. It's never a good time to lose a loved one, but the holidays are the worst!
Other than all that, it's just work work work! We are going to have our yearly Christmas lunch with Katie (step-mother) on the 22nd. It is always nice to see Katie.
I think the rest of the year is going to be very very busy, so you probably won't be hearing back from me any time soon!!! Hopefully in January I'll have some quiet time to do some writing (assuming I have something to write about!).
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!

2005 FAMILY PHOTO

2005-11-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

Here it is, this years family photo!! We have an addition this year of Lucky who is sitting on Susan's lap! Top row is Bob, Matt and Me! "Middle" row is Lisa, Linda and Susan. "Bottom" row is Wilson (on Lisa's lap), Tiny (on Linda's lap) and Lucky (on Susan's lap). It is a VERY VERY cold day today and I'm glad I don't have to go out anywhere. This weekend Matt has a hockey tournament in Rochester, so I'll have to go out a little, but hopefully can stay home for the most part!

IT'S TURKEY DAY!

2005-11-24T06:53:00.000-08:00

OK, so today is Thanksgiving. When I think about it, I have a lot to be thankful for. I have 4 healthy kids, still have a job, a good husband, a nice place to live, lots of siblings to keep the SOAP OPERA in me satisfied, lots of freinds and extended family . . . . . . and lots of memories of loved ones who have passed. Everyone should look into their own lives and think about all the things you are thankful for!!
OK, I am going to post my favorite Sweet Potato recipe here today. Although this recipe calls for you to whip the potatoes, I never have, so I don't know what it woudl be like that way. I peel and chop my potatoes and just use them that way. They are SO good!!!!!!
I have my turkey in the oven and later on all the kids are coming over for a family photo which I will post later on.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy Turkey Day - dont' eat too much!

Recipe

3 cups Sweet Potatoes (w/o Juice if using canned)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 stick butter (I only use 1/4 stick)

Topping
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Whip in mixer until smooth. Place potato mixture in a 13 x 9 greased pan. Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Its been a while!

2005-11-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a while since I've blogged and I'm getting some feedback that maybe it's time for me to share some more of my life :)
First, I must say that It's Beginning to Look a LOT Like Christmas - EVERYWHERE I go! I am not in the Christmas Spirit just yet. I don't like to shop and never know what to buy. I wish I could hire someone to take care of the shopping and decorating for me! That would maybe give me enough time to clean the house and get ready for the big Christmas Eve Bash!
So, what's been going on? Well, Linda has moved into her own apartment! Only about a mile away, but it's her own and I'm proud of her. She broke up with her boyfriend of 8 years and is becoming very independent. She is a kid who never asks anything from me and I knew this day would eventually come when her life just takes off in the right direction. Working for the city she works quite a bit of overtime and I'm sure that's a good thing with the holidays coming up and her having all these new bills coming her way.
Lisa is working some overtime too. I don't get to see much of her now that she is a while 40/45 minutes away!!! I think her job is very exhausting and on the weekends she either works, catches up on sleep or sees her Novi/Ann Arbor friends. She seems to be doing well and she has decided to go to Herbal Energies like I did to see what Homeopathic remedies they might have for her.
I planned to write about Herbal Energies, which was a pretty positive experience . . . I wanted to have the brochures in front of me so I could blog the correct things they did to me, but I don't have it with me. I know they took a picture of my eyes and blew them up on the computer to look at them and they could tell a lot of stuff from looking closely at my eyes! One thing was that my cholesterol is started to get high - - - which I had JUST recently found that out from my doctor!! so that was very accurate. She could tell from my eyes that I have stomach/gastro-intestinal issues too!! There were other things too - then she did this other thing that measured how much stress was on each of my organs, which I carry most of my stress in my stomach. She gave me a few homeopathic concoctions (did I spell that right!!!) which unfortunately I always seem to forget to take! I started off taking them as prescribed, then just simply keep forgetting. I have to take them 3 times a day and I am not good at that - once a day in the morning is about as far as I can remember. I have another appointment TOMORROW and she is going to put little round magnets behind my ear - I can't remember why, but if I remember to blog again in the near future then I'll blog a little more about that.

I am also going through some stress at work. I was told that most likely my current job function is going to go away . . . . another department is looking to take me to do something, but so far nobody has told me what I will be doing. I feel very insecure about my job security with the announcement that Ford will be letting go about 4,000 salary and agency workers. That is very scary. I will have 28 years this coming March and I really wanted to get my 30 in before I retired. This would really hurt if I lose my job. Hopefully it won't come to that, but being as I am a Support person, it is always a possibility. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Let's see what else is going on. Matt is done with Football and did a few weeks of intramural basketball. There were a LOT of kids trying out for the basketball team - Matt did not make it, but I think he will get over it. I know I will :) Hockey takes up a lot of time, plus Matt goes to a fitness center weekly and I think his schedule is pretty full as it is. He is doing very well in school too - he got all A's except for in German where he got a B. I think that's pretty awesome.

Susan is still working for the Humane Society and is living here with her "little man" Lucky - Lucky is probably getting pretty close to a year old. He is a pretty good dog, but he sheds quite a bit and I don't like that. I just got Susan's Christmas list and of course on her list it says "A mansion" - - - I should get her a little dollhouse and call it a mansion!

Well, my brain is a little fried and I'm getting ready to watch Desparate Housewives and go to bed. I will be up at 4:30am tomorrow morning and have a full day ahead of me, so I'll be signing off now!

Hopefully I'll be back on before Christmas!
Happy Thanksgiving to all - and to all a GOOD NIGHT!

JUST CHECKING

2005-10-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Just checking to see if I can add a link to my photo's in my blog . . . well here goes:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AauW7do5bt2EP (you may have to copy and paste this into your browser) . . .

we'll see what happens!!!!!!
It's probably not photo's most of you would like to view, but go ahead if you want to try!

UPDATE 10/9/05

2005-10-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have just been too busy to blog. Last Sunday we had our hockey team fund raiser golf outing, which I am suppose to be somehow putting all the pictures out on a website for all the golfers to veiw. It was a VERY good time. I do not golf but Bob & Matt golfed along with about 90 other people. It was held at the Northville Hills Golf Club. Very nice place. Everyone had a good time and we made lots of money for the team!
Last week's doggie school didn't go so good :( Susan and Lucky quit school cause Lucky didn't really get along with the other dogs. I still took Tiny. She was the only dog in class that FAILED the owner "COME WHEN CALLED" activity!!!! The other dogs ran right to their owner, but not Tiny, she ran in circles and got all nervous and she kinda embarrassed me!!! So, what ELSE is new! OH well, there is always this week..........
Matt had a really good day on Wednesday . . . . their football team won 20 to 6 and then their hockey team won their first official League game versus the Redford Puck Hogs 8 to 3. The team really played great even though it was a LATE game on a school night! We didn't get home until after 11:00........I wish I would have filmed that game to show the boys how great they really can look!
Friday I took a few hours off vacation and Lisa and I went to the Bamboo Club for lunch - very good food! Then we spent a very long time at a pet shop playing with a Husky Puppy!! Lisa still wants to get a dog, but I am sure she won't get it from a pet shop - for one they want too much money!!! She would rather rescue a dog.
Other than that, we're just busy with work, school and sports! It may be a while before I get to blog again - I think I need to work on the golf outing before I start hearing that it's taking me too long to get the photo's out there! I'll add some more pictures to my blog NEXT time!
ta ta for now!

DOGGIE SCHOOL

2005-09-21T03:33:00.000-07:00

OK, so last night was our first night of Doggie Obedience School at Northville Parks & Rec. I took Tiny (who is now 2 years old) and Susan took Lucky (who is now about 8 months old). There were approximately 12 dogs there. Tiny was just too excited to "listen" in school! By the end of the hour they were both doing fine and "playing" nice with the other dogs. They basically teach you how to make your dogs "heel", "sit", and "come". Then if you have any special problems they will try and help you out! It was a pretty good class and I am looking forward to Tiny being trained and am hoping that we can finally housebreak her too (I mean it's only been TWO YEARS!!). My incentive: Tiny goes outside, I get new carpet!!
Ta ta for now!

Busy week

2005-09-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

OK, so this weekend just flew by! I think Matt had a game on Friday night which they won, Saturday I can barely remember but I know I did laundry, church, out to dinner, then Pat got in about 11:30 to spend the night as she was in town from Boston for her Rosary High School Reunion (35 years!!). Sunday morning we watched the deer in the backyard :), then went out to lunch at Rex's on Michigan Ave & Wayne Rd - there was me, Pat, Janet, Kathy, Rod, Bobby and Chuck. From there I had to get Matt to hockey practice, run over to Laura's to put some little fishy's in her pond, run to the grocery store, come home and get the groceries put away, go on a walk with a neighbor, finish the dishes, then help Susan with her homework - by this time it was about 12:15 and I had to get up for work this morning at 4:30am!! I am exhausted, but didn't want to go to long without blogging cause I might just forget about it! This week is going to be very busy - I have to go in late tomorrow because of a Dr. appt - then I have to see the Chiropractor after work, then go to Doggie Obedience School - - - Wednesday I am doing Community Service at Arts & Scraps, then go back to work, then directly to Matt's FOOTBALL game, then from there on to Lakeland for a hockey game! Thursday I have to go to work late again so Matt can go to the orthodontist - I can't even remember what I'm suppose to be doing on Thursday night - but I've decided to take Friday and Monday vacation as we are going to Holland for a hockey tournament!!!! Monday is a day off for Matt, so I figured we'd just make a long weekend out of it. The only picture I have to share are of the deer in my back yard - I did get better pictures this weekend, but I don't have them developed yet! Until next time . . . . .

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 12TH

2005-09-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

Not too much happening. Went to a birthday party for me grand-nephew (or is that GREAT-nephew??) on Sunday! The weather was wonderful and it was nice to catch up with family. I don't have any of the photo's back yet, but I'll share some when I get them developed - I took about 24 pictures, so I'll have to pick the best! We also picked names for Christmas!
For the benefit of the family, I will list the WHO GOT WHO list below:
You buy for the person next to your name in the brackets ( ):
Kathy K (Pat Howe)
Rod (Simon)
Deb K. (Dick)
Pat K. (Susan S.)
Beth K. (Margaret)
Timmy K. (Collin
LIsa K. (Brenda)
Kandace (Julie)
Jaydon (McKenzie
Ronnie (Tom H.)
Noreen (Hannah)
Mike (Debbie Howe)
Laina (Steve)
Brooklyn (Brigette)
Lilly (Lisa Slepetski)
Greg (Bob D.)
Rachel (Linda)
Dick (Lisa Kurowski)
Michelle (Chuck)
Marlena (Jenna)
Rick (Jimmy H.)
Pat H. (Beth)
Renee (Rod K.)
Emma (Deb Keegan)
Hannah (Kandace)
Chuck (Marlena)
Debbie H. (Mike K.)
Brigette (Ronnie)
Christina (Michelle)
Simon (Jennifer)
Collin (Matt D.)
Jimmy H. (Laina)
Tom (Bobby H.)
Julie (Rachel)
Jenna (Brooklyn)
Katie (Greg)
Margaret (Pat K.)
Bob (Emma)
Lisa S. (Jaydon)
Linda (Noreen)
Susan (Lilly)
Matt (Katie)
Steve (Christina)
Brenda (Rick)
Jennifer (Jimmy)
McKenzie (Kathy)
Bobby H. (Renee)

Pat is expect in this coming weekend for her 35th(?) Rosary HS Reunion at Ernesto's in Plymouth!!! We'll hopefully get together for lunch on Sunday and I'll have some updates!
Ta ta for now.

2005-09-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

OK, so this weekend news. Matt played hockey on Friday night - our team won 3-1. Saturday was just our usual day - hockey & fitness training for Matt - I did use our carpet cleaner and cleaned the family room carpet (3 dogs it really needed it) - went to Church and then out to dinner with our freinds - that we always go to dinner with on the weekend and back to their house for a while to chit chat. Sunday I went to Collin's first birthday party - it was very nice! Got to see the family which seems like it's getting tougher to do! We even picked names for Christmas already. Now it's back to work! As most of you know, my daugther works for the Humane Society, so if anyone is inclined to donate toward the Pets Hurt by Katrina, just follow the link above!! Ta ta for now.

Matt's hockey game

2005-09-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday (Tuesday, Sept. 6th) Matt had football practice until 5:00, then we went directly to Hartland for a hockey scrimmage - both of our goalies were sick, so we actually borrowed one from the team we were scrimmaging against. Both goalies were awesome . . . . first period ended 0-0, then 2nd period I think ended 1-2 or 1-1 I don't really remember, but we ended up losing 3-1, but I thought the kids played pretty good . . . . Here is an picture of Matt on the ice (not from last night, but it's a good one!!).

While I'm at it - I'll add a photo I got this week of my great-nephew (Christina and Simon's baby, Collin) - he is having his FIRST birthday!!!

Lisa's new puppy

2005-09-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

OK, So Lisa got a "rent to own", or actually "foster to adopt" pet. They think it is a Germany Shepard/Spaniel mix - it just looks like it will be a Giant - it's current name is MUNCHKIN, but if she keeps it, she will change her name!!
Here is a photo:

What a Week :)

2005-09-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

OK, so this week was pretty hectic! After being on vacation for the last 2 weeks, I went back to work Monday and was swamped! Monday night Matt had a little scrimmage hockey game - our team is 1992 and we played a 1991 team - they beat us by a lot, although we didn't keep score on the scoreboard!! The kids played well, just not better than the older boys, which is understandable. Tuesday I had gone to jury duty (as mentioned in a previous post), then I worked unitl about 5:00 and then out to Red Lobster for dinner. Wednesday I worked from home and put in a lot of hours - 6:00am-5:00pm!!! and completely forgot about my Chiropractor appt. that was suppose to be at 4:00! I don't think I've ever missed an appointment before. My bad! I had to pick up Matt from football at 5:15 and then I crashed! Thursday it was back to work all day and then trying to get some laundry done - then I crashed - I was just exhausted. This morning I got up, then couldn't find my badge for work (which was in my van that I gave to Lisa to take on her trip....which she has not left for yet!), got to work late, worked hard all day, then made my Chiropractor appt., went to the grocery store, made dinner, started watching my soaps, then went for a walk with a neighbor . . . and here I am now! Blogging - is that what this is for - to keep a diary? or is it meant to actually write something interesting?????? I wish I had something interesting to say, but for now, this is all I have. I am going to make an appointment with an Herbologist because freinds of mine (Tara & Kevin) see this person and they tell me that their health is so much better and they feel so much better since they have been under their care! If you are interested in reading more on this, go to www.herbalenergies.net for more information!

I am very glad to be having a 3-day weekend! I plan to get a little caught up on housework and also maybe just do NOTHING for a while. I hope everyone has a great weekend - we'll "talk" soon.

Adding some photo's - my family

2005-08-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

Lets Begin Blogging!

2005-08-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

OK, so I like to talk about myself and my family, so why not put it all out there!!! Boy, you can really take a chance doing this, but it might be fun. I'm doing this so I can send my blog address to my relatives and friends that I don't get to talk to much so they can keep up with me and my family! So............here goes, my first blog!

It's 2005, yesterday was my 46th birthday (although I typically don't admit to my age, I still say I'm 39). I had jury duty yesterday in Oakland County, it did't go bad. I was in the first group to be called - about 24 of us were called down to the courtroom and they needed 12 for a jury. They called the first 12 and replaced maybe 3 or 4 of them, but I was never called, so back to the "room" where you wait - it was already almost 11:00. Shortly after that when I was starting to think about lunch, they came in and said we were done for the day! So, I picked up some lunch and came home and worked from home until about 5:00.

We went out to dinner for my birthday - it was me, Matt, Linda & Andrew, Susan and Lindsay. I can't believe how long we had to wait on a Tuesday night! But at least I didn't have to cook.

Matt who is my youngest child, only son, is 13 years old now and in 8th grade. He is a hockey player but has decided to add on football this year............so he has practice every day after school from 3:00-5:00 - games will be on Wednesdays at 4:00 - there will only be 6 games total and it will all be over at the end of October! I just worry that he may get hurt and then there goes the hockey season!!!! Let's just hope it goes well. After football season he wants to do after school basketball, can't say the kid has any time to get into trouble! School and sports is all he has time for!

Lisa is my oldes daughter and is 24 years old now. She is working full time in the Forestry department for the city of Oak Park. She just moved out inter her apartment in Royal Oak. It is a very cute little place - she is not quite settled in yet! She tried to get a house but things just didn't work out for one reason or another. She is planning to take a couple days off and drive out west to Colorado to visit some freinds that she used to work with out there. I hate when she travels so far on her own, but she loves it.

Linda is my second oldest and is 22 years old. She has 2 Associates degrees from Schoolcraft college, and had always planned to go to Vet Tech School at Wayne State - she was accepted this year and had all intentions to go.......but the last 3 years she held a summer job with the city of Novi in the water department and there was an opening - she interview for that position as a water meter reader and got the job!!! So, she has give up (for now) Vet Tech school!! She also loves animals, especially horses.....she did horseback riding for years but now she is volunteering her time at Horses Haven so she is still working around animals!

Susan is daughter #3 and is 20 years old. She is taking college classes and works full time for the Michigan Humane Society. She is currently thinking of getting into Interior Decorating and is looking into programs at a technical institute. Susan has added a dog #3 to our family (Lucky) who she adopted from the Humane Society. Very smart dog, but still a puppy so has to be watched quite a bit - I would be able to handle him better if he didn't bark so much. When she moves out, he moves with her.

Now, my animals......as I mentioned above I have 3 dogs. Wilson is a Scottish Terrior and is 6 years old. He is a very very good, well behaved dog, barks minimal. Second I have Tiny who is a "Daisy" dog. The breeder of these Daisy dogs is located in Grand Rapids and has a patent on the dogs that have very low allergies. My dog has some Bichon, some Yorkie, and who knows what else, but she is just under 5 pounds and she is a lap dog. Very cute! Luck is dog #3 who's photo is on this blog. I will add pictures of the other animals later on.

My husband is a very busy man. He is a supervisor at Ford Motor Company as well as the President of the Novi Youth Hockey Association. He also is the team Manager for our hockey team. Right now we are (they are) working on a golf outing fund raiser for our team. We will be going to our first away tournament in Holland in September. The only time we really get a rest is when we go up north to Mackinac Island once a year! What a treat to go and see beautiful scenery and do NOTHING at all - maybe a leisurely ride around the island, but that's about it.

I think this is a good start for my first blog. I'd like to think I'll be in about once a week to add new things . . . but don't anyone hold me to it!!!