Winter Storm

Well the weather teams on all of the news stations have been predicting a huge blizzard to hit this weekend.  They got their wish as we got a bit of a storm.  It began last night but was over around 1 pm today.  It looks like we got about 8 inches of the white stuff.  It actually looks very pretty and was nice to stay home and warm today.

Pictures of Rumford

Last September I was in Rumford Maine for my Aunt Isabelle's funeral.  Before heading to the funeral home, we stopped at the bridge in town and I took a few pictures.  It was a beautiful day and I kept thinking of how many times we crossed over that bridge and the bridge further up the Androscoggin River to go to Uncle Bob's house.   And who could forget the Paul Bunyan that was in front of Puiia's Lumber store for years.  Almost a Rumford icon!

 

Sydney and Crosby

We have had many cats over the years (9 to be exact - Puss, Motorboat, Negs, Fluffy, Samantha, Lucky, Chocolate, Sydney and Crosby), but these 2 crack me up so much.  It is probably  because they are sisters and double trouble.

You never know where they are going to turn up and most times it is hard to tell which cat it is in the bag, in the box, or hiding in the plants.  They don't like to be picked up and held, but if they need attention they make sure you know they are around and needing a scratch or pet.

They have definitely decided that they should rule the roost and have no problem chasing Chocolate around if in the mood.  Of course, Chocolate pretty much lets anyone chase him around for some reason.  Lucky gives the girls a wide birth but every once in awhile you will catch him licking their ears or washing their face.

I think that the names Sydney and Crosby fit them very well.  They were Lucy and Ethel when they were found and brought to the vets office.  Greg was in charge of picking the new names and he did a great job.

I have to pick two pictures for the Christmas ornaments for the tree (of all of our pets - past and present).  I am having a difficult time because when I look at the pictures, I can't tell them apart.  I have a hard enough time when looking at them in person.  Crosby has a darker stripe along her back and Sydney is somewhat lighter in fur coloring.  No matter what, they both have a similar personality - "stinker".

Who would have thought that I would go from totally disliking cats when I was in my teens, to having a houseful of them as an adult.

 

Happy 2010!

It has been quite some time since this blog has seen any new content.  I guess there is no real excuse other than the fact that I was busy with 2 classes, a full time job that increased so much with the departure of a few people, designing and launching 3 websites, and having 2 additional people living in my house (neither of whom appreciated the fact that they added to so much stress in my life - more on that later).  Anyways, I survived and the start of 2010 is much better. 

I am not taking any classes this semester even though there are a few that I would have liked to have signed up for.  I am going to find some web design seminars/classes (day long rather than semester long) that work will send me to in order to enhance my skills.  I'll see how that goes as work is so demanding I didn't even use all of my vacation days from last year.  That's okay though because I am doing what I like to do - web development.

The 3 websites are all up and running www.graemepark.org, www.sweet-v.net, and www.pennridgewomensnetwork.com.  I'm pretty happy with all 3 and keep encouraging a couple of them to give me information to keep the site current.  I am playing around with Joomla and will be doing my own business site one of these days.  It keeps getting put to the back burner even though I know it would be good to have it up and running.

My MIL is still living with us and that in itself is quite challenging.  She drives me crazy most days but I overlook quite a bit because she is 91 and I'm sure she doesn't like being in this situation herself as she has always been quite independent.  It has helped that she isn't drinking because that always makes the situation so much worse.  If only I can get her to stop apologizing and crying about everything and telling me how she had nothing in the midwest in terms of food products.  It wears on my nerves. 

Our other boarder, Greg's classmate, moved out January 2.  That was a wonderful start to the new year.  It wasn't that he was a bad kid, it was just that he was very self-centered and made himself way too comfortable in our house and never said thank you.  I am so glad that we don't have to label food in the refrigerator anymore so that he won't eat it, or keep food in a separate refrigerator that he didn't have access to.  It's nice not having yet another person in our space. 

Having Casey home for the holidays was great and we enjoyed a very nice Christmas.  The kids only took about 90 minutes to find their presents this year.  Larry will have to make it harder for next year if we have both of them home.


I ended up 2009 being 30 pounds lighter than before and able to push myself through boot camp for 3 sessions.  It was hard to get up at 5:00 am but I felt strong all day when I did.

In 2010 I hope to lose another 30 pounds and possibly run a small race (Broad Street Run or a 10K).  I will also watch Casey graduate from college and Greg graduate from high school and head off to college.  Who knows what the year will hold for all of us but I know that I have a pretty positive attitude and hope to connect with old friends, meet new friends, and hit 50 in September feeling the best I ever have.

Taking Time Out to See Beauty

Happy 21st Birthday Casey!

Fall Has Arrived

Fall is my favorite time of year. The days are a bit shorter, the air a bit crisper, and I start thinking about winter projects to tackle. Unfortunately I have quite a bit on my plate right now so the winter projects list may not be very long.

I made a quick trip up to Maine for my aunt's funeral and being in Maine around family again was very nice. My brothers and I really have to try to get up there again next summer. I also need to focus on genealogy as time is passing by and I am not updating like I should. The good news is that Sue M. and Steve G. are both avid genealogists and we plan to share some data. I just have to organize what I have and then fill in the blanks.

My plan is to start taking more pictures so as to keep Casey in the loop of what's going on at home. She is back at school for her senior year and I'm missing her company quite a bit. Not that I'm lacking for company, but missing our walks and talks.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Wow, it's been 7 years now since we last celebrated your anniversary and my birthday on this date. It still isn't easy knowing that I won't hear you wish me Happy Birthday as I wish you Happy Anniversary. Maybe someday again we will be able to do that. Until then, Happy Anniversary.

Boot Camp Session Ending on Friday

Mixed feelings about this session of boot camp ending because I have really adjusted to the exercise routine. I have lost 20 pounds since July 8 and it feels great. It is very real to me when I'm lifting a 22 pound cinder block or dragging a 17-18 pound tire by a rope around my waist. Casey and I plan to continue working out for the 2 weeks before the next session begins. Casey will do the first week of the next session before going back to school but I will do the entire 4 weeks. It feels so good to be both physically and mentally stronger.

New Season Coming Up and A New Attitude

With all of the upcoming changes in my life (approaching 50), MIL moving in with us, another 17 year old in the house for the school year, and Casey back to school, it is time for me to start making some changes in my life. About 4 weeks ago I started doing Weight Watchers once again. With a new attitude I have lost 14 pounds already. It has been very helpful to have Casey doing this with me (although I have much much more to lose than her) and she has been very supportive.

We have been talking about some exercise program and Casey wanted to get back in great physical shape before going back into her regular routine of martial arts. She brought up doing Adventure Boot Camp and worked on talking me into it. It took some time, but I finally agreed to do this for 3 days a week (rather than 5). We started last week and have already completed 4 mornings of boot camp. We get up at 5 am and are ready to exercise at 5:30 am for an hour. It has been a great experience so far and I am already feeling stronger both physically and mentally. I am definitely pushing myself each day to complete the running, dragging a tire, lifting cinder blocks, and much more. I can't say that it has been FUN, but I can say that I am feeling such an exercise high from this that carries me through the day. Who knows where this will lead, but I do know that it is making me feel better about myself. More to come on this!

A few vacation pics!

Well once again it has been way too long since I've updated. I don't know if anyone really reads this, but if you do and have been waiting for an update, I apologize. June saw us going to South Carolina with my brothers John and Jim and their families. We had a ball as usual. Vacation pictures will be uploaded as soon as my computer decides to read my camera card.

First picture is Greg with his cousin Andrew. Andrew loved Greg and Greg had so much fun with him. The second picture was taken on the boat ride around the coastal area. It was a great trip where we saw a sunken Civil War ship, dolphins and much more. The third picture is my brother John and sister-in-law Laurie. It is always so much fun with them around.

The fourth picture is of my brother Jim and his son Andrew. Every time I look at Jim he reminds me so much of my dad. The final picture is of Ivan, Casey, and Casey2 as they finish a night of Thai cooking with a hot pepper eating contest. That contest was won by my brother John!!!

Almost an entire month gone by

It has been too long. Greg finished 11th grade, Casey finished her junior year, Greg turned 17, Casey has a summer job, flu hit the house and rain and more rain.

We are off on vacation soon and hopefully more posting will be done in July.

Memorial Day Fun

Well the unofficial start of summer began last weekend. Casey's friend Kevin came to stay for the weekend and we feasted on Thai food and other wonderful treats. Greg surprised us all by entering into the Mixer tournament at our tennis club. He had a great run and surprised us by getting into the finals on Memorial Day. Unfortunately he and his partner lost but it was a very good final and we were very proud of him.

This has set him on a path and he is playing in a clay court tournament this weekend. I know what he will spend his summer doing!

Casey is working full time at the orchard and we were lucky to have fresh picked strawberries last night. What a treat compared to the ones purchased at the grocery store. We look forward to many more and Casey and I already plan to make freezer jam and much more.

Garden updates to come later this week I hope.

Tennis Season Ends Today

Today, after 9 straight days of rain, Greg will end his junior year of tennis. They have a home match against Solebury School and then are done. He had a great year. It started off with being named a captain of the team. He had hoped to play singles but didn't get the opportunity this year (maybe next year). He ended up playing 3rd doubles (not where he wanted to play or SHOULD HAVE played), but it was fine as he and his partner went undefeated for the entire year. They even beat the state champions team both times they played them. Even though the team as a whole lost, Greg and Ryan were victorious. So all in all it was a great year for his 3rd year on varsity.

Laundry Basket Kitty

Spur of the Moments can be lots of fun

Wednesday afternoon and I am minding my own business trying to get my work done so I can leave early to catch Greg's tennis match and Larry calls. Tracy had tickets for the evening's Phillies game courtesy of RJ Swindle. Unfortunately Larry had to teach so he asked if I would be willing to take Greg to the baseball game. Of course that was a no brainer. So I hurried through my install so that I could get out by 3. By the time I left at 3:30 I learned that Greg's tennis match was rained out (even though there was no rain) and we wouldn't have to rush to the baseball game.

A little back story is that Tracy teaches at Delval as an adjunct professor. He is also a sports agent. Through Larry, Greg met Tracy and for a graduation project did a statistical analysis of RJ Swindle's career stats. Tracy then used this information to shop RJ around during winter baseball meetings.


Greg and I met up with Tracy and enjoyed an exciting but cold baseball game. Greg was in his joy talking baseball stats with Tracy. After the game, we went to the player's family meeting room and met RJ's parents. They were very nice people. It was only about 20 minutes later that RJ came down and Greg got to meet him. He was recently called up by the Milwaukee Brewers and then this opportunity came up for Greg to meet him. It was an incredible night and one I know that Greg will remember for a long time.


The first picture is of the Harry Kalas memorial that was erected outside the stadium after his death last week. It was touching to see all of the memorabilia and the transistor radios. The second picture is a view from our seats. Next is the picture of Greg and Tracy and finally is a picture of RJ and Greg. I'm so blessed to have been a part of this fun night for Greg. Another high point of the evening was when Tracy asked Greg to do statistical research on another hot prospect that he may be shopping around for a team for him.

Spring Photos

We had some beautiful weather recently and used the time to work in the yard. As you can see, the yard is in full bloom. The forsythias look stunning as do the trees.


I was going to include the photos of the 3 tomato plants that were planted in the fence garden. However, I don't want to bring up the fact that we strayed from Casey's garden plan again. We were experimenting to see if the deer would eat them but so far they haven't. May have to just leave them there.


As for my little seedlings, they might not be doing very well after Crosby (or is it Sydney) decided to sit on them. No matter how many times we took her off, she got right back on. Guess that she liked the sunshine and warmth.

Another Inspirational YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Everyone is talking about this one!!!

Quick Update

Okay Casey, this picture of Lucky is for you. He got some quality time in the courtyard over the weekend when it was in the 60s. Of course the time he spent outside was cut short when he started his trot to the porch where he can get over the fence. However he did get to spend about 30 minutes out there. If only he would learn that going over the fence is not a good idea!


Greg and his tennis partner are undefeated this year. They won both times against State Champs Lower Moreland. That was quite an accomplishment. Today is the Holy Ghost match and should be a tough one.


You can tell from these pictures that Greg is pretty tall. After all of those years of being shorter than everyone else, it is nice to see him tower over other people.

Quick Update

Casey, this picture is for you. I'm quite the computer nerd aren't I. See what I mean by my "command center". I took this picture when I was talking with you today. Do you like the desktop picture? NO SNAKES!!