Job a little tough lately...

Yesterday, I attended (and planned) a funeral for a young man who took his life, via shotgun. We really worried about his mom...she raised him as a single mom, (only child) and as expected she was devastated. Prayers directed to her would be appreciated. There's also a funeral pending for a 7 month old baby girl, who died in an accident. (Hit by a woman DUI.) The reason we're waiting to go further is that the child's father is in Froedtert on life support, a victim of the same accident. Mom (who was also injured, but is recovering) was thinking that the child and father could be buried together. So, prayers are needed here too, folks. My goodness. REALLY makes you count your blessings! Thanks for your prayerful support.

Busy Friday

Yesterday I had a funeral in the afternoon, followed by some shopping for general house stuff...always amazes me how the dollars ring up. We're enjoying some beautiful weather now; hate to see the month ending. Today I had lots of work related errands to run, and also am getting ready to sub this weekend for a friend's paper route. I'm a little nervous about it, but Eva and Rick are helping out. On Sunday, the plan is to pick up the camper (from Jo's) so that we have it ready for our October camping trip. I'm also thinking about making the invites for Elise's wedding shower which will be on October 14th. at Jo's.

What a BIG guy!

Hey folks, this is really neat! Elle, Eva and I stopped at my office tonight, and we came upon this moth caterpillar, called a cecropia. It is definitely the biggest caterpillar I've seen. We looked it up on the Internet, and the moth which emerges is 6 inches wide. So cool. Couldn't resist sharing the photo.

Happy Anniversary!

Today, we celebrated our actual 25th. anniversary with a mass. Fr. Pat did a special blessing at the end of mass, and John Ahlstrom (fellow church musician) played and sang so we could sit together and just relax. It was very nice. Yesterday's party was a lot of fun. The party menu was broasted chicken, sweet corn on the cob, pasta salad, cole slaw, melons and a chocolate raspberry cake:) Afterward, Paul took a bunch of folks on a tour of the new church. It was nice to see so many could attend, and especially Greta and Justin who we don't get to see too much of. It seems they're always working!

Finished!

The floor is finished! Just a few more pieces of trim, pictures and plants, and we can start relaxing! A special "hello" goes out to friend Mary Jo in Atlanta, and best of luck to her as she may be moving to Memphis with possible employment. Hey, we can visit with her when we see Elise and James. Memphis is close to Nashville. Mary Jo in Elvisville! Too cool.

Briggs and Al's run/walk

Just getting some pledges today from staff (hopefully) for Elle and I. We're walking (with Gretchen) on Saturday, September 15th, in the Briggs and Al's Children's Hospital Run/Walk, in downtown Milwaukee. You all remember in 1998 when Elle was so sick...Children's diagnosed and treated her. So we thought this was a great way to give something back. This is the 30th. year of the event, and they've raised 8.5 million. Pretty neat! If any one's interested in this charity event, you can go here. Thanks!

http://www.alsrun.com

pool cover

The pool cover we ordered arrived today. It is very nice, and covers the pool and them some...which we tucked around the edges. It helps to keep the warmth inside, and the bugs outside. Also, Paul hung some pictures on the walls in the TV room now that the floor is done. Elle had a sax lesson. Aliyah, Momma Minnie and I shucked corn for this weekend's party. We're tired tonight. Elle and Paul looked around tonight for plants for the tv room. They have lots of ideas.

More painting today...

Elle, Eva and I are painting the office today. We began yesterday evening, but didn't get very far. We were tired out. We were up late watching and listening to the thunderstorm. Eventually, the floor in there will be replaced as well, but after the tv room floor replacement, we're taking a little break with big projects. Painting on the other hand, is easy and makes a nice change, so we don't mind it. I also have an appointment with the caterer for the wedding, to finalize hors duevers selection and main courses.

Farewell to a friend...

Some sad news today...our cat "Gimpy" died peacefully this afternoon. She was a very good companion, and we'll miss her. Paul buried her next to her fellow kitty friends Moses and Martha, next to the peonies in the garden. Photo was the last one taken of her, while she relaxed in her favorite spot.

Busy Day at Holy Family

Well, it's back to work today, for a full day. This morning, Aliyah and I are doing hospital visits, and later we'll visit at the Hospice Home. The people always love to see Aliyah, and Hospice gives us freshly baked cookies:) We have a blood drive in November, so I'm in the planning stages of getting volunteers. Also hope to visit an area group home and have lunch with some of the residents. Paul is finishing up with the floor today, his day off from Holy Family, and tonight we're working on putting in a new electric wall heater.

a few more fun pics from the trip

This is cool, folks. Paul and I were at Tootsies "Orchid Lounge" EXACTLY 25 years ago to the day. Paul and his band won the "battle of the bands" in Wisconsin that year, and first prize was a trip to Nashville. (The Manitowoc folks may remember Mark Borns (vocalist) and Derris Parriseau, who was AWESOME at the sax:) I will try to find my picture taken at Tootsie's Lounge, 25 years earlier. How cool. We never expected 25 years ago, that we'd be there again, or that our daughter would live in a Nashville suburb:) Heck, we didn't think about having kids then...we were having too much fun as a couple! By the way, it's a true story...while we were swimming at the Holiday Inn in 1982, my bikini top fell off during a dive! It was most embarrassing. Of course, the guys thought it was truly hilarious. They did NOT help retrieve the top, which I eventually found at 12 feet underwater. Thank heavens I'm a good swimmer!

TN pics

Here are a few pictures from the trip. The first one is Andrew Jackson's grave, and the second is his house, which he retired to after he was president. The next is the headstone of a couple killed by Indians, and finally, a confederate cemetery. This was so cool. If it wasn't 109 degrees we would have stayed longer. The place was just full of history:)

tennessee house

Just a few shots of the front porch, living room and the lot. Right now, Paul is busy finishing the grout, and I'm busy cleaning up after him. I'll upload some more photos from the trip tomorrow. We have some cool ones of a confederate cemetery, and a husband and wife's grave from 1785. They died in an indian attack!

Home again!

We arrived home late last night, after 5 days in Nashville. It was a great trip. We really got a lot done for Elise and James, who just built a home in Antioch. Paul installed a garage door opener, cat door, hung mirrors and photos and misc. Elle and I worked to unpack and find places for everything. Their place is very nice. There are thick woods in the back, and a very cool hiking path to Percy Priest Lake, just 5 minutes (on foot) to the south. The woods are protected, so no one can build, giving the house/lot real privacy...no neighbors to the south or east. I'll upload a few other photos later today. This one is of Percy Priest Lake. We found time to have fun also. We toured the Hermitage plantation, which belonged to Andrew Jackson, the 7th. president, and hung out downtown. James' office building is next to the convention center, just 1 block west of the Ryman (old Opry) Theater. The only negative to the trip was the temperature...highs of 109 for 3 consecutive days! This morning we woke up to 53 degrees here in Fondy. Quite a difference:)
A SPECIAL THANKS to Eva, for taking care of the house and all the animals for us while we were gone! And what a nice surprise to come home to fresh flowers and a clean house! Thanks again, Eva.

70's revisited

This is neat. Picture is from today. Eva's friends were here and jamming with the guitar. I was happy to show them how to play "Maggie May" on guitar, thanks to uncle Jeff, I remembered the guitar chords. I was only 10 when I learned them, but I've always remembered them. Cool. We had so much fun. It was 70's revisited.

cool shots during concert

Thought these were nice...taken at intermission.

Symposium

Today Paul and I attended a symposium at Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee, on "co-workers of the vineyard." We attended with other Holy Family staff. It was mainly about the U.S. bishop's document regarding lay ministers and their importance in church ministry. Actually, it was very interesting, and the panel speakers were great. 2 of our own staff were invited to speak. There were about 400 people there. Lunch was good also...sesame chicken, steamed veggies and salad. We chartered a bus down, which was nice. It gave everyone a chance to socialize. Fr. Pat brought girl scout cookies for the ride down, and Fr. Vic wore his name tag on the back of his bald little head!

Thanks Dottie and Jim!

Thanks to the Keenans for the lovely pictures from last night's concert in the park. It was well attended, and everyone did a great job:) Thanks also to James for videotaping it to share with family.

Wonderful Wednesday!

The concert was great, and cousin Krissy came from Sheboygan to spend the evening with us. I'll upload some photos tomorrow. Just don't seem to have the energy tonight...after the concert, we had a nice italian dinner. Now I'm ready to sleep. It was such a busy day, starting with an annointing mass at Sacred Heart, and ending with the concert and dinner. It was a wonderful day. Success on all fronts! And yes, Grandma Marilyn, we taped the concert for you. Paul will have a dvd ready soon!

Tired on Tuesday.

We were all very tired today. Paul was tired due to working hard to finish the floor. I was tired because I had a long day at Holy Family. Our Health and Wellness committee completed their newsletter, which is always very good, but I had to run 3,500 2-sided copies, which was labor intensive. On top of that, the girls are doing the concert tomorrow night, and Eva had some things she needed to purchase, and wanted my input. The weather does not help much...VERY humid and hot, with severe storms this morning. Along with the air conditioning not working, the van's windows don't go up. So we had to put plastic on the windows last night. Oh brother. Can't wait for a new vehicle, which Paul promises for 2 weeks from now. We have to wait until all the rush is over; ie. concert, and then travelling to Nashville to help Elise move. Enough of my ranting. On a lighter note, Elle no longer has to wear her "headgear", so we celebrated with doughnuts this morning:)

Liyah and Me...

We had a nice Sunday...we shopped in Sheboygan for sandals and sundresses for Wednesday's concert in the park. We came home and went swimming, which felt great because the air conditioning doesn't work in the van. Monday we went to Edith's Bridal Shoppe for Elise's first fitting. The dress fit pretty well all over, but has to be shortened, and the bustling has to be prepared. It was fun to see the dress on, and the staff also brought out the veil and the tiara. I was able to take lots of pics for Uncle Tim, the talented family artist, who will do a portrait of Elise in oil for the wedding reception. Afterward, we helped Elise and James pack the U-haul for the trip to Tennessee...well actually, the movers will be moving the stuff to Antioch (suburb of Nashville) for them, we were just packing Elise's stuff. It was fun. Among her belongings we saw pics from her trip to Australia, her college graduation, and other memorable moments. What fun!

Cute picture and a GREAT day.

This has been a really great day. Elise, Elle, Aliyah, Kate (friend of the family) and I went to Stan's to tend to his dog Blackie and other animals, while he's away. Blackie was so happy to see us. We had a great 'tromp' through the woods while she ran through the creek. She was very wet when we returned to the house. The girls all had a chance to drive the golf cart, around the 60-some acre corn field. It was so much fun. We were met with wildlife of all kinds, and the smell of the corn and the fields, seemed to call us to stay longer. The birds followed the cart, as we scared up the bugs from the fields. They eagerly gobbled them up. It was fun to watch them as we drove along. It was a lovely day. I couldn't help but think that Val was there too, and saw everything with us. She was such a neat lady. I miss her.

So pretty...

Couldn't resist adding this lovely photo of Jenny. I saw her last week, while she was helping out at her in-laws restaurant, Cool Beans and Bagels. Jo might remember this place...it's the spot downtown with the train clocks that True just loved:) Aliyah and I just got out of the pool so we could pick up Elle from her sax lesson. We might go back in...water temp is 90...I might add some more water tonight, as the 4 consecutive hot days have caused a lot of evaporation. Paul left tonight to pick up Elise in Kenosha. She's home now for a few days after interviewing in Nashville. We'll hear all the scoop tonight.

Almost done.

The floor is just about done. Paul worked the entire day (his day off) to complete it. Just the grouting now, and we're going to use a grout colorant on that to make it all a consistent color. I did that on the entry way grout, and it looks like new. I had a busy full day at Holy Family, and afterward, everyone took a long swim; the water was perfect. I hate to see the summer fly by so fast.