Happy New Year!

Vonn stopped by to visit!

Vonn stopped today, and he, Paul and the girls went out for lunch. I didn't join them, as I was home cooking the fatted calf for tomorrow's party:) He was all excited about a new gun he received for Christmas. It's some kind of military issue pistol (?) I absolutely know NOTHING about guns, but he says he'll bring it hunting. He didn't bring his dog Vala, because she's in Mayville with his folks. His Mom just lost her dog 'Ellie' of 14 years, so was feeling badly. Anyway, we had a great visit! Always love to see him.

looking back

Christmas is a great time to look back. This is a nice photo of Jeff at 5, Jeannine at 6, me at 6 months and Jill (our Kokomo) at 4 years. (My gosh, does Krissy look just like her Mom, both as a baby and now.) My Dad commented that my mouth was always open, and I was born talking:) Funny how true...love you Dad and Grandpa Gilbert...gone from us now for 11 years come February. A special "hi" to friend Mary Jo, who called from Atlanta to visit via phone. She spent her Christmas in Memphis with a friend. Also, congrats to James' sister Keri and husband Tim who found out they're expecting in August. How neat! We love little people. James and Elise can spoil them, as is their right as Uncle and Auntie.

Rick popped in...

Rick just popped in. He and Eva are going to the 'cafe' for tea and muffins.

home again

No new pictures to add today because we forgot the camera:( The trip home took just 11 hours to cover 620 miles. The roads were dry, and even near Chicago and Milwaukee travel was easy. The rental van was very comfortable...full-sized with leather seats and power everything. That made a great deal of difference in a trip as long as it was. Kristen and I hope to fly down in March, as we (Elise, Krissy and I) all celebrate birthdays. Let's see. Elise is 24, Krissy 23 and I'm 40 something. I have several years yet to catch up to Paul. I plan to give Elise and James tickets to the BB King concert at the Ryman Theatre the last week of March for a gift. They have so many nice gifts, maybe this will be something different that they can enjoy. The Ticketmaster 'gift card' will be able to be used however they wish, so if they want to attend another concert they can.

nice weather for trip

We've been so blessed with beautiful weather for the trip to Nashville. We stopped on Christmas day (late evening) in Lafayette. We even managed to see the Purdue Christmas concert. We were very impressed. I always thought of Purdue as having mostly engineering students. Though they might be, they are excellent musicians as well. We really enjoyed it...couldn't help think of Elise bopping around the stage in the Marian Sabre shows...the concert was very much like that, with a lot of audience appeal. Today has been fun with the family acting as tourists. We had a nice lunch downtown, in an open-air bar and grill, and spent the afternoon in the Parthenon, a replica of the real thing in Athens, complete with an art exhibit. The art was very different, very "Eva-esque" if you will. 3-D shadow boxes with a mixture of materials. Very nice. James was busy today making a flour-less chocolate torte, but joined us for the afternoon. Paul was commenting on how much nicer downtown Nashville is now compared to 25 years ago...cleaner, safer, etc. A big "hello" goes out to niece Kylie who is enjoying the holidays at home with Kathy, Bob and Erik. What a nice break for her. We hear Houghton has TONS of snow. It's nice because Kylie (and Ellie) really enjoy that, and manage to relax with several winter sports. Love you guys. Hope to see you again soon.

all set for Christmas

Paul and Eva will be doing the late evening service tonight, while Elle's choir will sing tomorrow at 10:15. I'll pick up Minnie and Aliyah and we'll attend tomorrow. Eva's playing a Telemann violin concerto for a prelude piece, and also doing a duet with one of the choir members. Paul also has a 4:15 service today for families with young children, so we'll have a nice dinner after that and before the 10:00 PM concert prior to mass. Dinner is an osso buco (veal and veggie stew) with a cold shrimp dish to start. We've been so fortunate this year to have snow so early. Eva, Elle and I will be getting in a little skating before the festivities begin. Merry Christmas to all!

Aliyah's parrot

Aliyah received an early Christmas gift from her Aunt Chris. His name is Henry. How unique! Merry Christmas to all! May you get a few surprises:)

Is it Henry?

Did you know that macaws are all patterned differently not unlike zebras? This is not Henry. Our macaw does have 3 rows of feathers under the eye, but the upper most is very light, and although Henry has 6 rows above the eye, his first, second and third are separated, with one less tiny feather at the base. Interestingly, each individual bird recognizes another by these markings. Neat. What a wonderful Creator we have.

Shout out to Jane!

A very welcome back "hello" to Jane, a wonderful girl I worked with 10-15 years ago. We counseled AODA at a local group home with dually diagnosed. We had a great friendship then, but Jane left to live and work in Sheboygan. Somehow we lost touch, but recently found each other again! She's just as great as ever:) She had a baby boy when I had Ellie, so we shared a lot of baby stories. Love you, Jane!

Minnie and Aliyah grateful...

Aliyah and Minnie received some beautiful gifts today. Thanks to Jack from church for playing Santa. A young, single businessman from the twin cities (mom a member of our church here) bought them all and even wrapped them. 1 large box contained a complete set of dishes! Minnie was overwhelmed. On top of that, he also sent a gift card. How generous! Afterward, I took Liyah ice skating, and Elle and friend Lisa went to see a movie. I called Linda (Paul's musician friend who did some singing at the reception) to inquire about how to start the process of getting an exchange student. Linda and her husband Tom are sponsoring a boy named Julien, from Belgium, and they are really enjoying him. We're thinking next year when Elle's in high school. We must finish up some Christmas cards yet, and afterward, Elle and I are doing a little baking. Some for here, and some to take along to Nashville.

Special Day

We had a great evening. We 'hosted' several tables of 8, and were told we were responsible for 120 or so. There were many boy scouts there, and they provided several gifts of popcorn and nuts. The scout leader was a great gal and happened to be at a table we were responsible for. She came from a large family, and was raised with camping and fishing. Funny. We talked fly fishing and ice fishing the whole evening. Ellie laughed out loud at some of her jokes. When the guests sat down to eat, we discovered that the actual combined total of guests were 800. It was really neat. Everyone had different centerpieces and gifts. The Children's Choir was there, and Mrs. McClain mentioned that she really missed James. Apparently the group is dwindling in number. They sounded good. The sound system was poor, but it was obvious the kids did a great job. Several middle school teachers also mentioned that they missed James. The caterer was Linstroms, our wedding caterer, and they mentioned to us how happy they were to cater the first wedding at Holy Family. We got a Christmas card from them and also from the Children's Chorale. How nice. I managed to hold several babies while their folks ate, and was "spit-up" on by several babies. One little guy was just 5 months old, and the single mom said she hadn't been out since he was born. He was a great little guy, and we managed a photo of him with Santa. Here is the article from the paper. They failed to mention that turkey was the entree. It smelled insanely good.

The Salvation Army, Fond du Lac Corps, today announced that Tom Herre, City Manager of Fond du Lac, has accepted the honorary position as chair of its first annual Salvation Army Community Christmas Dinner. The dinner event will be held on Friday, December 21 at 6P.M. at the Recreation Building on the Fond du Lac Fairgrounds. The first-time event is open to Salvation Army clients who can register to attend when they sign up for Christmas assistance the week of November 3 - 9.

"This is a celebration of humanity," said Herre, "and I am delighted to be part of the start of what will be a new and great Fond du Lac tradition. It will be a first class dinner, and a first class event," continues Herre. "The Community Christmas Dinner brings together the community in a new way, helping all to feel valued and an important part of the Fond du Lac Community."

"The event will feature a traditional Christmas dinner. We have been overwhelmed with the generosity the people and businesses of Fond du Lac" said Jamie Winkler, Captain of the Fond du Lac Salvation Army. "Girl Scout Troops are baking and donating pies. Linstrom's Catering is providing mashed potatoes, cranberry, rolls and butter. We will be receiving cooking assistance from the culinary arts school at MPTC."

Dinner will be served by individuals, families, service groups, churches, and youth group volunteers who will be "table hosts." Each table will be covered with a linen table cloth and feature eight napkins, compliments of Model Cleaners. "Table Hosts" will provide place settings of eight including a china plate, cup and saucer and flat wear. Table Hosts will also provide a holiday centerpiece for the table and table favors for each place setting. Additionally, hosts will act as the waiter and waitress for the table.

Captain Winkler continued, "We anticipate that fifty percent of the guests attending this dinner will be children, so we have made special arrangements for Santa to drop in and the Fond du Lac Children's Choir to perform. Additional entertainment will be provided by the Cornerstone Worship Center Ensemble, a children's Christmas Reading from the Fond du Lac Community Theatre, and the Fond du Lac High School Cardinal Singers will perform. It's going to be a wonderful evening creating memories to last a lifetime!"

For more information about the First Annual Community Christmas Dinner, call 923-8220, or to register to host a table, go to ringbells.org. It is the mission of The Salvation Army to meet human needs in God's name without discrimination. To find out how you can help accomplish that mission through donations of time, service and money, individuals are encouraged to call The Salvation Army at 923-8220.

script reading with kitty

Elle just got the script for the show. They begin rehearsals on January 3rd. Just making some last minute preps for the meal tonight. I bought 8 M&M favors with cute bows and wrapping paper for the favors. Eva and Paul have to duck out early to head to the UW concert.

Break a leg!

We just found out that Elle's role is Dorothy! Woodworth Middle School is doing the Wizard of Oz in April. Go Ellie! We actually knew before she did, as her music teacher called Paul. She wants him to sequence the orchestra parts, so she's getting him the full score. So exciting. Dates are April 11, 12 and 13, for all the local folks.

quiet day

Today proves to be very quiet. Very little is scheduled, aside from Elle's sax lesson tonight. The weather is mild, and I plan to walk the dog this morning. Otherwise, I'm patiently waiting for our Christmas card photos to arrive. They were promised today at the latest, so I can mail them out soon. As I mentioned before, we wanted to include a wedding photo, so that's the reason for the delay. I have several friends who send after Christmas which is nice, too. Paul is busy today checking out rental SUV's for the trip to Nashville with the gifts. Even though we have a grand caravan, it's simply not big enough for all the gifts, which include everything from the shower as well. We'll be packing up on Christmas day, and leaving early on the 26th. Paul has several bookings for the New Year holiday, so we won't stay that long...3-4 days, and we can play it be ear, with an eye close to the weather forecast. Krissy and the girls may remember getting stuck in a blizzard in January 1999 in Mattoon, IL., after vacationing in Florida. We ended up in a Red Cross shelter at a church. When we talked about having to stay, the older girls said they didn't want to. Being around strangers frightened them, and as Krissy and Elise said, they didn't want to have to sleep next to a "Bubba." At that point a 5-year-old Elle spoke up and said, "I'll sleep next to Bubba!" It turned out to be a great experience. We met lots of great people, and they took care of our every need. Eva wrote them a thank you on a chalkboard in one of the children's rooms. Turns out the head of the Red Cross chapter found it, was touched by the sentiment, and it appeared on the first page of the paper the next day! Nice memory.

Ellie's "green" thumb...

Ellie came home with a green thumb today, after painting a miniature stadium which she built in Tech Ed. Her team of 8th. graders are vying for a prize for the best sculpture. In other news, congrats to Eva for getting a 4.0 this semester. She had a tough curriculum, (composition, pedagogy, student teaching) so this is an accomplishment. Want to mention here that my niece Kylie, who couldn't join us because of finals in Houghton MI, is having a great first semester as a freshman. We'd love to hear from her when she's back home in Traverse City for Christmas. She and her brother are great kids, and Kathy and Bob can be very proud of them. Kudos also to Elle for landing a role in the spring play. Elle, Eva and I will be attending the Nutcracker Ballet in Chicago soon, performed by the Robert Joffrey Ballet. Can't wait. Elle is in her 2nd. year in pointe, and is anxious to go. Elise also studied pointe for many years. I wish she could join us. Friend Jack called from church, and has a family who will 'adopt' Aliyah and Minnie for Christmas. He would like to meet them. We may set up a time on Friday for the meeting, or I'll give them the gifts myself. It depends on his schedule. Many thanks to John from church, who helped with the clean up of the hall, and made an effort to locate a lost item. The church community has been wonderful to us. Thanks also to all the prayers and thoughts for Elise and James. We appreciate all the positive e-mail messages and cards. We found out yesterday that 120 people will be attending the homeless/homebound meal tomorrow. This is a little higher than expected, so I'm going to work tonight to be prepared. To everyone...have a great night.

Krissy and Eva

Eva's up burning the midnight oil with finals, so I couldn't sleep. I thought the photo was nice of Krissy and Eva, taken at the rehearsal dinner. Still anxiously waiting for the photographer to send all of his photos. Eva, Rick, Elle and I signed up this year to host the Salvation Army Christmas meal for the homeless on Friday evening. We are using many of the wedding centerpieces and flowers. The meal will be already made by volunteers, so our job is to set the tables, serve and provide small gifts. We'll find out the actual numbers of those who signed up on Thursday, so we'll have a day to plan. Afterward, there is entertainment and a Santa for the children. It should be nice. It doesn't seem like any work at all after the wedding preparations:)

a few more nice photos

These are just a few more from our camera. Jo has some nice ones too, but I haven't gotten them yet.

Very Busy Day

Today has been hectic. I just brought the tuxedos back, and returned the silver cake base to the decorator in Kimberly. Paul and I are now headed back out to the hall to remove the 30 circular tables and 240 rental chairs, and return them to the rental shop. After that, a good cleaning of the hall is in order, so I guess that will be up to me. Thanks to everyone who is forwarding digital photos to us. They are just great, and I really appreciate it. This evening, Eva and Elle both have concerts, and Aliyah has dance class. Paul has 6 students, and then rushes out to St. Mary's Springs to accompany the choirs for their holiday program. Everyone is headed in different directions. We still have a few pecan tarts left over from Sunday's breakfast. I might have to splurge a little...I deserve a sweet indulgence:)

Nice photo of Elle

Elle and I are viewing lovely photos sent to us by James' Mom. We are both bleary-eyed, but thought this photo was so nice we had to pass it on.

Too cute.

Thanks to James' Mom Debby for the photo. Just wonderful. Couldn't resist adding it. Tomorrow, I'll have more. What a wonderful weekend.

Girls relaxing...

Photo is of the girls relaxing with cousin Kristen who stayed overnight on Friday. Keri (James' sister) stayed at the Holiday Inn with her folks, so didn't join us. More photos to come. I'm just too pooped to stay up late to update or fool with them. I feel like I could sleep for 48 hours. I imagine others involved in the wedding are feeling the same way:) Good night and God bless.

THE BIG DAY!

The wedding was lovely, and today we're just cleaning up the hall, opening gifts and relaxing a little. James bought everyone pizza for lunch:) We're also busy getting photos and videos downloaded and comparing images with the family. Just took a quick break right now to check e-mails.

forgot to mention

By the way, Elise is getting married tomorrow:)

good news

Eva had some good news today, as she learned after casting that she has the lead role in the UW spring play. "The Roommate" will be performed in March. It is fairly new, but very good. I am finishing the script reading tonight. Elle also had good news as she has made it into National Junior Honor Society with 12 consecutive semesters of 4.0 or better (with accelerated classes.) This is really great considering she's suffering a flare-up with her JRA. She's been in remission for 7 years, so this a little discouraging. She's back on her anti-inflammatory, (6 doses so far,) and we hope to have her feeling well for the wedding. The telltale sign of feeling better...she dances! If she dances tomorrow, she's doing well:)

getting ready...

We set up the hall on Thursday rather than the original plan of Friday. This was a great idea. It was a lot of work. First the hall was cleaned and the banquet tables stored. Next, Paul and James worked in the freezing wind to bring in 30 rented round tables and 240 chairs from the U-Haul. Quite a job, but the hall looks lovely. Afterward we had a wonderful dinner at Sebastians, James' favorite steak house. Elise and I had scallops, and there were SO many, we took a boxful home:) Fell into bed exhausted at 11. Gifts are arriving at the house for James and Elise. They stayed up awhile and opened a few.

Take a lesson from cats...

Boy, do cats have it right. No matter how much is going on around them, they always manage to find the "sun" spot and relax in it. Picture is of Lena in Eva's room. She was interested in the changing of linens for James, who is arriving tonight, and stayed comfortably for over an hour. Otherwise we're getting anxious of course for the wedding, but everything should run smoothly. The caterer, florist and cake designer have all just been great. They've welcomed last minute questions, and have been patient with us. This is funny...Paul, Elise, Eva, Elle and I (during college years) have done many weddings. The musicians don't worry us. The florist and caterer do. How foolish. They are all professionals, too. I used to laugh at the brides that called Paul and the girls the night before asking if they had a cold. Funny. Everything is relative.

Another packer win...that's great!

Met with the caterers for last minute instruction and a few changes. They were very helpful. They do a lot of catering for the American Club in Kohler, so we're in good hands. Still it's hard to decide where things go because no one has used the facilities yet. It's been a learning experience. Elle, Eva and I went to Oshkosh for a few last minute items...nylons, make-up, that sort of thing, and we also bought some beveled mirrors to put under the centerpieces. I also found a pretty sweater to wear with my dress for rehearsal. Paul is sick now. I hope it passes before the wedding, and spares the rest of us. He and Elle have another mass tonight at 7 with the "Faith on Fire" group, which is a lot of singing and mostly geared toward the young people. We've picked up a little more snow this weekend, and everything still looks nice and fresh. Cleaned the bedrooms today, and bought an air mattress for the extra people coming over.

uneventful day

All the Christmas decorations went up yesterday, so today was uneventful. Eva is much better, and auditioned for the UW play which will begin rehearsals in January. Elle had a sax lesson, and Liyah and I shopped for groceries. Not very exciting. There are about 20 people who did not respond to the invitations, and we know that several ARE coming, so we'll have to track them down for food choices, as we're meeting with the caterers tomorrow. A new person was hired to take over for me at Holy Family. Reports are all positive, and I'm sure she'll do well. I am continuing my "break" from work. I'm sure I'll make up for things when the holidays settle down. I remember one week 15 years ago, when I worked 110 hours in one week! Lordy, I couldn't (and wouldn't) do that now!

Christmas kitty

Eva's cat Lena loves hanging out beneath the Christmas tree. Eva reminded me that last year Lena destroyed several favorite ornaments. She was just a kitten then, and now she's much more mellow. Thought the photo was cute. Eva is sick with the flu today...high temp, body aches, nausea, diarrhea, etc. She absolutely can do NOTHING today. She had all of her favorite classes, which she has never missed, but couldn't even get up for them. She even watched me decorate the tree, which she has always enjoyed helping with, but she couldn't move from the couch. I hope if the rest of us get sick, it's soon. I couldn't imagine being that sick during the wedding.

Aliyah fell on the ice...

Aliyah fell today at school, and got a big 'bump' on her forehead. The school nurse put ice on the area, and it looks pretty good, although Liyah confessed to crying a little. On a brighter note, Eva is finishing up with the wedding centerpieces, and Elle has had her last fitting for her dress. She also bought a really cute rehearsal dress which is a blue and black print with a jacket. Very nice. I must share an interesting Henry story. Henry always sleeps until about 8AM, and is usually very quiet until then. This morning, before 7, he started screaming. I mean screaming. Paul was in the shower, and the rest of us were upstairs. I was thinking someone was in the house, because Hen was frantic. So I ran downstairs, armed with a tennis racket, and found the reason for the commotion. McTavish, who sometimes sleeps in the hot tub room because it's toasty in there, had tried to get back into the living room. His back legs don't work, and he ended up stranded between 2 rooms on the step. He couldn't move without an assist, and Henry was calling me to help. Once I helped the dog up, Henry went back to "roosting" until his usual wake-up at 8 AM. Whoever coined the term 'dumb animal' surely never had one. Thanks Henry.

a usual weekend...busy

A few photos. Henry is enjoying his applesauce, and Elle and Lisa made a superhero out of my carrot that grew looking like a butt and legs. No real purpose here for the photos, I just thought they were interesting. This weekend saw the church's dedication. The ceremony was well attended, with an estimated 1000. Eva couldn't play the instrumental, because her violin had 2 broken stings, a broken bridge, and her pegs were out of whack. It was a 'no go.' Fortunately, the congregation didn't know about it. She has to fix the problems by Saturday, as she and Paul have a wedding. Otherwise, she may be able to 'borrow' her prof's violin for the day. We bought Aliyah's dress for the wedding today, and she was very happy. It's red and black, and she has a tiara like Tatum. Eva and I bought Rick a really nice vest, and it looks good with his shirt and dress pants. Otherwise, a belated birthday wish to friend Angie, a podiatrist in Albuquerque, who turned forty-something last month. She's a great gal (and I'm certain a great doctor)who shared the neighborhood in the 70's with us as kids. We love you Angie, and would love to hear from you.