super day

The date on today's photo is 3/31/85, which was my 25th, so I decided to share it. (LOVE the beard, Paul.) Today was a great birthday for me. Thanks to a co-worker, I had the entire day off, and headed to Manitowoc and had lunch with Mom, Koko,(Jill) Jeannine, Jeff, nephew Andy, niece Tatum, and foster sister Robin. The food was wonderful, and I was treated to a chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Afterward we went to Mom's for coffee and had a visit with Jason and his babies. The youngest is just 6 months, and is quite a charmer. I received some lovely cards and gift cards from the office, co-workers and friends from church, and also 2 beautiful bouquets and a mum plant from my younger co-workers. They said I am the honorary "Mum" at work. Paul also picked up donuts this morning which we shared with work and friends. Tonight I enjoyed a nice "catch up" conversation with my sister-in-law Kathy. Her kids are really great and it's nice to hear about their activities 'up north' in the UP. The only crappy thing today was the weather...soaking rain and driving winds which made the travel very unpleasant. Tonight Paul is playing in the back-up band for a Frank Sinatra impersonator (very good, I'm told) and I might try to get over there for a set. Thanks to everyone for making my day very special:) I feel blessed.

Congrats to Eva...

Eva will be the actual "fiddler" in Fiddler on the Roof this summer, performed by the Fond du Lac Community Theater. She will be the literal 'fiddler' in the pit, which is what she really wanted. It means only about a week of practice with the orchestra, and then performances. Elle opted out this summer, as she has the concerts with Symphonic Band at Buttermilk Park every Wednesday, and other concerts in between. I HAVE to share a silly musician thing with everyone...especially Stan, who has a great sense of humor, and is a fine musician himself. Recently Paul played with his jazz quartet, and was sharing the fact that he copied some music he wanted via his cell phone camera. (I know, lawyer friends, this is bad.) Anyway, he said he felt like a spy using his cell phone for photos. To this his prof friend Mark answered, 'Now I'll call you double O diminished 7.'

Happy Birthday to Fr. Pat:)

Happy 25th. to Elise!

sharing a peanut butter brownie

Happy Birthday to Krissy:)

Love to niece Krissy today, as she turns 24. She hails from Sheboygan where she works as an OB nurse. Also congratulations for her new 'position' as the top skier in the human pyramid at a local resort. Sounds like fun...what a great way to exercise:)

bad feather day

James the moviestar

Elise sent this...thought I'd share. By the way, doesn't the guy on the right (first photo) look like Alfred Hitchcock? Weird.

Hi Mom, James was in an independent film here in Nashville with 3 guys who he works/sings with in his chorus. They play a barbershop quartet in a dream sequence, as well as horrible corporate bosses in "real life" :) Here are some photos from the set. FUN!

Elle's bio

Thought I'd share this bio which was in the FDL Symphonic Newsletter. The oldest member of the band is 76 and the youngest is 15. How cool is that:)

must pass this on

Sunday morning was very nice, with great attendance at mass. There was the CUTEST little 2 year old boy in a pew in front of us. Elle and I looked at each other and in unison we said "little James." He was the spitting image of James...same hair, freckles and blue eyes. The funny thing was, every time the choir started singing, he raised his index finger and directed them:) A precious budding musician.

wonderful weekend

Thanks to Aliyah and Elle for helping to clean and plan for yet another birthday celebration this weekend. Paul is surely making his birthday last:) We had several friends over and we had great barbecue. Elle made a delicious fruit dip for strawberries, and Donna brought her signature deviled eggs. Elise also sent these photos of her puppy which her breeder was kind enough to pass on to her. Welcome home to Elise and James after a nice break at a music convention held in North Carolina; and finally a small break for Eva, who is done touring with her jazz group.

Earl's favorite spot

Couldn't resist:)

New Kids in Nashville!

Elise and friend Amy saw the "New Kids" in concert at the Sommet Center in Nashville this week. Elise said that they were very good...tight harmonies, a great orchestra, and all live singing (no lip synching:) I guess the overall comment was that they are much better now than in the early 90's:) The girls did a lot of screaming. Fun times.

Leo has an eye infection:(

Little Leo has an eye infection. It looks like a corneal scratch...he scraps a lot with his house-mate Binks. Eva brought him here so we could cleanse the eye and also cut his nails. Will update soon.

A few pics from today...enjoying the outdoors:)

High of 62 today!

Lakeside Park

Today I walked for 2 hours at Lakeside Park...it was mild at 52 degrees, and everything was melting. The deer in the park are losing their coat, and several of the females are expecting. How neat. Elle drove later with Paul, then we took advantage of the nice weather and grilled out. Henry went for a walk around the block, and said 'hi' to many of the neighbors. It was the first time since October that he was outdoors. He will sleep well tonight:) Hit us with this warm weather. We are so ready for it!

Happy Birthday to Mary

Birthday wishes go out today to good friend Mary, hailing from Manitowoc (where it's always cooler near the lake:) We were so close as kids, that I looked forward to her birthday as much as my own. Mary's Mom Lillian was SUCH a great cook, that the birthday meal was an adventure. We'd usually play cards afterward. Great memories. Happy Birthday to Mary! Photo was damaged in the flood, but is a favorite...Mary and I are pictured with our 'babies' Tommy and Jo, circa 1965.

Happy Birthday to Paul:)

Tonight we celebrated with our favorite meal at Backyard Grill...asparagus and shrimp quesadillas. Paul is again playing for the 3rd. night of the parish mission, and Elle went to a party with her double quartet. She drove there, and was thrilled to park right in front of her friend Shavana who is also driving. Eva is busy finishing up with finals and composition class before the end of the week, and then her show choir is touring. Not much of a spring break for her:( For Paul's birthday, we also made a scrumptious apple pie, but it will probably be tomorrow before we get to it. Happy Birthday to Paul!

Sabre Show a success

The show was very nice...Eva soloed in 'Lullaby of Birdland' and she was great. I will share some photos soon. The FDL paper was there, and got some nice pics. Everyone agreed that it was one of the best performances Sabre Show has had. Of course, Dr. Plummer said the same when Elise and friends were there:) Several of Elise's friends are still there...now seniors...and Prof Plummer commented on some being there for the '12 year plan.' He was funny. His parents were there too. Sabre Show started the year I graduated, and celebrated their 25th. anniversary this year. This is so neat. By the way, Paul said the hors doeuvres were great:)

Please join us:)

Hi to Manty family and folks...
If you can make it, please come to celebrate Kim's birthday. She really deserves a nice party, after all the hardship she's experienced in the last several years. Let's join together and make this a nice celebration for Kim. Thanks. Her invitation follows.

Host: Kim Sargent
Location: Lincoln Park Field House
1215 North 8th St
Manitowoc, WI 54220 US

When: Saturday, April 4, 12:00PM

Dear friends and family,

Please join me in the celebration of my 50th birthday on Sat. April 4th 2009. From 12pm to 8pm., at the Lincoln Park Field house near the Manitowoc zoo. There will be a DJ and karaoke from 1pm to 6:30pm., and lots of trivia and games.

Please no presents...just your presence and thanks to people who have helped me and encouraged me throughout the tough times.

There will also be added fun downstairs. My church, Abundant Life, will be having a Spaghetti Dinner fund raiser for our Bible Quiz kids from 4pm to 6pm and you are welcome to join them and meet these smart kids. There will be other food and non-alcoholic drinks. Hope to see you there.

LOVE KIM

THIS IS A NON-ALCOHOLIC PARTY. ABSOLUTELY NO ALCOHOL WILL BE BROUGHT OR SERVED. PLEASE RESPECT THIS. THANK YOU!!!!

mission/retreat at Holy Family

The service today was very nice, with tonight's featured speaker doing a brief talk on what to expect for the mission series. It's unfortunate that the weather is deteriorating this afternoon into evening. It is an icy snow mix, and another 3-5 is expected. For those folks interested, here's some info on the speaker. Should be good...weather permitting.

This year’s theme will be “It’s Not Negotiable” presented by Vinal Van Benthem, S.F.O.

Vinal is a freelance writer, poet and spiritual director and Pastoral Associate ministering in the areas of Spirituality, Pastoral Care and Adult Faith Formation at St. Raphael Parish in Oshkosh. She has served as adjunct faculty at The University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, IL, teaching a course on the Integration of Faith and Work and is currently adjunct faculty at Silver Lake College in Manitowoc (Paul's alma mater) where she teaches Sacramental Theology.

In addition to her duties at St. Raphael, Vinal is a member of the Green Bay Diocesan Association of Pastoral Associates, and is often called upon to conduct parish missions, retreats and workshops on Eucharist, Spirituality, Proclamation of the Word, Women’s Spirituality and the Integration of Faith and Work.

Happy Birthday to sister Koke:)

Elle and I searched around and found some cute pics over the years of sister Jill (nicknamed Koko as a baby.) Happy Birthday to Koko!

Girls win too...

The Fondy girls won at state also today with a 6-3 margin, same as the boys. Elle is looking forward to the trip to state. Eva is busy tonight with Sabre Show at Marian, which is a cabaret style show this year featuring jazz and blues numbers. We have tickets for tomorrow night's show. Elle has a rare evening off after a sax lesson, and is looking forward to the next week of spring break. We have no special plans yet, but are trying to be creative with some ideas of how to spend the week. I have an easy week, so may take some vacation days.

Go Fondy

Tonight Elle played in the pep band for the Fondy vs. Stevens Point hockey quarter-final in Madison. Fondy won 6-3 according to the radio podcast. She'll be home around 9:30...have to catch the 'scoop' then. By the way, what lovely 50-something is having a birthday in 2 days? My lovely older sister. I love to say that:) I'm heading to Manty on the weekend, so I hope for some good visiting and nice photos.

FDL Reporter story on the win tonight...

Fondy advances to State boys hockey semifinal
Cardinals top Stevens Point, 6-3
The Reporter Staff • March 5, 2009

Buzz up! MADISON -- The Fond du Lac High School boys hockey team topped Stevens Point, 6-3, tonight in a WIAA State boys hockey quarterfinal at the Alliant Energy Center.

The Cardinals advance to the State semifinals, which will be at 7:15 p.m. Friday. Fondy will face the winner of tonight's game between Verona and Rice Lake.

Fondy jumped out to a 4-0 lead en route to the victory. Bo Bartelt opened the scoring in the first period, and Bryce Bartelt added a tally in the opening frame.

Fondy's Luke Baker made it 3-0, and Bo Bartelt followed with his second goal.

Stevens Point made it 4-1, but the Cardinals' Brian Kemp answered that goal.

Stevens Point scored two consecutive goals to pull within 5-3, but Fondy's Taylor Heintz added a goal in the third period to close out the victory.

The Fond du Lac-Waupun girls hockey team will play a State semifinal at 11 a.m. Friday against Beaver Dam-Randolph also at the Alliant Energy Center.

State tournament ticket prices are $8 for each two-game session and $8 for the championship game. Tickets will be sold at the arena during the state tournament. Parking is available at the arena with fees assessed by the parking authority.

The arena is located at 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison, WI 53713. Visit www.alliantenergy center.com for more information.

nice chat with Lee See

I had a nice chat with Elise (nicknamed Lee See by my Dad, Grandpa Gilbert) and we talked about everything from soup to nuts. This was very nice, as I love to hear from her and 'catch up', and also I was stuck behind a 130 car train near Eva's house. I was en route to deliver some paint to finish the painting in the kitchen, so the call was most welcome. (I picked up Leo earlier, and he was purring so loudly, I had to ask the Vet Aide to repeat herself with suggestions once he was home.) We also talked about our trip in June, when we plan to visit in Nashville, and then head down to New Orleans, and also my trip in April. Niece Krissy and I will travel down for an extended weekend...hopefully...plans aren't shored up yet.
Blessings to all of our Cyberfolks.

Leo on youtube

Copy and paste to see sassy Leo at his best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eje1VZmR_Qw

Leo is O.K.

Little Leo (kitten from Stanley's farm) had an appointment today with our friend the veterinarian, for shot updates and a neuter. Poor little dude. He purred and licked my chin as I got him into the carrier. I called earlier today to inquire as to how he's doing. He's sleeping soundly. Eva and I pick will him up tomorrow at 3:30 PM, so hopefully he'll be in full recovery mode:( Always hate bringing the critters in for this...but it is SO important.

birthday month

The busy birthday month has begun. Today we celebrate with my nephew Andy, who is 22 years old. Photo is a favorite from a trip to Eau Claire with Grandmas Lee and Marilyn in the summer of 1988. Andy is working at the Bradley Center, living in Milwaukee and playing his music with fellow musician friends. We love you Andy and Happy Birthday:)

good music day

Hats off to Elle for getting starred firsts on her pieces...they included a vocal solo, sax solo, jazz band, bell choir and quartet. We celebrated at Friar Tuck's. Now the work begins to do an equally great job at state at the end of April:)