Hooray

Got back from vacation in PA and VA last Friday night; spent weekend in FH to see Suzanne and Brian. All went well on our trip, although temps fairly warm. It was wonderful to see family at the reunion and b'day party for Sandy. Thank you, Scott and Tracy, for all you do. Jim and Kathy, their sons, were gracious hosts. A memorable time for this AARP-eligible party.

Hey Tracy....

I LOOOOOOVE your new blog.... the pictures and video are very clear, and it's great how it gives you the option to increase the size. You know, to see those beautiful eyes. I read all our family's blogs, and think your original one is great. If the new site is easier for you to use, then use it girl! The quality is wonderful, and since you do a lot of pictures :) . Thanks for exploring options, maybe I will do the same and try to start some blogs of my own.

In other news, we just returned from a wonderful vacation in the U.P. Patrick caught a few fish, we swam in Lake Superior (is was warm), camped, and had a nice date night in Mackinaw. I will be posting more later, Pat posted some pictures on his Facebook if you're interested.

Hope you're all doing well! We are just going with the flow and enjoying our summer....

love
vanessa

And yet another note...if you do decide to go check it out, I'm currently in the process of importing everything over, so it's a work in progress.

The most important thing you need to know is that it's password protected, and the password is:

mcqueenfamilyblog (no spaces!)

Also, I think the only email address I don't currently have is Brian Johns'. Can somebody share? Thanks!

Just want to make sure that as long as I'm looking into this that I set it up so everybody is able to view/post once/if we make the switchover.

Hey all!

You may have gotten an email from me about a new blog platform I'm using for my own personal blog, called Posterous. Don't be alarmed...this current blog on Blogger isn't going anywhere. I'm just monkeying around with it to see if it would be easier for us all to use.

I'll be interested to see if you all have any feedback if you get a chance to check it out. So far I've only heard (and seen for myself) that it's easier to use.

More on this later!!
Tracy

Precious

That sure would perk you up. Your expression indicates the pain you are experiencing. Surprise from hubbies are always special.
Thanks for posting your delight.

Sunday

Look what my wonderful husband brought back from shopping! I had been in severe pain since Wednesday when a herniated disc pinched a nerve in my back. I feel a bit better today; can sit/stand with only moderate pain. Bending over - forget about it! I'm going to try to go to work tomorrow. We'll see.

lookin' for news

Yes, we are all busy with summer and hope you're enjoying it. NL must be written soon. Gram is just checking all sources of being in touch. G'pa is trying to beat a cold that he nursed all the way home and has hard time getting his strength back. Me too, sorta, because I had/have all the putting away, mail, bills and keeping track of him to do, No I'm not feelihg sorry for self just recapitulating and trying to get back to "normal".
Thanks Teri for the blueberries and we gave some to our friends here that we play cards with. They are thrilled. YUMMMM! Our cereal will not be the same after our supply is depleted.
Love all of you.

Happy Birthday to me!!

What a wonderful surprise party Tracy and Scott gave me!! I was totally blown away as you can see from the picture. Even Ray kept the secret which must have been REALLY hard for him to do. Thanks again to all who came and partied. It was truly a special day. XOXO

Hey All!!!

Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend! Seems like we've been extremely busy but can't recall much. Be thinking of what you've been doing - NL is due next week - ALREADY!! Ray is getting his goats this week and we are getting another Newfoundland puppy on August 7. I'm so excited!! Still have only been up north once this year. Busy, busy!

Any of you can share on this blog too, you know :)

Love

Monday

Thanks again for all the effort everyone put into the reunion. It was wonderful to reconnect even though there are so many of us now it was hard to spend enough time with each one. We made it to Niagara Falls today and walked around some. Traffic was light but we did go through some rain. The Pitts family gathering was rained upon, too, but the conversation was good and it was nice to see everyone. Eric & Joni got back to Dayton safely with Jason and Mozart. Jason flys home tomorrow. We plan on staying here for 2 more days. Lots to do and the Falls are amazing. After that, who knows.

SO excited for this weekend, though it just occurred to me that this means I should start thinking about packing. Not as easy as when it was just me throwing some clothes into a bag. Anyway...

We could definitely use some hugs this weekend. I'm going to give an update here so maybe we can avoid the subject altogether at the party because it's a sensitive one, especially for Scott. We've decided to take our house off the market and sell our property. While we were very excited about the prospect of building our dream house (and garden, and having a pole barn, etc...etc...), it just isn't coming together.

Without going into details, this is a better economic decision for our family for certain, and though we're sad to "give up" on some of the features of the new house that were really appealing to us, we're going to use some of our savings (to be used for a down payment) to make some changes to our current home, including remodeling the kitchen level, adding a half bath in the basement so we can put a guest room down there, and finishing off our garage. We're also going to put in new windows and carpeting on the bedroom level.

I am not altogether unhappy about this scenario, because I was worried about having such a big house and property (and mortgage) while Scott travels so much for work. I liked our "old" house, and our neighbors, and our neighborhood. I'd lived there for 7 years, which is longer than I've lived ANYWHERE. But Scott is not as relieved, so I feel for him.

As Candi said on Facebook, it's not the space that matters; it's the memories and the love.

Anyway, that's the scoop. Can't wait to see you all!

Reunion FAST approaching!!!

Getting excited about the upcoming reunion...Jason arrives a week from today and then the four of us (Eric, Jason, me & Mozart) will head north on Friday. Greatly looking forward to seeing everyone!

Sprucing up

New shingles have been going on the house in between rain days. Hopefully next week we'll get a few days in a row & that will be done. Then new vinyl siding to replace the wood & new gutters. Phew. I'm tired just thinking about it. Good thing all I have to do is watch.

A Record

That's right, 3 successive days of swimming and no nap. Dad/g'pa and I got a new microwave oven in the house(a sight for two old folks)and installed. Phew! Now pay bills online and do dishes. Fun!

WHATTA WEEK!

The only bad thing about vacations is the amount of work you have to do to catch up. Since I was already behind when I left, I'm even further out in left field now! I have a new staff and I've felt guilty about not being able to spend much time training her but we'll catch up on that somehow, too.

Ray and I bought hanging flowers last night (we're late this year) for the deck. They are so pretty and I don't have to spend hours planting and weeding. Hang 'em up and you're good to go.

NL coming soon so I'll save some chat for then. Can't wait to see everyone at the reunion!

HOME

Guess I'm catching up as only 1 nap does the trick now. I started exercising in the pool today(EARLY)when the temp is less than 80.
G'pa's cold seems some better and the antibiotic will continue for 4 more days. Starting to seriosly think about our trip to MI and hope the weather stays under 90 for us. NO plans yet.
Cathching up on mail, laundry and e-mail. Enjoying talking to you folks as you phone.
You are right Tracy, it is easy to take what we have for granted. That was never more evident than when we were in Europe.

Just posted a lengthy post on our family blog, so I'll keep this short. Welcome back to the world travelers...you have been missed! G&G, no advice on jet lag. In my younger days I powered through and forced myself to adjust to the time change, but I know that's a lot easier at 30 than it is 40, so can't imagine how you guys are feeling.

I sure missed being able to pick up the phone and call my mom whenever I wanted. I'd think, "well, I'll just call Gram then." DOH! Guess I take you guys for granted!

Another gorgeous day here, and we have plans to meet friends at the park this morning. Tonight I get a girl's night out with my golf partner from last year. Not sure if we'll golf or just gab, but I'm looking forward to it regardless.

Can't wait for the McQ reunion in just a few weeks!!! We're working on containment units for the tots as we speak.

Tuesday

Welcome back to the USA, M, D, & S. Jamie, so glad you and the children are ok. It's the end of the school year tomorrow for kids. I plan to work as many days as possible over the summer but look forward to seeing as many of you as can make it at the reunion.

Welcome back weary travelers...

Hang in there G-ma & G-pa...it gets better. Jet lag is one of those things that can't be rushed - it will run it's own course.
Glad to have you back on this side of The Pond! xoxo

SLEEP

Again today I'm having trouble with jet lag. Gads, what would it be like if I had to make a living flying?
G'pa is trying to have a cold that was spread by someone on our trip. Sandy had/has the cough too and I'm worried about the end results. Antibiotics were needed to help the gal and she got quite sick before Fr.David made her go to the doctor.
Temp today at 5a.m. was 83degrees.

HOME SLEEP

Today has been a sleep day. On and off. This time up I did feel like doing the dishes but meals are get your own, so far. All unpacked and laundry finshed. Odds and ends to put away, then get started on trip to Michigan.
Jamie, how fortunate you are. That happened to me and I was going about 5mph, just over a railroad track. Scarey.
To all others have a wonderful summer. Our temp. is over 90 degrees as I write.

virus

For non-Facebookers, there's a virus loose in my electronic communications. Delete anything unusual from me. Guess I caught it opening an email attachment from Jason, of all people.

posts

Marc, your grandmother religiously keeps an eye on this site. Ask her upon their return if she remembers your posts. On my occasional visits, I've seen 2 posts by you, 1 the most recent. The NL mentioned some things about the reunion, too. Personally have not noticed random deletion of comments.
BTW, went to a concert at DTE music theatre Sunday night. Watch the NL for details.

i was just visiting site to catch up, sounds like europe treating our family members good. was also looking for comments from back in nov. dec. of last year--mebbe jan. of this year and can't find any of them! i have commented on the blog many times but not a single one is in the archives...why is that? it goes all the way back to beginning of last year but i am not on here once. am having a conversation with someone about reunion and cant find ANYTHING on it cept where aunt sandy says it'll be the 26th at their house....comments get randomly deleted?

Hello from Scotland!

We've had trouble finding a computer to use so communication has been sparse. I bought minutes at our hotel here in Glasgow so I could touch base with you all. We had two days in Edinburgh and saw a couple castles and a lot of sheep. Moved to Ft Williams where we saw another castle (this really was a bloody country)and the home of a Duke. Dad and I also went to a distillery (whiskey)and got a free taste at 10 AM. I was tempted to buy a bottle (on sale) to bring home but like a true Scot, I pinched my pennies and abstained.

We are in Glasgow for tonight and tomorrow morning after which we take the ferry to Northern Island. This is beautiful country and I'm so glad G'ma and G'pa were able to finally see it. They are quite tired and sore but everyone goes out of their way to watch out for them and make accommodations. Dad seems none the worse for wear after his fall. I think he may have used the excuse to catch some extra sleep to overcome the jet lag (don't tell him I said that!)

I can't upload pictures - this is a thin client with no access, but if I get the chance in the next couple days, I'll upload what I can to Facebook. More later if I get my hands on a computer. Love to all.

Oops

I want to apologize for ever dragging my feet about getting the McQueen blog spot. It has been an excellent source of family news. Wonder if they're having difficulty overseas getting to it; would have thought they'd post by now. Anybody heard from the wanderers?
Very sorry to hear your house plans are fouled up, Tracy and Scott. You've been very patient through the ordeal.

D-day Minus 1

Tomorrow is the big travel day. Have a wonderful trip, Mom, Dad, and Sandy. I SO wish I was going with you. Take lots of pictures. Love you.

Packing

Finished.
We were talking last night about this packing and it's been quite awhile since I've done any--guess I forgot how to get organized. Closet, along with the 'fridge, is quite empty. Vanessa phoned today and I told her I was making refrigerator soup and most of you know what that is----our supper.
I serve at Mass this afternoon, then it will be count the hours, minutes to pick up Sandy and the fun starts..
Neighbors are taking us to and from the airport, our car will stay home.
I'm now getting excited.
Thanks to each of you for my birthday wishes. Each of them appreciated and oh, so many. Never in my young years did I expect to have this many years to enjoy my family. Thanks again.

NL Follow up

Eric suggested I post a couple pictures as a follow up to our stories about the Red Snapper and Mozart's new bone in the family NL.

Enjoy!

3-days left

Thursday and my enthusiasm is still in outter space BUT have to start packing. Will give Dad a haircut today too.
Yesterday I harvested 3 beets and the tops, 1 carrot and more tomatoes. Had all for supper and it was a real feast, along with baked chicken.
Refrigerator is mighty empty.
Have a wonderful day family

Working TV

We have some good news, at least it's good to us. Our TV is properly working after 6 weeks of dealing with Samsung. Patience paid off, but it wasn't easy.
Today I started packing and feel more relaxed about it now. Will get Dad to do his meds and billfold tomorrow, I will work on getting his clothes in order and packed.
This all seems like a dream but Diana told me the 24th is fast approaching and I better get busy.
Love to each of you.

Airline Ticket

All - I have a round trip SouthWest Voucher that needs to be used by June 22nd. It's good for almost every day except around Memorial Day. I have a wedding that I am getting ready for in June so will have no opportunity to use it. The only think you have to pay for is the taxes (usually about $15) and is good any where that SouthWest flies (in the US). Does anyone have a use for it? I would have used it for the Reunion but Southwest does not fly into Lansing.

Forgot to share our new address with you all (I think.)

7923 Rivercrest Ct.
Freeland, MI 48623

Phone is the same: 989 695 4092

We are planning to stay here until the end of July, longer if our house has a contract pending by then. Otherwise, we'll likely move back into the Thornberry Dr. house. So maybe just write all of this in pencil.

Perhaps EVENTUALLY we'll finally have our River Rd. address.

Sigh.

Red Letter Day

Just 10 days until we take off on our 2nd trip of a lifetime. Did some shopping today and thanks to Medicare g'pa has a new walker with seat. He already used it at Bealls, clothing store with no rider carts, and it helped him navigate the necessary departments.
About NL time so I will write for that and save news for a different avenue.
Summer has arrived and we are in the low 90's daytime with a fairly nice breeze.
Love to all and hope those twins continue to amaze Mom and Dad as they do.,

I know most of you have heard this news already, thanks to Facebook and our family blog, but we are mourning the loss of our Gus. It's so unimaginable how quickly he was taken from us. He was fine one minute, and then the next he was so very, very not fine.

The doctor at MSU was able to run some tests on food they took from his intestines, and found that it was septic. There was massive infection, which they felt was caused from a hole in his intestine, which could have been from a blockage, some kind of a virus, or the most likely culprit, cancer. They could have done surgery to remove part of his intestine, and then they would have determined what was causing his illness. But he could have died during surgery, or in the days following surgery. And if the illness was terminal, and they felt it was given how quickly the onset of accute symptoms and the fact that he's lost so much weight and wasn't eating, he would die soon anyway. So rather than prolong his suffering, we made the decision to euthenize him. Scott was there alone, and is taking it very hard.

He didn't suffer in the end, and we truly didn't know he was sick until that very last afternoon. He was his normal, happy-go-lucky self until the end. Of course he was anxious and wasn't eating well, but he regularly cleaned the floor for us after the kids ate, and was always anxious when Scott traveled. Not to mention the packing for the move.

Anyway, Scott brought him back with him, and we are having our regular vet cremate him. We'll bury his ashes on our property, back by the fenceline near the lilac bushes. He would have liked that.

The kids don't really know enough to miss him. Sure, they loved him, and when they see pictures they say, "hi Gus!" but the move has thrown them off and they seem to be fine without him here. Scott and I are another story, but I think that we will be sad for quite awhile. And that's just a part of life.

So that's the scoop. We were looking forward to bringing him with us to the family reunion, so maybe we can just have some extra hugs and think good things about him while we're there. I know he would have loved to have been there with us all.

Thanks again for all the loving thoughts and prayers. I know so many of you truly understand the pain of losing such an important part of your daily life. He was just always there, and now he's not.

Update...

Hello all. Sorry we missed the NL, thought I would give you all a catch up here. We had a wonderful time in FL for our vacation. Spent some time in Cocoa Beach area with Patrick's family. We stayed with his Dad who lives on a river that goes to the ocean. It was great waking up and sitting on his porch just looking out over the water. We spent some time with his sister, Pam who lives in MI and was visiting during the time we were there. His other sister, Colleen, lives down there near his Dad and we got to hang out with her too. His Mom was also visiting, we did a beach day with her too. Traveled south to NFM to see McQueens, and Mom. We stayed at Mom's new place in Raintree. It was very lovely. My Dad was visiting also, so we got to see him too. Took Flynn mini golfing for the first time, and he had a blast. I posted a picture album on Facebook if you're interested.

Patrick's work has been more and more busy. Before we went on vacation, he traveled to San Diego for an athletic conference. There weren't many Chicago venues there for him to schmooze with, but he did some schmoozing for others around the country and the company as a whole is grateful. Right after our trip, Patrick had to travel to NYC to pick up some supplies to carry out installs for all the contracts he's gotten for ClubCom...a division of Zoom. He's been working very hard since returning with these. The band, Jonny Rumble just finished it's next album. Titled, JR. They are being marketed by this website called RockProper, everyone is really excited about it...and the album is soooooooooooooo good!!

Flynn is doing well, still at Little Fox Day School for now. This year, he gets to go on a field trip every week this summer, so I know he's excited about that. He just loves riding the bus with all his friends. He really enjoys going to school, and hopefully we can continue to send him there.

I got some bad news yesterday on the job front, seems my position, as well as the other 3 people in our department (technology) has been closed. Illinois is going very broke like the rest of the country, and the gov is giving education 24% less money than it did last year. So, there are cuts everywhere in the state. I am one of very many people, not only from this building, but statewide, to loose their education jobs this year. Totally stinks, and I'm still not sure what we're going to do. The Hawks are still playing, so that's great...I'll always have United Center and Bears which will start in August. I may try to get back at the Sox scoreboard for a summer income, but we'll see. Put my name back into the freelance bucket, and see what happens. Keep your fingers crossed for us! I'm confident that we will get through this, because really, we have to.
Love you all!
vanessa

gabbing

Not only am I slowing down about writing I guess I forgot how to use this apparatus. Things here in FL have warmed up to summer and AC is a must. My hearing aids are working great for me. They have adjusted a couple times but it just seems like a natural addition to life.
G'pa has started feeling better with getting some pain medicine worked out of his body. It was sure powerful but it made him like a zombie. He couldn't function.
It's sure quiet here. Don't know what happened to get this effect but I'm signing off now. Happy homecoming for Millers.

Oh Wow, we're slowing

When it rains....

Yes, it's me.. don't fall over or anything! :P
This is a bad news/bad news/good news kind of post. Alan lost his job at ADT on the 6th. They instituted a new policy with a no tolerance clause & we got a little nervous as the policy has to do with employee numbers... which Alan has had trouble with in the past. ADT wants it's employees to get the call over with ASAP using any means necessary (i.e. sending service men out that the customers have to pay for), but Alan would do his best to help the customer over the phone (thus not needing to send service men... yada yada). For 6 years his numbers have been borderline, and that practice (tho MUCH more customer oriented than what ADT WANTED him to be doing) finally got him into trouble. Stupid policy, stupid company.
BUT, we are looking at this lose as a blessing in disguise... Alan hit the pavement pretty hard looking for another job & by the 15th had an interview. Granted, it was at Burger King for minimum wage, but it was SOMETHING & just down the road from us. He started work there on Monday (19th). Seems like the moment he stepped out the door when the phone rang.... Best Buy wanting to set up an interview. He goes for that one tomorrow (22nd). He is still looking for that 'great' job, but at least he's got something here in town instead of going 50 miles away to Kansas City. I will keep you posted....
Thankfully, we had put some money into savings, so we SHOULD be fine financially. We have cut back on a lot of 'extras' living more frugally. The biggest DOWN side to all of this (for me anyways) is that unless some amazing job comes along in the next couple of weeks... our plans to visit Michigan this summer are no longer. I haven't been to MI since we moved 7 years ago & was looking forward to it very much, but with things in limbo here, I can't justify spending that kind of money. *SIGH* I miss everyone & hope you think of us in June!
Gratz to the Millers on the sale of their house, hope the move goes smoothly! Grats to Suz & Jim on their new place & dog! Gratz to Marc & Jamie on their expected bundle AND on the marriage of Marc's oldest! Give Britt an extra hug for me!!
Hugs & Kisses & lots of love to you all!

Disney

This is the lobby of the Swan & Dolphin resort hotel we are staying at in Orlando. SO Disney! Right along with the prices and the fantasy world some of the presenters live in. Guess I'm a bit cynical about those who spout "best practices" and haven't been in a classroom in years, or decades. Hope today is better. But the mattress was wonderful ~ the brochure says it is a Heavenly mattress. That might be a brand name, but it was sure comfortable. It was nice to get to know some of my co-workers better so I'm glad I came.

Goliath and more

Hi Family,

A lot has happened since Feb. for us in Chicago. We moved out of our high rise, and into a nice condo right near the lake. We have a free parking space, full laundry room, jacuzzi bathtub, office, and a very nice kitchen. So far, everything has been great with this space, and have enjoyed meeting new neighbors/friends.

As most of you saw on FB, Jim and I adopted a dog named Goliath from a family that could no longer keep him in their home. We have been tremendously blessed with such a great dog, he hasn't had any accidents inside, he only barks when he feels someone is coming in our apt (& at other dogs' barks...), and is very lovable/sweet. Every day we make sure to take him out for at least an hour walking/running, plus bathroom breaks. He loves going on walks, and doesn't pull hard on the leash very often. He does get excited about other dogs walking by, especially small ones, so that's really only when he barks/pulls hard on the leash. We took him to the vet last week, he's about 60 lbs, we thought he was way underweight, but he's only supposed to stay around 65 lbs., so he won't get much bigger. He has definitely brought joy to both our lives.

I had a falling out with the one and only executive producer at Kurtis Productions back in February. It's a long story of what happened, so I don't feel necessary to explain, but I no longer work there. I still am on great terms with everyone else - my immediate supervisor Matt, the manager Diane, all the editors/producers, and most importantly, Bill Kurtis and Donna. I have worked with BK on a few projects since its happened, so everything is cool b/w him and I. This is just a bump in the road for me, I'll be back working TV soon, but in the meantime I'm making $$ serving tables at Leo's Coney Island, and freelancing with another media company.

Jim quit his job at the small restaurant - Magnolia Cafe. He worked there 3 years and could no longer put up with the owners' vicious wife. It was a long ways coming, and it took him only a matter of weeks to find another job. He now works downtown at a new hotel/restaurant called Sable Kitchen and Bar at the Palomar hotel. It opened a few weeks ago, and has already received rave reviews, so it's going really well, and Jim loves it.

As of now, I plan on making it to the reunion in June. I doubt Jim will be able to make it seeing as he works all weekends, and won't have vacation for a year. Maybe next time!

Love you,

Suzanne

New address: 837 W Montrose Apt GDN

Chicago, IL 60613

Change of plans

Aunt Di's post of earlier this morning inspired me to update the family on our change of plans.

Everything is moving along nicely here; I've got everything organized for the rummage sale (and have already presold $100 of stuff with two buyers!) and our house is getting emptier by the day as we move stuff to the pole barn.

Late Friday Scott asked me if I'd checked the Michigan Sex Offender registry to double check the neighborhood we're moving to in Midland. Well lo and behold, the next door neighbor was convicted of breaking and entering and rape back in the late 80s. Yeah, we aren't moving there. With Scott traveling as much as he does, that's just not going to happen. I'm moderately worried about Carolyn, but they have a high fence in between their properties and Dave and Sam are almost always home when she is, so there's not as much risk...me home alone almost constantly with two small and distracting children is too much for us to stomach.

Well, it just so happens that our next door neighbors have a duplex available less than a mile from here (which we found out about *after* we'd signed the lease on the Midland house) and it was still available when I called Karen frantically Friday evening. We took it sight unseen, and the landlord in Midland was very understanding about the situation and has released us from that lease. So, on May 8th, we'll be moving less than a mile from here (I hope to have a lot of the small stuff done the weekend before.)

No word confirming Scott's travels this week. It seems they're starting to allow flights in Europe, and as long as he can get to Amsterdam, he can take the train from there. We'll see...

Monday

We had the same rainy kind of day and it was welcome. We needed it. I got things ready for the Orlando trip; got groceries. Many of you know I've been having trouble sleeping; 3-4 hours a night was average and definitely not enough. After a year of trying this and that medication combination, I got a referral to a "sleep doctor." I learned that he's actually a Pulmonologist who has become a national expert in sleep disorders. He says I have "advanced sleep phase syndrome." It is a disruption in one's circadian rhythm. 1% of "seniors" get it and it has a genetic component (and is most difficult to treat.) He prescribed Rozerem (melatonin) in the a.m. and Ambien CR in the p.m. I was also to purchase a Medical Therapy Light visor (at a cost of $200) and wear it from 7:30 to 9:00. I was skeptical enough of the unorthodox use of Rozerem and a light that I got a second opinion. This doctor confirmed the reputation of the first, but he had no clue about the course of treatment. But his opinion of Dr. Feldman (combined with my own research) was enough to convince me to order the light. It'll be another week before it gets here; the medication alone is NOT working. We'll see.

Sunday

We have a rainy, gloomy day but enjoying the peace, tranquil feeling of the day. Dad/G'pa is on a new med for arthritis and it makes his sleep about 3 hours every time he takes it, 4 days now. His pain is less but he doesn't feel much either. He is unstable walking and is dizzy some of the time. We see the pain man tomorrow for a shot in the hip and will talk to him about these reactions.
Skype is a fun thing to use but so is Chat, getting lots of enjoyment from this computer.
I'm rambling so will say enjoy your week and feel our love.

Spring has come to Farwell!

You can definitely tell it's Spring! Ray went to the first small animal swap of the year today and came home with 7 chicken: 2 roosters and 5 hens. They are all the pretty black and white speckles except one orange hen. They are bantam chickens which are like the toy breed of chickens. One of the girls promptly laid a little bitty egg. We're looking for some fencing now so we can get some goats. Yup, Spring is here.

What's going on??

Oh my gosh, things are CRAZY right now. But crazy good.

We sold our house and found a rental in Midland. We are closing on our house on May 15th, and the builders are scheduled to break ground for the new house here in Freeland on the 17th (of May.) We are working on finalizing plans and details about the house...we've had lots of time to think about it and love our builder, so it's been a smooth process *so far.* They have guaranteed us a 5-month build. We'll see. Joni has been a Godsend and is helping us with our appliances. So good to have somebody "on the inside."

The house we found in Midland is PERFECT and get this...its back yard backs up to Carolyn's!!!! She and her husband are both teachers, and her 18-year old son Sam loves the kids, and they all love Gus, so we plan to have a GREAT summer with the Browns. Scott says he's going to have to worry about me sneaking out at night, to which I told him, "well, you'll know where to find me. Probably drinking wine with Carolyn in the back yard."

So we have lots to be excited about.

Scott is traveling a ton, in Toronto this week, and leaving again on the 24th for two weeks in Belgium. He gets back the day before we move. So I am busy packing things to go to storage in our pole barn, things to go to the new rental, and things to sell in our rummage sale taking place on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th. Yikes.

I'm also walking in the March for Babies on 5/2, which is a 6-mile walk. If you're interested in making a much-appreciated contribution, you can do so easily at www.marchforbabies.org/tvano1991

This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart as one of my friends lost a baby last month after her premature birth. In addition, many of the women in my mothers of multiples network have had to suffer through having a baby in the NICU, and it's absolutely heartbreaking.

Anyway, things are hopping. There's never been a better time to offer to help, especially if it's in the area of taking two active toddlers off their mama's hands for just a bit. :)

Hope all is well with everyone. We are SO excited for the family gathering this summer.

Good morning!

We made it back from Buffalo on Sunday evening...our drive home was spectacular! Traffic was flowing well and the weather was gorgeous! We kept the sunroof open for a good portion of the drive and listened to a Robert Parker "Spencer" novel on CD...it was as enjoyable as a 6 hour drive can be! :)

Monday night I went to bed not feeling so great and didn't sleep well. Woke up achy and with a slight fever. Spent the next couple days lying around the house. Feeling better this morning, though. Heading out to 4 stores in the south part of my territory this morning then, if I'm still feeling well, I'm meeting Adrianna for dinner since I'll be in her neck of the woods.

Hope all of you are doing well...xoxo

Back to Work

We had a great time in Vegas. The weather was perfect the first 2 days, then turned chilly and very windy. I don't know how people live where it is so dry; our skin felt the low humidity from the start. Maybe it just takes some getting used to - like our steamy summers. We didn't gamble much; just visited the various hotels and attractions. More in the NL.
The flights both ways were uneventful but I forgot about jet lag and the time difference messed with us a little bit. I picked up a virus somewhere and spent the last 2 days of my spring break ~ and Monday ~ on the couch . Went back to work yesterday and feel pretty good, just some stuffiness left over.

Happy Easter

...to everyone!

Bummer for the Spartans but you can't sneeze at the Final Four two years in a row!

Easter Weekend

Eric, Mozart and I are heading to Buffalo this afternoon to spend the weekend with my Aunt Chris and family. It's a 6.5 hour trek but totally worth it for quality family time. :)
We wish you all a very Happy Easter!

SKYPE

It sure helped this morning to see and talk with you. We are sooooo happy for both of you, children and Gus included.
Enjoy it as you go along because this is once in a lifetime venture, hopefully, and you will want to build pleasant memories along with your house. G''pa and I have had the experience and there is a lot of give and take but the end result is sooooo worth it. Eventually, it will bring you closer together. Be sure to have imput in every decision even tho you might not want to 'spend' that time, at the time.
I could ramble on for pages, but you get the idea. Just DO NOT hurry.
Lots of love Mom

Offer accepted!!!

We finally got an offer on our house! We signed the purchase agreement yesterday, and now are just waiting for inspections and appraisals, as well as the financing to come through. The buyer is an older man, and is preapproved. Hopefully there won't be any hiccups along the way.

We've got a lead on a townhouse we can rent for 6-months that will allow Gus (and the tots) and we've spoken with our builder who told us we can be on the schedule for May 17th (we close on the 15th.) The estimate to build is 4-5 months at most given it will be summertime. It couldn't work out more perfectly (God willing nothing goes awry.)

Now we just have to iron out our building plans, and make sure we have someplace to move!

Scott travels from 4/24 through 5/8 and we move on the 9th, so that should be interesting, but I'll get it all done. I always do. If anybody wants to come help me pack boxes on the 8th, I'll provide the food and beverages (ahem.) Scott has promised to rally his guys and do the heavy lifting when he gets home.

YAY!!!

...and after a 12-hour constant stretch of sleep (thanks, Scott!) I am feeling better, too! My bronchitis evolved into a head cold (my third in as many weeks) but today I'm mostly clear and feeling rested. The kids *seem* to be on the mend, too.

Scott leaves tomorrow for three days in Toronto. We don't have any major plans, but will probably hit our playgroups and maybe even the Children's Museum. It's supposed to be a gorgeous week (temps in the 70's!) so we'll get lots of outdoor time, too. We're ready.

The birds are enjoying the creek in back of our house, and like most years, wake us every morning at 6am. I don't mind...now. Before kids, I found myself irritated, but now I like it. The birds nest in all the bushes around our house, and some even in my hanging plants (not yet hung.) A couple years ago, Scott built a nesting house for them, too, and now we've got all kinds of fat birds hanging around our feeder. The robins are loving our elm in the back, and I bet in a month or two we'll have lots more little birds flying around. We've seen Orioles, Cardinals, Jays, and lots of different colored Finch. One of the things I love about this house.

We had our 38th showing yesterday - to an agent interested in our house. She lives in Freeland, and doesn't currently have any active listings herself, so we're wondering what that's all about. We're sending out positive thoughts that maybe she loved it and will be making an offer. I'll shout it from the rooftops when it happens, trust me.

That's all the news from here...for now...

Better.....

....after a week and a half of battling the upper respiratory crud, I'm feeling much better. Still have a cough and an urge to nap every day at 2 pm, but other than that, I'm good.

Thanks all for your well-wishes.

MSU GGGOOOO!

What a close game and our team hung on, did good and now for more excitement next weekend.

Go MSU. YAY last nights victory made us happy, even tho we slept through it.
Have a great trip to Vegas Di and Jerry. Look forward to your stories about your experiences.

Spring...Take Two???

Hopefully yesterday was REALLY the last snow! Yes, I said SNOW! Yesterday we woke up to about two inches of snow on the ground. Of course, Mozart thought it was wonderful...Eric and I were in disbelief.
It's warming up again though, and we're hopeful that spring weather is here to stay this time!
I'm working at one of my Lowe's accounts this afternoon. Last day of the quarter - YAY!!! It's been a long 3 months and I'm definitely ready for a fresh start.
Tonight Eric and I are going to the Funny Bone Comedy Club to see John Reep. You might know him from Last Comic Standing or the Dodge commercials as the guy who said, "That thing gotta a Hemi?" We watched him a few years ago on LCS and he was hilarious. Looking forward to a night of laughs...
Have a wonderful weekend!

Whoo Hoooooo

I'm on VACATION. And I think the weather is really going to stay in spring mode. It's still a bit chilly at night, but the flowers are finally starting to bloom. Yay!

Happy Daze

MSU squeaks out another win. Sweet 16 Baby. Tiger BB 2 day with Jason and 2 friends from college. AND, now I won't have to worry about health care the rest of my life. Oh wait: Now I just have to pay for ourselves and our share of 30 million more people.
NO WORRIES, BE HAPPY. Our government knows best.

HAPPY SPRING!!!

Well, I made it through Week Four of the 5k training (barely) - whew! I really like my new shoes and inserts but this week's training was REALLY HARD!!! I'm thinking I might have to "repeat" this week's schedule before I advance - I don't think I'm ready. Plus, I have to start running outside, now that the weather is cooperating, since that is where the 5k Race will take place after all. :)

We didn't make it to the "Bike Workshop" on Monday as planned...Eric's back had other ideas. He woke Monday morning and could barely walk because of pain in his lower back. We had a very relaxed, laid back weekend, so we weren't sure what caused the pain. It took him an extra 45 minutes to get ready for work (poor guy couldn't even put his shoes on by himself) and by the time he got to the office he was soaked in sweat from the intensity of the pain. Sitting at his desk was excruciating. After my trip to the gym, I called him and told him to come home. I spent the day playing nurse with ice packs and pillows and scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor. Since we were already icing and giving him anti-inflammatory meds, I know (from my own experience) that an MD would only prescribe muscle relaxers and/or pain meds and not help us get to the root of the problem. So that afternoon we trekked to the chiro and he took x-rays and examined Eric. He didn't exhibit any signs of disc problems (YAY!) so he made a couple of adjustments. Since it was Eric's first time to the chiro, he was more than a bit surprised that the doctor (as Eric put it) "jumped on top of him". As disconcerting as it was to him at first, the relief that he felt the next day has made him a believer. He followed docs instructions for stretching, NOT being stationary too long, icing the area, and drinking lots of water. He also took ibuprofen as needed throughout the day and worked a shorter day - listening to his body for limits. He followed up with the chiro on Wednesday and made it through the week with managed pain. This morning he seems to be doing fine. We'll probably take a leisurely but long walk this afternoon with the dog to help him get back on the activity wagon. It's funny how he's been so retro-actively sympathetic to my back pain from last year's car accident. He keeps apologizing for how much pain I was in and says in wonder "I don't know how you did it!" I'm grateful that my experience helped me get him on the road to recovery so quickly.

Well, getting a jump on laundry and "inside" chores so we can spend most of the day OUTSIDE enjoying the B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L weather!!!

Love to all!

Spring, spring, spring - in Michigan!

The weather has been gorgeous this week!! In the 50's and 60's during the day. There's the chance of snow this weekend, but like Ray says, it won't stick around. Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! The first photo on my electronic frame this morning was of Flynn - our own little leprechaun! Coincidence? I think not!

Spring, spring spring

Yesterday was the first Florida-like spring day we have had and today is just as nice. I got real ambitious this morning and tended to my plants. We only lost 2 to the freezing weather but the others were pretty beat up. I did a lot of pruning and some repotting. It felt good to be outside.

Windy & Reunion

Been windy & rainy all weekend. Suppose to be mid 40's to low 50's starting Monday & no rain until next Sunday.

Hope everyone (who's suppose to) remembered to Spring ahead.

We're excited about hosting the McQueen Reunion on Saturday, June 26. Just so you know there's all sorts of things to do in Caseville (5 miles north) & a nice golf course (3 miles away) for those of you who want to spend more than Saturday here. We are tentatively planning a meal on Saturday for 2:00 pm. There will be a campfire going in the evening until we run out of wood, energy or the sun comes up. There will be plenty of room available for sleeping bags, tents & trailers - bring your own.

There will be more details to follow.

RAIN

Torrential, sort of. All last night and today so far. One time it looked promising to get out BUT, like Dad said, 'that was a short day. My goodness this is strange for here this time of year.
Lori didn't want to go gro shopping this morning because of the 'lakes' all around us and that would include the parking lot.
The palms are waving very determindly and I secured our porch chairs, etc. The porch garden is getting watered by nature today.

Good

No offense, Sandy, but I like it. I'm anxious to see the changes in Jim & Kathy's abode - and to have the family all together, of course.

We got a new car yesterday. A 2006 Toyota Camry. I know what you're thinking; the problem has been taken care of and the dealer is reliable. Eric referred us to him after they bought a car from him a year ago. We sold the Buick to Jason and he traded his car. A good deal for all concerned. I'm driving it for the first time this morning.

POST IT

Change is good. Let's all support the decision and plan on a good time. J&K have an excellant place to have us. YAY for the switch.

Reunion

***NEWS FLASH*** This just in....

The McQueen Family Reunion has had a change of venue. It will now be held at Jim and Kathy's luxurious estate 2 miles north of Pigeon. As the time gets closer, we'll let you know more details about what's available and what will be going on. Hope this doesn't throw a monkey wrench in anyone's plans - but just wait until you see their place!!! It will be a day to remember.

Love you all bunches - Sandy

BB

Note in the pic the nice gloves that Diana bought me for Val Day. Certain relatives were giving me a hard time until we lost the sun; Then they realized my wisdom and were jealous with cold hands. (Tracy, the gloves also provide excellent insulation from the ice cold beer cans.)

Sunny Florida

We sent our guests on their merry way this morning around 6:30. They HAVE to be home by 4:00 on Sunday for the MSU game!! We had such fun yesterday. Jim & Kathy went to the Blue Jays vs Phillies baseball game with Jerry & Jason in the afternoon. We went to Cody's Roadhouse for dinner and to celebrate Jason's birthday. It wasn't very Florida-like but, like Jim said, "there was nothing to shovel!"

Spring Training

Jerry went to the Blue Jays vs Tigers game yesterday and about froze his pitootee (sp?) off. He wore 2 T-shirts, his sweatshirt, a jacket, 2 pair of socks, gloves, and a hat and stayed for almost the entire game. Now THAT's dedication~ The wind was blowing and the temperature never got to 55. More of the same expected for today but at least the sun is shining. I'm still wearing my winter coat to work!

Marvelous March?

We are incredulous that our temps are still in the 40s at night. Jerry is crying that he'll have to wear a jacket to the spring training game this week:( How sad are we?

Shoulder is doing well. I'd say 95%; I'm still doing the exercises to rebuild strength and get that last bit of range of motion.

Looking forward to seeing Jim & Kathy on Friday.

TGIF

Have a great weekend all regardless of the weather - and be safe on your trip, Jim and Kathy!

Happy Friday!

Weatherman promises 60 degrees today. I am so excited!!

Sorry I didn't get to writing for the NL this past month. Our days whirl past us and before I know it we're two months into a new year.

Things really are status quo around here. Scott has been doing some occasional day travel, but nothing too extensive. He does have a trip to Belgium in April, and I think mom is planning to come stay for a few days as it will be during Walleye Festival, and we plan to participate in the rummage sales this year. If you aren't familiar with Freeland Walleye Festival, there are literally HUNDREDS of sales throughout all the neighborhoods. I have considered renting a porta-potty and charging for usage there are THAT many people here. I am not even joking. Mom, back me up here. Freeland schools actually CLOSE the Friday of Walleye festival because the buses can't get through. A school district CLOSES for a RUMMAGE SALE. Yup.

Anyway, that was quite a sidetrack, huh? But, it's a lot more interesting than what's going around here. LOL Our day-to-day involves assorted playgroups and chasing toddlers. It's fun, and busy, and I really enjoy watching the kids grow, but it is exhausting.

Scott and I enjoyed a night away for our 6th wedding anniversary while mom stayed with the kids. We shopped at Somerset, then had dinner at the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant. Yummy.

We're both running three days per week, and I'm using my Wii Fit a couple days per week, too. We're thinking about joining the Midland Community Center to take advantage of the fitness classes,indoor pools, free babysitting and toddler "Jungle Gym" which the kids enjoy very much. I'll post pictures on my blog soon.

The kids love playing outside and we can't wait for spring to come. In fact, yesterday Evan helped himself to the great outdoors while I was upstairs with Rowan. He quickly learned that going outside in February without shoes on is a BAD idea (that was Gram's reference...he had some uncomfortable tootsies for a bit.)

Evan and Rowan were both evaluated for language development by our state consultant (for their hearing loss) and are both testing well advance of their age. Their hearing loss remains unchanged, but they're learning what they need to in spite of it. More info on my blog if you're interested.

Well, the kids are growing impatient with mommy's activity on the computer, so that's it for now.

Love to all!

Well, today Suzanne and Jim left early morning. We had gorgeous, quite warm weather and they go burned at the beach BUT the cold weather returned tonight and the rest of the week, high in the 50,s.
Congrats to Marc and Jamie with a new little one coming in Sept. We hope you will make the reunion in June.
Tracy, what a scare and I bet Rowan's feet hurt for awhile. No wonder he clung to you.
Congrats to you and Scott on the improvement in R&E hearing testing.
Working with the little ones pays off every time.
Love to all but disappointed in the response to the NL this month. Don't you love us anymore?

Suzanne and Jim should be on the ground and almost to Raintree now. We don't promise sunny weather but they won't have to shovel for a few days.
Next weekend J&K start down and hopefully out weather patterns will be settled a bit by then.
Have a good week all and be happy.

Must everyone is writing the NL, no current postings. Love to you and have a super weekend.

3rd storm in 10 days...

Wow...SW Ohio seems to think it's located in the North East! Crazy weather for us. We now have about a foot and a half of snow on the ground and it's still snowing! It's supposed to taper off this afternoon but the roads are still slick and dangerous.

And the icicles are out of control on our house! There are a couple of GIANT ones on the front that are easily 3+ feet long!!!

Well, I have a training at 11am so I'm going to start the slow crawl in that general direction soon.

Happy Tuesday all! xoxo

Hi all,

Enjoying a nice weekend with Scott's mom Dianne. She flew in for a surprise party we're having for Scott at a Japanese steakhouse here in a couple hours. I think he has no idea. Usually he isn't at all good at keeping secrets or surprises, so if he did know, he'd be all goofy about it, and he isn't. We'll see. He doesn't read this blog, so I feel safe sharing. I'll try to remember to take pictures but I've been bad about that lately...somehow wrangling two toddlers nonstop keeps me away from my camera.

We have a very good prospect for our house looking at it a second time on Monday. She called our realtor to ask for a second walkthru and actually told him she'd been prequalified for a loan specifically for our house. She's our next door neighbor's daughter's gymnastic coach, a recent divorcee (whose ex lives in the neighborhood behind us) and has a young son in Freeland schools. Apparantly she "fell in love" with our house and wanted to initially rent it; since we need the equity for our new build, we couldn't do it, so it's promising that she's still very interested and taking steps towards buying. We'll see. We hate to get our hopes up, but according to our neighbor, she is still on very good terms with her ex-husband and everybody, including him, is encouraging her to just step up and buy. Fingers crossed.

Hope everybody is staying warm. We've dug ourselves out and things aren't as cold as they have been.

Cold and Windy

We have GOT to move further south. I am in Fort Myers this morning; the wind is whipping and the high is predicted to be 59! Are you KIDDING me? At least it isn't raining this morning. We had that all day yesterday. I drove down when I got out of work at 2:30. Visibility was less than a mile and all the idiots were out driving like it was black ice. But I got here OK by 5. We all went out to eat at Applebee's then watched some of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Such fun!

Happy Helpers

OK all u FBer's. U no who u r. We need neighbors on Happy Island. We don't care if you play and we promise to never send you a gift so you have to clear your "requests." :) Thanks. U will hear from us!!

New email address

Thought I would post here in case my email didn't get to people. Our new email address is:

kjmcq@avci.net

The old one doesn't work any more & hasn't since the evening of Feb. 9.

Shoulder Saga

The final chapter of the shoulder saga. I saw the Ortho doc on Monday and he said use the arm, strengthen the muscles, be patient with the amount of time it will take to feel "normal," and don't do anything crazy with it for a few more months. So I guess water skiing, tug of war, snow shoveling, etc. are off my list for awhile:) I'm done with PT but will continue the exercises at home, ice it when there's pain, and move on.

Made it!

...to Florida, despite a WHOLE bunch of snow. I was concerned that the flight would be delayed but no problems, no worries. I'm warm (sort of) and safe in the bosom of Mom and Dad - and Lori. Di will be down in a couple days. I'm excited!!!

That's how winter goes when you live in the snow belt. Yuck! It gets a bit much afterawhile.

Here we "snow" again...

Trying to make the best of another day snowed in at home. So far I've returned some work emails and spent several hours on the phone with IT support to get help with computer issues. Eric will be home soon, they're closing the office at 1pm because of the Snow Emergency issued.

Good thing we have lots of soup and beef stew left from last week's storm! :)

Hope all is well with the rest of you! :)

Gamma that's one way to get both of the kids in a picture facing front. Thanks.

Saturday

Yes, it's snowing in Freeland too! We had a great time at the Professional Bull Riding show last night with Jim and Kathy. What a hoot! Me, Rowan and Evan are just starting to have fun. They are just up from their naps and in pretty good spirits. Here's a couple pics just to make you smile. XO

All of that information is wonderful, Joni, in Ohio and wherever else it may be falling, Our sunshine is beautiful, the wind is strong but we are enjoying it.
G'pa's porch garden has started to sprout seeds, radishes, carrots, cukes and summer squash. We Sandy gets here she can teach me how to post pictures and we will send some.
Enjoy the snow all, as we USE to,

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

...but the "furnace" is so delightful, and since we've no place to go...let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

And snow it has! At least 8 inches on the ground since yesterday afternoon. Luckily we are prepared to hunker down and stay in for the weekend!

We have movies and books from the library, a giant pot of chicken noodle soup on the stove and lots of time for Rockband jam sessions!

Of course, Mozart LOVES the snow, as usual. He went crazy running around when Eric took him for his walk this morning. The fact that the snow came up to his belly didn't slow him down a bit!

Brian too! Brent is going on a cruise in March so I'm sure he will be traveled out.

Good news. We're looking forward to you coming.
Are you going to get Brent to book a trip this winter?

G

FLA!

Just booked our flight to FL for March!!! We arrive in Orlando on March 25th at night, and will leave from there on April 2nd. Patrick's Dad and sister live in Cocoa area and have a vehicle we can use for our trip. Not sure when we'll head to NFM, but we will for sure be there!! Details in the future!! Can't wait to see the FL family!!!

Wednesday

One more week until I go to FL for 5 days! But I'll be busy so the time will go fast. Friday night, we're going with Jim & Kathy to a professional bull riding competition at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw. It's like a rodeo but with only the bulls! Then Saturday, I'm having a PJ party with Evan and Rowan at their place. It's Scott's weekend before birthday celebration so E&R get to watch Gemma for the night.

I'm sure I'll have to make meals and leave notes for Ray before I go south so as I said, I'll be busy! Please have the warm weather saved up for me!

Still Chillin'

Another cold front with nippy temps today. Won't be long though; spring is just around the corner for us. Jerry & I went to see "Avatar" in IMAX 3-D today. It was outstanding! The technology amazed us and the 2:40 movie flew by. Good story too, lots of action. We had lunch afterward at my favorite fast-food joint (Panera.) Good day for their soup.
My shoulder is finally responding to the anti-inflammatory so I am able to work with the Physical Therapist and do the exercises. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is definitely not a train.
Another school year is half over. I checked my data base to see how many DJJ students we had transitioned back into school. A staggering 450+ youthful offenders given another opportunity to get an education.

Official Announcement

The McQueen family get-together will be held at Rusty's Ranch in Farwell, MI on Saturday, June 26, 2010.

There will be more details in the days to come but now you can plan your time off from work and travel plans.

I hope (and G'ma and G'pa really hope) you can all make it!

Subzero temps.

I've posted some fun pictures to our own blog if ya'll are keeping up. Things are going well here...we've been busy all week so decided to stay close to home today. It's nice to not have somewhere to go. Especially since it's COOOOOLD.

We don't have any plans for the weekend, either, which is a change for us.

Rowan's on the tail end of a cold that she has handled nicely and kept from the rest of us (so far.)

Scott and I have kept up with the running and strength training (I LOVE my Wii Fit!!!!! Have The Biggest Loser and EA Active and use them almost every day) and are back down to below pre-holiday weight. Our first race is on March 21st - just a 5K.

Had our 31st house showing yesterday. Hopefully that wishbone we pulled at Thanksgiving will do its job and we'll sell soon.

Stay warm, all!

Didn't know about Ray falling. He, nor you Sandy need that. Take heart Feb. is soon to arrive, that is short, then March and lala, Spring is just around the corner. On the other hand, we are having more like winter here this year too. Cold weather reigns BUT the sun shines every day but heats us up very little.
Think of our summer gathering and get fuzzy warm. It will sure be a sight to see the cousins and second cousins together, our clan. YAY!
Tracy, g'pa says stick with it as it only gets worse with the kids. You think they are running you raged now, just wait until you add chauffeur, coach, mediator, nurse etc. to the present agenda. Those jobs now exist but not to the extent that you will inherit. We are sure have flashbacks from when our kids were young. YAY! Happiness!

Hurry up, Spring

I hate to wish away time, but this winter has gone on long enough. Ray fell on the ice Monday but luckily didn't hurt himself beyond a bruised butt and a bumped head.

Thanks to Eric and Suzanne for taking extra effort to post their newsletters. I love that the cousins are all reaching out using the blog and Facebook. Keep it comin'!

Love to all

Suzi's late NL

Hey all! It's been awhile since I posted anything on the blog, plus I missed the NL this month too, so its time to make up for it :) The holidays were very different for the Johns family this year, and although it was under unfortunate circumstances, I'm glad we got to spend so much time together. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers for our family during that difficult time. On a side note, I went to Cleveland to pick up Jim a couple of days before the funeral, and we got to spend some time with his family, and then we drove back to FH. While we were hanging out with our cousins at Gpa Johns' condo, V and cousin Nicki were cooking spaghetti, and garlic bread in the oven for all of us hungry hippos. All of a sudden, while we were playing cards in the dining room, the entire inside of the oven lit up in flames, it was completely on fire. Obviously, we're panicking, but thankfully, Jim was right there, and he grabbed the baking soda and put it right out. Good thing too, because none of us knew the correct way to put out an oven fire. V was searching for a fire extinguisher, but we found out later he didn't have one. But now we know - baking soda for oven fires. It turns out, our Aunt Sandee made meatloaf on Grandpa's request for his Xmas Eve dinner; so the grease must've spilt off the side. We were all grateful for Jim to be there, and was dubbed "firefighter" the rest of our time together.

Work has been OK, we're in the thick of our (last?) season of American Greed, and I've been crazy busy, but I'm only supposed to work 25 hours a week. It bothers me that my hours are restricted, while nobody else's are, but I'll take what I can get. As of now, my contract with KP is only supposed to go through April (unless we get another series). I applied for a second job at the beginning of December for a new restaurant opening near Wrigley Field. This isn't just any restaurant, but it's a Leo's Coney Island which originated in Michigan, and is a huge successful chain near the Detroit area. The owners are bringing the very first Leo's to Chicago, and they hired me to waitress at our informal interview. The only small issue is that the restaurant hasn't opened yet, they originally wanted to open NYE, but have pushed it back to mid to late February. But once it opens, I think it'll be crazy busy, it's in a prime location, the food is cheaply priced, yet very tasty, and it's 100% kid friendly which is a huge appeal around that area. We already had orientation, so I've met many of the people that I will work with, and everyone is great, including the manager, so that's a huge plus. I'll let you know how it goes!

When my mom was in town last week, her, Jim, and I went skiing near Kalamazoo, MI at a pretty nice hill called 'Bittersweet'. That was fun, and no major spills, so hopefully we'll all do it again on a huge mountain. I also had a few MI friends stay with us this past weekend to celebrate my birthday. We had an amazing time, going out til 5 AM, shopping, and eating at many delicious places (including Jim's restaurant). I went out for sushi for my first time, and sang karaoke for the first time (and was horrible!), so the entire weekend was a blast. Tonight, I'm taking Flynn to Disney on Ice while V attends one of Patrick's free shows in Wrigleyville. Flynn and I are going with Jim's niece Ally, and his sister Laurie. Ally and Flynn are the same age, so when they hang out, it's fun to see the super cute 3 year olds interact.

Fourth of July get together sounds great! Can't wait to see everyone!

Sandy sure glad I didn't talk to you this morning but I'm doing good. Hope that perks up your day.
Tracy, those "HATE" days are special, sent by God for reflection and peace. I do realize that it is difficult with the kids inside so much but enjoy.
Remember everyone, it is NL time.

Love/hate.

I'll get in on this action.

I love when Rowan (or Evan) sit on the couch cuddled up next to me.

I HATE being cooped up all winter!!!

We have plans to get back to our Tues/Thurs playgroup now that the tummy bug has made its way through our home. Maybe another playdate on Wed/Fri once I talk to the other moms at playgroup today. That will help the cooped up feeling. Scott and I both have doctors appointments today (routine) so he's going to work from home this afternoon.

Lots of primetime TV on these days, so at least we're staying amused!

Love/Hate

I LOVE January (almost) thaw!

I HATE funerals.

And I really hate when a day starts badly and goes downhill from there. It's only 8:30 AM and not looking good. Started with some big "duh" comments when chatting with Di, followed by running late, stubbing my toe on Ray's tool bag left on the dining room floor, spilling my coffee, and finding out that I don't have a grace period to spend the rest of my flexible medical account from 2009 despite what HR told me four times. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Thanks for the update Kathy. He will need your TLC just 'cuz.
He talked with Dad this a.m. and sounded pretty good but one can
tell he's in need of some comfort for awhile.
Love

Gout

Jim stayed home from work Thursday & Friday. He feels better today. He went to the doctor on Thursday. Confirmed it is gout. He can't take the prescribed medication because of his transplant. He's taking a low dose steroid & arthritis tylenol. He also can't take ibuprofin for any length of time. We also bought some cherry juice which the doctor says may help. He has stayed off it as much as possible & kept elevated. We haven't figured out what triggered it but hindsight as they say is 20/20. He's had minor pains that have been leading up to this major episode. He'll baby himself this weekend again just as he did last weekend and hopefully it will have run it's course by Monday.

On a brighter note the temperature has been above freezing for the last 2 days & is suppose to be in the 40's this weekend!

Gout----ouch! Dad/g'pa said that when he had it the doctor gave him a shot, with REST advice and it wears itself out, sorta. Our neighbor here had it, stayed off her feet, kept her legs elevated, took medicine and now is so she can walk a bit.
Jim have you been to a doctor?

NL etc.

Van, I'm going to pass the torch for the NL reminders on to you - you do a great job of it! I'm still trying to get input from folks for the 4th of July weekend (or the weekend on either side of it) for our get-together. Candi told me she would be in MI until July sometime. I have only heard from 5 people but will mention it again in my NL e-mail tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for writing and shaking the bushes.

Love to all.

I also read all the blog posts on our blog. Just been very busy lately, not much time to blog. I'll catch everyone up in our NL, which is....everybody...DUE TOMORROW!!

A previous post suggested planning a gathering in MI this summer. Is that something we're working towards?? Someone threw out the 4th for the time, was that supposed to be June or July 4th. I thought I recall Candy saying she'll be up north in June sometime. It would be so awesome to get ALL OF US to attend. Whenever a time is decided, please let everyone know. Thanks!
Great times await!!

Sorry, I have no ideas for gout. Hope you're feeling better, Uncle Jim. And Aunt Di, hope your shoulder feels better soon, too.

Gram, want to assure you that I read every single post. I don't write as much as I could, but that's because I have our own blog, too, and don't always have time to write for both. If ya'll want, I *could* post a link everytime I post on our blog, but I just don't have time (or sometimes energy) to write on both.

Excitement

Today is supposed to warm to 65 degrees and we are all so excited! The doc prescribed an anti-inflammatory for my shoulder and I think it is working. The pain still wakes me up at night, but I can do stretches and move it quite a bit without lingering pain during the day and that is progress.

We think Jim has gout. Any suggestions for cures/relief?

I have to wonder how many family members are reading our blog. Not many writing these days. I look forward to finding some news and bringing back a memory.

Tis true. By the time one gets warmer clothes, if you can find them down here, we will be able to swim and then have to find a place to store them. Woe is me, Joni, enjoy. More in NL later.

Update

Tooth is fixed, doc says the shoulder pain is probably just inflamation, and it is supposed to be 58 degrees today. All is much righter in the Sunshine State:)

You know it's cold when...

...Joni buys and wears a long-sleeve, turtleneck shirt and courdoroy pants! If you know me at all, you know that these are two wardrobe pieces that I swore I'd never own...never say never.

Sounds like you Florida folks could use some warmer clothes, too...brrrrrrrr!

Stay warm and well. xoxo

Well Diana, you sure are having your problems this season. Eat healthy food like chocolate and you wouldn't have to blame the poor carrots. They may be good for your eyes and make your hair red, but your teeth suffer. It's BBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR cold here too. 28 degrees this morning and our power was interrupted for about 10 minutes and the temp started to go down. Oh well, so much for living in FL.

Brrrrr

OK - I'm over it. I have worn all of my sweaters at least once so it is time for the cold to be DONE! Yesterday's high was 43 and, wouldn't you know it, the heat quit working in the early afternoon. By the time I realized it, the inside temp was down to 60. Imagine my embarrassment when the repairman came and flipped the switch on the circuit breaker. I had thought of that, but the numbers were still showing up on the thermostat so I dismissed it. Oops.
My shoulder is not recovering like I think it should so I'm calling the doctor today. It doesn't seem like I should be having this much pain 8 weeks after surgery. I also have to call the dentist because I lost a filling yesterday. DARN carrots!

Whew...

Good morning all,

The Hughes clan is on the road again. I don't know how Bethany does it every single day! They have GREAT kids, but she's always outnumbered 3:1 and even with Doug, the kids still have the advantage! Doug says they play a lot of "Zone Defense" - lol. Tracy, I'm sure you can relate - I give ALL moms props, and especially those who stay home, outnumbered on a daily basis. :)

The snow continues to fall here...big, fat flakes this morning. Heading out to the gym now then the grocery store - going stir crazy!

Have a fantastic Saturday!

Surprise visit

Late last night we received an unexpected call from Eric's friend from college, Doug Hughes (a.k.a. "Dr. Doug") telling us that he and his family would be leaving Youngstown area, where they were visiting family, and heading back home to Fort Myers. So they mapped their trip so they'd be driving through Dayton and could check out the accommodations at Hotel Pitts.

Doug and Bethany have 3 little ones: Brady - age 3, Avery - age 2, and Addison - age 6 months. They arrived about 2:30 this afternoon and the Pitts' household has been chaos ever since! lol

When they arrived, Doug handed me Addison to hold and she pretty much stayed glued to me until a few minutes ago when I reluctantly gave her to Bethany for bed. She still has that delicious baby smell...yum!

Now, it's 10 o'clock the entire Hughes clan is piled in our guest room sound asleep, Eric has fallen asleep on the couch watching basketball, and even Mozart has curled up on the futon for the night. Guess I should hit the hay too...g'night!

All of the below was interesting reading and I decided to write a bit. I had sort of given up as I visited daily to no messages for awhile.
We had a very quiet New Year's eve and day. Our weather has been less than pleasurable and we enjoy our home.
NL will be coming up soon so I won't go into any detail here.
It is our hope to be in Michigan for a family party and see Candi with her girls. Marc, Jamie and kids were here recently for a couple days and such a pleasure to see the family.
Hope this is a healthy, happy 2010 for all of you.

Ok, Mom, I get the hint. :)

Joni, if you ever want some good recipes, let me know. I'm always trying new things, and love to "health it up" so they're all relatively good for you. Most of the time. The other night I made a pecan encrusted chicken breast made with low fat honey mustard dressing and multi-grain cheerios...it was YUMMY! Another favorite is whole wheat oatmeal pancakes. We do breakfast for dinner one night per week.

Things are good at our household. Nothing too crazy to report; had a great time at Dianne's the week after Christmas but was very glad to get home to normalcy. The kids were typical toddlers out of their routine...but fun.

I'm enjoying spending a lot of time on my Wii Fit and training for some upcoming races, too. Scott is working a lot, and looking forward to flying solo this weekend as I leave Saturday morning for a girl's outing with some of the other MOMs (mothers of multiples) in my club...going to one of the girl's cottage up in N. Higgins for the night. Much wine will be involved, I'm sure. Her cottage sleeps twelve and there are seven of us going...we meet once per month for three hours or so and talk nonstop, so I'm sure it will be lots of fun.

Been taking E&R to a local playgroup at a gym, and have made a couple new mommy friends there, too. We'll have more playdates in the near future, I'm sure. It's good for everybody.

Gotta run. Yo Gabba Gabba is ending and it's lunchtime, so my bosses will need me. Love to all.

Thanks....

for writing, Joni. I was afraid the blog was turned off. I would love to hear from some of the rest of the family.

Snow Day

Now I know that many of you who are farther north won't think our weather down here merits school closings, but for SW Ohio - it was a heck of a lot of snow! We got over six inches this afternoon - they closed a few schools, sent some home early and even closed some businesses early (Eric was sent home at 3pm). We're still loving it up here, believe it or not. Yes, it's cold and snowy in the winter but we know that the spring, summer and autumn come too! :)

As for me, my boss would rather that I err on the side of caution, so I stayed home and hung out with Mozart and worked on the paperwork that always gets put off till the last minute because I never find the time to get it done.

Mozart just LOVES the snow! He goes crazy outside, rooting around in it, burying his nose then throwing it up in the air and rolling around in it. I even tossed his ball with him for awhile this afternoon. It's a bright red rubber ball that is usually soft and squeaky, but since it's SO cold, it was frozen solid and all squished up from him chomping down on it. It was pretty funny to see him chase this thing around.

I've started cooking a lot more now that Eric is home for dinner every night. Lately I've been experimenting with soups. I've never in my life made soup before this year. If it didn't come from a can that said Progresso or Campbell's, I was at a loss. But I got brave and asked the moms and grandmoms in my life for advice and guidance and have successfully prepared two soups. My first was a vegetable beef and the second was a chicken noodle. Thanks to Grandma for not laughing too hard at me when she found out I added an entire bag (yes, a pound!) of noodles to my broth! Oops - now I know for next time.

Actually, I shared some of the soup with our neighbors tonight(we have a TON) and in return, she shared a serving of her homemade fried rice. We visited with them last week and I think she and I are going to get together to exchange cooking tips and recipes later this month.

Hope everyone is staying warm and cozy...even you Florida folks that are getting uncharacteristically cold weather.

Summer

I like Sandy's idea of a summer get-together. We could work our vacation around the 4th I think.

Happy New Year from the frozen north!

We too spent a quiet night at home after taking Melodie out for an early dinner. We had a great time and she really enjoyed going out. She was planning to stay up until midnight but we crashed early.

I will write about this in the NL but I want you bloggers to know that Ray and I are thinking of hosting a family gathering in the summer when Candi is here. She told me she will be here all of June and some of July so we were looking at 4th of July weekend or the weekend before or after that. Your thoughts would be appreciated. I think it would be wonderful to get as much of the family together as possible.

Here's hoping for a healthy and happy 2010 for all of us! Love!!

1/1/10

Happy New Year Family! We spent a quiet night inside away from the night, although we could hear a lot of fireworks. We wish you all a healthy and happy 2010.