Springtime at Christmas Time!

The weather has been unseasonable warm here lately and we have had Spring like weather for the past week. I was afraid it was going to rain but the sun continues to shine. It is almost too warm for this time of year but we are thankful for the good weather since so many others are having a bad time with it.

How was your Christmas? I hope it was as nice as ours. My parents, Chris, and Caroline all came over last Monday and stayed in a condo. It was a nice 3 bedroom with an oceanview. We spent alot of time over there with them. Christmas Eve, the kids went with them to Broadway at the Beach and walked around while Bill and I did some last minute shopping for groceries. We all went to Mass at 6:00 (including Bill's parents) and then went back to the condo. Chris and I put our casseroles together for Christmas dinner and Chris and Bryanna made cookies. We did not get home until around 11:30 and then Bill and I were up until after 2:00 while Bill did some last minute wrapping.

Christmas morning, I had set my alarm for 6:00 because everyone was coming over between 8 am and 9 am. Well, I got up at 6, turned my alarm off and went back to bed until 7:30. Thankfully I got up and got in the shower, took care of the dogs, and started getting my breakfast together. Before I knew it, Bill's parents were here at about 8:30. Bill and the kids were still sound asleep. I woke everyone up and got them going and before I knew it, my family was here. Now Caroline, who does not get up until after 12:00 on days she does not have school, was bright eyed and wide awake at 9 AM. It was a Christmas miracle! I made a continental breakfast of fruit, danish, and cinnamon rolls so that everyone could serve themselves except the Dads who wanted to be served. Anyway, we opened our stockings and presents and had a fun time. Bryanna finally got her orange cell phone and orange iPod and Andrew got an electric guitar. He will start lessons on Jan. 8th. I really can't remember what all Caroline got, I know we got her seat covers, floor mats, and other things for her car. Chewy got a little gray elephant with a nice tail to chew on and Snickers got some rawhide chews.

We went over to Bill's parents for Christmas dinner and had a real nice time. We had all contributed to the meal and had way too much food cooked but it was good. The rest of the day was spent napping, watching TV, and talking. Also, my 2 cousins, Pam and Patti had sent my mom and dad a digital frame for Christmas and they downloaded family pictures into it. Some of the pictures were old and some were new. I have to say, that was their favorite gift. We all enjoyed looking at the pictures. Thank you to Pam and Patti!

Yesterday (the 26th) Bill and I had our marriage blessed at our church. We basically got remarried but by our priest. It was a very special ceremony and we had our attendants back for an encore performance. Caroline as the maid of honor and Bill's Dad as the best man. After the ceremony, we all went to Burro Loco for a Mexican lunch and our priest, Monsignor Roth, came with us. He is such a special man and has so many stories to tell. Afterwards, Chris and Caroline had to head home but mom and dad stayed so we are going to spend the day with them.

It has been a very special Christmas and hope yours was special as well. We are suppose to go the Elgin for New Year's so I hope that works out. See you in 2009!

The Agony of Defeat!

The Seahawks were defeated by Mt. Pleasant yesterday by a score of 6-8. The team played really hard and fought to the end. After the game, the boys were shedding tears and it was really hardbreaking. Most of these boys will move up a level next year or play for the Middle School. So, our football season over for this year but we should did enjoy the extended season and the excitement!

The High School Seahawks won the State Championship last night in Clemson, SC. An exciting event for our high school and our community. Wish we could have attended but maybe next year!

Friday, I took the kids to a food drive that our local radio station was having. Our favorite disc jockeys were hosting the event so I took a picture of the kids with Mitch and Alix:

Bryanna is holding a frisbree with lots of little freebies inside. The DJs loaded the kids up with lots of stuff before we left!

Friday night, Bill and I attended the Elks Club Christmas party with his parents. It was a rip roaring good time with all the old folks. One guy threw his hip out doing the twist but hopefully he will recover by Christmas. The club had a nice dinner buffet and a bar set up. We had a good time and got home fairly early! The kids went to "Reindeer Games" at the recreation center Friday night and their party lasted longer than ours! I walked in the rec center to find Andrew and Bryanna standing in line to visit with Santa. So what if both kids were taller than the Santa, he is an elf after all! They were actually in line because Santa was giving out really nice bags of candy.

Well, I better get going, we are going to see the Nutcracker today!

The excitement builds!

The big game is Saturday at 11:30 am right here in Myrtle Beach so we do not have to travel. Here is a link to a video of Andrew's team from the local news channel, I hope it will work:

http://www.scnow.com/scp/sports/other/article/undefeated_little_seahawks_seek_state_title/21225/


I love how they call the team the "little" Seahawks because these boys are anything but Little! The local newspaper came out to practice last night and did some interviews and Andrew was interviewed for that article so I will post a link when the article is published. Time for me to go to work!

Go Seahawks!!!

P.S. The Myrtle Beach High School Seahawks are playing for the State title this Saturday at Death Valley in Clemson so we are wishing them the best of luck as well!

Food, Fun, and oh yes....FOOTBALL!

Seems a while since I last posted and we have had our ups and downs in our family like everyone else! I hope everyone had a very nice Thanksgiving as we did. I spent Thanksgiving Eve trying to hem a pair of pants for Andrew. I thought I had bought the magic stitch witchery but had picked up the wrong stuff....it took me a long time to get the needle threaded and then hemming, well, lets just say I am way out of practice. As luck would have it, the minute we walked into church, the hem fell out. Oh well, worst things have happened! We went over to Bill's parents for bagels and coffee and went through the sale papers with them. I had written out my shopping list last weekend and knew what I wanted to go get. We ate at Ryan's this year instead of cooking because we weren't sure of our plans until the last minute. I sure missed my Mom's stuffing and everything else! We had a nice day though and my favorite part was handing the dirty dishes to the Ryan's waitress!

Bill and I went shopping yesterday. We did not really run into any crowds except at Dick's Sporting Goods. I waited in line for about 30 minutes, not once, but twice here! We are all done shopping though except for ONE hard to buy for person who shall remain nameless...Mom.....I just have to wrap now and get some things shipped. I am WAY ahead this year compared to last year and yes everyone I will wrap before Christmas Eve this year!!! (Caroline is smiling....)

We have been doing alot of running around with the kids here lately but have managed to get them where they needed to be at the right time. Bryanna tried out for All-County Orchestra and All-County Chorus and was chosen for both of them. She is 14th chair for the violin section and 1st soprano for the chorus. It is a wonder how my musical abilities got passed on to her especially the singing part! She did really great and we are so proud of her because she worked really hard to earn these spots.

And yes, we are still playing football! Andrew's team won the Eastern Division Championship last Tuesday. I could not make it to the game because Bryanna had a concert at the high school. My mom and dad, Chris, Caroline and Bill all went to the game though and the Seahawks won 14-0. Their next game is Saturday, Dec. 6th where they are competing for the Southern Division Championship. I am not sure where the game will be yet or the time. If they win that game, they will play for the State Championship so keep all of your fingers and toes crossed for them!

On top of everything else, our sweet little doggie, Chewy, got sick last Sunday so we ended up taking him to the Vet Emergency Room. He had some kind of intestinal flu and had to have a bag of fluids inserted into him because he would not eat or drink. He was feeling much better by Monday and was back to his usual self on Tuesday. His buddy, Snickers, was even worried about him when he was sick. They are both looking forward to seeing Santa even though Chewy will have alot of explaining to do......

Take care and have a great week!!!

All About Training...

I was in Clemson, SC all last week for training for my new job. As it should be, everything in Clemson in ORANGE. Orange tiger paws painted on the roadways, the bank was even orange. I was staying at a Hampton Inn right around the corner from "Death Valley" which is the nickname for the stadium. The weather was chilly but would warm up. I had intentions of taking pictures but of course I forgot with everything else going on. My trainers were Pam and Bob and they were both really fun to work with. Bob has been on the job for 27 years! He is a Vietnam Veteran and had some very interesting stories. Pam has been with the company for 3 years and is on her 4th marriage so she had some interesting stories as well....haha The leaves were at their peak and really beautiful. I was not far from the mountains but I stayed near my hotel and work and did not venture out much. Tomorrow I leave for Augusta, GA for another week of training and then my traveling should be minimal.

Bill was very busy with the kids. We got a phone call last Sunday afternoon and Andrew made All-Stars for football. I did not think we were having All-Stars this year but I thought wrong which is not unusual. So, with Bryanna having volleyball 2 days a week, Andrew had football 4 days, plus CCD, the doggies, and his work besides he was one tired guy when I got home. I have been doing the laundry all day and went to the grocery store and got them stocked up for the week so hopefully things will be smoother.

Andrew's All-Star game is Thursday and I will be missing it. I am real disappointed and hope they win. If they win, they will play again on Saturday. Bryanna tries out for All County Orchestra on Saturday afternoon and we are suppose to be in Elgin sometime on Saturday because on Sunday my dad is taking Bill and I somewhere (he won't tell us where-just know it is not a race and we have to dress casual)

Halloween was fun for the kids. Andrew went around with his friends in the neighborhood and he also went to Broadway at the Beach. Chewy and I walked Bryanna around our neighborhood. I told Bryanna this is her last year, she spent about 15 minutes at each person's house chatting away......she was dressed as a guitar hero rock star, I am not quite sure what Andrew was. He did his own costume this year and much to my delight, he painted his face with a RED SHARPIE. He did this before I got home. Most of the sharpie is gone except a little on his arms.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great week.

Busy October!

It has been a really busy week for us. I received an email Wednesday morning with a job offer that I could not pass up so I immediately got in touch with the company and I started my new job on Thursday. I had training and paperwork to fill out and also had a forklift certification class to attend. Bill sent me the Halloween bouquet for good luck, it is really beautiful. I leave tomorrow morning to attend training in Clemson, SC which is in the upstate of SC. I will be there until Friday, come home for the weekend and then travel to Augusta, GA for more training. After that, I should not have to do much more traveling except maybe an occasionally trip to North Carolina. I am real excited about this opportunity.

Wednesday night we also found out the the recreation department had scheduled a football tournament for yesterday (Saturday) The Falcons were victorious in their last game against the Bears and then had to play the Bears again on Saturday morning. The Falcons beat the Bears so we had to return for a noon game against the undefeated Giants. After a VERY PAINFUL 50 minutes, the Falcons were defeated and now life can move on....Andrew did a great job playing defense and sacked the quarterback 3 times in the last game against the Bears. Here are some pictures from the game, Andrew is #75 and they got to play at the new $4 million high school stadium.

Falcons vs. Bears

Falcons vs. Giants

After the game was over, I took Bryanna and her friend and we went to a Doll and Teddy Bear Expo held in Myrtle Beach. I met 2 ladies that are in my doll club. One lady is from Texas and has a doll company and the other lady is from North Carolina and had an event company but also sells dolls. There were some really unique dolls and a little newborn baby that I wanted. He looked like a real baby and weighed about 3 pounds. The saleslady MADE me hold him and it was all I could do to put him down. I can't believe how much talent that these artists have from sculpting to making the clothes. Really amazing works of art. Of course, there were tons of Barbies! There is a new set that is Elvis and Priscilla and for an Elvis fan would be great. They are dressed in their wedding clothes. We had a fun time while we were there.

We had a terrible storm here on Friday. Wind and rain. Trees were uprooted, some people lost their roofs. It was a cold rain.

Today we took the kids to the House of Blues Gospel Brunch. It was really alot of fun. The House of Blues has a live band and the guy was singing "This Little Light of Mine"- a very jazzy version and if you weren't clapping, he would make you sing in the microphone. Everyone was very good natured and seemed to be having alot of fun. They brought a "JUST MARRIED" couple on the stage to join in the singing and it was really cute. The buffet was great. They had made to order omelets, prime rib, bacon, fried chicken, grilled chicken, THE best mac and cheese I have ever eaten (sorry Gram!) red beans and rice, collards, potatoes, bread pudding (awesome!) cookies, fruit, and lots of other stuff.

Well, I need to get packed and do laundry. The leaves are changing up in Clemson so I will try to get some pictures and post them.

Have a good week!

Football/Race Weekend

This past weekend, Bill, Andrew and my dad went to the Nascar race in Martinsville, VA. It was Andrew's first Sprint Cup race and he loved it! They left on Saturday, spent the night in a motel, and went to the race on Sunday. Here are a few pictures my dad sent to me. My dad is a Jeff Gordan fan, Bill likes Jr., and Andrew likes Tony Stewart but Jimmy Johnson won the race!

Me, Chris, my mom, and Bryanna went up to Newberry on Saturday to see the football game and to watch Caroline march. It was a night game and a little chilly but we had a good time. Newberry beat the number one ranked, undefeated Wingate College and the game was very exciting. The band did an excellent job as usual and it was great to visit with Caroline.

The Falcon's last 2 games are this week. The Falcon's play the Jets tonight and then the last game is Thursday. They have had a rough season but had fun as well.

We added a new "branch" to our family tree this weekend with the arrival of Brady Cole Goedeker. Brady's mom is my cousin Kim's daughter, Nikki. Kim is a first time Grandma and will be just excellent in the role I know! Our best wishes are being sent to the new parents, Jeff and Nikki!

This is it for now, stay warm and take care!

Falcons Win!

After a disappointing loss to the Jets last Thursday the Falcons came back this week and defeated the Bears 19-0. I finally remembered to take the camera with me so I took a few pictures. Andrew before the game:

Andrew and Gray are co-captains of the Falcons and yes they are the same age!

This picture is before the game waiting for the other team to get on the field!

Anyway, the game was pretty exciting and the boys seem to have had a great time. No game until next week and the Falcons will face the undefeated (so far....) Giants!

Cooking update: I realized the other day why I do not like to cook. It is not the cooking part but the cleaning up part. I think I would enjoy cooking if I did not have to clean up the mess that I make afterwards. This profound thought hit me as I was cleaning the George Foreman grill. I am on my 4th George Foreman grill. This recent grill was a wedding gift from Chris and is a nice big one. I have had all different sizes and wore out the first 3. I love to use the grill, but hate cleaning it. I think that is why Emeril and all those other people like to cook....think about it, they give some assistant cook the recipe and this person gathers all the ingredients and chops and measures everything, the CHEF then puts it all together and then you know someone else cleans up the mess. Who would not enjoy cooking like that? This past Saturday I found a recipe on the internet for Chicken and Dumplings for the crock pot. I knew that Bill was going to be gone most of the day and I was not sure when he would be home (he took his first hunting trip with his boss, just call him "ELMER FUDD") so I wanted to make something in the crock pot. This recipe was so easy and surprisingly enough it was very good! The dumplings are actually buttermilk canned biscuits that you quarter and in the crock pot they float up to the top and brown. If you serve this with a salad or green beans, it makes a nice dinner. I was thinking too that you could add carrots to the crock pot but since I don't like carrots that much, I did not do that. Anyway, it is something I will make again on a nice cold day.

What about that Notre Dame game? They almost blew it but came through. I still am not believing that this Saturday ND is playing in North Carolina and I cannot go...wah! I saw some tickets on eBay but can't justify paying that much if we want to have electricity and water for the next couple of months.....haha Go Irish!

So back to the hunting trip. Elmer a.k.a. Bill, drags us all over to Bass Pro Shop on Friday night to get his hunting license and hunting gear. If you have never been to a Bass Pro Shop you are really missing out. They have everything for hunting and fishing and they do have really nice clothes. I have bought sweaters there for myself. Some of the stuff is very expensive and you have to look around really good. The first hat Bill picked up was $39.99 but after some searching we found one just as good for $4.99. Anyway, we finally got him outfitted and after a few glitches, got his license. He got up at 5:00 am on Saturday morning and away he went. The only "wildlife" he spotted were some lizards crawling up a tree, oh well, maybe next time.

And of course the blog would not be complete without a picture of the baby. Here is our little angel playing with his "baby":

That's it for now. Hope everyone is doing okay and staying well!

Gameday

The Falcons fell to the Steelers 6-0 last night in the Falcon's season opener. Key plays were made by my superstar Andrew who tackled the player trying to go for the 2 point conversion. Andrew also blocked the center who then fell backwards into the running back, who then fumbled the ball which was recovered by the Falcons. Okay, so I am not exactly John Madden! The Falcon's quarterback had a little trouble. He threw 4 passes, 2 of which were intercepted and 2 were dropped. Oh well, my superstar had fun and came home dirty and sweaty which is all that matters! He plays both offense and defense and was in almost the whole game.

Not much else is going on right now, as luck would have it, I forgot my camera last night so I will try to remember to bring it tomorrow night when the Falcons take on the Jets!

Go Falcons!

Newberry Wins!

We had some terrible weather here at the beach this past week, it was worse than the tropical storm we had...cold rain, wind gusts, we had 3 days of that and then Friday was a beautiful, warm day. As a result of the quick change weather, we have all been coughing and sneezing.

We went with my mom, dad, and Chris this past Saturday to the Newberry game. Finally got to see Caroline march! The band is small but I think they do a great job. The game was really exciting, you can read about it at http://newberry.athleticsite.com/article.asp?articleID=3364 If you look in the background, right behind the red railing, Bryanna is standing up wearing a pink hoodie and shorts. We had alot of fun cheering on the "Scarlett and Gray". There were a few really bad calls by the referees and the head coach really blew his top. The thing was, the referee had his microphone on while the head coach was yelling at him. Since this is a "family blog" I won't repeat what was said but we did get a good laugh out of it. After the game, Chris and I went into the dorm to get Caroline and her roommate. Caroline's room is bigger this year and more organized (read: cleaner) and the girls have it decorated really nice. We all went to a BBQ place for dinner and then left for home. Our driver (Dad) took a wrong turn but we made it home eventually.

Sunday, Bill worked on the tile in mom and dad's kitchen. He got all the tile up but still needs to do the finishing touches. The remodeling is really coming along nice! My cousins, Pam and Patti, came down for a week and Patti took on the "foreman" position and her and dad put down the new floor and painted the family room. It is really pretty. I only got to see Pam and Patti for a little while and Patti was busy working but I did get to talk to Pam a little and look at her pictures. I know mom and dad enjoyed having them!

We got home late last night and now we are back to the routine. Andrew's football game was cancelled last week because of the weather but he is suppose to have a game tomorrow night. I will try to take a picture or 2!

Chewy is recovered from his surgery and only got one staple out by himself before his vet visit. The place where the staple was did not get infected so that was good news. He is all "bedda" now and will be getting a bath today (don't tell him).

Well, this is it for now. Hope all is well with everyone. Write when you can!

Much ado about nothing!

Tropical Storm Hanna came through last Friday. We had some really interesting weather with the way the rain bands were. The kids and I went to the grocery store and it was nice and sunny and when we came out, we had rain, rain, and more rain! We were drenched by the time we got to the car. We drove the few miles home and we had sun again. I took Bryanna to her violin lesson a couple of hours later and the rain had started again. It was on and off like that for most of the evening. We did drive down to the beach and got out to go down to the ocean. The wind was really strong and the rain was coming in sideways. We saw some news crews but nobody we recognized. Andrew measured the rain for a few hours and we got 3 inches of rain in 2 hours. I really think the kids could have gone to school on Friday and the uproar was a little over the top but I guess it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Andrew's football practice has been going well. He is playing offensive right guard for now but that could change. Bryanna is signed up to play volleyball which starts Sept. 16th. This way we will have something EVERY night of the week to do....Oh well, we will get it through it and it is nice that the kids can be involved in activities.

Not much else going on around here. Chewy is having an operation on Thursday-he is being "fixed" (change remember the right word...) He goes in at 8:00 in the morning.

Oh yes, watched the ND game on Saturday..hmmm...I will refrain from posting my comments until further observation.

Have a great week!

Tropical Storm Update...

No this isn't Jim Cantore or whatever that guy's name is (my mom has a secret crush on him-haha) We are awaiting Tropical Storm Hanna at the moment and the sky is getting darker as I type this. Just a bit of a breeze but no rain or anything yet. The kids were out of school today so we have been cleaning and watching movies...mostly watching movies! I went to the grocery store yesterday so we are all set with that. I am more worried about Hurricane Ike than I am this storm. That storm looks really bad.

Well, the first Notre Dame game of the season is tomorrow. I hope they have a good year. One of Andrew's football coaches is an Ohio State fan so he and Andrew swap insults. The other day, Andrew was running a lap and the coach told him he was running like Charlie Weiss. I guess I need to set that coach straight! (smile) Anyway, have fun at the game those of you who are going-wish I could be there!!

We spent Labor Day weekend in Elgin with my parent's. We were all suppose to go to Newberry to see Caroline march in the band but Mom was really sick so I stayed home with her. She was in bed most of the day but was able to get up around 6:00 when everyone came home. Newberry lost their home opener but not by much. Hopefully their season will improve and I will get to a game one of these days!

Not much else going on here, just watching the weather right now! I will try to post an update and some pictures once the storm passes!!!

Take care!

Anybody Hungry?

I admint, I am no chef, I am no Julia Child or that guy who says "BAM!" when he throws stuff in his food. I am mostly remembered for my blackened, cajun dishes (burnt cube steak, burnt scrambled eggs....) you get the idea. Usually though, I can follow a recipe. Did you know that TSP meant teaspoon? Hmmm....I get "tsp" mixed up with "tbs" and we are in trouble. Bryanna and I have been looking over some recipes and she asked me to make this turkey meatloaf so yesterday I go to Kroger and get all of the ingredients and this morning I mixed it up envisioning the nice dinner we are going to have....it smelled really good cooking and actually looked pretty good upon presentation however, I had put way too much thyme in it and it was very strong. I was able to eat a piece but Bill said he could NOT and these are his exact words "GAG anymore of it down" Bryanna ate a piece, she would eat a piece and take a gulp of water. I actually got a stomach ache a little later and had to drink some Mylanta. Bill said I have a future cooking for Purina...now isn't that a tiny bit mean??? Oh well, just to let you know, Andrew was at his dad's, he would not have even sat down at the table....at least I got taken out to dinner tonight though. We went to Logan's which is a steak place but it is very reasonable and I brought half of my steak home. Bryanna brought the container in and sat it on the table instead of putting it in the refrigerator. So, guess who had steak for dinner tonight? Yes, our sweet little fella Chewy. He is walking around with a bulging stomach right now. That's okay, I don't mind sharing with him.

We are all geared up for the kids to start school tomorrow. We met Andrew's teacher Thursday night and Andrew is taller than her. She is very petite and we really liked her. I think Andrew will have a good year. We went to Bryanna's Open House tonight and met most of her teachers. She has a new Math teacher who seems to be a little more cooperative than last year's Math teacher so hopefully she will have a good year as well. She got along good last year except in Math. She is taking Algrebra this year.

Andrew is playing football again this Fall and will be on the same team-The Falcons. He had his skill assessment yesterday morning. We are all looking forward to football season this year. We like going to the high school games on Friday night and also like to watch Notre Dame. I have tried to get tickets to the University of NC vs. Notre Dame game but without $3,000 I don't think we will get it, send your donations quickly!!! I heard that even the instructors at the college can't get tickets to that game.

Well, this is it. Usually Sunday nights were my "cram" nights for school so now I am lost....guess I will go pick out another recipe for tomorrow (smile)

Have a great week!

Class of 2008

Woo Hoo! **Turning cartwheel*** I am FINALLY a college graduate! I finished my last class today and I could not be happier! I earned a Bachelors of Science in Business Management. What a glorious day it is! Now Andrew will not think I am a teenager anymore since I am done with college.

Speaking of college, Caroline left today to start her Sophomore Year at Newberry College. We are hoping she has a great year!

The kids start back to school August 25th. They are registered but we have not been school supply shopping yet.

Andrew is playing football again this Fall but Bryanna has exceeded the age limit for their cheerleading program so she can join us cheering on the sidelines. Hopefully he will have the same coach and be on the Falcons again.

Well, I better go celebrate!

Where did July go??

I cannot believe it is August already! I have to register the kids for school on Tuesday. Bryanna will be in 8th grade and Andrew will be in 5th grade!

I will just update you on a few happenings....Andrew went to Indiana with my mom and dad and attended the Baseball Camp at Notre Dame. He had a really good time and loved spending time with his cousins. He learned alot about Notre Dame's history and saw where is grandparent's grew up. I was so glad they all had a good time!

Bryanna flew up to Boston to spend a week with her mother and her 2 little sisters. She really enjoyed herself and brought back lots of pictures to show us.

We spent a week in Connecticut with Bill's family the last part of June, first week of July. We took my sister Chris with us. We visited Boston, Mystic, CT, Newport, Rhode Island and saw lots of sites. Andrew loved all the history of Boston and Bryanna loved all the shops. Unfortunately, the Red Sox were not in town so we did not get to a game but we did all wear Boston T-shirts. We took the "T" into Boston and then took a Duck tour around the city. It is a vehicle that drives on land and also goes in the water. We had so much fun on this tour. The conDUCKtor invited the kids up to steer the vehicle so some of them timidly went up to sit on the seat and hold the steering wheel. Of course, Andrew goes up there and grabs the wheel and turns it and scared the conDUCKtor....In Mystic, CT we went to an aquarium that had whales and penguins. Some of the exhibits were inside and some were outside. What a fun day we had. It was rather hot but we still enjoyed ourselves. We found a little village of shops to go to and Bill found some Marie Osmond dolls in one of the shops so I did get to do a little bit of doll viewing. No buying though because the prices were very very HIGH. We went to Bill's sister (Jacque) house for dinner that night to help celebrate her husband's birthday (Mike) We had a good time with them as always. Thank you Jacque, Mike, Ashley, and Balto for your hospitality!!! Wednesday was Bill's grandma's 90th birthday so Bill's mom had a surprise birthday party for her. Gram was really surprised and she looked so cute with her birthday hat on. I had the pleasure of sitting with one of Gram's friends and her and I really enjoyed ourselves. "Someone" kept saying her name was Clara but it was really Terry......I was also introduced to Bill's cousin and her 3 children and to Bill's uncle and his wife. We had a great dinner and a good time was had by all. On Thursday, we visited Sturber Village which is a village where you are shown how people lived in the 18th century. We learned alot this day and the kids made candlesticks. If you have never been to Newport, Rhode Island, it is a must see place on your places to go. What a lovely place with lots of mansions! I know my cousin Kim would love this place. We walked around and had a nice lunch and saw all the boats, mansions, and the church where John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline were married. We also walked on the "cliff walk" which overlooks the ocean. We also went over to see where Jacque (Bill's sister) went to college and some of the places she lived. Some of my favorite moments of our vacation were.......lots of walking and sight seeing.....Chris getting locked out of the camper.......Chris getting locked IN the camper......watching the kids make candlesticks.......walking through the cemetaries in Boston.......experiencing Celtic Fever......sitting with a new friend on the "T"........trying to catch a chipmonk.......yelling at the kids at the playground......spending time with family.....our vacation went by much too quickly but the memories will last a lifetime!

The month of July was spent mostly working and taking the kids to camp. We also lost a couple of people during the month. First was a friend of mine I went to high school with. Her family was heading to see her father after a week's vacation at Disney and they were hit head on by another driver. My friend, Debbie, was killed instantly. Debbie's husband and her son were injured and are still in the hospital. Debbie's daughter is with her grandmother. If you could say a prayer or 2 for this family, I know it will be appreciated. Debbie was one of those people who always had a smile on her face and could always brighten your day. She will be missed by many people. The other person that was lost was in a motorcycle accident. My niece Caroline has a friend named Barbara and Caroline, Barbara, Bill and I were all down in Charleston, SC to attend a concert. When we came out of the concert, I had a message to call my mom immediately and Barbara had several urgent messages. We had to get Barbara home right away because her parents had been a motorcyle accident in West Virginia. What was a fun evening had turned into a miserable ride to get Barbara home. Caroline went with Barbara and the next day we found out that Barbara's dad was killed instantly and her mother was injured. Barbara's dad, Charles, did not have on a helmet but her mother did. If you could also add this family to your prayer list during their time of sorrow and recovery.

I just returned from a trip to Charlotte, NC for a conference. I won't say I had a wonderful time because I was extremely homesick but I did learn alot. OH, I also met Ty Pennington from the Extreme Makeover-Home Edition. He was staying in the same hotel I was in and he came up to the front desk because he had lost his key and I looked over and saw him. He is very very tiny, I think Andrew is bigger than he is. He was very nice though and signed an autograph and took a picture with me and we also shook hands. I reminded him about the house he did here in the Myrtle Beach area. I also sat next to Humpy Wheeler at the ball game I went to with my friend but just to be on the safe side, let's just say he is not very approachable. I went to dinner at the Lowe's Motor Speedway with the whole conference group and then my friend from Charleston and I went to a Charlotte Knights baseball game where we were harrassed by the team mascot, Homer. He was a dragon and very cute.

Well, if you are still reading, I graduate in ONE WEEK....I cannot wait and maybe after that I will be able to learn how to post pictures to this blog. Stay cool if you possibly can, it is near 100 degrees here and just makes you sick to go outside. Take care!!!!!

Finally...some rain!

What a week we have had here at the beach! Andrew's baseball team had their tournament on Thursday, Monday and Tuesday. My mom, dad, Chris and Caroline came to the Thursday game which the Blue Jays won and afterwards we went and had pizza. This is a picture of Aunt Chris, Caroline, Grammy, and Bryanna. We had a real good time and I know Andrew appreciated their support! Andrew had practice on Saturday and Sunday and we also had to get Bryanna over to Coastal Carolina University to start orchestra camp. It has been very hot here and moving Bryanna into her dorm was not fun in the heat but it did not take long. The game on Monday night was pretty close for a while but the Blue Jays came through and won again. On Tuesday, I had to take off work early in order to get Andrew to the field on time and this game was close but not as close as Monday's game. The other team had a first baseman that looked to be about 16 years old. The Blue Jays won and were crowned City of Myrtle Beach Champions for the 10 and Under age group. Andrew got a real nice medal. The coaches made a real team out of these little boys even though I did not really think so at the start. These boys cheered for each other, encouraged each other and were rewarded for their efforts. Here is a picture of the team:

Here is a picture of Andrew with Coach Bill and Coach Brent:

So now Andrew is with my parents in South Bend, Indiana. He is going to attend Notre Dame's baseball camp. He has always wanted to go to Notre Dame and he is a big fan of the movie "Rudy" He was also looking forward to seeing all of his cousins and aunts and uncles.


We went to Bryanna's concert on Friday night and then another concert on Saturday and camp was over on Saturday so she came home with 30 pounds of dirty laundry. Here are a couple of pictures of the Friday night concert:


One of these days I will learn how to post pictures better. The one on the left is the half of the orchestra and Ms. Auman is their instructor.




OH and we cannot forget the BIG event of the week!!! Our baby turned a year old on June 9th. Our little sweet Chewy eating his frosty paw:











So, I hope everyone had a Happy Father's Day! We made Bill a nice breakfast today and just left him alone, our present to him! He watched the race and his driver won (Jr. #88) and then he watched golf and now he is watching some basketball game, I think it is championship game and the Boston Celtics are in it. We also picked up Bill's parents from the airport and took his mom and dad to Cracker Barrell for dinner. That is where they wanted to go! It was good but a little loud in the restaurant.

We have a slower week this week. Bryanna starts her job as Jr. Counselor tomorrow but will only work this week as she is leaving for Boston on the 21st to spend a week with her mother.

This is it for now. Hope you all have a great week!

Sunny and Hot here at the Beach!

It has been a busy busy week once again! We spend Memorial Weekend in Elgin with my parents and Pam came over and her and I got more scrapbook pages done. I just might have my wedding scrapbook done by our 6 month anniversary! Pam got the Cricut machine going and we did some different type of layouts and they turned out really well. I will try to take some pictures of the pages and post them sometime soon!

My Dad and Bill went to the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, NC and had a good time. They enjoy going to the races together. They are going to Martinsville in October and taking Andrew with them. He has not been to a "BIG" race yet so this will be a first.

Bryanna had her final chorus concert this past week. She had a solo and sang a part from one of the "Hairspray" songs. Her chorus director is Mr. Cannone and he does a great job with the students. Here is a picture of Bryanna and a couple of the other girls with Mr. Cannone:

Our other exciting news is that Andrew's baseball team was undefeated for the regular season. They went 11-0 and it is the first time in 8 years that a Little League team has done that. Andrew got walked both times up at bat, made it to 2nd base the first time and made it all the way home the second time. The coach handed out their certificates and trophies after the game. I did get a couple of pictures but I have not downloaded them yet. He has practice every day this week and their tournament is on Thursday. So we will be at the baseball field most of the week.

This is the kids last week of school. Bryanna will leave for Orchestra Camp at Coastal Carolina University on Saturday and Andrew will start camp next Monday, June 9th.

Will try to post next Friday or Sunday and put in a link for pictures!

Have a great week!

Busy Busy Day

It was a very busy day. I work in Conway, SC which is about 28 miles from where we live in Myrtle Beach. I got a call at the last minute today that Bryanna was hired as a Jr. Counselor for the County's summer camp this year. Great news but she had to be at a required First Aid class at 6:30 in Conway. So I left work at 5, drove over to the ballfield to pick up Andrew and Bryanna, dropped Bryanna off at class and drove back home because the class was suppose to be 2.5 hours. When Bill got home, we had dinner and were heading back to Conway when Bryanna called at 8:30 to say the class was over. It was originally suppose to be over at 9:00. Well, there was no rushing to go get her because the traffic is awful with the holiday weekend coming up but we got there around 9:05 and all was well, there were still a bunch of kids waiting for rides. She will be Jr. Counselor at the same camp Andrew is going to so hopefully that will work out.

Anyway, last night was the Spring Concert featuring the Myrtle Beach Middle School Orchestra so we went over to the high school to attend. Before the concert, the school held a fund raiser called a "Dessert Social" I hope no one from Weight Watchers police was there because I think I ate my points for the next, um...3 months maybe??? They had about 8 tables loaded with bite size pieces of every kind of cake, cookie, brownie, cheesecake, or pie, you could ever want. They also had a really good punch and coffee. Andrew wanted a cup of coffee but chocolate, coffee and Andrew do not make for a good evening.....Anyway the concert was great and the orchestra played music from "Pirates of the Caribean" We now have an awarding winning violinist in the family!
A few weeks ago, Bryanna participated in a competition with an ensemble and received 2 Superior ratings!

We also have a very pretty AND smart niece in Conneticut who was inducted into the National Honor Society this week. Did I mention she is a very talented basketball player and track star???



This is Ashley with her boyfriend, Ben who was also inducted into the NHS. Congrats to both!!! Uncle Billy can't wait to meet Dan this summer!

Baseball game tomorrow afternoon and then we head to Elgin for the weekend. My dad and Bill will be going to Lowe's Motor Speedway on Sunday for the Coca-Cola 600. Dad is a Jeff Gordan fan and Bill is a Dale, Jr. fan so it is always a fun time for them both! The kids hope to get some swimming in and I hope to work on my scrapbooks!!! Hopefully the weather will be nice.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Weekend!

Recital and Sweeney Todd

Last Sunday Bryanna's violin instructor hosted a recital for all of her students at the Methodist church. My dad took a good picture of Bryanna while she was performing. She played a couple of songs, Turkey in the Straw and the other song, I can't remember the name. Anyway, it was a real nice recital and everyone came to it and afterwards we all went to Logan's for a late lunch.

We also had gone to Elgin last weekend and my dad and Bill went to the Darlington Race. They got to go in the hospitality tent for Wachovia and some of the driver's that came in were Richard and Kyle Petty, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, and Robby Gordan, there were more, they all drove DODGE cars.

Andrew has been a little obsessed with the Sweeney Todd movie as of late, so last weekend he had his Legos out and made a Barber Chair that flips backwards, he also made a switchblade ( a little strange I know) He also made a WWII plane like we saw at the Air Show a couple of weeks ago. My dad took some pictures of what he made so I posted them.

Very Relaxing Saturday!

Not sure what Bill is doing. Bryanna went to her friend's for a sleepover and Andrew is with his dad. Chewy is destroying a bone next to me. Who knew I would love this little bratty doggy so much? I would like to get a little girl pug, one of the black colored ones BUT we have no room. I have a million other things I need to be doing but here I sit! I have 3 more days with this class I am taking and then 2 more classes to go until GRADUATION! It has only taken me.....20 years! Work was terrible this week. I think Bill had a stressful week as well. I feel asleep on the couch at 10:00 last night, got up at 5:45 Am to take the dog out, went back to bed and did not wake up until 10:30 AM but I have felt pretty good today better than I have in a while. The bikers are here and it is quite a show when you ride around and see all of them. Well, I am glad I got this started as I have been wanting to for awhile just never had the time. Hopefully, I can keep up with it!