Labor Day Weekend

Less than two weeks until the wedding - everything is coming together - the plans are made - excitement is high! We can't wait for the big event.

Pat messed up his back again - I told him NO MORE WORK until the wedding - he WILL dance with his daughter at the wedding! He is slowly but surely getting better.

It will be a quiet weekend - lots of rest and relaxation - maybe a flea market we can walk around (walking seems to help both his back and my knee!)

I've been updating the smcreunion.blogspot.com so when I do that - I ignore this one - the fun things I added this week were memory slideshows of the 50's and 60's and when you click on the Cathedral picture it takes you on a memory tour of the east side of Saginaw - lots of great old houses and churches.

We had a nice dinner with Jim and Cindy last night. Then back to their house to sit and talk. So enjoyable spending time together. Their family will be together this weekend - but the short visit won't be enough time for all of us to get together - so we send our love - lots of it - for them to have a wonderful time this weekend.

First Day Pain Free

This morning was the first day I could walk upstairs without my knee hurting - YEAH! This is very good news. I'm hoping I will be pain free for the wedding.

Jesse and Caroline stopped by last night - we are getting closer and closer to the big day. Joanna and Robin stopped by for a minute - then we went out for an ice cream cone - my first Moose Tracks Ice Cream in 5 years. Eating fat free ice cream is crazy when you only have one ice cream cone all summer!

There's an estate sale today - I hope it is one of those crazy big mansions in Bay City - we'll go after I get out of work and then if I find something we'll go back early tomorrow and hope it is still there for half off.

Couldn't sleep at all last night - I think I finally dropped off about 3:00 - YIKES - when I get to work I hope my eyes are open!

A beautiful day in the bead room!

I'm spending the day in the bead room. Of course I am all done with the fun part - wrapping beads - and now have to price and inventory everything - so - I'm writing in my blog instead!!

I received another order from Fabulous Finds in Tawas - so I'm taking a day off this week and Pat and I are going North for the day. The best part of wrapping beads IS wrapping beads - the next best thing is delivering them! We are going to leave very early and drive to Tuttle Marsh - we love this drive through a protected area where we see lots of birds.

Wedding plans continue - we drove to Roma's in Lansing and just made it before they closed at 5 yesterday. We upped the order for cannoli's for the wedding and dropped off a swatch of the girls dresses for the flowers on the wedding cake.

I'm guessing we have to rent chairs - I think it will only hold 100 chairs so the rest of the garden will be SRO. Caroline calls daily to tell me how many days until the wedding. I went with Caroline, Danielle, Crystal and Melissa for their dress fittings - what fun. I have to say - when Crystal said "Goodbye, Mummy" I laughed out loud. It is so cute - and I can see Caroline's heart being filled with love for this family. I asked Jesse the other day if he still was going to marry my daughter - and he said "Yea, Why?" I said, "Just checking!" They seem so well matched - we are really blessed.

We spent a lot of time with Joanna's family this week - Robin's Dad died. I was so moved by Robin and Joanna and Sheala and Robbie. All of them were so precious and so helpful at the wake and funeral. When your family comes through a tough situation and they are kind and loving through the whole process it makes you so proud and it fills your heart so much.

Okay - Okay - quit yelling at me - I'll go price the spoons.

An Irish Blessing from Fran

This is so beautiful. My friend, Fran, sent it to me this week - just when I needed to see it. Click on the link below.

Irish Blessing - an E-Water.net Flash

Reunion

The reunion was fabulous. What fun to see so many people from all different classes. We had a chance to catch up with friends, meet several people that we know that we didn't know went to St. Mary's years after I graduated, and just generally had a wonderful time.

My sister couldn't attend, but I saw some of her classmates and had fun talking with them. Rachel and Lena gave me a couple of pictures for her.

We had 856 people registered and the place was packed. I didn't even see some of the people that I knew were there. Can't wait for the next one!

The reunion is here!

Tonight is the big - St. Mary Cathedral High School All Class Reunion. I can't wait to see so many friends at once. The first one was 5 years ago and it was so much fun. My brother, Jim, is co-chair of the event this year so I got to see first hand all the work that went into it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The wedding plans continue - we are getting closer and closer. We had Joanna, Robin, Robbie, Sheala, Jesse, Caroline, Crystal, Melissa, Chad and Javier over or dinner this week to celebrate Joanna's birthday on 8/8/08! We are so blessed to have our family growing by leaps and bounds. Javier loves Robbie - he calls him Bee. Robbie made a rubber band shooter and he was teaching Javier how to shoot the rubber bands into the tree. What fun.

I went shopping last night and found a cute outfit to wear to the reunion tonight - I have to say - it reminds me of clothes I wore in high school - lime green, black and white. How fashion keeps going round and round is very interesting.

Fabulous Finds in Tawas called to order more serving pieces - YEAH - so we will go sometime in the next couple of weeks - I need to wrap, wrap, wrap till then.

That's all - I'll report about the reunion tomorrow - ME

Back to Work on Monday!

I just had my back to work physical - YUCK - that means Monday morning - back to work. It feels as if I have only been off a couple of weeks instead of a month. I am so ready to be retired. I really appreciate Robyn and Mary covering payroll while I was gone. But I am sure they will be happy to have me back.

I've been printing out Trivia questions to put on the tables for the St. Mary Cathedral all class reunion next week. I thouht I would pull information from the blog smcreunion.blogspot.com There are some good questions.

Fran found this in Patsy's picture box

I thought that Patsy and Mom met on Hoyt Street - but Fran found the invitation in one of Patsy's picture boxes. How did this happen? I don't know - but - with Caroline and Jesse's wedding just around the corner - this is toooo coool!

I didn't know that Mom and Dad were married on a Tuesday morning!

Robbie Snapping Pictures of an Eagle at Breakfast

When we were camping in Tawas, Robbie quietly moved closer and closer to an eagle having breakfast on Tawas Bay. Every few feet Robbie would take a picture, then when he was very close to the eagle he hid in the weeds and snapped these fabulous pictures.

Road Trip

Well we started out for THE bridge - but - it was too hot and too far to go. So we went to Houghton Lake, Prudenville, West Branch, Tawas, and Oscoda. We stopped at all the St. Vincent de Paul's and Arnies. Lot's of little treasures.

When I told Jane it was too hot and humid to move she said that when it is 90 in Tulsa they go out and sit on the porch to catch a breeze! YIKES! I was happy to get home and sit on the couch with the air on - I felt like a wilted lettuce leaf!

AND HOW COULD THEY????? They traded PUDGE! to NEW YORK! AAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Let's say I'm done - okay?

All right - I had minor surgery on my nose today - and while I am still recouping from my knee surgery - let's just say I'M DONE with the sick stuff for awhile... I had an oil gland gone crazy on my nose - and since I was off work for the knee I thought it would be a good idea to go to the doctor and get this off now. However, when my doctor referred me to her husband the surgeon to have it taken off at his office - I went to see the good doctor he said he couldn't do it in the office it would have to be an outpatient surgery at the hospital!

So they put me to sleep and took the thing off - it looks a little nasty - but - it also looks as if it will heal well. He said about six weeks - which is good because the wedding is seven weeks away!

That's all for now (and I think it is ENOUGH already about recovering from anything at all for awhile!)

V E R Y S L O W Sunday

Wooo - There was a very small crowd on Sunday - all the vendors complained. However, as it was my first time - I thought I did great. I was surprised that only one serving piece sold - but my favorite standby - the hostess gift plate and knife sold like hotcakes. So that was fun.

It sure was nice spending time with Dave and Paula - and getting to meet the vendors. I'm looking forward to the last weekend in September for the next one.

Michigan Antique Festival - Midland

I am selling Second Serving pieces at the Michigan Antique Festival in Midland. We set up Friday (read that Pat set up). I sat most of the day on Saturday and I plan to sit today. I met some realy nice vendors and it has been so enjoyable talking with my Sister-in-law, Paula. She was nice enough to let me set up a table with her this weekend. I have been having fun just sitting there talking people into buying my wares - people are very hesitant to buy themselves something - but more than willing to buy a gift for someone else!

The link to the Michigan Antique Festival says that they give away $100 every hour on Sunday - so come on over today and have fun shopping and stop to see me at booth 860.

WICKED

We went to see Wicked at Wharton Center yesterday - we have had tickets for over a year - it was GREAT! I loved reading the book and couldn't wait to see the play. I would go again. The set is fabulous and the actors were superb.

On the way there we stopped at a garage sale - my first since knee surgery - and I bought a purse for $2 then it didn't match my top so we stopped at Goodwill and found a top for $3 AND a Nordic Track for $4.99. (with the directions and the video tape and it looks as if it was used once!) Can't wait for Pat to get that put together.

The drive was a bit much for the knee however - I'm paying for it today!

Kiddos

We have the kiddos for a couple weeks for a visit - that's Sheala and Robbie - We are having fun. Sheala and Robbie and Joanna and Robin lived with us a few years back (see previous post October 30, 2007) - yesterday when Sheala and Robbie were wrestling on the floor I realized how much fun it is to have them here and remembering the good times we had when they lived here.

Pat took them to a Loon's Game with their friend Cameron last night. They had so much fun - Robbie got a ball - that is the second Loon's Game ball that he got. So he went over after the game and got a couple of signatures on it and gave it to Cameron. Then Pat dropped them all off at Cameron's house so Sheala could babysit for the evening. Cameron's Mom went out to celebrate Caroline's birthday with her!

So - I am going to venture out to church this morning. Yesterday I walked around the block and by 9 pm I had to take a pain pill - I think that may have been pushing it because my knee is very stiff this morning. I want to walk a little more each day - we'll see after today if I can keep it up.

SARAH BEARA - this is a special note to YOU. OF COURSE WE CALLED YOUR MOTHER ON HER BIRTHDAY YOU GOOSE - SHE DOESN'T LISTEN TO HER VOICE MAILS!!!!!!!!!!! Uncle Jim and Aunt Cindy came over with a picnic to eat in my bedroom - it was the day after my knee surgery - we called and sang Happy Birthday!!!

I'm Back!

So - I've been gone a bit - I had arthoscopy knee surgery on July 3rd. I'm feeling much better - still some pain - but I started walking yesterday - just down to the school and back - but I think I'll make it! I can't say thank you enough to my friends and family that have been so kind - cards, food, company.... You are great!

I can't do to much sitting here - so I'll just attach a GREAT You Tube that my sister-in-law, Paula sent me - I couldn't stop smiling. Click on the link below:

Where the Hell is Matt?

A nice weekend

We were supposed to have friends over for dinner on Friday evening - but - a couple of them were sick so we did not get together. One of the friends who was not sick, Jean Marie, asked us to come over for dinner. We had a very nice time. I got to see her new home and it is quite lovely. She has a fabulous backyard and beautiful flowers, too. She made a terrific chicken stew - yum.

On Saturday I cooked food for the freezer and I had so many potatoes I decided to make potato salad. And while I was cooking anyway some bean soup. Then we went over to Jim and Cindy's so Pat could do a small job for Cindy and I could make labels for a flyer that will be going out to people who said they were interested in coming to the All Class Reunion but did not send in their reservation. I can't believe some of my friends aren't coming - it's surprising to me. This will be a great reunion - over 600 people are coming already. I can't wait to see everyone.

Later on in the evening Pat and I went to Wickes Park and sat where the Cass and the Tittabawassee Rivers combine to make the Saginaw River. It was so quiet and beautiful. We had a very nice evening.

Joanna, Robin, Sheala and Robbie and Caroline and Jesse came over for lunch. My friend, Fran, left Jesse and Caroline's VERY FIRST WEDDING GIFT here on Friday so they got to open it today. It is a beautiful Gallway glass vase. Caroline knew it would be something Irish from Fran and she was so happy!

I actually stayed home all day - so unusual for M.E. A storm is going through Saginaw - it awakened me right after I fell asleep - that means I'll be up for a couple of hours which will make for a difficult Monday at work.

Camping in Atlanta

That's Atlanta Michigan, of course. We had a wonderful time. My friend from work camped with us Wednesday through Saturday and then we stayed until Sunday night, returning home around 9 pm. We heard there was going to be another storm that night and I HATE packing up a wet site. So we had a campfire around 5:00 and then when that died down we packed up and came home.

The picture above is a Scarlet Tanager - I used our IDENTIFLYER to call it to the area. I had seen Scarlet Tanagers at the Sink Holes across from Shoepac Lake. Just after purchasing the Identiflyer I called in seven Scarlet Tanagers to these trees. This week when Diane and Pat went walking down by the Sink Holes I stayed by the lake and played the Identiflyer. Sure enough - in came a Tanager. Then I called in a Kirtland Warbler. It sure was fun. We've only seen a couple Kirtland Warblers because they are so small. Back at the campsite we called in the Rose Breasted Grosbeaks to our campite and listened to them singing away for us.

We saw Elk and Deer and Pat even saw a fox. The beautiful birds we saw were the Ruffed Grouse, Baltimore Orioles, Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, Kirtland Warblers, Scarlet Tanagers, Eagles, Loons and best of all I finally heard a Whip-Poor-Will. It was so much fun.

We did hike up to Inspiration Point in the Pigeon River Forest (paid for that the next day with my knee!) Diane and I tried to fly kites but the wind was whirling around and it was difficult. The tree ate one of them!

We had some big campfires and GREAT thunderstorms. I have heard the expression "Rolling Thunder" but this time we heard it - it was AWESOME. One thunder clap just kept going and going and going - it sounded as if it went all around the lake and back. Diane sat up that next morning and said "I'm glad I forgot my tent!" I love thunderstorms when we are camping!

Microsoft Worldwide Telescope

This is a picture of the Sun and Venus from Microsoft's Worldwide Telescope. A couple of people at work saw a demonstration on the Wolrdwide Telescope while they were at a training. This is SO cool. You can see all the stars and planets in the sky - you can scroll in and look close or scroll out and see where they are in the solar system. You can right click on any of them and get information on them - with a click you are whisked to Wikipedia to find out more information about what you are looking at in the sky! This is so cool. It really makes me pause and think about how little we are in comparison to all of God's world.

Click on the site below to download it!

Microsoft Worldwide Telescope

Friday by ourselves

On Thursday Jan and Jim went home and on Friday morning in the rain Bill and Amy left. We were supposed to stay until Saturday - but - after the rain the mosquitos came out in full force and we decided to come home and left the campsite at 8:00 pm.

We had a great day on Friday even though it rained the whole morning. We went to Tawas see how the spoons were doing at Fabulous Finds - and I picked up a nice check there - YEAH. We went to a couple other stops and then we stopped by to see our friend, Noreen.

Noreen and I went from Kindergarten to Delta College together and even shared a SMALL apartment together for a bit back in the 70's. We had so much to talk about. We caught up on family and friends and just had a nice afternoon together. She said that she and her sisters have a YaYa weekend every year - they sit on the deck overlooking the river and throw necklaces to the necklace worthy canoers - they laugh and talk and this year they all got a tattoo - an 8 (for the 8 sisters). OOOHHH - I think we should have one of those - Cindy, Jane, Kathy, Mary Lynn - hey Elise want to join us? Maybe we could meet out in New Jersey and see Kim!

Noreen and Tom bought a home and proceeded to make it a beautiful haven - the whole front of the house is windows overlooking the Rifle River. As we looked out the windows we saw several birds at their bird feeders. I couldn't believe my eyes - there was a Pileated Woodpecker hanging upside down eating from the bird feeder. Then just this week I was asking Amy about the Indigo Bunting and right out the windows - there were several Indigo Buntings. Goldfinches, Cardinals, Housefinches, Chickadees. And then - a fly fisherman came walking by in full gear waving his fishing pole over the water. It was such a relaxing afternoon.

Noreen mentioned she had the picture I want to put on the St. Mary Reunion Blog - one showing her family in front of the school - I know Noreen reads this blog -DON'T FORGET TO SEND ME THE PICTURE!!!!!!! And thanks for such a nice afternoon.

We then decided to go back to Tawas and eat dinner at Pier 23 - our favorite place to eat dinner - usually we sit on the deck and even though the sun was out it was still a little too cool to sit on the deck. So we sat inside at our favorite table overlooking Lake Huron and had a nice dinner.

Then on the way home we decided to pack up and come home. I have to say - a nice hot shower and my own bed were a welcome way to end the week!