Life at Home

Mike and Holly and their 3 kids came for a visit. This is Mikey 12 with his 2 little brothers Christopher (now 6 mos)and Nicholas 2 1/2. Christopher was born on Mikey's birthday, so he chose his name, with some help from the parents. Wasn't that a great birthday present.

This is Alfred at his First Communion in May. He looked really handsome, but unfortunately the picture I took is kind of blury.

Sam and Angie's little girl, Katie at her first ballet recital. Doesn't she look adorable.

Brother Will gives Katie a big hug after her performance. He was so proud of her.

Little Abigail turned 2 yrs old. She loves Lady Gaga and of course Mickey Mouse! She is such a smart little girl, it's hard to believe she is only 2.

Will attended the Double H Ranch. It is one of the Paul Newman camps for kids who have suffered serious illness. We attended the Talent Show on his last night there. I wasn't able to get any pictures of him as he was too busy with all that was going on. He had a great time and we were so happy to see him finally able to be a normal kid again.


Well, I hope you don't mind seeing mostly pictures of the grandchildren. That's what being home is all about.

So, keep reading as I'm finally getting around to blogging again after only 4 months!!!

I know, I know........I said I'd post here from time to time, but for some reason, I haven't been as motivated as I was when traveling. We are keeping busy with the day to day things. I used to hear people who are retired saying "I don't know how I ever found enought time to do everything when I worked." Such is our life lately. I'm not complaining and I'm rather enjoying it. It seems to be all about family, as it should be. Everything from birthdays, first communions, ballet recitals, cookouts and just all the normal stuff people do especially in the summer. It's hard to catch up on everything, so all I can do is highlight a few of the things that we have been up to.

We bought a house last year that was about 20 yrs old. It's in really good shape, but this summer we have been doing some updating. Our nephew, Anthony, who does professional painting for a living, is painting our interior during his spare time. He is doing a great job. My perfectionist husband insisted the ceilings even need to be painted (even though I think they look fine), so that is being done as well. We've been putting up new window treatments, and trying to make it look a little more like a home. So far, we don't have up any wall art and after being here for a year (minus 6 months on the road), I'm anxious to make our little place more like a home. Our next big project is to install hardwood floors in the Great room, hallways and kitchen. Can't wait to see the results. I may not want to leave here in October. I do love having a home to come back to and we are hoping to get everything done, so we can do some traveling during the summer months as well.

The house we bought is in a community of about 60 homes. One of our neighbors recently gave us a listing of all the people who live here. As I was looking through it, I noticed an old friend of mine lived just around the corner from me. I hadn't seen Nancy in over 20 years since I married Al and moved away from this area. I decided I would walk by her house to see where she lived on my way to the mailbox. As I passed by her house and turned the corner headed toward the mailboxes, I saw a lady heading toward me with mail in her hand. Everyone is so friendly here, so of course we spoke and then as soon as she smiled, I knew it was Nancy. It was just so great to see her again and catch up on things. Nancy is a very warm and upbeat type of person who I always enjoy being around. Unfortunately, there is always things that happen during that span of time. We both had lost our parents and sadly, Nancy husband passed away 2 years ago. I felt so sad in hearing this news, as they had a wonderful relationship and he was such a great guy. Nancy and I are hoping to see lots more of each other now that we live so close. It really is too bad that we lose contact with people due to travel distance and busy lives.

Al and I joined a gym and I started a weight loss program through Weight Watchers On-line. So far I have lost over 20 lbs and Al has lost some without trying that hard. I guess it's because I'm cooking healthier and also the exercise helps tremendously. We enjoy going to the gym together and keep each other motivated. My weight is coming off very slowly, but I'm told by the experts at Weight Watchers that that is the best way to loose it.

Last week our friends, Frank and Sandy from Massachusetts came for a visit. They also have a Fifth-Wheel and belong to the Montana Owners Club. We had a great time visiting with them. They had never been to Lake Placid, so we took a trip there one day and also up to Saranac Lake. In our younger years, Al and I used to love going canoeing and fishing in Saranac which is just one town further than Lake Placid.

It won't be long and we will be starting our travels again. There is always so much to do to get ready for our trip. We still aren't sure where we are going, but would like to go to Arizona, New Mexico and California and probably on our trip back, we will stop in TX to see our family there. We are planning on going south first checking out The Outer Banks, and maybe Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Hilton Head then Florida, and then we will head west. Of course these plans are subject to change as they often do.