Finals

Thursday night we had dinner with the Dup's. We sat outside at one of our favorite restaurants, The Village Squire. It was a breezy, perfect night, with a few beers and some catch up.
Dup was asking Mike what it would mean to him to go to a hockey playoff game. Sharen must of been listening, because Dup's sister got a suite for the game Saturday night and Sharen gave up her seat so Mike could go. Is she not the best sister-in-law or what.

Saturday night Mike goes to the Hawks playoff game and all I got was this lousy towel, which I will be waving during the next playoff games.

GO HAWKS!!!

Memorial Flags

Memorial Day is right around the corner and every year the City of Elgin's Code Department (along with other groups), with lists in hand, take a section of Bluff City Cemetery and put flags at the markers of veterans.

We got a section this year that included my Dad's cousin(Veteran), Mike's great Uncle, Bryan's Uncle and Aunt B, and my mentor and friend, Ruth.
It is always a moving experience and one that Mike and I look forward too each year. It is truly surprising how it makes you feel.

This year Brian tagged along and agreed that it is simply a small gesture that means a lot.

Where's the Pumpkin?

I really do not know - I have been searching for can pumpkin for months now and still cannot find it. I need my pumpkin fix and pumpkin pie spice is just not cutting it anymore. There is no pumpkin in my oatmeal, my protein shakes, my muffins, my bread or even in my ice cream. NONE!

I have looked at my grocery store, Mom's grocery store, Kroger's when we visited Indy, the Fresh markets, the health food stores, I have even checked the convenient store at the gas stations when I get gas. I put it on the top of my list when Mike goes to the store - he too is now looking everywhere for me.

NO PUMPKIN!!!
This morning I thought my heart was going to stop, I peeked down the can pie filling aisle and there was NO empty space where the pumpkin should be. I run down the aisle with a big grin on my face.
Alas, I will get my pumpkin.

No such luck - it was strawberry pie filling - turns out That strawberries are in season.
I want my pumpkin.

Work Hard - Play Hard

We had a little bit of both these last 2 days.
I offered our help to Mary to get the "big" things moved into her new apartment. Wednesday was a picture perfect day to get it done.
After 4 trips from her old second floor apt. to her new third floor apartment I was wondering why I didn't keep my mouth shut. I stopped counting the times we walked up and down the stairs but, That is a lot of steps people.
Mary had most of her stuff moved all we did was move the "large only fits in a SUV" stuff - bed, dressers, end table, kitchen table & chair, desk, shelving, couch, recliner, and TV.
New Apartment:
Unpacking to do:

On Thursday I got the chance to try out my Mother's Day presents. New Golf shoes & new golf glove, from Mike, and new golf balls, from Bryan and Mary.

Mike and I golfed in the 1st Annual Moose Golf Outing
My foursome:
I had 5 birdies and 3 boogies, 2 much beer, AND a great time, all with a little help from my friends.

Birthdays

My step kids, Brian ans Stacy, have birthdays 4 days apart. May 15 and the 19th.
I asked them what they wanted to do to celebrate and they both decided, just to sit in our backyard and not DO or worry about anything.
No Kids, No husband just the four of us.
I totally get it, we all have birthdays like that - just get them over with and move on - and so that is just what we did. I joked to Mike that it was our weekend with the kids, just like growing up.
We put a ham on the grill - I made my corn and potatoes, and of course cupcakes.
There was no candles, no singing (though Mike tried) and no pictures.
Since there was no pictures I dug out this one from 90'
That was the year of the Simpson cakes. I made them for Andy and Bryan too. Also that year I took Stacy and my other "I'll be your daughter, when you need one" daughter, Carrie, to the New Kids on the Block Concert for their birthdays. That was such a good time, that I even caught myself screaming along with the girls.

Flooding

Every day Sharen and I would walk "the circle". It was a grass trail through the forest preserve down the block and we would go every day after work, that was until a portion of the trail succumbed to the overflowing creek. Since then we have been walking the streets around the hood.
That was until last night with all the rain this is what a portion of the street around the corner of our neighborhood looked like.

There was a kid riding his bikes through the water getting wet up his back, just like we did as kids.
You guessed it Sharen and I went back and got our bikes. Now, Sharen rode right through the water, just like we did as kids.


I really wanted to, but this was swimming in the water and stopped me.

Out with the Old

and In with the New

I had men all over the house today. Three were putting in my new windows. These men were speaking a foreign language - turns out it was polish. Call me prejudice or even racist, but I was thankful it wasn't Spanish.

I am most excited about my kitchen window. I went from 2 crank outs to one single huge window. When someone (usually me)was sitting on our deck under the window you had to be careful not to get up and bump your head on the crank out window. Not any more!



They didn't waste any time ripping out the old.





And now I have beautiful, energy efficient, with green no maintenance aluminum siding, windows.


As soon as they left the Sears guy pulls into my driveway with my new dishwasher.

Old and New

Kaylyn AnneMarie

Our little granddaughter is turning 5 - How can that be?
Kaylyn got her name from families middle names.
Kay - that's my middle name
Lyn - that is Grandma Terri's middle name and Stacy's
Anne - that would be Grandma Barb's middle name
Marie - opps - I forgot where that came from - I think a cousins

Kaylyn spent all day with us today.
We made pancakes for breakfast. (hers were better than mine)










While Papa was working out with his trainer Kaylyn and I visited Aunt Sharen at the S.E. Fire Dept.

Sitting in the drivers seat. (Firefighter Matt let her turn on the lights)


We took a tour of the station and Kaylyn loved the spiral staircase. We went up and down it.






She wanted her picture taken with the fireman. Matt was very sweet and posed for a picture with her. Turns out he went to school with Kaylyn's mother and has a girls who will be starting school with Kaylyn next year.

Aunt Sharen gave her that Moose she is clinging to - she loved it. She even took it to the movies with Papa. That was after we went to McDonald's for lunch.
We had a very fun, full day ending with the best parts - Presents for Kaylyn and hugs and kisses for Grandma Karen and Papa Down.

Softball has Started

Mike's traveling team always start their season with a trip the first weekend in May to Indy. This is Mike's 5th time and my first.
We take rt.47 down to catch 74 to avoid all the traffic construction in the city. I was amazed by all the windmills going up. WOW! There must have been 300. I was fascinated by them all moving.
About now I would post a picture, but I forgot the camer again. Though I did spend the whole weekend just looking at things I would take pictures of instead of HAVING to get a picture. Two of Mike's teammates even commented on me NOT taking any pictures.
We had dinner Friday night with Mike's sisters kid Bruce and his wife Monica. I was telling them about the windmills and she has a brother who is a "green" engineer and is involved with them in west Texas.

It rained all night Friday night and Mike got the call that all games would be pushed back on Saturday. Of course the first thing he does is turned the TV on and there doing the weather is a guy from Elgin. Randy attended Elgin High when I worked there and he went all through school and played baseball with Dup.
I get "The Star" paper and glance at the listings of the Contacts and there is a girl I worked with at the CN doing online marketing for the paper.
Small world!

Mike's team played 4 games on Saturday and won the first three easily. I think the guys just wore down the last game. His team did pick up some new young (50 yr olds) blood and they were so much fun to watch. Being in the crowd I got to hear other teams talk and they said that this year Mike's team should be the team to beat. I just smile, I think that every year!!!

The best part of the weekend happened Saturday night. This ballpark is surrounded by an abandoned golf course I know very sad. The good part is that there are golf signs everywhere. I was particularly interested in one that said Watch for Golfers beyond this point. It was hanging on the end of a fence in the parking lot. Mike parked the car with the back facing the sign all ready to fall into the trunk. :)
It was screwed on too tight to not make alot of fuss getting in down. Damn!
I took a walk down the cart path and found my next golf sign.

Mike's last game finished at 10:30pm so under cover of darkness this is what I got from my weekend in Indy.


I have signs in my golf garden from Illinois, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina, South Carolina, and now Indiana.