SAD NEWS!!!!!

What do the following have in common?

Homecoming
Banquets
Culvers
Ruby Tuesdays
Olive Garden
Grand Rapids - two times
Guests for dinner
The Curse

Give up? It means WEIGHT GAIN! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

AND THE CELEBRATION CONTINUES!!!!!

Yep, we celebrated some more. Zachary, Elyse & I drove to Wyoming, Michigan, to have lunch with Luke, Lacey, Grace, Caleb and Emily. Missed you, Dan. Grace made a GREAT card for me with a bizillion stickers on it. She does a great job at art! Caleb walked for me. He is getting so big.

Now that we are home, we need to get back to our regular routine. I have laundry galore, shirts to iron, cleaning and more cleaning. I like Lacey's term for Monday - "Messy Mondays." Only problem with that term is, it is Tuesday. So I guess we have Turmoil Tuesdays. Whatever!

Erin is in finals and will be home next week. Betsey will be home the next week after that. You think we have laundry now, wait until the girls get home - geez louise (as Luke would say).

Pictures of my birthday celebration will have to wait - the camera goes into the repair shop tomorrow night. Hopefully, minor repairs and minor costs. Love you, Erin!

GREAT BIRTHDAYS!!!!!

Yesterday I opened my birthday presents. GREAT STUFF!!!!!

Today, we met Erin & Tobin and Betsey & Micah for lunch at Ruby Tuesdays in Lafayette. We had a great time. The food was awesome. I even got a child-sized hot-fudge sundae for FREE. They didn't sing happy birthday to me, but the kids did. It was a great time.

I would try to load up the pictures from the event, but my camera was dropped and it doesn't work now. So, tomorrow we are taking it to the repair shop. Hopefully, it is a minor repair (otherwise, Z & Er will not live to see tomorrow).

The snow almost prevented us from getting there, but we did make it safely. Everyone made it safely.

If I ever get the camera fixed, I will show you the pictures.

BIRTHDAY BOY!!!!!

Do you think he liked his present?


Do you think this boy is excited?

We decided that since we had cabin fever, we would let our boy have his birthday one day early. We got him the "Lego Star Wars II" computer game. BUT, it won't work on our computer. He is very disappointed. If Luke can't help us, we will have to take it back.

For his birthday dinner, he chose Talapia, Cheesy Vegetables, Coke and ice cream. He is the only one that likes Talapia, but we ate it anyway.

The snow has finally been shoveled and removed from the parking lot and street. So, school will happen today. Tomorrow Dad & Zachary are going to the auto show. It will be a "guys day out." The girls, will be spending their day at Terry Abners, getting the oil changed in the car and getting my drivers' license renewed. Sounds like a fun day for the girls, doesn't it?

Emily, we are praying for you today! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

MORE SNOW PICTURES!!!!!

Zachary & Elyse are hiding in their "cave." They have been
outside for over three hours. It is VERY warm inside the
cave - otherwise, I would have heard alot of complaining.

It is kind of dark in the cave, but that is Zachary buried
in the cave, under the bush.

Isn't it nice to be young? Erin, you would love to be here this week. No school, plenty of snow to play in, no worries. The kids are having a blast. We wondered if Zachary would get cold (seeing how he has so much fat on him), but he isn't cold at all. We looked out the back window and there he was face down, in the prone position, IN THE SNOW!

I hope we can still have my birthday celebration. We will see. Watch your emails to keep you informed.

SNOW AGAIN!!!!!

This is the snow drifts across the street at PCS. It isn't a
very good picture, but it looks like the waves on the ocean.

This is out our front door. Notice that the snow is as high
as the bushes.

Yep, the drifts came up to Tim's thighs. He decided to wait
until this morning to shovel. PTL, we were loaned a snowblower
this year. Tim has too much fun with the snowblower. Every
time he uses it he says, "We gotta get one of those things." I have
been saying that for 27 years. Maybe next year?

Portage public schools called last night and they are closed today. So, PCS is closed as well. Winter break was already scheduled for Friday and Monday of this week - so, we have a two day week of school, so far.

We have cabin fever - anybody brave enough to come visit?

SNOW DAY!!!!!!

PCS is closed today! Portage schools are closed today.

Too bad, Rumley Academy is still open! YEAH!

SUCH FUN!!!!!

Last night, Tim and I went to a Valentine's Banquet. The kids went to PCS (the cheerleaders were having a fundraiser called "Parents' Night Out"). Tim was to be the speaker at the banquet. Each couple had to write how they met, they would be read aloud and you had to guess which couple wrote the paper. One lady attracted her "husband-to-be" by having red toenail polish. One lady met her "husband-to-be" on the football field (and she was actually playing the game). It was a riot! The lady reading the papers was so dramatic. We laughed till our sides hurt. There were alot of "baptists" meeting while dancing (heaven forbid) and going to the movies (for shame). Here are the highlights of our "meeting" each other:


The fact is, we don't know precisely when we met.

I know when I saw her for the first time. I was visiting the college I would later attend with my church youth group. She was already a college student. She took the girls from our group up to show them the dorm. I saw her, but I don't think we spoke.

I know how we met. We had a common friend with whom I worked at a summer camp the summer before I started college. We are quite sure she introduced us, but neither of us remembers that fateful day.

We know when our first date occurred. It was during Christmas break during my junior (her senior) year. We lived near each other and I invited her to go out to a movie. We saw "Goodbye Girl," the movie one critic called "the ultimate chick flick."

Maybe we never met. After 28 years, it feels that way, we just always knew each other.


That last line got a big "awwww." Miss Sunman guessed us right.

There were prizes for who guessed the most right. Dad got one of the prizes because of his last line in his letter. He was going to share it with me, but I don't like that kind of candy.

Dad's "speech" was supposed to be light and funny. He was stressed to the max - funny, him? But, he was funny. He went around PCS and asked the kids questions about love and romance, etc. The answers were pretty funny, yet some were very profound. The kids had some advice to make a marriage work: Don't yell, have dates, kiss, etc. You know the older kids who gave the advice to have parents go out, would be left alone in the house (smart thinking).

All that to say, we had a great evening. Next weekend should be even better! Can't wait!

BTW!!!!!

The first time I posted about the numbers, I was #13. Then I was #12. Then I was #11. TODAY, I am #9 - woot! I am amaZing!!!!! As B. would say!

Tonight is Homecoming at the Courts. It is going to be different this year - I don't think I know anyone's name that is playing. We will see!