A Long and Beautiful Life

June 20, 1917 - January 29, 2009
...a loving friend, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother

To a person who was beautiful both on the inside and on the outside. May we all find comfort and peace by celebrating your 91 years of life and cherishing the special memories we shared together throughout the years. Your kindness, loving nature, and talent will be greatly missed.

WE LOVE YOU!

We'll miss you, Great Grandma!
Thanks for all of the wonderful things you made us over the years!
We'll cherish them always.

Earning their Keep

Despite all of the fun we had in the snow the past couple of days, there was also work to be done. The car needed to brushed off, the sidewalk shoveled, and the walkways cleared. Good thing we had such great help!

Kate's Prayers were Answered

Last night before going to bed, Kate asked for it to snow during her prayers. Sure enough, she woke this morning to everything covered in white!! She turned to me and said, "I think God made it snow for me."


So we bundled the girls up and took them out into the winter wonderland this morning. Kate enjoyed shoveling with her sand shovel and trying to catch snowflakes. Lauren's primary goal was to try and stay dry...not very successful.

With the prediction of snow in the forecast yesterday, Mark went out and purchased a sled for the girls. We went to a newly developed neighborhood down the street and gave it a few test runs. Our sledding was somewhat brief due to the snow that is still falling and our lack of appropriate snow attire. Nonetheless, the girls enjoyed their first "true encounter" with snow.

Despite the fun had outside, the girls really enjoyed the hot chocolate and popcorn when we returned inside. I'm sure we'll venture out again before the snow melts in a couple of days.

It's a Jungle Out There!

Our final park destination on our trip was the Animal Kingdom with Dad and Pat. We were highly entertained with the Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: the Musical, two incredible show! We also explored "Africa" on the safari seeing numerous animals. During the day there were several character sitings as well as tasty refreshments including ice cream and popcorn.

Our final day in Florida was spent relaxing at our hotel in preparation for the long car ride the next day. We did enjoy some family time playing miniature golf and splashing in the pools and hot tubs. Our trip was amazing and filled with beautiful memories we will treasure for a lifetime.

It truly is MAGICAL!!!

During our trip, we spent two days at the Magic Kingdom...one with the 4 of us and one with Dad and Pat. We went on several rides (some even numerous times), took in two parades, watched a show in front of the castle, had storytime with Belle, and interacted with the princesses and characters. The days were definitely long, but well worth it. Here are a few highlights from both days!

Penquins, Dolphins and Whales...oh my!

Since our return from Disney, life has been a little hectic with the holidays, family visits, fighting a cold that lasted 3 weeks, painting Lauren's room, and trying to get the house back in order before sending Mark and Kate back to school this morning. Don't get me wrong, it's been a wonderful few weeks...it's just prevented me from blogging. So...I pick up where we left off, our fun-filled trip to Orlando.

During Rich and Carol's visit we spent a day at Sea World. It has changed considerably since my last trip in 1994. The shows are all based on a story and beautifully choreographed with elaborate costumes, trapeze work, and real birds flying through the audience! Mark and I even had the opportunity to ride Kraken, a rather large roller coaster with several loops and corkscrews. (Not quite the same feeling as when we were teenagers.)

Here are some highlights from our day exploring life under the sea.

Character Sitings

We returned last Thursday from an action-packed, fun-filled, and exciting week in Disney World! Mark and I had not been to Disney World since the 80s, so the "big" kids had just as much fun as the little ones. We were lucky to have two sets of grandparents join us for a couple of days to share in the "magic" of the adventures.

Kate loved getting signatures in her princess autograph book and taking pictures with the many characters throughout the parks. Lauren wasn't quite as receptive to the idea, but did her best nonetheless. Although she just had to have her own Tinkerbell autograph book. Here are just a few shots of the numerous characters we saw. (More pictures of our trip to come!)