Summer Fun

Dear Family & Friends,



I have not been on blogger for several months. I have been having summer fun. I have loads of pictures to update and note from my summer travels. I've driven more miles, even though gas prices are high. This did not stop my dream of having the freedom to travel. Here are all the places I visited this summer, Michigan.., Davenport, Iowa.., Kentucky..., Ollies Skate Park, KY.., Kings Island.. Yes, Tyler and I road the monster coaster.. The boys are planning our next trip. I think I was able to capture most of our adventures with the camera. Plus, Tom got me a new camera for by birthday.. That means .. More uploaded pictures.

A Cloud Passes Over

Wow. It has been a crazy week. I received a call on Friday that a friend of mine from work took his life. Even though I have been in so much pain, I want to remember my friend but move back into a peaceful place.

The Garden

God looked around His garden

And He found an empty place.

He then looked down upon this earth

And saw your tired face.

He put His arms around you

And lifted you to rest.

God's garden must be beautiful,

He always takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering.

He knew you were in pain.

He knew that you would never

Get well on earth again.

He saw the road was getting rough,

And the hills were hard to climb.

So he closed your weary eylids,

And whispered, "Peace, be thine."

It broke our hearts to lose you,

But you didn't go alone.

So a part of us went with you,

The day God called you home.

I will forever remember my friend. My California Brother. We shared over 10 years of friendship. I continue to pray the Lord will give me peace. I also pray for the family he

left behind.

* Time flies when your having fun....

The saying, time flies when your having fun describes my life. Every day is filled with fun and excitement. The enjoyment I feel everyday is so overwhelming at times. It is crazy to think back 4-6 month ago about all the worry about loosing my job. This place (Household/HSBC) that I felt had to always exist in my life. Now, my job is taking care of my family. Making sure the house is cared for, dinner is on the table, clothes are clean, shopping is done, being there for my family when they need me.. it is so crazy to sit back and reflect how much I have missed. Of course I could cry, but I continue to say "thanks for the opportunity".

Tom is off to work everyday - at this point his job is quite challenging. The weather is not making his job easy since Tom is in and out of peoples homes installing AT&T's new system. He spends a part of his day out at a cross box hooking up wires. With the cold temp. lately this does not sound fun. I'm blessed to have a husband that goes off to work everyday. He will never know how much I love him, nor how much this really means to me.

The boys are doing great. Ryan spends a few days a week hanging out with his girlfriend. Below is a picture of Ryan and Hannemart. Otherwise, you can find Ryan hanging out at home. We enjoy hanging out - I'm not sure he enjoys the 50 questions. When a child is not use to his mother being there every second of the day - I'm sure I can become very annoying. Oh, well that's my new job. Tyler is doing great. He is grounded for getting a D in Math. We are working together to improve - turning in assignments. I have finally figured out a sandwich I can make that he likes - grilled cheese. Tyler is so use to the way Tom makes his sandwich's it's been hard to find something I can do without getting instructions about "how Dad does it".

The family as a whole has settled into a routine of dinner at 7pm. After we all sit down and have dinner together it off to play games. We are in a challenging game of Uno. Who every hits 500 points is the winner. Stay tune - I'm ahead.

Winter Formal - 2008

Ryan and Hannemart before the Winter Formal last night.

** Sun Filled Day **

I can't believe how busy I have been since I have been off. Today, was great - the weather was perfect for my first Monday being unemployed - The sun was bright and sunny. I planned on getting up at 6am with the boys to see them off for the day - well that did not happen. I had woke up at 4am with a head ache - something new I have been experiencing since last Thursday. Oh well, after waking up and getting out of bed - I decided to start working-out!
My treadmill has not seen me in years - but after dropping of mail to the mail box - I noticed it was sunny and warm. Quite a shock - Jan. 60+ degree's -Wow. So, you can say the treadmill did not see me today either. But, my walking shoes get a long hike in. I walked up to the main street past the grocery store. By the time I made it back, a girl friend of mine called for lunch. Off to lunch we went - arrived home just in time to see Tyler get off the bus. Ryan followed soon after - We review homework. We took care of some house cleaning -- I had to take a min. to celebrate how wonderful today was -

** New Life **

Well, It's official. I am 100% stay-at-home mom. I've been on the hunt for cost-saving items.

I've done some research on coupons - which took up a lot of my day yesterday. It's like learning a whole new world. As Tom and I swap roles.

Ryan has been gone for 2 days. He went on a trip with his friend Zach down South. It is country living down there. He was excited about visiting a pig slaughter house. I can't wait to hear all the stories. He should be home this evening.

Tyler was off to the movies with his friends a few days ago. He just loves hanging out with all his buddies. He has a big school project that is due in two weeks. We are going to sit down today and review the project.

Tom is training for the mini-marathon. He has reached out to church members to create a running group. He continue to run with Frank, who has ran with Tom over the past 4 years.

He has not be able to train as much as he wants with his long hours at AT&T, but he is working out a running schedule that will fit with his work schedule. It will be nice to attend the race this year.

I'm going to be very busy keeping up with the house, also I start school on-line. My first class starts on the 10th. Management Communication. I am also going to attend a meeting next week which is a 90-day service the company offers all managers. Even though I do not plan on jumping back into the work pool, I want to take advantage of the tools they have to offer.

In close, I wish each of you a happy jouney through life. I look forward to hearing from each and everyone.