WRECKS, WEDDINGS & WANDERINGS

Dear All,

It was the best of times..............it was the worst of times........ (sums up May so far!!)

Sometimes when I sit here to write, it seems I have nothing much to say and other times, I could ramble for eons!

May began with a bang...........literally............Kelly was in a nasty car accident. Unfortunately, whilst on the road for work, she collided with a ford truck of some description, which consequently rolled 7 times!!!! Although she was going slowly, the truck was not..... Fortunately, although her lovely new mercedes was written off, the air bag deployed saving her from possible serious injuries. The driver of the truck was trapped in his vehicle for some time, which added to the trauma for Kelly. It seems both Kelly and the other driver suffered similar injuries. Neither were seriously hurt, but both sustained a lot of muscle trauma and as a result Kelly has been suffering from headache, backache and muscle pain for almost a month now. It has begun to subside somewhat, but is still with her.

She has been commuting to work in a hired car whilst insurance gets it act together and hopefully, she will soon be back in another mercedes, which is a good thing, as it seems, if one must have an accident, it is one of the better, safer cars to have a collision in.

Lauren also started off her month with a bang. Whilst commuting on a bus in London with a girlfriend, there were only 3 other people on the bus. Two of whom were girls. There were sitting behind Lauren and her friend and they decided to try and steal Lauren's friend's handbag. They jumped on her from behind and Lauren went to her aid, so one of the girls started hitting/punching Lauren. Lauren asked if the other passenger on the bus was going to help them (he was a male), but he just sat there.

Eventually the driver pulled over and called the police, but the girls ran from the bus. They were later apprehended by the police and although Lauren wants to press charges, the other girl's parents, does not want her to pursue it as they are fearful that they girls will seek her out for retaliation! Lauren ended up with a sore, bruised face and jaw, plus a sore arm, but she has since recovered.

When I last wrote, I mentioned several cancer cases. Well the good news is - all is well. My friend Paul is recovering well and is cancer free. Jim our neighbour and friend has also recovered well and has been given the all clear from the doctor. Erin also was given an all clear, so it is good news on all fronts!!!!

Chris & Erin came up for Mother's Day weekend and we took the opportunity to check out a few wedding venues. Unless we find something we like better we will be having it on June 6, 2009 at Brook Lodge. It is a beautiful setting, but we do have some details to sort out before making a final decision.

Chris and Erin also have become parents to an Australian Shepherd puppy called Toohey (after the Aussie beer she likes). He is 16 weeks old and looks very much like Mack. They will bring him up in a couple of weeks to meet us.

The weekend after their visit, we travelled to Chicago to celebrate Sid & Mary's 50th wedding anniversary. We had a great weekend. We met with Lucky and Nancy (friends) for breakfast on the Saturday morning, shopped for a short while afterwards and then visited with Millie and Murphy (Paul's cousin and his wife).

Erin has now finished her first year of nursing. She is doing summer classes and if all goes well, she will be finished her degree this time next year. It is a two year accelerated course. She had one week off, so took off to Wisconsin with friends for a couple of days........hence the fish picture at the end of the blog. Please note, she assures me that her cell phone shrinks things (animals only), and that the fish was indeed much, much, larger than the picture shows. She said it was far too big to eat, as there were only a few of them to share the meal, so she decided to release it back into the (fully stocked) pond where she caught it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We met Sid and Mary for dinner and then relaxed for the rest of the evening. The anniversary party was held at Di Nolfo's and it was great. We enjoyed catching up with Sid's family and others.

That evening we went back to Sid's for awhile and then headed back home on Monday morning.

A couple of weeks later Sid, Mary and Danny came up for a long weekend. Poor, poor Mary left some of her clothes behind, so we had to go shopping and replace them on the Saturday morning, leaving the guys at home to do man's stuff i.e. clean and sort out boy's sh......... in the barn!!! We wish we could have been here to help them, but Mary needed clothes to wear to church on Sunday and a girls got to do, what a girl does best!!!!

It was great to have them here and Paul and I were very grateful for the help. Danny also put up Paul's surround sound for him in our bedroom. I don't know how we ever lived without the walls shaking from the sound!!!!

On the Saturday evening we went to Sam's Joint - a great place for ribs around here, and later that night, Mack took off into the bush after what we thought was a racoon. Much to our disappointment, it was not a racoon, but a skunk!!! Yep, Mack managed to get skunked again. Although he stunk, it was not as bad as last time. Needlessly to say, Paul and I spent the later part of the night in the garage, bathing Mack in hydrogen peroxide, dawn, baking soda and tomato juice. Danny, Sid and Mary went through the house, closing windows, lighting candles, spraying and fumigating............ I would like to say he has learnt his lesson, but I very much doubt it.

Last week I went to Atlanta to spend a few days with Kelly, Nate and Kyler. It was wonderful.
Kyler has grown so much, but yet is still a cute little baby. I was able to have him home with me on the Friday, so I could spend more time with him. Unfortunately for him, he was unwell - he developed croop and an ear infection, so Kelly and I took him to the doctor's on Friday afternoon. Considering he was unwell, he was so good. He certainly kept me busy chasing after him as he went on one "search and destroy mission" after another.

He is physically very active and he has a wonderful sunny nature......... he is continuously smiling, laughing and babbling. He so badly wants to walk and pulls himself up on everything....i.e. table legs, chair legs, people legs, couches etc. He then lets go, but as yet does not have sufficient balance to take off. He is not yet 8 months, and has been doing this for a few weeks now. He also likes to climb and his little legs are continuously being lifted in the vain hope that they are long enough to climb onto things. He will be a bruised and battered baby until he can accomplish what he wants and he persists in trying even after many failed attempts which result in falls!

It was very hard to come home and leave him there, but despite my pitiful pleas, Kelly and Nate would not let me keep him!!!

They are coming to visit with us for the 4th July weekend and we can hardly wait.

Paul managed very well in my absence. My friend Alex was also away when I was in Atlanta so her husband John, plus Paul were excited about a bachelor's weekend, until I pointed out that they were not bachelors, just married guys whose wives were away for the weekend!

Needless to say, although I was concerned about being away, friends and neighbours were wonderful. Paul joined the breakfast club for Saturday breakfast, John and Jerry came by on the Sat. night and they cooked dinner. Sunday Paul went to breakfast with Dave and his darling daughter Hailey and in between he visited with several of the neighbours. Much of the food I prepared for him was left untouched as he was tooooooooo busy.

It was good to know that he was okay and having a good time also.

May also saw the arrival of two new citizens!!! One a little Aussie (my great nephew), born to my nephew Gerard and his wife Melissa. He is a fair haired darling called Luke Thomas. I have included a photo of him with his two "big" brothers, Joel and Harry and one with his cousin Jude who is now 7 weeks old.

The other birth was to the best attorney in America - our friend and attorney Mike and his wife Julie. Julie gave birth to William Michael (to be called Liam) on May 21st. He is a beautiful dark haired little boy. Unfortunately, I can't include a picture of him as the only picture I have was sent via a cell phone and the link has expired. Hopefully, I will have pictures in the near future.

Many of you have asked how Michael's surgery went. He had a quadruple by-pass and was released from hospital on Tuesday. The surgery went well and he is also recovering well. He is sore and tired, but that is to be expected. Hopefully, each day will be renewed strength and less pain.

Well folks, I will close now, as I think I am finally out of news......... (bet I remember something, when I am done).

Love to everyone,

Kathy



Erin with her catch of the day!!!!!!!!!!!!


Baby Luke with his big brothers.

Cousins - Jude and Luke, checking out the back of their eyelids!!!

Kyler's first swim in his own special pool!

Mmmmmmmmmmmm and what do we have here that I can stick my hands into?

Nana put that green thing in my way..... perhaps I will unpack it for her. I do like to see her run.

Doesn't Nana know I love to wath Baby Einstein? I will have to put it on myself!

Perhaps if I stand up under the table, Nana won't be able to see me and I can do my thing in peace. Look Nana... no hands!!!

Well I do like to sit in comfort whilst I watch my DVD.

It is over - time to get out!

Of course I can climb back in anytime I feel like it.

Why is Nana running again!

(I didn't get the next shot as he climbed in, then toppled out the other side)

Sit for a minute Nana while I recharge my battery too!

This racoon comes to our corn feeder every evening.

The woodchuck sunning himself on our wood pile!

The terrible two! Srs. Lucille and Sandi.

Watch out Australia, they are heading your way in 2010!

The bride and groom on their 50th anniversary.

Sid and Mary's offspring with their spouses and partners and grandchildren.

Had to include this one..........
Ed and Henry...... I do love Henry's skunk hat.

Perhaps I could borrow it to train Mack to stay away????

Kelly's wreck.

APRIL SHOWERS, SUNSHINE AND SNOW!!!

Dear All,

I know this blog is a bit overdue thanks to all the email reminders I have received, so rather than make up excuses and respond individually, I decided it was time to make the effort.

I lost a couple of weeks in March as I had the flu for the first time in years and it knocked me for a six! I never get the flu shot as I rarely get the flu, but I will get it in future, as my biggest concern was that Paul catch it from me. Luckily he gets his shot every year, and it did prevent him catching it.

We have had a mixture of weather and the warm days bought with them renewed energy and we both began to get busy, inside and out, but unfortunately, the weather has turned cold again, and very windy and a lot of our outside work has been undone by the wind! Friday we had almost 80 and Saturday was in the 40's and we have a threat of rain and snow tonight!!!

We know spring is around the corner as things are beginning to green up. The sandhill cranes returned on St. Patrick's day, the geese are back and some particularly keen ones have even had babies! We have a pair of rare trumpet swans living just behind the house, and we have witnessed their mating dance (yep - porn on the lake). We are hopeful they will stay around and have their babies here too.

Our 'snow birds" i.e. neighbors who leave the lake during the winter for warmer climates are now all back. Our Saturday morning breakfasts were resumed a few weeks ago and we now have our full complement. Our numbers have swelled considerably and we now have to call ahead and reserve a table to ensure we can all sit together.

Apart from our Saturday breakfasts, we often have Sunday brunch with John and Alex, and manage to get together for a weekday meal as well. So as you can see we are doing our best to keep the local restaurants in business.

March and April have been a bit traumatic to say the least. A very special Australian friend was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor after a biopsy, cat scan and pet scan and was given successful surgery to remove it. It was growing in the muscle and he consequently had his muscle removed. Three pathologists analysed and disected the tumor and found no trace of cancer! The doctors were unable to explain it - however, Paul and Heather believe prayer power worked. He is now on the road to recovery and hopefully they will be here in the States in July to stay with us!!!

Erin was found to have a lump in the breast and was told it presented as "text book cancer". She too had an urgent sonar gram, but was told it looked harmless. She is soon to have that confirmed by her specialist. I admit to feeling some concern, although, I was very optomistic she would be cleared.

One of our neighbours Jim, had a tumor removed from his bladder last week which they said was cancer. His surgery was successful and he is awaiting results later this week. He is a great friend and neighbour and we are praying for good results.

Another very dear friend in Australia lost her brother in a housefire last week. He is going to be buried on Tuesday. Please keep her in your prayers as well.

Hopefully, that will be the end of bad news for us all for a long time.

My neice in Australia gave birth to a beautiful baby boy called Jude. He is absolutely gorgeous and they have named him Jude. I have included some pictures of him at the end of the blog. They are both very well and I can't wait to meet him.

I have another neice due to have a baby in early May so I guess my blog will be filled with baby pictures again next month.

My darling grandson is growing quickly and beautifully and I am going to Atlanta to visit them for Memorial Weekend and I can hardly wait. Obviously, there are more pictures of him in the blog as well.

Damien is doing well. He has recently purchased a work van as he has some very big jobs coming up and he also bought a dirt bike. I am not too happy about the later, but have no say in the matter. I hated it in Australia when he had dirt bikes and motor bikes as I feel they are so dangerous.

Poor Lauren has taken another beating recently. She has been working in a forensic lab in an administrative capacity, with her goal being to actually get into the lab. She had been tested on her lab work and passed and consequently applied for a position within the lab. Her role would have been testing blood and then court reporting. They agreed to give her the position but when they checked out her personnel file, they found she had never been granted a security pass. She is unable to get a security pass, as one of the stipulations is that you have to reside in the UK for three years and she has only been there a bit over a year. So, not only, did she not get the position, she was removed from her admin. position as well. Her boss tried everything, but there are no exceptions, she now works in an admin. position in another lab, that does not require the same security. She was very upset, as were we all.

Life has treated her so unfairly since we left Australia - it breaks my heart as in each situation we are powerless to help. We miss her dreadfully and can only pray that the road life is taking her along works out for the best.

Kelly and Nate are both well also - as I said, I will see them in May and then they are coming her for the 4th of July long weekend.

Our 4th of July weekend will now be a very special celebration indeed. We will not only celebrate Independence day but we will celebrate Erin and Chris' engagement. Yep - they got engaged on the 25th April (ANZAC Day). We are very happy for them. We love Chris too and he will be a welcome addition to our family.

We knew it was going to happen as Chris asked our permission, so I was busting with excitement and kept my secret.

They don't intend to marry until after May next year as she will graduate (hopefully) from her nursing degree in May. It will be fun planning a wedding! I don't care what happens, Lauren must be here for the wedding, even if we have to dye her skin brown, her hair black and teach her Spanish!!!!!

We had a friends and neighbours get together here on Friday (over 30 people). We had a great night - we have some truly wonderful friends and neighbours here. Everyone bought a plate and we had a gourmet meal. It is great to taste everyone's different dishes.

Paul had a check up with his cardiologist recently and was told he is doing well - good news indeed! Obviously, he is not better as that can't happen, and he has good days and bad days, but the good ones far outweigh the bad.

Next weekend we are off to Chicago to celebrate Sid and Mary's 50th wedding anniversary. We are really looking forward to catching up with everyone. We will probably leave here on the Saturday and return Sunday night or Monday.

Lastly, I am well and am looking forward to the summer. Although I don't like the intense heat, I do love our long, lazy days and boat rides. I love that we can grill out most evenings and sit out on the deck in the evenings.

Well folks, love to everyone -

Paul and Kathy



Erin's engagement ring!!

Kyler after eating carrots!

You going to pick me up????????

Watch out - here I come!

Jude - my beautiful great nephew!

BACK HOME AGAIN

Dear All.

Here I am back in Michigan, my trip to London, now just a wonderful memory (boo who).

I had the best time, it was awesome to catch up with Damien and Lauren and I vow never to let it be so long again before I see them. I also had the pleasure of meeting Jessica, Damien's girlfriend of 3 years and her mother Deborah.

I also got to catch up with my neice, Kerryn, her husband Michael and to meet their beautiful boy Owen. He is just gorgeous, and he was the star of the evening.

Belinda and Matt - Aussie friends also joined us for our get-together. Belinda has been a friend of Kelly's for years, and as such is kinda like a member of our family. Belinda married Matt (English) and consequently lives in London. We had not seen them since Kelly's wedding.

The flight to London from here is certainly not the ordeal it is from Australia. We flew British Airways and the flight was only 3/4 full, so we were very comfortable for our 7 1/2 flight. I managed to doze very little and Alex managed a few hours (it was so tempting to kick her)!

Damien, Lauren and Jessica were there to welcome me and Alex had a very happy uncle waiting for her. We all had lunch together and went our separate ways.

Once we dropped the luggage off at the kid's apartment, we caught a bus to nearby Richmond. The weather was spring like and it was glorious to see the sun and feel its warmth after leaving the grey skies of Michigan. We toured around Richmond, walked by the Thames, viewed the wonderful, historic architecture, checked out the pub where Lauren used to work and then dined outside for our evening meal.

Damien and Lauren told me that they had taken Erin to the pub next door for a visit when she was in England and when they were dining the tide came in and as it laps the steps of the pub, they had to stay until the tide went out!!! Evidently, the pub we were at suffers the same fate at high tide, and although the kids didn't mind being trapped in a pub, the idea was less than appealing to me, so after our meal, we did a little more sight-seeing and arrived home via bus and legs (that was to be the norm) soon after dark.

I was determined not to suffer jet lag, so I stayed up and chatted until around 11.30pm, which set me in good stead for the reminder of my stay as I quickly fell asleep, slept well and was on London time from then on.

Damien had taken the week off, Jessica had the Tuesday off and Lauren had Thursday and Friday. We made good use of every day - we toured a wonderful Palace (Hampton Palace), we took several trips into the city and some through other suburbs.

One trip to the city included a Red Bus tour which for a flat fee, allows you to use your ticket over a two day period, and you are able to hop on and off the bus at will to explore buildings etc. which take your interest along the way.

I believe my brother Paul took the same tour with his wife Dorothy when they were in London. They decided to alight at different spots as they had different interests. Dorothy left the bus first, agreeing to met Paul later in the day. When she rejoined the bus to meet him, he was still on the bus, having remained on it for hours just touring the city. Seems he thought Dorothy had his ticket and he thought he wouldn't be able to get back on the bus!!!! A reminder from Dorothy and a quick check of his pocket revealed he had the ticket all the time!!! (Sorry Paul, had to get that in).

The bus tour also included a cruise down the Thames which was wonderful (bet you missed that one eh Paul??) It was a long day, but worth every second. I loved London, it is a really beautiful city. The English people were warm, friendly and helpful.

On another trip to the city, we did our own thing, and we checked out Buckingham Palace. Just as we were about to leave, the palace gates opened, the barricade disappeared into the ground and we were asked not to move. I thought someone important must be leaving the palace, and as the flag was flying, we knew some members of the royal family were there. Lauren grabbed the camera in readiness, and in an instant two cars passed us, one of which had Queen Elizabeth inside - just 10 feet from where we stood. I am not a royalist, so was surprised to find, that when she flashed us a big smile, I did find it rather special.

We were soon on the phone bragging to Jessica, Paul and Kelly that we were 10 feet from the Queen. Damien wondered if the Queen too grabbed her phone to tell her family that she had just spotted Kathy, Damien and Lauren??? I think it is highly likely!

There was also a horse and carriage waiting to pass back into the palace after a jaunt around the park, however, the passenger was obscured from view (intentionally) and we were only able to view his hand, so we can only wonder as to who it was.

While I was there, Lauren was hunting for a new apartment and is it is very expensive, she was looking for shared accommodation. This afforded me the opportunity to check out Wimbledom which I loved also. Since I returned, she has found accommodation in Kingston which I am not familar with, so will get to see it next time.

I also explored an Antique Fair whilst there, and found prices a bit cheaper, however, with the value of our dollar at the moment, it was not the time to be buying. Besides, I doubt Paul would have been pleased if I had shipped home the items that held my interest as they were rather large in size.

Despite the millions of stairs and lots of walking, the food I indulged in added a few pounds in excess baggage on my return trip. I have no regrets however, as I managed to eat just about everything I was missing. Those foods included a great Indian curry, a cornish pastie, a beef and ale meat pie, a donor kebab, the best Thai food ever, English fish and chips and a few sweets from the Australian shop!

The kids told me to bring rubber gloves (for cleaning), and a cook book, but I managed to cook only two meals whilst there, and that was two more than I intended!

The public transport system in London is fantastic and we certainly had no use for a car, as the tube/trains/buses were so convenient to use.

We walked along Mayfair and Park Avenue (properties I once owned in Monopoly), and checked out a few of the jewellry stores. We did not venture inside, as one has to ring a bell, be identified and checked in. Actually, after we left Cartier's, a police car with sirens wailing, screeched up the street. I told Damien and Lauren to hurry away, as they were probably after us for drooling on their windows!!!!!!!!! There is a picture below of the valet who stands outside Cartier's. He was a very pleasant, obliging man.

We met up with Alex on the Sunday before we left (can't remember where we met her). We did a very late lunch, (Damien had cooked a huge breakfast), a few pubs and then later that evening, Damien and Jessica went out for the long awaited donor kebabs. Unfortunately, they were not up to Aussie standards either, but still quite good.

We had a wonderful evening together and then left at 6.00 am in a cab for the airport. It was awful to have to say goodbye to the kids!!!

Paul met us at Detroit airport, but Alex had to wait until supper to see John as he had to work. We met him at a Chinese restaurant for supper. It was our intent to do drinks together at our place afterwards, but John was tired after a long day. Seems he knew what was best for us, as I was in bed by 8.25 and asleep by 8.30! Alex did the same I am told. We had been up since midnight Michigan time and had been to bed very late - guess adrenalin only gets you so far!

Although it was sad to leave, and I hope to return again before too long, it is still nice to be home. I just love the winter landscape here. We have had around 100 inches of snow this season and it has been beautiful. Every morning and every evening we have lots of deer feeding just outside our kitchen window. The other night, I counted 19 and they are certainly time wasters when one is confined indoors because of snow and hazardous roads. Some deer are nice and others very bossy and they pick on the weak. We have one who has a bad leg and it is very difficult for him/her to wade through the deep snow, and he is pushed away by the others and not allowed to feed until they are done! I have chastised them through the window, to no avail, they stare at me and continue on with their nasty behaviour. I have threatened to get a paint ball, mark them and let Paul shoot them next season............ alas, Paul thinks I am crazy.

We went to one of the local restaurants for lunch today and I received a bit welcome home - it was so nice to be missed. The owners took our photo to put on the wall. I thought maybe someone wanted to through darts at it, however, they said they like to have photos of friends and regular adorning their walls and it seems we fit one of the categories!!!!

Kyler continues to grow beautifully and develop new skills, almost on a daily basis. He now rolls himself around the floor to get where he wants to go, as he can't quite master crawling yet. So if he wants to be somewhere else, he just rolls there. Like his father and his Uncle Damien, his appetite is good and when his father delayed in feeding him, he grabbed the bottle from him and shoved it in his mouth himself!

I have included a few recent photos of Kyler below with some photos of my trip. I had lots more, but resisted my strong urge to add them all!

Well folks, I could ramble on for ages yet, but feel I have covered most things. Kelly, Nate and Kyler are well as is Paul. Erin is miserable with a cold and ear infection, which I hope soon goes, as she is on spring break next week and is intending to visit us on Sunday for a few days. I too am well and overfed (though the vacation pounds are just about off). We have had several catch ups since returning which included breakfast, lunches and dinner but are now going to be good!!

Love to all,

Kathy

Mike with my great nephew Owen

Belinda & Matt


Our get together

My neice Kerryn with Owen & me.




The Cartier's man

Damien on the escalator at the tube station

A painted guy

posing as a statue

at Piccadily Circus

Parliament house

Lauren and me

Damien and Jessica

Part of Hampton Palace

Walkway to Hampton Palace

Interior Hampton Palace

Damien, Jessica and me

at Hampton Palace

Damien's street is on the right

The pub where Lauren worked

Kyler in his exerciser






So cute

Aha, I see my pacifier!

LIFE AT THISILDO

Hi All,


I am proud to announce that I have now voted for the first time in America. I have been watching debates, speeches, documentaries etc. and feel that there were better choices this time, than there were in the last election. I learnt a lot, but know I have a lot more to learn about the history of the candidates, but feel pretty sure, most of them will be an improvement on Bush!



As usual, voting was not without a bit of drama. I received a phone call from Alex who asked if I had plans for the day. I told her I was pretty flexible (I will ditch housework at the drop of a hat!). Anyway, we decided to vote first and then make plans. Alex agreed to go ahead and scout out the election venue to see how busy it was, as she was already on the road. She called to say it was relatively quiet, so I ventured out to vote, agreeing to meet her there.


The roads were a bit hazardous from the recent snow fall (was still snowing, but I would have voted in a blizzard). I got to the township hall and as I know little about cars (only that hers is blue), I was unable to spot her immediately so went in to vote. The people on duty was awesome and very helpful to a "newby". I proudly voted, and got a sticker to declare that I had voted. I won't tell you who I voted for as I have friends who are Republicans and friends who are Democrats and I would like to keep it that way. I then ventured around the car park, peeking into the window of every blue car! Still no Alex! She called to say she was definitely there and told me where she was parked. Needless to say, I still couldn't find her! Turns out she was at a different venue.



All is well that ends well, as we decided to meet at a restaurant and have lunch! We had a great lunch, spent the afternoon together and John meet us for dinner/supper back at our house, after which I was inducted into the American game of hockey. John is a huge hockey fan, but he did patiently explain it to me and we sat and watched whilst his team got annihilated! Don't know how he had fun - anyway, I am now a supporter of the Detroit Red Wings!!!! However, from the way they played, I doubt we will be having any celebration parties in the near future. I might add that it was my turn to treat Alex for lunch and once again, I didn't have any money!!! I keep forgetting to take money with me, just a credit card and in small country towns, they don't always have the facilities to accept it. Alex saved me from doing the dishes, so I guess we will have to keep doing lunch til I pay her back!

The 16th January is Damien's birthday, so Paul and I called to sing him Happy Birthday - it seemed he was less than impresssed and drew the conclusion that he was born into a dysfunctional family. Apparently, Kelly had called before us and sang to him as well. He did say her voice was better and that perhaps Paul and I should consider singing lessons. Well from now on, Paul and I will sing to him at every opportunity, until he develops an appreciation of the finer things in life!

It would have been nice to be there with him on his birthday, but it won't be long and we can have a belated celebration. It is hard to believe he is 31! Soon people will begin to think we are brother and sister (unless of course, he is aging extremely well).



As I have now learnt the secret to living a long life (Paul told me), I was able to pass it onto Damien and now I will share it with all of you "keep breathing as long as possible"! Seems like a good idea to me!

I really should keep a running diary as it is always hard to remember exactly what we have been doing to fill our days since I last wrote.

I know we have had some wonderful snow storms. It seems we are always running to the store to get our 'fixins' before the storm arrives.

Last week on the Thursday night and Friday, we had a really big snow storm, and early on Friday morning (6.30am), we had to set out to Lansing (Michigan's capital), for a court hearing. I was asked to appear as a witness in a custody case. The drive to Lansing would normally take between 45mins to 1 hour, however, the roads were snowy, icy, unplowed and the snow was falling heavily most of the way, so the trip took 2 hours at a top speed of 30 miles per hour. Needless to say, our convey of 3 cars arrived safely. We don't have a verdict in the court case yet, but I was appearing on behalf of a neighbor who is seeking custody of his baby girl. We are hopeful of getting a favorable verdict sometime next week, so say some prayers please.



I was finished with my court appearance at midday, and it was our intent to travel onto Ohio (Dayton), for a surprise 60th birthday party for Kelly's father-in-law. We had more or less made up our minds not to go because of road conditions, however, when we left the court house, the snow had stopped. Erin called to say that the storm predicted to hit Ohio had not materialised, and that her investigations revealed the roads that way were okay. We decided to press on and pull into a motel if it was too bad. The further we travelled, the better conditions became and we arrived safely at our destination around 5pm, in time to relax, shower, change and head off to the party.

Soon after our arrival at the party, Kelly, Nate and Kyler arrived!!!! He has certainly grown, but almost daily photos (at my insistence), prevented me from being shocked!!! He turned 4 months old on the day of the party, and he is a beautiful, healthy and extremely happy baby.


Doug (father-in-law), got a huge surprise when he walked in and saw the waiting gathering of family and friends. Evidently he had no idea!!! It was a great night - great food and wonderful company.

We spent the Saturday hanging out at Doug and Cherie's place, taking it in turns to hold Kyler when he was awake!!! We managed to share him without any fights. Erin and her boyfriend Chris also arrived on the Saturday morning. They couldn't make it for the party, as Chris has a second job writing up sporting events for his local newspaper and he had to cover a game on the Friday night.

Cherie put on a wonderful brunch on the Sunday before we all headed back home in various directions. Their hospitality is always amazing and we always enjoy our time with them - even if we do have to share Kyler!! lol

Sunday was also Paul's birthday, so it was nice for him to be able to see "his girls" on his special day! Unfortunately, he spent the greater part of his day driving home, and the evening was a bit of a non-event as we were both a bit tired. We will go out together with friends in the near future and give him the celebration he deserves.



In the past couple of weeks, two of my nephews wives' have produced beautiful baby girls. One was born in Australia to my nephew Chris and his wife Julene and her name is Phoebe - she is beautiful and healthy and a much loved little sister to their son Oliver. My other nephew Glenn and his wife Melanie, also had a baby girl born in Hong Kong (they are working their for a year or two). She is their first child and her name is Evie. Evie is fair haired and beautiful, whilst Phoebe has dark hair.

It is about time that my children and all their cousins started producing off-spring in earnest. Mum and Dad had seven children and between us we had 26 children and currently those 26 have produced 18 with 2 on the way! Goodness know how many we will have in the future, but I expect there will be many more before they are all done. A family reunion in the next few years would be wonderful.

Life this week has been fairly quiet - just routine with a few trips out because once again, we have had a lot of snow. There is more on the way and by Sunday our temp. will be around -20 F with the wind chill. Hard to comprehend eh?

Last night we had a games night here with some neighbors. One neighbor, I have only met briefly called and said that Paul had mentioned that we enjoy games and asked if they could come over one night. I always enjoy getting to know new people - it sure helps prevent cabin fever when snowed in, so we phoned up a few others and had a great night. We talked more than we played, but we did manage to get in one game of Balderdash and had lots of laughs.


We also decided to have another night in early March - not a games night, as we are hopeful that a lot more of the neighbours will be able to come (last night we had 10). It is so good to live in a neighbourhood with so many fun, friendly people.



I did notice today, that Lynn, one of our friends who was here last night, was out skiing on the lake. It was snowing lightly at the time, so I must applaud her stamina!!!!



I should also mention here, that Dave, her husband, has just about finished setting up a web site for our lake association. I will put the link in here, particularly for my Aussie family, as if you click on the link, you will see a lot more of the area in which I live. There are photos of the lake, a map and other details. A job well done Dave!!! He is currently working on getting us a shorter web address.


http://web.mac.com/dkbaer/iWeb/www.deltoncrookedlakeassociation.org This link also appears again below, in case you want to finish reading this before clicking on it!


It isn't long now til Alex and I head off to London, and I am starting to get organised (i.e. filling the freezer with meals for Paul, check list of things to take etc.) and I am getting excited. Keep your fingers crossed that there are no snow storms on the 15th of this month. Due to the severe winter weather, many airports have had to shut down because of fog and ice/snow etc. As long as the airports remain open, I will ensure we get there, even if Paul has to take us on his snow mobile!!! Can you picture that - a two hour drive to Detroit on a snow mobile with Alex on the handle bars, holding her case and me behind Paul, clutching my case with a camera around my neck!!!! I am sure it would be possible - convincing Paul and Alex would be the hard part. John of course, would have to stay at home - it would be unreasonable to ask Paul to fit him on as well, and I certainly wouldn't want to appear to be unreasonable!!!!.



It appears February is a very special month - Happy Birthdays go to Paul, Doug, Murphy, Sid and a very special birthday greeting to Sr. Lucille who will be turning 70!!!! Mary almost made February (at the end of January), so special greetings to you also.



Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. Paul has been okayed this year not to give me flowers as I am leaving the next day and won't be here to enjoy them. I guess he will just have to lavish (not ravish), me with chocolates or dollars instead!!!! lol





Well folks thats it until I get back from London, probably with lots of photos of Damien, Lauren, Kerryn, Michael, Owen, Belinda, Matt, Queen Lizzie, Charles and his gargoyle and other city sights!!!



I have as usual puts some pictures at the end of the blog for those of you who may be interested.

After 15th of this month, please send any emails to me at kate-mack@hotmail.com as I will be checking emails only at that address while I am away. It is an old email, but it still works.

Lots of love to all, Kathy




House in the snow - compliments of Lyn Nitto



Family making fools of themselves


in an attempt to get Kyler's


attention














Kelly, Nate


and Kyler


compliments of


Nate's Aunty Bonnie














Chris holding Kyler



































Gramps has a turn!






Cherie was next!

Erin feeding Kyler

What - you want another smile?

Doug managed to get his turn as well!

http://web.mac.com/dkbaer/iWeb/www.deltoncrookedlakeassociation.org