James is off to Boston

Well with the help of Priceline, we pulled off an unexpected trip for James and Mac's birthday present for each other. They are both so excited to see each other that James has not slept for two nights. The last time he was in Boston was when he was twelve. We had so much fun on that trip including a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway! He is heading out this am and will return late Tuesday. It appears that he is heading into a snow storm and I pray that God will keep him safe during his travel. We are so happy that both of our children have toured Europe with backpacks which has given them way more travel experience than we could. Have Fun, Be Safe...and as Mom always says to you "don't do anything I wouldn't do" Love you both...Mom

From Dad: I want you to remember the little slip I gave you for your wallets "Sibling relationships outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendships. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty, and distrust."--Erica E. Goode

Mom and I are both so proud of how you both work on the growth of your wonderful sibling relationship as you continue to mature. Have a wonderful week-end. Dad

Happy Birthday Jason, Betty, Stomie, Cathy and the ultimate Party Girl (21) Mackie!

Happy Birthday Jason, Betty, Stomie, Cathy and Mackie! Happy 21 Mac. We just finished a whirlwind visit from Cathy, but a lot was accomplished! We had a birthday dinner for Stomie and Cathy and they shared an ice cream cake, followed by the game of spoons. Fun had by all. Hope everyone had a great day on thier special day. We are now planning our first visit together to Boston since Mackie started college. We are so excited for her to show us her home city that she seems to love so much. We will get to meet Stonewall Jackson(her bike) maybe will even take a spin with her, if Sophie will loan her bike to me. She is preparing to head off on Spring Break in Montreal for volunteer work. James and Elise returned from Portland refreshed from getting away from the ho drum daily life of work. All is well in the family here and hope all is well with all of you. Cathy put me up to the picture of Stomie. He does love his bath soaking!

February Birthdays

Oh my it is the Party Girl's Birthday.....WOW! Happy Birthday Cathy....as promised. Love your little sister! Many more family birthdays this month....more to come.

In Memory of our sweet Bubba

This entry is dedicated strictly to our old cat Bubba. In November Bubba suffered an injury we think from the neighborhood raccoon who took a swipe at him. Following two surgeries and a long recovery with ups and down, his body finally succumbed to kidney failure and we had to have him put to sleep. We had him exactly 14 years so needless to say he was a very important member of our family. Even though he looks good in this photo taken at Christmas the other side of him was entirely shaved. His body weight went from 9 pounds to 5.5 pounds in January. I will never forget the day Mac and I went to the foster home to pick out a kitty. She wanted the long hair white fur ball kitty and I kept trying to lead her to Bubba. Of course I was thinking of all the hair I would have to chase if we got the white one. We never looked back after she chose Bubba, he was such a great cat. His only bad habit was as a kitten he loved to chew on anything wool and needless to say our wonderfull Cenarussa white wool blanket(a wedding gift) ended up being a blanket with numerous holes! Bubba always maintain his svelte figure and many times he would be lying on the porch when we came home and was known by many neighbors as "flat cat". Bubba loved catnip and also loved to be rubbed down nightly. He was a great purrer. Bubba was the only cat in our neighborhood that walked the block every evening with dad and Bailee. We miss you Bubba and we will always love you!