Thirty looks good on you girl....

Happy Birthday, Lori Jo! You have given new meaning
to our lives for 30 years.

"Little Wise One"; "Little General"; "Lo-Jo"; "Little Wise-acre"; "BOBO" ;"No Kissing in here!"; "It isn't funny"; "The President"; "I Want a Big Mac!"; "I'll just drink it out of the bottle"; "Rub-a-dub Doggie"; "Little Beau"; "Gimme a Mick-Ultra"; "I just wanted to say ONE more thing";
"What did we name you? - Barb!"; "The Mayor"; "Just a few close friends - 47 of them"; "The Organizer"; "The Delagator"; "List-maker" and
"Ha-Ha, I beat you!".......

Thanks for all the good times!
All our LOVE,
Dad and Mom XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Twin girls!!!

The only news that could be better than "Karina's having a girl" is the news that "Karina is having TWIN girls!" We are thrilled for her and for Jason, who has been hoping for his little girl... Now there will be TWO!
Into a house full of boys toys, and into the den called "Man Land", there will be an invasion... I can see it now. A flurry of pink and giggles and laughter; the silly and flirtatious competition for Daddy's affection and Mommy's attention. Much to the wonderment of the little boys, two sisters will turn their world upside down! Two little button noses, two pairs of twinkling eyes and two little smiles will melt their hearts. May God bless this little family, protect this nurturing Mommy and bring these little ones to a safe and healthy delivery.

Owen therapy...

...is exactly what we need to chase those blues away.
This little guy puts a smile on a tired face. He reaches out and touches the soft spot in his Grandpa's heart. He snuggles under that strong chin, grabs hold of this hard-working man's shirt and promptly falls asleep.
Is that a tear you see, or does Grandpa have something in his eye?

Vacation...

has been defined as "...leisure time away from work, devoted to rest or pleasure". Everyone needs this; from the sleep-starved new Mommy who would LOVE a 45-minute nap to the guy putting in 20 hours of overtime who thinks longingly of his unused easy chair. I know that some people actually do take vacations for days and even weeks at a time.

Though some people never get the chance to do it; they simply don't know how to stop working long enough to take the time for rest, relaxation and enjoyment! Then there are those folks that take time off from their work; but only to do different kinds of work!

I am married to just such a guy. To him a holiday usually means a chance to replace another window or door and get caught up on yardwork, wood cutting and vehicle repairs. A once-a-year trip to the cabin usually turns into fixing boats and motors or performing other repairs. One year, since the motor wouldn't work, he ended up rowing the complete width of the lake. Now THAT is a chore! Please don't get me wrong! I am not complaining. His work ethic was one of the reasons I picked him in the first place. But I think that it is time for him to learn the meaning of the word "vacation" and discover leisure, rest and recreation. Heck, he doesn't even own an easy chair. Well, I am beginning to think it's now or never!
Being that I am almost as bad about staying late at school and bringing work home on weekends, I will need to be innovative and creative about re-discovering leisure. It might mean starting slowly; trying some small things; setting some work boundaries; and then planning for some "mini-vacations". When we start to change our thinking about work and put it in perspective there might be time for: an hour bike ride in the Kettle Moraine; a couple of hours at the zoo; a hike in the woods; a half-hour swaying in the porch swing; an afternoon at the art museum; a casual drive along the lake; or even a 45 minute excursion to the Lapham peak tower for taking in the panorama. How about it? Does anyone else need a vacation?