May 31

It's a beautiful, sunny Sunday and we spent 3 hours visiting Dave and Judy (Annette's parents) with Mark working on internet issues. And then we were off............drove 320 miles today and are parked in Wal*Mart parking lot in Mason City, Iowa.

After a delicious dinner at The Mexican Plaza, we got a few groceries at Wal*Mart (bananas are .64 a lb. - wow.....I can remember when they were .10 a lb.)!!!! We did not bring our bikes along....so walking will be our main source of exercise AND watching what we eat!!!!! Now, that will be the big challenge!!!

Good to be "back on the road again" after a fun, busy 6 weeks at home! Tomorrow, we'll be trekking thru Minnesota!

May 30

Mark, Daisy, Toad and I are off this morning for our big trip west and then "North to Alaska"...but first, stopped to say Good-bye to Mom and Dad at Stonecroft. Mom and Dad in his new Cubs shirt. And back on the road again for our niece's wedding.

Liam and Connor all dressed for their cousin, Alison's wedding

Alison and Bob

Grandma and Grandpa enjoying the wedding festivities

Liam, Connor, Jacob, David and Alyssa

The cousins hanging out watching the Bride and Groom dance their "First Dance"

May 27

EAT...EAT...EAT....Oink Oink!!!!! Started the day with breakfast at CJ's with 6 long-time bridge friends. We sat and yakked the morning away and then had book exchange (we all LOVE to read) - should've taken a picture of ALL the books we had to share! Back row: Holly, Sharon, Ruth, Karen and Sue

Front row: Pat and Cathy

And then, lunch with Exchange Club!

Connor and Liam spent an hour with us this afternoon - hanging out in front yard with Grandpa
And tonight, we had Ed and Donna Rae, John and Susie (great friends and neighbors) for dinner on the porch and lots of FUN visiting!!!! Ed and Donna Rae will soon be moving to a retirement home and John and Susie will be off to Florida (happy for them, but sad as we sure will miss them). But, another couple to visit in the Sunshine State!

May 26

Happy 88th to Mark's Dad.............and here's to many more happy, healthy years!!! Dad/Grandpa C
Lunch today at Central Station with my good friend, Martha. Great to catch up on our kids/grandchildren, parents, and life in general...
The Sublettians and some spouses gathered at Bill and Patty's for delicious salmon/chicken on the grill by Chef Bill and then a great variety of potluck dishes. Lots of laughs and fun reminiscing from our growing up years in Sublette!

Back Row: Bill, Bruce, Mark

Front Row: Patty, Bev, Kay, Debbi, Pat, Ann, Jane

May 25

It's a wet, dreary Memorial Day. I passed out flags at the parade with Exchange Club and their traditional "Giveakidaflagtowave" on this holiday honoring our military who gave their lives for our country. Mark stood along the parade route with Anne, Patrick, Mary, Liam and Connor. The boys watching the bands, old cars, fire trucks, horses, etc. Standing under the umbrellas watching the parade pass by....despite the weather, had a really big crowd. Had planned to have a sleepover on Daisy with Liam and Connor, but Liam is not feeling well, so.....we'll hopefully reschedule later this week?

May 24

Today we celebrated Connor's 3rd birthday (actually on July 14th). This un-birthday party was at Connor's house and started with a delicious bar-b-que rib dinner. The birthday boy...
Patrick, Liam, Anne and Connor

Connor's "Thomas the Train" cookie

Connor and his cookie

Anne, Mary, Patrick, Mark, Pat

Liam and Connor

May 23

Mark and I spent a delightful day in the country with friends, Barb and Roger visiting Dave and Judy (Annette's parents). We were so impressed with all of the remodeling Dave has been doing this winter/spring and Judy's supper was so delicious!!! Barb, Roger, Dave and Judy Pretty gazebo which Dave built a few years ago.

Beautiful peacock on the farm...

May 21-22

Sorry I've been away from blogging for such a long time! Been busy enjoying Liam and Connor, doing stuff around home, having fun with friends, entertaining on the porch (our neighbor Candy's birthday), getting ready for Alaska and having a bunch of "Girl Fun" for 2 days in Chicago. Met my 2 sisters-in-law on Thursday morning (we all arrived by train) and the fun began............ This was celebration of Linda's birthday and here we are at The Drake for High Tea which was wonderful....Vicki, Linda and Pat enjoying Bellini's.
And the birthday girl (Linda) with her delicious chocolate mousse cake!
Beautiful yellow lily arrangement at The Drake
Miss Jenny, the Bride-to-Be
She met us after work for drinks at The Trump Tower.
Jennifer is Linda's daughter and her big day is October 10th.
Linda, Vicki and Jennifer in front of The Trump Tower. We are on our way to "Mary Poppins" which was excellent!

Friday started with breakfast at "Tempo" (corner of State & Chestnut - add this one to your list of Chicago "musts"), we strolled along Michigan Avenue browsing and buying...

And here are the weary girls at Union Station checking out the train schedule. Time to go home and back to reality! It was a very enjoyable 2 days in the windy city!

Happy Memorial Day weekend to all...

May 14

After 2.2" of rain yesterday/last night, today was gorgeous and everything is so lush and green! I met my long-time friend, Barb for lunch at The Uptown Grill in LaSalle and then we went together to visit my parents. Barb's parents and Mom and Dad knew one another from the late 1960's. What fun we had catching up! Barb and Pat
Dad, Barb, Mom
Mom and Aunt Marian just before they left for the "Ladies Tea" at Stonecroft.

Liam and Connor are spending the night - we took them to Holiday Park and then to Steak & Shake for supper - they should sleep well tonight after all that running, running, running...

May 12

Mark and I spent the day with our parents and then.....had some fun time with Liam and Connor. Silly Liam
The boys enjoying cookies (from Great-Grandma C) and juice
Mowing the lawn
After a great dinner at Central Station with long-time friends, Margie and Paul, we sat and had a long, leisurely visit - so much to catch up on!

May 11

Beautiful spring day....met neighbors/friends for breakfast, ran some errands, did laundry and then...enjoyed delicious margaritas and Mexican fare at Chevy's with my Monday Night Friends. Sue, Pat, Ruth, Jody, Brenda and Tamara

May 10

Happy Mother's Day to all...........Special treat for me to be with my Mom today!My MomMark's Mom

Enjoyed ice cream with Anne and family

And.....wanted to wish my friend (and Brooke's Mom) Judy, a Happy Birthday! She has a double celebration today!!!

May 9

Mark and I spent this beautiful Saturday with my parents.....I treated Mom to her very first manicure/pedicure - she loved all that pampering! I joined her and we had a fun time. Here's Mom getting some pretty nails

And here we are soaking our feet in the sudsy whirlpool

We celebrated Mom's 90th birthday with a dinner and yummy cakes!

My cousin, Jim

Mom, Dad and his sisters, Dorothy and Marian

Jennifer (niece), Vicki and Linda (sisters-in-law) enjoying our wonderful dinners from The Whistle Stop

Bob, Ron (brothers), Jason (nephew) and Mark

May 7

Congratulations to Philip and Annette s they celebrate their 4th wedding anniversary - what a beautiful spring day and happy time that was... May 7, 2005

May 6

Pretty spring day here, but rain is coming our way next few days! Connor is doing a sleepover tonight with us - what fun we had, playing, going out for ice cream, tubby time and then reading some favorite books! He's a delightful little boy and really fun having this special one-on-one time! Little Jailbird
Connor and Grandpa
Connor decided he wanted to sleep in the "Big" bed tonight - so, he's got "Elmo" to read, his blankie and thumb - what more could a guy ask for?

Nite nite Sweet Connor