Sunday - May 31

Last day of May....rainy in the morning.   Drew, Davis and I went to 9:00 Mass at St.. Joseph's.    Did some laundry, Blair took her nap and Brady still resting, but feeling much better!

 

Could just eat her up - orange sherbet, anyone? 

Michael and Brooke looking great in their wedding finery last night 

The boys hanging out with their X-box!

 

Michael and Brooke got home at 1:15....enjoyed hearing all about the wedding details!

Put her in the cage when she's out of control.....

OMG....Daddy did this - lots of laughs! 

Wearing my pretty new skirt that Grandma's friend, Connie made for me! 

I'm reading a book and Brady is reading his I-pad - he is no longer contagious

and I'm so glad we can be pals again and play! 

 Very happy that Mommy and Daddy are back home!

 

Had spaghetti for dinner and enjoyed a nice visit on the porch!

 

Tomorrow we fly home......what a fun week with the NC kiddies!    It will be strange to go back to Bloomington .....but no home on Jackson Street!

 

 

 

Saturday - May 30

It's Saturday already - this week has flown by.    Grandpa and Brady left at 7:30 for Urgent Care......the diagnosis is strep!    UGH....Brady is lying low with his Amoxicillin, Tylenol, water, Gatorade, etc.    And we're trying to keep Blair away from him!!!    The physician's assistant who treated Brady said to throw his toothbrush away 24-48 hours after he has his first dose of the Amoxicillin and he only takes this once a day.   Never heard about the toothbrush before, but makes sense!

Grandpa took Drew and Davis to lunch (Bojangles)  and mini golf.  
  I did laundry and hung out with the "B's"!

Davis got all spiffed up and Mark took him to school to serve at the 8th grade banquet.    We were at Drew's last year and then graduation on Sunday.    Next year, we'll be here for Davis.
Mark then went to 5:00 Mass at St. Joseph's.

Davis cleans up good!

 Liam

 Connor

Sweet Pea posing like her cousin Luke

Brady is feeling much better after just one dose of meds - they gave him 2 bottles!








 

 

 

 

 

Friday - May 29

Grandpa took Davis and Brady to school and then Brady and Grandpa were off to Asheboro, NC and the zoo.    Brady was not totally up to par......they had a good time, but left early.    Brady has a sore throat and slight temp.    Feel so bad for him as he was just not his happy-go-lucky-self with his friends today, according to Grandpa.

 

They got home at 5:45 so still a long day.   I did several loads of laundry, and Drew and I played 2-handed euchre this afternoon while Blair slept.

 

My pretty curls 

My girlfriends and neighbors

Hannah, Blair, Evan, Maggie and Adrian  

Lots of bubble fun on a Friday afternoon 

Drew hanging out with Blair, Jinx and Ted

 

Brady feeding the giraffes - his favorite zoo animal

Brady was happy and feeling good at this point!

 

Mark and Drew picked up some pizzas from Mellow Mushroom - Brady didn't want to eat.  

 Poor little guy!    While we were eating on the porch, the heavens opened up and my, did it ever rain!!!

 

It's official......Liam and Connor are now in 5th and 4th grades!!!

Way to go, guys!

 

Enjoy your weekend!

 

 

Thursday - May 28

Started out foggy this morning, but then turned warm and sunny!    Boys were off to school, Drew slept in till 11 and Blair was her usual busy self chatting away!    She says lots of words we can understand, but also, a lot of just jabber, jabber and so much of the time, she's on a phone (remote, my phone, her little phones, bottle of lotion, anything she can find!

 

I did 1 load of laundry and worked on the Blue Angel program.    Mark did a few fix-it projects around the house and we played outside with Blair.

 

Blair loves Elmo 

Swinging with Davis 

Cruisin' in her little pink coupe 

Helping Grandpa push the big garbage can 

Liam and Connor have a new ping pong table!

 

The boys wanted Five Guys for supper, so Drew and Grandpa picked it up (so easy to order online) and we had our "grease fix!"       Stormy night here and pouring as I write this.

 

Made Mark's lunch for tomorrow (Brady took care of his - Mr. Independent)!    They are going on a field trip with Brady's class to the Asheboro Zoo tomorrow (about a 2-hour trip).   Big day as they are leaving at 8:30 and returning at 6.

 

Liam and Connor won their baseball game tonight - been getting rained out a lot lately.    They are now 2-2.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday - May 27

Mark and I were up and going at 6:30 AM and the day had begun.    Had some good rain (they really need it here) overnight.    Mark took Davis and Brady to school, Blair and I had breakfast and Drew left a little later for just 2 hours - freshman year is over and he is officially a sophomore!

 

Blair took a nap and I worked on the program Mark and I are giving for my Exchange Club

banquet next week on the Blue Angels

The mulch men came today and gave the landscaping a fresh coat - looks great!

Grandpa took all 3 boys to get haircuts this afternoon.   We took the kids to the Catawba Country Club for their Mexican Buffet - very good!    A beautiful evening to sit outdoors!

 Here they are...

 Us with the little Miss who wanted to keep on the move!

 Our Princess sometimes just wants to do what the boys do (dress and all) 

 

Tuesday - May 26

Happy "Heavenly" Birthday to Grandpa C (Mark's Dad) who would've been 94 today.  

Miss him sooo much!

 

The boys were off to school (Drew for the morning and few hours tomorrow); Davis ad Brady til

June 5th.    Liam and Connor will be finished this Friday.

 

Michael and Brooke left at 9:10 for Charlotte airport and their flight to DC.    Grandpa and I played with Blair and I did some laundry.   Was supposed to rain, but nice and sunny all day long.  

 

Bye bye Mommy and Daddy

 

Grandma's Kindle matches my chair

 

Grandpa picked Drew up from school.    Home for lunch and then off to Sam's.

 

Blair took her afternoon nap, I finished a good book,and Grandpa picked up Davis and Brady
 snack time!  

 Brady loves his new hat autographed by Uncle Ryan....even his braces are in the Blue Angel colors!
Now he's  a "TRUE BLUE" fan!!!!

We had a "clean out the ole fridge" night with leftovers from the holiday weekend.    Then it was  time for homework  showers and eventually night night to all....

Stormy weather is coming.....such a tragic story from Texas with so many missing and all the devastation   Also, a sad story at Lake James where a boating incident on Sunday afternoon resulted in the death of a woman and her husband is in critical condition.  

My sweet clean cuddly girl after her bath/shampoo
Grandpa was down below looking up so picture is blurry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memorial Day - May 25

A huge thank you to our service men and women who fought so bravely and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.    God bless you all....

 

It's been a fun Sunday and Monday in North Carolina, first at Lake James and then on the home front with Michael, Brooke, Drew, Davis, Brady and Blair.

 

Sunday...we met the crew at 9:00 Mass at St. Charles Borromeo in Morganton.    Mark and I then returned our rental car to Asheville and joined everyone at Lake James.    Brooke's parents, brother Scott and family all came.    Along with all the water activities, visiting, munching, etc., we had a delicious picnic-style supper on the patio!

 

Monday...leisurely morning of somewhat sleeping in and then Brooke prepared breakfast sandwiches and the day was off and running getting the laundry going, packing up all our stuff,  their stuff, clothes, food, etc.    Got back home around noon and the unpacking began,

 

Mark and I will hold down the fort this week - Michael and Brooke will be in the DC area for business/pleasure followed by a family wedding next Saturday.  

 

Liam going splish splash 

New technique for Luke eating raspberries

Grandpa and Blair - best buddies (her PaPa) 

Chatty Cathy on her  phone (a rock)!

 

 Had a yummy picnic supper on the porch - ribs and all the fixin's!

 

Have a great last week of May!

 

Friday Saturday, May 22-24

We are spending this beautiful Saturday of Memorial weekend at Dulles Airport in DC.....been here since 6:30 AM trying to get to NC and our little darlins'.   Of course, flying standby on a holiday weekend is not what we should be doing and with full flights, several standbys like us are just hanging around.   We will get there eventually, so...between good books, laptops, I-pad and people watching, we're good to go!

 

Yesterday was a perfect, not-a-cloud-in-the-sky day over Annapolis!   We were at the boat yard when the Blues came roaring directly over our heads zooming to Memorial Stadium and flyover for graduation at exactly 10:04 AM as scheduled!    WOW!    My heart did a few flip flops!

Ryan on far left...

What a beautiful sight!

 

Nick, (mechanic) went with us to do a test run on Catrina and with the thumbs up sign, we left Annapolis and arrived back in Oxford at 1:00.    God willing, we'll be back in "Naptown" next May for another Blue Angel show, boat ride with the Blues, hang out with good friends and all the good eating!!  

 

Did some packing and then went to Schooners for lunch (shared their delicious BLT wedge salad and crab cake sandwich + an orange crush for me).    At 5:00 we left Oxford and drove our truck to Fairfax, VA where our nephew, Tom lives.    He is out of town this weekend visiting his sister in Kansas, but his girlfriend, Samm took us to our hotel near Dulles after a great dinner and visit at The Cheesecake Factory.    Big thanks to Tom for letting us keep our truck at his apartment.

 

Glad Anne, Patrick and boys are having a fun weekend camping on Elsie!

Liam, Anne and Connor at the ole campground!

 

Ooohhhh...1st jump in the pool for the season

 

 Well....it is now 10:00 eastern time and we have arrived at Michael's home and spending the night here.    Finally got on a 6:16 flight to Greensboro, rented a car and then 1 hour 10 minute drive.    We were at Dulles for 12 hours!!!!!

 

Tomorrow we are meeting the clan at 9:00 Mass and then to the lake for rest of the weekend and "some fun in the sun" - let's get this summer off and running!

 

Nighty night and enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday - May 21

Chilly, breezy and rainy day here in Annapolis.    We moved Catrina to another boatyard to have some maintenance done.    Mark and I are hunkered down with inside chores.     Good day to hibernate.   Mark is drilling small holes and then putting snaps on new inside curtains and installing for when we're gone!

 

The Blues flew to Rochester, NY this morning to prepare for this weekend's shows.    They took off from Andrews AFB, but will return tomorrow morning for the flyover at graduation - 10:04 AM.

 

For our fellow Chart House fans....Mark did have his chocolate lava cake last night with Ryan and I getting in a few bites here and there!

 

Mark was ready for a break from drilling and snapping....we went to Davis' Pub (another spot that we just can't miss when in Annapolis) for lunch.    It was packed this rainy day with some large graduation parties.    Davis' is a very small place, but sure happening today!   

 I had a crab pretzel - delish!!!!   We always get the crab cake sandwich which Mark did enjoy and then cups of Maryland Crab Soup!     That sure hit the spot this ugly day!

 

The mechanic finished up (new mufflers) at 6:15....

 

Had a light supper and oh-so-ready for some warmer temps and sunshine tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday - May 20

Beautiful day n "Naptown".....actually comes from An"nap"olis!     We exercised, did laundry, met Ryan to get passes for today's show and then met our friends to walk to the show on the

Naval Academy grounds.

 

Don and Ann who live in Easton and Charlotte and Doug from Annapolis, Mark and I walked to Ingram Field with a straight shot of centerpoint!     Chris and Dan joined us, too.

 

Pat, Charlotte, Doug, Mark, Ann, Don

 

Show was awesome and we all had a great time.    Said our goodbyes to Ann and Don, Chris and Dan and then walked back downtown with Charlotte and Doug (boating friends we met in Marathon) for ice cream!   

 

The air show today ended with the "Missing Man Formation" where #2 pilot veers off in honor of a fallen Naval Academy student/graduate who lost his life in battle.    Today they honored  Naval Academy  Midshipman, Justin Zemser who died in the recent Amtrak tragedy enroute to his home in Queens, NY.   Justin had just competed his sophomore year.    After this heart-wrenching maneuver, taps were played and all were very silent and then huge burst of applause!

What a humbling, sober moment!

 

Missing Man Formation

 

We could never come to Annapolis without going to The Chart House for dinner and tonight we treated Ryan to another excellent meal in the newly renovated Annapolis Chart House   Always enjoyed the décor here on the water, but the new remodel is really WOW!!!!

 

Great to spend some time with Ryan and catch up - just the 3 of us = SPECIAL!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday - May 19

Lots of rain overnight and cloudy and threatening rain off and on....but then sun came out and it was a very nice afternoon.

 

We walked downtown and I got some birthday cards and then left for the practice of the Blue Angels starting with a catered barbeque lunch on the grounds of Hospital Point at the Naval Academy.      This event was sponsored by the Blue Angel Foundation benefiting Wounded Warriors.   We met several former Blue Angels!   It was a really nice party on the banks of the Severn River.   And so good to see Chris and Dan Hiltz (parents of last year's #2 pilot, John who was Ryan's roommate past 2 years).   Great to see them again and watch the show (they say they are going thru withdrawl at not coming to air shows as they did so many while John was flying.)

 

Former Blue Angels and 2 of the wounded warriors

 

Us with Chris and Dan

 

After the show, we all walked to Alumni House for a cocktail reception - wow, this lovely historic home, built in 1739 was built for a renowned Annapolis surgeon who died before the house was completed and also home to 3 former Maryland governors.   

George Washington dined here in 1773.   

 

Back to Catrina - we are tired!     Met Mark and Denise, fellow loopers on the dock and chatted awhile.    They enjoyed the Blues from the dock this afternoon!

 

Denise and Mark - new Looper friends

 

 

Monday - May 18

Hot and steamy in "Naptown" - no clue why Annapolis is called this, but intend to find out!

We exercised first thing and then Mark put his bike in the dinghy and drove the dinghy to get closer to the hardware/auto stores and then ride his bike rest of the way. 

I walked around downtown, browsed some of the shops and found the post office for some stamps.    On my way back to Catrina, had a little shower - Mark meet me with the umbrella - what a guy!

We took some of the Blue Angels for a boat ride on Catrina along the Severn River his evening...
what a thrill to have these folks onboard!

Andy Talbot (#3), Bob Flynn (executive officer); Ryan (#6)

Captain Tom Frosch (#1), Corrie Mays (Events Coordinator) and Nate Barton (#4)

 

Sunday - May 17

Rained during the night and then a hazy, foggy, misty rainy trip to Annapolis.   We left Oxford at 7:50 and about 4 1/2 leisurely hours later, we were here with all the folks gathering for Commissioning Week (graduation) at the Naval Academy.    We settled in at the Yacht Basin Marina and then walked downtown (historic district) and had a yummy lunch at the Federal House.    LOVE this charming town and always so fun to come back.

 

Did some boat projects this afternoon and still trying to get settled.

 

Sad to hear that a long-time boating friend, Dick Mote passed away.    Dick was a sailor and in the Mid Illini Power Squadron with us for many years and we boated together in Racine - sooo many memories of fun times with he and Barb.    Around 25 years ago, Dick had a heart transplant but continued to lead an active life.   He was 80.

 

Beautiful evening - we walked around the historic district and had a treat at

Storm Brothers Ice Cream Factory!

 

   Back to Catrina and sat on the bridge and enjoyed a nice visit with Mark and Denise from

Winter Park, FL who are doing the Loop.

 

So Liam and Connor needed some new "do's" and Daddy took over with the clippers....

they are ready for summer!

 

Liam 

Connor

 

Also wanted to share Connor's latest social studies project...

Introducing Mr. Chick Presley

Great craftsmanship, Connor

 

She may have 3 older brothers, but Blair is not going to sit around and let them have all the fun...

Look out....here she comes!

 

Ryan will be flying in later this evening - the Blues were in Chicopee, MA (suburb of Boston) this weekend.    Can't wait to see him tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday - May 16

Rained during the night but Saturday was a nice day for traveling - we left the hotel at 7:15, had a few stops and arrived in Oxford at 11:15   Good to be back on Catrina and after we got everything unloaded from the truck, the unpacking and putting stuff where it belonged, was underway!    A place for everything and everything in its place.....cleaning as I do this!   BIG job every year but now that we've split our stuff in 2 places, even MORE stuff!   

 

Our homes... 

 

Catrina

 

Daisy with Toad

 

  Check out the picnic table - waiting for some good euchre games, Jane and Joe

OR some dominoes, Allie and Owen???

 

About 3:00, we ran out of steam....got cleaned up and drove to Easton for some piddlies and groceries and onto 5:30 Mass at St. Peter and Paul.    The skies were threatening when we came out of church.   Headed back to Catrina, got our stuff unloaded and had supper onboard as the rain came down.

 

Patrick took the boys to a fishing derby at State Farm Park this morning...and

  

Liam's catch - a 19" catfish!