Happy Memorial Day!

We have had a full and fun Memorial Day so far.

A tech from Bell South came by bright & early to fix our DSL Service (haven't had internet for the last few days), but we were back up better than ever in about 30 minutes. We had some breakfast, walked Pogo, and started the beef brisket we'll grill later for dinner.

My sister Christine, brother Lou and BIL Eddie all competed in the Memorial Day Triathalon at the Jewish Community Center this morning. I called Chris to see how they did. Lou did the swim, Chris the bike, and Ed did the run portion--and they won the relay category! I wish I could have made it out to watch again this year. (Chris & Lou were on the relay team last year, too, but with a different runner.)

We hung out and had BLTs for lunch and then Rachel asked to get out the water toys.

Doug joined in, too:

Nick's at Night

We went over to our neighbor Nick's house tonight for a cookout. Doug and Nick got to talking while I was in Missouri, and this mornning we got invited to join him and some of the neighbors for dinner and a swim. Rachel loves the water and we had a hard time getting her to leave and get ready for bed. Luckily, we have the whole summer ahead and more opportunities to swim in Nick's beautiful pool.


Dinner was fantastic, too!

Birthdays in Springfield, MO

I got a call last week from my friend, Sherri, who now lives in Springfield, MO. We met several years ago (when we were both single and childless) on a scuba diving trip to the Red Sea. We became close friends and we have kept in touch despite the geographical distance when Sherri moved back home. She has three little girls now and two of them, turning 5 and 2, have the same birthday, May 18. Sherri called to invite me to their party on Sunday the 20th and since school was over for Rachel, we decided to go.


We started out early Saturday morning since it's about a seven-hour drive to Springfield; but, God bless the soul who invented car DVD players, Rach and I had an easy, uneventful trip. We arrived about 2:30 pm and had enough time to let the girls play and get reaquainted (Sherri's whole family came and stayed with us last August for my 40th birthday) and then we had pizza for dinner.


We spent most of Sunday morning preparing for the party and then we had a wonderful cookout, courtesy of hubby Shane, presents and cake.

On Monday we went to the park and walked along the river that runs nearby and Emma, the oldest, had a tee-ball baseball game. It was really cute to see all those little boys and girls in all their gear, trying to bat, run and field.

On Tuesday we were hoping to go down to Branson to an amusement park, but rain was threatening so we went to the nearby zoo, which was also free with my Nashville Zoo membership, in case we had to make a run for it. The zoo there is really great. The kids loved all the baby animals, especially this baby elephant, and there are two baby giraffes expected any day now.

Wednesday was the long drive home--somehow the trip back home always seems longer. Hmmm.

42nd Fiesta!

Today was Doug's 42nd Birthday and it just so happened that it coincided with the monthly meeting of our Harley-Davidson H.O.G. Chapter. In fact, this was the first "Bike Night" of the summer; when our "mostly business" off-season meetings turn into "mostly party" get-togethers. It was perfect timing and way more of a celebration than I could have put together on a Thursday night.

They had a Mexican fiesta theme with yummy food from San Antonio Taco Co. and even though they didn't get around to the pinata (Rachel was bummed) we had a really good time.

Rachel has been having a great time practicing with my digital camera and she took this picture of Senor Doug:


She is getting really good and I guess I'll be getting her a camera of her own soon.

Mother's Day, Sort Of

Well, today was Mother's Day but it was basically a non-event for me. Doug is of the opinion that Mother's Day is really about his mother, not me. While I don't expect to be showered with lavish and expensive gifts, it would have been nice to get a little pampering--sleep late, breakfast in bed, maybe a card or at least a verbal, "Thanks for all you do, honey. You're a great Mom."


Although Christine & Lou called to wish me a Happy Mother's Day (thank you, guys!) I got none of those things from Doug. This is what I spent my day doing:

This area had been Doug's dumping ground for all the cut branches and trimmings from the yard--I wish I had taken a "before" picture". It was a lot of work, but now we have nice raised beds for our veggie garden and I'll be sure to post some pics as the tomatoes, etc. come along. I am going to put the herb garden in here, too, until I have the patio put in and have a good spot closer to the house.

Usually, I get Doug to take a photo of Rachel and I together, but I even forgot to do that. I am tired and just going to turn in early...

More Grandparents

We hosted dinner at our house on Sunday night, but -gasp!- I guess in all the excitement I didn't take any pictures of Rachel with her Mom-Mom & Pop-Pop. It's really not like me not to remember and I wish I had some of the three of them here in the backyard. Sigh...

We had a delicious dinner last night over at Doug's sister Jennifer's house. She made a grilled beef brisket that was out-of this-world. Dinner at Jenny's is always a treat, but I took home the recipe for this one. Daniel finished moving out of his apartment and made it home a little later. We gave him an engraved valet box, which he seemed to like a lot.

Rachel with her Grandparents.

Rachel with her great-great Aunt Clara.

Graduations & Grandparents

My nephew Sam and Doug's nephew Daniel both graduated from college on Saturday. Sam was at NYU, and the school is so big that he decided not to attend the graduation ceremony. My sister Susan and niece Sophie went up to visit, but we'll see him when he comes home for a few days at the end of May.


Doug's Mom & Dad drove down from PA to go to Daniel's graduation from Lee, so we'll get to visit with them for a couple of days. Last night we went out to dinner and there was a piano player and singer performing. Rachel charmed everyone by dancing in front of the stage, and then the singer sat her up on a stool and sang to her. I wish the pictures had turned out better, but it was really dark in the restaurant.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

Ken gave us his tickets to the Sounds game today and we had a great time out at the ball park on a beautiful, perfect Spring afternoon. We ordered hot dogs and cherry Icees and settled into seats right above the visitors dugout on the first base line. It was really cool to see all the action up close.

A few innings into the game, the guys sitting behind us caught a foul ball and they gave it to Rachel as a souvenir. It was a really generous thing to do and she loved it, as you can see.

A good time for all--thanks, Ken!

Stanley Cup Playoffs - Game 5

The Nashville Predators ended their Playoff run last night at home in a heartbreaking Game 5 loss to the Sharks. I went to the game with my brother, Lou. I sold my three seats to a friend from the Harley Chapter and we sat in Ken & Angus' seats. We were all so pumped up and fully expecting the Preds to come out on fire with something to prove. While I knew it was along shot for them to come back and win the next three games, I really thought they would win last night. I think in the other two seasons when we made the playoffs we had that "we're just happy to be here" attitude and the crowd was proud and happy despite the first round defeats. This time the mood was definitely different and everyone left disappointed and a little angry. I think everyone felt they should have done better considering their regular season record. The expectation that we would advance was definitely there and so the defeat was all the more bitter.


I do hope that there is a coolong off period and that there aren't a bunch of rash decisions like firing the whole coaching staff, which some of the radio shows are saying could happen. Barry Trotz is a good coach and I think it is wrong to lay all the problems at his feet. There were injuries, etc. that were beyond his control and throwing the baby out with the bathwater doesn't seem like the solution, to me at least.


Of course, I am a Chicagoan at heart and we know "there's always next year!"

Preds Lose at the Shark Tank

I am going to go back and try to catch up on the last couple of weeks of posts--somehow the blog is the thing that went to the back burner with Easter, taxes, etc.

Until then, I thought I would jump on and lick my wounds a little after the pounding the Nashville Predators took against the Sharks in San Jose last night. This matchup is one of the most heated and exciting in this year's Playoffs and it's getting a lot of media attention. Even when we lose it's great hockey--tune in and support the Preds!

I was so excited to sit down at 9:00 (Rachel tucked away in bed) and watch the whole game uninterrupted. It wasn't to be however as I found, upon returning from the kitchen during a commercial, that Versus (Dish Network Ch. 151) had pulled the feed. I messed around with the TV and the DVR figuring it had to be a problem on our end, and then called my sister who is also a Dish customer. Same thing there. Instead of blacking out the programming before the game, they yanked the feed In. The. Middle. of. the. Bloody. First. Period. and I. Missed. Nashville's. Only. Goal. Doug found the game on another channel (which is why the must have stopped the coverage) but not before I got pretty ticked off.

After that the Preds were pretty much outplayed in every department, except of course when it comes to drawing penalties. We shine in the Box. The Sharks are just too strong and if we have any chance at all of surviving this series the Preds are going to have to stop wearing themselves out killing off Power Plays and save their energy for scoring goals. It is really frustrating watching the Sharks bait (no pun intended) our players and then watching them fall for it. I don't think our problems lie at the feet of Tomas Vokoun, or even Barry Trotz. I think it's an experience and self-discipline issue and the Predators are going to have to learn to keep their heads about them to survive. I hope we can pick up the next game in San Jose on Wednesday and then we are back home on Friday.

Series stands 2-1 in favor of the Sharks.