Day Seven: WOW! We got to see the touring Broadway show of WICKED tonight. It was WAY cool, everything we hoped it would be and some nice surprises, too.
I even called Aunt Jennifer who SO desperately wanted to see the show with us......and she listened to three songs, LIVE. :) Clever use of cell phone technology.....oh, the cleverness of me, says Peter Pan. That is one of my favorite quotes. :)
We also went to the Celestial Seasonings factory tour in Boulder this morning. Hmmmm......clear sinuses....we spent time in the infamous "mint room" :) We tried to have a picnic with our friends.....but a massive thunder and lightning storm forced us to our cars!
We wanted to buy one of everything in the gift shop :)
On the way home, Anne and I finally found another quilt store, and picked up our fat quarters from Colorado state.
More later....it is after midnight, yet again.......and I am tired.
There may be a chance we will be MIA for a few days......
Many thanks to Gwen and her family for putting up with us in Denver. We all loved their family. The little 2yo is absolutely adorable....the boys are so friendly and handsome, too :)....and the big girl is fun to chat with. Oh, and the parents are great, too! :) We will miss them.
Thanks for the memories! Thanks so much for the yummy barbeque, for the great conversation, for setting us up at Celestial Seasonings, for providing a kick ball, the roasted marshmallows, the laundry services, the internet services, help in finding a quilt shop........
DO come camping with us next year! I know you will love it!
Love,
~C~
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Our Star-Spangled Adventure-Day Six
Day Six: It is past midnight. I am waiting for laundry to dry. Everyone else in the house is asleep.
And, now, I admit it....I am way too tired to post more.......
Suffice it to say, we all love being with Gwen's family here. They are just wonderful....speaking of "wonderful"....we get to do something fun tomorrow night, that requires advance tickets which we were lucky enough to order in February. Hopefully I will find time to post about it....well, post-event.......
...till later!
~C~
And, now, I admit it....I am way too tired to post more.......
Suffice it to say, we all love being with Gwen's family here. They are just wonderful....speaking of "wonderful"....we get to do something fun tomorrow night, that requires advance tickets which we were lucky enough to order in February. Hopefully I will find time to post about it....well, post-event.......
...till later!
~C~
Our Star-Spangled Adventure-Day Five
And still more brevity :)
Day five: Oh, boy! Colorado National Monument.......not what we expected :)
...follow the Colorado River as we head for the Rockies.......
......arrive at our friend Gwen's home. Great welcoming reception, including roasted marshmallows, to Malachy's delight! New friends!
....more later......but, you already know THAT story! :)
Day five: Oh, boy! Colorado National Monument.......not what we expected :)
...follow the Colorado River as we head for the Rockies.......
......arrive at our friend Gwen's home. Great welcoming reception, including roasted marshmallows, to Malachy's delight! New friends!
....more later......but, you already know THAT story! :)
Our Star-Spangled Adventure-Day Four
More brevity :)
Day four: Arches National Park
....check back here someday for more....... :)
Day four: Arches National Park
....check back here someday for more....... :)
Our Star-Spangled Adventure-Day Three
Very brief.....
Day three: drove across the loneliest highway in America, HWY 50 in Nevada. Not so bad.......slept in Fillmore, Utah, at a nice KOA where we found great marshmallow roasting sticks and an "A is for Arches" book. There is ALWAYS a book involved somewhere, isn't there? ;)
Saw prang-horned antelope in the wild....so very exciting!!
Oh! And, Anne and I bought our first fat quarters for our quilts. We just barely saw a quilt store in Fallon, Nevada. I had been lamenting the night before about having missed the quilt stores in Reno and in Carson City.......
Anne is having a pink and green theme, and started out with the prettiest little Japanese-style prints. My theme is to be red, white and blue to represent Our Star-Spangled Adventure across the good ol' US of A. We hope to buy fat quarters in every state we visit.
.............more to be added soon!
Day three: drove across the loneliest highway in America, HWY 50 in Nevada. Not so bad.......slept in Fillmore, Utah, at a nice KOA where we found great marshmallow roasting sticks and an "A is for Arches" book. There is ALWAYS a book involved somewhere, isn't there? ;)
Saw prang-horned antelope in the wild....so very exciting!!
Oh! And, Anne and I bought our first fat quarters for our quilts. We just barely saw a quilt store in Fallon, Nevada. I had been lamenting the night before about having missed the quilt stores in Reno and in Carson City.......
Anne is having a pink and green theme, and started out with the prettiest little Japanese-style prints. My theme is to be red, white and blue to represent Our Star-Spangled Adventure across the good ol' US of A. We hope to buy fat quarters in every state we visit.
.............more to be added soon!
Our Star-Spangled Adventure-Day Two
Brief synopsis, will update more later, hopefully!
Day two: Visited with Aunt Jennifer and kids, repacked car, Maddelyn and Garrett went to Georgie-pop's (my dad) house while the other four kids went blouse/shirt shopping for the two oldest girls. Lucky us, our Carson City Catholic homeschooling friends love us so much :) (it is mutual, indeed), they followed us around at the stores. We finished off the shopping in Reno by filling up the cooler with food for two days of camping. Hooray for nitrate-free lunch meat! Thanks for the tip, JennM! We then drove to Washoe Valley to reunite with the other kids and exchange a few others :)........and then met our family for a send-off buffet in Carson City, Georgie-pop's treat! Thanks, Dad! Ate too much food, visited with LOTS of cousins and an aunt and uncle, hugs and goodbyes. The kids were so good, the waitress had to compliment. There were about 21 kids there, aged 3 to 19yrs, most in the middle.
We went back to Georgie-pop's house and did something we had never done before there: went to bed before 11pm. :)
......and so.......the adventure gets going......
Day two: Visited with Aunt Jennifer and kids, repacked car, Maddelyn and Garrett went to Georgie-pop's (my dad) house while the other four kids went blouse/shirt shopping for the two oldest girls. Lucky us, our Carson City Catholic homeschooling friends love us so much :) (it is mutual, indeed), they followed us around at the stores. We finished off the shopping in Reno by filling up the cooler with food for two days of camping. Hooray for nitrate-free lunch meat! Thanks for the tip, JennM! We then drove to Washoe Valley to reunite with the other kids and exchange a few others :)........and then met our family for a send-off buffet in Carson City, Georgie-pop's treat! Thanks, Dad! Ate too much food, visited with LOTS of cousins and an aunt and uncle, hugs and goodbyes. The kids were so good, the waitress had to compliment. There were about 21 kids there, aged 3 to 19yrs, most in the middle.
We went back to Georgie-pop's house and did something we had never done before there: went to bed before 11pm. :)
......and so.......the adventure gets going......
Our Star-Spangled Adventure-Day One
On one of the 4reallearning threads, someone offered prayers for our "Star Spangled" adventure........and we decided that was just the right title for our cross-country trip. We had been looking for just the right name. I promise to give credit, when I go back and see who it is!
Yes, I KNOW, this is not actually DAY 1. But, I am hoping to get back and catch up (edit) on our missing days!
Day 1: We drove to Northern Nevada, much later than we expected, stayed with my sister who was asleep when we arrived, heated up cold pizza and ate warm pizza, and passed out asleep, shortly after my dad arrived.
Started our 54 day Rosary novena. We thought of a great way to offer it all up!
We have tremendous thanks to give.......we were so blessed by our friends, as they sent us on our way.......So, more later :)
I hope! In the meantime.......
~C~
Yes, I KNOW, this is not actually DAY 1. But, I am hoping to get back and catch up (edit) on our missing days!
Day 1: We drove to Northern Nevada, much later than we expected, stayed with my sister who was asleep when we arrived, heated up cold pizza and ate warm pizza, and passed out asleep, shortly after my dad arrived.
Started our 54 day Rosary novena. We thought of a great way to offer it all up!
We have tremendous thanks to give.......we were so blessed by our friends, as they sent us on our way.......So, more later :)
I hope! In the meantime.......
~C~
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Too Tired to Write
I am so tired I cannot see straight :)
It is late, and I stayed up too late last night, too.
I just wanted to post a quick note to say, we are almost on our way. I will try to post tomorrow night from my sister's house.
I want to tell you about our generous friends, who are very thoughtful with our "going-away" gifts.
Here is a photo-op of our new car, pretending to drive away :)
It is late, and I stayed up too late last night, too.
I just wanted to post a quick note to say, we are almost on our way. I will try to post tomorrow night from my sister's house.
I want to tell you about our generous friends, who are very thoughtful with our "going-away" gifts.
Here is a photo-op of our new car, pretending to drive away :)
Special thanks to Jacob and Cindy for taking the picture.
More tomorrow night, I hope!
Late night blessings,
~C~
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
PRAY FOR A GOOD OUTCOME!
After much prayer, I have found a cancellation in the Northstate here, and tomorrow I get to see an endodontist. I pray this is the answer to the problem with which we have been dealing. I was almost giddy (okay, I have to admit, I WAS giddy) with the hope of the pain being resolved. To be quite honest, I am quite tired. Though, I do thank God for the chance to offer up my sufferings. I offered it up for all of my other friends who are suffering with dental woes as well. They know who they are. I also thank God for the chance to heal.
Still have a lot to do to prepare for our adventure.......but, if I can toss the dental pain, I am going to try to be mellow about what do not have done yet before we leave.
Here is the to-list updated:
Two of three childbirth classes to teach. ONLY ONE LEFT!
A seminar for OB nurses...STILL LOTS TO DO! :/
A half day of antepartum interviews......DONE, TODAY!
A piano recital at MY house....ON SATURDAY.
Three days of work........ONLY TWO LEFT. HELPED A WOMAN GAVE A BEAUTIFUL BIRTH ON MONDAY :)
A half day of antepartum interviews....DONE!
A birthday party or two......DONE!
A retirement dinner to attend....DONE! WAS A LOVELY MEMORY!
A dance recital for Anne’s class.....FRIDAY NIGHT.
Three concerts for Anne.
Read- and sing-throughs for the summer play production....NEXT WEEK!
Get rid of my headaches….and toothaches :<(........TOMORROW HOPEFULLY!! Get novenas ready for Robynn. Clean the chicken coop (little do the boys know, it is just them this year :>)
Finish learning records for the year........JUST NEED TO TURN IN THE LEARNING SAMPLES NOW!
Oh,And finish the travel info sheet.
And fine-tune the itinerary.
And write an introduction letter.
And get a new video camera for the trip.......MAYBE TOMMORROW???
And more camera memory.....TOMORROW!
And test the tent.....DONE>>>SEE PHOTO BELOW!
And switch cell phone to national roaming.
And clean the house really, really well.
And empty the fridge.
And pack the car.
It does not look much better, does it???
Ah, well. Maybe after Saturday night it will look better!
Love,
~C~
Still have a lot to do to prepare for our adventure.......but, if I can toss the dental pain, I am going to try to be mellow about what do not have done yet before we leave.
Here is the to-list updated:
Two of three childbirth classes to teach. ONLY ONE LEFT!
A seminar for OB nurses...STILL LOTS TO DO! :/
A half day of antepartum interviews......DONE, TODAY!
A piano recital at MY house....ON SATURDAY.
Three days of work........ONLY TWO LEFT. HELPED A WOMAN GAVE A BEAUTIFUL BIRTH ON MONDAY :)
A half day of antepartum interviews....DONE!
A birthday party or two......DONE!
A retirement dinner to attend....DONE! WAS A LOVELY MEMORY!
A dance recital for Anne’s class.....FRIDAY NIGHT.
Three concerts for Anne.
Read- and sing-throughs for the summer play production....NEXT WEEK!
Get rid of my headaches….and toothaches :<(........TOMORROW HOPEFULLY!! Get novenas ready for Robynn. Clean the chicken coop (little do the boys know, it is just them this year :>)
Finish learning records for the year........JUST NEED TO TURN IN THE LEARNING SAMPLES NOW!
Clean the schoolroom........It is the place to store the trip stuff!
Wash cars.
Clean out purse. :)
Sell eggs.
Movie night with Cindy and Jacob?
Plan as much as possible for westcoastfun campout, especially meals.Oh,And finish the travel info sheet.
And fine-tune the itinerary.
And write an introduction letter.
And get a new video camera for the trip.......MAYBE TOMMORROW???
And more camera memory.....TOMORROW!
And test the tent.....DONE>>>SEE PHOTO BELOW!
And switch cell phone to national roaming.
And clean the house really, really well.
And empty the fridge.
And pack the car.
It does not look much better, does it???
Ah, well. Maybe after Saturday night it will look better!
Love,
~C~
Sunday, May 6, 2007
SO, WHAT'S WITH THE BANNER PHOTO?
Some of you already recognized Malachy. The photo was taken last Thanksgiving weekend. We were visiting his Great-Grandma in Eureka, on the California coast. We took a day at what the kids have always called "Sunset Beach" because we often would jet over there just in time to see the sunsets. I have been taking the kids over there since Anne was the only child.
On this day I took about 100 pictures, just for fun, to see what I could come up with. I just LOVE my digital camera. It is probably my favorite possession. :)
I just love this photo of Malachy and the Pacific Ocean. I was originally looking for a photo of Mount Shasta to put up there, but I just had to use this one, since I am so attached to it. :) I used it for a desk top background for a long time.
So, how can I make this photo, have anything to do with our trip........well, Malachy is saying:
On this day I took about 100 pictures, just for fun, to see what I could come up with. I just LOVE my digital camera. It is probably my favorite possession. :)
I just love this photo of Malachy and the Pacific Ocean. I was originally looking for a photo of Mount Shasta to put up there, but I just had to use this one, since I am so attached to it. :) I used it for a desk top background for a long time.
So, how can I make this photo, have anything to do with our trip........well, Malachy is saying:
America!! Here I come!!
On the tooth front, I guess I will try taking antibiotics again, and my dentist is going to try to get me into a specialist this week if possible. I told him I am feeling pretty stressed out about not have this resolved fast enough. Please pray it all goes well.
Today, we went to Mass and picked up Sarah's friend on the way home. The two of them got dressed up like old-fashioned ladies and played out different stories all day.........I just love when my older girls play like that :)
Good night!
~C~
Saturday, May 5, 2007
TODAY WAS A BUSY DAY!
We started by attending a birthday party for one of our little friends. She turns 4yrs this week. Her sweet and wonderful mother made a birthday cake for Maddelyn, too. Though it was sunny, it was a bit brisk today, with a north wind blowing. The candles were lit on Maddelyn's cake......and she was nowhere to be found! So, we just sang to her while the wind blew her candle flames side-ways. I guess she could hear our singing, as she was on the other side of the fence with her brother. :)
Then, another dear friend whisked the three girls to Redding to see BYE, BYE BIRDIE at a high school down there. They should be home any minute.
I worked on details of our New York City part of the itinerary (trying to figure out how to afford tickets to see BOTH Wicked AND Les Miserables), while the boys put up our new tent, so we can get used to its workings BEFORE we leave on our trip. It is a really cool tent! I am so glad we got it. It has three separate tents, attached by a tunnel (optional). You can leave the rain covers off and look at the stars. Should be fun in Yellowstone!
Then, the boys stayed home and watched a movie together while I went to a dinner at a nice restaurant for a friend's retirement get-together. It was a really sweet time.
Now, the boys are outside in the dark, trying to get the tent put away so the dogs do not do anything bad to the tent :)
Oh, of course, I came up with a few more things to add to our to-do list:
Clean the schoolroom----luckily, it barely needs help It is the place to store the trip stuff!
Wash cars (will MAKE the kids do this actually.......supposed to be in 80*s next week....only days after our snow!:))
Clean out purse. :)
Keep praying about the tooth! :(
With love,
~C~
PS: Thank you for Maddelyn's birthday wishes! She appreciates every one of you! I am SO glad I have at least one more year before I have no "little" girls left....next year, FOUR of them will be teenagers! How is THAT for strange!
Countdown: 17 days till we fly from here!
Then, another dear friend whisked the three girls to Redding to see BYE, BYE BIRDIE at a high school down there. They should be home any minute.
I worked on details of our New York City part of the itinerary (trying to figure out how to afford tickets to see BOTH Wicked AND Les Miserables), while the boys put up our new tent, so we can get used to its workings BEFORE we leave on our trip. It is a really cool tent! I am so glad we got it. It has three separate tents, attached by a tunnel (optional). You can leave the rain covers off and look at the stars. Should be fun in Yellowstone!
Then, the boys stayed home and watched a movie together while I went to a dinner at a nice restaurant for a friend's retirement get-together. It was a really sweet time.
Now, the boys are outside in the dark, trying to get the tent put away so the dogs do not do anything bad to the tent :)
Oh, of course, I came up with a few more things to add to our to-do list:
Clean the schoolroom----luckily, it barely needs help It is the place to store the trip stuff!
Wash cars (will MAKE the kids do this actually.......supposed to be in 80*s next week....only days after our snow!:))
Clean out purse. :)
Keep praying about the tooth! :(
With love,
~C~
PS: Thank you for Maddelyn's birthday wishes! She appreciates every one of you! I am SO glad I have at least one more year before I have no "little" girls left....next year, FOUR of them will be teenagers! How is THAT for strange!
Countdown: 17 days till we fly from here!
Friday, May 4, 2007
A BIRTHDAY IN OUR HOUSE!
PS: Shhhh! Tomorrow is Maddelyn's 12th Birthday!
Join me in wishing her a very happy birthday!
Love,
~C~
Join me in wishing her a very happy birthday!
Love,
~C~
A BLOG OF OUR OWN
Finally.
The day has finally arrived: the day I actually START writing my blog. :)
Oh, what to write? What to write? Well, I have written this several times in my head since I started the blog at my friend Willa’s (http://willa.homeschooljournal.net/) house, WAY back in March. :) Can’t remember any of those essays….so, I will just jump in here!
So, WHY am I finally writing a blog?
I always said I could not have one, because I would always be thinking about everything in the context of blogging. I know. I did that before when I was writing the newsletter: The Catholic Family Home (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheCatholicFamilyHome/). But, the kids and I are going to take a cross-country trip this spring, and I thought it would be really nice to have a place to journal online, so our family and friends could follow a bit on our adventures. When I mentioned this to my 85 year-old Grandma, she thought it was a good idea. That was all of the inspiration I needed. I even got Anne’s laptop fitted with Wi-Fi so we can use it while on the road. (Thank you, Evan!!) Almost every campground and every hotel we are staying at has Wi-Fi, so I hope that on some of the evenings I will be able to get a bit of journaling done. Sure will make it easier for scrapbooking! :)
This is the countdown: only 18 days to departure! There is so much to do! I am so not where I thought I would be in my trip planning. Thanks to a toothache for four weeks, followed by a headache for almost four weeks…..I have got a bit behind. I am trying to stay relaxed, but when you look at my list of things to do before we leave, you can see why there may be busy bees around here.
Here is the list:
Two of three childbirth classes to teach.
A seminar for OB nurses, of which I am the sole organizer. I like it that way. :)
A piano recital at MY house.
Three days of work.
A half day of antepartum interviews.
A birthday party or two.
A retirement dinner to attend.
A dance recital for Anne’s class.
Three concerts for Anne.
Read- and sing-throughs for the summer play production.
Get rid of my headaches….and toothaches :<( Get novenas ready for Robynn. Clean the chicken coop (little do the boys know, it is just them this year :>)
Finish learning records for the year.
Plan as much as possible for westcoastfun campout, especially meals.
Oh,
And finish the travel info sheet
And fine-tune the itinerary
And write an introduction letter
And get a new video camera for the trip
And more camera memory
And test the tent
And switch cell phone to national roaming
And clean the house really, really well
And empty the fridge
And pack the car.
Hey, I guess I could use this for a check-off list! I hope I did not forget anything :\
Trivia: I wrote this blog on Anne’s laptop while attending a Jazz Choir Concert at COS, our local Junior College. Crazy, but a good use of my time :)
Blessings to you, dear ones.
Please pray my head and teeth heal very quickly!
~Chari~
The day has finally arrived: the day I actually START writing my blog. :)
Oh, what to write? What to write? Well, I have written this several times in my head since I started the blog at my friend Willa’s (http://willa.homeschooljournal.net/) house, WAY back in March. :) Can’t remember any of those essays….so, I will just jump in here!
So, WHY am I finally writing a blog?
I always said I could not have one, because I would always be thinking about everything in the context of blogging. I know. I did that before when I was writing the newsletter: The Catholic Family Home (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheCatholicFamilyHome/). But, the kids and I are going to take a cross-country trip this spring, and I thought it would be really nice to have a place to journal online, so our family and friends could follow a bit on our adventures. When I mentioned this to my 85 year-old Grandma, she thought it was a good idea. That was all of the inspiration I needed. I even got Anne’s laptop fitted with Wi-Fi so we can use it while on the road. (Thank you, Evan!!) Almost every campground and every hotel we are staying at has Wi-Fi, so I hope that on some of the evenings I will be able to get a bit of journaling done. Sure will make it easier for scrapbooking! :)
This is the countdown: only 18 days to departure! There is so much to do! I am so not where I thought I would be in my trip planning. Thanks to a toothache for four weeks, followed by a headache for almost four weeks…..I have got a bit behind. I am trying to stay relaxed, but when you look at my list of things to do before we leave, you can see why there may be busy bees around here.
Here is the list:
Two of three childbirth classes to teach.
A seminar for OB nurses, of which I am the sole organizer. I like it that way. :)
A piano recital at MY house.
Three days of work.
A half day of antepartum interviews.
A birthday party or two.
A retirement dinner to attend.
A dance recital for Anne’s class.
Three concerts for Anne.
Read- and sing-throughs for the summer play production.
Get rid of my headaches….and toothaches :<( Get novenas ready for Robynn. Clean the chicken coop (little do the boys know, it is just them this year :>)
Finish learning records for the year.
Plan as much as possible for westcoastfun campout, especially meals.
Oh,
And finish the travel info sheet
And fine-tune the itinerary
And write an introduction letter
And get a new video camera for the trip
And more camera memory
And test the tent
And switch cell phone to national roaming
And clean the house really, really well
And empty the fridge
And pack the car.
Hey, I guess I could use this for a check-off list! I hope I did not forget anything :\
Trivia: I wrote this blog on Anne’s laptop while attending a Jazz Choir Concert at COS, our local Junior College. Crazy, but a good use of my time :)
Blessings to you, dear ones.
Please pray my head and teeth heal very quickly!
~Chari~
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