Holdermans in Mad City

Eva growing up

2011-08-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

I need to be writing more often. Eva is growing up so fast. I got to spend two more weeks with her the end of May, so here's a few photos of that time plus more up to date ones. The one on the left is one of my favorites (oh, so many to choose from!) and I have more "May" ones after that. We're at Taco Bell here, she's sitting up in her Bebepod - my favorite chair for her when we were out and about. I like to have her up nice and high, not snuggled into a stroller, so that everyone can see her and tell me how beutiful she is! Ha - am I shamelessly proud grandma or what?!

This is on one of our trips to Starbucks. I tried to bribe her with a coffee, but she was far more interested in the passers-by than me or any old coffee.

The first week that I was out in LA with Melissa and Eva, her daddy was at the Cannes Film Festival, he was gone for two weeks. Melissa surprised him by having Eva with her at the airport when he got home, and you can see how much Alex and Eva missed each other. Such a touching photo.

The day after Alex got home, we all headed up to Oxnard, Ca for the Strawberry Festival. It was lots of fun, good food and awesome strawberries. Mel and I made jam the next day.
And now I haven't seen Eva in person for 2 1/2 months, and rely on photos and FaceTime on the Ipad/Iphone. Fortunately I get lots of pictures - it helps.

Eight months old on August 9 - how can she be that old already? The year is flying by. We miss her like crazy, but know that we are blessed grandparents!

The Month of Eva

2011-06-05T19:22:00.001-07:00

To you, it might have been April 2011, but I'll always think of it as the month of Eva. I was in LA the entire month, taking care of her while Mommy & Daddy worked. Alex' mom and I were able to cover the time between Melissa having to go back to work till Memorial Day - after which Eva was able to start daycare. What a blessing that Jan and I could do this, and what a blessing for us to have that time with them.

This photo is her 4-month birthday. That right arm is always moving so it looks a little blurred. Don't you love the faux-hawk?

More fun photos!

Eva loves her jumper - and the blue toad who watches her

Winnie the Pooh outfit

E stands for Eva

Poppy was able to spend a week with us too!

Sitting on the patio with Poppy in her Notre Dame dress. Guess who bought that for her

In her Bebepod - great chair!

How cute is she?!

In her Easter dress on Easter Sunday!

I am a Grandma!!

2011-03-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

And yes, I have been one since December 9 - shameful that I haven't posted a photo of our beautiful Eva Noelle Van Fleet before now! Just trying to catch up the blog in a chronological order, and it was too easy to fall behind.

Anyway, isn't she just perfect?! 7 lbs, 5 oz and 20 inches long. She wasn't due till Dec. 26, but the doctors thought it was best that Melissa was induced and so, Eva was early. You can read all the details if you follow Mel's blog at The Van Fleet's.

Jack and I were blessed to be able to go out to L.A. (well,Sherman Oaks, to be specific) on January 1 and see Eva in person! Jack stayed a little less than a week, and I stayed on another week. I'm heading back for the entire month of April, so that Eva can be with family as Mommy goes back to work. Alex' mom has been out there too, in January to help out, and returned on May 15, so Mel could go back to work on the 16th.

Enough - here's the important part - pictures!

What a happy mommy Melissa is! Eva is glad to meet her, you just can't tell by her expression right now!

Alex is the proud daddy - what a great photo of both him & Eva

Eva calls me Kiki - well, she will. Once she learns how to talk. Or maybe not, they sort of make thier own decisions about that I've been told.

Poppy & Eva - I think this was taken on New Year's Day

Growing up quick! It's Eva's 2 month birthday, February 9, 2011

I just LOVE this photo! She keeps that right arm extended a lot - and is already hip enough to do a fist bump.

Pretty in Pink! She's 3 months old now! Don't you just love the faux-hawk?

3 months old on March 9, 2011

The Holidays 2010

2011-02-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas both in South Bend, enjoying a great family dinner at Debbie & Donnie's. On Friday, after Thanksgiving, we saw Jack's family. Pictured on the left here is Jack's niece Gracie, his younger brother Eddie, and his nephew Rich. Eddie is undergoing chemo treatments now for cancer so we've all been praying for his recovery.

Christmas Day at Debbie & Donnie's

Cody is happy with his new Kinect, as Laurie & Mike look on

Amy likes to tease her mom and Donnie

Always one to get in on the act, Jack teases too as he sneaks in on Kimberly and Samantha's photo op

On the set of The Help

2011-02-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

How exciting - I won a trip to the film set of The Help in Greenwood, MS on Oct. 10-12. Four other ladies won also - we'd all written how we were inspired by reading the book. Jack and I are pictured here with Octavia Spencer, who plays Minny in the movie. We had an amazing time. Our first night there, we were treated to an amazing dinner at the restaurant of the Alluvian, the hotel we stayed at. After we ate, we were thrilled when Octavia stopped by, along with Brunson Green, one of the producers. AND Minny brought her famous chocolate pie and we ate it up! (you just have to read the book!)

The next day we went to the set. We saw them film two different scenes, with Octavia (Minny), Viola Davis (Abilene) and Emma Stone (Skeeter). Viola and Octavia were wonderfully warm and everyone on the set was welcoming and friendly. Unfortunately, Emma Stone - not so much! She was "simply worn out" from coming from doing promo of her current movie, Easy A, and didn't want to greet us or talk to us. Funny that she is still not a big name in the biz, but felt okay snubbing us. Oh well - she's a kid! We had lunch in the "dining tent" - yummy meals prepared daily for the cast and crew. Jack and I sat at the table with Viola and Octavia and had a great time with them (Emma S. stayed in her trailer, she doesn't join the others for meals)

Me and Jack with Brunson Green, one of the producers.

The studio was selling everything (we were there on a Monday and they wrapped up filming on Thursday so it was all nearly over). This was some of the furniture used on the set, and there were shelves upon shelves of props, silverware, books, purses, shoes, etc. The prices on stuff were pretty good - but it was sort of hard to buy things to carry back on the airplane - ha! That is the director, Chris Columbus, on the far right.

Outdoors on the set. Star trailers, plus the makeup/hair salon trailer, the costumes trailer, etc. We did get to see inside the makeup/hair salon trailer, and talk to one of the ladies who did the makeup.

This is the street that our hotel was on. The Alluvian is an amazing, gorgeous hotel with an incredible restaurant - but it's out here in the middle of nowhere, on a cobblestone street in Greenwood, MS.

Annie was from Disney Studios, and was our "host" for our time here. Our package included this evening at the Viking School of Cooking which was directly across the street from the hotel. Viking provides just about all the jobs in this small town of 20,000. Here, I'm showing Annie how to make bruschetta (yeah, right), but I think she's more into the wine.

Jack wasn't too keen on our menu, so he left before the cooking started. After a yummy steak at the hotel's restaurant, he enjoyed having the TV and remote control in the room all to himself.

These are the tiropitas (cheese pies) and the lemon shrimp bruschetta. I never worked with phyllo dough before; it was fun to do something different, but you do have to move quickly with this super thin dough that dries out quickly.

We topped off the meal with a chocolate fondue - plenty of pound cake and fruit for dipping. And a GREAT time was had by all!!

Catching Up

2010-11-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

Dear Blog - how far behind I managed to fall in posting. And I do love posting - it's just so hard to make myself make the time. So here's some of the events I missed.

Amy and Samantha came up over Labor Day Weekend for Madison's famous Taste of Madison. I think the promise of chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-eggrolls enticed them as much as a visit with their favorite aunt and uncle. It was Sam's first visit here so it was a lot of fun to show her around the city. We enjoyed brats at State St. grille on Friday evening, and then Saturday did Taste of Madison and visited Memorial Union Terrace. That's Sam in the huge chair - we helped her climb up.

Here's Samantha and Amy in front of the state capital

I found a grape vineyard in the newspaper and Jack and I went out on a Sunday afternoon and picked concord grapes for jelly making. It's the first time Jack helped with this fun task, and it was great to have him assisting me! We made 12 jars of jelly.

Amy came back in October to attend Wicked at the Overture with me and Jack. What a great musical! Our seats were perfect and it was a fun night!

It just wouldn't be October without making Apple Jelly. Unfortunately we waited too late in the season to pick our own apples, the orchard was picked clean and they wouldn't let us go out. We bought pre-picked Fuji apples and they proved nice and juicy so we made some great jelly - again with Jack's help.

The best thing we did this year, by far, was to have a LOT of dental work done for Jack. Most of his teeth (molars) had been pulled when he was in the Army, some 40 years ago. We found a great dentist here in Madison, and Jack got 8 implants and 16 crowns, covering his remaining teeth that were badly worn down. Here's the "before" picture.

Isn't that the best looking guy with the best-loking smile you ever saw? He's a hunk!

Circus World in Baraboo, WI

2010-11-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS - I love this wonderful book by Sara Greun, and can't wait for the movie to come out next April! I read it over a year ago, and was so motivated to visit Circus World in Baraboo, WI. She got most of her research for the book from visiting Baraboo. And it's only about 30 minutes from where we live. So we spent a Saturday in June there - saw The Big Show, a Magic Act, part of the Tiger's Act, and spent a long time walking the grounds and the Museum. What a great experience. The tour among the circus wagons was fascinating. Our guide knew so much history. Hard to imagine that most of the circus wagons that were so plentiful ended up being used for wood in the Depression, for the metal in the War, or were abandoned on country farms. Circus World has the largest collection of restored circus wagons than any place else in the world. After our visit, I reread Water for Elephants! Now it's on my Kindle so I can read it whenever I like. Probably one more time after I see the movie

This is the museum. From inside, you cross over the Baraboo River on a bridge to the circus grounds. Inside the museum is a wealth of history, photos, costumes, etc.

This is the Hippodrome - a one-ring circus pavilion where we saw the magic act and The Big Show. Did you know that elephants really, really stink? Maybe the heat and the crowded seating area didn't help. We enjoyed the show anyway - it was neat to see an "old-fashioned circus"!

This is inside the Hippodrome. They don't allow photos during the acts - darn it!

One of the really fancy wagons. This one came from Ireland, so we had our Irish fan pose in front of it (go, Notre Dame!)

They have 2/3 of the world's remaining circus wagons right here in Baraboo. Many were dismantled for the steel during the war. and these fancy ones were really just for the street parades, so once they stoped having those ("teasers" to get you to come to the circus!) these wagons weren't useful. Many became chicken pens or other farm uses.

It's a little hard to see, but this is one of the wagons where people stayed. You can see the bed and mattress on the left if you click to enlarge this image.

This is one of their three "story-book" wagons. This one of Mother Goose contains over $60,000 in gold-leaf. The Cinderella one is also in gold-leaf and Circus World, Inc. is raising money to get The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe done in the gold-leaf as well.

I'm such a clown!

If you ever wondered how Jack would look behind bars - here's a photo. Ceilings were a little low in those animal wagons!

Summer Fun!

2010-08-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

We wanted to do something different for the Memorial Day weekend this year, so while the rest of our neighbors in Wisconsin were picnicking, swimming and camping, we went to the mall. But not just any mall - we went to the Mall of America. It was a fun day at the Mall, shopping, and lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Factory, watched Shrek 3 (or was it 4) at the theater, and walked our legs off! That evening we ate a burger place new to us - Smash Burger. Yummy food.

Fortunately we got back in town Sunday so that we could go to Brat Fest on Monday, Memorial Day. This is a really big deal here in Wisconsin - where brats, cheese and beer are staples of life! They did break the record, 209,376 brats were sold over the long weekend, beating last year's record by 624! Something new this year was the ketchup and mustard ice cream. Not really condiment-flavored, the ice cream was colored red & yellow. A novel idea.

It's cookie dough ice cream, colored to look like ketchup & mustard. It's for the discerning palate.

June is Dairy month - as everyone knows. I know - you're seeing a pattern here. It really looks like this post is more about summer food, than summer fun. Hey, we're old - what do you expect, bungee-jumping and horseback riding? Nope, not us. Anyway, one fun weekend in June, we had Cows on the Concourse, around the state capital. We had to go and try the grilled cheese sandwiches and plenty of cheese samples.

We thought about petting them, but didn't want to knock any small children out of the way!

The worlds largest grilled cheese grill (or so they claimed - who am I to argue?)

I was sick over the 4th of July - and you don't want any pictures of that!! Actually, just before that, we went to Circus World, but that's another post.

The end of July we ventured down to the capital to shop at the Farmer's Market. Then we walked over to Monona Terrace - there's a wonderful walkway leading from it, running all along Lake Monona. We thought it was going to be a nice day for a walk, but suddenly the sun started beating down, so we didn't stay out there as long as we'd planned. But - hey, no food was involved!

There were several people fishing - this man caught a blue gill just as we were passing him, so we had to watch the magic as he reeled it in, then we took their pictureWho doesn't love ducks? Or are they geese?
Along the lake, many people use the bike path, or like this family on the right, the dad fished with two of the kids, while the 3rd one was trying out her skateboard.

Decoration Day in Alabama

2010-06-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

May 16 was 3rd Sunday of May at Richardson's Chapel in Alabama, and Debbie, Amy, Laurie and I all went down since it was the first time Mom was there beside Dad. She passed away November 1, 2009. (ignore how my photos all say 2009, it's 2010 - dumb camera). Decoration Day was started in the south right after the Civil War, and Memorial Day wasn't a national holiday at the time .so all the cemeteries chose their own date for remembering loved ones. Our family met at the cemetery on Saturday, placing flowers, pulling weeds, cleaning up and making the sites look nice.

Mom's side has fresh sod on it, by the end of summer, it will be nice and green too. Thanks so much to Bill White for taking care of this for us!

The Shaws and Killens certainly have their own area of this cemetery. Shaw was my grandfather's family, and Killen, my grandmothers.

Aunt Sue picked out color-coordinating red and white roses this year. Everything looks so beautiful.

After all the work on Saturday, Susan & Doug had us over for a cook-out and family gathering

Samantha, Aunt Kathy, Debbie, Jack & me

From left: Aunt Kathy, Debbie, me, Aunt Jeanenne, Amy, Uncle Johnny, Samantha, Susan, Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Patsy.

Mexican Riviera - April 11-18

2010-06-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

We had an AMAZING time on our 5th cruise. We went back to the Mexican Riviera (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerta Vallarta) again, and took Melissa and Alex with us this year. It was soo much fun to have them along. Of course, we didn't do excursions with them, they are way more adventurous than these old folks. But we had a great time on our own, and then really enjoyed the things we did join them for. If you are a Facebook friend, you've seen most or all of these photos I'm guessing. Oh - and our camera wasn't set up for the right date - I tried to fix a few in photoshop but it was just too much work. So most of the pix say 2009, but they were all 2010 - how aggravating!

Melissa & Alex - on their very first cruise. Since their 4th wedding anniversary was April 30th, it was a great way for them to celebrate!

The first night, we went to a Mystery Dinner Theatre - a little hokey, but we had fun and dinner was great - especially the Tiramisu dessert. We had complimentary champagne before the play began - how nice!

It as a good excuse to dress up. Alex ended up winning a gift basket for guessing who the killer was - pretty cool.

TThinking maybe we'd all have a lucky evening, we decided to try our hand at the slots - just $20. But after I played just $2, I won $95...

So... we headed to the roulette wheel for some "real" gambling and we had fun playing as I taught Melissa all about playing roulette. How bad are we?

Monday was a quiet day at sea - it was nice just relaxing. We watched an afternoon Ice Capades-like show. We went to the early performance, so that we could see the Headliner show in the evening, and then we were all so tired, none of us went to it anyway. I got a lot of good shots of this show, but who doesn't like men in tights?

We love our towel animals!

More about the Cruise

2010-06-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Day 3 we were in Cabo - what a gorgeous city! Melissa was swimming with the dolphins early that morning so Jack and I went ashore to watch with Alex. After that, Jack and I did the helmet dive, and Melissa and Alex went off for the Rhino excursion. Those are 2-seater ATV's, not the kind of rhino you were thinking of!

Mel's Swim with the Dolphins excursion. She really did swim with them, dance with one and kiss it (hey, it kissed her first!) and she got lots of great photos, but this one is my favorite

Next was our excursion, the Helmet Dive. 25 feet straight down to walk on the bottom of the bay

I didn't think it would be so hard to walk - you gotta hold on to the rope or you float away!

After our adventure, we were ready for a good authentic Mexican lunch & entertainment.

Day 4 was in Mazatlan - not really our favorite city. We just walked around a little while, saw a few shops, and ended up going back to the ship within a couple of hours.

A trip to Mexico isn't complete if we don't have pictures of us with Senor Frog, so here's our favorite

Sunset as we leave Mazatlan - what a great photo

Relaxing back on the ship

We caught up with Melissa & Alex on the deck after they got done shopping in Mazatlan

Day 4 was in Puerta Vallarta, our very favorite city. I've heard that visiting Puerta Vallarta and not going to the Malecon is like going to Paris and not going to the Eifel Tower. Jack and I walked along the Malecon boardwalk - stores and shops on one side of the street, and the beach - with incredible sand sculptures - on the other side.

Here we are in front of one of the many sculptures on the beach

Don't you just love the ocean waves?

This is one of the most amazing sand sculptures - the Last Supper. And there were several other like sculptures by the same artist

This is a live boy, covered in sand. The one on the right, that is. How in the world does he even get all that sand off of him?

Melissa & Alex did the Canopy Adventure, and then joined us for lunch at Pipi's. A great restaurant!

Here's Melissa repelling down after the zipline

Looks like fun, huh?

Love this photo of Alex. He almost makes this look easy

Zip-lining

Friday night on the ship was formal night. What can I say, you can dress them up but you can't take them ANYplace! (I love this man!!)

Aren't they the handsomest couple?

Back at LAX after the ship docked. Love this good-bye picture!

A great week ends

What do you know about Arizona?

2010-04-05T19:55:00.001-07:00

Have you lived in Arizona, or visited there a lot? We'd love your comments and any input. After 3+ years in the winter wonderland, we're considering moving to the Phoenix area, maybe Chandler or Gilbert. The housing there is going for great prices now, and we want to be closer to Melissa and Alex in LA. But Jack and I have never even visited the state! We plan to be there, looking at townhouses, on April 19. In the meantime, write us and tell us what you think of the area. We need help!

We're not- new, but still improved

2010-04-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

Jack and I did a 12-week program, working out for an hour, three times a week, in a "Before and After" program here in town. It was great! After 12 weeks, I was down 20 lbs., and Jack 28 lbs. Of course, we were counting (and recording) calories too, and really changing our eating habits. The workouts were hard - and sometimes just about impossible, but we both did things we never thought we'd be able to do and we could tell by the end that we were getting stronger. Now we're keeping it up on our own, going to the Athletic club 6 days a week, and we challenge each other on the treadmill and with weights. Of course, we both still have a long way to go. Jack wishes his belly was gone, and I naturally wish the hips and thighs were gone. But we're off to a good start, and plan to continue going!

Easter Sunday - looking good!

Definitely an improvement in 3 months!

Jack prepping for dental surgery

The other big improvement - Jack got 16 crowns and will have 8 implants before this is done. Doesn't he look great?! What a hunk

Still Winter in Wisconsin

2010-03-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

Since the weather is actually getting warmer this week - it should be in the 40's by the weekend - I decided I'd better finish my posts about life in Wisconsin this winter. Here's a beautiful picture of hoar-frost on the trees. Very cold that morning, but it was beautiful to wake up to. I think this has been the mildest winter we've had since we moved here, I don't once remember having my nose hairs freeze the second I walked outdoors - yea! Oh, and another sign of a warmer winter - we never once had to scrape ice off the inside of the car windows. Yeah, you know you're living someplace that is too cold when you have scrape the inside of your car windows! here's some more fun pictures for you.

Lots of lakes here in Madison, and I was fascinated with the huge group of people out ice fishing, any day of the week. Doesn't that look fun?

There were several people off to themselves fishing, but there was also a real sense of community, as people moved back and forth, kids played, etc. Not my thing, but to each his own...

Jack and I went back to South Bend for the Super Bowl so he could play cards with this great group of guys that we worked with at McDonald's. (not all of them, but most) They had a great time.

January 30 we joined close to 200 other volunteers at our church - Heartland Community Church in Sun Prairie - as we packed 50,000 meals for Haiti. Man, memories of McDonald's abound, I haven't worn a hairnet since I worked there!
Our friend Amy helped us that Saturday too. Thanks Amy!!

Winter in Wisconsin

2010-01-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

I give up. I can't hide indoors all winter long. There's actually life in Wisconsin in the winter. Good thing, considering winter lasts about 6 months here. Ok, not really, it just seems that way sometimes. Part of our new attitude is to get out and see more of this beautiful (albeit COLD) state started with a drive to Sauk City for Bald Eagle watching. We had a good time, but really just saw one eagle swooping and soaring (and later perching) - they say it's best to get there in the mornings, and we weren't there till after 1 pm. Next time. Afterwards we did a little shopping at a local shop and then stopped to watch families sledding.

See him soaring!

Jack really wanted his photo taken with an eagle. This was the best we could do.

Wild Turkey!

Jack can look, but has strict orders to not even think about bringing one of these home!

Sledding - a great winter sport (as long as I'm watching from the car).
They look they are having lots of fun - reminds me of the old days when we actually did this with Melissa

Christmas at the Farmhouse - part 2

2010-01-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

Just how cute is this Farmhouse? We loved our stay there
Alex, Melissa, Jack and Judy

Amy, Samantha, Jack and Judy

Just us girls - Amy, Kimberly, Melissa, Samantha, Judy
Laurie had to work late, and we waited too late to get
pictures while Debbie was still there :(

Mel with Kimberly and Cody

Amy, Sam & Mel

Not a great shot of Debbie, but it's the best I had
(sorry, Sister)

The Guys - Alex, Jack and Cody

Christmas at the Farmhouse - part 1

2010-01-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with the family. We picked up Melissa and Alex at Midway Airport (Chicago) and spent Sunday-Wednesday nights with them in South Bend at a wonderful farmhouse we rented. On Christmas Eve morning, we drove to Angola to meet up with Alex' sister and family, and they all headed to PA for the Van Fleet family Christmas. The photo on the left is Melissa enjoying the quarter horses on the farm.

We stopped at the Bass Pro Shop in Portage Sunday night for dinner at their restaurant - Laismirado. Don't bother!!

Monday evening we drove to Middlebury (cause we just never get tired of driving and being in the car) and introduced Alex to Das Essenhaus! Yummy. Don't judge by the skeptical looks on their face - they loved the food.

On Wednesday, Jack and Alex visited South Bend's College Football Hall of Fame. All those years in South Bend, Jack had never been there. And of course, Melissa and I could live without that excitement.

So on Wednesday, Melissa and went over to the Miller's house, so we could visit with Marcy, Ryan and their 1 month old son, Evan. He's such a cutie!

These wine glasses were my Christmas present from Melissa and Alex. I'd asked for one nice, hand-painted wine glass (cause they are so expensive and I drink alone-ha ha). Instead, they got 6 glasses and painted them themselves. Melissa did the Christmas one, with a snowman on one side and a Christmas tree on the back. She also did the Valentines one with Happy Valentine's Day on one side, and Happy anniversary on the back, with our wedding date, 2-14-79. Alex did the comedy and tragedy masks. Aren't these awesome - and soooo personal?!

Enough Snow

2009-12-19T21:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we really have only had one really bad snow day, and that was Dec. 9 - but it was 17" in a 48-hr period, most of it falling within 24 hours! We've had a couple warm days since, clear up to 28 and 30. But we're heading home to South Bend for Christmas tomorrow (picking up Melissa and Alex at Midway Airport first) and were planning to drive back home on Christmas Day. Now we hear that more snow is coming Christmas Eve. So here's hoping they are mistaken! Have a very Merry Christmas and God Bless Us Everyone!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

Holidays after loss are tough- and the house seemed empty without Mom there with us. But we have a great family, and much to be thankful for. It's always good to be with family, especially this time of year.

Donnie with Kimberly - she is eating her 13th deviled egg! (no, not really)

Kimbley, Laurie and Cody

Debbie - my big sister

Jack, Amy and Me - we're the Three Musketeers (more like the 3 Stooges!)

A great pose from Samantha

Missing You Mom

2009-11-24T19:41:00.000-08:00

Just a month ago I posted a photo of Mom on her 82nd birthday. Two weeks later (minus a day), Mom passed away and now is fully at peace. I'm so thankful for the many wonderful memories and for the lessons she taught me. It's so hard to believe that she is really gone. Dad passed away in 1978, so she was a widow for 31 years, and she's not alone anymore. As hard as it is to let her go, all of us knew that she was not living the life she wanted. Alzheimer's is an ugly disease, that robs the person who has it, as well as all of their loved ones. The blessings include the fact that Mom was able to stay in her own home until June of this year, she was always fully mobile, never needing a walker, never having been bedridden, never ending up in a nursing home. That's a lot to be thankful for. As Thanksgiving approaches, I hope we can be truly thankful for the many good things, and thankful for the family that Mom gave us. I love you Mom.

It's My Birthday!

2009-10-21T17:58:00.000-07:00


*Judy plays Power Cruising!*	*Like my new haircut?*
I had a really nice birthday. Got my hair cut, color plus highlights/lowlights. Jack got me flowers. Melissa sent us both the Wii Resort game (Jack's birthday was Oct. 11). And to top off the day, Jack and I went to dinner at Olive Gardens - yummy Chicken Alfredo and a glass of white wine. Then we came home to play Wii Resort.

Today is Mom's Birthday

2009-10-19T19:46:00.001-07:00

Mom is getting along very well at the group home and looks so beautiful in this picture. Today is her 82nd birthday! Amy had the rest of the family over at her house, and picked up Mom yesterday for a birthday celebration. I played around with the picture some, to get rid of the glare. You can see my Photoshop talent leaves a lot to be desired, I just sort of blobbed brown all over the door to block the light, but I did a slightly better job on Mom's hair. It's hard to believe that she really doesn't know our names (when Debbie visited her last week, she sat down beside her and said "hello sister") but she does know that we are family. One thing that Melinda (the care provider) shared with Amy is that Mom has a great sense of humor and likes to laugh. That pleases me so much - I have a lot of memories of joking with Mom, she kind of has the same sort of twisted humor I have, so I guess I get it honest. So take that, Alzheimer's - you haven't robbed her of everything!

Family Apple Picking - Time to Make the Jelly

2009-10-14T19:44:00.001-07:00

It's so nice to have something fun to write about on my post. It's been a rough summer - moved Mom three times till we found the right place for her, in a Group Home where they specialize in Alzheimer's residents and she is happy and safe there. In her honor, after all the years she and I picked apples then made apple jelly (well, she made pies, I don't do pies)I suggested the rest of the family start our own tradition of picking apples and then making apple jelly. The jelly is best when you make it from just-picked apples. It was a cool, damp day but we weathered it - me, Amy, Laurie, Kimberly, Cody and Samantha. Boy, with 6 people picking, it doesn't take long to fill a bushel. We went back to Grandpa's Orchard in Niles, where Mom, Jack and I liked to go and we even took Edd and Sue there a couple times when they visited in October a couple of years. We mainly got Red Delicious for the jelly, but got a bunch of Golden Delicious too for eating. Then we headed to Amy's for the real work. We brought Mom over so she could enjoy being at the house, around all of us. Not sure why we didn't take pictures in the kitchen, making the jelly - maybe we were just too busy answering questions like "how does this scale work?", "what is pectin?", "is this a rolling boil?", "how do you get juice out of the apples?" It was a fun time! We're all looking forward to next year and doing it again.

Cody & Samantha filled their 1/2 bushel basket very fast

Amy & Laurie wanted plenty of Golden Delicious to eat

Kimberly guarded the baskets till we got home to make the jelly

Taste of Madison

2009-09-12T10:16:00.001-07:00

We always look forward to the Labor Day weekend, and especially to the Taste of Madison around the state capital square. But this year we were really looking forward to it because Amy came up to spend the weekend with us! We spent several hours at Taste of Madison and enjoyed perkedeel jagong from Bandung (Amy and I, not Jack!), a brat (Jack, of course), Amy tried the mummy shrimp and the firecracker shrimp that were yummy and a beef kabob, not so yummy. I had the quac and chips from Pedro’s and we all had Bluephies chocolate chip cookie dough eggroll, yummy.

I’m trying the ke-raa from a Thai place. Not bad, but nothing to get excited about.

Jack's enjoying his brat

Me and Amy showing you some of the sites

From the steps of the capital, looking west (I think) you can see Lake Mendota – or is it Lake Monona?

Here’s a video showing you a brief look-about and you can almost hear me narrating if you have your volume turned up loud enough

We had so much fun listening to the music,relaxing and enjoying the food, but our time ended badly. As we left, we had to step over a chain that separated the grass from the sidewalk, and as Amy stepped over, it swung back and scrapped her shin. By the time we crossed the street it was swelling and turning black-and-blue, unbelievably fast! We got to the car and got an ice pack on it right away and she kept it elevated till we got home. The quick ice treatment reduced the swelling considerably. But poor Amy limped the rest of the weekend and had to keep up the cold compresses. Sunday we went to church, had lunch at Jimmy John's, and played Wii much of the day. Jack fixed us yummy brats, chicken breasts and corn for dinner. By Monday mwas walking okay and the bruising never did get as bad as we expected, but it still tingled and her skin felt taut on the drive home. This is sooo unusual - since I'm always the first one to get injured! Poor Amy. But we wewre glad that she could stay a couple of nights so we could play nurse.

Getting Ready for the Sale

2009-08-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

So much has happened, so quickly, since we moved Mom into Assisted Living. Within two months we've learned that she is needing more, and so in less than a week, we'll be moving her to another place that has a lockdown Memory Care wing. We don't regret the time she had in Assisted Living, it was a really nice place and the staff are wonderful. But Mom left one afternoon, just before dinner, and wandered down Grape Road, only to be brought back by the police. We're so glad to have already been on the waiting list at the other place, and now she will be 100% safe and taken care of. She's become far less social, won't go to the dining room for meals anymore, wanting a tray brought to her room. She won't go for her hair appointments, won't take her pills anymore (we're having them crushed in to her food) and often sleeps in her clothes. In the meantime, we're all working very hard on the house to get it ready to go on the market, hopefully in September. The house looks very different now, and I just wanted to include one picture here to help us remember it. Mom had almost 35 years there - and was very proud of her little house.

July, Slipping By

2009-07-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Not sure where this month has gone. July 4th weekend Amy came up for the weekend, and we went to see the new Transformers movie at the Imax. And we went to the Monona Festival in Monona, WI. Amy and I enjoyed looking at the crafts, and Jack entered the hole-in-one-contest for the $5,000 prize. Let's just say they enjoyed his $14 donation to hit the golf balls into this lake. Well, actually, he really did hit one right onto the floating platform, but it bounced off and into the water. Oh well.

We were back in South Bend the weekend of the 18-19th and Jack was able to golf with his old McDonald's buddies and Kevin. Saturday night we ate fish at Roc's (the best!) with Bev & Kevin and Jeff & Pam. The place was dead so we didn't feel too bad about sitting at our table about 3 hours - then we headed down to Coldstone's for dessert, yummy! I had a lot of time with Mom at Tanglewood Trace while Jack golfed, she wasn't in a particularly good or bad mood. But we did work on a puzzle together. Amy had gotten her a 25-pc. one that she really liked, and I brought her two 100-pc. puzzles. Maybe a little too tough, Jack ended up putting together most of the outside border for us, and then Mom and I worked on the inside. Despite how she looks here, she really did get in to it.

The weather has been so cool here most weekends, we haven't even made to the lake yet. This weekend we're supposed to go to a potluck after church and to a graduation party after that. Hopefully it will be sunny and we may actually get down to the lake as well. Our lives aren't very exciting!

But speaking of exciting, I live vicariously through my daughter's life - Melissa and Alex are such a cute couple and do so many neat things together.

See what I mean - just sooo cute! This is at the home of Melissa's boss. They sneak over there for photo ops whenever he's out of town - just kidding, it's after a party - and the boss was there.

The weekend before, they had a friend in town from the U.K. and had tickets to see a soccer game. Not only was Beckham playing, but Tom Cruise was there in the stands, so they got pictures of both of them.

A Difficult Move for All of Us

2009-07-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

Like so many people have to face these days, we were forced to move Mom to an Assisted Living community one month ago. She is safe here and it's a really nice place - very caring staff and a beautiful one-bedroom apartment for her. And yet, it's hard on all of us to see her not be able to stay in her own home. Her doctor confirmed that it probably is Alzheimer's though we didn't have the usual tests done. Just didn't seem necessary. Mom is confused most of the time, and doesn't always know who we are - just knows we are family. She has asked me several times if my mom and dad are still alive. And she told Amy that Mitch and his wife died in a car accident. That's my dad - her husband - who died in his bed 31 years ago. It's a terrible disease that has robbed all of us.

The nice thing is that Mom has a lot of other senior citizens to talk to here. She gets her hair done in the beauty salon, joins in or at least watches some of the many activities they have - she even sorted beads one day for the ladies in the jewelry-making class. She sits outside often on the patio - and the surroundings make her think she's in Alabama. (She talks about going "up north") This video shows her new place - we're all staying very positive to encourage and comfort her.

Samantha Graduates!

2009-06-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Yeah - this one is long overdue too. My great-niece Samantha was the last graduation for us this summer. Hard to believe she's actually that old! Jack wasn't at this one, but I went and had a great time. After the outdoor ceremony, we went to Hana Yori's for a delicious dinner (I splurged - lobster!).

Yea - she has her diploma!!		Sam with her mom, Amy

Celebrating at dinner: Amy, Sam, Aunt Laurie, Grandpa Steve and Grandma Debbie .		Sam had enough to pay cash for her new car - a 1999 Sonata! Aren't graduation gifts the best?!

Jonathan Graduates

2009-06-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Jonathan, I'm soooo sorry it's taken me so long to get up a post about your graduation! Trips back and forth to Indiana, and my Mom's situation, pretty well consumed all my time. But we had a wonderful time at your house, and it was a privilege to get to see you graduate. Being in Colorado (my very first time!) was great, and we were thrilled that Melissa was able to fly in from LA for the graduation too. There were, what - 12 of us, staying in your beautiful new home. It was nice to spend so much time with Julie's family and friends too. Thanks for being perfect hosts - we love you all!

Melissa, Jonathan, Jack and Judy peeking over the top		Joshua (the 'little brother'), Jack, Jonathan and Melissa

Jonathan opening his graduation gifts. His mom, Julie, is to the left.		Jonathan and girlfriend Danae are presented their graduation cake by Jeff (Jonathan's dad)

Shon Graduates

2009-06-09T03:48:00.000-07:00

I know - I'm really behind getting these graduation photos and write-ups posted on this blogsite. Seems like time has flown since the middle of May until now. This is our grandson, Shon and his girlfriend Mariah. He'll be heading to Bacone College in the fall, to play baseball. That's Erin and Shon in the one picture with Jack, and the next one is with his son Jack, and daughter Jilinda. It was great that Jack was able to be there for the graduation and to get time with his kids and grandkids - we love you guys!

Class of 2009

2009-05-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

We're so proud of our graduates this year. Shon (on the left) is graduating from East Central Tulsa High School in OK. He is Jack's grandson - his mom, Jilinda, is Jack's oldest. The next photo is my great-niece, Samantha, who is graduating from Mishawaka High School in Indiana. Her mom is my niece Amy. And on the right is Jonathan, son of Jeff & Julie, who is graduating from Chaparral High School in CO. Jeff is Jack's youngest son. God bless you all in your future endeavors! We'll be posting more pictures after the graduations - and are excited to be attending them. Jack is the only one who will be able to be at Shon's (it's tonight!) and I'll be the only one at Samantha's on the 30th, but Melissa and I will be joining Jack to attend Jonathan's this Friday, May 22.

Drama Comes to Heartland, Sun Prairie

2009-05-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

We were very excited to have the first drama sketch done in the worship service, with an entirely Sun Prairie cast (usually the cast is from Rockford). I directed this one entirely, and cast Missy and Rick as Mom and Dad, and KaiLi and Kiara as Amanda and Allison. Jack took this video with our digital camera, and the ending is cut off (they just go to the door, hear the dog bark and moan "Doodles") so I'll replace it once I get a copy of a disk from others.

MadJack bumps off Superman

2009-04-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was a rough day when Mad Jack had to surrender first place on Wii Fit's Table Tilt game to Superman. I mean, really, how you can let your son-in-law beat you? Due to all our TV problems, we hadn't played Wii since Melissa and Alex (aka Superman) left. We finally got started again, after getting our new TV last weekend. We ended up missing a total of 97 days on Wii Fit - yes, it keeps track for you. Today it told me that it missed seeing Melissa lately. Yeah, join the club! Anywho (that's Midwestern, for anyway), today Jack is officially in all 10 spots on the Table Tilt. Me, you ask? I have a personal high of 89 points, not even enough to be in the top ten. And I would have thought I'm more balanced than Jack - what can I say?

The Shack

2009-04-06T20:24:00.001-07:00

Jack and I have both read The Shack, and fans of the book are asked to share about it on their blogs and by word of mouth. A unique way of sharing God's love with us, it really is a love story. And it may be a healing balm for those who are burdened by The Great Sadness. Written by Wm. Paul Young - it's available most anywhere books are sold. (and no, it's not a true story) For a true story of God's love, pick up the best seller - the Bible.

Friday Night Lights

2009-04-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, this show doesn't necessarily show the best sides of human nature and isn't shown during prime time for a reason. But the redeeming thing is that the show has some strong family values, heart-warming philosophy, and good almost always triumphs evil. If you don't watch the show, the girl in the picture here is Tyra, a girl who hasn't had many opportunities in life and has made some poor choices. But she's a senior, and wrote a college entrance paper that I thought is pretty profound. Here it is:
Two years ago, I was afraid of wanting anything
I figured wanting would lead to trying
And trying would lead to failure
But now I find I can’t stop wanting
I want to fly somewhere in first class
I want to travel to Europe on a business trip
I want to get invited to the White House
I want to learn about the world
I want to surprise myself
I want to be important
I want to be the best person I can be
I want to define myself instead of having others define me
I want to win and have people be happy for me
I want to lose and get over it
I want to not be afraid of the unknown
I want to grow up to be generous and big hearted
The way that people have been with me
I want an interesting surprising life
It’s not that I think I’m gonna get all these things
I just want the possibility of getting them
College represents possibility
The possibility that things are going to change
I can’t wait

Dowel Rod Ministry

2009-03-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were back in South Bend and attended Granger Missionary Church. We went with Jeff & Pam, and none of us knew that it was going to be a kid's service. I was delighted when Mark, the children's pastor, performed a stick routine of Arise My Love with the children. I am really proud of Mark - when he worked at Gospel Center with me, he attended the Lillenas Drama Conference with me and others, saw the routine originated by Jeff Smith of Salt & Light Ministries, and Mark fell in love with it. He bought the videos, taught himself the movements, and soon had young people of various ages performing. It's a great ministry, giving kids opportinities to perform even if they are shy, don't sing, or are afraid to be on stage alone. Plus it encourages all of us "in the arts" to look for unique ways to share the message. As soon as the song started and I realized what he was doing, I ran to the car to get my camera, so this video begins well into the song, but you will enjoy it! And I'm sharing it with my small drama troupe this evening at Heartland CC.

We Love Cruise Vacations!

2009-03-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

Figured I'd better get up some more cruise pictures before the thrill is gone. As if..hee hee.

One of little friends, Mr. Towel Animal, liked our stateroom as much as we did. This one especially liked the Drink of the Day - I think he was a lush!

Monday while we were still at sea, we saw a great ice show (sorry about that rope down the middle-but we had great seats in spite of it). It was a great show - and free - you can't say that about the Ice Capades. The ice skating rink is open all the time to those who want to skate, but we didn't.

Our first excursion was to Cabo San Lucas. We couldn't believe how many pelicans there were! Our tour guide (a real joker) even told us they have all the modern restaurants in Cabo - including Kentucky Fried Pelican.

In Mazatlan, we visited a glass-blowing factory. It was really fascinating watching how these beautiful pieces are made. We decided to bring home a large whale like we'd seen being made. After checking out the price, we selected a small pelican instead. :)

Also in Mazatlan, we visited Cacti Mundo, a prickly experience.

Puerta Vallerta was our favorite stop. We didn't do any of the excursions, just went downtown, shopped and walked on the boardwalk - along the ocean. Of course I took off my shoes and got wet, Jack was little more reserved. There was a lot to see on the beach - including lots of sand sculptures like this one.

I'm helping her sing. Behind us you can see some of the stores of the downtown area in Puerta Vallarta - in front of us is the ocean, about 20 feet out. It was great - a beach and shops all within a stone's throw of each other - what more could you want?

Well, as long as we're wanting more - how about fresh (made right in front of you) guacamole and a huge strawberry margarita? We ate at Pipi's - a restaurant that one of Jack's managers recommended in Puerta Vallerta. Be sure to eat there is you ever are in the city - and try the chicken fajitas too.

Of course we had to play miniature golf on the ship. I even beat Jack on the first 9 holes, but he won the last nine, and adding the two together, had the lowest score for the 18. But hey, I still won the first 9! The highly-touted golf simulator was down the entire time!! Boo

Here's one of Jack's favorite places on the ship - the Texas Hold 'Em table. He's pretty good at this - as you know if you've ever played any kind of cards with Jack. Now we've downloaded the game on our cell phones and he's having a great time!

Another towel animal - he's wearing my sunglasses, so I grabbed Jack's. Isn't he cute?

Once back in Los Angeles, we had to wear our matching T-shirts from the ship (they say Mariner of the Sea). No, we're not really those kind of people. As a matter of fact, every Sunday the first one to get ready for church announces the color shirt he/she is wearing so the other has to select a different color. But we figured we'd really embarrass Melissa by dressing this way. She wasn't at all distressed - we were greatly disappointed.

Sunday afternoon we walked to a nearby park with Melissa and Alex and played Bocce Ball. It was a fun afternoon - and everyone won at least 2 rounds. The weather was great and it was a nice send-off before we headed back to Madison with temperatures in the 20's.

So the great cruise of 2009 is over - we're back in Madison and already thinking about cruise 2010.

New Friends from the Cruise

2009-03-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

Ed & Deb are the couple we met on the cruise. They are from Michigan - it was nice to know that not everybody we met lived in sunny California! They suffer winters just like we do. Very nice folks.

The farewell dinner the last night on the ship. The wait staff do a parade and then congregate for our signs of undying gratitude. If you aren't Ed or Deb, you're not going to enjoy this (unless you want to see Jack waving his white napkin near the end) :)

Mariner of the Sea

2009-03-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

We loved the cruise ship - it was huge. The golf simulator wasn't working so Jack wasn't too happy about that. But we played miniature golf, and I even won the first round of 9 holes. Of course he quickly pointed out that when you added both rounds together, for 18 holes, he won. Oh well - I didn't really expect to win anyway.

Beautiful weather for a round of golf - even if it's just miniature golf

This pool was always busy - there's a smaller one at the front of the ship too

This is a view of the Promenade - cafes and shops

We had a great time!

2009-03-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

The cruise was amazing and we had a fantastic time the entire vacation! It was our first 7-day cruise (4th cruise total), and we went to the Mexican Riveria - visiting Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerta Vallerta. I'll add more photos over the next couple of days so tune in tomorrow!

More Steel Magnolias photos

2009-02-17T21:35:00.000-08:00

M'Lynn (Karen) gets her hair rolled by Annelle (Valori) while Truvy (Lori) rolls Shelby's hair (Julie).
Shelby has an insulin reaction while M'Lynn, Truvy and Clairee (Amy) try to help her

One of my favorites - Clairee tells Ouiser (me!) that she loves me more than her luggage. I should still be angry, but how can I stay mad at that cute face? I do tell her she's too twisted for color TV though.

Julie's mom, Diane, was kind enough to do our hair for most of the performances. I haven't had my hair teased since the 80's! I guess since the play takes place in the 80's, that's appropriate.

The Curtain Came Down Tonight On Steel Magnolias

2009-02-15T21:51:00.000-08:00

Today was our last performance of Steel Magnolias. What an excellent experience it was - so much fun, and so many new friends. I'll post more images tomorrow, but wanted to get this video up. It's almost 4 minutes, and was taken backstage, unfortunately, through the screen door on Dress Rehearsal night. It's mainly for you my talented cast-mates: M'Lynn, Shelby, Clairee, Annelle and Truvy.

Happy Valentine's Day & 30th Wedding Anniversary!

2009-02-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

Just 30 years ago, we youngsters got married on Valentine's Day! Gosh - we do look young. Our real celebration begins on Friday when we head out to LA, and then leave for our 7-night Mexican Riveria cruise on Sunday. Jack took me to a couple of jewelry stores and let me pick out a new watch for my anniversary gift. I got him a 1-hr. massage at Massage Envy, to be scheduled at his convenience. We're enjoying our day together, even though he's in the 4th day of a bad head cold, and I'll be leaving soon for our 4th performance of Steel Magnolias at the Sun Prairie Civic Theatre. I may have to put this photo in my profile, it sure is nice to see us looking so young. But hey, you're only as old as you feel, right?

Ever Wonder if Jack Can do "The Twist"?

2009-02-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Sunday (yes, on Super Bowl Sunday!) we went with a group from church to the Fireside Theater to see The Fabulous Fifties. We had a great time listening to the music. When it came time for The Twist, they invited brave souls up on the stage to dance. Linda and Jack jumped up and you can see them having a great time! These videos are very short.

Jack & Judy

Ron & Barb
Rick & Linda - just a couple of friends we enjoyed the show with. All together, we were a group of 16! We had a great time - even though one of the staff guys at church insisted the guys had to surrender their "Man-cards" for going to this instead of staying home to see the Super Bowl!

9 Days till Opening Night!

2009-01-28T20:42:00.001-08:00

Just 9 days till Steel Magnolias is on at the Sun Praire Civic Theatre. Ack!! Time flies when you're having fun. That's me (Ouiser) in the middle of course- how do you like that fur coat? M'Lynn is on the left, getting her hair rolled up by Annelle. Truvy is on the right, styling Clairee's hair. Too bad Shelby isn't in the picture, she's got long red hair just like Julia Roberts had in the movie production. We are having a blast! Come see us - Feb. 6, 7, 13, 14 at 7:30 and on Feb. 15 at 2 pm.

January Christmas Party

2009-01-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

My company's Christmas party was on Jan. 3 at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Mishawaka, IN. That's right, we drove 500 miles round trip just for a steak dinner! Soooo worth it! Warning - don't click on the photo to enlarge it. It looks like we invited two zombies (or maybe vampires?) to join us - you'll see them to the left. Darn Photoshop - just wouldn't take care of the red-eye.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T19:39:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with Melissa and Alex being here for a full week! We spent Dec. 23-25 with the rest of the family in South Bend, but had the rest of the time in Madison. They flew in to Milwaukee Saturday night, Dec. 20, without their luggage. The flight out of LA was delayed, and while they made the connecton in Denver, the luggage didn't. I always tell people if anyone's flight is late, or luggage is lost, it will be Melissa's. Anyway, it was a perfect excuse to be lazy on Sunday and stay indoors. The weather was really only bad when we had to travel - Tuesday to South Bend and then early Sunday morning (Dec. 28) to get them back to the airport in Milwaukee.


Jack insisted that Melissa and Alex open their gifts at the same time, with their eyes closed.	We were so excited to get them a Wii and the Wii Fit! Little did we know it would only take Alex about two days to beat our best record at the Ski Jump!

I got the book "Duma Key", a necklace, slippers and Wii Dancing with the Stars for Christmas from Mel & Alex	Melissa, Mother and me at Mom's house - we hadn't taken any pictures there in ages. Mom's 81st Christmas.

Debbie, Mom & Me. We take one every year of the 3 of us. Good thing one of us is shrinking. :)	Debbie & Donnie with the family: Amy, Donnie, Samantha, Debbie, Kimberly, Cody, Mike & Laurie

Sam, Melissa, Kim, Debbie, Amy - with Cody sneaking in on the girls' picture	Kimberly likes being teased by Uncle Jack

Amy, Debbie & Laurie	The Kindleys: Cody, Kimberly, Mike & Laurie
	Samantha, Alex, Melissa, Amy. Oh, and Cody again. Where did this tiny photo come from?
Samantha and Melissa

Already buried in SNOW!!!

2008-12-19T16:40:00.001-08:00

I just can't believe that we've already been dumped on this winter! They'd warned us about the storm coming around 9:00 lat night, and schools closed - though at 10:30, no snow was falling. I guess they knew what they were doing, cause this morning, it was here! Jack's company car is in this picture, buried under the drift. Our street wasn't plowed till after 2pm, so he worked at home today. I started vacation today. Melissa and Alex arrive tomorrow and we're picking them up at the airport in Milwaukee. Unfortunately that airport cancelled all their flights today! But we're hopeful all will be well tomorrow and they fly in with no problems. It's going to be a looong, cold and snow-filled winter in Wisconsin. Again.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2008-12-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

Of course we cut down our annual Christmas tree again this year. We went back to Tate's Trees, with the intent of getting another Balsam. We were misled! The Canaan's were close by, and I really think that's what we got. Last year's tree had the whole house smelling like pine, and this year - not! I'm really disappointed that it doesn't have that great fresh-cut smell. But it's still a pretty tree, and it's 8 ft. like last year's. We got all new LED lights for it too. This time I'm posting some of the process of getting it. I love Christmas, Christmas trees, Christmas lights, Christmas movies, and on and on and on...

What a pretty tree! Even though the angel on top got bashful so we didn't get her in the picture.

I thought I should include a close up for you to admire

I can always count on my "Lumber" Jack!

Our tree leaves the forest for its new home. It's really excited about getting all dressed up.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with family. We stayed at Mom's house Wednesday and Thursday, and then went over to Debbie & Donnie's for Thanksgiving dinner. I didn't take many pictures there, not really sure why. But here's the lineup on the sofa, and a picture of Jack enjoying dessert.

This is Amy, Cody and Kimberly and just a smidgen of Laurie at the far end

Jack loves pumpkin pie

On Friday we drove up to Michigan to spend time with Alex and Melissa at Emily & Sean's (Alex sister and brother in law). We always have a great time with them, and it was so nice that Jan and Larry were there too - Alex' parents. I took more pictures there - what can I say?

Jack and Larry - "the Dads"

Sean with the youngest two - Katie and Tristan. Aren't they adorable?

Melissa and Alex with the older girls, Kendall and Abby. They are such beautiful girls - inside and out"

Jan and Larry - we're so thankful to be good friends with them

Amy Came Back!

2008-11-26T07:18:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun last time Amy was in town, she came back - for a longer weekend this time - on Nov. 8. She got to stay two nights! We went to see Madagascar at the Imax, cause I was SURE it was in 3D. Not! Oh well, so what that we paid $11.50 a ticket instead of $6.50 and drove 40 minutes to the other side of town to see an animated movie that wasn't 3D. Anyway - it was a great weekend and we went back to two of Amy's favorite restaurants - Red Robin and Chicago Uno pizzaria. And of course, we played Wii. Jack had gotten a new game, Shooting Chicken, and we had a blast shooting lots and lots of chickens. I actually now have a game that I can beat other people at - I do pretty good at this one. The only problem, your arm gets tired after about 2 hours of shooting. Now doesn't this make you want to come visit us?

Chatty Cathy

2008-11-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, this will really show my age. How many of you had a Chatty Cathy doll when you were a little girl? I loved my Chatty Cathy! I dragged that poor doll everywhere, changed her clothes all the time, and curled her hair constantly. My favorite curlers were the little prickly ones my mom used to give us perms (which it seemed like she did once a week). But alas, Cathy's voice box wasn't made to last forever, and the sound finally gave out. So eventually I got tired of friends trying to pull that little round ring and make her talk, and then make fun of her. So one day I pulled the cord all the way out, and snipped it off with scissors. I was pretty proud of my ingenuity, and took her to show my mom. Mom was never one to worry about sentimentality, and she simply said, "Umph, so if you weren't able to talk, it would be okay to cut out your tongue?" I cried for two days over the mutilation of my poor Cathy - I hadn't thought of it that way till Mom (ever so gently) suggested that. I think I probably got rid of the doll shortly after that so my guilt wasn't there to face everyday.

Answered Prayers for Kortney

2008-11-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

We are soooo thankful that Kortney is out of the woods and recuperating nicely. Her lungs are still in pretty bad shape due to the double pnuemonia, and she's still being treated for bloot clots, but doctors don't feel these will cause issues. Of course she remains on the blood thinners. God has been so good, and so many people have poured out prayers, as well as notes and cards to Kortney and the whole family. Over 9800 have visited the website, and over 500 signed her guestbook. Here's a photo of our spunky little miracle!

Pray for Kortney

2008-11-13T20:16:00.001-08:00

Kortney is on the left, with her hand on her dad's shoulder. Our very dear friends are all praying now for Kortney, who was hospitalized, and airlifted to the U. of MI Hospital this past Tuesday. She is battling pnuemonia and other conditions that result from a genetic condition. She has had sepsis, blood clots and has been sedated so she best deal withthe medications that are fighting the infection in her body. She is a junior this year at Bethel College. As I write this, Kortney is running a fever of 103 and still has blood clots. Please help us pray for this bautiful young lady, and her family. Kort's former youth pastor set up a website for her, and if you'd like to visit it, you will be blessed greatly. Over 6300 people so far have visited, and many of us have written encouraging notes and prayers. Add yours too! www.caringbridge.org/visit/KortneyArmentrout1

Another Soldier's Gone Home

2008-10-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

On October 20, our beloved uncle Ed walked through heaven’s gates and he’s home now with the Lord he served most of his life. The article in the paper read, “Ed shared many wonderful years with the love of his life and soul mate, Sue Kennedy.” Uncle Ed and Aunt Sue were married nearly 60 years, and were truly best friends. The man who spoke at the funeral said Ed was “the best man he ever knew.” I know that’s true – Ed was the best man most of us have ever known, and we are going to miss him so very much. Even though we can celebrate Ed’s perfect healing in heaven – our hearts ache for those he left behind - Aunt Sue, daughters Renee & Suanne and son, Lewis, the 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Ed was my mom’s younger brother, and always made our trips to Alabama special and welcoming. Our last visit with him in 2005, he made sure we all went to the Catfish Restaurant because he knew how much I loved good catfish (you can’t eat it in the North you know, Yankees just don’t do catfish right). See you soon, Ed, on heaven's shores. We love you!

Amy came to visit!

2008-10-12T18:11:00.000-07:00

My niece Amy came to visit us this weekend! It was so nice to have family here. We went down to Capital Square Saturday morning and walked around the Farmer's Market. Then we had lunch at Red Robin - Amy's first visit to one, and very timely, cause one is coming to South Bend soon. PLUS - Saturday was Jack's birthday. Knowing how they love to sing loud and embarrass you at Red Robin, I told the waitress that it was Jack's birthday, and later learned that while Amy & I were in the bathroom, he'd told her it was my birthday. Since the poor girl didn't know who to believe, she had the group sing Happy Birthday to the Holdermans, and brought us both a free ice cream sundae!
After lunch, we killed time on the west side for about 2 hours, visiting West Towne mall, and waiting till the 4:30 show at the IMax Cinema where we saw Eagle Eye. Amy had never been to an IMax, and this was a great action movie to see on the huge screen. Afterwards, we went home and played Wii games and Wii Fit until bedtime.
Sunday, Amy and I went out to breakfast at The Pancake Cafe, while Jack went to church. Then we came home and let Amy play Ratatouille on Wii until time for lunch at Chicago Uno Pizza. Then it was time for her to head home, way too soon. We had a great weekend and can't wait for her to come back.

Here's Jack's birthday at Red Robin

Personal Trainer

2008-10-11T04:55:00.000-07:00

I had to blog this morning, my friend Jeff let me know he's tired of seeing the chalk art so here's a picture of Jack instead. We both decided to get personal trainers at the athletic club that we're members of. After over a year of being a member, and not seeing a whole lot of difference,it was time to get more involved. Dustin is Jack's trainer and Holly is mine. Because we're wimps, we only meet for 30-minute intervals, once a week. None of that hour-long, fanny-kicking, seat-dripping stuff for us. Oh wait, we still get kicked and drip sweat within 30-minutes. Anyway, it's a challenge and it's sort of fun. The hardest part is walking the next morning - hee hee.

Chalk Art

2008-09-28T17:58:00.001-07:00

We went to the Farmer's Market on the Capital Square last weekend and got some fresh green beans. Fortunately, only 3 lbs., so they didn't take long to prepare and freeze. We love walking around the Square, and seeing all the produce, dairy items and specialty things. We were just getting ready to leave when we saw this guy doing his chalk art on the the street, so Jack snapped this photo. We thought it was pretty good - I mean, not like the artist whose work looks so 3-D (can't think of his name), but it's still pretty good.

Jack - the Soccer Jock

2008-09-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

Okay - I just had to put this latest video (Sept. 23)of Jack playing soccer Wii.If you look at one of his first attempts - ten days earlier - at the end of the video, he says "44 is my record." The difference in these two videos, and what he's able to do, is amazing. Check out that final score!

Great Job, Alex!

2008-09-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

We're so proud of our son-in-law! Sunday he competed in the Malibu Triathlon. It meant starting with a half mile swim in the ocean, then an 18-mile bike ride, and ending with a 4-mile run. He did it all in just 2hr. 8 min. - how great is that?! Melissa ran around the whole time taking pictures - you've got to see them on their blog - http://thevanfleets.blogspot.com. Oh - and check out her picture of Jennifer Lopez, who also competed. Matthew McConaughey was also there competing, and gave Alex a High-5 during the run! I'd never wash that hand again.

What the heck - I may as well brag on Melissa too while I'm at it. You can read her bio update in Bethel College's fall magazine at http://www.bethelcollege.edu/alumni/magazine/08summer/24_29.pdf. You'll find a short blurb about her new title at Ken Lindner on page 4 of the pdf file.

We Are Unbalanced!

2008-09-13T18:27:00.001-07:00

According to Wii Fit, that is! The image to the left shows our scores on one of the games, I don't even remember which one now. Below are videos of Jack playing soccer and walking the tightrope. Actually, he's getting really good at soccer, and now is not Unbalanced, he's an Amateur. The video of the tightrope seems a little long, but you HAVE to stick it out and see it to the end, that's the best part! We're really having fun with the balance games - I'm in the lead for the Ski Jump and it's driving Jack crazy that he can't beat me. But I'll never beat him at soccer! He's just so good at using his noggin. :) And listening to him grunt and talk to the teddy bear is fun too!

Vote at Speedway

2008-09-12T08:33:00.001-07:00

That's right - you can vote for your presidential candidate at your local Speedway (SuperAmerica) convenience store/gas station. Buy an Obama cookie, or a McCain cookie. You can also vote right here in the comment section! Let's see how badly McCain whomps on Obama - can you tell who I'm voting for?

Do You Remember?

2008-09-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

How could we not remember 9-11, the day that changed the world forever? I had just started my new position at Bethel College - in the Theatre Department. Deb Barker was training me to take over for her, and we started at 8 am. Forty six minutes later, the first plane flew into the North Tower of the Trade Center, and 17 minutes later, another crashed into the South Tower. Everyone at the college went to the Chapel for a prayer service. Jack was in Bloomington, working as a District Manager for Jimmy John's. I went home, and Melissa came over so we could watch the events on TV together. It was so unreal to see all of this unfolding on TV - and to see the devastation. Seven years later I can't fathom anyone who thinks the US should not be active in the annihilation of terrorism. Let's remember 9-11 on election day.

Notre Dame Game

2008-09-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend in South Bend last week to visit Mom. Jack went to the ND with Kevin F. (thanks for the ticket, Bev!) and got to see the opening season game against San Diego. The Irish won- YEA! We had our favorite Friday night fish at Roc's with Jeff & Pam, and Kevin. Then on Sunday, we met Bev & Kevin at Granite City for lunch. And a great time was had by all!

Taste of Madison

2008-09-01T21:40:00.001-07:00

Have you ever seen so many red shirts in your life?! I guess UW had their fist game Saturday - but to us, we were only excited about Taste of Madison. Every Labor Day weekend, local restaurants set up booths around the capital square and sell samples of their specialties, usually $3-$4 each. Now if you know Jack, you know he's not too daring about trying new stuff so it's my chance to eat at places we'd never go. And of course, Jack got his favorite - brats. But he really was daring - he tried batter fried cheese curds!


Jack is enjoying his brat. We took our lawn chairs and spent the afternoon there, reading, people-watching and of course, eating.	I'm enjoying my dinner from Bandung - an Indonesian Restaurant. I'm holding the perkedel jagong, and the opor ayam is to the left. Both were yummy!

Here's a closeup of my dinner, plus Jack's cheese curds. I didn't take a photo of my favorite - the chocolate chip cookie dough eggroll - it's the best dessert ever!	And my poor sleeping prince just got all tuckered out by all the activities, so he took a little nap. A folded up lawn chair makes a lousy pillow.

We love Elvis!!

2008-08-24T17:48:00.001-07:00

We went to the Middleton Neighborhood Festival today and saw Tony Rocker - a GREAT Elvis impersonator! We'd seen him once before, but without his back-up band, and today was far better with his whole group with him. He puts on an incredible show, and sounds so much like Elvis, it's unbelievable. He performed nearly 2 1/2 hours, and wooed the crowd so much that one lady actually did faint. Of course, many years ago, girls fainted all the time over Elvis Presley. Unfortunately, those fans are all at the age now that when they faint, the paddles are brought out since chances are, it's really a heart attack!

Our friends Rick & Linda went with us - and Linda was lucky enough to get a scarf and a kiss from Tony as he sang

He's such a cutie!

Of course, we had to get our picture taken with "Elvis"

This is how he started the show - as "Army Elvis" - appearing next in Elvis' famous white Las Vegas outfit, and lastly, in the white outfit with red & blue design. This is a very short clip of a portion of "Return to Sender"

Drama workshop today!

2008-08-23T18:33:00.001-07:00

We had our first Drama Workshop at Heartland Sun Prairie this morning. Sharon Sherbondy, the director at Heartland Rockford, ran the workshop, and basically auditioned us through improv exercises. There were 10 of us, not bad for a church of just about 200. Sharon is extremely professional, and sets a very high standard. Yet there's some things I don't agree with - like only holding auditions once a year. I understand that she wants the group to bond and to feel "safe" with each other. But I feel like people who may be new to the church, and are specifically looking for drama opportunities, deserve the right to be considered for the group- without having to wait for that year to roll around. Anyway, we had a lot of fun and it was great to work with others that I haven't had a chance to really get to know.

It's all about the corn!

2008-08-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was our first annual Corn Festival in Sun Prairie. We skipped it last year due to tons of rain and we didn't want to wade all the mud. Think County Fair -only instead of animals - just corn! But it's the best sweet corn you will ever eat. We didn't waste time buying it by the ear - no, we bought a "tote" and each gobbled down 3 ears. Then we bought some uncooked, brought it home where Jack spent many hours blanching it, and freezing it. He worked hard! Sunday after church we went to a performance at the University of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." It was thoroughly enjoyable!

Olbrich Gardens

2008-08-20T19:15:00.001-07:00

We finally visited Madison's famous Olbrich Gardens. It was the last day of the butterfly exhibit, and I'd envisioned getting fantastic photos of them - like Alex has. (forgetting he's really a great photographer - me, not so much) And it didn't occur to me that when butterflies are resting, or landed, they close their wings - that doesn't make for very amazing photos. Here's one of a Zebra, and I don't remember what the other kind is.

Here's two of them at rest - looking a lot more like moths than butterflies

Couldn't resist this photo of the canaries. I can't remember what the red-billed one is, but you can tell he's very happy about getting his picture taken - he's staring right into the camera

Visiting the Rose Garden was a highlight of the visit. Isn't this a gorgeous color?

How many bees do you find on these beautiful flowers?

The perfect red rose

Our smiling, happy faces (Jack said, can we go home now?)

Samantha turns 18!

2008-08-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

While I was in Indiana last month, Samantha turned 18 - wow! I was so glad to be in town to join everyone at her birthday dinner. We went to Hana Yori's - Sam's choice of course - and everything was wonderful. Our Japanese chef even made her a cake - of raw onion, stacked up, with smoke coming out of it. The photo to the left is Donnie, Debbie, Sam, Amy and Jeff. In the picture below, I'm standing while Jeff took our picture, and of course the bottom one has the yummy onion-cake. Sam didn't want to eat it - hmmm - not sure why she wouldn't.

2 Weeks in South Bend

2008-08-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

Samantha, Melissa & Amy

I stayed a couple of weeks at Mom's in July - to see how she is doing. We're in the process of getting her some at-home care. Melissa was coming to town just for July 26 for her 10 year high school reunion at John Adams. It worked out perfect that she had a conference in Chicago Wed.-Sat. so Jack drove down from Wisconsin, picked her up and they rode together to South Bend. He spent Saturday at Dave & Kathy's so the guys could golf on Sunday, and Mel and I stayed at Mom's - and of course Mel was gone most of the time for a fun time of seeing old friends and dancing till about 3 in the morning (man, I can remember being young once upon a time and doing that kind of stuff too!)It was sooo great to see her. We had lunch together with the family

at TGIF then.

Donnie & Debbie - doesn't he look like a retired, relaxed golfer? He is!

Grandma and Samantha
Me and Jack
Close up of their pretty faces - took this of Jack amd Melissa on Sunday at Notre Dame
Jack and Melissa - nice Notre Dame background

Me & Melissa

Kristin and Michael are married!

2008-07-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

We were back in South Bend this past weekend for Kristin's wedding! It was the first time we'd met Michael, but Kelli assured me he is wonderful! As if he could be anything else for Kristin to love him like this. The wedding was a heart-touching ceremony, and the reception was great. But it was also like a reunion to us, and it was great to see so many people that we've missed and love. But hey, we've got LOTS of these to look forward forward to - Kelli and Wade have 5 more weddings to go!!	Michael & Kristin on thier happy day - July 12, 2008
	Sisters Kaitlin, Kortney, and Kristin's best friend and maid of honor, Danielle
	Warren & Diane Banks - the Pastor at Gospel Center when Kelli & I worked together there
	The proud mother of the bride - Kelli
	The proud father of the bride, Wade (is it me, or does he sort of remind you of a deer caught in the headlights?)
	Mark & Amber - I miss them and our fun days of drama
	Scott & Becky - wonderful members of our drama team too - they keep promising to come visit us in Wisconsin, and we're counting on it!
	Errett & Judy - practically still newlyweds themselves!

Happy Birthday Melissa!

2008-07-09T12:19:00.001-07:00

It sure seems impossible that our baby girl is 28 today! Yikes, I barely look older than that myself. (ha ha- okay, stop laughing!) These are the beautiful flowers that Alex sent her at work today - isn't he a great husband?! Last night I was thinking of the day she was born. She didn't make her grand entrance till 4:07 that afternoon, and then we had a few guests come up to the hospital to see us. I was beat by 9 pm, and Jack went home, and I went to sleep. He was supposed to be back the next morning by 10 so we could attend the "baby & bath class" at 12:00, I woke up and couldn't believe I'd slept so long - and that Jack wasn't there! I was kind of irritated with him. So I called him. He sounded sleepy, but I said "Where ARE you?!" He said he was asleep. I said that we'd missed the class and I couldn't believe he slept away the morning too. Turns out, it was midnight on the 9th, not noon the next day. And even funnier, I'd woken my roommate and she called her husband to see where he was, cause she was supposed to be going home at noon with their baby. so she and I laid awake talking, until the babies were brought in for the 2am feeding. How funny!!

Congratulations -- it's a Wii!

2008-07-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yea- we joined the "with it" generation and finally bought a Wii! Melissa and Alex had one when were out in LA and we fell in love with it. So far all I've done is the bowling - and I beat Jack with a score of 163!! Of course, that couldn't last - so he bowled last night and ended up with a 190. I sense a rematch in our near future.

Back to LA (after the cruise)

2008-07-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Pirates abound near the corner of Hollywood and Highland, and we were pretty happy when Johnny Depp wanted his picture made with Jack. (He obviously heard about Jack's stage debut the night before.) We were seeing the sights before we had to at NBC in time for that night's taping of The Tonight Show (June 6, 2008 - we have copies if you want to see it ha ha) Will Smith was the featured guest - what a great guy!


On the steps leading up to the Kodak Theater - where the Academy Awards are held	I found us a pet at the miniature golf place that night but Jack wouldn't let me keep him.

Cruising

2008-07-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

I know, I know! We took the cruise a month ago and I still didn't have any photos up from it. Man! - It's just hard to get good help these days. Anyway, here's some fun shots and great sights.Just boarded the boat in San Pedro (about 30 minutes from the LAX airport)Love those life-boat drills - personally, I think I look good in orange

The pool looks like so much fun, but the salt water taste spoils the effect.
And a cruise isn't complete without dance lessons!

In San Diego, we took the harbor tour - that's the famous Coronado Bridge behind me. If you were a Simon & Simon fan, you saw it in the opening credits for that television show - and it's been featured on several others too.

After the tour, we visited the USS Midway, permanently docked in San Diego. We took an audio tour of the ship and saw lots of planes and helicoptors - but I'm not the expert on those!
Catalina Island is probably our favorite stop - isn't it beautiful? We walked the streets of Avalon - the city and took a bus ride up to the Airport in the Sky
Can you believe how close Jack got to that eagle? And the rattle snake just to his right didn't bother him a bit
No these aren't family photos! Couldn't leave out this great photo of the buffalo on the island. They were brought over for movie films waaay back, and every year, some are sent to an Indian Reservation in the Dakotas to keep the herd size down on Catalina. And they are protected there - no buffalo burgers allowed!
Our last stop was Ensenada, Mexico where we visited La Bufadora - an amazing natural geyser. Pictures can't do it justice.
While I was taking 1,000 pictures of the geyser, Jack was getting a good view from the rocks. Notice the sign behind him? It says Do Not Climb on the Rocks! Good thing he can't read Spanish, huh?
Haven't figured out how to rotate an image, but thought you'd enjoy a view of my lunch while we were in Ensenada. It's a seafood stuffed avocado - and it was really tasty at first, as long as I didn't look at it too closely. Jack pointed out stuff that looked like octopus tenacles, but then all I could see were eyes looking at me - so that's one meal that didn't get finished!
We absolutely LOVED our suite - it was a great upgrade from our usual staterooms. The balcony was so nice! I think that's Catalina in the background,
Did I mention we loved our suite? The queen sized bed was so comfy and chocolates always found their way to our pillows before bedtime. I'm leaning on my Catalina Island beach towel, a nice souvenier of the trip.
Of course no cruise is complete with the towel animals - thanks to our somewhat bashful and quiet room steward.To complete all the fun - Jack ended up ON STAGE at the finale show on the ship. He bid for the privilege (with the proceeds going to the Make A Wish Foundation) and was able to introduce one of the guests that night. Who woudl have thought he was such a ham?
Oh yeah, I'm up there too now. They brought in all the staff of the ship (below us on the floor) and we were able to show our appreciation for a great trip. Not sure who was steering the boat at that time

A Great Vacation!

2008-06-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time visiting Melissa & Alex in LA, and of course, on the cruise!

We got into LA Friday night, and then visited Solvang, CA on Saturday. It's a quaint little Danish village - lots of neat shops, and some yummy chocolates.
Had to get our picture taken under the Solvang flag! (I wonder what we're looking at)	Melissa makes a good little soldier, don't you think?

We're OFF!!!

2008-05-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

Yea - leaving in minutes for the airport! Can't wait - fun and sun, family, cruise and NO WORK! Jack isn't even taking his cell phone! Be sure to watch The Tonight Show on June 6 - we'll be there. As the featured guests. Not! But Will Smith will be!! I'm so glad I finally watched I Am Legend, even though I was so nervous during it, I was nearly sick to my stomach. Watch us! (Jay, Will, Me and Jack)

7 Days to LA!

2008-05-23T21:49:00.001-07:00

Only 7 days till we leave for LA!
10 days till our cruise :)
14 days till the cruise is over :(
14 days till we're on The Tonight Show! (Be sure to watch so you can see us)
16 days till we're back home - sweet - home

Countdown to LA

2008-05-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yea - it's only 8 days till we leave for LA!
11 days till our cruise :)
15 days till the cruise is over :(
15 days till we're on The Tonight Show! (Be sure to watch so you can see us)
17 days till we're back home - sweet - home

A Weekend in May

2008-05-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday I went morel hunting. If you've never had morels, they are to mushrooms what Tiramisu is to desserts. Jack even helped me. Of course, we weren't in the woods, we were at the State Capital, where there's a Farmer's Market around the square every Saturday morning. So I got a 1/4 lb. of mushrooms for the bargain price of $7. I guess Wisconsin is THE place for mushrooms, but the few people who know how and where to find morels, aren't telling. But then, if you could go out and pick something in the woods and sell it for $30 a pound, would you share your picking spot? I think the one and only time I ever went mushroom picking was when I was in the 5th grade and my friend, Judy K., and I went up to Michigan with her mom. I don't remember much about the trip, except that a police officer (park guard?) made us leave and said we couldn't hunt where we were hunting. On my own, I'd never go out to hunt mushrooms - I'm sure I'd only find the poisonous ones.

Here's me with my little baggie of morels - can you see them?

Here's a better picture for you - just before they went into the pan for saute-ing

Our treat afterwards was lunch at the Flattop Grill - what's become one of our favorite places to go in Madison

Can you tell we LOVE pictures of the State Capital? It's so neat to live close to it.

Mother's Day Weekend

2008-05-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

We went back to Indiana for the weekend so we could visit Mom for Mother's Day. I got her a new shirt - for some reason her entire wardrobe seems to consist of gray clothes and I wanted her to have some color. There's little ladybugs on her shirt and the writing says 'my grandchildren hold a special place in my heart.' We were together on Saturday - and on Sunday she went over to Laurie's house for the annual "ladies lunch" but it was too cold to wear the shirt, she so resorted to the much-worn gray sweatshirt. Oh well, I tried. I had to skip the lunch and we drove home on a very rainy Sunday afternoon. But we had a good time in South Bend, had fish at Roc's with Amy and Jeff. Then we went to see Iron Man at the movies with Kathy & Dave and Wade & Kelli. Afterwards we went to TGIF and stayed till nearly midnight! We had a great time visiting with them.

Update on Julie

2008-05-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you to so many of our friends and family who have been praying for our daughter-in-law, Julie. I first posted about her on December 26, after a back-surgery-gone-wrong left her paralyzed from the waist down. Julie was able to go home from the rehab center the end of February and has done amazingly well getting around in a wheelchair. They have a lovely home in Colorado that's been renovated to accommodate her needs. Nothing keeps this incredible woman (who has surpassed more odds than most of us will ever face) down - she has a driver's license and is able to drive with her hands. In August, she will return to her job at a day-care. Julie's case is still being looked in to, but it may be years before any type of settlement is made. We continue to pray for her healing, and for God's help in this legal case.

Fireside Theatre

2008-04-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

We had a great time last weekend close to home. On Friday we went to the Fireside Theater to see Cole Porter's Anything Goes. It was great! Our friends Rick and Linda went with us - and all 4 of us are leaving on a cruise soon, so it was especially fun watching this wacky show on a cruise ship. Fireside Theater is in Ft. Atkinson - it was our 2nd time to visit there and the food and the show are always terrific. Saturday we went downtown to Madison and shopped at Trader Joe's for the first time. I've lived here nearly a year and just found out that Madison HAS at Trader Joes. (there's so much we haven't seen yet). Then we went to the Hilldale Mall and had lunch at Flat-top Grill, a stir-fry place that's a lot like Mongolian Grille. This Saturday, yesterday, we went back and had lunch there again. Yum yum. The university had a fundraiser - their annual Crazy Legs race - for the athletic dept. We were going to walk in it, but since it wasn't even 50 degrees out by 10 am- we decided to go to the health club instead.

Visiting South Bend to see Pirates of Penzance

2008-04-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

"Ruth" & one of the pirates	Wade, Kortney & Kelli
Stacy, Angela, Jennifer & Steve	Jenelle & Pete
	Steve usually looks much better when his eyes are open!

We were excited to see Kortney Armentrout in the lead female role in Pirates... at Bethel College the end of March. We had dinner at Cosimo's & Susie's before hand with lots of our Gospel Center friends. Kortney did an amazing job in the role (was her name Ruth, I've already forgotten). It was good to be back on Bethel's campus again too.

Public Enemies filming on March 17, 2008

2008-03-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

JOHNNY DEPP is in the middle of the picture, in front of the car - wearing the brown jacket. Click on the photo to see him better - I couldn't zoom in without losing the quality. And yes, that's the closest I could get to him. I (Judy) went up to Columbus for the first day of filming - along with my friend, Linda. It was sooo cold out but it was worth it. See the fake snow? Not that there is a shortage of snow here in WI - but the fake stuff is cleaner, so they made their own.

This is the actual car that Dillinger drove for the robbery. It's a 1932 emerald green Studebaker Commander sedan. It came from the Historic Auto Attraction museum in Illinois. There was a stipulation for the film-makers to borrow it, it has to be insured for $2 million, be kept under lock and key and stored in a temperature-controlled environment.

It was stored in the museum's Gangsterland Room where a mammoth photo of Alcatraz serves as the dramatic backdrop. The car hadn't run in eight years and was taken to a mechanical and engineering crew to make it operable. It had a flathead V-8 and that meant it had a lot more power than many of the Fords that were running the flat V-6. (when you're John Dillinger - I guess you need a pretty fast car)

The curator at Historic Auto Attractions purchased the Studebaker in January, 2001, for an undisclosed price. The museum is 36,000 sq. ft., and is just 50 miles south of Madison. It has more than 75 historically significant automobiles, and rooms such as "Kennedy Day in Dallas."

So who's this guy? Just an extra - can you tell that's his proud brother having his photo taken with him? There were many extras on the streets, and it was sure a lot easier to get their picture than it was Johnny's (well, duh). Of course you know that Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard are in the movie too - but I guess they weren't around for the infamous Greencastle bank robbery.

And now - Jack's favorite part, the old cars. I talked to some of the people in them. They are the owners of the cars and while they personally won't be in the movie, their cars will be. On Monday, they were just driving them around to different streets and doing a lot of parking. They were there to help block sight-lines of the modern days cars as well.

Filming in Columbus, Wisconsin

2008-03-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

How exciting! The new Johnny Depp movie, Public Enemies, is being filmed right here - just 13 miles from our home, in Columbus, WI. There's some new tax incentive to draw movie-makers to Wisconsin for the tax breaks - so there will probably be more to come. But WOW! This one is the BIG one - Johnny Depp in our backyard, practically. Oh - he's playing John Dillinger.

We went up to Columbus on Sunday to see how they are getting this big town (population under 4500) ready for all the activity. Storefronts are being changed, cobblestone streets are being laid (a roll-out pad), etc. This store, originally a Tattoo parlor, is now Fowler's Bridal shop. Guess there weren't too many tattoo parlors back in the 30's.

And here's the bank they are getting ready for the famous bank robbery scene that occurred in Greencastle, IN on October 23, 1933. How funny - we come from Indiana and now they are filming an Indiana event in Wisconsin. Go figure.

This is the street they laid down. It was neat to see it. I grew up on a cobblestone street - Clinton Street - in South Bend, Indiana. This one was rolled down - it's like a rubber mat. Sort of like laying sod, I imagine. It was really neat to be there and see where all of it is going to be filmed. And exciting to hear so many people talking about it.

Saturday at Wisconsin Dells

2008-03-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

So we decided to spend Saturday night in the Dells when we found out Luke, who owns the condo upstairs, was having his big annual St. Patrick's Day party. We spent a lot of time just driving around and seeing the sights. We stayed at our favorite chain of hotels - Comfort Inn - and they gave us tickets to the Wisconsin Comedy Club. We decided to go to the 7:00 show for the "family show" - in lieu of the "adult show" at 9:00. As it turned out, they don't have a family friendly show on Saturday nights, so we opted for the movies instead. You all know what major movie buffs we are! So we went to the Desert Star Cinema and saw The Bank Job - a great movie.

We had a great dinner at Paul Bunyan's Lumberjack restaurant. We enjoyed the family style meal, but we DIDN'T eat like lumberjacks. Still, the food was yummy and we enjoyed it. Here's Jack with Paul Bunyan - kinda makes you feel small, doesn't he?

Judy bagged a bear and a fish at Paul Bunyan's. Yes, all the fish in Wisconsin have a big yellow W on them. Pretty cool huh? Oh - and Jack bagged a Badger. He loves his hats.

Who doesn't love a Trojan Horse? All these neat rides at Wisconsin Dells, and our idea of activity is more along the lines of the movies and the comedy clubs! Oh well, part of getting old I guess! There's always Moosejaw Pizza too - if you like seeing the backend of a moose as the delivery car passes you. :)

Jack and Ken

2008-02-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

Sunday the 24th of Febuary:

Judy and I were thrilled to visit our former Church, Gospel Center, in South Bend, Indiana. Pictured to the left is one of my best friends and my prayer partner for over seven years. Ken and I went on a Promise Keepers rally in Indianapolis, Indiana and from that trip formed a friendship that lead to being prayer partners. We met every week, sometimes on Wednesday night after mid week prayer service and others times we would meet on a different night. We were there for each other during very difficult times of our lives. There were times when Ken or I was there just to listen. There was not much we could say to each other to make the moment better, however we always prayed for each other and our families. We found peace so many times during these times of prayer. I once thought we should have kept a prayer log, there was so many times God came through for us, what a blessing that would have been to share those times with others years later. What I appreciate most of Ken, is his faithfulness in Christ. It was the best example God could bring in my life, it really helped me grow in my knowledge, grace and relationship with Christ. I also got to see his daughter Kendra, and her husband Kevin and Ken's two beautiful granddaughters. Ken told me they moved to the South Bend area, therefore he is able to see them all more often then when they lived up in Michigan.

Back to Gospel Center

2008-02-28T16:59:00.000-08:00

Looking from the front of the sanctuary

Kathy & Dave at Hacienda

We also visited our old church while we were in South Bend last week. It was so great to go back and see so many people - and remember how many friends we've left behind. Pam and Jeff went with us and enjoyed being welcomed by so many old friends too. It's the first time for us and them to see the new sanctuary - it's so beautiful. The decorating committee did a wonderful job, it's very warm and welcoming. I sure miss Kelli leading the music though, but I'm happy for her that she has a great position at her new church. After the service, we had lunch at Hacienda with our good friends Dave and Kathy. We warned them that they'll be posted on our blog site now, so I didn't want to let them down. We have been very blessed to have so many great friends - even when we're 250 miles from them.

Visit back to South Bend

2008-02-28T13:21:00.000-08:00

Me & Mom

Jeff & Pam at Roc's

We were back in South Bend this past weekend to visit Mom. Due to the lousy weather here, and to the play I was in, we hadn't seen her since Christmas. Saturday evening, we went to our favorite fish-fry restaurant, Roc's, with our good friends Pam & Jeff. People tell Jeff he looks like Harrison Ford - what do you think? (click on the photo to see it larger so you can a good look)

29th Wedding Anniversary

2008-02-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

Ok, next year, for the 30th - we will be somewhere warm!! We drove thru the near-blizzard conditions to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on February 14 - to celebrate our anniversary on the actual day of our anniversary! Too many times we've been apart on that day. If you've never eaten at Ruth's Chris, you are missing a real treat. They have the best steaks! The food was great, and the companionship even better. We're so thankful to have each other!

Visitors from Indiana!

2008-02-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

Yea! We had our first guests from Indiana - and I didn't even know they were coming. Bev and Kevin came up to see me in the play. How great that I had surprise visitors both weekends! And it was especially nice cause I know how much Bev hates snow - and she saw plenty of it here. They even went to church with us Sunday morning, and left after lunch. Thanks Bev & Kevin - you guys are the best!!

Snow, Snow, Snow

2008-02-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

We're getting a ridiculous amount of snow here! Over 13 inches this week, in less than a 24-hour period. I had to post photos for Alex - who thinks the snow is so beautiful. Hey, if I'd grown up in Kenya, I'd probably think so too. (just kidding Alex, I do think it's pretty) I just hate driving in it, walking in it, having rehearsals cancelled because of it, etc.

BIG surprise!

2008-02-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Jack flew Melissa in for the opening night of my play, The Curious Savage. How in the world did he keep that a secret from me? He told me he had a store emergency, left here late Thursday night, picked her up at the airport, and got me to come running out to the kitchen by saying there was water all over the floor. No water (and no store emergency), but there stood Melissa in the kitchen! She said I jumped when she yelled SURPRISE but I don't remember that. I do remember crying! How great to have her here. She stayed till Sunday afternoon and it was a wonderful, wonderful weekend. The only negative is that now I can't tell Jack that he NEVER can keep a secret. So worth it! Oh, and how do you like the pushed back hair of the 50's (the era in which the play takes place) and my stage makeup? I don't even look like me - not to me anyway. If you don't agree, please don't tell me. Once thing is for sure, eyeliner and I just don't team up together well.

I'm in the Sun Prairie Community Theatre play!

2008-01-25T10:58:00.001-08:00

I'm very excited to be in my very first Civic theatre performance. Sun Prairie does 4 every season, and this year, they were all musicals except for this one, The Curious Savage. Performances are Feb. 1, 2, 8, 9 at 7:30 pm and Feb 10 at 2 pm. I'm playing Dr. Emmett, a great role for me, since I should have been a shrink anyway. (or maybe a narc) It's a lot of fun, but a lot of work too, with rehearsals 4 nights a week plus 3 hours on Saturday. If you want to read what the local paper said about the play, you can read it here - http://www.sunprairiestar.com/this_week/thisweek.html or here's the only mention of me in that article: Holderman is another newcomer who recently moved to Madison from Indiana. “I heard the weather was nice here with not much snow!” she laughed. She enjoys the comedic value of the play but also says she thinks everyone can find a character in the show they can relate to.

Happy Birthday Sister!

2008-01-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

It's Debbie's birthday today! Yea. Of course, she's much older than me - she's 56 now. I'm still a very young 54, as of last October. Our frail looking mother turned 80 last October. Anyway - hope you have a wonderful birthday, sister, and many, many more. Don't party tooooo much! Judy

Be sure to watch Chuck!

2008-01-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

I hope you're all watching this great new series. It's on twice tonight, and they are both new episodes! (dog gone writer's strike anyway!) I met Zach Levi, the star of Chuck, on my last visit to LA. He's a wonderful guy - and he's a good friend of Melissa and Alex'. He attends the home church that they go to on Sunday nights. Anyway, when I met Chuck it was the first weekend in October so the series was pretty new. I told him how much I loved the show and that I tell everyone I know to watch it. He said "thank you so much" in such a sincere, truly grateful way, it just really warmed my heart. He's a sincere young man, trying to succeed in a tough business. And he's a Christian - yea! We need to show our support. And last I heard, he was dating Kristine Bell (I think that's her name), of Veronica Mars fame, and now on Heroes. She also attends this home church and is a Christian. What a cutie she is!

Heartland Church

2008-01-15T07:16:00.001-08:00

We're really enjoying the concept of "A Different Way to Do Church." Our messages are on video - not satellite in from the "home" church in Rockford, but they are DVD's from a vast library, most from Willow Creek. Our associate pastor, Jon, provides the personal touch and the shepherding. But our messages are great - the speaker is always on track, never runs over time, etc. This guy in the image to the right is Mike Breaux, he's probably our favorite. He's called a "youth pastor to grown ups." Funny, interesting, but hits the target right on the head. Many of the messages are available on podcast, if you're interested, go to http://www.heartland.cc/

Mike Breaux, a teaching pastor with Heartland

Ringing in the New Year

2008-01-04T13:23:00.001-08:00

We had a very nice New Year's Eve, hosting friends from the church we attend. Scott and Kay were here, as well as Tom and Linda, with their 3 boys. The boys are 16, 12 and almost-8. It was fun trying to keep all of us entertained. We played Catch Phrase, Buzz Word and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Most of us weren't. We saw the ball drop on Eastern time, and then again on Central time - midnight, our time. Our friends left shortly after midnight and we were in bed about 1:30 am - the latest we've stayed up in ages! Of course I slept in the next morning, but Jack was up with the birds. We had a restful day, and went to see Sweeney Todd at the Imax Theater. I loved it, Jack slept through a good deal of it. Gotta love Johnny Depp!! A very Happy New Year to all our friends and loved ones!