Across the pond. . .

Emily spent most of the day packing up and weighing suitcases. . . when she was ready for a break, Grant, Emily and I went to see the movie Shrek 3 and then went to Chick-Filet for dinner (Grant's favorite place!). On Sunday morning, we all went to church at E. 91st Street for a change and then on to lunch at Bravo's (thanks to the gift card that Dee gave us last summer). We sat outside on a beautiful patio, decorated with lots of flowers and overlooking a peaceful pond with ducks and geese (with babies!). After lunch it was time to head home and prepare to go to the airport. Grant left to run an errand and Emily and Danny went to make copies of her passport and license.

We left for the airport early in case the race got called (there was a rain delay). Emily checked in with no problem and we shopped at the bookstore and went for a bite to eat. Emily and Grant left to check the flight board and found that her flight had been delayed and would now arrive after her connecting flight to London would have departed. After some scrambling, she made it onto another flight and all was well. Emily has started her own site with details about her ordeal. We will all miss her very much and we're excited for her big adventure. The family she is staying with will be a perfect fit. I received an e-mail from them today that described the weather as awful, so they did puzzles and ate cake!

Headed South. . . .

Sarah and Kylie left early on Saturday morning with Dan to begin the drive back to Auburn. They made good time and were there in about 10 hours. Sarah had to work on Saturday night. She will begin looking for a new place to live beginning in July. Some roomates are moving on and so is Sarah. Danny and I hope to make a trip down to see her sometime before school starts in August. It was great to have her home and I can't wait until the next time we are together - love you Sarah!

Sarah visits the third grade!

On Friday, Sarah came to SCE to have lunch and while she was there she visited Mrs. Allen's 3rd grade classroom. Those students have been penpals with Adrianne's class since the first of the year. When Emily visited earlier this month she also stopped in to say hello and now they have met both of Mrs. Hultgen's little sisters! They had lots of questions for Sarah and ran along the lines of, "do you have a boyfriend" and "did you ever fight with your brother and sisters?" :)

Friends Gather

On Wednesday evening, we enjoyed the company of friends during the only week that Emily and Sarah will be home together this summer. It was good to see everyone (Debbie, Meghan, Tom, Greg, Christi, Austin, Summer, Chayton, Steve and Dana and their crew, Durena, Grant, Ashley M. and Heather S.).

Sarah turns 20!

Sarah (and Kylie) got home last Sunday night. Sarah's "girls" went to visit her in Auburn and she and Kylie rode home with Chelsea and Ashley (Kristen drove back to NC). We all visited for a while and worked on the dogs enjoying each other, but it was best when they were separated. Sarah and I left for a while and went and visited Mark, Heather, and Drew. It was Mark's birthday but the party was wrapping up when we got there. We all caught up and enjoyed Drew cracking open hard boiled eggs with his head :) and then Sarah and I came home. Lady was still pretty nervous around Kylie who just wanted to play and we decided that Kylie might have a little more freedom at Dan's so the two of them left to spend the night there.

The next day Danny made the birthday cupcakes when he got home from school and when I got home from work we grilled out and enjoyed a great birthday supper (burgers, chicken, potato casserole and corn-on-the-cob). Sarah opened her presents and we all just hung out for the night. For the next six months, Sarah and Emily are only one year apart!

Joanne's Retirement

Last Sunday Durena and I met up with Dee and Sharon to celebrate Joanne J's retirement from the library at FJH. I'm so excited for Joanne and especially that I am taking her position! Dee organized the gift we all went in on - a membership to the Indianapolis Zoo so that Joanne can take her precious granddaughter whenever she wants to! It was good to see my friends from FJH again I am looking forward to starting my new job on June 1st!

Jill Behrman Riverside Walk

Last Saturday, the 19th, we participated in a walk at Riverside to raise funds for Jill's House. Jill disappeared the summer before Adrianne was starting her freshman year at IU and she has always remained on my mind. Jill's brother Brian is a teacher at Riverside and the student council there organized the event and donated the proceeds to the building fund. I was glad to be able to walk in her memory. The weather was beautiful and I enjoyed walking with good friends, catching up with many I hadn't talked to for a while (Karan, Jane, Lori, Cora, and Pam).

Every picture tells a story

Last Monday when I got to work at CRE, the ladies appeared in the lab a few minutes after me. Nancy A was carrying a wrapped package and it was for me! I unwrapped a digital photo frame, the same one Nancy has on her desk (which I had admired long ago :). The Philips 9FF2M4 model has such great resolution and I can't wait to transfer some pictures to it and enjoy the show! My year at CRES has been unexpectedly wonderful, working with such a generous staff. They welcomed me and made me feel a part from the very beginning and I will always be grateful.

Mother's Day

Sunday was a great day and I'm so grateful to be the mom to Danny, Sarah, Emily and Adrianne. Sarah set her alarm and called in the morning and I talked to Adrianne a little bit later (Hawaii being 5 hours earlier).

Emily, Danny, and I decided to worship on the river instead of church - we slept in a bit and then got up and packed a picnic. We headed to Turkey Run - Emily drove so that I could sit in the back and read. After we got into Marshall, we stopped by Sugar Valley and rented kayaks for an eight mile trip down Sugar Creek. The trip took just over two hours and we hardly saw anyone else the whole time we were there. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. . . perfect! Pictures to come - have to finish up the waterproof camera and get them developed.

After the trip we drove over to Turkey Run and got spread out for a picnic. Danny was STARVING and said he was so hungry he would even eat egg salad. When we got the sandwiches out, Danny's peanut butter one was the only thing that got wet :( but he still wouldn't eat the egg salad. We enjoyed our picnic and didn't stay too long, as we had to get home for the Survivor finale. Debbie, Meghan and Tom came over to watch. The Davidson's were going to come, but they had to drive to South Bend for soccer that day and they were wiped out by 8:00 (and Austin was ready to be home - he broke his wrist the day before in a soccer game).

Adrianne sent me a beautiful card, Sarah is bringing hers home Sunday (can't wait for her to be here) and Emily and Danny made me this one:

Cali on squirrel patrol

Cali is staying with us for a couple of weeks and one day when she went outside a squirrel was eating from the bird feeder. She chased the squirrel up the tree and then tried to climb up after it. Now every time the back door opens, she rushes out and heads directly for the tree. A couple of times the squirrel has been waiting and she is ALMOST fast enough to catch it. In the mornings she is torn between eating and looking for the squirrel - the food dish wins every time.

Drill Practice

On Sunday, I finished assembling the kitchen chairs. One chair leg didn't have the hole drilled for the spacer bar so we got the drill . . . .

Mini Marathon

Heidi and I procrastinated and didn't get registered before the mini was sold out this year, but the week before there was an e-mail from a teacher who wanted to sell her two entries. We bought them and actually started from the "N" corral - our closest to the front start (except for the year we could have started right at the front - in my wheelchair :) It was a little awkward starting with ALL runners, but after a mile or so we had LOTS of room around us and we enjoyed the walk. We hadn't actually trained more than 7 miles this year but we took it easy - I had to make a couple of stops - and we finished feeling great.

There is a new half marathon next year - the inaugural Geist Half Marathon. I think we are going to do both!

Sunday in B-town

The Sunday before finals, Danny and I drove to Bloomington and picked up Emily (actually we drove around for 10 minutes as she wasn't QUITE ready and Danny was happy because he got to visit the McDonalds in town for breakfast) and then picked up Grant, who WAS ready (almost) and then we all went to church - Sherman Oaks Christian Church. The worship service was a lot like the one we attend at Grace and Emily led us to almost the exact same spot in the auditorium that we sit at Grace :)

After church, we went back to Chi-O for brunch (bacon, scrambled eggs (I think?), poached eggs, hash brown casserole, biscuits, fruit, bagels and juice. We ate and visited for a while and then started carrying out most of Emily's stuff - how it all fits in the shared room is a mystery!

Piezer!

The weekend before last, Heather came to town to visit. I picked her up from the airport after work on Friday and we met Durena and Brian J for dinner at El Rodeo. We spent an enjoyable couple of hours catching up with everyone and then came back home and talked some more. We all slept in and in the morning we had coffee and breakfast. Danny went to the BMV and to get Cali for the week. Heather and I walked around the neighborhood and out to the high school. We took Lady for a long walk and then Cali took us for a short one. Danny cut the grass and we got cleaned up and Heather and I headed out for a pedicure - what a treat! We made our way over to Clay Terrace and met Shelley, Heather's sister for lunch at Kona Grill. I forgot my glasses and they took turns reading the menu to me. . . . we ate and visited for a while and after lunch we moved Heather's suitcase into Shelley's car. They stayed to shop and explore and I left for home. It was great to see Heather and while I miss having her here, she is very happy in North Carolina!

USS Gunston-Hall

Sarah finally got her summer assignment - she'll be serving on the USS Gunston-Hall, out of Virginia from June 13 - June 29th. Finals are over next Monday and then she can make plans for when she can be home for a while before she ships out! Anchors Aweigh!