sarah and john sitting in a tree. . . .

Sarah and John met in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend (she from Indy, he from Quantico) and spent the weekend at Auburn. Friday was John's birthday and also their ENGAGEMENT night! It was hard knowing for a couple of weeks ahead (thanks John) and not being able to say anything to Sarah. No date set yet but lots of information being gathered. Sarah started a blog to keep track of all the details (good thinking!) and I can't wait to welcome John to the family officially!!

Congratulations! Let the planning begin!

He Shoots! He Scores!

Danny scored his first collegiate goal earlier this week against Thomas More University in Cincinnati! They only needed 5 more to bring home the win. . . .

Franklin Soccer pre-season game

The grizzlies played an exhibition game on August 21st. When I got to the field, I saw the Franklin boys warming up and wondered why Danny wasn't among them. All of a sudden, I realized the boy (man) I was looking at was actually him! It had only been a week since I'd seen him, but he was taller and bigger and older!



The boys played well against U of I and held their own all of the second half even in the rain. I was glad to sit and visit with Nancy K and compare notes about the roommates!

Danny's move to Franklin

hiding in the closet!

Danny moved in to Franklin on August 17th. It was a completely different experience than moving any of the girls. First, we only had a two hour window between the time he could get the key and the parent meeting. Second, there was to be no 'decorating' and certainly not a theme! Many hands made light work and the boys were happy with the results. The only decorating done was hanging two soccer jerseys from each end of a long wooden barricade they borrowed from Lawrence Park.

decorating with soccer jerseys

saying goodbye!

The night before the move, Danny had a few friends over for a final bonfire. Sarah and I helped to set up and then spent the evening inside catching up.

Backpacking in the Smokies

We took our annual hiking trip in July this year. We backpacked through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, visited Gatlinburg, Le Conte Lodge, and went white water rafting!

Details and more pictures can be found by clicking here.

Danny rides a Gator!

Danny worked hard this summer, every day from 6 am to 3 pm. He weeded, laid mulch, moved equipment from school to school and anything else that needed to be done by the 'building and grounds' department.

Bailey and I walked to the high school one morning and stopped by to say hi!

His last day was Friday and now he has one week off before he heads south to Franklin. Go Grizzlies!

Surprise!

Surprise!

As my birthday isn't for a couple more weeks, I was completely surprised when we arrived at Debbie's house to have a family picture taken and instead it was a surprise birthday party for me!

I had so much fun and am so thankful for such great kids and friends. We even got our family picture taken!

before

after

More pictures here.

Danny Graduates! May 30, 2009

Well, the big day finally arrived. FHS graduated it's second class last Saturday. We arrived at the State Fairgrounds and looked for Danny in a sea of red. Pictures with gowns on were necessary before the ceremony, as the gowns were rented and taken back before families were reunited afterward.



The ceremony was nice and only lasted about an hour and a half. Because of the seating arrangement and (and the alphabet!), Danny co-led the student body to their seats! We hung around for a while afterward taking pictures and then met again for ice cream back in Fishers. Coldstone Creamery - yum!



More pictures can be found by clicking here!

Sarah's 22nd Birthday!

Sarah turned 22 on a Thursday this year and it happened to be on the night of Danny's last ever FC Pride soccer game. We all met at O'Charleys for dinner and gave Sarah her main present from Adrianne, Elliott, Danny and myself. She opened a travel size shampoo bottle and was slightly confused until she saw the Southwest gift certificate as well!






After dinner we made our way to Lawrence Park and enjoyed an evening of soccer. Sarah left at half time to drive to Columbus, Ohio to meet John to begin the Memorial Day weekend.

He's Home!

Elliott arrived back a few weeks earlier than expected! Adrianne was able to travel to Virginia during spring break and meet his bus. They spent a mandatory four days in Norfolk before they drove back to Fishers. God Bless America!!

Spring Break 2009

Danny and I just got back from a cruise (first time!) we took over spring break. We flew to LA and boarded a Royal Caribbean ship, Mariner of the Seas, and had a great 7 night vacation. We were a group of 11 (5 seniors, a brother, and 5 parents). The boat stopped in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. Danny and his friends enjoyed the ports in Mexico as well as all the free time on the ship. We swam, ate, relaxed, ziplined, parasailed, walked, talked, gambled, slept and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!









It's cold and rainy here today and it was hard to get up and get going this morning! I'm ready for spring to be here.

He's a Grizzly!

Danny has been admitted to Franklin College and offered a spot on the soccer team. He is now officially a Grizzly! Coach Mahoney came to dinner a couple of weeks ago to explain some last minute details.

Danny with Coach Mahoney

Danny and his sisters

We all met at the high school for the "signing" that was later released to the newspaper.





From the media release:
Danny Ax played for one year at HSE as a freshman and the remaining three years on the Fishe4rs High School varsity team. He was a positive contributor to the program as a midfielder and attacking forward. He was the second leading scorer his senior year with 12 goals and led the team with 7 assists. Danny was third in goals and fifth in assists among HCC players. Danny served as team captain and was one of the most improved players from his junior to senior year. Danny was named "All County" and Tiger "Offensive Player of the Year", setting a school record for the most (4) goals in a game.

Happy 26th Birthday to Adrianne!

We celebrated Adrianne's 26th birthday on Friday. Danny gave her the first (and her favorite) present on Thursday night - his garage door opener! When she left for work on that cold Friday morning, she didn't have to get out of her car to use the keypad and close the door!


Meghan stopped in after school and brought her a cute little cake from Taylor Bakery (and a picture). Later that evening we ate dinner at Don Pablos and then the girls went out.


When I checked the mail on Saturday (which we had not since the foot of snow on Wednesday), there were 2 free tickets to the IU vs Ohio State game, so Adrianne and Meghan hopped in the car and drove down!

SNOW DAY!

Yesterday, we woke up to over a FOOT of snow! School was canceled and after we dug out the driveway and a place for Bailey, we relaxed and enjoyed the day. Later in the afternoon, I met up with a couple of friends for a hike in the snow.

Danny's Senior Pictures

Danny is halfway through his senior year and we got his pictures taken in November. Love them! Click here for the rest.

Happy New Year!

On New Year's Eve we gathered for dinner before Adrianne left to babysit her niece, Molly. The rest of us had a rousing round of Catchphrase (boys against girls) before plans were made for the evening. Danny very generously offered to be a driver for the girls and their dates and picked them up late into the night. Glad everyone made it home safely. Happy New Year!




More pictures on facebook, click here