Patti, I think you're going to find us all on your doorstep soon to get some of what you've got. When I read Karen's description of our age, I thought she hit it right on the nail! Not that I feel old, but all those things are definitely there--the bulge, the wrinkles, the gray hair, etc. etc.

Pat, glad that you enjoyed your birthday. Life is strange and you never know who you might meet where. When we took our oldest into NYC to orientation at NYU we were getting off the elevator and there was a guy we knew from Springfield down to a broadway show. Sun is shinning but very cold this morning 8 degrees....but should get warmer! Taking down all the Christmas stuff.....a job we all love to hate! Trying to get organized this year...hahah...like that is really going to happen! Have a great weekend everybody and Happy Thoughts................

Karen you're welcome anytime to come up and dip in the waters yourself! Maybe it's small town living, hard to say for sure.

Tonight Dave and I drove over the border into Canada to a restaurant we enjoy over there. It's about a 30 minute drive. But, we are in a foreign country. We're sittting at our table enjoying a glass of wine and in walks another couple that we know from P.I. It seemed strange in a weird sort of way since we had left the USA but it's just nothing to us to go to Canada for an evening. When we were going back into the states and stopped at the US border Dave recognized the border guard as the husband of someone he works with. It's a small, small world. Although they exchanged pleasantries we still had to give over our ID's and have them scanned at a computer terminal.

Thanks for the Happy Birthday Kathi. I agree we are not old. I'm neither grey nor particularly wrinkled. I still enjoy the occasional sexual harassment from my floor's custodial staff so I guess I'm still a fairly spicy little meatball. Life is good. ' )

Personally, I don't see my life or anybody elses life here mundane. I enjoy reading about the things others feel are important or feel like saying on that particular day. If others find my writing as mundane, they could just skip over!
Friday couldn't have come quick enough....the change in the weather has the kids all wound up and hyper, hopefully, Monday will bring more stability in both behavior and weather!
Karen, I would actually like to make chocolate pudding not diet!
Have a great weekend and Happy Thoughts................

Happy Friday! Happy Birthday! Enjoy the day...do something fun for yourself! Its always better if you don't have to make your own birthday cake! We are not old! We are not old...that should be our new mantra.... Happy Thoughts!

Richard, finally got time to archive and answer your flattering comments from Dec 9 (I think). I had fun @ the conference and Kirk Cameron is really cool too. Very regular, he helped set up chairs etc. Wow, working right beside a movie star!! I am off meeting many people in the misical world along with some preachers. I'm loving it. Mom tried to access the site and couldn't but I guess they changed it again. Love to hear how you are doing and your mundane trials through the blog. God Bless, R

Thanks for the birthday wishes girls. Kathi you can try to catch up as you say but I'll stay ahead of you all the way!! Ha Ha It's true though that like you I don't recognize my age unless I see the number or somehone else who I know is my age and looks it. That didn't sound nice but I think you know what I mean. I think working with kids all days helps keep me feeling younger. Sometimes I forget that I'm a grown up.

I've been to the Glima web site. The shirts are beautiful. Do you think Avi would like to start up his own business once this settles? Or perhaps stay with the dye company.

I don't know about you, but I don't really see myself as getting "older" until you see it written down! I am sincere about you having a great birthday...we're all going to catch up soon!
Lori, I hope that your business will become a little less stressful when the partnership changes. Its hard when things are not going well in "our" partners lives... There is a little snow on the ground this morning....nothing major just annoying. Have a great day and Happy Thoughts..........

Happy Birthday from me, too, Patti! Wow, that does sound old. Sorry!

Kathi, you asked what Avi does--he and his partner have a business called Glima. They make artistic women's shirts. He has another business, a dye-house, where they do the dyeing and printing for Glima, but also for other manufacturers. The partnership is only for Glima, not the dye-house. Right now it looks like Avi's more excited about his freedom than maintaining the partnership. He prefers to sell his part to his partner and then start something else on his own.

Ha Ha Ha right back at you little girl. As a matter of fact, Eleanor Richardson and I share that very honor. The eldest, wise beyond our years. First to drink legally, but probably not last. Thank Kathi !

Karen its so sweet of you to think of all of us. Guess we know where the vacation spot will be! I am having empty house syndrome. Things were so hectic and crazy with the babies and big babies all home and now that everyone has gone back home its so quiet! I know it won't take long to get used to it again! We are suppose to get a little nasty weather for the rest of the week. Nothing major. Hope all is going well with all...Happy Birthday Friday to you Patti....Didn't know your birthday was so close to the beginning of the year. You must be one of the "oldest" ones! haha....have a great day. Enjoy! And Happy Thoughts...

Lori it sounds like Avi's in a tough spot. I don't envy either of you. Difficult decisions all around.

Dave's gone to Sunday River skiing for a few days. He'll be home Friday to help me celebrate my 52nd birthday. My how the time does fly........

My family is planning to leave this evening..snowing...hopefully it won't be as much as thought through CT. We'll see. I will enjoy the grandchildren for the last day here. Lori, I hope that everything works out for the best for your husband. It is hard to go to work with lots of problems. What does he do? Heard on the news about too much rain in parts of CA....stay dry! Happy Thoughts...

We've been having some rainy days. We don't get them often, so it's kind of nice and cozy for a change!

I agree with you, Patti--no resolutions for me either!

We've been occupied for the last month with the problems between Avi and his partner. Still no solution. Avi's gotten to the point where he thinks he'd be better off alone, instead of being subjected to his partner's constant criticism and negativity. His partner is supposedly going to buy Avi's part in the business, but I'll believe it when I see it cuz I don't really believe that's what Itzik (the partner) wants. He's trying to remold Avi the way he wants him, and that never goes over well with Avi...

Happy New Year One and All! Imagine my surprise when Dave said somethng about this being New Years Eve just before supper. I guess I'm sort of out of it. I think my response was "No it isn't." No resolutions from me. I'll just keep tryng to do what I usually keep trying to do.

Two more days till back to school.

Happy New Year to all of you! We're probably going to have a quiet evening at home like we usually do. We're not into crowded noisy places.... Haven't found a New Year's resolution yet.

Hi Everyone...not sure if this will work but...here is a picture of me with my grandchildren...I am having so much fun with them. Like I said before, it is so different being a Nana then a Mother! They will be here until Tuesday evening.
Happy New Year to You...may all your dreams come true in 2006! Happy Thoughts! 

Happy New Year to all. We celebrate it tonight @ church via satellite to the othere side @ 7pm our time so we can all go home and sleep. Looks like a trip to Peru this year and Isreal next. Anyone been there and have any tips? The mission house (pregnancy crisis ctr) finally got up and running two days ago so we can be tax exempt this year. The house looks really great and the funds are rolling to to keep it open. It has been a job remodeling this old hodgepodge house into offices, conference rooms etc. We had an ultrasound machince donated to us too but now will be legally considered a medical facility so I guess I'm now a board member of a medical facility, wow...hmmmm...... just keep our minds on the mission and it'll be ok.

happy new year!! my resolution is to be a cool surfer dude. i don't know if it going to be harder to lose the in-your-face edge or to learn how to surf. at least i've got the dude thing going okay.

I took the little ones out in the snow today. Caleb was here a couple of years ago to play with us in the snow and this was Camille's first time. It was so cute. Our snow is crusty so they could walk on top. Great for pulling around in the sled. It is so nice to be able to appreciate the newness of something! It is certainly different having little ones running around the house again! Right now Caleb is crawling around the rooms playing doggie with his Aunt Su....pretty amusing watching 29 year olds crawl around too. We had our Christmas today, with presents and big dinner.....some of us are ready for bed soon! And I don't mean babies!! Happy Thoughts................and holidays.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah! Did I spell that correctly Lori?

The boys headed home this afternoon. I heard from Kev a few minutes ago and he's home and settling back in. Roads were not so good for the first couple of hours. We have 30 or so inches of heavy snow and it's quite windy out. Another storm expected on TH so we're concerned about whether we'll be able to get over to VT or not. Dave is planning a day at Stowe if we do make it over and we're planning to get together with some friends from our former neighborhood.

Ski and snowmobiling has been waiting and now they're all set. It's great for the area's tourism. The kids; being out of school this week are probably all thrilled .

Christmas day was fun. We all enjoyed each others company. Dave's mom had a good day. We were all pleased for her.

All of my kids and grandbabies will be here tomorrow...around breakfast time...I am so excited. We will have our Christmas on Wednesday morning. It has been unseasonably warm and rainy. We still have snow on the ground. There was so much water running down off the fields into the ditch in front of our house that the town crew was out here at 5:45 am digging ditches. There were 4 town trucks and probably 10 guys out there watching each other....holiday pay! Don't think I've ever seen so many of our town employees together that early in the morning! Neil has decided to take a week vacation to visit with the grandbabies....I think he is just as excited as I am. We are getting a woodstove installed in our basement tomorrow, too....he's been wanting to do backup heat for years and has finally done it. I wish everyone a wonderful New Year with lots of special times with your loved ones. Cherish the moments! Happy Thoughts always.....................

Oh, I guess I didn't realize that you were hoping he WOULD decide to move. Hopefully, his decision will turn out to be for the best, and you'll be glad you stayed in Maine. It sounds like you have a real "community" there--not something I can say I have in L.A. I know it must be frustrating that his mother was the reason for his decision, but on the other hand, someone who cares so much about his mother probably also cares a lot about his wife!

We're all going to Avi's mother's house tomorrow night to light the first Hannukah candle and eat a jelly donut! (about 500 calories, I heard)

Lori, Dave's mother lives not to far from us, 1/2 to an hour depending on weather conditions. She's in an assisted living home very small and family oriented and they take good care of her. But her dementia is worsening and it's extremely frustrating that Dave is the only one of his siblings to be involved in her care. They give lip service to his frustrations and the time he spends taking care of her personally and financially. They have both (sisters) conveniently moved to CA. At one point Dave said he wasn't going to take his mom into account in this decision and then decides that's the reason he's not going with this new position. It's aggravating. Oh well.
I do like living here but it's so far removed from everything and expensive to live here. Flights are hard to get and shopping is non existant. I'd have been 90 minutes away from my dad and that would have been wonderful, given his life expectancy at this point.
The boys are both home and that's fun. The house sounds like home with all their extra noise. Candlelight service tonight at 7. That's always a wonderful hour with carols and candles and lots of people home for the holiday. No luck getting the boys there though. someday maybe.

We're all set to spend a few days in VT at the Town Plaza Suites in Williston. We'll be there over New Years and head back Sunday. I'll see my sister on Friday. Been a couple of years so I'm looking forward to that.

Happy Holidays all. - Pat

Hope everybody has all their shopping done, presents wrapped and loved ones near...relax and enjoy. I wish everyone a wonderful, happy holiday. Happy Thoughts always.....

Patti, does Dave's mother live near you? He wants to be close to her? Anyway, I guess it's better to have a decision than to live in that state of uncertainty. And it sounds like you're happy in Maine and have a lot of friends there.

Happy Holidays to all of you!!!

Well folks as of 7 this a.m. Dave says he wasn't going to take the position. What an emotional rollercoaster. I'm exhausted. The reason he gives is that his mother isd not well. Same reason he gave last year when he was talking about a job in Bangor. I'd say he has closed his doors at this point. You can't say no too often before the offers stop coming in. So we here for the duration and come what may.

14 friends were over this afternoon and we had a terrific time. Lots of school gossip and family talk. Since the two schools combined it has been impossible for all of us to be together during the day. We don't even lunch together anymore. So it was wonderful to catch up. Snowing outside and very Christmasy looking. All's well.

Thanks for all the good thoughts.

Good Luck with all the decision making Patti.
Glad you had a great trip Lori and made it safely back home again.
We have our Kindergarten Christmas Party this afternoon. We made gingerbread cookies for snack...keeping it very low key...so will have cookies and milk...with a book exchange as the gift giving. Each child brings in a wrapped used book from home...they pick a number that coordinates with the number on the book and that is the book they get to take home. It is really a cute idea.
Today is my Grandaughter's 1st birthday. Hard to believe at this time last year I was in NC babysitting Caleb and driving in Raleigh with a 2 1/2 year old in the car! Traffic and I don't mix well! lol....hope everyone has a great day! Hopefully it'll be sunny again today. Happy Thoughts to all!

Have fun in Burlington, Patti. One of these days we'll get it coordinated so we'll be there at the same time! Let us know what Dave decides about Manchester. You're pretty brave to be willing to start over again after living so long in Maine!

Welcome back Lori. It's always good to get a message from a friend who's been away and is home again.

I should know for sure tonight what Dave's decision on Manchester is. He's waffling like crazy. Any decision will be better than not knowing. Then I can get down to the business of getting over the shock or just businnes as usual.

Friends from school are coming over tomorrow for a little R & R. Should be nice. I get to show off my holiday decorations and enjoy my "girls friends" chatter. We don't see each other as much with the changes in the new administration and the physicality (is that a word??) of the new building.

Planning 3 or 4 days in Burlington the week after Christmas. The end of the week I guess so we'll be there over New Years the way things look now. We were going to go to Rutland to see Lynne but apparently she's coming up to Burlington on a bus instead for a visit instead. Something Dad arranged. I think the 2 hour car ride is just too much for him. He has to worry about having enough oxygen in his tank and that sort of thing. Travel is just so risky these days. We're going to stay at a place with a full kitchen so we can relax and not have to do restaurant meals. Dave will take a ski day. He'll love that.

Time to get ready for work. Have a great day everyone and once again, welcome home Lori!

Hi everyone. Just wanted to let you know I got back from Israel today. I'm pretty exhausted, so I won't write much now. Basically, it was a good trip. I spent as much time as possible with my friend whose son committed suicide. She's doing amazingly well. Obviously, it's really hard for her, but she doesn't want to stop living. Another friend and I went with her to Rosh Pina in northern Israel cuz she wanted to get out of the city a little and be in nature. I was glad to go up there, too, cuz I haven't been up there in a long time. It's really pretty. Rosh Pina also has a lot of art galleries.

I've been reading all your Christmas tree stories. No trees for us, but I'm enjoying your stories!

Its now getting to the point in our lives that "expecting" things to be the way they were in the past is not going to happen. I usually go and get the tree by myself and have to wait for someone to help me put it in the stand and bring it into the house, but this year Neil actually went with me...looked through the fields of trees and found the one he thought would be good, cut it down, loaded it in the car, and helped set it up into the livingroom. I put the lights on and decorated it as usual. Its not Martha but I like it! Guess we have to make our own special memories and not rely on others, thus not being disappointed! We have another snowday today. It is getting to nice having a 3 day weekend....doesn't pay well, but guess we compensate by getting things done at home! I am hopefully, going to clean and wrap! We are having a "family' Christmas party at my sister's house tomorrow, with siblings, nieces and nephews. We started this tradition after my mother died 4 years ago, going in order of siblings each year. I've hosted, my twin , and last year my sister Karen, this year, its Karleen's turn, next year would have been Kevin's, so unless his widow hosts, that tradition will change too. Still making little gifts I need to finish, too....Everybody have a magical day with happy thoughts....

good point about the champagne! love you.

karen, my heart goes out to you as the "make-it-real-nice" ghost of christmas slaps you into action for the holidays. i picked up a tree this weekend and had the chance to smile at all the stress out there- real and imagined. there is a place in town selling trees for $30 and all of it goes to the temporary shelter. so i didn't really care if i got little more than a twig with a needle or two. i just liked that my dollars would be an important contribution. so, i pulled up and squeezed into a spot next to the trees in a city stealth parking manuever, but i had otherwise left my type-a personality elsewhere. I found an 8' tree among the rest which were all shorter. it was impossible to tell if this would be the perfect tree because all of the branches were frozen solid in a straight up position. it looked more like a lombardy poplar than a red spruce. while others might have liked an 8' tree, the fact that you couldn't pose next to to this one, a la american gothic, and get the glowing thmbs up for finding just the right one had eliminated it from general consideration. I watched as others went through the ritual of finding a tree, posing next to it, gettting approval from the commander of their relationship and then find a tree clerk to give them a fresh cut, load it in the car, kiss their ass good-bye and watch as they created near accidents driving away with the tree handsomely poised on the roof like an 18 point buck with its tongue hanging sideways from its mouth (is it my imagination, or did i get this one right?) . as a comparative non-event, i picked up my frozen bean pole of a tree and handed the money over with one hand as i loaded my tree into my car with the other. i got home with my tree, set it up, and there it stood like a one-stick popsicle standing at attention. i received icy reactions from my family that were equal in size to the glacier that still hung in my tree's limbs. now, this is where we get to the miracle of christmas. my engineering mind had estimated that unlike the old days when you really did have to consider trees grown in the wild for their relative yuletide virtues, my tree had come from a christmas tree farm where it had been farm-raised, farm-fed, farm-manicured and farm-loved. just how bad would my tree turn out to be once the chill evaporated? sho' nuf, miracle of miracles, it in fact turned into a spriteful holiday center piece that is bringing tons 'o joy to my world!

Hi folks I'm back. Vegas was nice, the weather was warm and that counts for a lot! I played a little cards and won almost $100. that was fun. I don't like missing school though and I'm very glad to be back home.

Dave is thinking about applying for a position in Manchester, NH. Which if he does would mean we would be back living very close to Springfield. Can you imagine??

Anyone heard from Lori yet? Are you back home Lori?????

holiday is close. that is nice. i need the break and am looking forward to hanging with the fam. i have some vacation time to burn along with holiday days. i will go to montreal to shop and EAT and see a show this week. i am okay with this program!

Snow here today! No school...which was actually quite nice....would have been better if I didn't have to go out and do some shoveling. We got 8-10 inches of fluffy light snow and with it being colder , the weatherman is saying that it will definitely be a White Christmas. Roland, glad that you have found what you need in life and...get to meet Kirk Cameron, too! Funny how we are all so different coming out of Springfield! Richard, keep on being the cool one! Patti, did you get back from LasVegas or did the snow hold you up? Karen, wonder if you could decorate long distance....smile and Happy thoughts....

Roland, you look like the cool high school guy I remember. Very cool to see you. I hope you, friends, and critters are having a cool winter. Everything is cool here (and icy, too). Just kidding with the hep cat stuff. The photo is a good shot and clearly not posed.

I don't know why some people think I am one-dimensional, but hey, that's cool (icy, too).

Howdy ya'll. If your're intersted you can view me @ thesummitchurch.com, click on images then go into the NOLB they got me by surprize in the front row talking to Kirk Cameron at our conference for evangelism. (I am in the second row of pics in the middle) We don't have any yet of our choir concerts but hope to get some in soon. Hope everyone had lots of turkey and is coasting till the next feast. Go in Peace my brethrn!

Well, have a fun trip to Las Vegas...maybe you can win your Christmas money! Relax and enjoy. I want Karen to come and decorate my house! I started.....will probably wrap some presents this afternoon while Neil is watching the Patroits....we'll see. Snowy some here today...more coming on Tuesday. Happy Thoughts...

Thanks for the tip Karen, maybe we'll get to see that show! We're taking a late flight home that night so we'll see.

I've had others do my tree before, just one time. It's actually a lot of fun. The boys (Colin and Kevin) lost interest in decorating many years ago but they certainly they want it done! so one year I invited the kids in the youth group I was active with to come over and decorate my house. We had a blast. I gave them free reign to do whatever they wanted, wherever they wanted. The house looked great and I had a wonderful afternoon with the kids.

This year the house is pretty much done except for the tree. We'll put it up this afternoon with lights only. Then when we get back all that remains is the details. So my "girlfriends" from work will do it with me. It'll be fun. It's sort of a different kind of party entertainment. Haven't you ever gone to someone's house and wondered about the history behind some of the decorations. You know, the stuff that looks old and ragged and maybe from some 1st grade class?? This is a fun way to get to talk about them.

Patti, do you have other people decorate your tree? Sounds like a good plan....I'd like someone to put the lights on...I don't like that part! The wind was bitter cold today. Heard snow coming in for Tuesday...I could use a good snow day to catch up! I suppose I have to let him have the car so he can make the big bucks for me to get new things! haha...the sacrifices we make! happy Thoughts to all......................

Hi folks, the weekend is here again! Dave and I are leaving early Monday morning for Los Vegas and that'll be relaxing. I like it out there. It's tough to miss school though. I guess that means I'm getting to like my new position so that's a good thing.

I'll be doing a bunch of decorating this weekend and we'll put our tree up before we go. It'll be a busy weekend but fun. Then when we come, I'll be having a cookie swap and tree decorating party. That'll be a lot of fun. Our school party is set for The 16th. Seems too soon but the time goes by so very quickly as you all know.

Take care all - Pat

Happy December everybody. Let the decorating and shopping begin. Personally, I haven't done much of either yet. Will start this weekend, decorating anyways...my husbands car is being worked on and won't be ready until Monday...so he is taking my car....during the week I really don't mind because I can get a ride to school and back but weekends.....guess it'll force me to get things done here. Real excitement here....I have a new washing machine...How pathetic to be excited about watching the clothes go around in the front loader...guess we could pretend to be watching tv....but its very quiet which is some diffferent from the 20 year old one! Guess it doesn't take a lot to please some people! Have a great weekend everybody...and happy thoughts...

Travel safely Lori. Let us know when you get back.

I cooked myself a big turkey dinner this afternoon. So let the eating of leftovers begin!!

Thanks, Kathi. I guess all I can do for her is listen. I know from my own experience that advice is the last thing anyone wants.

I hope things work out for the best.
Have a wonderful trip to Isreal. I am sure that your friend will welcome your friendship now. I think visiting a while after is nice because people do tend to "forget" to help you through and sometimes you just want that acknowledgment. I had a nephew that committed suicide in 1992 when he was 18....so I am sure she will be glad to see you. Enjoy your family and relax! Travel safely and Happy Thoughts....

So did they notice you don't eat lobster, Patti?!

Getting up early to go shopping on one of the busiest days of the year is definitely not something you'd find me doing. I barely go to the mall on regular days. There's always something else I'd rather be doing than shopping.

Thanksgiving was good. I thought we'd have close to 30 people, but I think it was 24 in the end. I had a lot of help, so things went pretty smoothly. The only thing that put a damper on it was that Avi and his business partner haven't been getting along lately, and our minds were on that part of the time. If things don't work out, they might have to end the partnership and the business. I think it's a problem of communication, and I'm still hoping they'll be able to reach some kind of understanding. Avi's partner is not an easy person to work with--he's critical and judgmental and negative. Everything always seems to be a problem for him. A lot of drama. They're really different, but somehow have managed to build up a good business together. In the past, Avi has given in on things that are important to him, and he's just not willing to do that anymore. His partner feels threatened every time Avi wants to hire someone who's more of a self-thinker, not just all these "yes men" types his partner feels comfortable with. Anyway, we'll see what happens....

I'm off on Monday to Israel to see that friend of mine whose son committed suicide. And also my family, of course, and other friends. Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all of you!

No traditional Black Friday shopping for me. Just a fun trip to a local Christmasy shop on the commons. It was a very pleasant experience just the owner and myself. Leaned lots about the area. It was a treat. Later we went downtown to a fabulous knitting store, and wandered on the piers. Very pretty and quiet, but wicked cold!

Kevin ships out at 5:30 tomorrow so we leave whenever we are up and at 'em I guess. The visit here was nice. Good to get away and see how and where Kevin lives. I even had a chance to see the tiny cabin he lived in for over a year. You can see daylight through the walls. I don't know how he did it. At least this winter he's warm and safe in a three bedroom 2 bath with no roomates but his dog Dodge. He'll be home for Christmas.

I'm glad we'll make our whole trip back to P.I. in the daylight. Travel safely everyone!

Hope everyone had a wonderful, tasty Thanksgiving with family and loved ones. As usual, there was way too much food and too many leftovers, especially desserts! We had fried turkey which was delicious. It took an hour to cook a 18 pound turkey. It was very moist and the cripsy/skin was golden brown and yummy. The only bad part of the day was the weather. It was very nasty traveling in the snow. We got 5 inches of snow, which is too much on Thanksgiving! The ski areas were glad but I wasn't! It is now 13 degrees out but the good news is 50s by Sunday. Did anyone go out and get their holiday shopping started on Black Friday. My son had to be to work at Best Buy at 3 am. He said there were people camped out in the cold and snow waiting until they opened at 5. Personally, I can't imagine needing anything that badly! How about you??? If you are traveling back home this weekend, drive carefully. Happy Thoughts...

Happy Thanksgiving Eve everyone! We've made it Booth Bay. The boys are downstairs playing pingpong and Dave and I are relaxing. The roads down were very icy and there were cars off the highway every couple of miles. We took a long time getting here. Feels good to be off the road.

Kevin said the lobsters are in a cage in the water down at the pier. My word. This is different. So tomorrow we have a little field trip down to the pier to pick up dinner. It has escaped everyone that I never eat lobster. I am really looking forward to the dawning moment when my boys (men) realize this. I'm planning to eat lots of veggies and dinner rolls!!

I hope everyone is surrounded by the folks they love this week and enjoy every minute of Thanksgiving! - Pat

Everyone enjoy those special times with your families....its suppose to snow here on Thanksgiving. Hopefully, not! We missed the snow today. I heard up north got some but here it was just rain and wind. Suppose to clear for traveling tomorrow with snow on Thursday. Remember to eat lots of good food....luckily for us their isn't an aquarium around here! Happy Thoughts and be sure to count your blessings....Thank you for being my friends!

Last night Dave and I ordered tickets to Zumanity Theatre. It's a Circ du Soleil show in Vegas. We'll be in Los Vegas the 5th through the 9th. Dave has a Credit Union function and I'm going along. I always like to go to the fun places when he travels. We're staying at the Mirage. This is our 3rd trip out there.

We also bought tickets to see Les Miserable in Boston in Feb. A friend bought a block of them and sold them to whomever wanted them. We just happened to hear about it and got lucky. We'd been wanting to see it for several years and hadn't done anything about it.

To those travelling ove the Thanksgiving holiday this week, please be careful out there.

Hi Lori, Windjammer is off the road somewhat on the left not far from the airport. Technically, its S. Burlington I think, though not really. Used to be easy to see but everything is so over developed and crowded now. It's surrounded by other buildings. (a little editorializing there) I remember when Tafts corners in Williston was mostly a neat old white brick homestead and farmland. Not anymore, though the house is still there.

The Lincoln Inn is in what folks call the 5 corners in Essex. Very eclectic. Definately a local hangout in the bar area. Several TV's and loads of folks.

That's pretty amazing, Kathi, that you've know each other for so long...

Patti, I don't remember seeing those 2 restaurants. Are they outside Burlington? I'll have to try them next time I'm in the area.

Yes, we lived one house apart.....I've known him forever. He is 5 years older so I hung out with his siblings when we were younger. His sister had a baby the same time my mother had my little brother and she moved back to her parents house. I used to take Kevin up to play with Chip. We were just friends for a very long time..then dated when I was in High School...and here we are today....with lots of history behind us and hopefully, in front of us! When to a craft class yesterday and got inspired....so I spent this afternoon making my Christmas Cards.....hope everyone had a good day. Chocolate is so.....necessary in life! Happy Thoughts...

Vt was beautiful as always. I just love the look of the mountains and we both miss them very much. We talked about going back to live but the housing costs are monumental in the greater Burlington area. We had a couple of terrific meals. Particularly at the Windjammer. the dinner at Lincoln Inn was pretty good. It's a strange restaurant. Each room has a different theme. We'll be going back after Christmas for a few days and a trip down to Rutland to see my sister. Dad isn't able to make the drive himself and has asked me to drive him down.

I have the Death By Chocolate cookbook., Marcel Desaulines. (spelled that wrong) It's pretty amazing. I use the recipes quite often. Dave is gluten intolerant and there are several excellent deserts he can eat there. The recipes are pretty long and involved. Well worth the effort though.

We'll be heading down to Booth Bay to spend a few days with Kevin for Thanksgiving. He is serving lobster with the "usual" Thanksgiving sides. I'm bringing down my pies and will cook up the other dishes down there. Just the 4 of us this year. It's the first time we haven't had the meal at home in P.I.

Congratulations, Kathi! That's a long time. We've been married 27 years. You said your parents and Neil's parents used to live on the same street--so you grew up together?

Neil and I just celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary. Seems like yesterday...hahah. I thought getting married in the middle of deer season was pretty funny. All my relatives had to miss a Saturday of hunting...How many years has everyone else been married? Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend~ Happy Thoughts...