Good Things Come in... Twos

So much has been going on in the last few weeks, I really don't know where to start.

Today was my first day of school with the students. It was a half day, and that was about all I could take. It's very hard getting back into the swing of things--- especially when starting at a new school, with new policies, new procedures, new curriculum, new co-workers, new everything. It's been very overwhelming, but I'm happy to be teaching again. The 7th and 8th graders will be challenging, though they are nothing more than big, goofy kids. That are taller than me.

Our other BIG news is that we are 100% confirmed pregnant. We found out three weeks ago, the day I got my job. Go figure. So as of today, I am 10 weeks along. Ken and I've been to see my OB/GYN twice, and we like our doctor very much. I feel very comfortable being in his hands. Last week he tried getting a Doppler reading to hear the baby's heartbeat, but all we could hear was mine. My heart sounded very good. Hopefully we'll be able to hear the baby later this month.

The Working Elite

Tomorrow I will be an honest-to-goodness working teacher again.

I went on an interview at the end of July and nailed it. I got a call back to interview for a second position. The principal said that she was very impressed with me, she definately wanted me for one of two positions, and that I would hear from her very soon. That was last Wednesday.

I finally heard from her today. She said that I had a choice of the two positions and which did I want? We decided that I would go in tomorrow, make my decision, sign the paperwork, and get my keys.

Yea! I don't have to say that I'm an out-of-work teacher anymore.

Remember This?

This is for my sisters who went to the zoo today, though I think they went to the Toledo Zoo. Oh well... Here's a classic commercial that's still good to this day!

Click here ----> The Detroit Zoo TV Commercial From the 80s

It never gets old! I've been quoting this commercial forever!

Camping In July

We had a great weekend camping, except for a few minor snags. (See below.) My brother and his family were in the site next to us. It was great. We brought our picnic table and grill over to their site and ended up staying over there for most of the time, except for sleeping.

The weather was hot and humid, but the shade was excellent. We had a great time at the nearby Wampler’s Lake. The sun was hot, the water was cool and refreshing, and the shade was perfect for taking small naps.

Sarah and Jasmine came for the day Saturday. Jasmine got along with my niece and nephew really well, so that was nice. We all had fun playing Frisbee in the water and we picnicked under the trees. It was a perfect day.

Ken and I go camping in a couple of weeks with my good friends, the Mullins family. But this time we’ll be at Sterling State Park.

-----------------------------------------------------

On Nighttime Camping Etiquette:

When walking back from where ever it is you went, and you know that most of the campers are sleeping because it's dark, quiet, and past 11:00 pm, DO NOT yell, scream, shout, or generally make an ass of yourself.

If you hear someone shush you, DO NOT point your high-powered flashlight into his or her tent and blind the respectful shusher (me).

DO NOT let your children run wild near the bathrooms at any time of the day; more so at night, and especially after quiet hours: 11:00 pm. The bathrooms are located centrally so that everyone has access to them. That means that everyone can hear your children yell, scream, and shout as they run around.

Seriously. I mean it.

On Proper Tent Construction and Design:

When designing a tent, make sure that all windows have a flap that can be zippered up for privacy and for protection against rain. DO NOT design a tent without the flaps!

Seriously. Make sure they have the flaps.

Also make sure that the included tarp that goes over the tent for rain protection leaves some space for air ventilation over the flapless windows. Make sure that any small breeze is able to get into the tent and cool off the campers. This is especially important on those hot and humid 95-degree days and humid 80-degree nights.

Not really a post...

HELLO AMY!

I know you read the blog, so this one is for YOU.

(Don't you think it's about time you started one, too?)

Home From The Honeymoon

We have had such a great week. We didn't have one bad day. The driving conditions were good, the weather was good, and the entertainment was good. Here are some of the things we did/visited:

*Cumberland Falls, Kentucky
*Everglades, Florida
*Kennedy Space Center (We almost saw the shuttle take off.)
*Epcot (My feet still ache from all the walking we did.)
*Orange World (That one's for you, Dan... I got you a replacement mug.)
*Putt-Putt Golfing (I got three holes-in-one. Ken got zero.)
*Disney's Downtown Marketplace
*A boat ride on the Gulf of Mexico with Ken's Aunt Theresa and Uncle Bob (We saw dolphins.)

Hmmm. The list doesn't do the vacation justice. But we did take a ton of pictures. I'll post some soon.

And It Continues...

NOT wedding-related stress. NOT all in my head. I called first thing this morning and talked to the doctor-on-call. The kind doctor listened to all of my symptoms and... I'm allergic to penicillin. So I get a new prescription for the sinus infection, and I can take Benedryl for the skin-sensitivity problem. Yea.
And I'm not going crazy.

Lovely meds.

The On-Going Saga of My Meds and Me

Okay, the meds have helped my sinus-related pain disappear. However, I have had a new malady: super sensitive skin. My arms, back, shoulders, and upper legs. Not to mention my scalp and neck. It hurts to touch, even in the tenderest and gentlest ways. Even my clothes are too much for my skin. Driving is horrible- I feel every bump in the road and it hurts. HURTS!

I think the meds have caused it. This is not acceptable, especially as the wedding is a scant eight days away. So I've stopped taking the meds. I'm going to call my doctor on Monday to see if she knows what the hell is going on. As I have been averaging one visit to her a month since I got insurance, I'm starting to feel a wee bit stupid.

Stupid meds.

Ten Days

Well, here it is- ten days until the wedding and counting down. Ken and I have everything under control and on schedule. Yesterday we planned out the honeymoon to Florida- the drive down, the cities and hotels we'll stay at, and the tourist attractions we'd like to visit.

We also have the seating assignments for the reception finished. Now we're working on the party favors. We have tiny plastic picture frames, and we'll put the families' names and table assignments inside. Yup- cheap and easy. That's the route we're taking on this one. There are so many other things that were more important to us, so we didn't spend the money on these.

Saturday is the big party night. Ken's bachelor and my bachelorette parties- separate, of course. I also have my niece-to-be and nephew's wedding shower to attend. It'll be a long day for me, but very enjoyable.

Can it really be just ten days away? On one hand, it seems that we aren't going to have enough time to get everything done, but on the other hand, it seems an eternity away.

Three Weeks and Counting!

What strange weather SW Michigan is having. Hot and muggy, cool and stormy... you name it. Right now it is a pleasant, mostly sunny 67 degrees. Beautiful. We took a nap with the windows open; there was a heavenly breeze. Like is good.

Ken and I got a bunch of things done this weekend for the wedding.
We decided on our music play list for the reception.
The groomsmen's gifts have been wrapped.
The coloring books got put together.
We took our wedding bands in to be sized and engraved.
We purchased our parents' gifts.
Ken got remeasured for his tux.

It feels good to cross things off our list. This week we get the marriage license, send the DJ the play list, fold all the ceremony programs, pay for the flowers, and plan Ken's wedding day schedule.

And I think we'll get a jump start on the seating assignments, though we don't have all the response cards back yet. People have six days to get them in, or they're not coming. Period. I fail to see why they don't have the decent manners to reply. What's up with that?

I want to ride my bicycle...

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my

Bicycle races are coming your way

So forget all your duties oh yeah

Fat bottomed girls they'll be riding today

So look out for those beauties oh yeah

On your marks get set go

Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race

Bicycle bicycle bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle

Bicycle bicycle bicycle bicycle

Bicycle race

( I love QUEEN! )

I bought a new bicycle yesterday, and I love it. It's a Huffy, though not the pink Huffy bike with the fat seat I had when I was 12. It's a cross between an old-fashioned, one-gear cruiser with high handle bars and a newer multi-gear mountain bike. I like it because I don't have to hunch over to steer, I can sit up relatively straight. Wind resistance be damned!

I've gone out twice now, and I've realized what crappy shape I'm in. My legs and thighs feel like jelly. Burn, baby, burn! Hopefully this will start a new trend of getting off my fat ass and keeping active.

I will need some basic bicycle things- helmet, basket (a-la Dorothy and Toto), and a bell. If a flag could fit off the back, I'd get that, too. :0)

Daggnabbit. It's HOT. It was above 90 degrees today. I'm not ready for summer. Right now, at 9:16 pm, it is still a muggy 84 degrees. The worst of it is my hair- long, but not long enough for a ponytail. The day after my wedding, I am getting it chopped for the summer. If I hadn't already bought expensive hair stuff, I would do it now. Oh well, only 26 days to suffer through...

Today K and I got all the copies of the programs and the coloring books done. Only folding the programs and binding the books left to do with that. On to the wedding party favors: We've decided to go the cheap route, so we've bought them from Oriental Trading Co. I also made the decision to return the baggies in exchange for small -bordering on tiny- cheap picture frames. We liked the baggies because they were cheap, but we didn't count in the price for the pretty, shredded paper and the candies to fill them. The frames are just a bit less expensive overall, but they'll be easier in the long run. Anyway, no one ever keeps the favors, so why spend lots money on them??

Unless I can find that elusive money tree…

Sugarbush Farm

I kicked the weekend off by taking Peyton to his pre-school fieldtrip to Sugarbush Farm in Ypsilanti. Since neither of his parents could go, they asked me to fill in, and I was happy to do so.

Farmer Joe gave a nice presentation with the cows, goats, sheep, and pigs. And everyone loved seeing all the babies. While Peyton didn't want to help milk the cow, he did pet her.

We also went on a hayride through the mud, mud, and more mud. But we made it back to the farm with no problems. Thank goodness!

We've had a great streak of sunny days, and I love it. Too bad the clouds are rolling in as we speak. Mom and Dad gave Ken and me some laurel and Rose O'Sharon bushes. We've planted them in the front and in the back of the condo. There isn't much soil to speak of, only clay. Clay is difficult to dig into with a regular shovel, almost impossible if all you've got is a small hand spade. :)

Tomorrow my mom, Ken's sister Kim, along with the girls are coming over. The girls are getting their last fitting for their flower girl dresses. My mom did a great job of making the dresses, and I can't wait to see the girls on the day of the wedding.

Speaking of the wedding, today is the 24th... The wedding is exactly one month away. We've been keeping up with our list of things to do, but it's the seating assignment chart that scares me. I am NOT looking forward to that job. However, as many of the invitees haven't sent in their response cards, that job is looking easier and easier.

Mother's Day Weekend

Ken and I were invited to a time-share vacation presentation on Thursday. We went because we were guaranteed a gift, whether we signed up for the deal or not. So we sat through the 90 minute presentation, drank our free soda and ate the free popcorn. And to tell you the truth, if we had the money, we might have signed up. As it was, we don't, so we didn't. BUT, we did get nice hotel accommodations for five nights in Orlando and three nights in Daytona or St. Petersburg. They don't pay for transportation or meals, but having the hotels taken care of is GREAT! We have to take it by next May 11th. I'm thinking Easter vacation 2007....

Saturday night, Ken and I went to a comedy show. The main comedian, Mark Knope, was hilarious. We've seen him before, and while he used a lot of the same material, it was still funny. Thank you, Mark Knope, for bringing the ha-ha and making us laugh. You can check him out at www.knope.com .

Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all of you mothers. I hope you had a nice relaxing day, spent doing what pleases you. Whatever that may be. Ken and I had his parents over for a barbecue. It was really nice. They brought over their wedding present for us- luggage. Hooray, we don't have to use our mismatched duffle bags anymore!

Color Me

Here's a coloring book page of Ken and me.

I've been working on a Wedding Day Coloring Book for the kiddies who'll be at the wedding. If nothing else, it's been keeping me occupied.

May Day

Ken and I finally had a weekend to ourselves. We didn't have every minute planned, and it was nice. That being said, we did have some last minute fun.

~Saturday~

Ken went to see a CGS baseball game in the afternoon, and I went to a MaryKay party with Kirstie and Sarah in the evening. It was a lot of fun. The party also doubled as a Cinco de Mayo party. By the second Margarita, I was ready to buy everything. Instead, I just bought Satin Lips. I have the softest lips ever, now. Thanks MaryKay!

After that, we went to try out a new bar in Wyandotte- Wild Horses. But, it looked scary, so we drove on by and ended up at Pier 500. Sarah really wanted to dance, but no one was on the dance floor. Finally she went out, dragged me with her, and she got to dance. What the heck, we weren't there to impress anyone. Kirstie had a contact malfunction, and we ended up leaving around 12:00 am.

~Sunday~

After church, we met with Fr. Cyril briefly to discuss a few things. We had lunch at my mom and dad's house, and then we went to Greenfield Village. Thanks to SRD, we have an annual pass. It was the perfect day to go there- sunny, breezy, and not crowded. We didn't go into many of the houses; we just had a relaxing and mellow time walking around. We did go into the Train Roundhouse. Sarah's dad was the speaker. He does such a great job of explaining everything and fielding questions.

We then headed over to Kirstie and Gene's for awhile. They were having a great barbecue, and the food was delicious! Nothing is better than hanging out with good friends, especially when they have great food and drinks. But after a late night, a long walk, and being in the sun, we were ready for a long nap.

So, it wasn't a weekend to ourselves. But it was perfect sharing it with our friends and family.

Bee All You Can Bee

As I don't have a sub job today, I planned on getting some things done outside. I really needed to take care of all the potted plants. I have a lot of them, and they've been neglected since I'd put them outside now that the weather is warmish.

So I got everything ready... my gardening gloves, my little spade, the watering can, the soil... and went outside. Only to be attacked by some wild bees. Or wasps. Probably wasps. I didn't stick around long enough to find out. Unfortunately, the neighbors now know about it. I mean, they couldn't help but know. I screamed a very girlie high-pitched scream. Very embarrassing.

Yikes! As a rule, I'm not one of those people who freak out everytime they see a bee in the vincinity. I actually like seeing bees and bumblebees and watching them do their thing with flowers. I usually go about my business and let them buzz away. But, when there are five or six of them giving me the evil eye, I run.

Now I have to get out my bee-keeper outfit/hasmat suit and attempt to locate their waspy home. Homes. Probably more than one. I really hate this. I should wait unitl Ken gets home from work, and let him take care of it, but I really want to work outside. It's a beautiful 73 degrees and sunny out here in Michigan. I want to take advantage of it.

Stupid wasps. Bees. Wasps.

52 Days 2 Hours 52 Minutes

It is officially May 3, 2006 at 11:08 am. There are 52 Days 2 Hours 52 Minutes from right now until Ken and I get married.

Yesterday we talked about our engagement. He retold the story of how he asked my parents for their permission to marry me. I love that story.

I want to start planning the honeymoon. There are so many things to do in Florida, that the possibilities are endless. It's very exciting.

Even more exciting... we are going to start painting again. The fireplace wall and the stairwell are the first things to get done. Then we can put up the mantle and the mirror, and the room will look almost done.

Thank You... Again.

What a crazy busy weekend it's been for Ken and me. A wedding, a First Communion, an awards ceremony, and a baseball game. I'm glad the work week has begun- we could use the rest.

I also finished all the Thank You cards. Again. Apparently, the pretty square cards I bought require extra postage. I had several different kinds of Thank You cards, some square, mostly rectangle, bought at different times at different stores. I sent out twenty square cards. Seven came back with a big sticker covering the address informing me that, being square, I needed to have additional postage affixed. And getting the sticker off ripped some of the envelopes. I think that just may be the craziest thing I've ever heard. I mean, SQUARE??

One year ago, today

At approximately 12:30 pm, the 29th of April 2005- a year ago today- Ken Czarny with tears of happiness in his eyes proposed to the girl he wants to enjoy the rest of his life with. At Kensington Metro Park in Oakland County, down a slight hill, by the water, Ken Czarny got on one knee before Nancy Durisin and professed his forever love to her with a proposal of marriage. What exact words were said seem to be foggy, but she said YES and made me the happiest person alive. I LOVE NANCY DURISIN!


Love always and forever,
Ken

On a Mysterious Note

As we were leaving the shower, my sister Ann handed me a small box and told me that someone asked her to give it to me. As most of the guests had left, I assumed someone forgot to bring it in at the beginning of the party. The note said to open it at home. I opened it on the way home.

A card was on top. It said, "We are the fertility God and Goddess. If you wish to be fertile, hang us on your bedpost. If not, hide us in a drawer. -The Fertility Fairy"

I opened the tissue paper, and out popped two small dolls, made of wood, rope, beads, fabric, and fibers. They have beads, rope, and fibers to show the correct male and female genitalia: the boobies, the wa-hoo and the hoo-ha.

I have so many questions.

• We don't have bedposts; will the foot of the bed do?
  

• We don't have an empty drawer in the bedroom; will they 'infect' our clothes with fertility?

• We may have to put them in the kitchen drawer; will they turn the kitchen utensils into fertility utensils and give fertility to all who eat at our house?
  

• I have them out of the box right now; am I going to be fertile today?
  

• I almost opened the box yesterday at the hall with a bunch of people in the room; would they have been given instant fertility?
  

• I'd like to hang them on the wall in the den; will this bring us fertility there, or does the fertility seep to all parts of the house?

• There isn't any kind of warrenty on them; how long will the fertility last?
  

And:

• Who the hell gave us these dolls?
  

Sweet Saturday

Well, it has come and gone. Sweet Saturday, aka: My Bridal Shower. Our families and friends did a wonderful job of changing a dark, drab church basement hall into a bright, cheerful, and festive "beach party".

The decorations were great- beachballs hanging from the ceiling, a huge congratulations poster, shells with flowers as centerpieces on each table, beach stuff in each window, fish/plant vases on the head table...

They also made all of the food- enough for about 80 people- cheesy potatoes, pork loin, kalbasa and sauerkraut, green beans... And desserts- a beautiful cake, cheesecake, nutroll, Ambrosia, jello fruit salads... There was so much, I can't remember it all.

But what I do remember is that it was delicious!

We played two or three silly shower games before we ate. K came in time to open the BIG pile of gifts. We got so many great and generous gifts; it's hard to take it all in. I'm still overwhelmed!

A special

thank you

to

Nan's family,

Ken's family,

and the bridesmaids

Sarah, Kirstie, Camie, and Diane.

Thanks!
We love you all so much.

Checkin' things off the list

Hello all! I have been gone for awhile from the Blog, so I thought I should stop by and leave a post. I could start by saying we are getting things accomplished with our wedding and with the house. I was able to finish organizing the garage. I got the things off the floor either on hooks or on shelves.

We finished organizing the basement. I changed out some electrical so all the lights don't stay on. We arranged our old couch, some tables and TV from Grandma's and now we have a little sitting area down there for those hot summer days. I don't know when we can finish the basement, but at least we can now use it for more than just storage.

On the main floor I mounted the brackets for a nice mirror we got from Grandma's and the support for our mantle, and I also hung the picture we bought and a shelf we had from awhile ago.

Work is busy. Big change is coming to our main paint line, higher-ups have been walking, and my boss needs a vacation before he explodes.

I've been enjoying the weather. Had a chance to sit on the porch and crack open a cold one, that was REALLY nice.

I hope everyone is doing great, can't wait to see everyone together in 2 months and 4 days.

Wednesday Already!

It was a great Easter Weekend; we had a great time with both families on Sunday! Dinner with the Durisin side and dessert with the Czarny side. It worked out perfectly; no muss, no fuss.

Ken and I have been busy since.... last April. It just never stops. Monday Sarah and Jasmine came out here to visit. We had fun looking for wedding, bridal shower, and bachlorette party stuff. We even got "Drew's Famous Ballroom Dancing" DVD. Yahoo! Ken and I can have some great instruction in the house. Ken came home as they were leaving, and we had a nice dinner- grilled chicken. I love warm weather- the barbecue grill will be used more and more!

Tuesday I called and cancelled the Beginners Ballroom Dancing class at the Allen Park Community Center. I felt bad, but the instructor had TOO MANY people in the class. She just wanted everyone to come and enjoy themselves, but we weren't getting the help we needed. Her intentions were good, but the outcome was lousy. Anyway, we even got a refund in full. Hooray!

I was out by 10:30; we needed more stamps to finish the wedding invitations. That's right, I said FINISH! I had to get some regular, some postcard, and some overseas stamps. It is such a great feeling to have that done and over with. We are going to mail them Friday. FRIDAY!

I also spent some time in the doctor's office for my hand. After consultation and some x-rays, Dr. S said that she didn't see anything wrong with the bones, and that it may be the beginnings of arthritis, but probably is tendonitis. Oh joy, oh joy. This may explain why I keep getting AARP stuff in the mail...

We stopped by my parents' house, and I got to bless Dad with water (a tradition every Tuesday after Easter), and it was great! We went down to LP to get a few things left over from Grandma's house. We came home with a mirror, card table and chairs from Grandma's and a nutroll and some kalbasa from my parents'.

Today is Wednesday, and I can't believe the week is half over. But that means that Saturday is almost here. I can't wait for the Bridal Shower! I am so excited.

Anyway, I am going to see Sarah and Jasmine today. If it's nice, I think we may hit Greenfield Village. It will be the first time of the season. After that, Ken and I have eye appointments. And Ken is going to help Fr. Joe with some stuff.

Tomorrow is going to be as busy. Ann and I are going to Cousin Teresa's house to do some beading. That should be a lot of fun. Ken and I will be going to Fr. Joe's in the evening to help with some more stuff. It'll be a nice, if hectic, day.

Friday- NOTHING. We will do nothing. Not a thing.

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Christ is risen from the dead.

By death He conquered death.

And to those in the graves,

He granted life.

Easter Weekend

It's been a busy last few days, and the weekend is looking even busier.
Thursday and Friday I had gone to AP to my parents' house to help clean for the Easter gathering. Thursday I came back home only to return to AP for Holy Thursday liturgy. Friday Ken and I went to AP to finish the cleaning and check out my mom's defective computer.

After that, we went to the local mall. We found and bought the groomsmen's gifts, engraved silver flasks, and the ushers' gifts, matching purple ties. The ring bearers are proving difficult. What do you get a five year old and an eight year old? Then we went to Target to get Ken's nieces birthday presents- two very sweet summer outfits.

We made it to Kirstie & Gene's house and spent an hour or so hanging out in the warm sunshine. After that we went back to my parents' house and got ready for Good Friday Liturgy.

Today we are again going to AP to meet with some of my brothers and sisters. It's a yearly tradition to go to Detroit's Eastern Farm Market on Easter Saturday morning to buy fresh produce, meats, wine, flowers, plants, and whatever else is being sold. Ken and I plan on coming back home to get ready for Easter Liturgy. It's at 5:00; it used to be at midnight when I was a little girl.

It will be nice to sleep in tomorrow. Tomorrow we are going BACK to AP for Easter dinner at my parents' house and in the late afternoon we'll go to Ken's sister's house for some desserts.

1, 2, Cha Cha Cha

Ken and I have been taking dancing lessons at a community center. It's being taught by a 70-something Arthur Murray instructor. So far we have learned the Rhumba, the Promenade, and the Cha Cha. Not bad for three lessons.

Miles for Miracles (a Glo-ing Story)

My sister Gloria was on Boston's WB news channel a couple nights ago. She is running the Boston Marathon on April 17th, but that's not the news. She is running to raise money for the Boston's Children's Hospital in the Miles for Miracles program. Last year, her son (my nephew) Jacob had a terrible accident while playing soccer. He was kicked in the face; he had a broken nose, a concussion, and a close head injury. The BCH took great care of him and he is now back to (mostly) normal. In fact, Jake and his friend Noah are going to run the last two miles of the marathon with Gloria. They'll hop in the race when she gets to mile 24.

Miles for Miracles had given Gloria a jacket and a hat, which she wears every time she goes for a run. As she talks to people, she learns of their stories of BCH. Many people have or know kids who have been cared for by BCH, and Gloria writes the kids' names on the hat. She is running in their honor.

To see the TV interview, go to this link http://wb56.trb.com/news/ That brings you to the news home page. Click on the Sports section (left hand side) and then click on 4/5 Marathon Runs for Special Mission. Turn your volume up and enjoy!

Gloria is also going to be on Boston radio- WBZ AM- next week, I think on the Gordon Rich show. I'm pretty sure that you can listen to the program online, via the radio network's webpage.

This is an example of another fabulous sibling of mine! I couldn't be prouder.

April Showers...

Again with the rain! Yesterday was a perfectly lovely day, but today it's raining. Of course, there could be some snow showers thrown in there, as well. I'm waiting for the day that I can wear sandles and not freeze my toes off.

Things are getting back to normal here. A regular work day with nothing to do tonight. It's a relief. We need a few days with nothing to do so we can relax- mentally relax.

Tomorrow I get together with my bridesmaids at Xochimilco in Detroit. It's the best Mexican restaurant around. This will be the first time they all meet each other. I cannot believe that my shower is two short weeks away.

Ken and I have been looking at our registries online. Some say that it's cheating, but we like to be in the know. Besides, we don't know who got what gift for us. Though, we can make some good guesses...

Not the End

The funeral was this morning. We started out at the funeral home and processed to Christ the Good Shepherd. Mom and Dad were already seated, along with a handful of other people. Ken's good friend Father Joe gave the eulogy; he tried to make a few jokes and lighten the mood (Grandma wouldn't want any tears, he said.), though most people either didn't get the jokes or just didn't laugh. I did- they were funny.

Ken and I were fine until his brother Jeff read the Prayers of the Faithful (special intentions) and broke down at the end. That got us going. I hate to let people cry alone.

The music was great- all the songs were ones I like. But they are also the ones that get me choked up on a regular Mass day, so at the funeral I sobbed.

Then we processed to Memorial Park cemetery by Oakwoods and Willow Metro Parks. The rain and the wind were heavy, so the prayers were quick. Ken said that Grandma was telling us something.

We then headed back to Southgate and ate at the Hungarian Rhaspody, Grandma's favorite restaurant. I filled up on dumplings and gravy. They had a really nice spread.

Anyway, Ken and I left early to take Fr. Joe home, but we stopped back at the funeral home to pick up the pictures we had out and some of the flowers our friends sent.

Mom, we did take the basket you all sent. I think we'll get a couple window boxes for the deck. The flowers will look lovely there. Maybe I can plant some some in the front of the house, too.

That's all. We're going to head to the Czarny's in an hour or so to get a few things. And my birthday present. Wa-hoo.

Thanks also for the birthday wishes, cards, and gifts. It's great to be 32.

Weathering the Storm

What a night! Ken's parents were supposed to come home last night from Ireland. They were able to get into Chicago as scheduled; but because the Detroit area had severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings, their flight to DTW was cancelled. Fortunately, Jeff lives 20 minutes from O'Hare Intl. Airport and was able to go and get them.

After many phone calls, it was decided that Jeff would drive toward Detroit, and we would drive toward Chicago, meet in the middle, and have the Czarnys drive home with us. We left Mom and Dad's house at about 6:30 and made it to Exit 23 by 10:00 - 10:30 and met the Czarnys at a Burger King.

That sounds easy enough, but we drove right into the storm that got the flight cancelled in the first place. We had just passed Metro Airport when the rain started. While the sky was lit up with orange and yellow lightning, the rain was coming down- hard. Going under an overpass, we could see the rain: a solid sheet of white. We couldn't see anything as we drove through it. And the wind- oh, the wild, blustery, pushy wind!

The drive home was clear and uneventful, other than I-94 was shut down just past State Street in Ann Arbor. But we were able to take M-14 instead. We got to the Czarny's house around 1:20 am. We got home and were in bed by 2:00.

We have a long few days in front of us. What more can happen?

Series Of Ten Survey (In Any Order)

10 Of Your Current Favorite Songs:

01. I Only Have Eyes For You

02. Brian Wilson (Bare Naked Ladies)

03. I'll Cover You (RENT soundtrack)

04. Fool in the Rain (Led Zepplin)

05. Tangerine (Led Zepplin)

06. Ribbon in the Sky (Stevie Wonder)

07. I Know What Love Is (Don White)

08. Anything by Queen

09. Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World (Israel K.)

10. You're Just Too Good to Be True (Frankie Vallie)

9 Authors You're Into:

01. Agatha Christie

02. Martha Grimes

03. Dorothy L. Sayers

04. Sarah Powell

05. David Sedaris

06. Alexander McCall Smith

07. Arthur Ransome

08. A.A. Milne

09. Jef Mallet

8 Stores You Shop In:

01. Target

02. Meijer

03. Manhattan Meat Market

04. Bed, Bath, & Beyond

05. Sears

06. CVS (on the corner)

07. Border's

08. JC Penny's

7 Of Your Favorite Movies:

01. Evil Under the Sun

02. His Girl Friday

03. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

04. Thoroughly Modern Millie

05. Steel Magnolias

06. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

07. Animal House

6 Of Your Favorite Memories:

01. Vacationing with my family in Colchester, Canada

02. Traveling with Mom, Susie, Gloria, and Patty

03. Camping with Kirstie, Gene, and the kids

04. Anytime at the cottage in Lexington with the Dubenskys

05. EMU- every single year!

06. April 29th, 2005, in Kensington Metro Park.

5 Of Your Favorite TV Shows:

01. Will & Grace

02. Lost

03. How I Met Your Mother

04. Law & Order: Criminal Intent

05. Poirot

4 Things You're Afraid Of:

01. snakes

02. being alone in the house and hearing a strange noise

03. heights

04. dogs on the loose

3 Of Your Closest Friend:

01. Ken

02. Sarah

03. Kirstie

2 Of Your Favorite Hobbies:

01. Reading

02. Making jewelry

1 Wish For This Week:

01. I wish that Ken's grandma's recovery goes quickly and smoothly.

Fun with Sarah and Jason S.

Love and Marriage

Last night Ken and I went to our first marriage "PREPARE" class. We discussed the pre-marital 'test' we had taken a month ago. The test comprised of 164 questions that we had to answer with strongly disagree, disagree, not sure, agree, or strongly agree. We were in separate rooms when we had taken the test, but we discussed it on our way home. On all the questions we could remember, our answers were similar.

We met with the counselor, Ed, last night and talked a little about who we are, what we do for a living, and how we met. After that, Ed gave us each a sheet of paper that had several categories on it. We had to each choose and rank the top three Strengths we have as a couple, and then rank the top three Growth Areas. When we were done, Ed had us say what our number one was and why we chose it. So we got to compare our answers and discuss them. Then Ed told us what the 'test' said our number one was. On the test, we actually had a three-way tie between Religion, Friends and Family, and Domestic Roles. Ed chose Religion to be the number one. He then went over all the questions for that section and how Ken answered and how I answered.

We then did that for each of our rankings and Ed used Friends and Family as number two and Domestic Roles as number three of the 'test' rankings. What was really startling was that our answers were the same; we agreed or disagreed together about everything. It was kind of eerie.

At our next class, we will be going over our rankings for Growth Areas and over our issues with Conflict Resolution. That should be very interesting.

Grandma

It's been quite a week. Ken's grandma took a fall down her basement stairs Sunday. Ken's parents were getting Grandma's luggage when she lost her balance. Ken and I had only been home about 40 minutes when Ken got the call. We rushed to Oakwood Hospital; we made great time- I think we were there in 45 minutes.

We found out that Grandma broke two vertabrates in her neck. She also suffered a heart attack sometime Monday night / Tuesday morning. They can't operate on the heart because of the neck, and they can't operate on the neck because of the heart. They had to give Grandma a breathing tube down her throat, and they finally gave her a feeding tube, as well. As of today, her vital stats are very good and steady.

After good status, a decline, and then a bounce-back, Grandma is doing well. The family has been at the hospital constantly to keep an eye on things and to keep Grandma company. Grandma has been lucid and knows what's going on. She'll hold your hand and squeeze it when you talk to her or ask her questions. She was even writing things to her doctor. Once the tubes come out, I'm sure she'll be talking up a storm!

Once she's moved out of ICU, she'll have lots of visitors outside of the family. That will help keep her spirits up.

More Pics from Shedd

Here are a few more pictures

from Shedd Aquarium.