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?