FAITH THE BUTTERFLY:
LISA THE TIGER:
FAITH THE KITTY CAT:
...AND MIKE, THE OVER-TIRED EASTER BUNNY:
I had to save the best for last! :-)
Sunday, August 26, 2007
LISA, THE ENTREPRENEUR
In an effort to earn herself a little more spending money, Lisa has decided to start a face painting business. After purchasing the paints and studying lots of websites on the subject, she has begun to practice on everyone here at home. Here are a few samples of her work:
FAITH THE BUTTERFLY:
LISA THE TIGER:
FAITH THE KITTY CAT:...AND MIKE, THE OVER-TIRED EASTER BUNNY: I had to save the best for last! :-)
FAITH THE BUTTERFLY:
LISA THE TIGER: FAITH THE KITTY CAT:...AND MIKE, THE OVER-TIRED EASTER BUNNY: I had to save the best for last! :-)
Saturday, August 25, 2007
OUR SON TURNS 30!
We spent Friday night at "The Greens" tavern and miniature golf course in Santa Clarita celebrating the 30th anniversary of the birth of our son! Mike and I both said that turning 30 really didn't bother us...but having our SON turn 30 DID!!! Are we getting old, after all??? Seems to be so. Stacy's sister, her husband, and their two kids spent the evening with us, too. Here are Stacy's sister Jenny, Stacy, and David taking the first shot if the night:
We enjoyed seeing our grandson, Brody, attempt to make a hole-in-one. Try as hard as he might, he couldn't seem to find the hole. Look behind him! 
Daddy gave him some golf lessons:
and Brody also enjoyed removing and replacing the flags into the ball holes:
Here is a nice shot of David and his family. Stacy is due to deliver their newest baby on October 5th. 
On the way home, we stopped to see David's house and it's progress. They have just finished reinforcing the foundation, and putting the plumbing in. They are going to pour more concrete on Monday, and begin framing toward the middle of the week. Here are a couple pics: sorry they're dark, but it was 11:30 p.m.!
We enjoyed seeing our grandson, Brody, attempt to make a hole-in-one. Try as hard as he might, he couldn't seem to find the hole. Look behind him! Daddy gave him some golf lessons:and Brody also enjoyed removing and replacing the flags into the ball holes:Here is a nice shot of David and his family. Stacy is due to deliver their newest baby on October 5th. On the way home, we stopped to see David's house and it's progress. They have just finished reinforcing the foundation, and putting the plumbing in. They are going to pour more concrete on Monday, and begin framing toward the middle of the week. Here are a couple pics: sorry they're dark, but it was 11:30 p.m.!Tuesday, August 21, 2007
MIKE'S ILLNESS
Well, it seems Mike is on the mend. HOORAY! One day after finishing his second course of antibiotics, his fever went away, and has been down ever since. At the beginning of all this, his liver enzymes and white blood count were elevated, and there was a fuzzy spot on his chest x-ray -- so the doctor thought it could have been some kind of lung infection. The lung infection was probably preceded by a virus, and the virus probably caused the liver enzymes to go up. There are a lot of "probablys", aren't there? :-) They rechecked all the labs last week, and we got the results today. Everything is now back to normal, and he should be completely recovered soon. This was a stubborn thing. He has had a cough, and it continues, as does the nagging fatigue. The doctor thinks this is all residual, and will go away soon. He was relived to find all the labs good, but wants to recheck them all in 2 weeks just to be sure things are as they should be. I am glad he is being thorough. Thanks for all the concern and prayers!
Monday, August 13, 2007
MEET OUR NEWEST GRANDSON
This is a wonderful 4D ultrasound picture of David and Stacy's new baby boy. Isn't it incredible? It is a photo of his cute little face and his right arm, which he has positioned up near his head. He has his hand touching his forehead in a very dramatic way, don't you think? That, or he is thinking about something VERY important!
He is yet to be named, but has been nicknamed "Scooter" by his mom and dad. He will be born by cesearean section on October 5th. We can hardly wait to meet him!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
OUR TRIP TO PENNSYLVANIA - July 30 -August 6, 2007
Well, it was really wonderful visiting our family...but I must say I have had easier and less trying vacations! Our travel was a nightmare, both directions. Through a series of unfortunate events, we missed the first leg of our flight. The airline was able to reroute us -- but we ended up hop-scotching across the country. From Vegas (we drove there and spent the night before we left) to Denver, from Denver to Omaha, from Omaha to Chicago, and finally to Pittsburgh. We arrived 7 hours late, and our luggage didn't arrive till the next day! Also, Mike had been running a low fever, but the doc at home had him on antibiotics and said we could go anyway. Hmmm.....
Here is a picture of the house we stayed in, which is the house Mike's mom and three of her siblings were born in. It originally belonged to Mike's grandparents, and is now owned by his Aunt Len and Uncle George.
The day after we arrived, Mike and his brother Greg (he came with us, along with 2 of his kids), and their three cousins went on a 23 mile downhill bike ride. They rode from the farm in Meyersdale, PA to Cumberland, Maryland. The bike path runs through the forest and farmland of southwest PA, and along part of the route it is right next to the tracks of the Western Maryland train line. Later in the trip, we rode on the train which was a lot of fun. More on that to come. Despite the antibiotics, Mike still had a fever -- but so long as he took tylenol, he felt good.
We had a family reunion on Wednesday, which was a lot of fun. Almost all of Mike's cousins were there with their families, along with his mom and her three sisters. The cousins enjoyed playing croquet out in the yard, cards on the front porch, and we barbequed some great burgers. Mike's cousin David brought his jeep along so we could take rides through the hay fields and do some deer spotting. Here is a shot of "cousin croquet":
The next day, Mike's temp was up to 102 -- so his overprotective wife and overprotective mom insisted he visit the ER at the Meyersdale hospital. They did lots of blood work, a CT scan, chest xray, and STILL couldn't figure out why he had a fever. Five hours later, we were back at the farm, and didn't know any more than we did before.
We enjoyed visiting with the aunts and the cousins, played lots of cards, had plenty of delicious food, and took lots of walks. We sat on the front porch and talked: here are Mike's mom, me, his aunt Kay, and his aunt Jeanne:
This is his Aunt Len, and his Aunt Jessie:
The porch was also a great place to watch the rain come down, and throughout our visit, we were reminded what it is like to live with humidity! It is also a fun place to sit and watch the deer come into the yard from the forests nearby. These liked to come and eat the apples from Aunt Len's tree. 
We also participated in the annual cooking event. The aunts have an old family breakfast dish they like to make called "hookie cookie", which is actually more like a sugar pie baked in a bread crust. Unfortunately, the recipe is not written down, and each time they make it it comes out different. Here is a picture of this year's attempt to recreate their mother's concoction, which tasted good -- but didn't come out as they thought it should. Wish I would have taken a picture of the end result.
Mike's cousin Butch is a train buff, and booked the entire caboose on a steam train. Many of us were happy to join him on a scenic trip from Cumberland, MD to Frostburg, MD (and back) on the train. It was a lot of fun, and the countryside was beautiful. Mike's brother, Greg, got a cinder in his eye that was painful and we could not remove. That necessitated yet another trip to the emergency room in Meyersdale. The nurses and doctor recognized the last name, prompting a lot of teasing and questions such as "How many more of you are there at this reunion?" 
From left to right: Joe Shirley, Greg, Aimie and Ryan Doriguzzi, Butch Shirley, behind Butch (but barely visible) is Pat Reeder, James Reeder, Mark Williams, Dan Reeder, Scott Reeder, Janice and Mike.
Butch and Aimie (Greg's step-daughter) in the cupola of the caboose:
Did someone say blueberry pancakes? Mike's aunt has a huge berry patch and we joined in the picking. She has blueberries, blackberries, and other wonderful varieties of berries. His aunts are experts in turning them into delicious treats, and we were more than happy to indulge. We had the best blueberry pie you have ever tasted, blackberry cobbler (thanks, Joe!), and of course, the traditional blueberry pancakes. It was HOT and HUMID the day we picked, but well worth the effort. Here we are in the berry patch. Hot, hot HOT!
The next couple days were very relaxing. Mike still had a low grade fever, so we took it easy. Went to church with his cousin, played even more card games and some trivia, and just enjoyed visiting. It is fun to hear the sisters talk about their childhoods, and reminisce about times gone by. Here is a picture of Mike's mom and her sisters (left to right: Mike's mom Jean, Jessie, Kay and Len).
We left for home on Monday (made our flight this time!) and had a short layover in Chicago. Well, it was supposed to be short. There was a huge storm in Chicago that kept us on the ground. The lightning was great -- but it delayed us about 6 hours. We finally got to Las Vegas around midnight, and spent the night in a hotel. We drove home the next morning, and Mike had a doctor's appt in the afternoon. MORE antibiotics, and still no explanation for his recurring low grade fever. He has about 3 days left on his prescription, and his temp is lower than ever, but still seems to pop up in the evening. We have another doctor's appointment next week -- I'll keep you posted. 
The worst part about coming home is that I have to go back to work on August 15th -- YUCK! Summer is officially over for me. It was a very busy one (as you can see by our blog), and there has not been much rest time. Who knows -- maybe I will get more rest at work!
Here is a picture of the house we stayed in, which is the house Mike's mom and three of her siblings were born in. It originally belonged to Mike's grandparents, and is now owned by his Aunt Len and Uncle George.
The day after we arrived, Mike and his brother Greg (he came with us, along with 2 of his kids), and their three cousins went on a 23 mile downhill bike ride. They rode from the farm in Meyersdale, PA to Cumberland, Maryland. The bike path runs through the forest and farmland of southwest PA, and along part of the route it is right next to the tracks of the Western Maryland train line. Later in the trip, we rode on the train which was a lot of fun. More on that to come. Despite the antibiotics, Mike still had a fever -- but so long as he took tylenol, he felt good.We had a family reunion on Wednesday, which was a lot of fun. Almost all of Mike's cousins were there with their families, along with his mom and her three sisters. The cousins enjoyed playing croquet out in the yard, cards on the front porch, and we barbequed some great burgers. Mike's cousin David brought his jeep along so we could take rides through the hay fields and do some deer spotting. Here is a shot of "cousin croquet":The next day, Mike's temp was up to 102 -- so his overprotective wife and overprotective mom insisted he visit the ER at the Meyersdale hospital. They did lots of blood work, a CT scan, chest xray, and STILL couldn't figure out why he had a fever. Five hours later, we were back at the farm, and didn't know any more than we did before.We enjoyed visiting with the aunts and the cousins, played lots of cards, had plenty of delicious food, and took lots of walks. We sat on the front porch and talked: here are Mike's mom, me, his aunt Kay, and his aunt Jeanne:
This is his Aunt Len, and his Aunt Jessie:The porch was also a great place to watch the rain come down, and throughout our visit, we were reminded what it is like to live with humidity! It is also a fun place to sit and watch the deer come into the yard from the forests nearby. These liked to come and eat the apples from Aunt Len's tree. We also participated in the annual cooking event. The aunts have an old family breakfast dish they like to make called "hookie cookie", which is actually more like a sugar pie baked in a bread crust. Unfortunately, the recipe is not written down, and each time they make it it comes out different. Here is a picture of this year's attempt to recreate their mother's concoction, which tasted good -- but didn't come out as they thought it should. Wish I would have taken a picture of the end result. Mike's cousin Butch is a train buff, and booked the entire caboose on a steam train. Many of us were happy to join him on a scenic trip from Cumberland, MD to Frostburg, MD (and back) on the train. It was a lot of fun, and the countryside was beautiful. Mike's brother, Greg, got a cinder in his eye that was painful and we could not remove. That necessitated yet another trip to the emergency room in Meyersdale. The nurses and doctor recognized the last name, prompting a lot of teasing and questions such as "How many more of you are there at this reunion?" From left to right: Joe Shirley, Greg, Aimie and Ryan Doriguzzi, Butch Shirley, behind Butch (but barely visible) is Pat Reeder, James Reeder, Mark Williams, Dan Reeder, Scott Reeder, Janice and Mike. Butch and Aimie (Greg's step-daughter) in the cupola of the caboose: Did someone say blueberry pancakes? Mike's aunt has a huge berry patch and we joined in the picking. She has blueberries, blackberries, and other wonderful varieties of berries. His aunts are experts in turning them into delicious treats, and we were more than happy to indulge. We had the best blueberry pie you have ever tasted, blackberry cobbler (thanks, Joe!), and of course, the traditional blueberry pancakes. It was HOT and HUMID the day we picked, but well worth the effort. Here we are in the berry patch. Hot, hot HOT! The next couple days were very relaxing. Mike still had a low grade fever, so we took it easy. Went to church with his cousin, played even more card games and some trivia, and just enjoyed visiting. It is fun to hear the sisters talk about their childhoods, and reminisce about times gone by. Here is a picture of Mike's mom and her sisters (left to right: Mike's mom Jean, Jessie, Kay and Len).We left for home on Monday (made our flight this time!) and had a short layover in Chicago. Well, it was supposed to be short. There was a huge storm in Chicago that kept us on the ground. The lightning was great -- but it delayed us about 6 hours. We finally got to Las Vegas around midnight, and spent the night in a hotel. We drove home the next morning, and Mike had a doctor's appt in the afternoon. MORE antibiotics, and still no explanation for his recurring low grade fever. He has about 3 days left on his prescription, and his temp is lower than ever, but still seems to pop up in the evening. We have another doctor's appointment next week -- I'll keep you posted. The worst part about coming home is that I have to go back to work on August 15th -- YUCK! Summer is officially over for me. It was a very busy one (as you can see by our blog), and there has not been much rest time. Who knows -- maybe I will get more rest at work!
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