So Long & Good Riddance 2008

Welcome 2009...I'm so glad 2008 is almost in the books!

Last night we had our annual gathering "Wednesday after Christmas Celebration" - yeah, I know it was Tuesday, but Gary and I maybe dumb but we aren't stupid! What bright 20 something person would want to hang out with us on New Years Eve, so we had it on Tuesday this year. It was a great time and we really enjoyed seeing the "kids." We also got a good picture of Paul after the ND victory in Hawaii. Here it is:

#86 Paul Kuppich, #44 Asaph Schwapp, #45 Kris Patterson
(sorry, I don't know the others)

This picture was in the Honolulu Advertiser

Later...

Rest In Peace Tim

Going to his funeral this morning...I'm very sad :*(

BLAH!

I HATE funeral homes!

Later...

Bad News Always Comes In 3's

On Christmas Eve, I got a call from Momma saying that my cousin Tim had died. It was crushing news :( Tim was a wonderful husband and father. He was also Sean's Confirmation sponsor. I haven't prayed so hard as I have in the past days. I know he has joined Sean in heaven but I can't help but feel that God cheated his family...very selfish on my part but I sometimes think that people need loved ones here more than God needs them. I'll work out those feelings but right now I'm very sad.

I found out today of 2 more deaths...

Liz Crossman (Ehrenberg), mom passed away on the 23rd. Liz was my best friend in high school and her mom was a sweet lady. She put up with a lot of crap from Liz and me! Her funeral is on Monday.

I also found out that Larry Taza died last week. Larry was the father of Christopher, a friend and classmate of Sean's throughout grade and high school. Larry was a very giving guy who used to to do neck squeezes - they were great! His funeral is also on Monday.

Sunday will be a busy and sad day for us. We'll start off with a mass for Sean at 0700 at St. Patrick and then we'll be visiting funeral homes to pay our respects.

Requiem aeternam dona ei,
Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei.
Requiescat in pace.
Amen

Later...

Oh Weather Outside Is Frightful....

I just slid home from work! I LOVE Ohio weather - NOT! I glad I've got the kid's shopping done!

Tonight, the plan is to finish the Fiat Conference mailings for my "Pimp Daddy" Bob! I've been stuffing envelopes for about a week! I think I did about 800 catalog envelopes (with 35 promo cards and the info) and about 400 #10 envelopes (with the info and 1 promo card). I've got more paper cuts than I've ever had. It's for a good cause (the Vocations Department) and it is keeping me busy, which is what I told Bob I needed. The Fiat Conference is in January at Seton.

I'll also have to wrap gifts tonight and get them delivered tomorrow after work.

Momma called and told me of a short family activity tomorrow evening before the ND game.

Then, to Fred and Karen's for Christmas dinner on Thursday!

The following Tuesday, we are having our annual "Wednesday After Christmas" get together with the boys and now families! We decided to have it at Hoggy's this year...I can't wait to see the kids and how catch up with all the happening since most of them have graduated.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

Later...

A Good Evening

We just got home from the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert at Nationwide. It was a really good show and I didn't develop a migraine until after about 3/4 of the concert...not bad, the last time we saw them, my head started pounding about 1/2 hour into the show!

Time for more drugs! Later.....

Christmas Caroling (The Update)

Let's meet in the main lobby of MCW at 6:30 pm.

Christmas Caroling

This Tuesday, December 16, is Christmas Caroling at MCW. I'll be there (with guitar)...if anyone else is interested let me know. We'll all be meeting in the lobby (I think at 6:00 but I have to confirm that). It's a really good time and I know the patients and staff appreciate it. Be sure to wear your hat!

Also, Jesus Jam is this Sunday at St. Catherine's in Bexley. Mass starts at 5 and the Jammin' begins right after. This should be another good one! Beloved professor, Sr. Mary Ann Fatula OP from Ohio Dominican College, will be speaking on the Blessed Trinity.

Later....

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I came home this afternoon to find that our waterbed had a pin-hole leak. It must have been leaking at least a few days as there was a pretty good amount of water under the mattress. The smell is anything but glorious from the wet mattress pad and sheets.

I patched the hole but I think a new mattress is in our near future!

Back to the laundry!

Later....

Great News For St. Charles Football

I found out today that Jeff Pharion is the new Head Football coach for St. Charles Preparatory School. Jeff is not only an outstanding man and teacher, he is a GREAT coach! His Freshmen Football team has been the Central Catholic League champion for at least the last 5 years. He is a graduate of SC and has taught there for many years! He also blessed us by doing Sean's eulogy almost 5 years ago.

I got to talk to Coach today and congratulated him. I told him I can't wait for the Varsity Team to win their first CCL championship!

GO CARDINALS!

Later...

What The Heck!

We go away for the day and Columbus gets crapped on!

Oh, by the way Fred....BITE ME!

Heading to Indianapolis

Gary and I picked up the rental car this morning and we are heading over to Indianapolis for the ND vs OSU game. It should be fun and we'll get to see our favorite ND Cheerleaders, Don and Preston!


Tomorrow, we are probably going up to OSU to see Marshall and Mitchell swim.


GO IRISH!


Later...

What Fun!

Aaron and Monica just left with Sweetie Girl! Gary and I had a BLAST with her...I had forgotten how expressive 5 month olds are! She really liked Gary...she giggled every time she saw him! She had a crabby period but after she got herself calmed down with help from some of mom's milk and clean pants, she and I cuddled on the couch. She is a talker! She also seems to enjoy football (we watched a little of the Ball State vs Buffalo). The evening ended far to soon for me :(

As we said when they left....ANYTIME!

Yeah! The Weekend!

This week the hospital had a return visit of the Ohio Department of Health. Needless to say, we did great! The week, however, was pretty stressful. Now it time for the weekend!

I got a call from my boy Aaron, wanting to know if Gary and I wanted to babysit tonight...absolutely. I'm going to get the girl later this evening! YAHOO!

A New (Old) Obsession

I don't know what's wrong with me....maybe I'm regressing back to my childhood and the great time I had with Highlights for Children but I'm hooked on Hidden Picture games. I'm spending most of my evenings on the IWin site downloading free games. I've completed games like Polly Perfect Pet Detective and Nightshift Clue...tonight I will conquer Pirateville!

I'm such a dork!

Later...

Thanksgiving and "No More Heathen Baby"

To sum up Thanksgiving...it was GREAT! Good food and good company. I'm also done with leftover ham - no more ham sandwiches, ham salad, ham and potatoes, ham with ham on the side!

Saturday, we got a call from my girl Monica. she wanted to let us know that Leah was being baptized on Sunday. So Sunday, we went to St. Agatha's for the joyous event!

Of course, my girl was an angel! Father Jeff presided, with Jessica and Fr. Dave as the Godparents. We had a good time and saw the Richards' family, who we hadn't seen since either camp or the wedding. I also heard that Paul Kuppich tried to get into a disagreement on the sidelines at USC. That a boy! If you can't get into the game - get into a fight!

Another day of good conversation! It was a great way to celebrate Gary and my anniversary!

This Saturday, I'm supposed to do an adoption event for Capital Area Humane Society at PetSmart. However, Gary got tickets to the OSU/ND basketball game in Indianapolis. I'm looking forward to the game and seeing "our 2 cheerleaders" - Preston and Don.

Later....

More Pics from ND

Nothing like a couple of days of work to get you back in the swing of things! Glad I'm off for Thanksgiving (I'm scheduled to work on Friday). As promised, here are some pictures after the game on Saturday:

Marshall, Paul and Suzanna Kuppich

Looking up the tunnel from the field

Looking through the tunnel onto the field

Tomorrow, we are going over to Momma's for Thanksgiving. Have a blessed and relaxing day!

Later....

Home Again

To sum up the weekend, there were some ups and downs!

Saturday, we woke up and went over to campus...some great sights, sounds and smells as all the dorms had either had decorations up for the game, music (the bagpipers) and most had some sort of food to sell. We then headed over to the Bond Hall for the "Concert on the Steps" by the Band of the Fighting Irish! We then walked over to the stadium to get our tickets. Pretty good tickets - Thanks Paul! We were on the 25 yard line near the tunnel. We got to see the players warm-up (after all it was about 30 degrees) and the band march in. As for the game - well, that was heart breaking. It's pretty bad when you have the ball in the "red zone" 5 times and only walk away with 6 points. Oh well! After the game we got to go down on the field and wait for Paul to come out. He didn't look like he wanted to be there - kinda shell shocked. I took some pictures; I'll get them up later. Saturday night, we went out to dinner with Paul, his girlfriend Corey and her brother Kevin. I think everyone had a good time.

We took off from snowy South Bend around 8:30 am and got back into Columbus around 1. Pretty good time - it usually takes around 5-5 1/2 hours. I contracted a rash of some sort so I loaded myself up with Benadryl and slept for most of the day.

This morning I had to be at work early to have a mock code at 0700. I love these things...we take a dummy (Dead Fred) and put him in a room and turn the call light on. You should see the look on people's faces when they arrive for a code and see that it's a drill. They soon find out, however, that we aren't fooling around and they need to participate and take it seriously. The drill this morning actually went pretty well. These mock codes make for good teaching moments with the residents and nurses. Back to the grind!

Later....

Winter Wonderland

Thursday night, dinner was so much fun with the boys! The Sherman men (Mitchell and Marshall) and Paul Kuppich joined us for dinner at Papa Vino's. Papa Vino's is a great place to take college athletes...they have good food and plenty of it! Marshall and Mitchell arrived first and we waited for Paul to get there after practice. All of the boys looked and sounded really good! They have a great sense of humor and the evening was spent with good conversation and laughter! We all said good night around 9:30.
Yesterday, we awoke and I found out what "lake effect snow" is really all about. We had (have) about 10-12 inches of beautiful white fluffy stuff! We decided that we would hike over to ND for the football luncheon. Here's some pictures:

Outside Inn at St. Mary's - The woods just north of the campus
The guys you see are "scalpers" - they are on that corner every time we come here!

Gary walking down the railroad tracks to the campus
Look how deep the snow is!

Walking the path through the woods - very pretty!

The snowy Grotto

The luncheon was pretty good. The meal was OK, but the conversation was fantastic. Two gentlemen that sat with us were great for stories. Apparently, one of the guys was a high school football coach in his younger days. He was the guy who told Mike Krzyzewski, that he should stick with basketball. He was also praised by Coach Holtz at he statue dedication at ND a few weekends ago. Very interesting lunch.

We headed back to the Inn and then around 4:30 we drove (good choice) back over to campus to see the Sherman's swim at the Rolf. Needless to say, there is a reason why OSU is ranked 11 and ND isn't. It was good to see the boys swim, however, and the crowd was pretty supportive.

About 6 we went next door (actually one gate over at the JAC) to the pep rally - Thanks for the tickets Little Paul! It was very exciting and we had a good time. It was dark but I did get a couple of pictures of Paul and his dad on the floor for senior introductions.

Little Paul & Paul getting their picture taken

Paul on the big screen

Here's an article in the Observer on Paul: http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2008/11/21/IrishInsider/Paul-Kuppich.Tight.End.Joins.Squad.After.Transferring.From.Columbia-3557429.shtml

When it was over, we ran out of the JAC just in time to see the team load up on the buses and take off.

We had a serious choice to make: Go over to Alumni Field and watch the #1 Women's Soccer team take on Minnesota in the NCAA tourney (it was about 20 degrees outside) or head back into the Joyce to watch the #5 Men's Hockey team take on Bowling Green. We decided on the hockey team - it was a good choice. Great Game - Great Win (5 to 1)! By the way the women remain undefeated and advanced in the tourney with a penalty kick win!

We are heading back over to campus around 12 today for the band step off and the game. Hope Little Paul gets in but we'll see.

Later...

We made it!

First let me give you a piece of advice...don't rent anything from Thrifty! On Tuesday, Gary and I went over to Thrifty at the airport to get an SUV for our trip. Now, we probably rent a vehicle from Thrifty every other month (it's pathetic that we have basically 3 two seat cars). When Gary got to the counter he was rudely waited on by a lazy employee. He was told that they didn't have ANY cars! As he was strolling down to Hertz, an employee (who had helped us on a previous visit) yelled at him that they had a Jeep just come in and it was his if he wanted it. So he signed the paperwork and drove it home. He pulls into the driveway and goes around the back of the car and notices that the license expired 10/08. He comes in, calls Thrifty right away. First he was told that the sticker was probably in the glove box and he should just put it on the license. Of course there wasn't a sticker in the glove box...so he called Thrifty back, he was eventually transferred to the desk at the airport. By this time it was almost 11 pm, they told him to either bring the car back or stop in tomorrow (Wednesday) and there would be a sticker or plate at the desk. Wednesday, about 2 pm he arrives at Thrifty and finds out that 1. there wasn't a sticker and 2. that Jeep shouldn't have been rented because it was due for some kind of service. By the way, the 2 people that were at the desk were even lazier than the night before! Of course he didn't drive the car over to the airport (he was worried that he would be pulled over and sighted for a late registration). He comes home and picks up the Jeep and drives it back to the airport. Thrifty still doesn't have any cars! When he looks at the bill, there is a charge of $113 on the bill. When he questioned it, he was told that it was for the 1 day of use that he had (remember, it stayed in our driveway because of the expired plates). He explained that to now the manager that he has been trying to rectify this problem since last night and if the guy would check the mileage on the car, he would see that it had about 41 miles on it (the amount of mileage from that airport to home and back again). The dude actually said "I took $50 off the bill, what more do you want!" With that, Gary told him to put his $113 in a particular orifice! He walked down the way to Hertz and rented a Highlander. He got home and called Thrifty again to complain about the charge on his bill and the rudeness of their employees. He was told that the manager should review it - by this time, Gary was through with Thrifty and basically told the woman that she could assist the manager with the placement of the $113! Needless to say, for $113 Thrifty has lost a good customer and again, I would strongly suggest that you don't rent from Thrifty (or its parent company Dollar).

So we took off from Columbus and went cross country (route 33) to South Bend. We first went to the bookstore and checked out stuff. We then walked around campus - what a beautiful place! I love this place - the students a really friendly and I'm not nervous about walking on campus. The tradition and sites here are great - the Grotto is pretty and as we drove up Notre Dame Ave., we saw Our lady gleaming on the Administration building (The Dome). You must realize that it's 31 degrees (21 with the wind chill) and we are under a Lake Effect Snow Warning! So we are going to get some heavy snow - GREAT! The stadium will be rock and rolling on Saturday, there is nothing like freezing temperatures to get the Irish fans going!

We are heading over to Papa Vino's for dinner with the boys tonight. It should be a good time!

See Ya Later....

Going to South Bend

That's right! Gary and I are heading to South Bend tonight for the weekend. We'll go out to dinner with the boys tomorrow night. Friday night it's a swim meet (Go Mitchell and Marshall beat the Bucks), the pep rally (which is always a great time) and then a hockey game against Bowling Green. Saturday, we'll go to the game against Syracuse. It's gonna be a busy weekend. GO IRISH!

Jesus Jam Update

I was blown away by Justin Fatica last night! The theme of the night was "Radial Discipleship." Justin's message was that we live in a culture where the youth and young adults are tempted more than ever before. He preached that they need a strong relationship with the Lord and the support of the Church. So your thinking...."NO DUH!"

Well, let me tell you how he got this message out. He did a prayer workout where 12 or so participants volunteered to exercise and pray while others wrote out prayer requests - if you can't do it for yourself - do it for someone else. He called out people who had a poor self image (mostly ladies) and gentlemen who thought they didn't "measure up." They (and the audience) prayed for them and then he told them to go to reconciliation (the priests were all ready for them) - All of them went. His style vacillated from "in your face" to tear-jerking. His message was about loving all people no matter who they are or what they have been through.

The best part of the night was holding Leah! I had her most of the night - Thanks Monica! About 8:15 her daddy started to sing and BAM! She was out like a light! Daddy stopped singing about 8:30 and BAM! Wide awake! I was so busy with her that I didn't get a recent picture, but this is from last month:

Yes, her eyes are that big...she's not surprised!

That's all for now

Later.....

Another Jesus Jam

The 3rd Sunday of the month...that means another Jesus Jam at St. Cathrine's. I have to be over there at 4 pm, so this entry will be short. I'm a little nervous about tonight's speaker...Justin Fatica. He is with Hard As Nails Ministry. This is the web site: www.hanm.org/home.html It should be an interesting night. I'll let you know

Later....

And the Winner Is....

Here is the picture of Thomas Haufe and Coach Wierzbicki. Thomas is the 2008 honoree of the Sean P. Reed Memorial Team Player Award. He had shoulder surgery from an injury he sustained in the Sandusky game (he dislocated his shoulder....OUCH!) As we talked to him tonight, he's not sure where he is going to college but the big players are Miami, Dayton and Xavier (which made alum Gary very happy). Congratulations Thomas! Thanks for your hard work and dedication to SC Football!

SC Time ....Again

Today we head over to St. Charles for the Fall Sports Banquet. It is a fun time where we get to see the players and their families one more time. The coach will also present the "Sean P. Reed Memorial Team Player Award." It is an award, chosen by the coaching staff, to a senior, non-starting player, who contributed to the success of the team. It's a person who exemplifies "Facta non Verba" (deeds not words) the theme of the school. We know who the winner is, but have been sworn to secrecy. I'll post a picture later of the winner. Here's a drawing of the medal:





Mom, Sue and Guinness got home from Florida yesterday. I went over to help get a chair in from the car and to trim Guinness' nails. Both were a success! Got some bad news, though, Reverend Bill Raper died on Thursday. He and his family live next to Mom. He had been ill for a while and I hadn't seen him in quite some time. He was a very nice man and he'll be missed.

Later!

Like you could forget.....

Remember to vote tomorrow. I couldn't forget, I've been reminded a couple of dozen times tonight.

Ah Sunday....I love the laid back day of the week

Friday night went well for the Trick or Treaters. We gave out about 60 hot dogs. Here's how it usually went:

1. Most kids initially obeyed their parents telling them not to eat while trick or treating - "there are bad people out there who will put stuff into your candy - I HAVE to inspect it first!" Sooo... they were reluctant to take a freshly grilled hot dog from a strange lady. If they had a little one with them (let's say around 3 or 4), the tike wanted a dog right away. The older ones would wait for the younger one to be a "taste tester" and if they didn't drop over dead, they would take one too.


2. Or the funniest one of the night...A group of about 15 kids came down the street with a van following them. We live at the end of a col-de-sac, so the van just sat in front of our house while the treaters hit the other houses. They then came to ours....as they were standing in front of me, we heard from the van..."Hey, get me one with mustard!" I guess driving around causes hunger!

Next year, I going to use our big grill! Our little grill did a good job but I was bent over cooking and my back is KILLING me!

Yesterday, I was at PetSmart on Sawmill with a little Black and Tan bunny named Rosie from the Capital Area Humane Society. We are at this pet store the first Saturday of every month from 10 until 2. Yesterday, we were outside because there wasn't a "good" spot for us inside. Rosie was great giving it her all (including binkees at the appropriate times) trying to find a forever home. There was one person that was really interested in her and after talking to her, I was interested in adopting Rosie to her. I hope she either sends me an e-mail or comes to the shelter to take her home.

Rabbits are really hard to place in a good home. People need to have done some thorough investigation of rabbits as pets or have had them before (or currently) for me to have a good feeling about placing them. We have had a few returned back to the shelter in the past year...usually because the owner doesn't have time for them (they need attention) or they moved and their new landlord doesn't allow pets (why would you move there????). I've been very lucky, I have placed 7 buns in the past 2 1/2 years and none have been returned.

The game plan for this week is to get through work without a major problem. Jim comes back to work on the 10th - YIPEEE!

Oh, the humanity!

OK, kids! Here they are! Here's some math for you too:

1 rabbit + 1 chicken hat = urine on owner

Yes, my beloved furry friend baptized me to show her displeasure of her chapeau

In the voice of Gizmo:

"Here I am, waiting on my dinner. Look how nice and calm I am. I'm such a good girl."

"What the heck??? Oh, the humanity! Get this thing off my head...NOW!"

"OOPS! I told you I wanted it off!"

Call Me....Pumpkin Carver

I'm getting ready for T or T tomorrow night. I've got my stencils picked and will carve the "Funkins" tonight. I picked up the hot dogs and buns today at Sam's on my way home. The little girl next door let me borrow a hat for Gizmo...this year she is going to be a chicken. I'm going to try and take some pictures of her tonight and I'll post them if she behaves. Bunnies don't like to dress-up so much.

Momma, Sue and Guinness left for Florida yesterday. Gary, Ann and I went over on Tuesday. Ann and I helped Sue pack and then we had a fantastic orange cake for G's birthday (yesterday). I took the rest of the cake to work...it didn't last the morning. Apparently the staff likes orange cake too!

My boss leaves for some much deserved vacation tomorrow, so I'm in charge. It's not my most favorite thing to do. The good news is that I got all the work done that I needed to do this week, so tomorrow I can just put out the "fires." Things always seem to fall apart when Jim leaves...I really appreciate the job that he does.

Later!

Halloween 2008

Gary and I got an early start this morning and went Halloween shopping. I know, I said I hate to shop and this remains true but if there are a few purchases involved, it is at least tolerable.

We had to get a few things for Gizmo first...mostly hay...rabbits have to have it and we buy the biggest bags we can find.

Then we headed over to Target and found some really sweet things...a fogger that is water based, a voice and motion skeleton head, a coffin mister (with smoke) and some pre-designed pumpkins. We also purchased two disposable grills. This year, I'm cooking hot dogs instead of giving out candy. I figure, if I have to be outside freezing, I might as well have a fire (see my post below about my love of fire). I hope the kids like them and the parents don't freak out - you know the crazies and putting crap into Halloween treats.

We then went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some carvable fake pumpkins. I'm going to get on line and see if I can find some sweet stencils. Any ideas? We were thinking "the Little Fighting Irish Guy," a scary face and something else. I've got a handheld Drummel with a saw blade so I'm hoping it will be easy.

Finally, we headed to Strader's and got the real things. Gary's planning on using the pumpkins all season. He picked up some corn stalks and we'll leave the pumpkins uncarved for Thanksgiving.

Well, I've got crap to do.

Later...

Good Night 4 Football!

Congrat's to the ND football team with a solid win over Washington. Now I know Washington hasn't won a game yet, however, we really needed a solid win, across the country and at night. All phases of the game looked good - well there is still "adventures in kicking." They got the lead early, was a little too laid back for me in the 2nd quarter but over all they were strong. Even the 2nd team offense moved the ball...the defense did give up a late Washington score but I didn't recognize many of the numbers out there. I'm looking forward to the game next week against Pittsburgh.

By the way big bro...I like the way you think....yeah, the camera broke after all those pictures that's why there were so few of me. One question...If the camera broke, how did they get pictures of Gidget and her pups when we got her when I turned 4??????

Later

A Evening With Friends

Last evening, Gary and I went to Plank's on Parsons with Bern, Jess, Monica, Hephy (or Leah) and later on Aaron. A great time was had by all and especially me as I got to hold Hephy almost the entire evening. Boy is she getting big! Dinner consisted of pizza and beer. I must say that Plank's pizza is one of the best in Columbus; a sweet thin crust with just the right amount of toppings. By the way, beer on tap is served in a frosty mug....very nice!

By the way, I found out my ranking in the family this week. I had to bring a baby picture into work for Respiratory Care Week. I headed over to momma's house and she and I found a big box of pictures under the basement steps. As we searched through the box, it became increasingly obvious, where I ranked. Based on the number of pictures:

1. Fred
2. Ann
3. Mom & Dad
4. Sue
5. Dogs and Puppies
6. Me

Yes, that's right kids...there were more pictures of dogs and puppies then me. If I was in the dog and puppies pictures, my head was cut off! Yeah, I'm feeling very loved right now.

I took today off as I would be in overtime due to the conclusion of Respiratory Education Days this week. I went to the grocery store and picked up some HE detergent for the new washer. I christened the machines. MMMMM.....there's nothing like warm, sweet smelling laundry.

Later

Another Football Weekend/Buying A Washer/Dryer/Sweeper

Yesterday, the Cardinals took on Watterson last night! WOW what a game, 5 OT! I wish I could say that SC won, but alas, another year beaten by Watterson and DeSales. I always say, they'll be better next year and they will be but so will the other 2 teams in the division. On a happier ending, we got to see ALOT of people last night and we made a ton of $$$ at the stand!

Today, we got up early (early for me for a Saturday) and headed over to Hagely Field (better know as the "Poop" Field") to see the Freshmen and Reserves play. Dogs play on the field during the week and let's just say that the owners aren't very responsible (BOOOOO). We got to see the Freshmen win their game and the CCL - Congrats Coach Pharion! They have been the dominate team of the CCL for the past handful of years. We had to leave during the Reserve game but that was also a good game.

We needed a new washer. After 15+ years, the banging noise finally killed our cleaner of the clothes. If you know Gary, you know that the two appliances have to match, so we needed a dryer too.

We headed over to Lowe's first to check them out. Got some advice from the nice man and then we shopped the store for a while - I hate to shop! But I did see a cast iron chiminea that I really liked - you know I LOVE fire! Hopefully, we'll get back there and buy it before the snow flies! We also saw some Halloween decorations that were really sweet - have you seen the mummy?

We then headed over to Sear's Eastland. Well, to put it plainly, our new washer and dryer will be delivered tomorrow morning. We also picked up a new sweeper while we were there. We couldn't beat the 12 months same as cash, 20% off for buying 3 items, free delivery, take away of the old stuff and the set up fee. They are a beautiful blue front loaders. They also are stack able...looking towards the future, if our place in Florida has limited space we could stack them. I'm hoping the guys weren't giving us a line of crap about water and electrical savings.

So, tomorrow the new appliances come and at 5 pm Jesus Jam starts a new year at St. Catherine's. Can't wait!

Later

The Weekend in a nutshell

OK, I'll just say it: "Salt Fork is Beautiful!" Friday we got to out cabin (#39) around 3:30, just in time to see the game. Come to find out, Salt Fork doesn't have ESPN. ABC teased us for the first few minutes of the game (just to see the score) and during commercial switched to the OSU game (DAMN). So we turned the station and watch the Georgia game. We had to leave around 5:30 to get to the SC game.

Come to find out, the game wasn't at Steubenville Central Catholic; it was at Steubenville . It would have been nice to know, especially since I manage the SC website. I'm sure that there were a bunch of parents ticked off about the directions that I put on the web. Oh well, you can't win them all, however, the Cardinals did beat Steubenville Central Catholic.

This morning, I got to build my fire (got home too late Saturday) and all day long I've had the smell of smoke in my nose. It was great! We took the long way home this morning with the top down and the hair flying!

OK, so you're probably wondering why, in the middle of Buckeye country, I would turn off the game. To say it quite plainly, I can't stand Ohio State! Mind you, I went there for two years and even was a member of the Big Ten Champion (for the 2 years) rifle team. I was named to the All Big Ten team. From my experience, they don't give a crap whether you succeed or not. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a secondary education (it took me 21 years to get my bachelor's degree), but don't try and play yourself off as a great university with high academic standards. Face it, you are a state university that lets just about anyone in (remember kids, if you get into the main campus there about 100 branches in which we'll let you in). In general, parents think that they can only afford to send their kids to OSU because the smaller state schools and private ones are too expensive. While on the surface that is true, but if your kid has decent grades and SAT or ACT scores you can get a ton in aid. Wouldn't you want you kid to go a school with a smaller class size (1 of my classes at OSU had 735 (Classics 222)), professors who speak English (most math and science classes have TA's who have English as a second language) and are available for tutoring or counseling and will find out why your kid isn't in class?

Now the next question is "Why Notre Dame?" Well, it's not because of athletics although that was the initial attraction. There is no place like ND. I'm not sure if it is because of the religious roots but it is a special place. With the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Grotto, Administration Building (Golden Dome), Hesburgh Library (Touchdown Jesus) and the Clarke Memorial Fountain, it is a very peaceful and the students and staff a very friendly. You can't walk across the campus with out several "hellos" being said. I guess you're just going to have to get there and see for yourself!

Back to work tomorrow - BLAH! I'm going to finish my presentation to the interns. Also, this week is WAHTTERSON week at SC. Finally, on Sunday, Jesus Jam is back! Can't wait to see the CYSC kids at St. Catherines (5:00 pm)!

Later!

Weekend Plans

Yesterday, was Fred's birthday (Happy B-day bro!). I took the day off because of all the hours I had put in and did the boring things (laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning animal homes and junk like that) then I headed over to momma's to get her wireless accessible. A pretty successful day!

Today, Gary and I are going to Stubenville to watch the Cardinals play against Stubenville Catholic. We are going to leave here around noonish and head over to Salt Fork (we got a room for the night) catch the ND vs North Carolina game (GO IRISH) and then see what kinda of sights we can see before the game. It's a beautiful day so I think we'll take the convertible! It should be a great day of football and fall sights.

We are bring firewood to Salt Fork too so that I can engage in one of my favorite things - camp fires! I love them. The Cardinal game will be over about 10 and that will give me plenty of time to get a roaring fire started. I don't know when my love affair of fire started but this year has been the best. I had fires all year - momma's trailer in Florida, Catholic Youth Summer Camp, the cottage that the family rented at Pleasant Hill Lake and tonight. I love the smell and the crackling of the burning logs.

I'll let you know how the day went! Later!

WOW....I guess I was tired

I learned something this morning. Don't go and write something, that potentially the entire world can see, without wearing your glasses and after 14+ hours of work. NOT A PRETTY SIGHT! Thank God for editing!

I'm officially dead tired

Well, the first day of Respiratory Education Days is in the books...I'm pooped! I saw 8 of the hospital's finest today; I started work today at 0600 and left at 2030. 8 down -40 to go... I hope business picks up tomorrow 'cause the last two days will be hell...I'm really glad the Day Shift Supervisor is helping (Thanks Ann-Marie). The educational design that we came up with only works with a maximum of 4 therapist split between the 2 of us. The good news is that what we thought would take 3 hours actually takes about 2! That makes the bossman (Jim) very happy. You know about what a happy bossman means....that's right...less hassle for the Clinical Coordinator!

I haven't written for a few days. Here's some highlights (or low lights):

Sunday, I spent most of the day in bed...some sort of GI problem. I'm still not really over it but medication makes it tolerable.

Monday, I went over to the Momma's house for her 79th birthday. Fred and Karen came over too. Me and my bro clipped her dog, Guinness' toenails - I hope she realized that was my present to her - haha! That dog can triple it's legs and head when it comes to clipping. She's a squirmer. Poor thing has to have her head covered with a towel just to do about 5 minutes of work! After the clipping, I work on Mom's wireless system...had to increase her security because they think they've got a moocher using their network. Got Sue's working but I couldn't get Mom's laptop to connect. I'm going back on Thursday to fix it. It's a good thing they have patience.

Mom has to sell her trailer in Florida. Makes me very sad. She called to see is she could have Guinness in her trailer which is in a "No Pet" section. They said "No." She's been going down there for 30 some years. I guess loyalty does count to the greedy bastards! She has a great place, with good neighbors, great friends and I think Mom does so much better there (the weather in Florida is sooooo much better than here in February). She and Sue are heading down at the end of the month to take a few things and put a "For Sale" sign on it. They're taking Guinness with them. I hope she pees on the "African Queen's" foot! it would serve her right! Do I sound bitter??????

Also yesterday, got the news that a friend, who also winters in Florida, passed away. Poor Archie, I really liked that guy. I will always remember the fun we had on his fishing boat . The last time we went out, it was a blast! We actually had fish jump into the boat - they weren't edible but they sure were fun to try and catch!

Requiem aeternam dona ei,

Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei.

Requiescat in pace.

Amen

With that, I'm heading to bed. I'm back to work at 0600 again.

Later

Football Friday (Saturday)

Last night, Gary and I worked our usual Home Side Concession Stand at St. Charles. Gary and I have been running that stand for the past 4 years. It is a BLAST! We get to see many old and new friends at least 5 times a year. I also get to see many kids that I've met at Catholic Youth Summer Camp. SC was playing Zanesville, however, Duhsales was playing Wahterson at the Crew. That was a big game (Duhsales won) and we were expecting a smaller crowd. Well, there were fewer students (traitors) but somehow we ran out of stuff. We were busier than a one-handed paper hanger with hives. The highlight of the night was seeing my boyfriend, Duffman and Dan K. Their girlfriends were with them, so I had to control myself...hehehehe. I should also tell you that the Cardinals won 28-3.

I'm not sure how the Freshmen and Reserves did this morning. Gary and I decided that we would not go to Zanesville this morning. We had to go pick up the Minis at MAG and return the loaner and rental car.

I'm currently listening to the post-game of the Notre Dame - Stanford game. It was a good win for the Irish, but as Charley said, they need to learn to play 60 minutes. I've seen it before..they get a good lead and they check out and allow the other team to come back. I should feel good...a win is a win! Next week, we go to North Carolina, let's see if we can get a road win.

This week at work I have Education Days on the 7th and 8th. They start at 0700 and end at 2300 - those are going to be really long days! I'm glad Ann-Marie is doing it with me.

Dinner at Old Bag

This evening I had a good meal with good friends (Lisa & Tom, Shelley and MaryAnne). We had a pretty good time although the service wasn't very good. We were supposed to be there to celebrate Lisa's 50th birthday, however, most the evening we talked about work :( Some really unfair stuff going on, but I can't talk about it right now. I stopped at the Cathedral Bookstore on my way, to see my aunt, Sue, and to buy Lisa's gift. It was hard to find a non-Catholic gift in a Catholic bookstore. I decided on a pretty sweet, gold heart shaped locket, mustard seed necklace. I think Lisa liked it...I know I did.

Tom was talking about a statue that he and Lisa saw when they were at Gettysburg. He thought the name was O'Rourk and there was an identical statue at ND. Tom said that the statue was nicknamed "Fair Catch." When I got home, I looked it up. The guy is actually Father William Corby. According to http://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/Individuals/Corby.php:

The statue was dedicated on October 29, 1910; a copy stands outside Corby Hall at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

William E. Corby was born in Detroit on October 2, 1833, and attended Notre Dame, entering the novitiate in 1856 and taking his final vows in 1859.

With the coming of war in 1861 Notre Dame sent a number of priests to serve as chaplains with Union regiments. Father Corby left his professorship to become the first of these, assigned to the 88th New York in Brigadier General Thomas Meagher's legendary Irish Brigade.

Although Father Corby accompanied his men on many battlefields, giving comfort to the wounded and absolution to the dying, perhaps his greatest moment came at Gettysburg. Little more than 500 men remained of the original 3,000 veterans of the brigade, but they were to be sent to the rescue of the crumbling Union flank in a vicious maelstrom that would become known to history as The Wheatfield.

Father Corby donned his stole and mounted a large rock as the men of the brigade knelt, Catholic and Protestant alike. He offered absolution to the whole brigade, reminding them of their duties and warning them not to waver and to uphold the flag. Their attack bought precious time for the Union defenses but cost them dearly, with over one third of the brigade becoming casualties.

After the war Father Corby became Vice President of Notre Dame, then after a five year term at Sacred Heart College in Wisconsin, returned to Notre Dame as President. He later became Provincial General and then Assistant General of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, as well as serving in several other posts.

In 1893 his veterans nominated Corby for the Medal of Honor, noting that "no spot was too dangerous or too much exposed to the fire of the enemy." Although he never received the medal, the veterans of the brigade presented him with a chalice that he would always cherish.

Father Corby died in 1897. In an unusual ceremony for a priest of the Holy Cross, his flag-draped casket was borne by civil war comrades and a rifle volley was fired as it was lowered into his grave.

Pretty impressive! The next time we go to ND (the Syracuse game) I'm going to look for this statue. Both the Priests and Sisters of the Holy Cross were involved in the Civil War. The Sisters of the Holy Cross are the founding order at the hospital where I work. I'm glad Tom pointed me to more info about them and Notre Dame.

Well, there's a football game on (Boise State and La Tech). I think I'll catch some of the game.

Later!

I felt some pressure to start one of these things & I caved...

So, I decided to start one of these things. So here's the deal, if I feel like it (or remember) I'll write.


I went to the Ohio Society for Respiratory Care State Meeting the past 2 days. It was a pretty good conference. I learned a lot and have a few questions to take back to work tomorrow. And I got 10 CEU's for my $120. I should probably explain that as a licensed Respiratory Therapist, I need 20 CEU's in a 2 year period. I just renewed my license so I'm well on my way to getting all that I need.

While at the conference, I worked on content for our Respiratory Education Days in October and an in service I have to give on ventilators to our surgical residents. I know what I want to cover for the Education Days but I'm having a little problem with the resident talk. I know I have to go over our vents but they also want to learn how to make changes. I really am apprehensive...the therapists are going to be royally po'd if a resident makes a change but I also have the head of the surgical residents who wants us to play nice. It's gonna be a tight-rope walk for me - UGH!

I also got a call from Gary (my hubby) to tell me about our cars that we took to the shop on Monday. We have 2 Mini Cooper S's. Mine is a 2006 convertible and Gary's is my former 2003. Did I tell you I really like Minis! They drive like go-carts....very low to the ground, hugs the corners and oh by the way, they FLY! To make a long story short - mega bucks! We like the run flat tires and they are expensive. I also hit a pothole (must have been a doosey) and bent both of the front rims on the custom rims we bought. So....4 tires, 2 rims, rear brakes (Gary's) and oil pan gasket (Gary's) later, we are poor this week! As Gary said, "I'm working all week to pay for car repairs! You have to pay to play - apparently!

Tomorrow, I'm going out to dinner with my girls from work. We are going to celebrate Lisa's 50th birthday. It should be fun. We're going to the Old Bag of Nails at Broad and Nelson.

Later!