He has worked hard and most of the praise are his and his alone, although Tracey, the love of his life, deserves credit for the love and support she has shown along the way.
Nearly there Clive - take a final shot. Good luck.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Good Luck!!
From this side of the pond, we all wish Clive, one of my brothers currently living in Ireland, all the very best with his final exams this week. They start on Wednesday. This has been a long road for Clive, one with a few bumps along the way, he started and stopped his education several times since the age of sixteen but a few years ago gained some new momentum, starting a part-time degree program whilst holding down his full-time job.
He has worked hard and most of the praise are his and his alone, although Tracey, the love of his life, deserves credit for the love and support she has shown along the way.
Nearly there Clive - take a final shot. Good luck.
He has worked hard and most of the praise are his and his alone, although Tracey, the love of his life, deserves credit for the love and support she has shown along the way.
Nearly there Clive - take a final shot. Good luck.
Happy Birthday Dear Anja!
We celebrated Anja's 4th birthday yesterday. Her actual birthday is this coming Tuesday, 28th April. We had lots of friends over, the largest gathering I think we have ever had and I think a good day was had by all. The kids had fun anyhow, cake, ice-cream, the usual party favourites. The weather was perfect, almost too hot.
I have posted lots of pictures of the day to our web album space but a few select shots are shown below in addition to a small slide show. Enjoy!
Once again, we must say a huge thank you to all who came and gave so many presents. There were so many - Thank you!
I have posted lots of pictures of the day to our web album space but a few select shots are shown below in addition to a small slide show. Enjoy!
Once again, we must say a huge thank you to all who came and gave so many presents. There were so many - Thank you!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
An Update
We have been keeping a low profile of late, sorry!!
We have been warming up to Spring over the last few weeks. Today was picture perfect, if not a little windy. No major news to report but these weeks have not been without incident. Lynne has been away for a few days, she spent 5 days in a hotel conference room in New Jersey (nice). We were over at the Mauer's house for Reina's birthday which is always fun. We had an Easter egg hunt. We had our first ever Chuckie Cheese experience (something else).
This weekend we will be having a get together for Anja's birthday. The weather is promised good, friends coming over, fire up the grill, cool down some beer, blow out some candles, enjoy some ice-cream...sing happy birthday. What could be more enjoyable?
I'm in full training mode for my half marathon, scheduled for 02 May. Managed an 11 mile training run last Saturday with Bill and Brad. It went well so I'm confident. If you are interested you can check my training log.
Hope you are all doing well.
We have been warming up to Spring over the last few weeks. Today was picture perfect, if not a little windy. No major news to report but these weeks have not been without incident. Lynne has been away for a few days, she spent 5 days in a hotel conference room in New Jersey (nice). We were over at the Mauer's house for Reina's birthday which is always fun. We had an Easter egg hunt. We had our first ever Chuckie Cheese experience (something else).
This weekend we will be having a get together for Anja's birthday. The weather is promised good, friends coming over, fire up the grill, cool down some beer, blow out some candles, enjoy some ice-cream...sing happy birthday. What could be more enjoyable?
I'm in full training mode for my half marathon, scheduled for 02 May. Managed an 11 mile training run last Saturday with Bill and Brad. It went well so I'm confident. If you are interested you can check my training log.
Hope you are all doing well.
Kristina
We can never say enough about Kristina, she is wonderful with the girls. They were out playing the other day in our back garden, swarming around her, never wandering far from her side. I pulled the camera out and they knew instantly how to pose!!
Easter Egg Hunt
On Easter Sunday morning we had a big breakfast with Lorraine, Randy and her family. We had a great morning, the weather was perfect and the girls were thrilled with the Easter Egg hunt.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Visit with Mary and Jimmy
My trip report to Ireland could not be complete without mentioning that Eilish and myself called in on Mary and Jimmy McConn, our Uncle and Aunt. Jimmy has been diagnosed with Lung cancer, has been treated several times with chemotherapy and radiation and has fought it vigoursly over the last few months. He looked great when we met with him and Mary. It was nice to see them both, particularly since they virtually always came to Roscommon to see me when I was returning home for a few days.
I came away from our visit with enormous admiration for their love for each other. During our discussions whilst there, despite been ill, Jimmy was adament that they were to take a holiday this year and that despite his illness "he and Mary were as happy today as they had ever been through their marriage". This sentiment was equally matched by observing how well Mary was caring for Jimmy. Many have done so but I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to care for a loved one through a serious illness, it requires a special bond, forged over time, that holds one together through both the good and bad times.
We are thinking of you all.
I came away from our visit with enormous admiration for their love for each other. During our discussions whilst there, despite been ill, Jimmy was adament that they were to take a holiday this year and that despite his illness "he and Mary were as happy today as they had ever been through their marriage". This sentiment was equally matched by observing how well Mary was caring for Jimmy. Many have done so but I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to care for a loved one through a serious illness, it requires a special bond, forged over time, that holds one together through both the good and bad times.
We are thinking of you all.
Mothers day and a trip to Portarlington
To continue my story from last weekend in Ireland. It was also good timing for the trip since it was Mothers Day. Eilish had kindly organized us boys with a nice bunch of flowers from Mum and that evening, together with our aunt Nuala, we had a nice meal in roscommon town followed by an even longer evening.
The next day I spent with my brother Clive and Tracey. I had never been to their house in Portarlington so it was nice to stay for the night. They get married this August, consequently we discussed the summer wedding at length and even managed to visit their reception locale, The Heritage Hotel and Resort, a beautiful location.
I then had to get back to work....
The next day I spent with my brother Clive and Tracey. I had never been to their house in Portarlington so it was nice to stay for the night. They get married this August, consequently we discussed the summer wedding at length and even managed to visit their reception locale, The Heritage Hotel and Resort, a beautiful location.
I then had to get back to work....
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Trip to Ireland
I was working in the UK last week, Leeds to be specific, and since I had to be there early in the week, I traveled on Friday night to stay the weekend with my Family in Ireland. It was a short but intensive family catch up.
I travelled to Roscommon where I grew up and managed to see Mum, Dad, my sister Eilish, many aunts and uncles, a few cousins and many more. It was great to see everybody.
One highlight of the weekend was being able to go to a local pub with Eilish my sister to watch the Ireland Rugby Team play the last match of this years Six Nations. A very special year since Ireland had a chance to win the Grand Slam (when a team wins all five of their matches). It is quite a feat and Ireland had not accomplished this in 61 years. This was an extremely special treat for me since I normally have to follow these matches on the BBC website by getting text updates every 5 mins. This match I got to watch live in a pub in Ireland with wall to wall fans screaming at every touch of the ball. It was a very tight game which came down to the final kick of the game, Wales had a chance to win but missed the kick....champions!! You can read a write-up on this historic game here.
More on my trip to Ireland later....
I travelled to Roscommon where I grew up and managed to see Mum, Dad, my sister Eilish, many aunts and uncles, a few cousins and many more. It was great to see everybody.
One highlight of the weekend was being able to go to a local pub with Eilish my sister to watch the Ireland Rugby Team play the last match of this years Six Nations. A very special year since Ireland had a chance to win the Grand Slam (when a team wins all five of their matches). It is quite a feat and Ireland had not accomplished this in 61 years. This was an extremely special treat for me since I normally have to follow these matches on the BBC website by getting text updates every 5 mins. This match I got to watch live in a pub in Ireland with wall to wall fans screaming at every touch of the ball. It was a very tight game which came down to the final kick of the game, Wales had a chance to win but missed the kick....champions!! You can read a write-up on this historic game here.
More on my trip to Ireland later....
Pictures from Skiing
This is a short follow-up from our recent skiing trip to Bittersweet, Michigan. Brad sent over a few photos and I snagged one from Kaisa's blog (Thanks to you both).
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Relaxed Weekend in the Sun
No, we didn't travel to any far off sun destination, West Lafayette, had very nice weather for a change this weekend. First signs of spring. It spurred us to clean up the garden a little, sprinkle some grass seed, put our first vegetable seeds in and went for a stroll through a local forest trail for a couple of hours, Celery Bog.
Anja was much better today. Let me clarify. She had a visit to urgent care on Friday with a fever of 104F. After an extremely poor doctors visit, he barely examined her, he put her on a course of antibiotics. It was all very mixed, since the swab for strep throat was negative but she had swollen tonsils with white spots and she is feeling much better after two days on drugs. Hopefully she is now on the mend, many of us have had a few broken nights sleep.
Not much happening this week other than I will visit Ireland and spend next weekend with my Mum and Dad. I'm working in the UK next week so I'm going early to spend the weekend in Ireland. Cool!!
A few pictures of the girls playing this week and some reading this weekend!
Enjoy the week!!
Anja was much better today. Let me clarify. She had a visit to urgent care on Friday with a fever of 104F. After an extremely poor doctors visit, he barely examined her, he put her on a course of antibiotics. It was all very mixed, since the swab for strep throat was negative but she had swollen tonsils with white spots and she is feeling much better after two days on drugs. Hopefully she is now on the mend, many of us have had a few broken nights sleep.
Not much happening this week other than I will visit Ireland and spend next weekend with my Mum and Dad. I'm working in the UK next week so I'm going early to spend the weekend in Ireland. Cool!!
A few pictures of the girls playing this week and some reading this weekend!
Enjoy the week!!
Saturday, March 07, 2009
I'm Potty Training
We are a long way off yet but Isabel has been doing her business on the potty four or five times a day this last week or more. She still will not let us know but if one asks her if she needs to go every few hours, she very cutely ambles into the bathroom and proceeds to do what she needs to do. I'm sure you all need to know this but we like to document these milestones for future reference!!
11 Years
Today Lynne and I celebrate 11 years of married life! Time certainly passes by quickly, seems like only yesterday we got married in Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. Our wedding picture can be viewed here.
The picture below was something Anja found in a drawer the other day. It's funny how pictures get "filed" away and seem quite funny when they re-surface. This picture was taken in Sweden in 2000, we were painting the outside of our house, it took us all summer, and one day, Anna, our next door neighbour, popped over with a camera to document the activities. We're glad she did.
Tonight we get to steal away for a while. Randy and Lorraine are going to watch the girls for the night (Many Thanks!) and we are spending the night in Indianapolis. Going to have some dinner and a night at the symphony, they will be playing one of our favourite pieces, Rachmaninoff's piano concerto No. 2.
Have a nice weekend everybody!
The picture below was something Anja found in a drawer the other day. It's funny how pictures get "filed" away and seem quite funny when they re-surface. This picture was taken in Sweden in 2000, we were painting the outside of our house, it took us all summer, and one day, Anna, our next door neighbour, popped over with a camera to document the activities. We're glad she did.
Tonight we get to steal away for a while. Randy and Lorraine are going to watch the girls for the night (Many Thanks!) and we are spending the night in Indianapolis. Going to have some dinner and a night at the symphony, they will be playing one of our favourite pieces, Rachmaninoff's piano concerto No. 2.
Have a nice weekend everybody!
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Our Baby's Growing Up
Anja popped on this new jacket that Lynne bought for the summer and there before stood us a little lady. We obviously still consider Anja to be baby, well a very small girl at least. This picture jumped us into a realization that she is growing up very quickly!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Glad Fettisdagen (kan man saya så?)
Tomorrow, Tuesday, is Fettisdagen or Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Tuesday). Whatever your tradition enjoy your pancakes, semlor etc. We actually honored our Irish and English traditions on Sunday morning with pancakes and then yesterday we were invited over to Kaisa's for Semlor. A Semla, or Semlor (plural), are Swedish cakes that are eaten on Fettisdagen. Thanks Kaisa for the treats and for dinner (I had two semlor yesterday, they were very nice). Of course here in the USA, tomorrow is Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday). Hope everyone has a good day.
Shown below are Carina and Björn, with their three children, Oliva, Dorris and Rufus. They are our good friends, also from Sweden. Hope you all also have a Glad Fettisdagen.
Shown below are Carina and Björn, with their three children, Oliva, Dorris and Rufus. They are our good friends, also from Sweden. Hope you all also have a Glad Fettisdagen.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Not much to report......
We don't really have much to report from this weeks activities. Lynne was away for two nights, an overnight trip to The University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. That was the highlight of the week.
The skiing trip was a big success last weekend. I've no pictures yet, I'm waiting to get some from others. The drive up there was long and necessary. The hotel was great, a very family friendly place and we'd certainly recommend it. The skiing was OK, Anja thoroughly enjoyed it though so mission accomplished. She wants to know when we are going back. The drive back was terrible, snow and screaming kids...
The weather here in West Lafayette has taken a nose dive south again this weekend. We had snow again yesterday and today the temperature is back in the teens. It's currently -10C so we are bundled up inside, reading books, painting, playing dress-up, reading books, watching Disney movies, you get the picture. We are waiting for Spring to save our sanity.....Of course it doesn't help looking at both Jonathan and Davey's blogs, both are down under and cannot seem to stop torturing us with pictures and tales of beach trips...nice!!
Anyhow, enjoy the week everybody.
The skiing trip was a big success last weekend. I've no pictures yet, I'm waiting to get some from others. The drive up there was long and necessary. The hotel was great, a very family friendly place and we'd certainly recommend it. The skiing was OK, Anja thoroughly enjoyed it though so mission accomplished. She wants to know when we are going back. The drive back was terrible, snow and screaming kids...
The weather here in West Lafayette has taken a nose dive south again this weekend. We had snow again yesterday and today the temperature is back in the teens. It's currently -10C so we are bundled up inside, reading books, painting, playing dress-up, reading books, watching Disney movies, you get the picture. We are waiting for Spring to save our sanity.....Of course it doesn't help looking at both Jonathan and Davey's blogs, both are down under and cannot seem to stop torturing us with pictures and tales of beach trips...nice!!
Anyhow, enjoy the week everybody.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
We are away Skiing......
For the first time in six years, Lynne and I will be going skiing....well maybe. Last time we went it was to The Three Valleys Ski resort in the French Alps for some of the best skiing in the world. This weekend, to get ourselves back into the swing of things and more importantly to introduce Anja and Isabel to skis, we are off to Bittersweet, a small ski resort in Michigan. We are all pretty excited, particularly Anja, who has not stopped talking about it in weeks. Little does she probably realize that after one hour she will be freezing, tired and having fallen several times, she will no longer think it's that entertaining. We'll have to see.....
In total, we are traveling as a group, four families, each with small children skiing for the first time so we're all in the same boat. We are all also staying at Bay Pointe Inn, a small local resort. Don't let the term resort lull you into thinking it's exotic. I'm sure it will be basic but adequate. It has an indoor pool so it will be a hit with many of our party. Anyhow, enjoy the rest of your week and weekend. We leave first thing Friday morning, should be a lot of fun.
In total, we are traveling as a group, four families, each with small children skiing for the first time so we're all in the same boat. We are all also staying at Bay Pointe Inn, a small local resort. Don't let the term resort lull you into thinking it's exotic. I'm sure it will be basic but adequate. It has an indoor pool so it will be a hit with many of our party. Anyhow, enjoy the rest of your week and weekend. We leave first thing Friday morning, should be a lot of fun.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Sleepy Weekend!
We're having a rather relaxed weekend here on this end!!
Our night out in Indianapolis at the theatre went very well. The show was not the best but the whole night out and away on our own with adult company was perfect. We made a short trip to Trader Joe's on the way home, it's this really cool food shop where one can find all sorts of delights, anyway we picked up lots of goodies. Last night we had Kaisa, Kevin & girls over to dinner for a fun night.
This morning we had a chance to catch up with my brother Clive and Tracey about the plans for their wedding later this year. We will shortly be booking flights.
Today we went to Michah's birthday party, she is Kristina's four year old niece. We got back and all had a little nap, the girls are still asleep.
Shown below are two pictures of the girls that I really like. They are both playing very nice for the camera (Kristina took the picture of Anja). Then there is the picture of what they are like most of the day, a mess, playing with each other and generally having fun!
Our night out in Indianapolis at the theatre went very well. The show was not the best but the whole night out and away on our own with adult company was perfect. We made a short trip to Trader Joe's on the way home, it's this really cool food shop where one can find all sorts of delights, anyway we picked up lots of goodies. Last night we had Kaisa, Kevin & girls over to dinner for a fun night.
This morning we had a chance to catch up with my brother Clive and Tracey about the plans for their wedding later this year. We will shortly be booking flights.
Today we went to Michah's birthday party, she is Kristina's four year old niece. We got back and all had a little nap, the girls are still asleep.
Shown below are two pictures of the girls that I really like. They are both playing very nice for the camera (Kristina took the picture of Anja). Then there is the picture of what they are like most of the day, a mess, playing with each other and generally having fun!
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