Mary Beth's Surprise Party

Cousin Mary Beth is turning 50 in July, so her fantastic husband threw a surprise party for her on June 27th, which is actually their anniversary! It was held at the White Rhino in Dyer, Indiana, and the surprise guests were two very funny clowns!

It is finally done, two and a half months later, and we love our new kitchen. It is so much better layed out, it seems bigger and lighter! The granite counter tops are the best, no more tile grout to clean! We had my great grandparent's (Haenke) light over the table repaired, it was done with copper foil, and was a little tricky to fix. It came out beautifully, you can barely tell which pieces of glass were replaced. We found a smaller light for the peninsula area which compliments it well! We really like the new bar area in the family room, a special refrigerator, just for the beverages!!

Ride the Rockies - The Finish Line

He did it!! Finished 380 miles in 6 days, climbing Independence Pass, Monarch Pass, and McClure Pass..long steep climbs, and treacherous downhill switchbacks! What a guy...my hero!! Rocky and I acted as the support team, giving Wes much needed cheers and sustenance at the end of each day. We're home, none the worse for the wear!! Though Rocky may be the one most in need of rest!

II left Wes at Tent City in Glenwood Springs, CO last night as he prepared to crawl into his tent to get a good night's sleep for his 80 ride from Glenwood Springs to Hotchkiss. This leg of the 380 mile journey goes over McClurg Pass at 8755 ft. Tomorrow is another 80 miles from Hotchkiss to Gunnison, which is where I will catch up with him again!

Kindergarten Graduation

Ella graduated from kindergarten!! She's moving on to First Grade!!! Somehow it seems as though her daddy just graduated from kindergarten a mere few years ago. It was a very impressive ceremony. The children sang, and accompanied their voices with sign language. Of course, grandparents, aunts and parents thought Ella was the star of the show. Her teachers put together a DVD of their kindergarten school year, and each child in the class made a statement about what they liked best. When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Ella announced that she wanted to be a race car driver! No princess stuff for her! She accepted her diploma from the parish priest at St. Andrews with aplomb, and then proceeded to play with her sister and classmates and eat cake to celebrate! Everyone, especially Michael, was so proud of her!