Nicely done Melissa!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Beauty and the Beast
A handful of photos from a recently attended Round Lake performance of the musical, "Beauty and the Beast", choreographed by Melissa....
Nicely done Melissa!
Nicely done Melissa!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving Is Very Special This Year
Happy, Happy Thanksgiving to those I love. I am, as always, grateful for my husband, my children, and my friends who mean the world to me. I am grateful for a warm home, good food, and minor worries in these tough times.
Why then, the Disney-like picture to celebrate this great day? That leads to why this Thanksgiving is so very special....
On Mother's Day this past May, Christopher and Melissa took Bill and myself to Starbucks for my annual mocha drink concoction, which I look forward to with great joy. This year though, after sitting down with our delicious drinks, Christopher and Melissa unveiled a much anticipated and greatly planned surprise.
They had made plans to take our family to Disney World for a winter vacation....drum roll please....all expenses paid! Repeat....all expenses paid....by the two of them...still shaking my head trying to grasp this unheard of concept.
Not only is the most generous gesture I could have have imagined, but the overwhelming notion that they...who take this trip to Disney World every year by themselves...thought while on their last trip that we, all seven of us, would have a wonderful time together. Astonishing.
In a time where so many young people are rushing to step away from their families, to back off a bit in order to spread their wings, these two incredible people are readily opening up their wings to include and embrace all of us in something so dear to them.
This gives new and indecipherable meaning to "my cup runneth over".
While Christopher and Melissa will be flying, the rest of us will travel by mini-van and meet them in sunny Orlando. I can't wait. Their love, excitement, enthusiasm, and generosity all pave the way for a trip of a lifetime.
Thank you Christopher my wonderful friend/son and Melissa my wonderful friend/daughter for all of this. This gesture is beyond words and dreams.
My love to you both. Happy Thanksgiving.
Mom-O
Why then, the Disney-like picture to celebrate this great day? That leads to why this Thanksgiving is so very special....
On Mother's Day this past May, Christopher and Melissa took Bill and myself to Starbucks for my annual mocha drink concoction, which I look forward to with great joy. This year though, after sitting down with our delicious drinks, Christopher and Melissa unveiled a much anticipated and greatly planned surprise.
They had made plans to take our family to Disney World for a winter vacation....drum roll please....all expenses paid! Repeat....all expenses paid....by the two of them...still shaking my head trying to grasp this unheard of concept.
Not only is the most generous gesture I could have have imagined, but the overwhelming notion that they...who take this trip to Disney World every year by themselves...thought while on their last trip that we, all seven of us, would have a wonderful time together. Astonishing.
In a time where so many young people are rushing to step away from their families, to back off a bit in order to spread their wings, these two incredible people are readily opening up their wings to include and embrace all of us in something so dear to them.
This gives new and indecipherable meaning to "my cup runneth over".
While Christopher and Melissa will be flying, the rest of us will travel by mini-van and meet them in sunny Orlando. I can't wait. Their love, excitement, enthusiasm, and generosity all pave the way for a trip of a lifetime.
Thank you Christopher my wonderful friend/son and Melissa my wonderful friend/daughter for all of this. This gesture is beyond words and dreams.
My love to you both. Happy Thanksgiving.
Mom-O
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Christopher is 24 Years Old Today!!!!!
Happy, Happy Birthday to my son and dear, best friend Christopher.
You have changed my life forever, you have enriched my life endlessly, you have made me enormously proud, impressed and thrilled to have been a part of your life for all of these 24 years.
Here then, my love and great wishes to a life so well lived thus far.
Carry on.
You have changed my life forever, you have enriched my life endlessly, you have made me enormously proud, impressed and thrilled to have been a part of your life for all of these 24 years.
Here then, my love and great wishes to a life so well lived thus far.
Carry on.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
More Music From the Summer Months....
Backtracking once again....
We attended yet another harp and clarinet concert compliments of the Indian Trails Public Library....
And finally getting around to posting photos of the last of the 2008 summer concert series with the Arlington Heights Community Concert Band. Well done Tess, Bill and Robin!
That should do it for now. Still to work on....182 photographs to sift through from our visit to the Skokie Sculpture Garden. After that...we are finally up to date!!!!!
We attended yet another harp and clarinet concert compliments of the Indian Trails Public Library....
And finally getting around to posting photos of the last of the 2008 summer concert series with the Arlington Heights Community Concert Band. Well done Tess, Bill and Robin!
That should do it for now. Still to work on....182 photographs to sift through from our visit to the Skokie Sculpture Garden. After that...we are finally up to date!!!!!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Musical....and other.... Events.....
Lingering colds have found us under the weather lately. These are a few of the things we were doing before the germs attacked....
First, a stunning performance of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible". Front row seats at this incredible free event made for a memorable evening...
We began one drizzly Saturday morning by attending a re-dedication of Memorial Park, which is a few short blocks from our house. The ceremony was complete with all branches of the service presenting flags, and topped off with taps and a 21-gun salute...thus, the smoke in the photo...
Later that afternoon, we were lucky enough to have tickets (thanks Robin for saving us such great seats!) for this sold out performance of "The Andrews Sisters Revue", featuring Tres Bella and the Naperville Big Band!
Also, Mollie, Tess and I worked as volunteer ushers at a local performance of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown". The show was incredible, and many of the performers were friends from our homeschool music and arts program! We were only able to snap this sole photo before my camera batteries bit the dust. So no photos of the show itself....but we do have great memories of this talented group of performers...
Lastly, I managed to capture a few shots of Mollie at the piano...
Not too shabby for being under the weather.....
First, a stunning performance of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible". Front row seats at this incredible free event made for a memorable evening...
We began one drizzly Saturday morning by attending a re-dedication of Memorial Park, which is a few short blocks from our house. The ceremony was complete with all branches of the service presenting flags, and topped off with taps and a 21-gun salute...thus, the smoke in the photo...
Later that afternoon, we were lucky enough to have tickets (thanks Robin for saving us such great seats!) for this sold out performance of "The Andrews Sisters Revue", featuring Tres Bella and the Naperville Big Band!
Also, Mollie, Tess and I worked as volunteer ushers at a local performance of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown". The show was incredible, and many of the performers were friends from our homeschool music and arts program! We were only able to snap this sole photo before my camera batteries bit the dust. So no photos of the show itself....but we do have great memories of this talented group of performers...
Lastly, I managed to capture a few shots of Mollie at the piano...
Not too shabby for being under the weather.....
Monday, November 10, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
A Belated Happy Halloween!
Just a few moments to remember from this years Halloween Annual Dinner......
....And Bill and Tess' Halloween party with the Arlington Heights Community Concert Band....
....And Bill and Tess' Halloween party with the Arlington Heights Community Concert Band....
Friday, November 7, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
It Was 25 Years Ago Today....
Time gets away from you, the longer I live, the faster it all goes. Twenty-five years ago, on a quiet fall day, Bill and I were married. We stood before a Justice of the Peace, spoke our vows, then went to the public library to return our overdue books.
That is much the way our lives have gone ever since. No frills, no fuss...just two people who were meant to meet, love each other, and play out the rest of our lives together. Just as simple as that.
In honor of those twenty-five years, a list of twenty-five events we have shared....
1. Moved to Arlington Heights
2. Bought our first house, a sweet Cape Cod
3. Christopher was born!
4. Bill switched jobs
6. I became Secretary of the Friends of the Library
7. Bought our first (used) car together
8. I lost my mother
9. Bill changed jobs again
10. Moved to Appleton, Wisconsin
11. Max was born!
12. Wanting to get back to Chicago, we started our engineering business
13. Bought our second house, our current cool farmhouse
14. Christopher entered kindergarten
15. Mollie was born!
16. Christopher came home and we began homeschooling our kiddos
17. Tess was born!
18. Spent much time at Fort Myers Beach...dreamed of moving there
19. Built a gazebo and grape arbor for our yard
20. Bill lost his father
21. Bought a new Kia mini-van
22. Closed our engineering business after 17 good years
23. Surprised Bill with a clarinet and lessons to go with it
24. Bill joined the Arlington Heights Community Concert Band
25. Today...went out with Bill to El Toreo's for lunch and then to Aldis
...nothing much has changed...so here's to another 25 years of living our lives simply and, for the most part, with grace and ease. My love to you Bill, now and forever.
That is much the way our lives have gone ever since. No frills, no fuss...just two people who were meant to meet, love each other, and play out the rest of our lives together. Just as simple as that.
In honor of those twenty-five years, a list of twenty-five events we have shared....
1. Moved to Arlington Heights
2. Bought our first house, a sweet Cape Cod
3. Christopher was born!
4. Bill switched jobs
6. I became Secretary of the Friends of the Library
7. Bought our first (used) car together
8. I lost my mother
9. Bill changed jobs again
10. Moved to Appleton, Wisconsin
11. Max was born!
12. Wanting to get back to Chicago, we started our engineering business
13. Bought our second house, our current cool farmhouse
14. Christopher entered kindergarten
15. Mollie was born!
16. Christopher came home and we began homeschooling our kiddos
17. Tess was born!
18. Spent much time at Fort Myers Beach...dreamed of moving there
19. Built a gazebo and grape arbor for our yard
20. Bill lost his father
21. Bought a new Kia mini-van
22. Closed our engineering business after 17 good years
23. Surprised Bill with a clarinet and lessons to go with it
24. Bill joined the Arlington Heights Community Concert Band
25. Today...went out with Bill to El Toreo's for lunch and then to Aldis
...nothing much has changed...so here's to another 25 years of living our lives simply and, for the most part, with grace and ease. My love to you Bill, now and forever.
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