Merry Christmas!

We're enjoying the day in front of the fire...literally. It's about 15 degrees outside, there's a foot of snow on the ground, and the sun is out. It couldn't be more beautiful, especially when we're lucky enough to have a home and a fireplace.

Feivel and Lynda went for a walk around noon, right after our big breakfast spread (spinach and goat cheese omelet, potatoes, bacon and sausage, mimosas). How we've managed to stay awake since then is a marvel.

Wishing we were all in a big family lodge quietly in front of the fire together. No, wait, if we were all together, it would be lovely, but it would not be quiet.

Happy holidays, all!

Happy Christmas Eve

After Mass, we came home and Janine joined us for a dinner of spaghetti with clam sauce. There was no dungeness crab to be had in town last night, so we made do with clams, which were yummy in their own way.

Then we trimmed the tree and finished wrapping packages and tins of toffee.

Now it is off to bed for a long winter's nap.

Like my new van

Hope you like it. I'm expecting to. This one is LIKE mine, except mine will be silver. And a whole lot cheaper.

Bring your favorite DVD and come on out for a ride. Each of you! Remember, there's the front-seat DVD player, and the back seat DVD player--so we can all be movie mad while we drive. OR we can just listen to satellite radio.

Not that I chose it for the Tim toys.

2007 Used Chrysler Town & Country Limited at Midwest Mobility in -, IL - Vehicle Details

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What a celebration!

This was surely a night to remember.

I practiced my speech, out loud, three times a day for a week and a half...but not because I was nervous. No, not at all. Ha!

I sure am glad there were teleprompters. It sure changes the way you see the crowd out in front of you. I focused on the text on the teleprompters for the first few seconds and then realized, "I can see through the text and see the crowd." It made it kind of fun.

At first I was afraid to focus on anyone I knew. It didn't take long till I was looking over at Lynda, Dad, Cindy and Jim. It was about the most surreal moment of my life.

Mother was there and proud.

Phillips Award Recipient and Admiring Wife

Here's Tim and I toward the end of the evening, after his great speech (which was supported by those cool plexiglass teleprompters and was perfectly miked). He was a pro.

Thanks!

Thought I'd share a smile from after the morning's 2-mile walk around the lake. During the walk, I thought about how thankful I am to have the ability and the energy to get up and do that every day, and how blessed to have a beautiful place and a good dog for the walk, and a loving husband and cozy home to return to. Then I get to go to a great job with fine people. Got it all.

Now I'm also thinking about how good it is to have friends and family LIKE YOU who remember me kindly on my birthday.

Two Tims and Adam

On Friday, June 20, I got to meet, for the first time
Adam Michael Benjamin.

Adam Michael arrived on June 13, at 1:39PM CST at North Memorial Medical Center just outside of Minneapolis, MN., to the extreme delight of his mother Mollie and the grin of his very proud father Tim.
At that time, Adam was 7 lbs 8 oz and 22 ½ inches long; he just hasn't had time to get on the scale since the day of his birth.

To Mollie's pleasure, she tells me, "he's a much more content young man than his older sister Breanna".



As you can see from the pictures, He’s not very impressed with his joyous uncle or for anything other than the satisfaction of food and the comfortable arms of his parents!

He is loved, dearly.