Happy Birthday, Ben!

Today is Ben's 10th birthday. Happy Birthday, Ben! I guess we can call him "Ben Ten" or is it "Ben 10?" Who knows. He'll always be my Benna-Boo. He'll kill me for posting these pictures from this past week, but it shows his true personality. (Although I did post one picture of him riding his scooter in his underwear in the snow, I swore to him I wouldn't post the one of him playing Guitar Hero in his new spandex boxer briefs and wife beater...too bad. It's cute.)

Merry Christmas

The gifts are all wrapped and under the tree. It's 1 AM, and I just took the last gulp of Santa's wine (yes, here at the Cunningham household he gets wine if we have it...Santa doesn't like milk...ugh...especially a cup of it that's been sitting out since bedtime...) It's time to go to bed...the boys will be up by 6, I am sure. Last year it was 5:30 I think! Tonight we had wedding soup, went to Niederman's Farm for their Christmas Walk (even Alan went!), and after Ben went to bed at 9:30 (his idea is that the earlier you go to sleep the earlier you can get up!) Colin and I watched The Flintstone's Christmas Carol. Well he watched it. I am not very good at sitting down and watching something. I was asleep on the couch before he met Marley's ghost! I woke up just in time to see Scrooge see the error of his ways and repent. Great story.

I hope everyone has a joyous and blessed Christmas with family and friends. I know it's a time of gift giving and receiving (why must it be so stressful to get just the right presents, the right amount of gifts under the tree for each boy, etc) when the true meaning is that God sent his Son to earth. He asked a poor girl and her fiance to take on the responsibility of caring for the One who will open the gates of Heaven for us. Let us not forget the real meaning of Christmas, and continue the celebration through the season of Christmas that lasts through the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6.

In the words of Charles Dickens and Tiny Tim, "God bless us, every one!"

Sad news

Now that my emails are back in order (I think I ended up getting over 600 emails from my mom and the CF foundation) I was able to get some important emails. One being very sad news that Karen Visely (see blog entry a few weeks ago) died on Wednesday. Here are my sister's words:

I'm so sorry to pass the news that Karen did not recover from the injuries sustained in the horrific fire that destroyed her home. She passed away late this morning. That's all the information I have at this time. Thanks for all your prayers. Please keep her family, her students and her fellow teachers in your prayers. She's now at peace. God bless, Madonna How sad, but I, too, am so glad that God took her to be at peace in Heaven. I cannot even fathom the torture she would go through during the healing process. It really puts things into perspective. I can write about stuff that drives me crazy, but what she and her family went and will go through is just unimaginable. Please keep her children (2 adult children) and her family and friends in your prayers. I just keep thinking about her 4th grade class and those children who loved her so much. Merry Christmas, everyone. Please be safe. Have happy times with loved ones.

Karen update

Here are two emails I received from my sister today, written by two people close to Karen. Please keep praying...her address is at the bottom if you feel inclined to send her your well wishes.

We would like to share what we know about Karen’s condition. She is in a medically induced coma due to the severity of her injuries. This is common with burn victims. Her condition has been and will remain very critical for weeks, months……..no one knows how long. Karen will be kept in this comatose state “ a long time”, because 60% of her body has 3^rd degree burns. She is on dialysis, due to renal failure, as well as having blood pressure problems. These seem to be the two major concerns—besides the burns.

Karen’s son, John, is now living with his dad in Hecla. He is coping much better, but he’s lost everything, too.

We know this sounds very dire, but we have been told that it is all unpredictable and Pam and I see that it isn’t like any other injury or disease. There is no timeline, prognosis or diagnosis given. Hour to hour, day to day………..

Please continue to keep Karen in your prayers. Pray for her comfort and strength. Each day that she is with us is a miracle.

and...

Karen is currently in surgery to remove the burned tissue in anticipation of eventually being able to graft healthy skin. This is standard protocol for burn victims. Her family is at the hospital with her.

I would not encourage anyone from work to go visit with her until a later time. Now is a time needed for rest and recovery. Visiting also brings outside germs and infection, which she is very susceptible to at this time. So, give her time and visit when she is stronger.

Cards and emails are the best choice right now. Her sister is staying at the family house provided by the hospital for a small fee. She sits faithfully with her sister, and reads her all of the cards and email’s, which is wonderful stimulation for Karen. I do believe she may hear her sister. However, she will be kept comfortable for the time being with medical interventions.

Karen also remains on dialysis to cleanse the toxins from her body until her kidneys can do this for her. This is not uncommon at this time. This will be a slow recovery, so I ask you all to sit tight. We will keep you posted as time goes on. This is Karen’s 5^th day out, and that is a good sign. Karen is a fighter, and she is getting the very best care there is to help her on the road to recovery. I know your thoughts and prayers are with Karen and her loved ones.

Karen Visley
West Penn Hospital
T2 Burn Unit
4800 Friendship Ave.
Pittsburgh,Pa 15224

The Power of Prayer

We all know how strong the power of prayer is. Please, please, please keep Karen Visely in your constant prayers. She is is friend of my sisters as well as a co-worker (teacher.) Here's the article:

Norvelt teacher critical after escaping Bullskin fire By Rachel R. Basinger TRIBUNE-REVIEW NEWS SERVICE Wednesday, December 5, 2007 Norvelt Elementary School teacher Karen Visley is in the burn unit at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh after escaping an early morning fire at her Fayette County home Monday. The blaze at 108 E. Lake Road in the Bear Rocks section of Bullskin was reported at 1:53 a.m. and required firefighters from five departments to stay at the scene for four hours. Her ex-husband, John Visley Sr., said Karen's injuries include burns over 50 percent of her body and some internal injuries. She remains in critical condition. Karen Visley has a 24-year-old son, John, and a 29-year-old daughter, Melissa. State police fire marshals did not return calls seeking comment. Visley Sr. said he was informed an extensive investigation into the cause of the fire could not be done until the remains of the structure are torn down, but it may have started in the living room. Visley Sr. said he and the couple's children owe a debt of gratitude to the Jones family, who live just down the road. "God bless those people," he said. "He's a fireman and she delivers Karen's mail, so when the call came over the scanner, the wife knew exactly where the home was. "They went outside and looked up the street and saw the flames, so they ran to the house and found Karen lying in the driveway and got her away from the structure," Visley Sr. said. Karen Visley crawled out of her bedroom window and jumped from a porch roof. Darcie Gatti, principal at Norvelt Elementary School, said the students are concerned about their teacher. "We're all kind of in limbo because we're not being updated on her condition," she said. "She is a very loved teacher." Firefighters from Chestnut Ridge, Saltlick, Connellsville Township, Mt. Pleasant and Everson assisted Bullskin at the scene.

I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES

You gotta check this out. The song is so catchy I swear you'll fall asleep and wake up singing it. The group Popple is a Catholic music duo. They are great! I wish we could get them to come to our area.

The video is of the Rosary Army people's son who loves the song.

I am off to Christmas decorating hell. No tree and no receipt for the broken tree we bought last night...

Praying for snow........

HappyThanksgiving

We just celebrated Thanksgiving with our 2 families: on Wednesday we spent the evening with Alan's family in Columbus at his sister Paula's home. We got to see family we only see once a year, including Alan's Aunt Charlotte, who now lives in Wisconsin. She is Clark's older sister. We also got to see Clark (Alan's dad) and both of his sisters and their kids. The food was great and the company was even finer. On Thursday the boys and I went to PA to celebrate another Thanksgiving meal with my family at my cousin Denise's house. We also got to see once-a-year family. We'd see them more if we were able to get to PA for Christmas Day as well as the June family reunion. It just seems like it doesn't get to work out. By the time we got to PA my camera's batteries ran out, so I have no pictures. Shout out to any family who took pics...please send me pictures from Thanksgiving!

While in Pittsburgh we saw "Enchanted" (cute movie..highly recommended: Patrick Dempsey is so HOT!), put up Mom's Christmas decorations, ate at Primanti's and watched Wild Hogs (another funny movie.) I got to spend some time with my brothers and sister Madonna. Colin got to hang out with Zack for 2 days. He had a great time.

So now we're home back to real life and 4 weeks of school before Christmas.

Photo Shoot

We had our family picture taken the other day. We had them done by my friend, Della, who is an amateur photographer. She took a lot of pictures, and one (or two) will be picked for the Christmas card. This picture shows the real Colin and Ben.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Rounding Third and Heading for Home (to Heaven)

Joseph Henry Nuxhall (July 30, 1928 – November 15, 2007) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He compiled a career ERA of 3.90 and a record of 135-117 during his 16-season career. Long known as "The Ol' Lefthander," Nuxhall is most often remembered for having been the youngest player ever to appear in a major league game during the modern era, pitching 2/3 of an inning for the Cincinnati Reds on June 10, 1944, at the age of 15 years, 10 months, and 11 days. After retiring as a player, he became a broadcaster for the Reds. Nuxhall died on November 15, 2007 after a long bout with cancer.

That's his obit from from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joe Nuxhall was very popular since he is from the Fairfield/Hamilton area. He was also very involved in the Joe Nuxhall Character Education Fund with Sean Casey and his son, Kim. He will be missed. Flags are flying half-mast all around town.

Happy Birthday, Grammie Annie

My gramma turned 94 on Friday. Unfortunately I wasn't able to celebrate it with her, but I'll be able to see her in 1 1/2 weeks for Thanksgiving. Geez, I hope I have her longevity gene. Her mother lived to 96! Happy Birthday, Gram!

Happy Halloween

Snap! I forgot to take pictures! That's a first: no pictures of my boys on Beggar's Night. Colin went as a "wigger" (don't ask) and Ben went as some green faced skeleton thing. It was a beautiful autumn night. No rain, no snow, just a lovely evening! Great news! Colin tried out for and was "offered a position" on the Comp 2 team (whatever that means) for select soccer. We got the call today!!! He's so excited, and rightfully so. He' s been playing soccer since he was 4, and I think he's a pretty good player. he's actually getting better with age: more aggressive, more hustle, a good team player. They won't be sorry they "offered" him a position. We're getting a kick out of that term: usually you hear "You made the team." Nope, with select soccer you get "offered a position on the team"!! It's been a long week, as we were supposed to get a call on Sunday evening or Monday, but since we had no call as of Tuesday afternoon I called the coordinator and asked. He assured me Colin was on a team, but he didn't have him on his list of kids to call and that he should expect a call from the other guy who was making the hundreds of calls for all the teams: girls and boys, all age groups. So as of 4ish today it's official. This is all new to me. I think I may have to get a second job or mortgage the house in order to finance this, though. We're talking matching sweat suits, bags, spirit wear, traveling to tournaments... I am so used to SAY soccer which is recreational and costs $50. The kids get a t-shirt and socks. No frills, but we like it!
Happy Birthday to Mom, a whopping 69 today!!

Alan's Halloween Costume

Here are some pics from last night's Halloween party at the Eagles. He was a Blue Man Group guy.

Update on life

What a crazy week. What an end to a crazy week. Full moon out there. Can you see it? More importantly FEEL it? Anyone who is in the education (medical also) field knows how CRAZY things are during a full moon! The kids were crazy this week. It didn't help that my partner was gone T-F for a funeral. We have a really good team, and when a sub comes in it's never the same, and pretty much overwhelming for the teacher not absent (not to mention the attendants who do so much already...) I pretty much got no break at all this week, since I was going both Gail's and my work. So the week's over, and hopefully everything will be back to normal on Monday. Normal? What's normal? Halloween is on Wed, Beggar's Night in Middletown is on Tuesday, so the week is pretty much shot. So let's see, Colin has one more soccer game tomorrow. Was 3 PM, now 4:30. That's good, because he decides today that he wants to try out for Select (travel) soccer and try-outs are tomorrow at 2 PM and Sunday morning! He's currently running in the annual Run Like Hell 5K race for Cystic Fybrosis with a friend. Cool, running at night in a full moon! Many people wear costumes, but he opted for running clothes. He'll get home late, but he'll hopefully be able to recharge before tryouts, then an hour and a half game tomorrow (for recreational soccer.) Tomorrow afternoon is also the Eagles' kid party, and somehow Alan's in charge. Not doing that again, I told him, so I didn't! I'll run Colin around and he can do Ben. Then Ben has a birthday party at 4-6, then he and I will be going to a Spook-o-Ree at Cub World with some friends from scouts. And somewhere in there I need to do umpteen loads of laundry, finish up the popcorn orders for scouts, finish a baby gift, and watch the Steelers beat the Bengals on Sunday! What joy! I need a drink! Oh, and Alan has yet another cockamamie (sp?) idea to be a Blue Man for Halloween, and guess who gets to apply his blueness????? Like I have nothing better to do then smear blue grease paint all over him. Good thing, though: Steven Curtis Chapman's CD was delivered to my door on Wednesday! It's so good! I'll leave you to listen to "Dance with Cinderella," a Butterfly Kisses kind of song.

Miracle of the Moment

This is my favorite song right now. I am so anticipating the release of Steven Curtis Chapman's new CD, This Moment, which will be out on Tuesday. Already pre-ordered from the official SCC site. It'd better get here soon so I can sync it to my iPod and go to sleep listening to my love.

Camping Fun

Ben and I went camping this weekend at Hueston Woods in Oxford, OH, with Ron, Jodi, and Perry Sexton. It was supposed to be a family camp-out, but Colin was being a moody teenager and refused to go, even for just the day after his soccer game yesterday. Alan decided grudgingly that he should stay home instead of coming up himself. Colin was to stay at a friend's house, but just to be safe...

We had the best time! Hueston Woods sure knows how to put on a Halloween party! There was so much to do! The weather was perfect for fall. Friday night and Saturday morning were very chilly, but Saturday day and night were just right. Although Ben and I had a great time, I wish A and C would have been there to share it with us. Ben said it was the best camping trip ever!

There was Trick-or-Treating on Saturday night. I was "prepared" for the event with about 150 pieces of candy, much more than I have needed at home the last couple of years. I was out of candy in the first 10 minutes! No joke! Jodi and I resorted to pennies, nickels, and dimes until they were all out. There were so many cute costumes, including this darling little Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

Ben and Perry had a lot of fun, too. Ben spent a lot of time on Saturday whittling...

or napping...
Here is a picture of Ben and Perry before Trick-or-Treating.
This is the last "real" camping trip of the year. November we will be camping at Cub World in the castle, and those are bunk rooms, so it's not real camping! But all in all, that will make 5 camping trips in 2007. Not bad for someone who would rather reserve a room at the Holiday Inn!

Unexpected turn of events

I tried to catch up on iTunes today. Trying to get the podcasts I missed this last week. If you read this regularly, you know that I love to listen to the Rosary Army. Greg and Jennifer announced their pregnancy a few weeks ago (right after their discussion on Natural Family Planning!) and today's podcast they announced her miscarriage. Oh, so sad! My heart breaks for them as well as for my family members and friends who have also dealt with this terrible tragedy. They have 4 boys, Sam, Walt, Ben, and Tommy. Please say a prayer for them as they go through this tough time. They podcasted about it so honestly and beautifully. If you have a chance to listen to it, go to http://www.rosaryarmy.com/ and click on the link for "Unexpected turn of events" podcast on the right hand side, or go to iTunes, search for Rosary Army, then click "get" for #181 Unexpected turn of events.

Lock-in and Popcorn Craziness

This weekend Ben and I went to the YMCA for a Lock-in for scouts. As usual the boys had a great time. There were a few more rules this year, since the near-drowning of twins at the township Y earlier this year. The boys had to take a test and wear a wrist band in order to swim. Worse thing was the line they had to stand in to wait. Ben, being very anxious to swim, got into the pool area first so he got to take his test first. Parents who wanted to hang out in the hot tub were discouraged..."Aren't you going to stay with your child at the pool?" Geez, lady, he can swim and that's why you have 3 life guards! I know it's all about safety, but it should be fun, too. So the hot tub experience only lasted about 10 minutes. The rest of the night was spent chatting with friends. That's the best time anyway. Only thing that would have made it better was a game of hearts and some Mike's hard lemonade.

It's popcorn time again. I have a living room full of popcorn, so place your orders now!

Shout out to Jodi for sharing the pics from the lock-in.

Long time no blog

It's been a crazy few weeks. School is still crazy, but better. We now have 19 kids in each class, and thankfully 2 really awesome para professionals (aides, attendants) who are so helpful. They will make this year bearable. It still really sucks that I am kicked out of school at 2:30, but there are some good things about it. I can sometimes go home and take a nap! Scouts has started, and don't get me started on that one! REP (formerly known as CCD) started last week, so now I am booked on Monday and Tuesday nights. It all seems to start at the same time and I get so bogged down. Thankfully the first pack meeting is over...I had tons of things to do for that. I am not going to mention the thankless cubmaster or how I blew up after the meeting. Just suffice it to say that I really needed ice cream after that meeting, but I didn't get any!

Last night I was able to listen to my godson, Korey, (pictured here on Easter Sunday after squirting whipped cream into his mouth...isn't he cute?) as he DJ'd his radio show on WVBC Bethany 88.1FM. It took me forever to finally get the stream (my ignorance and the slowness of the computer are to blame), but I was finally able to check him out. We called him and requested a few songs, and in a few minutes he did a shout out to his Aunt Cyndi in Cincinnati! Mom called him right after that, and he did a shout out to his Gramma Marianne and PapPap Terry and Grammie Annie! He played Benny Goodman's "Pennsylvania 65000." How fun! If you want to check him out, check out http://www.bethanywv.edu/wvbc/

He's on Tuesday and Wednesday nights from 8-10 PM.

Here's a pic of Korey and my nephew, Brian, on Easter Sunday.

That Catholic Show Episode 8 I Confess

Back to school part 2

Well, it's been an interesting start to my 21st year of teaching, and might be, quite actually, one of the worst starts I've had. Maybe it's because I've been spoiled and I don't remember things being so unorganized and chaotic. Maybe it's because the Middletown City School district just really SUCKS right now. And what really sucks is that I'm pretty much stuck there since it would be impossible to find another job with 20 years experience. So, the levy failed in August. Many additional cuts were made (Many more were done after the May levy failed) including busing for all high school and all homes inside a 2 mile radius of the school. This includes special ed kids if transportation isn't part of their IEP! We haven't had to add transportation to anyone's IEP in years because it's always been offered. But that doesn't really affect me. We get to see many more parents on a daily basis than we have in a long time and I kind of like that. I guess there's some kind of funding available for preschool programs with one stipulation: there must be 20 kids in each class, not 16, so hello to 4 new kids, ranging from 3-5 years old. So now we have 8 special needs kids (with disabilities like down syndrome, deafness, blindness, ADHD, ODD, non-ambulatory, etc.) and 12 kids who are "typical" in each class. Anyone who's been in a preschool class knows there's no such thing as a typical preschooler, especially when the typicals are all low-income. So the room's a zoo, and it's all I can do to get through it without Extra Strength Excedrin halfway through the day! We have a screamer in our afternoon class, and it causes a huge disruption to the class, and we're just trying to figure out what's going to work for her. She's blind and has many sensory issues and communicates mostly through screaming and tantrums. UGH.

Here's the really bad part: the school day is at state minimum: 5.5 hours. So here's my day: Leave the house at 6:15 AM to be at school and ready to work at 7 AM. Ready to work includes meetings, fighting for the copier, and reading the emails I couldn't read the day before. At 7:30 the attendants come in and we usually spend 15-20 min talking about our kids. Kids come in for 2.5 hours. Have a few minutes to take a potty break, then get the next group for 2.5 hours. They dismiss at 1:30. By the time they are all dismissed, it's about 1:40. Go back to the room, get things ready for tomorrow and we get kicked out of the building at 2:15-2:30. I might be able to get a bite to eat in there somewhere. Okay, you don't think it's a big deal to have a shortened day. On paper I have a 45 minute planning time, but in reality it's about 15 minutes. One cannot "plan" in 15 minutes! I am having to take so much work home and try to get it done here. Anyway, it's a big rush to get anything done, and I hate not having things done. And to make matters even worse, our district adopted a new preschool curriculum, and we aren't getting trained for it until tomorrow, and we're supposed to start on Monday. So there goes doing stuff we've done for a long time and having to follow a teacher's guide again for the first time in 15 years! And I feel terrible for the K-5 teachers who still have the same requirements and 2 less hours to do it. One teacher actually decided that she needed to take auctioneer lessons so she can get through a 45 minute lesson in 15!

Okay, I am going to stop griping. I have a job. One of our teachers found out today that she has to leave our building because enrollment for that grade is low, so she has to go set up her class in another building by Monday. To make matters worse, her position in the Gifted Program was dropped, so she just moved to my school in late August. That really sucks.

So say a prayer that the fine people of Middletown will realize how bad it is (their kids are getting home at 1:30 for goodness sake!) and say "YES" to an extra $6 freakin' dollars a month in taxes!

Back to school

I can't believe it. Summer is over. Notice how dark Colin's picture is? It's because it's freakin' dark outside at 6:15 AM when he has to catch the bus. It's going to be an interesting year. I am not used to having homework- I usually do everything at school in between classes and after school. This year with the levy failing, I have to get to school at 7 AM, 45 minutes before the bell (get a bit done then) , then have back-to-back 2.5 hour sessions, then get kicked out of the building 30 minutes later. Needless to say I am having to take a lot of work home. Good thing is that I am home earlier, bad thing is that I have to spend home-time doing school work. It's been a while since I have had to do that. We'd better pass this levy in November. They have also decided that 16 kids in each class isn't enough, so now we will have 20 preschoolers in each session, with 8 of them being special needs. It's going to be a busy but good year. (I hope!)

My Boys

We went camping last weekend at Winton Woods with the Sextons. Had a wonderful time. Here's a rare picture of the guys. We were on a hike Letterboxing. It was a lot of fun. I found the second letterbox! How exciting!

School's getting ready to begin, and it has already consumed me. I will be out of Blogger commission for a while. Things at school aren't good. A lost levy, shortened hours, more kids (yet they aren't on the roster yet), new principal...I could go on, but I won't. I have too much to do before the Open House on Monday night. So I am off.

Champions of Faith

If you know me, you know I am not a big baseball fan. We usually go to one game a year if we can get free or really reduced tickets. My favorite baseball player of all time is Willie Stargell, #8 of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It goes without saying that Roberto Clemente, #21 of the Pirates, is also a favorite.

I was listening to a Rosary Army podcast today, and they advertised a new movie out called Champions of Faith (Baseball Edition.) It is a movie about the lives of some major league baseball players and their Catholic faith. Please watch the trailer on the Champions of Faith website. (Click Champions of Faith in the previous sentence.)

As a special bonus, my current favorite baseball player, Sean Casey, is one of the spotlighted players! I didn't know he was Catholic! No wonder I like him so much. It's just too bad the Cincinnati Reds had to trade him, then the Pirates. Oh well, Detroit's gain, I guess. He was well liked in Cincinnati, and he did a lot of wonderful charity work.

I think it's great that there are star players out there who are so strong in their faith and are willing to share it with others. I can't wait to see it. I am going to suggest to our pastor, Fr. Tharp, that we purchase it for the church.

iPod Fever

Well, I had to do it. I couldn't wait. I had to replace my lost MP3 player. This time I splurged for the real McCoy...a bright pink iPod nano. As much as I wanted the Product (red) one that helps the people in Africa, it was $50 more than the pink refurbished one I ordered. So I had to save money and get the pink one. Pink's okay. I don't have to worry about Colin stealing it! Shout out to big sister, Jo, who sent me a cover for it and to Jodi for suggesting the refurbished model that's $50 cheaper. I have been spending the evening getting every song on the computer onto the iPod as well as downloading all kinds of CDs. It's a 4G, so it holds tons of music. Boston, Elton John, Kenny Loggins, Beaches Soundtrack, Jeremy Camp, Amy Grant, Veggietales (yep, had to get the Larry Boy rap on there!), Chicago, Backstreet Boys, the Jets, and a bunch of podcasts that I need to catch up on. Still waiting to sell the Lumina, but as soon as it sells I will pay back the credit card. I just couldn't wait anymore.

Harry Potter

I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, all 759 pages! It took me 2 weeks, but I did it! Thanks, Pete, for sharing your book, and thanks to all my friends/relatives who've already read it for not spoiling it for me.

I knew that Harry Potter and JK Rowling shared my birthday, but I just found out that the author and I share the same birthdate. She was born in 1965! It's hard to believe the series is done, but I am quite relieved. It'll be very interesting to see the last 2 movies...it's just too bad we have to wait so long!

The long-awaited "That Catholic Show" podcast

Here it is: Water, Water, Everywhere!

Please spread the word about this awesome video podcast!

Friends

Chris Catie Sue Cyndi

I took the boys to PA for one last visit before school starts. It just so happened that my best friend from high school (who also lives in the Cinti area) was going "home" to visit the same time. Our dear friend, Chris, still lives in PA, so we coordinated a visit to visit Chris at her home in Wexford. It was a wonderful visit! We got to see Chris' husband, Aaron, and their two beautiful children, Sam (2 1/2) and Catie (almost 1).

Sadly, Sue and I live only about 25-30 minutes apart, but we haven't seen each other in about 2 years. Life just gets in the way. It took for us to be in PA at the same time in order to see each other. It was definitely a God thing that Sue mentioned in my birthday card that she was going to be going to PA. I called her, told her I'd be there the same time, and the rest fell together so perfectly! We cannot let this much time pass before seeing each other again.

On that note, I will be seeing Liane (longtime best friend from junior high in Illinois who now lives in Indiana) this week. One of her daughters, Lexi, is my goddaughter. I am planning a short trip to Indy to visit them and go to Conner Prairie.

God has blessed me with some wonderful friends over the years! I need to do better at taking care of that gift. Here's to friendship that lasts forever!

Birthday

It's official. I am 42 years old. Feeling really old. Starting hot flashes...honestly! Aches and pains and just feeling rather frumpy. Going to try to stay out of the birthday funk I find myself falling into. I share my birthday with my mother-in-law (God rest her soul), Helen Chiesa (a friend of my grandmother's who died a few years ago), former co-worker Charlotte Austin, J.K. Rowling (author), and HARRY POTTER! Harry's 17 years old today. I could be his mother. (UGH!) Here's to the best Leo's in the world! It's also a full moon...freaky.

Thanks to all who have remembered my birthday and know how special I think birthdays are. (At least mine is!) Thanks for making up for my husband who will forget and then run to Kroger to buy me a mushy card. I have no plans for the day, but hope to talk Ben into going out to lunch and a movie since Alan's working.

Lost MP3, The Wiz, and The Creation Museum

Okay, lost my MP3 player. SO BUMMED. I had it on Saturday morning. It was in the van. I wound the headphones around it, and set it down. It's the last I saw of it. Two things could have happened: it fell out of the van when I dropped Colin off at the outlet mall or it fell into the garbage bag I threw into the garbage can at the outlet mall. Either way, never to be seen again. I did go back to the outlet and inquired about it. Even looked in the trash can, but it had been emptied. I know that if it dropped out of the van, someone picked it up and has a really nice MP3 player in a nice case with really nice headphones with some really great Christian music (Jeremy Camp, Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, Godspell) and podcasts. Maybe it's a God thing, it might bring someone to the Lord. Now I am lost without it! I won't be able to replace it until the Lumina sells.

Ben and I are going to see The Wiz tonight. It should be good! Ease on down, ease on down the road!

We were supposed to go to the Creation Museum tomorrow. My sister-in-law's mother-in-law's church is going, and we were going to tag along. My friend, Jodi, told me that there has been an average of a 3 hour wait on weekends. I hate crowds! So I have decided not to go with them and go during the week when it's not so crowded. I can't wait to see it, though.

Movies and Such

Ben and I just finished watching "Everyone's Hero." What a great movie! It came out last September, but we never had a chance to see it. We borrowed it from the library and have to return it tomorrow, so I told Ben we had to watch it. Glad we did. Found out that Christopher Reeve (aka Superman) was the director/producer and died during filming. His wife, Dana, was also a producer and was the voice of the mother. She died during post production. How sad! We went on imdb to check out other trivia and to figure out who voiced what character (I use this website for every movie I see). Once Ben found out that Will Reeve, their son (who's now 15) didn't have his parents, he asked, "I wonder who he lives with?" Well, sure enough, in his biography it says that he and his mother arranged for him to live with a friend and his family after the death of his mother. Wow. And then Ben starts asking about what would happen if we died...I hate this conversation! It happens every so often, and Ben will get all sad thinking about the possibility of us dying and leaving him.

We also saw Ratatouille and Transformers at the drive in last night. Both were great movies. We are just movie junkies, I guess. Leads me to make a running list of movies I've seen...but maybe tomorrow. I am still recuperating from the drive in last night, I mean this morning. Long story, but suffice it to say that I need to learn how to jump cars with the cables I keep faithfully in my van. One cannot rely on men to help a woman in distress.

Harry Potter

Got myself a borrowed copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (Thanks, Pete, for sharing and being such a speed reader!) I might not come up for air until I'm done. But why does it have to be so dang blasted long? 759 pages!

I'll take a break tomorrow night to go see Ratatouille and Transformers at the Drive-in with Ben and his cousin Quinn. Anyone care to join us? I might even talk Alan into going!

Okay, off to read until I pass out.

Camping Fun

We went camping this weekend with Alan's sister and her family. It was a great weekend! We went to Morgan's Riverside Campgrounds, the same place we went last August with the Sextons. Our campsite was large, grassy, and had a close porta-potty. The kids had a great time playing in the river, and we also tried to canoe on Saturday. We had the 4 of us plus Buckeye in the canoe, and it was just too heavy. We were dragging a lot! Halfway through Ben and I got out (at the campsite) and Alan and Colin continued on the remaining 3 miles without us. They had a great time. The weather was nice, not too hot, and it only rained for a bit this morning while we were still sleeping. Now for the yucky part, packing everything back up where it belongs in the garage and LAUNDRY...ugh. We're going to be camping next month with Jodi, Ron and Perry Sexton for the 2nd annual Cunningham/Sexton (or is it Sexton/Cunningham?) camp out. We're going to try Morgan's campgrounds in Brookeville, IN, this time. It comes highly recommended. I am definitely not canoeing. I'll keep watch over the campsite and read a book while they're gone!

That Catholic Show Episode 6

Happy Birthday

Well, I survived the 15th birthday party. A bunch of sweaty teenage boys, 4 pizzas, lots of pop, a lot of noise, 2 1/2 dozen donuts, a gallon of milk, but I survived. Ben took the first piece of cake, so Colin grabbed it, smashed it in Ben's face, then Ben got Colin right back. Reminds me of my wedding day.

I CANNOT BE THIS OLD, I SWEAR!

My baby is 15 today. Well, not until 12:45 PM, but I did go into labor right about now (1:00 AM). I still remember it vividly...contraction...get up and pee (which was a huge feat with me 9 months pregnant getting out of a waterbed!)...fall asleep...wake up to another contraction...get up and pee...this continued until I finally realized it was time to call the doctor. She didn't seem to be to concerned and thought I could wait a bit longer, you know, take a shower, pack, etc. We got down to the hospital that doesn't exist anymore (Bethesda Oak in Cincinnati), get checked in, get an exam, and guess what? That little shit is in breech position. All those birthing classes for nothing! So Colin Alan Cunningham was born C-section by Dr. Richard Valido on July 10, 1992. Now he's taller than me and would rather hang with his friends than be with his mom (unless I am buying him something!) His party is tonight- a bunch a teenage boys hanging out. Gone are the days of organized games and party favors.

Scrapping Maniac

I have been in scrapping mode lately. One of the great things about being off summer break is catching up on unfinished projects: quilting, sewing, reading, and scrapbooking. I set up my craft area in the family room facing the TV. I have completed 26 pages so far! Now that's for things from Oct. 06 to present. Still not done. And I would need a whole year's sabbatical to work on the years before. Heck, I need to just organize my pictures so I have them all in one place! I am now taking a break from scrapping to work on a sewing project for Stitches. I'd like to have it done for Saturday when I work so then I can focus again on scrapping (I'd like to do our Disney trip from 3 years ago!) and reading the new Stephanie Plum novel Lean Mean Thirteen which I have from the library. Okay, off to sew!

Stuff

Let's see, need to catch up on some stuff...

Ben's doing great. No panic attacks since I posted it on the blog. Yeah! Isn't this a cool picture? He and some friends had a great time making monster bubbles.

Maudie is doing okay. She's home from the hospital after being there for a month! She's getting chemo and having good and bad days. Let's hope the tumor it shrinking so they can go in and take it out!

Go see Evan Almighty! Very funny and family friendly. Great message, and Morgan Freeman makes a great God. He smiles a lot. I like to think God does that, too!

That Catholic Show Episode 5 Statues and Icons

Here it is, the long awaited That Catholic Show episode #5 Statues and Icons

Ben's First Catch

On Father's Day we went to Marsh Lake around the corner (literally) and went fishing. It was hot, so I know the fish were hanging in the deep end, but Ben was able to catch his first ever fish, and small bluegill. It's bigger than Colin's first and only catch a few years ago. I have never seen Alan catch a fish, but I am sure he caught his share in his boyhood. I just love the look of sheer joy on his face! Alan was getting a bit frustrated with him because Ben kept reeling in, casting off, reeling in, casting off, etc. So what if the kid wants to cast off and reel in? Apparently sitting there doing nothing wasn't successful, so why not? I am sure Ben and I will spend a few days this summer hanging at Marsh Lake so he can have fun casting and reeling. As long as he doesn't ask me to bait the hook...

Please keep Ben in your prayers. He's having some kind of anxiety/panic "episodes" lately. Not sure what sparked them, but they started last Tuesday on our way home from PA, and he's had a few since then. It's so unlike him to cry to go home or not want to sleep over a friend's house...And as a mother, I keep thinking the worst...was he molested? Did he do something wrong that he's now feeling remorse over? Did someone hurt him? Did he witness something? The questions go on and on. He says no to all of them, but saying "No" is easy to do. Just say a little prayer for him every now and again. Hopefully "this too shall pass."

Summer's HERE!

School is finally out! That's me dancing up at the top of the page on the EMPTY playground after the kids left! Friday was my last day. On Saturday the family packed up the van and traveled east to PA to visit my family. We had a great time! On Sunday we had a huge picnic/graduation party for my niece Katlin, nephew Zack, cousins Deanna, Allison, and Alicia. There was good food, great fun, and most importantly, a lot of LOVE! We have an awesome family! Because all of the grandkids were together in one place (it hasn't happened since this time 4 years ago when Deanna graduated from high school) we tried to get a picture taken. What a fiasco! But I think among the 100 pictures we took there's at least one that everyone is looking at the same camera with eyes open! Even harder was a picture of the WHOLE family (Mom, Dad, all five kids and their spouses and kids). This one isn't the best but you can almost see everyone. And the last picture is one of Alan's campsite on top of my parents' house. They live in an underground house, and you can walk on their roof. In the case of this weekend, you can camp and play bocce on the roof! This is a view of the back of the house. The front is virtually all underground and only the front door is visible.
Anyway, we had a great time visiting family and going to Kennywood, Pittsburgh's own amusement park. Now that we're back home we will keep busy with Ben's social calendar (that kid gets invited to more parties than I ever did!) Oh, and I can't forget to post a picture of the girls: Mom, Jovanna, Madonna, and me.
from l to r: Jovanna, Mom, Madonna, Cyndi

That Catholic Show Episode 4 Charity and Mercy

Sleepover Fun

Ben, David, Joseph, Perry, Tyler (in the front)

Here's the goofy pose!

Here's proof that the boys survived! They stayed up until 2 AM, they said, watching Holes and then Spy Kids. They were up bright and early though. Their departures are staggered this morning, with David leaving at 10. Thanks to Perry for bringing Poptarts for "breakfast."

It's summer!

Well, for the boys, at least. I still have 5 days left, but the boys are done. Colin celebrated with a sleepover. He had several friends over. They stayed up until at least 3 playing the Wii (yep, finally got it this week!). Ben's celebrating tonight with a sleepover. He has invited 4 friends over. They, too, will stay up until the Wii hours (ha ha) playing video games. It's really not too bad. The family room is big enough for all of them to put their sleeping bags and pillows down and pass out when they feel like it. I just go to bed whenever.

Here's the cutest picture of Buckeye. Geez, he's so laid back! Ranger would NEVER let us put glasses on him! We had him to obedience school, and he kept flunking, so we took him to the eye doctor and got his glasses. Now he's at the top of his class! TeeHee

Here's to another school year come and gone. It's hard to believe I have a 9th and 4th grader now!

Coincidence? I think not!

Okay, so last week I am at my favorite hot-spot, the library, when I come across the sountrack for Godspell in the CD section. One of my favorite musicals from the 70s. Learned a lot about Jesus' last days on earth through some really cool music. Even acted out the play in Carol Sharron's basement...we took turned playing Jesus hanging on the chainlink fence. Anyway, I pick it up, listen to it, and rip it onto my computer so I could put it on my MP3 player. Kind of addicted to it, listening to it everywhere. I email my sisters to ask if they'd be interested in a copy of the CD. Yes, they would! Fast forward a few days. My brother, Brian, is in town for a few days. We're sitting eating dinner when he says, "Guess what CD I bought this week? Godspell! I haven't heard it in ages!" Wow, that was definitely an HG thing (Holy Ghost thing...thanks to Jodi for the terminology!) So to prove that I wasn't joking, I brought out my CD player and proved that the CD was in the player. Wow, God works in mysterious ways. I am thinking it's not a coincidence but a God thing.

That Catholic Show episode 3

Catching up

Let's see...Maudie...after her surgery to try to remove the tumor, Maudie was experiencing paralysis of the bowels and a blockage in the small intestine. This was quite painful and dangerous, so they went in yesterday to remove the blockage in her small intestine. If all goes well from this surgery, she will start chemotherapy on Friday to hopefully shrink and unstick the tumor. Keep on praying!

May is a very busy month, but it's also a month of endings. Here's my list so far....

Gifts for CCD teachers...check
Last day of CCD...check
Last lacrosse game...check
Gift for scout leader...check
Awards purchased and packaged for last Cub Scout Pack meeting...check
Last Pack meeting...check
Putting all scout stuff away for the summer...not yet
Gift for Ben's teacher...check (so impressed that it's done WAY in advance of the last day of school!)...check
Embroider shirts for lacrosse coaches...not done
Embroider shirt for attendant who helps in our room...nope
Gifts for school people...nope
Making stoles for church's 50th anniversary Mass...nope
Last day of school for boys (6/1)...soon!
Cleaning house for guests this weekend...where do I begin??
Last day of school for me (6/8)...can't wait!
Laundry...never done

I am sure there are a billion things I have to do, and they will start NOW! I am turning off the computer and getting to work! I wish I could live on just a few hours of sleep...I could get so much more done!

BYE!!!

Maudie Update

Here's an update on Maudie Lawson, Sherrie's mom. She had surgery on Wednesday to remove the tumor that was on/near her ovaries plus some other smaller tumors close by. When they went in to remove the tumor, they found that it was the kind of tumor that sticks to organs, and they were unable to remove the larger tumor because of where it was attached (to several organs.) They removed the smaller tumors and what they could of the large tumor (pieces that were bulging out of where it was stuck hiding.) She will start chemotherapy in order to hopefully shrink and un-stick the tumor for removal later. Please continue to pray for her, as we all know that chemo can be a terrible and painful ordeal.

That Catholic Show episode 2

Here is the second episode of That Catholic Show. It's called "Candles and Light."
It's only 5 minutes and tells us about the history of candles in church. It's also pretty funny.

Maudie had surgery yesterday morning. Please keep praying. When I get to talk to Sherrie personally, I will share what I find out.

Prayers, Please!

Please keep Maudie Lawson in your prayers. She is the mother of my dear friend and co-worker, Sherrie Benjamin. A lump the size of a tennis ball was found somewhere (I don't know exactly where) near her female organs, plus they found several more small ones. The doctors are 96% sure it is cancerous and they will be removing them as soon as possible. She will have chemo after that. Although I have never met Maudie, I know she is a wonderful mother and grandmother. Sherrie is quite upset about this and needs to be strong for her mother and father. Please pray not only for Maudie but for Sherrie, too. Thanks!!

Should I stand or sit or kneel now?

Camp Out

Ben, Colin, and I spent the weekend at Gov. Bebb Preserve for Cub Scouts. It rained on Friday, was mostly beautiful on Saturday (except for a thunderstorm early in the evening) and we had a pretty good time! Remind me NOT to take 2 teenagers with me next time! One is hard enough! Colin was allowed to bring a friend, and he chose Nick. Two hyper teenagers with a bunch of hyper cub scouts is not a good mix!

Some of the fun things we did: nature walks, a speaker about birds of prey (we got to see a kestrel, Eastern Screech Owl, Peregrine falcon, and a great horned owl), the boys jumped off a big log into the creek, played card games, told ghost stories, and ate lots of good food made in the pie irons. We slept in the youth hostel, so we didn't have to set up the tent. The hostel was great...there was a lot of room for sleeping (all of the boys from Den 1 slept there), there was electricity, a fridge and stove, a huge fireplace, and two big tables. All in all it was a fun trip, but I am beat! I love my bed!