It's a Wonderful Life!: 2013

12.18.2013

All is calm, all is bright...

The trees are all decorated and are ready for Santa's visit. Rick and I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

Zoey has visions of pheasants dancing through her head.

11.28.2013

Grandson Will's First Hunting Trip at 3 years old

11.15.2013

We're celebrating our 18th Anniversary!

Back on November 18, 1995 at 4:00 p.m. Rick and I were married at the Collins Plaza (Marriott) Hotel. It was a perfect day surrounded by our families and friends. It was truly the happiest day of my life. So if you were there in person or in spirit, thank you for taking part in our perfect day.

11.05.2013

Weekend with Friends

This last weekend our friends Gretchen and Bob came for a visit. They hadn't been here for three years so we had a lot to share about our home. They brought along their black lab, Cooper for Zoey to play with.

After a great meal I was clearing the table and Zoey took the opportunity to keep our friends entertained.

As the weekend was coming to a close we got a picture out on the bistro. The time spent with friends always goes too fast but we look forward to visiting them in December.

11.04.2013

A day and night filled with sparkles and smiles. This picture wasn't included in my original blog, but needed to be.

Elizabeth & Josh got Married!

The weekend began with the rehearsal at St. Elizabeth's church. Sarah is talking with McKenna and Aubrey just after they finished walking down the aisle. There was a lot going on but everyone did a great job on the big day!

Charlotte, Debbie and I are ready to go the the rehearsal dinner at Dublin City.

Here we all are at the Kirkwood hotel enjoying cocktails while waiting for the wedding party to arrive. Scott and Nicole look so grown up!

Debbie and Randy

Here I am with the beautiful bride Elizabeth.

and the beautiful Matron of Honor Sarah

And you're probably wondering about Ryan, well he was having a great time along with the rest of us.

These ladies were special guests of our family. Marsha and Dori have been a part of our lives for more than 50 years and will continue to help us celebrate life for the next 50!

9.26.2013

Our Weekend in Wisconsin

Last Thursday night we received a call from our good friends asking if we could visit for the weekend. They've been dealing with a lot over the past six months so we jumped at the chance. They have a lake house on Crystal Lake. Here I am with Gretchen. We worked in some retail therapy while we were there and it was just what the Doctor ordered!

Here is Rick and Bob. They're getting ready to shoot trap for the afternoon.

We're all here together with another friend, Holly. Holly owns the Farm Market in a nearby town and we're in front of her place after lunch. We had a great time and are ready to go back!

9.09.2013

The invitation said "All you Need is Love"... Here' s a group of gals that love their Bride-to-Be!

Debbie, Liz, Jill, Sarah, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Dana, Sara, Kelsey, Denise & Polly

Here is the middle aged group of real women showing them how it's done!

Sarah is providing support and advise from her vast experience but Elizabeth seems to have "other" ideas. Speaking from experience as the youngest child in my family- sometimes you just have to do things your own way!

What Bride doesn't have multiple bouquets for the occasion- Elizabeth was given two. These drew attention from the co-eds at the bar. Mission accomplished!

We traveled in style- a stretch limo picked us up at Elizabeth's and took us for a ride. We celebrated with champagne and a lot of trash talk.

8.07.2013

Elizabeth is getting married!

On Sunday we threw Elizabeth a Bridal Shower. We had a lot of family and friends in attendance but before everyone else arrived we had our own celebration! Left to right; Sarah, Debbie, Elizabeth, Liz, Charlotte and McKenna. We had 23 Ladies in attendance all celebrating Elizabeth and Josh.