Meeting baby Liam!

What a juxtaposition..new baby and college wardrobe! We had a great morning visit with Meryl and Liam, her baby is beautiful,her house is beautiful and her spirit is the most beautiful! How happy it makes me to to see her so happy! I need a new baby, there is nothing like that smell, and that feel. He fell asleep on me!

Liam Jameson King

Liam is strong and lively!

gazing at Sir Prance-alot!

Sleeping on me!

After a shoprite trip we picked up the kids and headed to Michelle's for a visit. The kids enjoyed a swim in her pool.

Charlotte having fun at Michelle's

 When we got home, I took Claire on a college shopping trip, and Charlotte nad Molly came along. We had great success, with shoes,boots,jeans and tops. I had so much fun and I'll think of her walking around on the campus of University of Deleware in her new duds, and smile! She is a great kid.

Thursday 7/27/11 Hiking the Tourne

I ran in the morning, 3 laps around the 'hood, and then we all met Catherine and Earl and went to the Tourne. We hiked to the top and viewed NYC through the haze. Danny,Chris and Jamie hiked "off trail" back down and then we had lunch on Susan's deck.

Claire,Molly,Susan and Catherine

All the grandkids, for Nana!

Claire and Danny

the two 18 year olds!

Allie!

The Davanzo cousins and a friend of Chrissy's came over and played tag and games in the pool. Susan grilled chicken for dinner-yum! and we had Italian ice for dessert. Claire found out who her roommate at Delaware will be, and we enjoyed new things on our ipads, like word warp and firefly hero!

Danny,Josh,Peter,Christopher and Andrew

running fun!

Parsippany! 7/27/11

Ahh! The usual 'jersey routine...Dunkin Donuts,chatting, sitting on the deck, life is good! The girls went out for a run with Allie, who is training for fall cross country. We enjoyed the afternoon on Susan's deck with the little splash pool, and a Yankee afternoon game. The kids watched movies and played life and did nails. Nothing exciting but everything precious about spending time with family!

On the road again!!

New Jersey here we are! After consultation with Susan and many schedule comparisons, we decided that this week would be best for us to visit. Packed last night and hit the road at 6:15am and after a great ride, arrived in Parsippany at 3:45pm. Whoot! We enjoyed listening to Gary Paulsens Francis Tuckett books on audio, the are set along the Oregon Trail and are exciting and adventurous. We basically drove straight through, and arrived in loads of time to enjoy Claire's birthday and Artie grilled and we ate on the deck.  Allie has made a chocolate peanut butter banana cake, and after a bit of Yankees we will sing and celebrate! I am so happy to be here! And boy, so is Charlotte!

Apples,Sand and Suitcases!

Went to the Apple Store in Novi and bought meself an IPAD! Yup, copying Susan, I know, but I can't help it, she is my idol!! I am excited to have time to goof around with it at her house when we visit, and set up our chatting functions etc. That store was so gorgeous, and those products sell themselves...Jer(and everyone else!) wishes he had bought Apple stock a few years ago!
Hit the beach with the kids, and Shawne and Ann both came out so we had a great group. Humidity less, but still super hot, so it was a perfect day to sand-sit!
Suitcases packed and ready to go, sand vacuumed up, oil changed, gas in, waters chilling in the fridge, 25 Yankee shirts packed by Charlotte!, and so, tomorrow we are off to NJ! YAY!

Thunder Over Michigan Sunday

Another first for the old 49th year...an Air Show! After an interesting 8am mass(which had Danny bolting off the altar to barf and then returning) we picked up Rhonda and the boys and headed down to Willow Run Airport. Patty Mulroy had invited Molly, but she lost her ride, so asked me to drive them. It turned into a great family fun day.  The Yankee Air Museum sponsors a huge air show, with all kinds of old planes, fighter jets, blue angels, and more. You could go in the planes, watch them fly, and visit all kinds of booths. The service branch booths had give aways, but you had to perform to get them. Danny and Collin got down for push ups at the Army booth, but Ryan doesn't like to do them. I gave it a shot to get a bag for him, and the Army folks were cheering me. I was giving them the jive that Jake had told us about from basic training. "please Sargent may I do some more?" and the like. It was funny! Ryan showed us all up in the pull up area with the air force, and we got pens,cups and stuff from the Navy. What fun! It was super hot there, and no shade because you are on an airfield, so we left around 3:00pm.
Charlotte stayed home because of the noise issues, and happily helped Jerry work on the lights in the gym. Evening spent cheering on the tigers, making an oven baked omelette and homemade Tzatziki.

Rhonda and I

Ryan, Collin and Danny in the belly of the blackhawk

Flyboys

wingwalker

in the cockpit

cool Army vehicle, wonder if Jake could fix it?!

Hey, I fit in the nose cone!

Molly gamely trys a pull-up to get an Air Force water bottle

lots of the planes were painted with a look of the past as they celebrated 100 years of Naval Aviation

Saturday July 23 Go Nuts, Lugnuts!

Super Hot! I decide to go for an early run, but the bugs are up earlier! Shoot, running down Chilson carrying deer flys on my back is so nasty! I am very afraid of getting the itchies again, so I shower right away with my Dawn, and it works! No itch! Jerry and Molly and Charlotte run to the farmers market, and Danny and I walk down. We pick up veggies, herbs, and of course free bread slices! Then we walk home! So total mileage for me, 4mile run, 6 mile walk. Go Me!
Jerry and the kids go to the Lugnuts game, and they win! And it's fast for a minor league game, so they are home by 10:30. An awesome day.

Friday Jul 22 --living the European way!

We are trying to incorporate all the good things we did on our trip into our life here in Brighton. Like walking! When we set off for the library however, it pours! We are about halfway there, and actually have to call Jer for a car rescue-ugh! The difference between here and Greece is that it rains here! We'll try again though.  Jerry,Charlotte and Danny head out to Hawk Meadows around 5 for a round of golf. Molly wants to watch the Tigers, so she hangs out at home with me. What am I doing you ask? Not as much as I should! Why aren't I motivated? What do people with no jobs do all day?? How do you get things done?!

Thursday July 21 HP again??

Molly has been invited to meet some friends at the movies at 4:30 to see HP again! She is happy to be going out I think! The plans are made;Jerry and Charlotte head out around 3:15 to meet Hank halfway and grab Danny. So prior to that I have to make another Costco run(now armed with my debit card-long story!) and shop for Aunt Reg. She loves the coffee prices, and wants blueberries,cat food,etc. She says she likes us to shop cause we won't take money from her! Danny is super happy to get home, and we all enjoy sitting around hearing about his exploits and eating the pear/pineapple upside down cake that I made while he was on his way home. I suggest he sleeps in the basement for maximum coolness, and he seems very happy with the idea. I hope he perks up...

Wednesday July 20 Bishop Lake

Ran 5 miles. A steamy day at the lake, good to be there to cool off. The Charlotte never wants to swim as long as Danny does, but I make her! Molly had decided to go to her friend Kelly Marshall's house to hang out, that is fine, the girls need a break from each other. I get a bit of reading done, then lots of chat time with Shawne, so it is an excellent day. Charlotte decides against the teen movie, in favour of a bunch of I Love Lucy's , this is good because I don't think that she would have liked that Red Riding Hood. She and I go to Kohls and do a return and get Liam a cute outfit and toy, and then get her a pizza at Costco. Sad for me that I forgot my phone, cause as soon as I get home I check it and there is a message from Molly that she is ready to come home. It was way closer from Costco, but it's my own fault, so back out I go! Molly had fun, ended up grocery shopping with them?! Whatever! The girls are invited to go to the Marshalls cottage for a swim day in August and seemed pleased about that. Danny is sounding weepy up on the farm, not sure if its the heat, Aunt Reg's health,or what, but I think we will have to go get him tomorrow.  Jer ends up coming home at around 11, so he can start the day with a bang tomorrow. Go Jer!

Tuesday July 19 Back to Business!

Jerry headed off to Ohio on an Ashland trip, and the girls and I hung out..so it's back to normal here! We went to the movies at 12:15 and saw Larry Crowne with Rhonda. It was a cute movie, more of a guy coming to grips with changing himself than the romance I expected. The sound track was awesome though, lots of Tom Petty and ELO(my first concert, at MSG!). I will buy it I think. Nothing to much else, just putzed around waiting to feel motivated to start housework again.....

Feelin HOT,HOT,HOT!!

oooeee! It's a hot one today! temps in the high 90's with high humidity and the promise of thunder storms. The girls and I buzz over to Marshall's for some returns and Charlotte picks herself out a new bathing suit. I am so surprised by her interest that I buy it! Also snuck in a walk with Jerry this morning and a wonderful catch-up visit with Karen late this afternoon. While I was there the storm rolled in and we happily curled up on her couch and dished about the families,vacations,work,,you name it. I am so blessed to have good friends. Poor  Charlotte, after looking forward to seeing the Yanks on Monday night baseball- They stink up the joint! Molly reports they are now tied 4-4, but in the early going it was awful, and she doe not take that well. It just seems that whenever they are on out here it is not pretty. Poor Charlotte! Are you staying cool this week?!

Loaves and Fishes Sunday July 17

One of my favourite volunteer opportunities is today! The whole family works on cooking for,setting up,serving and cleaning up for a community dinner, which rotates among churches in Brighton. Tonight is St. Pats turn, and I deliver my cottage cheese and ice cream and roll up my sleeves! I have to excuse myself in the middle to scoot upstairs for mass, I have the privilege of being a Eucharistic Minister. Try not to be judgemental of the 30-something who is wearing shorts to give out communion, but really!
Jerry and the girls are serving when I get back, and the girls love sitting down at the staff table for a sloppy joe and salad! The group is mostly seniors and people with special needs, a friendly and grateful bunch. Very humbling.

Grad party

We had the great joy of being invited to Scott McCloud's Grad party today. I am so glad we were home. We brought them their Greece treats and they were thrilled! Also saw lots of SO families and that was fun! After the party Jerry headed up to the lake with the kids. He is meeting Hank there. Danny will continue on up to the farm for a bit, while the girls come back here tomorrow. I clean bathrooms and watch HGTV, which I had withdrawal from!

Beach Day July 15th

And in other BIG news, a  5 BELOW store is opening today in Brighton. Right next to HomeGoods. We have 2 $3 coupons to use and we head over. We use both coupons and get 2 free tshirts with our purchases-made out like bandits. After lunch we head to Bishop Lake and meet Shawne and her gang. It was super hot but Shawne and I talked so much I didn't even remember to go in the water! So not thrilling, but thrillingly normal to me. It is nice not to have to make the most of every second of the day, you know?

Back to the Routine! Thursday July 14

Cleaning, cooking,doing laundry, driving, I'm happy to report that my skills are still there, and sprang right back into action as real life commenced.
We thought about lots of activities and in the end just hung out, caught up with ourselves and chilled.
Charlotte.Danny and Jerry went over to to Jerry's cousin Sheila's house after work to play with the 11 German short haired pointer pups that they have. They need to be socialized before heading to their new owners and the kids have a ball.
Charlotte heads with Alex and some friends to the big midnight premiere of the last Harry Potter movie-she is beyond excited!
Danny,Jerry and Molly watch HP#5, so that Danny can be ready to see 7/2.

Up, Up and Away! Wednesday July 13

Good Morning Danny-boy, Rise and Shine! Yes, I know, it's only 8:30 but we have a plane to catch!
I had packed everything except the toothbrushes and have our baggage in the front hall. Danny fixes me my last espresso and has his breakfast, and our ride comes at 9:45am. Our B&B host Paolo stops in to say goodbye-I would stay there again in a heartbeat.  Our ride to the airport is smooth, but the guy drops us off at the wrong place. I asked him as we pulled up if he was sure, and he said he was. When we went inside, I couldn't find the counter. I asked and was told to go from 1 over to 3, just down the sidewalk a bit. We rocket out the door and  onto the sweltering sidewalk, laughing that we needed one more speedy hot walk in Europe before we can go home. Over in 3, after searching around, we are told we need 5, and we need to take a shuttle there! Yikes! Good thing we are here nice and early. Finally we check in and ditch our bags, and exit to the gate(we think) but it is out to another shuttle, and we board it and are driven to the building with the gates! But here we are. We read and relax, board about 12:20pm, take off about 1:15 and land at 4:45 in Detroit. Food is good, movies are good, and other then about an hour of queasyness for poor Danny, it all goes well.
Jer and the girls are pulling up as we exit, we cleared customs super quickly, and we are on our way home. Yay! Jerry has grilled steaks for Danny, but first they do a little workout in the gym, and I start the laundry.
Though I don't believe in jetlag, I crash into bed at 10pm(4am in Rome) and wake at 3:30am thinking its time to get up. I'm ignoring it, and hopefully it will go away! The house looks and feels massive to us, and it is a site for travel weary eyes!

Rome photos Tuesday July 12 Last Day!

coloseum!

gladiator quarters and practice track

cool church with under ruins!

said underground passage

beautiful church

beautiful church

I have a sore neck from this trip!

trinity fingers

the mouth of truth

random ruins

killer steps to beautiful church(they wanted you to think how hard it is to get to heaven!)

Marcus Aurealies

WATER!!!

wet head and food = happy!

table for two!

a priest shop!

Bernini sculpture

beauty

the pantheon

fountain of the four rivers

Roma Ramblings--- Last Push..Tuesday July 12

Rome Diary Tuesday July 12


Arevederci Roma!
Today is our last day in this beautiful city and my day to choose the itinerary. Yesterday morning we looked at a guidebook which listed the top 12 things to do in Rome. To our delight we found we had already done 10 of them! While Danny snoozes I go through the maps and guidebooks to try to come up with our route. Our plan is to tackle the last two spots, and see what we can see along the way. We are out the door at  9:45am, hoping to get a bit done before the oppressive heat promised for today sets in. We take the metro to coloseo and start off. It is awesome! We see
1. Gladiators quarters-right across the street from the coloseum-no long commute to work for them!
2. A gorgeous church run by Irish nuns since 1657-a time machine with awesome excavated ruins below the church, a maze of roman house, pagan temples, even a hidden spring. No guide needed so we can wander and take our time! It is cool and really interesting-totally Danny! A plus!
3 So many churches I have kind of lost track. A few are-
Bocca Della Verita/Chiesa Di Santa Maria in Cosemedin- where we stuck our hands in  “The mouth of truth” and found out we are not liars!: 
Chiesa Di Santa Maria in Aracoeli-atop a thigh-blasting 14th century Araceli staircase, Romanesque church with a 13th century fresco by Cavalini, crisp 15th century frescoes by Pinturicchio, and the famous Santa Bambino(holy baby) believed by Jesus to heal the sick! The church itself is on a Michaelangelo designed piazza,  with sculptures of Castor and Pollux, which was built in the 15thcentury for a visit from Emperor Charles V, and is built on the spot where the Tiburtine sybil tipped off Augustus about the coming of Christ. Two ancient temples sat on the site, but as we learned, as Christianity took hold in the city, Popes loved to build churches right on top of  pagan temples, as if to wipe out the memory of them. Chiesa Del Gesu,  Chiesa Di San Luigi Dei Francesi-with Caravaggio paintings and Domenichino’s 17th century fresco of Saint Cecelia, Chiesa Di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva-this has Michelangelo’s sculpture Christ Bearing The Cross(with a  baroque loincloth added later!) and was built in the 13th century. There is a Bernini sculpture,Elefantino on the square, and we love Bernini! Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone-built on the spot where Saint Agnes lost her head, and the martyrs skull is inside the church.


4. Piazza Navona- with extravagant fountains by Bernini-most famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi which depicts the nile,ganges,Danube and Plata rivers of heading out from Rome. Loads of street artists, moving statues, restaurants and cafes.


5. We also cruise through Circus Maximums- this was Rome’s largest chariot racing stadium, it could hold 250,000 and was sometimes flooded for mock sea battles! It is undergoing renovation into something nice, from the signs we saw, right now it is a hot, dusty field filled with trash and cig. Butts. Hence the walking by and glancing at it!


6. The Italian Lunch- this was one of my goals, to go to a real neighborhood Italian place, and we did! Lunched at Enoteca Corsi- a wine shop restaurant that is open from 12-3, and from 8-12, and serves one daily menu and feeds all Italians chattering merrily at the tables all around us. When we arrived there at about 2pm, Danny’s face was the colour of a pomodoro and he had sweat everywhere. The waitress was quite alarmed and brought us water and napkins right away! Thank goodness, we were so hot! We relaxed with fresh bread, a buffalo moz. And tomato salad and the pesto lasagna, all of which were fantastic. Danny couldn’t get over the cheese ball! I enjoyed watching everyone visit with each other, the staff hanging out at the tables, everyone taking their time-no drive through Subway here I can tell you!


We did hit some of the above mentioned churches on our way home, but we were so hot, it was hard to do anything. We walked all the way to the Vatican area so Danny could choose his Blessed Rosary for his souvenir and then we attempted to bus home. Mistake! Rush hour on surface roads = disaster! We finally just hopped on a bus, then another, got off when we saw a metro and then shot below ground and got home. Packing and dinner and last night of gelati were on the schedule(it was crema and tiramisu for the flavours, for those of you following at home!) We also read our book to each other, and didn’t turn out our lights until midnight! Back to reality tomorrow, and we are ready to pack our guidebooks away for a while! It is stressful filling all your hours, and following maps, and guarding against pickpockets, and resisting the urge to buy more purses! I need a break from my vacation(poor me, I know!!)
Thanks for sharing the adventure with us!

Monday's Rome Photos

Danny waiting for the bus

we made it! Hydromania!

the scene at the foam canon!

crazy fun!

they don't do this at Rolling Hills!

happy kid!

Danny on far right on racing slide

Danny wins!

yay me!

This is better than another church Mom!

Dinner!