Thursday 11/15 Hosting dinner for Jake's family

Well thankfully my dinner menu for last night was one that would keep! Cassandra had a one year checkup(90% height and weight!) and got 3 shots and was not feeling well. So the dinner was postponed from Wednesday til tonight. Chicken tortilla soup, Mexican bean dip, salad and cornbread.
Everyone said it was good but spicy, and I had forgotten Cammy does not like spicy foods. Oops, my bad! Cassie seemed happy to see us, and after 10 minutes was running and playing around the house like she had never left! Jake and Danny ended up doing a lot of wrestling/judo/self defense moves which they both enjoyed. Jake was seriously impressed by Danny's moves, which made D feel amazing! They left around 9:30.
Sadly Jerry was not home, he was in Cleveland and Posen, home on Friday. Hopefully we will see Jake on Sunday for more visiting.

family dinner

wrestling fun!

two brothers looking tough

the final move-Danny did get Jake on this one!

Inspiring Greatness Gala

11/9/12  Friday Night, Motor City Casino Hotel, The Soundboard Room

We were thrilled to be invited to the Inspiring Greatness Gala, a large fundraiser for Special Olympics of Southeast Michigan. Two weeks ago I was asked to be the keynote speaker at the second annual event. This black tie optional event was held at the Motor City Casino in downtown Detroit. We had never been there and it is quite an operation. There is a huge parking structure and it was very full. Masses of people were in the casino and it is definitely the busiest place in town. The soundboard venue was really large, a big stage, huge screen and tables all around in a horseshoe shape.  I must say it was a bit intimidating to see the set up, I know a lot was expected of Molly and I.
Wowee! This is how the other half lives I guess! Thanks to borrowed finery (thanks Shawne and Karen) the girls and I looked very well dressed for this big party! Jerry wore a suit, no worries for guys on their wardrobe.  We schmoozed with the SO staff that we knew and browsed through the Detroit sports team memorabilia heavy silent auction. Our table was o nthe small balcony, with a great view of the stage, Kim Purdy, the communications and PR director for SOMI and Karen Drew, channel 4 new personality were seated with us. Molly and I went on at about 8:30, after the dinner of filet mignon and salmon, salad, veggies, hot rolls and chocolate lave cake was served. I couldn't eat a bite. You've heard of someone being a  point man? Well Jerry was our power point man! Not only did he put the presentation together for us, and rehearse it until it was just perfect, but he ran the slides this evening so that everything would go perfectly. And Charlotte took lots of pictures of us, Thanks Charlotte! The party had an official photographer and I hope to access some of those shots and post them on my blog soon.
When it was time for our speech, Molly and I headed to the stage. The lights were very bright and I couldn't see the audience, it was more like being in a play then my usual speech venues. Molly did an excellent job, and all her laugh lines got big laughs! I did okay I guess! Hard to judge yourself, you know? When the presentations were all over at 9pm, Molly started working the room. She shot away from our table and began chatting up the important business people, she is too funny. She and Charlotte both met Frank Kelly, former MI attorney general and longest serving AG in the country, and George Perless, former MI state football coach and Pittsburgh Stealers Superbowl winning coach! These guys are long time SO supporters who were there to receive an award and they both got choked up when talking about the program--awesome! Loads of kind folks came up to me and said they were moved by my speech, that was really cool because our goal was to touch hearts and so touch wallets! I hope that happens.
And the other cool thing was that Jer was the successful bidder on the tickets to see Motown's own The Four Tops--he is really excited about that!

Charlotte checks out the program

All the SO athletes at the gala. The tiny girl up front was the global messanger speaker, the others gave out the awards

Athletes honored on stage, Charlotte was so proud to go up there!

George Perless

Our friend Jack from 5th/3rd bank and his wife

Some gals who came to congratulate me, I was very touched.

Back on the Chain Gang!

Whew! Tough week here, working 12 hours over Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday! I hope I can hold up! As always I love spending time with the patrons at the library. Since Brighton Schools were closed Monday and Tuesday the place was jumping with kids looking for books. My favourite part of the job is helping kids find a new series to read. I'm lucky that Danny is such a big reader, I recommend many of the books he has enjoyed. He is my secret to success at work.  Speaking of Danny and the library, I am proud to tell you that he is a member of the Teen Advisory Board (TAB). He and the other TAB members choose programs to run and have input on the materials the library purchases. He was recently at the pumpkin carving party and his photo is featured on the cover of the library newsletter.

Huntin' Camp

 

This weekend the men spent time in the woods of Posen MI getting set up for hunting season. Hank and Jerry are hard at work on updating the camp. They got some free windows and had those installed. Now owrk continues on the ceiling. Don't ask me for details, I never go there. I just send up supplies-this trips request was bedding. So check in with Jerry for information and an invitation!
This weekend Danny enjoyed setting up the blind and food pile with Dad. He also got a gun lesson from Uncle Art and shot pumpkins with his 22. It turns out young Danny is quite a shot and enjoys it tremendously. Both guys visited with Aunt Reg and the Zarotskis, who gave them farm fresh eggs to bring home! Click the play button on the black screen below for some shootin action!

the deer blind

 

Aunt Reg and Gringo

Trick or Treat Fort Drum style!

I got some pictures from Jake's mother-in-law of Halloween on the base. The family went to a party one night and trick or treating in the officers neighborhood on base on 10/31. I thought I would share the pictures with you! My poor sister is still waiting to have Halloween in Parsippany, NJ. :(

My Daddy isn't scary to me!

Ready for a Halloween party

I will be warm in my pumpkin outfit

The candy flows in the ritzy part of the base!

Dada, there's a big spider behind us....RUN!

candy is good!

getting clean after the festivities

Trick or Treat!

Dorothy and her Munchkins!
 

The Gang
Back Row:
Charlotte(girl from Hogwarts),Molly(Dorothy!),Gary(freddy krueger),Hannah(vampire tigger!) ,Julia(50's girl) Alex(girl from Hogwarts)
Front Row:
Leah(candycorn princess), Danny(creepy guy in a trench coat), Sophie(Girl from hogwarts)

As usual we headed to Fairway Trails- we miss it all the time, but never more than on Halloween. Jerry enjoyed trooping around with the kids, he saw alot of friends and neighbors and visited all along the way. Molly got enough candy and headed home to Shawne's house with the younger kids while Gary and Charlotte kept going...and going...Every time Jer asked them if they were ready to head home Gary would say"I go a little more!" They got a ton of candy!

My treat was to paint the craft room downstairs. The kids really haven't used it in the past year, and I have decided to re purpose it as a true guest room.  The carpet was layed on Thursday and a new queen bed is being deliverd tomorrow. I am enjoying gathering bedding etc and will post pictures when I pull it together. Consider yourself invited for a sleepover!

Sandy clobbers my NJ

Mom would not leave Toms River; "I'm not that type of person Kerry" she said to me. Not what type, Mom, the type who goes to safety when the storm of the century is predicted to make landfall in your town?! Okay, your three kids will sit and worry, I guess we are that type of people!
Susan had to head to the hospital at 6 am, and she said the ride was great because no one was on the roads. Schools were cancelled all over the region, but the hospital is always open. She even had to take an overnight bag in case the night shift couldn't make it in. After a long day, Susan took her friend and co-worker Irene back to her house so she didn't have to commute down south to her home through the storm. No power in Parsippany while the storm raged, and the family saw and heard transformers blowing up on the power lines. On Thursday they are still without power, chilly and cooking in the microwave,powered by the generator Artie has had for a few years. School and power are both expected to be out until Monday, and Halloween was postponed for the second year in a row. Those poor kids.  Donnie and Catherine are out of power in West Orange as well, and since the NJ Path train system is decimated Donnie is unable to get to his job in NYC.  I finally heard from Mom mid morning on Wednesday and she was fine. I try not to listen as she describes hauling branches to the curb, driving around town the morning after the storm looking for an open coffee shop...because you can't tell her not to, she won't listen.
I have watched the scenes on television of my childhood playground, the town of Seaside Heights, and I can't believe it. I hope my cousins, The MacIntoshs, are okay in Seaside Park, they live right on Ocean Ave. Seeing all the families throughout the area devastated by this disaster moves me to tears and prayer.

these are the rides we went on as kids and that my kids went on...they are no more