Friends Forever....

Wow! It'll be 26 years in August since Monica and I met in nursing school. Midway through our first year in nursing school we became roommates and the rest is history! We had so many good times during school and afterwards, as well, when we shared a townhouse in Emmaus. There was the trip to the Bahamas when we pretty much ran out of money the second day we were there, the vacation to Hawaii where we got soooo sunburned that we were both miserable and last, but not least, the trip to California with Monica's sister. During that vacation we decided to take the bus to Tijuana, Mexico for a day trip...well...let me tell YOU...big mistake!! We got into the Tijuana bus terminal, saw all these shady characters, were petrified, and proceeded to get right back on the bus for the trip back to San Diego! We still laugh about that trip!

We got engaged within six months of each other, got married within six months of each other, had our first child within six months of each other and had our second child within six months of each other!! When the kids were younger, we spent quite a bit of time together. As they all have grown and each developed different interests, we have kind of grown apart. Now between our jobs, family responsibilities and running our kids in all different directions, we're lucky if we talk once every few months.

Even though I hardly get to see Monica, she is still always in my thoughts. And I know we would be there for each other if there was a crisis in either of our families. That's what friends are for......

The Family

This picture was taken the day of Kurt's 50th birthday party. From left to right: Louise (Michele's mom), Adam, Alyssa, Michele and Kurt

NHS pictures from March 22, 2006

Alyssa with her flower and NHS certificate

Alyssa and her friend Tasha, who was also inducted into NHS

Alyssa being silly!

Alyssa being sillier!!

English 101....Good and Well...

As some of you know, I have off on Thursdays. I have been volunteering at Moore Elementary for the last ten and a half years on my day off. I help the fourth grade teachers out in various ways...stapling, collating, grading, cutting, pasting, collecting, filing, etc. This past week, as I was separating language arts papers for two teachers, I came across a homework paper on the words 'good' and 'well.' I remember having a recent discussion about the correct use of these words with family members. I borrowed one of the extra homework sheets and brought it home with me. I thought maybe we could all use an English lesson reminder on the correct way to use these words.

Use the adjective GOOD to describe nouns:
Audrey chooses good colors.
Light pink would be a good color for the walls.
She had a good idea.

Use the adverb WELL to describe verbs:
Audrey paints well.
She knew the store owner well.
Audrey painted her room well.

Now here's a few for YOU to do:
Audrey planned her paint job _______.
Blue is ______ for a cool look.
I am ______, thanks for asking.

Bifocals and Cross Stitch

OK, those of you who see me on a regular basis know that I am cross stitching non-stop. We seem to have fertile relatives, who keep having little babies!! For any of you who are familiar with cross stitch, you know that it involves making little X's with floss on these tiny little squares. For those of us who are aging, seeing those little squares can be a little difficult...LOL!! Well, let me tell you...I never thought I would ever enjoy having BIFOCALS! These things have been a God-send! It is almost a pleasure to cross stitch now that I can see what I am doing! Hopefully, the TWO baby samplers I am currently working on will go much faster now!

The Big 5-0!!

Kurt celebrated his 50th birthday on Friday, March 10th. Alyssa, Kurt and I went to the Texas Roadhouse (wouldn't recommend it for anyone with peanut allergies...there were peanuts and shells everywhere you looked...)and had a great meal. It was kind of low-keyed. We sent him a basket of goodies with all his favorites....chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels and coffee!
Today we had a surprise birthday party (at least the kids and I THOUGHT it was SURPRISE!!) for him at his brother's house in Fogelsville. The kids and I went to every extreme to try and make it a surprise, but he admitted that he suspected something was amiss!! I struggled with what to get him for his birthday...Adam thought he might want a spray gun for when it comes time to paint the Austin Healey he is restoring. Kurt's brother informed me already has one of them. After further consideration, I decided to give him a half day racing experience at Pocono Raceway. When he looked at the page I printed out from the web site, he said, "What, are you trying to kill me off?!?!?!?" We had an enjoyable afternoon, having the opportunity to visit with his two brothers, one sister, his parents and my mom. Plus the chocolate cake with peanut butter icing wasn't too bad either....LOL!