Moving to Wordpress

Just a heads up - my daughters have convinced me to switch to Wordpress. I will get used to where things are on their dashboard. The girls are right, the templates look cleaner. I like the fact the people do not have to sign up for a google or blogger account. The new blog is here. In case the link dies it is: www.joyinhim.wordpress.com

Hope you had a great Saturday. We were very lazy. I got laundry done and some computer work and then we watched the movie, "Amazing Grace". It was very good.

Long...short week

It's amazing how a work week of two days can seem SOOOO long! I have been tired by 7 PM each night. I have no plans for the weekend, so that is nice...and we are back to two college girls here (our own). Hilary will leave Sunday afternoon to go back to ENC for J-Term.

I am learning that parenting is not easy. Not that I didn't already know that, I mean 24 years ago when Lindsey was whisked away after she was born and we didn't know if she was going to live or die...that has hard. There have been experiences with all the girls that have been difficult. This week I found myself struggling with letting go. Katie had to make an important decision about a relationship...it was a difficult one, but she felt the right one. I struggled to not ask too many questions; that's not easy for me. I process things verbally...guess I need to hear it for it to make sense. Katie (as well as the rest of my family, I think) are internal processors(or is it -ers when you talk about people?). Anyway, as I lay in bed struggling with letting go and having no control over how the situation/relationship was handled, I began to think about God. I mean He knows the choices we are going to make, yet He backs off and lets us make them. I wonder if it is a struggle for Him. Does His heart ache when the hearts of His children are aching, like a parent's heart does? I'm not sure I have all those answers, but it gave me a different perspective on God my Father... What I do know is I am glad that I have a perfect, loving Heavenly Father, who knows what the outcome of every situation I face will be and is there to guide me to it and through it.

Welcome 2008!

It was a lazy day here today. John worked half a day. I made some AWESOME cranberry orange scones (thank you Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa and the Food Network). The kids slept in and just hung out most of the day. We took down the Christmas decorations. Katie and Jessica made chicken parmesan for supper.

It started snowing around 11:30 AM and didn't stop until about 8:30 PM. We got another foot of snow. Last year we couldn't BUY snow and since 12/1 we've had about 4-1/2 feet of it. Tommy, Kate's friend from Maryland, has never seen this much snow. After supper the five kids went out to play. Hilary took my camera and got some great shots. I love this first one.

The Photographer

Tommy, Jessica and Katie having a BLAST!

I hope you had a great day. I have one more day before I have to go back to school. I hope to make a tablecloth...whopee!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

It's been a crazy day. I've been trying to organize 100 CDs in my discgear...almost done. Also, there was a BIG refund check for Katie that has been misplaced. I have looked everywhere in the house and gone through ALL the trash bags outside twice (yuk!). I just don't know what has happened to it. I keep praying, because I know God knows where it is, but He isn't letting me in on the whereabouts as of yet. How about praying too...thanks.

Today is my Mom's birthday. I am so proud of her...she is the energizer bunny...although I think some days she has to head to the "charger" more often than she used to. I hope you had a great day Mom. Hugs and Kisses!

Lindsey flew home yesterday - it was good to have her here for 10 days. Hilary is at First Night Wolfeboro with friends. Katie and her Eastern U. gang should be back from First Night soon. Katie and International Toast sang from 8:30-10:00 PM. Here's the photo that was on the posters and in the newspaper this week.

John got home at 7 PM and was asleep in bed by 8 PM- I hate these long days for him. I guess I'm ringing in the new year alone...oh well. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

LONG POST WITH PICTURES AND A VIDEO...

So much has happened since my last post...school...One Voice...3 friends have died...my 50th birthday and Christmas. The photos, words and video below are just a glimpse of the craziness and blessing of December.

In the midst of the finals weeks of One Voice rehearsals we lost a friend and choir member, Dave Constant. What a blessing this man was. I remember him talking to John about the treatments they were going to try on him and not knowing if they would work. His comment to John was, "Either way I win...". Dave fought the good fight and glorified God through his life. This photo is from our Easter production, "Alive Forever". The song was, "We Followed the Man".

I have circled Dave, in my book He followed the man.

John offered to take me to the Nutcracker for my birthday. I decided what I really wanted was time with the family, so I asked to go to Wired for Christmas in Raymond, NH. This guy has tons of lights (check out the website) and music to go with the lights. It was a riot listening to Hilary, Katie and Andrew in the backseat on the trip down (they slept on the way home). We went to Applebee's for supper. It was exactly what I wanted - family and laughter.

The home of a die-hard Red Sox fan.

My 50th birthday present. An eternity band. The question then becomes does it mean John wants to be married to me for an eternity OR it feels like we've been married an eternity...LOL

One Voice was tiring, stressful, chaotic and an amazing blessing. One of the tech crew from the High School accepted the Lord last week. Welcome to the family Anna! The Drama was about a girl named Marissa who had made some poor choices, but finally came back to the Lord (and her family). After the last performance a woman came up to Karen (who played Marissa) and said, "You just told my story - that was my life...and by the way, my name is Marissa!!!"WOW!! Click on the photo below and it will take you to my photobucket account where you can see more photos and videos from the performance, then click on slideshow to view them. By the way that is John in the middle of this photo of the opening song...

Hilary's favorite photo as she prods the Hippo with my monopod...

The girls Christmas morning. Lindsey's hat says "Feliz Navidad" or as her Kindergartener's say, "Feliz Ladeda!"

Katie's gift to her sisters (and me). This painting is from a photo taken the day Katie was born. Lindsey and Hilary are in hospital gowns holding her in the hospital.

wii bowling

TURN OFF STANDALONE PLAYER BEFORE WATCHING VIDEO...SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF PAGE...
MARSHMALLOW WARS are compliments of the shooters my Mom sent the girls...

A Merry Christmas Chuckle for You

Not much time to share all that has happened since my last post. This is just a sample. Merry Christmas and enjoy the chuckle. Hit the pause button on the standalone player at the bottom of the page to be able to hear the girl singing in the video.

Busy...

It's been a busy few days. Katie made it home and we went to Bill's funeral on Friday AM. As expexted, the church was packed. It was interesting trying to understand the symbolism in some of the things they do in the Catholic church. I decided I wouldn't make a good Catholic - the incense gave me a headache (LOL). It was good to see all the kids I had watched grow and thrive under Bill's loving care and it was good for Katie to be with friends. After the funeral she went to jam with International Toast and eat Chicken Parm (thanks Johnny). I went to finish Christmas and grocery shopping. It snowed again on the ride home and the roads were quite slick. I was thankful for my Subaru and AWD. Satuday was a full day of One Voice rehearsal and my "secret" is now out (it's OK Mom, I had let it slip to Lindsey earlier in the week...). I am the dancing Hippo in the song "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". Quite a claim to fame, huh?

Katie went to the Kingswood Christmas Concert last night - it was dedicated to Bill. They have had a long term sub for him and I guess the kids and staff really like him. Kate said there were a lot of tears shed during the concert. The part that got to me was when she told of the kids buying and presenting a directing baton to the teacher. The student who gave the baton to him was Bill's son, Michael. How symbolic of passing the baton...I got tears in my eyes just hearing her tell about it.

After church today, and a nice sit down lunch, I finally got some Oatmeal Raisin Cookies made for John and some sinfully chocolate brownies to take to school...well, Kate and I will need to sample them first. I have been working on the annual Christmas letter and hope to get that in the mail this week. Below is the picture/layout I chose to use. We are supposed to get snow/ice tonight so I may have a school delay in the AM...can't say I'd complain about that...

Teacher/Mentor/Friend...

Monday, December 3rd, a wonderful man, Bill Gibson, passed away after a year long battle with cancer. Bill was Katie's music teacher, mentor and friend. He was Katie's cheerleader. He stretched her and taught her. HE is the reason she chose to go to Eastern University to get a Music Ed. degree. She wants to be a High School music teacher...because of him. Bill was loved by so many students and parents and it will be very hard to fill the hole he has left in our hearts. His funeral is Friday. Katie was able to arrange to take her finals and vocal jury early so that she can fly home tomorrow and we can go to the funeral together. I am so glad she can come home. Below is a picture of Lindsey, Katie, Bill and Tasha. Bill called these three girls his "Divas". When Katie learned of Bill's cancer last year she decided to paint a portrait of him. Her AP Art teacher helped her add actual photographs of music concerts to the background. Bill was touched by her gift. I discovered today that this painting will be on display at the funeral home tomorrow. I had told Katie that the family would always have her gift and it would remind them of all the lives Bill had touched. You will be deeply missed Gib...

l to r: Lindsey, Katie, Bill, Tasha

The one and only GIB!

Umm...I was inspired...

OK - after watching Hilary and Andrew dance, I was inspired - I just couldn't resist this.

Anyone who knows John and Mark will understand this clip because it is typical of when they are together. This one would probably NOT be typical, but hey, maybe it should be...

Love you John, Melodie and Mom!

Belly Laugh...

OK - it's after midnight and I should be sound asleep, but Hilary just sent me this link and you have GOT to check it out... Presenting...HILARY and ANDREW

Now to bed...

Crazy week so far...

Well, I got up at 2:30 AM Sunday to take Katie to Portsmouth to catch a bus to South Station and from there another bus to King of Prussia, PA. I got back a 6 AM and slept for 2 hours, then went to church and also taught Sunday School. We went out to eat with some people and then I came home and crashed for an hour. I had planned to go to bed early, but the Patriots-Eagles game interrupted that...but it was a worthy cause (GO PATS!). Monday AM we had a 2 hour delay at school due to icy roads - yeah for resetting the alarm. I only stayed for part of One Voice practice Monday night and then came home and crashed. Tuesday was actually a normal day - well all is relative I guess. I woke up with a sinus headache this AM and was dreading getting out of bed. I took some Excedrin at 5:00 AM heated a rice pack and grabbed and ice pack. The dreaded alarm went off at 5:45 AM and I promptly hit the snooze alarm. At 6:00 AM the phone rang - it was ALERTNOW (I love that new system the school uses). I was shocked and dismayed to learn that our school had been broken into AGAIN! This time no one was to come to the school, not even to help clean up. As much as I hate the fact that this has happened two times in 3 months, I was delighted to go back to bed. Pippin was thrilled to be my bedfella (haha). When I finally got moving I accomplished a lot. All the Christmas decoration boxes have been pawed through and most of the decorations are where they belong. I hope to finish tomorrow.

I went to a superb concert put on by REACH OUT (40 voice childrens group from the Lakes Region). They presented "The Mystery of the Manger". It was wonderful. The kids were trying to prove to a reporter that God's Word was true and that all the promises about Jesus in the Old Testament had come true. I had to smile though - one of the songs was a blast from the past - reminded me of Northern Lights Youth Choir days. The kids sang Steven Curtis Chapman's..."A promise is a promise and a fact's a fact..." It was great!

My sister adopted/rescued a chocolate lab a few months ago and I helped her name him - WONKA! She sent pictures and I just decided to honor this chocolate with a page of his own. He's been through a lot the last few months, but he has a wonderful owner to love and care for him now - nice job Melodie. Pippin will have a chocolate playmate when we see them this summer.

Quickpage - ALPS Love in Bloom

As far as I know there is school tomorrow....

The Days in a Nutshell...

• Hilary arrived safely Tuesday - lots of homework
• Katie arrived safely at 6:15 AM and was surprised when Keith (beau) came with me
• Jack and Marge arrived safely on Wednesday
• Baked and baked etc. for Thanksgiving
• Jack broke his dental plate Thursday AM - Rite Aid had a repair kit and it worked so I didn't have to use the food processor on his turkey dinner ;0)
• Great fried turkey dinner
• Katie left with Jess R. at 4:30 AM Friday to go to Portsmouth shopping
• Jack broke his plate again Friday AM and Jack and Marge went home Friday
• I cleaned closets and spent a LONG time organizing CDs with the 100 Selector by Discgear - still not done, but almost
• Brought up Christmas stuff and set up Christmas tree - will finish tomorrow or Tuesday...then to prime and paint the dining room/kitchen...
• I leave at 3 AM tomorrow to take Katie back to Portsmouth to catch the bus to Boston and then back to school - Dan Edwards will be riding with her
• Hilary will leave after church to head back to Quincy
• I will take a LONG nap Sunday afternoon
• The Christmas Tree is missing Lindsey's touch, but here is a very poor photo of the tree and me
  
  

Busy Bee - - - ME!!!

Today:

• Played keyboard at church
• taught Sunday School at church (part of VeggieTales Madame Blueberry, "A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart...") and made Quirky Turkeys with the kids
• picked up odds and ends for baking for Thanksgiving
• picked up a Steak Bomb and a wonderful steak and cheese sandwich at R & L Subs - which were thoroughly enjoyed by me and John
• LINDSEY - all of the following were done while listening to Christmas music - figured that would make you happy...LOL
• baked Christmas Sugar Cookies and used the wonderful Food Saver to package and freeze them for Christmas
• made a double batch of Party Mix for Thanksgiving munching
• tried a new recipe - Alton Brown's White Trash recipe (cereals, m & ms, pretzels, nuts, dried cranberries in a white chocolate mixture) - not bad - makes a HUGE batch but I'm sure it will be devoured while everyone is home for Thanksgiving
• did 3 loads of laundry
• typed up blocking sheets for One Voice
• WATCHING Patriots vs Bills (GO PATS!!!)

Can you tell I'm feeling better?

John painted the bathroom for me - hooray! Tomorrow we can hang my new shelves! NEXT project...paint dining room/kitchen, but that will wait until after Thanksgiving. John said he'd paint for me if I'd prime the walls. I want to have it done before Christmas.

Well, the football game is calling.

MIA and Delayed Stress Syndrome...

So, I've been out of the loop for awhile. We didn't have school Friday and Monday of last week so I had BIG plans for things I wanted to do...my body on the other hand decided it was time to be sick. I spent Sunday afternoon and Monday in bed. I went to school Tuesday and Wednesday, but by then knew it was a sinus infection. I see my Doctor Monday, so they agreed to call in an antibiotic. I stayed home from school and in bed on Thursday. That felt weird - it was the first time I've called in sick to work in 13+ years. I felt SO much better on Friday and am back to 98% now. Thank goodness. John took advantage of my being under the weather and went golfing Monday while I was in bed. It was warm enough to golf Monday and we had snow flurries yesterday...

I had great plans for cleaning and baking and freezing some things last week, but it just didn't happen. This morning I made Hermit cookies for John and some Peanut Butter Cookies (wanted those all week). I have sugar cookie dough mixed up, SO, if I can keep the energy level up, I'll make sugar cookies when I get back from One Voice and freeze them for Christmas.

When we took Lindsey to college we all bawled. When we took Hilary we all cried. When we took Katie things got a little crazy when we had to leave and she had to go to a meeting, so we didn't really have time to cry. I shed a silent tear, but that was about it. However, I suffered from Delayed Stress Syndrome while waiting for my prescription this week. All of the sudden the Jack Johnson song, "We're Better Together" starting playing in the store sound system. I wasn't hearing Jack Johnson though, I was hearing Katie and Johnny (Gallazelli) singing it and gentle tears started to flow. Thankfully I had myself back together when my prescription was finally ready. Anyway...

It is getting cooler here, but not bad. I have 2 days of school next week and lots of things to do before the girls arrive (minus Lindsey -boo) and John's folks are coming in Wednesday. If I don't get back on until after Thanksgiving I hope y'all have a wonderful day and please celebrate all the blessings God has given you.

Poor Baby...

So, my "baby" girl loves to dance. She joined Ethel's Swing Dance Club at Eastern and is loving it. We bought her black/white wing tipped swing dance shoes and sailor swing dance pants. She is learning all kinds of new steps and moves. She has also been to the ER today and has a stress fracture...She has to call an orthopedic doctor tomorrow and make an appointment...amazing that you can't get a real cast in the ER anymore...SOOO, the question is, how does KT get back and forth across campus on crutches? Just keep her in prayer and pray that she can get in this week to she the doctor. Love you Kate!

Life in Pictures...

I found someone to take Sunday School for me today, SO I got to go to S. Portland Church of the Nazarene to hear A Capella sing and to see Hilary! Yeah! The concert was great and I was surprised to see friends that used to live in "The County". Lindsey and Hali were friends in elementary and middle school. The Sirois' moved to southern ME when we moved to CT. I had not seen or heard from them in 7 years, yet here all 5 of them were plus the son-in-law! They call this church "home". God has richly blessed them and it was good to see that. I took a picture of Matt and Hali for Lindsey. This is a short week at school and I am psyched to have "me" time later in the week! The Pats gave us a huge scare tonight! John was screaming at the TV and Lindsey was on the phone screaming in my ears. Then Hilary got in on it through text messages! AGHHHH!! At least the Pats are still undefeated!

So, once again there are pictures. The first three Hilary took last weekend. I like them all, but the one of Andrew is my favorite - there is something "dreamy" about it.

Hali & Matt Fortin

I'm BAAAACKKK!

I am back up and running - our modem had died. I'm not sure why this is blue and can't get it to go away...oh well. I've been busy, but will just share photos of my kids that I have borrowed from facebook. Going to Portland tomorrow to hear Hilary sing in A Capella. Will catch you up later. Until then, enjoy the photos.

The birthday girl

Lindsey's small group had done something special for the guys who do all the set up at her church. They returned the favor by fixing a meal for them and they gave each of the girls a rose...aww....

Tinkerbell with pockets full of stuff..

Tink and Roomie

Tinkerbell and Peter Pan

Hook, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

Great orthodontics on this vampire - thanks Dr. Greg...

Braveheart anyone?

ARGHH!!!

Long story - but Time Warner struck big time AND didn't fix our internet on Tuesday...SO they can't come back until Saturday. I have access to it at school, but not much time so there will be little if any posts until at least Saturday.

HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY

BINZO BABY!

DOUBLE DELIGHT!!!

WOO HOO!!! ENOUGH SAID...

AND PATRIOTS 52 - Redskins 7

Whew!

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. I won't bore you with details except to say work, home, Red Sox, One Voice, Red Sox, church, Red Sox, kids home from college, work, Red Sox, home, Red Sox, One Voice, Red Sox,kids home from college, Patriots, Red Sox.

I was SO tired Wednesday that I laid down at 4:45 PM for a 15 minute nap and woke up at 6:30 PM only to find John asleep on the couch... Double Delight today with the Patriots playing this afternoon and the Red Sox playing tonight - will definitely need a nap. No One Voice rehearsal for me tomorrow night, but a Production Team meeting Thursday PM. Here are a few photos taken in the last week (with my phone...)

This is Mt. Chocorua, about 5 miles from the house.

Monday, while at One Voice my phone buzzed with a picture message. I figured it was the girls, but this was what I got from my husband. A 13 inch trout caught in Lake Chocorua!

And finally, this lovely picture of Hilary taken as she was loading her plate with beef brisket for lunch...