Monday, December 15, 2008

Are there "Holidays" coming?

Well, yes!  The wedding went wonderfully and I now officially have another daughter (in-law) which I am really enjoying!  The newlyweds had a nice honeymoon in Orlando and are now back home and "back to work."  

So now it's time to look to getting ready for Christmas and then a week in Charlevoix with all the kids and grandkids for a while.  Should be fun.


Ben helps Travis get ready

Putting on "The Dress"

Jamie and Jacob/James Bond

Ashlyn looked so cute and loved the bubbles!!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

There's "snow" place like Michigan

As they say, if you don't like the weather in Michigan just wait a minute, it will change.  Two weeks ago it was 70 something in Nov. and yesterday we got at least 6 inches of snow.  This morning it is 20 something.  Yikes!!  

What I thought would be a quiet week is filling up with things to do, as usual but how boring would it be otherwise?  Today I am driving down to Gull Lake to get together with my "old" forum group.  It has been a little over a year (or has it been two?  time flies!!) since we were together so we will have a LOT of catching up to do.  I'm looking forward to seeing them.

Amanda emailed me their "schedule" for their upcoming visits to Michigan and I am excited to see them and have them around again.  More good things about weddings and holiday.

Amanda says she will share some "deep thoughts" in her upcoming blogs so I am looking forward to that too.  Maybe she will inspire me to do the same.  ???? We'll see........

For those of you who don't have snow I will share some of ours with you.



Thursday, November 13, 2008

There's a wedding around the corner!

Well, I've actually been in Holland for 2 1/2 weeks now!  Wow!  But the weather has been gloomy and rainy so I've been looking at the calender to see if there is some time I could sneak away to Florida.  Doesn't look like it but that's OK, I'm enjoying spending time with friends and family and getting ready for the wedding.  Today SHOULD be busy.  Need to take care of a few things for me for the wedding - get my dress to someone who can take up the hem and return a few things I won't be needing.  We'll see how it goes.  I always have great ambitions.

This week has been relatively quiet.  Larry was in Chicago for a couple nights to meet some customers.  Next week will be a little busier and by Friday we will be "full steam ahead" with something going on every day between wedding "stuff" and Thanksgiving.  Ben and Amanda will be home too so that will be great!  Travis will be home for two more weeks and then he can move into his condo and get his room clean.  All good things!!

I have been getting some pictures of Travis and Allison ready for a slide show for the reception and they are just so cute!!  I may try to post a couple for you to see too.  (If I can remember how to do it - it has been a while.)



                                                                              Travis


                                                                          Allison

Monday, November 3, 2008

Holland again

We are back in Holland.  Arrived Sat. night about 9:30 so we had Sunday to chill before getting back "into the groove".  Allison had another Shower given by her friend Carol that included some of her friends, Jamie and me.  It was nice to meet some of her friends and it was a nice shower.  She got the Toaster Oven that Travis had his eye on so he should be a happy camper now!  Seems like I have a pretty busy week ahead of me so I should try to get organized and get as much done as I can on the days I have at home.

We had a nice time in FL.  The weather got a little warmer each day.  Allison and I went to Coconut Point on Thursday instead of going to the boat show with Larry and Allison found a few things she still needs for the wedding.  Friday we went to the beach.  We had some clouds come overhead but still got some sunshine too.  The water in the Gulf has cooled down with the cooler weather they have had.  Bad news for swimmers but good news for less of a chance of hurricanes.


Monday, October 27, 2008

Florida bound

Tonight I am in a Hampton Inn in Lake City, FL.  I am on my way to Cape Coral.  Allison came along with me so I wouldn't have to drive alone.  Larry drove another car and is in Orlando tonight.  He has a meeting there tomorrow and then will join us in Cape Coral.  We drove about 800 miles today, we were in 5 different states today.  It is a first for Allison since she has only driven/ridden to Kentucky to Cave City before.  It is still cool here in FL, only 52 degrees but "warmer" than back in Holland.  We will all be back on Sat. night.

Monday, October 20, 2008

It't Monday again

It's a dreary, rainy Monday but I can't complain.  We have had some really nice weather and an especially nice weekend.  Larry went with Travis to Silver Lake on Saturday for his bachelor party.  They went riding up in the dunes with Jeeps with some of Travis' friends and cousin Brad.  Sounds like they had lots of fun.  So Jamie and Allison and I had a girls night out and had dinner downtown at 84 East then went bowling and then back to Jamie's and chatted for a while then watched the movie "Fool's Gold."  It was fun and entertaining.  Jamie and I had kinda "hung out"earlier in the day running some errands that we both had to do but it was nice to spend some time with her too.  Yesterday Larry and I just had a nice day relaxing some and then he got the bubblers in down at the dock and the lines taken off the posts.  Better to do it on a nice day than to wait for cold rain or snow!!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Hello

I am just here to say hello to anyone who looks to see if I've updated my blog.  Hello!!  Melody says I should put some more pictures on here so maybe I will sometime soon.  :-)



OK, so here is a picture of the Charlevoix lighthouse when we took the "woody" boat for a ride a few weeks ago. It was a nice night!!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

October already?

Wow, I can't believe October is here.  The time goes by so quickly.  

Today we are getting ready to head back to Holland but we will be back in Charlevoix next weekend for Applefest.  After that I'm not sure if we will make it back before Christmas.  We are hoping to come back between Christmas and New Years with the kids to do some snowmobiling and the kids want to ski and snowboard.  Sounds like fun.

The week went fast here but I did get to do some reading and crocheting and also saw our friends here a few times.  So, as usual the time flew by and I didn't do all I had hoped to but I'm not feeling bad that I didn't do more so that's good too.

It is definitely fall weather, rainy, cloudy....... but a few peeks of the sun here and there.  The trees are turning color and we've seen some pretty reds and yellows here and there this week.  Should be even better by next weekend so I will make sure I bring the camera.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

More

More blogging!! Yeah.  Two days in a row.  Yesterday afternoon some new friends of ours came to visit us in Charlevoix and spent the night too.  Larry knows James from YPO and he is also working with him on some of his turn-key projects.  James called Friday night and asked if it was OK if he and his wife and 4 kids came to visit and spend the night.  So they arrived a little after 1pm on Sat. and stayed through about lunch time today.  The kids are 10, 8, 7 and 5 - 3 boys and one girls.  It was a houseful, especially when we are not used to having that many little kids around.  But it was fun too to get to know James, Vonda and their kids.  They had a blast playing with the Wii and the Wii fit last night.

Actually we suggested Juleretts for them for breakfast this morning and we skipped out to Bay Harbor to see our friends Karen and Jerry Nixon.  They have a condo in Bay Harbor and had been up there this past weekend but had to leave to go back to the Chicago area early today so it was our only chance to see them.  Jerry has lung cancer and will be starting some new treatment next Wed. so we didn't know when we might get a chance to see him again depending on how the treatment goes.

It has cooled down now and feels more like fall but the past week was some of the best weather of the "summer" so we really enjoyed it a lot.  We got to Charlevoix Thurs. night about midnight but enjoyed the great day on Friday by taking the Hacker for a ride.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Blog, blog, blog

I don't know why it is so hard for me to just write a little bit every day or even a few times a week but it is not something I look forward to so that makes it harder.  I LOVE to read other people's blogs but I always feel like I don't know what to write.  

So.......

I am still alive, in case a lot of people were wondering!!  Larry and I were in Calgary last week for ICPI meetings.  It's always nice to see the people there but I guess I could have missed it this year.  But I had a nice massage and a great pedicure while I was there.  The hotel we stayed in had a nice spa.  So that was a great treat!!  And I did some reading and some cross-stitching and some walking around the downtown area.  The weather was nice so it was all in all it was a nice "get-a-way" for me but Larry had to work and go to meetings.

Guess we will go get some lunch so that is all for now.  At least I have "updated" my blog for today.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Up to Speed

Time to get caught up on my blog.  Let's see where was I? A lot has happened since my last update.  

 Ben and Amanda came to Michigan and visited with her family for a few days and then came up to Charlevoix for the rest of the week.  We got to see Amanda on her birthday and help her celebrate with gifts and then ice cream at Kilwins at night.  We had fun with them and Jamie and the kids came up too to spend time with them.  We played Rock Band since Ben brought it along and even Jacob played the drums and did quite well.  We went tubing in Lake Charlevoix and went for a couple boat rides too.  

The kids all left on Sat. and then Larry had a couple customers come in to Traverse City on Monday and we picked them up at the airport.  He took them around to see some things on Tues. and they left again on Wed.  We headed home Wed. afternoon and then Thurs. morning had Larry's WPO forum and wives on the boat for a ride down to South Haven.  Some rode with us and some met us in South Haven.  We had lunch on the boat then the forum had their meeting on the boat and the 4 wives who were there and I strolled casually through downtown S. Haven and ended up at the Idler to rest our feet and have something to drink.  When the meeting was done we had some snacks back on board the boat.  A few had to leave before dinner but we had a group of 11 who stayed for a great dinner at Clementines - our favorite in South Haven.

This was all the "kickoff" for a great Labor Day weekend in South Haven.  Our 20th in a row with our "boating friends" from Holland.  Also Chuck & Carol were there on the Lucky Joe and Karl and Linda Lohre came with their boat - Rollwind - all from the Chicago area.  Lohre's daughter Kristy drove up with her new puppy Kamen - SO CUTE!!  It was nice to spend the weekend with them too.  Jamie and the kids came Sat. afternoon and spent the night and Mom Hilldore, Mary, Tim & his kids all visited us too for pizza for lunch and a "big boat" ride out on the big lake.  The kids had fun jumping off the boat and swimming in Lake Michigan.  Jamie and the kids had to leave early Sunday afternoon and then Travis and Allison got there Sunday night in time to have dinner with us.  They spent the night and Allison and I rode back on the boat while Travis drove back.  It was a great weekend.  Sunny, warm and the lake was flat!  We took some dingy rides too up the river and also out on the big lake for a swim on Sunday.

So now we are back in Holland for a few days.  And yes,  it does feel good to be "home" even though we love being in beautiful Charlevoix and on the boat visiting with friends and family.
And...... we are getting ready for an earlier wedding for Travis and Allison - A November 28th wedding now instead of May.  And...... you may have guessed....... Larry and I will be grandparents again sometime the beginning of April!  Not the way we would have hoped they would start their married life but they are excited about both "big days."  They just closed on a nice condo a few miles from us and Allison moved in there this past weekend.

So I guess that "catches me up" for now.  As always I know I should post more often but I do what I can.  :-0

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Facebook

I put the web site for my blog on Facebook so those who connect with me there can also see the blog if they are interested so I thought I would mention here that I am also on Facebook and have added a few more pictures from the New York trip there.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Back to Charlevoix

After a few days in Holland to catch up on a few things there we're back to Charlevoix for a few weeks.    We had a nice time having dinner with our friends the Freckmans Monday night and on Tues. night had a great homemade dinner at Mom and Dad Spaulding's.  Brother Ken came too and it was nice to chat with them.  Also Tues. I went with Jamie, Jacob and Ashlyn to help Jamie out while she did some "pre-school" shopping.

Our friends Chuck and Carol are here on a stop on their boat trip so Larry took them for a boat ride in the Hacker-craft this afternoon and then we all had dinner at Gray Gables.  Mary is here too visiting for a couple days.  Always fun to have "sister Mary" around and she enjoyed meeting Dr. Beck (Chuck) as well.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Girls Weekend in New York City

We had very full day on Fri. and besides taking the ferry to Staten Island and seeing the Statue of Liberty on the way we also went to ground zero.  There was this memorial on the wall of a fire station near by.  Pretty awesome to see the big hole in the ground where they are working and think about all the things that have happened here.  There were also pictures of the buildings and a park they are planning to build there.
We did some shopping at the Century 21 store that says it is New York's best kept secret but when we got in the store it was packed with people buying LOTS of stuff.  I guess the secret is out.  

We did a lot of travel by subway and also took a cab up to Bloomingdales since the Concierge at the hotel had given us a little packet of coupons for Bloomingdales.  Allison got a free cappicino and Jamie and I got free frozen yogurt.  Then we headed to Times Square and did a little more shopping before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the play.



We had a great steak dinner near the theatre and then headed over to the play.  It was really a lot of fun and very well done.  It had a few more songs than the original animated feature and Amanda decided she liked this version better.  She also told us last night that if she had to have another job that she would like to be a Broadway Actress.  Who knows, maybe we'll see here there someday!



Sunday we checked out of the hotel and headed to Central Park.  We visited "the lawn" were there are some baseball diamonds and there were quite a few people playing ball.  Then we went to the "castle."  The girls climbed the stairs up into the building.



Friday, August 8, 2008

.....And a REALLY big boat

Today we added a boat to our list of transportation that we have taken in the past few days.  We took the Staten Island Ferry and went past the Statue of Liberty.  Very cool.  I had never seen it before and it is very awesome.

The rest will have to wait as I'm VERY tired!!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (and Subways and a Taxi)

Not in that order but we have done them all in the past two days.  Jamie, Allison and I flew Wed. afternoon to Binghamton, NY and drove our rental car to Ben and Amanda's in Owego.  Then Thurs. morning we drove (actually Jamie did the driving) 2 1/2 hrs east to a train station where we got on the train to go to the city.  We had to transfer to a second train for the last 10 mins. of the ride and that was a bit more work than expected but we made it.  LOTS of stops on the first train we took but hey, look at all the new towns we've been in in NJ now!!  Then we took a cab from the train station to our hotel.  We decided to go to Canal St. for some shopping and took the Subway from near the hotel down to the Canal St. stop.  LOTS of T-shirts, purses, sunglasses, watches and jewelry there, shop after shop and they are all ready to give you a "really good deal."  Don't like the price?  How much do you want to pay?  $30 instead of $35?  How about $33?  Anyway it was fun!  I think we all came back with at least a little something.

After a little rest back at the hotel we talked with the Concierge and asked for a suggestion for an Italian restaraunt.  Her suggestion was GREAT!!  I'll have to find the name later and post it as a recommendation if you are ever in NY City.  Then we had to walk off all the good food so we walked to Rockefeller Center, took the elevator ride to the "top of the Rock" and got a great view of the city all lit up at night.  Very pretty!!

A little more walking brought us to Time Square (or at least pretty close) and it started to rain so we just had to duck into the M&M's store.  Very fun place.  By the time we left the rain had let up some so we started our walk back to the hotel and just a few blocks into the walk the rain slowed way down and then stopped.

I don't know if my feet are up for another day but I will see how it goes.  We have more to do tomorrow but some involves some riding and maybe not so much walking.  We'll see.

That's all for now "from the Big Apple!"  :-)

Monday, August 4, 2008

Back in Holland (for a little while)

Here is a picture of Jacob and Ashlyn in the fountain in Charlevoix last week after the"grand opening" of the fountain during the Venetian Festival.


Larry and I made it back today with the "big" boat.  We decided to bring it back to Holland and were going to try to get back last night but got a little bit later start that we anticipated and then stopped in Leland for fuel and that took quite a while.  So by the time we left there the weather wasn't looking too good and 1 1/2 later as we were getting close to Frankfort we heard other boaters saying they were watching a "light display" over the water in Ludington.  It looked like there would be thunderstorms all the way to Holland from anywhere south of Frankfort so we ducked in and spent the night there.  Didn't get as early of a start as we had hoped but left there about 8:30 this morning and arrived back in Holland about 1:45.  The lake was a little rougher today than last night.  Mostly out of the south of course so we had to slow down a little.  

We have a couple days here then Larry heads out to Huntington Beach, CA for some meetings and Jamie, Allison and I leave Wed. morning to fly out to Ben and Amanda's.  We will spend the night there, and the girls will drive down toward NYC on Thurs. and then take the train into the city and stay 2 nights.  Then head back to Ben and Amanda's on Sat. and spend another night there.  I'm looking forward to it a lot.  I have the flights booked, the car rented, and the hotel booked and have left the rest up to the girls to plan.  Should be fun!!  I'll try to post some pictures later.

Travis and Allison are getting married in May (for those who might not already know) and last week made an offer on a condo that was accepted.  I know they are excited and I'm looking forward to going to see it too.

Always lots of mail to go through after we've been gone a while so that is my "job" for the rest of the afternoon.  

Already went out and took a walk around the house to see how much weeding needs to be done and so that will be next on my list while I'm home.  Couldn't resist pulling a few as I walked around too but I run out of room in my hands quickly.

It is always nice to get back "home" and my friend Melody greeted us on the dock to welcome us home and helped with the lines too!!  We're planning to have lunch tomorrow so we can get "caught up" a little bit.

So there, I finally got a chance to write about what's "coming up" as well as what has happened.  Now you will all be so anxious to get back to my blog to see how it all went.  :-)

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Busy, busy

Well it has certainly been a very busy few weeks.  I will try to re-cap but still be brief.
- We took the boat to Leland for a night on Sat. night the 18th and visited with the Mark, Shelley and Ruth there.  Always nice to get a chance to stay in Leland.  Beautiful spot.
- Venetian week started in Charlevoix on the 20th and Jamie and the kids arrived on Tues.  It was fun having them here and getting to "play" with Jacob and Ashlyn.  Jacob's such an easy going GREAT kid (no prejudice here at all) and Ashlyn is a hoot with all her funny faces and she's learning and trying to learn new words.  So she's starting to communicate and letting her needs be known.
- Mom and Dad Spaulding arrived Friday afternoon and then I got to take a small plane back to Holland to go to a Drama Club reunion.  It was great to see so many there but the highlight was to see Ellen Doyle Mizener and Cathy Zeeb Golliday!!  The three musketeers back together again however, briefly.  It was also great to see so many others - Jodi, Beth, Mary Jo, John, Dan and Brenda, Phil, Jim, Brad.........  Although some were missing it seemed a good "core" of my friends were there.  We had a great time reminiscing about how so many people in Drama had affected our lives in such a positive way.  I was sorry I couldn't stay longer but had to get back to Charlevoix...
- Mary and Dave and the kids came up to Charlevoix as well as Ken on Friday night.  Also Travis and Allison came back with me on the plane.  Larry took them for boat rides and wake boarding on Sat. and also he entertained the "gang" Friday night while I was gone and took them into Lake Charlevoix for the fireworks.
- Lots more activities in town - carnival, "flying dogs" and then more fireworks Sat. night right on Round Lake so we had front row seats.  Jacob wasn't sure which night were the best fireworks but later decided that Sat. night's were the best.
- Tim and Elizabeth and the kids also arrived about dinner time on Sat. night and got to join the fun too then they were off to Boyne City to camp for the week.
- Most everyone left Sun. afternoon but Mom and Dad stayed around until Wed. and went down to the campground to join Tim, Elizabeth and kids on Monday and Tues.
- Larry and I took the boat to Mackinac Island on Monday, met a customer of his there who was also on his boat, went out for dinner with them at a great place on the Island called Woods that I had never been to before, spent the night there on the boat and then came back to Charlevoix on Tues.
- Mom and Dad left for home Wed. and Larry took that small plane to Minneapolis for business
- Wed. night two more customers came into Charlevoix and Larry took them today to see a product that is made here in Charlevoix.
- Jamie had her court date on Tues. even though it seemed she and Jeff were quite a bit apart in agreeing on things but they worked it out between the Judge, lawyers and themselves so they still have to see the final written agreement and then sign and things will be final.  :-(  Not a good time for anyone but now at least Jamie can move on with her life.  It has been really difficult for her but we have seen her grow stronger through it all.  Please keep Jamie and the kids in your prays as they continue to "adjust" to the situation.

Whew - so much for being brief.  Oh well, had lots to re-cap.  If I would add to this every day or so I could make it shorter each time.

Maybe next time, or when I'm caught up with what has happened I can add some things that I am looking forward to.  

Friday, July 18, 2008

Italy, The Race and Up North




Wow, I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last posting and SO much has happened since then.  We had a very nice weekend with Mom Hilldore and Uncle Ray and Aunt Shirley.  Relaxing but fun.  It was good to see Mom in good spirits and she even walked quite a bit with us.  I think we tired her out because she slept really well!!

We spent the 4th of July Holiday in Italy!!  A good customer of ours got married in the little town of Silvi on the east coast of Italy, about a 2 1/2 hr drive, almost straight east of Rome.  We flew into Rome, arriving on the 4th and had a "taxi" ride (really a van) over to Silvi Marina, right on the Adriatic Sea where we stayed.  The wedding was on Sat., the 5th up the "hill" in the town of Silvi.  About the most picturesque place you can imagine.  They got married outside in front of a fountain. (See above)  It was just beautiful and I think half of the town was there just to watch.  We spent an extra day there relaxing and had pizza back "up" at the town Sunday night while an orchestra played just around the corner with singers singing O Sole Mio.  How much more "italian" can it get??

We then took the "cab" (van) ride back to Rome and spent a few days there.  Two days of touring really with a driver recommended by the wedding couple.  It was about 90 degrees F. there so it was nice to be able to ride around and see the sights in air conditioned comfort.  He also told us what we were looking at and gave us some information about things.  The first day we did have a tour through the Vatican which was pretty neat.  The second day Salvedore (our driver) took us up out of the city to a really pretty spot for lunch that was a little cooler.

So we saw lots of cool things and had LOTS of great food,  too much to list here.

We returned home on Thurs. night and then on Sat. took our grandson Jacob and his mom - Jamie to the NASCAR race near Chicago.

Jacob is a huge NASCAR fan and his favorite is Kyle Bush.  We had bid on a "package" at the Hospice dinner and won this trip for 4.  We had a private plane ride from Holland to near the race track, a car to use to go to the track, passes to the pits and garages, two rooms at a hotel for the night, breakfast in the morning, then the flight back to Holland.  It was all pretty cool and was a surprise for Jacob.  It was really fun to do that with them and I think Jamie was just as or more excited about it as Jacob was.  

That was Sat. and Sun. then on Monday Larry and I brought the boat up to Charlevoix and met some friends of ours - Mark and Shelley Hawks and Ruth Dailey from Holland here.  We got to keep the boat right at the marina next to them and spent some of the nights sleeping on the boat too so it really seems like "vacation" and the boat trips we have done with them in the past.  It was nice to spend time with them again too.

Well, if I knew better how to post the pictures between paragraphs I would add more but can't seem to get the hang of it.  I will have to get some instruction and then try again.

OK, so the pictures are kinda backwards at the top of the page but at least you can see them.  Jamie and Jacob in Kyle Bush's garage, Larry and I in Rome and the fountain where the wedding was.  Maybe I will get better at it at another time.  :-p  But you get the "picture."



Friday, June 27, 2008

Weekend in Charlevoix

Larry and I drove up to Charlevoix last night after we met Bill and Melody in Grand Rapids for dinner.   They were on their way home from the airport and we were on our way to Charlevoix so that worked out well.  Melody and I were "celebrating" our June birthdays.  It was nice to see them and catch up a little again.

This afternoon Mom Hilldore, Uncle Ray and Aunt Shirley are arriving for a visit for the weekend.  We are looking forward to having them here.  Mom says Aunt Shirley just "loves" Charlevoix.  It's always fun to have visitors and show people around this beautiful area.

So far it is a nice sunny day so we are hoping to have some good weather this weekend so we can take a boat ride and just enjoy the area.  Maybe I will even take some pictures and get them posted.  That would be quite an accomplishment for me!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Another trip to Grand Haven

This morning I "got" to go into Grand Haven again to report for jury duty.  Only 7 jurers needed today and I didn't get picked so I was on my way home again by 10:30.  Only one more day left of jury duty possible so we will just see what tomorrow brings.  

It's a rainy cloudy day so maybe I can get some stuff done in the house today.  I have started sorting through things in the basement and have a few boxes to take away to the mission so that is my goal today and also to pay some bills.  I know that sounds like pretty simple goals but it seems the day can just fly by and I keep getting distracted by other things - like writing on my blog :-).  So I will keep this short and get my "rear in gear"!!!!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Is it summer yet?

The weather keeps going back and forth.  Warm then cool then warm then cool again.  Usually once it gets warm a few big storms to through and cool it off again.  Oh well, not complaining, just a nice warm sunny beach or pool day would be nice!

The past couple weeks have been somewhat busy in that I had jury duty last week Wed. and was chosen for the jury also.  They had the jury of 12 selected but the attorneys took turns dismissing some of the people for various reasons and I was then selected to replace the 3rd person out of 4 that they dismissed.  The trial was for possession of cocaine and it was pretty clear cut especially after the judge gave us the instructions for what we could use to determine guilty or not guilty and also read the law that determines that possession means having control of the substance.  Anyway it was all a very interesting experience but it makes you wonder how a person gets themselves into a situation like that in the first place and what will happen to her and her children now.  I tried looking it up on the Ottawa County web site to see if I could find out what her sentence is but I guess I will have to do some more searching to find out.

This past weekend we went up to Charlevoix again.  Still trying to get some things done there and then the TV and internet were out so Larry spent most of the weekend trying to get someone there to fix it or waiting for someone to come.  No one ever did come or call so when we left it still was not fixed.  Very frustrating.  Jamie and the kids decided last minute to come up with us.  I don't think Jacob missed TV as he played Wii most of the time anyway.  He was also looking forward to watching the movie "Cars" on the "cars" TV that is in the kid's room there.

Larry left ahead of the rest of us Thurs. night as he drove the Jeep up to leave in Charlevoix so we have a car there all the time.  Jamie and the kids rode with me and we left about an hour behind Larry.  He called a few times to see where we were and said there was a lot of lightning up ahead.  Anyway by the time we got to Cadillac it was pouring so hard I couldn't see the road (also dark as it was about 11:30 or 12pm).  First we stopped under and overpass and waited for it to let up a little.  Jamie and I both got out the phones with their internet links to see if we could get some radar of the storm to get an idea of how long it would last.  We moved on to the next exit and got under a cover at a gas station and found that there were two lines of heavy storms and it looked like even when the first one went through we would just end up driving into the next one as we went north.  So.............we tried to make it to the Hampton Inn on the other side of town but came across some flooded roads with cars stopped in the middle of the road.  Thank goodness for GPS - we found our way around to a Super 8 were we spent the night.  Oh, on the weather with the radar we also found out that there was a tornado warning for the county we were in.  Another reason to stop and find "cover" and not keep going on the road.  It wasn't a very restful night, especially for Jamie.  Ashlyn had had a nice "nap" on the way up so she thought it was time to play.  

But we finally made it up to Charlevoix later Friday morning and had a nice weekend there playing with the kids in spite of having to wait around for Charter to come to fix the TV.

Today I do not have to go in for jury duty so I can try to get some things done around here.  Yesterday we had someone here cleaning the pavers in the driveway and walkway.  They powerwashed then put down new sand.  Today they are putting a sealer on.  Hopefully that will keep the weeds out better and maybe also the ants from coming through.  

I do see a pretty blue sky so maybe summer is here after all.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

June Birthdays

Since my last post I have returned to Michigan (last Sat.) been back to Charlevoix to do more work around the boat house then back to Holland and up to Grand Haven on Wed. for my first day of jury duty.  Didn't get picked for a jury on Wed. and haven't had to go back either.  I need to call again Monday night to see if I have to go in on Tues.  It is only Tues., Wed., and Thurs. that are possiblilities that I might have to go in unless I get picked for a jury then it might run into a Friday but never anything on Mondays.  (Totally confusing, I know).  Anyway it keeps me closer to "home" for the month of June at least during the week.  

Tonight we celebrated my Dad's birthday and the whole family was there except for Ben, Amanda, Travis and Allison and Ashley.  Brad waited on us at Beechwood Inn and then we went to mom and dad's for cake and ice cream.  It was nice to see everyone and to be together for the night.  Seems like there are lots of June birthdays between family and friends.


Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Mystic Pizza


I traveled yesterday to Providence RI to see my friend Melody who is here with her husband Bill while he is working on a short term project in Connecticut.  They are renting a beautiful condo in Stonington Borough.  It is my first time out here (other than in a Blizzard 25 yrs ago) and it is very interesting and very pretty.  Melody is showing me some of the nice old towns around here and today we went to Mystic where Mystic Pizza was filmed.  A nice town and we had a nice lunch right near the river and bridge.  Then Bill drove us up to Watch Hill tonight after dinner.  It's nice to see the boats along the water front here and see the beautiful "cottages" along the way too.  It's still pretty quiet in those "seaside" towns but I imagine they will get pretty busy as the weather gets better.  It has been a nice adventure to see some new things!!

OK, this is the first time I've added a picture and it's pretty dark and hard to see but it is a very neat boat that we saw tonight.  I sent the picture to Larry and told him THIS is my next boat!!  :-)  It's very pretty but looks like lots of work to keeping looking so pretty!!

We had a nice weekend up in Charlevoix over the Memorial Day Weekend but we also had work to do and didn't have a boat there yet so it was kind of weird to be there with no boat.  Travis and Allison came up Sat. night and stayed until Monday and then rode home with us Monday.  

Larry and Mark Hawks took the Formula up today and then drove the Jeep back that we had left up there.  So that worked out well that there was something there for them to drive back.  So now there will be a boat there the next time we go and will be able to get out on the water again.



Monday, May 19, 2008

Is it summer yet?

I think that this weekend it will finally start to get a little warmer.  We have had a few nice days since we got back but it seems that the last week has been pretty cool.  We plan to go up to Charlevoix for the weekend so it will probably be a little cooler up there too.  Oh well.  It has been really beautiful with all the flowering trees and tulips and now the iris are starting to bloom too.  Not too much happening around here.  Ashlyn was here Sat. for quite a while and friends from the Chicago area picked up their boat in Grand Haven then came and stayed at our dock overnight before heading home Sunday on the lake.  It was really rough on Lake MI but they made it back just fine.  Tonight we went to see Prince Caspian - one of the Chronacles of Narnia - my favorite stories.  I enjoyed the movie a lot even though it was quite long.  Where is the spell check?????  Oh well, hopefully you know what I mean.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Back in Holland

The past week has been a busy one.  We left Cape Coral last Thurs. night after celebrating with Charlie and Janna Winn and friends for Charlie's birthday and drove over to Miami.  Larry had an ICPI meeting for a good part of the day so I was left to just lay by the pool and swim while I waited for him to be done with the meeting.  (I know, I know, you can't believe what a rough life I have.)  :-)  Then we had dinner with the group Friday night and then headed North Sat. morning.  We got a pretty good start, not too late but then stopped near Palm Beach to visit Jim and Caroline Campbell, our neighbors in Charlevoix.  Jim will be 90 yrs old in July and has been on dialysis for 2 or 3 years now.  He looked pretty good, considering, but they will not be coming to Charlevoix this summer so it was especially nice to see them.

We left there about 1 or so and got back on the highway.  Florida is a big state, especially when you start in Miami and head northwest!!  We stopped in Chattanooga for the night and then drove the rest of the way home on Sunday and arrived in Holland about 7:30 Sunday night.  Whew - that's a long trip!!

But we are glad to be home and so Larry is getting "caught up" in the office and then had to leave again Tues. morning, Travis picked him up in NJ on Tues. and they saw customers there and then on a little farther north then Larry was back home last night.  I've been getting the house cleaned up and the stuff unpacked that we brought back with us.  We had dinner Monday night with Jamie and the kids and Mom Hilldore then Tues. night met the Spauldings, and Mary Jo's Mom and Dad downtown for "junk food" from the "fat wagons" that are here for Tulip Time.  Other than the traffic it is a fun time to be around downtown with all the people in Dutch costumes.  There are LOTS of tulips blooming and the flowering trees seem to all be in bloom and loaded with flowers.

Melody and I went to the Holland Chorale concert last night then to Boatwerks for dinner.  Always fun to do something with her.  It was a fun "girls night out" and since both of our husbands were gone it gave us something to do as well.


Wednesday, April 30, 2008

End of the "season"

Well, Tom and Tweet left this morning.  It was great to have them here.  We did lots of eating and relaxing so hopefully they are returning well rested.  Tweet is flying back and Tom is riding Larry's motorcycle back to Holland.  I was going to fly up to Holland today too to be with Jamie tomorrow for her court date but it looked like it was going to get postponed so I held off here in FL to help Larry get things closed up at the house and get the boat over to the marina tomorrow where they will lift it out of the water and get it ready to be shipped up to Holland.  Jamie's court date has been postponed so I'll go to Miami with Larry Thurs. night where he has meetings for most of the day Friday and then we are planning to take off from there to drive home.  Seems like there are always lots of little things to do around the house to get ready to go.  Fun, fun.  I AM looking forward to being back in Holland but it is hard to say goodbye to the great weather we are having here.  Oh well, it will soon be warm "up north" too, I hope.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Nice Day

Tom and Tweet are here since Wed. so we have been on the boat a couple of times and have been enjoying the pool.  Larry and Tom went fishing yesterday morning and caught a few sea trout that they brought home but threw everything else back that they caught.  Today Charlie and Janna and Wendell and Helen joined us and we took the boat to Usepa for lunch then to North Captiva for ice cream, then home again and another dip in the pool.  The weather has been really nice the last few days, not too humid but warm so we are enjoying it and I think Tom and Tweet are too.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Monday, Monday

Larry's gone again, up to MI on Sunday to see Mom Hilldore, Jamie and Travis then over to Saginaw with Travis to meet some customers there today.  So.... since he is gone I'm taking a few days to go up to Longboat Key to see a girlfriend who is there for their first Florida winter.  She thinks it too cold (72 degrees tonight) and thinks that maybe Ft. Myers or Naples would be warmer.  :-)  They have a BEAUTIFUL place here and a wonderful view of the ocean.  Part of the reason it's "cooler" is that there is a lovely breeze coming off the water today.  We walked down the beach for a while and chatted and had a great dinner tonight in Sarasota with her husband.  Gary leaves early tomorrow morning so I will spend most of the day here tomorrow with Pam and then go back home after an early dinner.  (That's the plan for now at least.)  It would be tempting to stay another night but I guess I'd better get back and get a few groceries in the house and make sure everything is "ready" at the house before Tom and Tweet get here.  I am really looking forward to them being here - to show Tom around and especially to catch up with Tweet again.  We always have fun "chatting."

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Where did the week go?

Wow, I can't believe it's Sat. night already, where did the week go?  Larry got back home Tues. night and was supposed to leave again Thurs. morning to go over to W. Palm Beach to meet some friends/customers for a boating weekend.  However it got "postponed" due to windy weather so suddenly we had some extra time.  We needed to check out some spots in the Keys for a WPO meeting for next March so we hopped in the car and drove down to Hawk's Cay near Marathon Key.  We had a nice time and then headed back on Friday and stopped off at a couple places on the way back.  Today we went out for a boat ride with Janna and Charlie for lunch at South Seas Resort.  Nice lunch and a nice day - perfect weather even though it was a little breezy.

Monday, April 14, 2008

The Sound of Silence

Wow is it quiet around here today!!  Jamie and the grandkids left Sat. morning and the rest of the "kids" left Sunday.  Then Larry left this morning to fly to Albany then Chicago and won't be back until tomorrow night.  So it is very, very quiet here after a busy week.  But that gives me time to catch up on bills, phone calls, LAUNDRY, maybe some reading and maybe some "veg" time.  We'll see - usually the time flies by and then Larry is home again.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Everyone's here!!

It's been a busy week with Jamie and the kids, Ashlyn keeps us all busy and she's just so cute!!

The rest of the "kids" got here today and it's really nice to have everyone here again.  It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that they were all here but it was Christmas.  The time here in Florida has gone fast I guess.  

Jacob is loving having everyone here too, more people to play games with.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Tuesday Morning

What was supposed to be a nice sunny day has started as a cloudy "sprinkley" day.  Oh well, we thought yesterday wouldn't be a "pool day" but ended up being nicer than I thought it would be.  Maybe today we will do a little shopping.  Jacob is "thrilled" at the thought.  :-)  Sorry Jacob.  Anyway we are also planning to go the the water park in Cape Coral but it is closed on Monday and Tuesday.  We were hoping to take a boat ride today but I guess that will have to wait also.  Still nice to just hang out with the "kids".  Ashlyn has lots of funny faces that make us laugh a lot!

Friday, April 4, 2008

They're here!!!

Jamie and the kids made it here a little after 6pm.  It's so good to see them and have them here.  Jacob was eager to get into the pool after dinner and then Ashlyn wanted to join him so Jamie got in with her for a while.  She loved being in the water.  

We had another great day here.  High 80s with a breeze and we went with some friends by boat up to Captiva to the Green Flash for lunch and we were back in time to take a quick dip in the pool before it was time to leave for the airport to get Jamie and the kids.

The rest of the gang (Ben & Amanda and Travis & Allison) will arrive on Thursday then we will have a FULL HOUSE for a few days.  Should be fun!

Larry was "up north" this past week seeing customers from Monday night until last night so he is glad to be back.  It's always pretty quiet here when he's gone but I got a book read so that was a good thing.  Also visited my sister-in-law Elizabeth's mother who winters in N. Ft. Myers.  She invited me to the pot-luck that they were having and it started pouring down rain just as we got inside the "club house" but they lost power about that time too.  Luckily there were windows and some "emergency" lighting that kicked in too.  It was a good dinner and the rained stopped before it was time to leave.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Why it's called Paradise!

Well, it's another weather report but I can't help it when it's the perfect day.  We got up and walked over to the coffee shop for "breakfast" and it was just SOOOO nice!!  Blue sky, 75 degrees and just a very light breeze.  (Sorry to all of you in the cold north!!).  We went in time to get back for church but ran into a "friend" and got talking so........ didn't make it back home in time.  :-(  I think I can listen to the message on a pod-cast later though.  :-)

Larry has to do some traveling this week so I will try to get some "stuff" done and maybe see some friends in the area too.  Then Jamie and the kids will be here on Friday!!  Can't wait!!  But I will enjoy my "quiet" days until they get here and try to have things ready for when they are here. 

Sorry we missed the Hilldore "postponed" Easter but like Larry said, we were there in spirit.  Hope you all enjoyed it even without us!!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Thursday

Mom and Dad left this morning to head back up north but slowly.  They will visit a few more friends in FL before going back to MI.  Hopefully for them the snow will be done by the time they get back.

Larry and I went down to Naples today to see some friends/customers who are there for "spring break".  We had a nice lunch with the O'Neills.  It always takes longer than I think it should to get there.  Oh well, it was a nice day and we got to eat lunch near the water so it was still fun.

Another blue sky day and warm.  In the 80's.  Not too hard to enjoy the day!!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Blue Skies

After a cloudy start to the day it cleared up and the sky is back to it's usual BLUE!!  I love it!!  We finally got to get out on the boat with mom and dad and went to Salty Sam's and ate at Parrot Key.  Lunch was good as usual.  It was a little bumpy getting home as the North wind seemed to have picked up a bit but still a nice ride.  I think everyone here has agreed that some gelato sounds good tonight.  :-)

Found out this morning that Ben and Amanda can come down to FL for sure for a long weekend while Jamie and the kids are here.  I really looking forward to them all being here!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Another Day in Paradise!

Actually we had a little rain, a little sun and a little wind.  But in the high 70's to low 80's.  Also a full moon tonight that was beautiful.  Mom and Dad are off on another visit with friends.  This time all the way to Ft Myers to visit with the Wheatons.  We had dinner with the Topps tonight.  Otherwise a lazy day for me but Larry had to work hard as usual.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Better weather & Weekend Guests

Well the weather has finally cleared up.  We have had a few beautiful blue sky days!  Also we've had some WPO friends come to visit.  One couple and their daughter from Holland and another couple from Michigan who are in Longboat Key for the winter drove down.  They all stayed in the condos here at Cape Harbour.  We were planning on another couple that were going to stay with us but they had to back out because of sitter problems.  We missed you Bill and Betsi!!  We had a couple nice boating days.  Friday down to Naples and yesterday to Boca Grande.  We rented golf carts there and had fun riding around and to the lighthouses.

Today we get to relax and chill out.  We originally had plans with the group for lunch but they decided to go their own ways today so we are being lazy.  Maybe a little boat ride pretty soon.

Mom and Dad come back tomorrow night and will spend another week and a half.  We'll try to find some fun things to do but they are happy to enjoy the warm weather and read and relax.


Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Another not-so-sunny day in Florida.  What's going on here??  Oh well, it's still better than 31 degrees in Michigan.  It is supposed to get into the high 70s today so that will feel better.  

Mom and I have BIG plans for a pedicure this morning then like most days just chill.  Oh, maybe a little shopping too, we'll see.  We are really "pushing the envelope" here as Larry likes to say.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Larry's Home

Yeah!!  Picked him up from the airport last night and had dinner on the way home.  We parted ways last Monday morning at the Miami airport after we had to spend an extra night because of flight delays on the way home from a wedding in Puerto Rico.  Larry went to Michigan for a few days then on to LA and I went back to Florida.

We have had a few cool days here but should be getting back into the 70s and 80s in the next few days.  Cloudy skies too but that is usually the exception to our usually sunny, blue sky days here in "sunny" Florida.  But I'll take cloudy and warm over snowy!!  :-)

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Saturday

Mom and Dad Spaulding are here this week to visit.  They arrived on Monday and will be here until next Wed. when they will go up to Bradenton to visit some friends.  They will be back the following Monday for another week and a few days.  They are enjoying the warmer weather but last night it rained and got "cold".  Only 67 degrees today!!  It's supposed to be "cold" in the morning but then start warming up again.  Should be back close to 80 again by Tues. 

We drove out to Sanibel tonight to see if we could see big ocean waves but they only looked big out in the distance, not up close to shore.  Then we had dinner on the Island and then came home again.  Back to reading, TV and some crocheting.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Being a Blogger

OK, so I set up a blog at blogspot too because I like Amanda's and Jamie's.  I will probably not put anything on this very often but it's here if I want to.