Girlfriends and family

Sometimes you are just fortunate enough in life to be blessed with good friends who just happen to be family! Olivia is married to my brotherinlaw(she is in black) and Kathleen is my husband's sister. Olivia and Mike were in from Hong Kong and we met downtown (Chicago) for dinner.....we had a GREAT time.....

Christmas dinner

  
 

I hate to say we had a "young" table and an "old" table but... we used to call it the "adult" table and the "kid" table....Where would you be seated?? The Dining room or the Kitchen? You decide.

the last laugh

 

 


My older sister (by 17 months) got Tina and me this pillow a few Christmas's ago. I love it!!! It is such a true statement. Imagine my surprise when I saw Clancy outside having a heyday throwing something up in the air and then catching it and running like a mad dog. When I called him to come in, this is how he looked before he came in. I can't figure out how he got out with it in his mouth. Could it be because I am cleaning (my mother is coming for Christmas) and I just was distracted? hmmm, something to ponder....I digress.....Apparently Clancy has a new toy/pillow now. Sorry Vicki!

A great aunt and great nephew

 
Ok...let's start off with a clear understanding...I am only called "great aunt" when "my favorite" is put in front of it.

Welcome Baby!

Another birthday to add to the calendar! It is a busy month for birthdays and now they are continuing into Nov. My husband's niece just had a baby today (her second) so now he has a new great nephew. He has a great niece and now a great nephew...he is ahead by one as I only have a great nephew so far. Congratulations on the new addition!

Happy 30th Birthday Tommy!

 
ok ok, I will never get around to calling you "Tom". You will always be "Tommy " to me. You are a wonderful nephew and even though you are making me feel old by turning 30, you are awesome. You had the good taste to bring Becky into our family and now the one and only great nephew who couldn't be cuter. Hope your day was happy and aren't you glad I had the good sense to have Shannon on your birthday? What better present than a girl cousin? lol

(I know I am a day late but I wanted you to have top billing on the blog as you are older)!!

Happy Birthday, Shannon!

 

Both of these pictures catch the essence of your personality. Hope you have a great day! Love from the mothership.

Happy Birthday, Jeffrey!!

Happy birthday, from your loving aunt. I remember you coming up with Papaw and not liking my cooking....too healthy for you and anxiously looking forward to your McDonald's meal with Papaw....and your brothers.....I'm glad you came to visit in spite of my cooking!!!

College visit

My Motherinlaw is an amazing woman. Besides having had 10 children and keeping good tabs on all of them...she has 22 grandchildren that she really keeps up with. She also drives everywhere she can....She is 87 and is in full, complete possession of her mind and body---well, she is a bit deaf(don't laugh, in laws, I KNOW she is more than a BIT deaf) but she refuses to wear hearing aids. When asked why? she says she doesn't want to look old. When you get your laughter under control, feel assured that I asked her that if you aren't old at 87 when are you old? and she responded.....anyone 10 years older than I am is old. Ok, having said that, she was driving back from Arkansas and she decided to stop and visit one of her granddaughter's(my daughter) at college as she was driving back to Chicago. She arrived at my daughter's house at 10:45 PM where they fixed her something to eat(she lives in a Vegetarian co-op), showed her around the place (13 people live there), made sure her car was parked in an area it wouldn't get towed(you know how police in college towns are), visited with the granddaughter and her roommates and then drove 3 hours home. Not only were her roommates impressed that she came for a visit, they couldn't believe she was going to drive 3 hours home at such a late time of the night....Like I said....she is an amazing woman.

Two girl cousins

 
It is always so great to see 2 of the girl cousins together. These 2 love to get together but it doesn't happen very often as one of them lives in Hong Kong....The one in flip flops is mine and the other is my (husband's) niece...

A nice Italian lunch

 
I went to visit my daughter at college and her friend from grade school was visiting as well. While the football team (Illini) won against a ranked team (Penn State), we were enjoying a bottle of wine and good food and company.

A rant.....

My younger sister and I are a lot alike(truly...so is our older sister like us...she just hates to admit I am right on this!!!) however...in one way are we ALL alike....and that is in rules......Many times in life, whether it is work or play, there comes a point where a line has been crossed.....and then you get the CHARMING side of our personalities....we claim we get this charming trait....bluntness.... directly from our dad ....

My sisters and I all have professions that have rules.....and we follow them. So don't be surprised when you are trying to get around the system...whatever it is....because you are "SPECIAL", -and I don't mean like Clancy is---or you're ill, or hormonal or frustrated or think the rules are for all but you........and we chose to remind you that there are RULES to follow and because YOU failed to plan for them.....this, in no way, makes it ok for you to yell, scream, be disrespectful, ungracious and flat out mean ....and think we won't make a comment on it....Because you would be WRONG. Here's a little tip for you.....it is hard to make me(us) feel guilty over YOUR bad behavior. Take responsibility for your bad behavior and apologize...or ...here's an idea.....behave in the first place.

A great picture

Isn't this a great picture? Look at those dimples....if we could all be as happy as this!!!

The inlaws or "outlaws"

 
I married a man that is the oldest of 10. Here is a picture of all of us in laws at the most recent family wedding. We did this picture by marriage order...in other words...when you married into the family...I am the first (#1) daughter in law -and as it works out...the oldest in law.....by 3 months....#5's wife is only a few months younger than I am(she is in the pink dress) and we are both the same age as brother # 6....tells you I married an older man! We constantly tell each other that all 10 of the kids had the good taste to marry well! This is our Mother-in-law with us and we all agree we have the best MIL ever.(For those of you that can count.....sister #2 was actually married first but that marriage ended after 25 years in a divorce and brother # 7's wife was unable to come in from Singapore).We are a very International family--In order from me.....I am from West Virginia, K- Maryland, B-Chicago, O-Beijing, K-New York, G-Shanghai, S-Indiana, and J-from Germany (L-who was unable to come in from Singapore...is from London via Vietnam)....All 10 accounted for! OK Mom....did you keep up? I apologize for the picture as it is not very good quality....

The wedding party

Here is a picture of the wedding party...I love the colors in this....

A gaggle of groomsmen

 

I could have used this for ABC Wednesday for "G"!! (lol) Here are some of the groomsmen from the wedding. I think they are pretty darn handsome if I do say so myself! They are all cousins and my nephews...unless you are going by blood and then only my sons are related to me and the others are my HUSBAND'S nephews....but I don't count things that way!.

My 3 children

 

24, 21 and 26....these are the ages of my kids...and in that order...and here is what they looked like the morning AFTER the wedding.....
 

An aunt and her nieces...some of them!

 
These are some of my nieces we were with over the weekend. Don't you just love their smiles???? I do!

Family news

For those of you that are stopping by and are family...new news...Erin is pregnant and due in March....It will be the 3rd great grandchild for my MIL. Other news.....Laura and Alexi will be getting married next July 4th in Montreal....save the date....Laura is staying with Grandma until after the current wedding and then she and Alexi will be moving into their new place in Hyde Park...or that's what I've been told. Get those passports up to date! We are off to my nephew's wedding in Madison.....it is on Saturday...should be alot of fun what with the Taste of Madison and the first home football game for the University...look for pictures later next week! Greg is home from Beijing for the wedding, Andrew is in from the Navy, Mike and Olivia are in from Hong Kong with Mikey who spent the summer in Germany, all the sibs are in from California, Baltimore, Dallas, Singapore, and Iowa. That's all the news I have or have heard, been told or flat out made up! Have a great weekend.

Happy Birthday, Vicki!

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Hope you have a wonderful day, Vicki!