Halloween 2010

I told the girls in early October to try and come up with a Halloween costume that they could make. It took awhile for them to come up with something but in the end they did. Callie came up with hers first. She wanted to be a Florida License plate. She made it with paper and cardboard and markers that we had lying around the house. She did a super job!! Emily, well it took her a little longer to decide. Finally she came to me yesterday late afternoon and said she had the perfect idea. She wanted to be a stick man. So we went out today and bought a few pakages of glow sticks and came home to make her costume. I was very proud of the girls for their ideas and creativity. Below is a picture of both and the post before this one is a video of Emily dancing in the dark outside in her costume. What a great Halloween night for trick or treating. It was a bit colder this year than past years but no wind and the sky was mostly clear with bright stars and some spooky white clouds going by now and then. Leaves were all around the ground crunching under our feet! Perfect weather for a Halloween night!

Video of Emily on Halloween as a stick man

Friends in Ohio!

While we were in Ohio last July we had the opportunity to visit with some old and dear friends. When I say "old", I don't mean they are old in age. I mean they have been our friends for a long, long time!

Below are some pictures we took on our visits!

One evening we drove out to see my best friend, Sheryl. Sheryl and I have been friends since high school. I am very lucky that she and her family live in the Cleveland area and I can see them every Summer. Here is Sheryl and me at her daughter's home. Lacey had us all over to her house and made us a great dinner!

Here I am with Katie, Sheryl's oldest daughter. I can't believe these girls are all grown up!!

I love this picture! My girls and Sheryl's girls. Callie, Lacey, Emily and Katie. Aren't they beautiful!?! Katie and Lacey are the kindest, sweetest girls and have always been so good to my girls!! Thanks girls....I love you both!!


Thanks to Facebook, I have been able to reconnect with a lot of friends from Jr. High. Here I am with some old friends when we met for dinner. It was so great to see them and catch up. It had been a VERY long time since I had seen these ladies!!!
Lisa, Janice, Rhonda and Me.

As tradition goes, we had lunch at On Tap with Tom and Scott. They always make time to have lunch with us during a busy day at work! The girls look forward to this every year. So do I!

Tom, Me, Emily, Scott and Callie.

Another tradition is to get together with my dear friend, Jill. We have known Jill from our college days at Kent. We started a tradition to have lunch at Steak and Shake with our kids. This year Jason didn't join us. He was doing his own thing as most teenagers do. Sniff sniff......why do they have to grow up?

This picture is of the three girls. They always just pick up where they left off the year before.

I love that!!

Callie, Emily and Leah.

Emily and Leah texting each other. Go figure!!

Here I am with Jill. Always a pleasure and lots of fun to see her.

We have been very lucky to see my dear friend, Tes, every Summer since they moved away from us in Florida. Tes, who is from England, married a guy from Garfield Hts. of all places!! When they left Florida they moved to Cleveland for a few years so it was great to have them there when we were visiting. Since then they have moved to South Carolina and go back to Cleveland every fourth of July when we are there. It is always great to see Tes and her kids!! Tes is like a breath of fresh air for me!! She was a great support for me when I was a new, stay at home mom with two small children and Todd was always gone. She and my other Air Force moms were my rocks at that time. We were all in the same boat. Living far from family with small children and our husbands always away. Thank you ladies of Eglin for all the great memories and support. Sorry, I am feeling a bit sappy I guess. Love you all!!!

You know who you are!!

Here is Josh, Tes' youngest. I always feel bad for him when we get together because he is the only boy with all these girls.

Here is Maddie and Callie hangin' out with the vacuum from the Teletubbies. We always meet at the outlets in Aurora and the girls always want to sit on Noo Noo. I have a picture of all four girls on it from a couple years ago. This year the big 13 year olds didn't want to sit on it. Sniff....sniff.

Jenny and Emily. Teenagers now......where did the years go?? They used to run around the playground together when they were 2,3 and 4 years old. Fond memories!

Well that completes my friend visits of our Summer visit to Ohio. I feel very blessed to have the friends I have and every time I get to visit with any of them I feel even more blessed!! I always leave them wishing we had more time together!

Love you all!!