Doug & Helen

House paint!

2009-06-24T18:14:00.002-05:00

This is a re-post from my personal blog. Not sure if anyone reads this family blog anymore or not...

Some old pictures of the house. This is what it looked like when we moved in.

And now, after a month (yes a month) of people working on the house, it's finally finished. All the trim has been replaced, the bad siding has been replaced, the front gate and fence were replaced and the house has been painted a lovely shade of green. I love it! The green is nice and cool. The fence looks fantastic and it has a nice, easy to use little latch now instead of the mess that passed for a latch before. Even the front door is painted! What do you think?

Baby update

2009-05-11T16:34:00.003-05:00

I had my second appointment this morning. The doctor said the baby looks great and we're both healthy. We could see arms and legs, the spine and the heart beating today. The baby was asleep and so the doctor started poking around (poking me!) to try to wake the baby up so we could see it move. After much poking, the baby moved once, kind of throwing an arm up. She tried again a couple minutes later to get a better picture, but the baby wasn't interested in being awake. It's already a Novielli. Doug swears you could practically hear the kid swearing at the doctor after being woken up.

On her way to NYC!

2009-05-01T16:10:00.004-05:00

Never one to actually look at a camera, there's Kate in her blue comfy pants getting ready to leave on the band trip to NYC this weekend. They're going to see two shows and hopefully she'll get some shopping time!

I didn't expect to her from her, but she's called me once. They were playing some game and it was either her turn, or she lost, and her friends got to pick which contact number on her phone she had to call. I told her she was lucky it was me at 9:30 pm my time and not mom at 10:30 pm their time! Sounded like the girls were having a fun time.

Zach and Monica are going to meet up with the group at some point tomorrow I guess. That'll be fun for all of them!

Senior Prom

2009-04-25T21:45:00.001-05:00

Got this pic off of the Reflector site. Isn't Kate cute!? I'm hoping to get some more pictures in the next couple days. I'll post them when I do!

The baby!

2009-04-16T20:04:00.001-05:00

This is a blog post from my personal blog, but I thought I'd re-post it here for all the family to see. I'll keep updating this blog for the family. And I'm always blogging away on my personal blog, too!

My first doctor's appointment on Monday morning went very well. Didn't do half the stuff that I expected and had an ultrasound which was completely unexpected so early. Turns out my doctor does an ultrasound at every appointment up to 20 weeks because it's fun. Works for me!

I'm healthy, it's healthy and everything looks good so far. It's little heart was pounding away. My next appointment is May 11 so I'll keep updating with pics as I get them!

Also... these pictures are blurry. Really blurry. The monitor gave a much clearer picture. So, if you sort of look closely, but not too closely, and maybe only sort of peripherally look, you can see where the baby is, up in the right hand corner.

Lights! Camera! Kate!

2009-03-13T09:22:00.003-05:00

Kate is running the lights again this year for the musical. I do believe she's done this every year. I found a photo of her with the rest of the crew on the Reflector website. There are some more from the dress rehearsal, but no more of Kate that I could find. She's a sneaky one whenever there's a camera around!

An interview with Aunt Laura

2009-02-25T09:01:00.003-06:00

Aunt Laura was interviewed by the Toledo Blade for tax season. She said she was caught off guard for this one, but I think it turned out just fine!

Fear tax woes? Know when to go to a pro
Experts advise looking for help when you feel out of your comfort zone

Laura Hay, a certified public accountant, recalls the time when she first realized that she was no longer capable of doing her own taxes.

Her husband had started a business and she had bought a popular tax software program to do the family taxes.

“I had helped do all his filings and withholdings, but we had crossed this line and I don’t do taxes professionally,” said Ms. Hay, chief operating officer for the Ohio Society of CPAs. “I thought I had done everything right, but I realized there was nobody there to review it.”

So she took her tax forms to a CPA tax specialist — and she has used the specialist ever since for the family taxes, she said.

Experts say there is no wrong or right time to surrender the task of doing one’s own taxes. But as Ms. Hay and others advise, if you begin to feel out of your comfort zone, it may be time to let a professional do the tax preparation.

“The tax code has become so convoluted that there’s a lot of people that don’t understand it all,” Ms. Hay said. “When is the time to think about using a tax expert? I think it’s when you’ve had major changes in your situation because you may not even know what rules apply or what deductions you may be entitled to.”

Family Photos!

2009-01-13T19:50:00.006-06:00

We all surprised mom with a family photo shoot at Thanksgiving. The photographer was great and the photos turned out really well. Most of all, we had a fun time taking the photos!

The siblings

Zach and Monica

Helen and Doug

You always have to have one of these candid, no-one's-paying-attention shots...

If anyone in Austin is looking for a great photographer, look up Mike McClure. He was great to work with and did a fantastic job!

Few more pics of Nate & Leighann

2009-01-07T10:08:00.002-06:00

Mr. & Mrs.!

First dance

Champagne after cutting the cake

Doug, Kim & Nate

2009-01-05T13:21:00.001-06:00

A fantastic picture of the Novielli siblings!

Us at the wedding

2009-01-03T19:24:00.001-06:00

Another good picture of us from the wedding. It really was such a wonderful evening.

A few wedding photos

2009-01-02T09:16:00.000-06:00

The party table!!

Doug and Jane enjoying a spin on the dance floor!

Kim and Dan having a drink.

First dance! They chose a Pogues song which was awesome and totally them.

On the party bus!

Bingo!

2009-01-02T05:26:00.001-06:00

Nate's groom's cake was part of the rehearsal dinner. Which was nice because that meant I got cake two days in a row!

After the rehearsal and dinner, the rest of the wedding guests that were staying at the hotel arrived at the hall and we all played bingo. As you can see Doug was really, really into it- that's not a posed photo.

Leighann had a lot of family in for the wedding. Nate had 6 of us, the immediate Novielli family. We totally cleaned up at bingo. Dan won this fun little USB desk vacuum. As you can see below, Doug won the "First Table at the Buffet" very official looking certificate. Jane won some Microsoft software and Big Doug won a nifty little "I'm a PC" t-shirt (which I really wanted). That was the majority of the prizes right there... I think 2 other people won!

Few pics from Christmas trip

2009-01-01T14:38:00.007-06:00

I helped Jane make her apple pie for Christmas dinner. It's a little tricky to work in someone else's kitchen. Especially when two of you are working in someone else's kitchen and you have to ask where something is every 45 seconds. We managed, and the pie was wonderful. It was even cut perfectly due to Big Doug's excellent pie-cutting expertise.

Christmas afternoon, Doug and I went downtown with Kim and Dan to see their studio/gallery space. It's a fantastic little gallery, with all sorts of studio spaces in the rest of the building. Kim and Dan have a small space, but it really seems to suit them well and they've done some great things with it to maximize what they've got. We went back the next day so Jane could see some of Kim's work and it was just so pleasant (minus the parking ticket) to spend some time in the gallery.

Nate and Leighann opened some wedding presents before we did the family Christmas swap. Here, they're opening beautiful champagne flutes and their cake knife and server. Jane also painted them the gorgeous winter scene below. The picture doesn't do it justice and I certainly can't in words.

Helen at TWU

2008-12-31T10:56:00.000-06:00

Way back in August when we drove to Ohio for a little vacation, we stopped in Denton TX to see my campus, Texas Woman's University. I didn't plan on ever going to campus since it's so far away, but since we were passing through anyway, we decided to take advantage and get a few pictures. It's really a beautiful campus, similar to WMC... lots of brick and green spaces.

This is me in front of the huge library. It wasn't open so I didn't get to check it out, but we tried!

Ice in New England!

2008-12-15T13:17:00.002-06:00

Doug and Jane got hit by that crazy ice storm last week. The photo gallery on Yahoo right now is pretty much all NH photos. Doug and Jane lost power on Thursday night and they're hoping to have it restored maybe Wednesday this week. Luckily they have a generator that's keeping the fridge, oil burner and water pump going. I think Doug said they have an old tv/vcr hooked up to it, too.

Colleen, down in Massachusetts only ever got rain. Lots and lots of rain.

Miss Kate

2008-12-12T11:05:00.003-06:00

The Christmas concert at St. Paul was this weekend: choir, jazz band and concert band. Once again, Kate eluded the photographer, except for this one picture. I suppose it's hard to avoid the camera if you're actually speaking, front and center.

Mom said the music was just beautiful this year and the auditorium was jam packed!

New wheels!

2008-11-17T09:40:00.002-06:00

Big Doug traded in the Oldsmobile for a truck this weekend. He got a great deal on a nice 2004 Ford F-150 with really low mileage. I can't wait to get up to NH again and drive it!

A bit of rain...

2008-11-10T10:48:00.004-06:00

would be an understatement!

St. Paul won their second playoff game Friday night in the rain. According to Kate, it rained the entire game, but didn't pour until the teams left for halftime. And then, if possible it rained even harder after the other band went off the field. As you can see, she's a little wet. (And I'm sure she'll really be pleased that I posted this pictures.)

I tried to find mom in all the pictures of the fans, but no such luck. Which I'm sure she's thankful for! No Rob, either, which is odd because the photographers seem to find him more than anyone else!! (teasing, teasing)

This Friday night is the next game- a big one! Hopewell-Loudon. I imagine it'll be a great game!

Pics from the Fandy.com site.

A new remodel!

2008-10-23T16:46:00.003-05:00

Doug and Jane finished up the remodeling of the computer room shortly before Doug had knee surgery. It turned out fantastically and I can't wait to see it in person. I love the gray... strangely gray really brightens up the room.

The Garden

2008-10-04T09:47:00.003-05:00

Doug put together this great slideshow of the garden's progress so far this fall. Our first garden didn't produce any fruit, but we're having some success with this second one. I say "we" only because it sounds nice... I rarely touch the garden. We're quite afraid I might kill it with my not-so-green thumbs.

Doug's done all the hard work on this one and the success is all his. I will have no problems scarfing down those peppers, though, as soon as I'm allowed to!

Senior Homecoming for Kate

2008-09-25T11:04:00.006-05:00

SPH Homecoming was last weekend. The football team just rolled right over Crestview, 47-0. You can't beat that for Homecoming!

Kate had quite the busy day on Sunday, working in the morning, popping up to Cleveland for the Indians game and then back to Norwalk to get ready for the Homecoming dance on Sunday night.

She's awfully cute.

Loopy Doopy

2008-08-15T09:19:00.003-05:00

This is what Zach's been working on all summer: Loopy Doopy! Well, it's one of the wall drawings he's been working on.

The timelapse is really neat. He's wearing a black tshirt. You can move the time/date button under the picture to try to see individual shots of him and of the work. The timelapse is so fast, you only sort of see him working.

Family Update!

2008-08-14T21:36:00.004-05:00

Lots has been going on all over the country!

Nate finished his internship with Microsoft and got a job offer! He flew back to Florida last Sunday. He and Leighann are in North Carolina finalizing some plans for the wedding in December. They'll be moving to Seattle over Labor Day weekend! I think they're both very excited and I know Doug and I are certainly very excited for them!

Zach is finishing up his internship at MassMoCA this week. I've seen some pictures of the work he's been doing this summer and it's just amazing! The wall drawings are much larger than I thought they were going to be and the colors just pop right off the wall. You can see some pictures on the MassMoCA site.

Rob starts his sophomore year, Kate starts her senior year and I start my second semester on August 25. I finished my first class at the beginning of August and have been enjoying my few weeks off. This fall is going to be quite busy. I'll be working full time, taking two classes and I just got an internship at the Austin Public Library! The internship is part of the Wired for Youth program at the APL, funded by the Dell Foundation. I do the orientations next week and get my work schedule. I'm really excited about the whole thing and can't wait to get started! Most likely I won't start actually working until the first week of September because we'll be in Ohio at the end of the month for Alumni Band and another wedding.

What else is going on? Drop us a line, leave a comment... let us all know what's new in your neck of the woods!

Home for a wedding

2008-07-19T12:17:00.005-05:00

Me after the wedding

Me & Lisa at the reception

The wedding party at the end of the reception

I was home last weekend for Patrick & Lisa's wedding. I was in the wedding and it was a lot of fun! The wedding itself was beautiful and the reception was great! It turned into a mini class reunion as I think there were about 12 of us at the reception.

There are a ton of pictures on the DJ's website, too. There are two of us in the wedding party that have glasses and similar hair. I'm the pale one with the darker glasses. :)

My little workspace

2008-06-20T07:05:00.003-05:00

I thought I'd share a picture of my little workspace. My desk is set up in the corner of the guest room, right by the windows as you can see. I can work in there 'til about 8:00 in the evening before I have to turn a light on! It's cool and comfy and with the door closed, it's surprisingly quiet in that room.

This class is going well so far. I'm only taking the one this semester so I can see how the whole online class thing works and get used to it all. I'm already working ahead so, at least for now, I think I've got a good handle on it.

Kate's Prom pics

2008-06-01T10:01:00.004-05:00

Prom was a few weeks ago and I never remembered to post these pictures. Kate said it was a lot of fun this year. And she looks great in her dress!

There's a Grand March at the Convocation Center before the kids leave for prom. The Reflector has a gallery of those photos.

Zach's MFA Show

2008-05-26T21:47:00.005-05:00

Zach's reception was last Friday night. It went really well and he had 75-100 people there to see everything. The show was wonderful and we all had a lot of fun.

Photos from the show

Thursday we all went to dinner at a great Italian place. It was fun to see everyone and to just hang out for a little while. Friday Mom, Kate, Bonnie, Jim and I went to the arboretum for a little while. We went through the rose garden and saw the swan pond and special exhibit with miniatures of different buildings in Philly and around the world.

Friday evening was the reception for Zach's show.

Saturday, everyone started to leave. Zach picked me up around noon and he, Peter, Monica and I walked around downtown for a little while. I got to see Independence Hall, the site of the first Continental Congress and the building where the Liberty Bell is housed. We didn't have time to go into Independence Hall or see the bell. But we were in the area and there's a lot of other great sites and museums right there. If I'd had more time over the weekend, I could have spent hours in that part of town!

We all got cheese steaks and then it was time to head for the airport. And I had the best flight ever on the way home!

More photos from Philly

Zach's MFA Exhibition

2008-05-11T10:25:00.002-05:00

Zach has his MFA Thesis Exhibition May 21-24. If you're anywhere near Philly, stop by to see the show! A bunch of the family will be there and I'm going, too! I can't wait to see his show... I love the work he has posted on his website.

If you've ever wondered

2008-05-09T19:35:00.002-05:00

what it would be like to have a mad Doug come at you, watch this video. Richie Sexon is the same size. You can tell he's really tall when he's at bat, but when everyone's pushing each other, he's a head taller than all of them!

Pope's Masses in New York

2008-05-03T08:29:00.002-05:00

This article was in the paper at home today, the Norwalk Reflector. I'm posting the whole thing here. For those who don't know, or remember, Eric was in my class.

Norwalk saw trio of local connections to Pope’s visit
By MARY LISA BOOSE - Reflector Staff Writer

Norwalk had three local connections to the recent visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States — music written by a St. Paul graduate was used in both New York City Masses and a former associate pastor at St. Paul was a con-celebrate of the service at St. Patrick Cathedral.

For the Mass at Yankee Stadium, another SPH grad now a priest was chosen to be a Eucharistic minister.

Mike Hay, a 1971 graduate of St. Paul High School, was active in music ministry his entire life. He died in 1999, but his faith lives on in the many liturgical pieces he wrote over the years.

Grace Hay Whitehurst, his sister, said she was surprised when she found out Hay's composition called Trilingual Intercessions was used at services at St. Patrick Cathedral and Yankee Stadium. She said he wrote it in 1994 to be sung in English, Latin and Spanish.

“He's still remembered,” Whitehurst said. “We always knew he was very talented and in the Chicago area he was well-known, but to think that nine years later his music was chosen for the official Papal visit is pretty amazing.”

In 1973, Hay was severely injured in an automobile accident. The first time he made it back to sing again at St. Paul was for the graduation ceremony in 1974.

Hay was able to walk with braces and crutches for a time, but in 1995 had to start using a wheelchair. That didn't stop him from earning a bachelor's degree in English from St. Meinrad College in Indiana or earning two masters' degrees to further his ministry in music from Loyola in Chicago and DePaul in Philadelphia.

“His music was everything to him — how he expressed his faith and his love of God and it was a way to reach other people,” Whitehurst said. “He loved to teach music also. When he returned to Norwalk as his medical condition worsened, he helped with liturgical music, with the band program and also helped with vocals for students in the high school musical.

Hay was a musical prodigy even as a high school student. He played trombone in the band and helped start what is now called the folk group for the 4:30 p.m. Saturday Mass.

Whitehurst said his family still has all of his original compositions and it brings them some sense of peace to know that Hay still lives through his music. He gave all royalites from his music to the church in his will.

“He had a mission and a purpose throughout his life - his music,” she said.

The Rev. Dave Reinhart, former associate pastor at St. Paul from1998 to 2002, won the “lottery” of priests from the Toledo diocese who traveled to New York for the Mass at St. Patrick.

Reinhart is the president at Cardinal Stritch High School in Oregon, Ohio and also teaches a theology class. He said every diocese in the nation was given two tickets for clergy and he was lucky enough to have his name drawn for the Toledo diocese.

“I was in the very back row, side aisle, next to a pillar,” Reinhart said, “but it was where he came and I could have reached out and hugged him.”

Reinhart had a camera and planned on taking pictures, but put it down as the Pope approached him.

“I thought ‘I don't want a camera between him and me,’” he said. “When he walked up to me I just bowed and he blessed me. Than I took a picture as he walked away.”

Getting into the city and finding parking was an ordeal, Reinhart said, but it was worth it to attend the Mass.

“It was an experience to see several thousand priests and religious (leaders) gathered to listen to their shepherd,” he said, since the St. Patrick Mass was for members of religious orders and various dignitaries.

“It was interesting to see grown, educated people electrified by this one man,” Reinhart said. “There were people with different viewpoints on theology, but everybody was excited and clapping. The feeling when he walked in was something between a great prayerful event and the arrival of someone much bigger than a superstar. It was a mixture of reverence and electricity.”

When the Pope approached each section, however, Reinhart said everyone in that area became quiet.

“When he would approach you, everyone would fall silent and bow,” he said. “For me personally, I found the whole Mass very prayerful. There was something about being there in that moment when you knew he was addressing Catholics of America and the entire world.”

Reinhart said he read a comment by a columnist during the Pope's visit that accurately summed up the difference between Benedict and his predecessor, John Paul II. “John Paul II made us cry and pulled on our heartstrings. Benedict is making us think and think deeply,” Reinhart paraphrased.

“There was a sense that American Catholics feel a new connection with the Pope that we hadn't felt before,” he said. “I believe he was really enjoying himself. He enjoyed the American people and he enjoyed the hospitality.”

“I was blessed to spend a couple of hours with Pope Benedict,” Reinhart said.

The Rev. Eric Schild, who was ordained a priest last June, is a 1998 graduate of St. Paul. He is now associate pastor at St. Wendelin in Fostoria and also teaches in the parish school. He led a group of 14 high school students and 14 adults to New York to the Mass at Yankee Stadium.

“It was just me and 60,000 of the Pope's closest friends,” Schild, adding it was an honor to be chosen as a Eucharistic minister for the Mass. “We had to send a list of all the people who were going to the Archdiocese of New York and they called and asked various priests to distribute. I said yes, of course — what an honor.”

Schild said the group crammed quite a bit into the two-day trip.

“We caravanned in five minivans,” he said. “We left at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday and got there at 1:30 in the afternoon and did some sightseeing. Pretty much the whole day Sunday was taken up with the Mass. It was an all-day extravaganza and quite a fantastic trip.”

Schild said he was “way up in the nosebleed section,” but was moved by the reverence of the people in the crowd. “Such reverence, such piety - even though they were in a baseball stadium,” he said. “It was amazing. It went from this secular stadium to a cathedral of worship.”

When the pope mobile appeared, Schild said, the entire stadium erupted in cheers.

“Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of the man we call Benedict,” he said. “A great quality of Pope Benedict is, as an 81-year-old man, he captures the attention of youth. You could see the transformation that took place in them.”

Schild said the young people in the stadium were amazingly intent on Pope Benedict.

“The youth look up to him, they listen to him, they want a glimpse of him and they cheer for him,” he said. “I think they realize he is a man of sincerity and truth in a society that doesn't value some of those things. He gives the youth something to hope for.”

Schild said Pope Benedict mentioned his mentor - Pope John Paul II - a number of times and Schild believes Benedict wants to continue to focus on youth as his predecessor did.

“He challenged them to live their lives and do it with great excitement,” Schild said. “Our kids came back charged up and energized and ready to go.”

Though Schild didn't get to personally talk to the Pope during this visit, they met when Schild was in college and the Pope was known as Cardinal Ratzinger.

“Little did I know he would be Pope Benedict. When I met him he struck me as a gentle soul,” Schild said.

“It has been interesting to see him as Pope and for me to be ordained under his spiritual leadership,” he added. “I've been very struck by his gentleness and his humility.”

Schild said Benedict focuses on “simple things that have profound meaning - love, hope - things that are a challenge for all of us as a society.”

Powder Puff

2008-04-15T18:50:00.006-05:00

Kate confused

Kate laughing

Kate's game face

Kate played Powder Puff football over the weekend. The football players were all standing around "coaching" the girls. Some of the coaches were there, too. It was a muddy, chilly day, but Kate said she had fun!

The pictures are courtesy of the Norwalk Reflector yet again. I don't know what I'd do without them!

I'm in!

2008-04-09T20:10:00.003-05:00

I got my letter today! I'll be starting grad school again in the summer! Yay!

I can't wait to get this degree finished and get into a library. I'll be enrolled at Texas Woman's University and taking the classes online. I could also go up to campus once or twice a year if I wanted to. It's a few hours away, but it's not that bad. I'm very excited and can't wait to choose classes!

The Debut of Mudbone

2008-04-08T21:26:00.004-05:00

Dad's got a new band, Mudbone. They've been playing together for a while now and this weekend is their first gig. They'll be playing at a fundraising event for a community theather group in Norwalk called The Shoestring Players. Sounds like it should be a pretty fun evening!

A week in Las Vegas

2008-04-06T08:40:00.005-05:00

We spent last week in Las Vegas with Doug's family for Granny's 80th birthday. I got to meet the rest of the family, which was very nice. And we all had a great week! We went down to the Strip a couple times, Doug and Jane gave us a little tour of things from when they lived in Vegas, some of us hiked at Valley of Fire and we had a couple family parties.

2008-04-06T08:35:00.001-05:00

One of the most fun and interesting things from the week was visiting the church where Doug & Jane were married. People were preparing for an event and amazingly the current pastor was there. We talked to him for a few minutes and he reappeared later with the old record books. He found the page Doug & Jane had filled out for their wedding and made copies of it for all of us.

It's a very pretty little church with a flower filled courtyard and beautiful stained glass windows. It was very quiet and peaceful and I think we all enjoyed the visit.

2008-04-06T08:30:00.001-05:00

Aunt Virginia, Doug, Granny

Granny's big birthday party was Saturday night. The whole family was there, including Granny's older sister Virginia who lives in California. Doug's aunts made a fantastic dinner and we all had a wonderful time catching up (and meeting!). Granny took pictures with all the grandchildren, children and families. I think we must have made her stand there for a good half hour while we took turns gathering around here and clicking an endless number of cameras!

2008-04-06T08:25:00.001-05:00

Sunday we had a big family bbq at Danny and Colleen's house. Everyone was there, too, and it was a more laid back party. By the end of the day, it had become a loud and hilarious story telling session. It turns out there are a number of humorous childhood stories about Big Doug.

Doug also discovered Guitar Hero that day.

2008-04-06T08:20:00.003-05:00

Doug's Dodger opening day picture.

Monday, we dropped Nate off at the airport and then 10 of us headed out to Valley of Fire. As it happened to also be Dodger opening day, we listened to the game, just as we were leaving the visitor center and driving to a picnic spot. While we ate, we left the van windows open and the radio turned up so that we could listen to the first few innings.

Then we hiked around and took lots of pictures. The valley is gorgeous. The little section we hiked was fun off sand which I wasn't crazy about, but it did have some really cool petroglyphs.

2008-04-06T08:15:00.001-05:00

And, of course, a couple visits to the Strip. This time, we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris. It was terribly windy and chilly and everyone was nice enough to stay up there with me until the Bellagio fountains started so that I could see it from above.

Bellagio Fountains at night from the top of the Paris across the street

New York New York

Eiffel tower at the Paris

All of us at the Bellagio

Bunny Cake!

2008-03-23T12:22:00.002-05:00

Just like grandma's. Well it's white cake, not coffee cake. So, pretty much like the real thing.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T08:53:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter everybody! Hope you all have a great day! Aunt Mary says the Easter Bunny has to hide eggs in the snow in Norwalk. It's sunny here, but very windy again. So, feel free to stop by and have your Easter egg hunt in our backyard!

Us

2008-03-13T21:22:00.004-05:00

Just a good picture of us downtown on a gorgeous day. Usually one of us is taking the pictures so we rarely have a good one of us together.

The Summer Zach

2008-03-13T20:30:00.003-05:00

Zach just found out that he got an internship at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art! He'll go for a couple months, beginning June 9, to work on the Sol LeWitt installation. The exhibit is going to be pretty amazing.

I'd never really heard of Sol LeWitt, so I looked him up. This one has some of his works. And this one was particularly interesting because it has his directions for a wall drawing.

Congratulations Zach!

It's March in Austin and that means lots of people

2008-03-09T15:10:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year again... March. That means South by Southwest. And tons of people in Austin. 400,000 people, most likely, since there are other events going on this month, too. So, when you hear about the film and music festival that is SXSW, don't be too jealous that you aren't here. It's not like we're getting to experience any of the fun ourselves. We just have more traffic!

The video mentions the Rodeo. We aren't going this year. Which is too bad, because this little guy is getting kind of old, and who knows how long he'll be coming.

Zach's visit

2008-03-08T23:08:00.005-06:00

Zach was here for a few days a couple weekends ago. He'd been at a conference in Dallas and we picked him up on Friday morning.

While we were there, we stopped by the Texas Book Depository building. Doug wanted to get a couple pictures and see the area. We didn't go to the museum, though. We hadn't planned on going and Zach wanted out of Dallas!

We showed Zach around the city. He didn't get to see much of anything the first time he was here. We walked around Town Lake for a bit. It was really warm the whole weekend and things were starting to bloom. Doug found some interesting graffitti, too. There's a whole section on a footbridge (not this picture) where people have written and drawn pictures with chalk. It would take hours to read through all of it!

We had a great weekend with Zach. We had some great dinners out and here at the house. Lots of hanging out on the patio. And Saturday night Zach and I went to a G Love concert downtown at Stubb's. The weather was perfect and we had a fantastic time!

More snow at home!

2008-03-08T16:40:00.010-06:00

Photo from the Reflector

I doubt Mom, Rob and Kate (or anyone in Ohio!) would agree with the exclamation point at the end of this post's title. I don't think their exclamations are happy ones right now! It's been snowing for hours and hours at home. It looked bad yesterday and Mom was afraid that the opening performance of this year's musical would be canceled. It wasn't, but I have to say it isn't looking good for tonight's show.

The Reflector has lots of photos again. Looks like the photographers made it out before the roads were closed.

Kate's Winter Concert

2008-03-07T11:11:00.002-06:00

Here's a short video the Reflector has from the winter band concert a few weeks ago. You can't see Kate in there at all, or in any of the pictures. But, she's there!

Keweenaw!

2008-02-26T20:46:00.002-06:00

A message from Aunt Bonnie:

Hi All,
This is a rather frivolous but fun e-mail. My niece Andrea (my sister Diane’s daughter) has put a quirky video in a Food Channel contest and has a chance at winning. The video has partly to do with the food charms of Keweenaw County (including the Monk’s bakery and pasties). If you register on the website you can vote for it by clicking on the stars I think. In any event you may enjoy viewing it as you know the area and it’s quite humorous, and a smiling is good for you. Hope all is well.
XOXO
Bonnie

Check it out! It's a fun video!

Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-21T23:21:00.002-06:00

We tried to see the eclipse, but when we went outside last night, it was cloudy. We walked around the neighborhood a little bit hoping it would clear, but it was a pretty decent cloud cover. We never did determine if the orange glow was the eclipse or just downtown.

I did find this site today, though. There are some great pictures of the eclipse there.

Did you get to see the eclipse? Did you get any pictures?

Spy on Norwalk

2008-02-12T13:54:00.000-06:00

I don't think I've put this on the blog before. On the Norwalk Reflector website, they have a link to a webcam. It sits atop the Colonial Flower shop downtown and looks at the intersection of Main Street and 250, right in front of the court house. It's fun to see what the weather is and see how much snow is on the ground.

One of these days, I'm going to make Kate go stand down there and wave at me.

More decorating

2008-02-10T17:44:00.000-06:00

We've added a couple more things to the house in the last month or so. We got a great area rug in January and a matching runner to put in front of the slider door. Some people haven't even noticed the run when they've come in, so it must look pretty good. As Ken said, it looks like it's always been there.

Doug picked out a pretty peace lily yesterday and set that up in the corner by the door. We're trying to find a couple more places around the house to add some plants. I got two teeny plants at Ikea today and put one in the bathroom. The other one is sort of homeless at the moment, but I'll find a spot for it soon.

Princess just got cooler

2008-02-10T17:37:00.001-06:00

I got some really cool car decals from Dan for Christmas. I finally washed my car and put them on today. The colors are great and I love how they look. I ran to the drugstore after I put them on, and the car was sitting in the sun when I came out of the store. With the sun on them, the colors are so bright and fun! I love them!

Spike is back!

2008-02-10T17:29:00.000-06:00

After hibernating for a few months, Spike appeared on the patio again last weekend. He's been in and out all week, but I was able to get a picture of him today. He's gotten bigger.

I did a little research and I'm pretty sure he's a green anole. Like a chameleon, he can change colors, but only a little bit. Obviously, he can turn brown, as he is in the picture, but he can be sort of gray and yellow, too.

I'm just happy he liked it here enough to come back. He's fun to watch. And I wonder where he was hibernating all winter.

Ah, winter...

2008-02-04T21:39:00.001-06:00

Seems the groundhog saw his shadow this year... 6 more weeks of winter it is. Oh no, not for us. For the rest of you. We had a gorgeous weekend and it's more of the same for at least the next couple weeks.

Anybody want to visit?

Mom & Kate Visit

2008-01-23T20:59:00.000-06:00

Just before Christmas I found a deal on plane tickets, so Mom and Kate came down last weekend since they had a couple extra days off school.

We took Kate to St. Edwards on a very windy and chilly day. I don't know if she'll actually consider going to school there, but we took her all the same. We just drove through campus and went into the main building. It's a very pretty, green campus.

We did a little shopping at the mall so Kate could get a couple things to take back to some friends. She also tried on about half a dozen prom dresses. This isn't the one she got, but it's the one she really, really wanted. It just seemed a little much for prom. And the one she did pick out is gorgeous and pink and she looks great in it!

Sunday night we went to dinner at the European Bistro, a fantastic Hungarian restaurant. It was fun to be able to share this with Mom and Kate. I was thinking that we hadn't ever really shared a lot of our stories, or the amazing food, from studying abroad, but now that I think about it, I think we may have taken them to eat at the Hungarian place in Manchester when they came to visit for Easter one year. I'll have to ask Mom. Anyway, dinner was wonderful on Sunday and dessert was even better, as usual!

Mostly, though, we just hung out and had a great weekend together. It was rather cold and blustery here, so it wasn't much of a weather vacation for Mom and Kate. Doug had to work most of the weekend, so he didn't get to play with us very much. It was a very nice visit for all of us and a lot of fun! And we're planning on doing it again later this year... Mom and Kate gave up their seats on their connecting flight from Chicago to Cleveland and got Southwest vouchers. They had to sit around in the airport for a long time, but it was worth it. Mom, Rob and Kate will be coming for Thanksgiving later this year and we can't wait! Hopefully Zach and Monica will be able to come, too!

Wedding Website

2008-01-10T20:02:00.001-06:00

Nate & Leighann have a wedding website. It's a little sparse right now, but they've just started planning. You can see the wedding location, though, and it's gorgeous!

Storms at home

2008-01-10T11:45:00.000-06:00

They had a pretty nasty storm at home earlier this week. Lots of trees down and power outages. Mom had this to say,

"Power went out around 1 AM and the wind sounded like a freight train... almost woke Kate to take her to the basement. I stayed awake for several hours listening for the tornado siren, but it never went off. I know of three streets that are closed because of trees down, Nancy lost doors off an outside storage unit, Mr. Swabley’s barn collapsed, Betsy has a pine tree leaning on a power line/pole in her yard. We had water leaks, ceiling tiles blown out, trees down at cemetery and St. Mary’s campus."

Luckily no one was hurt! This is all very strange for January.

Wyatt

2008-01-02T20:43:00.001-06:00

Wyatt is just about the cutest kid ever. We were so happy to finally meet our godson and get to spend some time with him.

Riding on his rocking horse. It whinnies, makes galloping noises and sings a song.

One of Wy's presents was a Daniel Johnston "Hi How Are You" t-shirt. Which happens to match Doug's t-shirt.

Christmas as kids

2008-01-01T08:34:00.001-06:00

Not us as kids, but dad, Danny, Susan, Debbie and Sharon as kids! Dad sent these las week and they're too cute not to share. The first picture is from 1962 and the second is from 1967.

In the news: Kim & Dan

2007-12-29T09:35:00.000-06:00

Just got this article from Kim.

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-25T17:07:00.000-06:00

Nate proposed to Leighann for Christmas this year!! I don't have the whole story yet, but I'll have it soon. We're so excited for them!!

Update: We talked to Nate & Leighann this evening. Nate put the ring on their first ornament on their Christmas tree. Leighann didn't notice all the while they opened presents, so he sent her to look at the ornaments when they were finished!

Christmas Party!

2007-12-17T21:46:00.000-06:00

We had our Christmas party Saturday night. It was a lot of fun and we had a great night. Doug made meatballs and I made parmesan chicken bites. Nadia made toasted ravioli. And we had tons of cookies!

1st Snow Day

2007-12-17T10:35:00.000-06:00

Well, they got some snow at home yesterday- the first snowstorm, I think. I was checking the paper this morning, and lo and behold, there's Rob! It's like the paper photographers know when he's in town and available for pictures. Apparently Kate was out shoveling, too, but wanted no part of being in the paper, so went running for the house when Joe Centers appeared.

I went back to the paper to see if there were more snow pictures yet, and now they have video! It's fun for me since I don't get the snow, and because they were in our neighborhood!

Bye Puppy

2007-12-10T22:50:00.000-06:00

Friday morning, we lost Shadow. Doug and Jane took him to the vet as he wasn't doing very well and that was it. They had to put him down. He was happy to the end, though, and lived to be quite old at 14. He's the absolute best dog. Ever.

ZachWhitehurst.com

2007-12-09T09:37:00.000-06:00

Zach has a website: ZachWhitehurst.com! He may still be uploading some photos, but I think it's nearly finished at this point. His new work is amazing and I can't wait to see his show next Spring. If anyone is in Philly, please look him up and check out his work. You won't be disappointed.

Just a reminder...

2007-12-09T09:36:00.000-06:00

If you're sending anything to Texas, please make sure that it's here by Dec. 18 or else send it so it arrives after Christmas. We'll be gone from the 19-24 and Ken and Nadia will be gone, too, so there isn't anyone to rescue packages left on our doorstep. Thanks!

Also,

2007-11-24T17:31:00.001-06:00

I cut my hair off. And got contacts again.

It's Christmas Time in Texas

2007-11-24T17:23:00.001-06:00

We got a new tree this year- double the size of the one we got when we first moved down here and were in the apartment. We love it!

I got this beautiful nativity a couple years ago at Hallmark after Christmas. It's the only thing I set up last year since we didn't spend Christmas in Texas.

We got finished putting up the decorations we had, which used to overwhelm the apartment, and decided that we needed a little something else. So, we got some garland. I haven't decided if I'm going to put anything in it or just let it be green.

And, the tree, lit and decorated.

Kim & Dan

2007-11-18T13:51:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos of the recent gallery opening Kim and Dan had in North Carolina. I'll update with the info they sent about the gallery as soon as I find the email! In the meantime, check out Dan's website.

A Thanksgiving Tradition

2007-11-11T12:15:00.000-06:00

From the Norwalk Reflector:

Local couples offer free Thanksgiving meals

By AARON KRAUSE - Reflector Staff Writer
Sunday November 11 2007, 11:58am

If you can’t get over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house, you can still get Thanksgiving dinner.

For a decade or more, the Wildes and the Bleiles of Norwalk have been offering such a meal in the Norwalk Catholic School elementary cafeteria or through delivery.

Skipe Wilde said he, his wife and the Bleiles serve meals to between 100 to 150 people each year.

“Most people are getting their fill of food; there are people who aren’t,” Wilde said.

He said the people who take advantage of the meal may not have anywhere to go. Or, they physically can’t get out.

Either way, the Wildes and the Bleile’s have you covered. They can deliver meals to your home, provide transportation to the Norwalk Catholic School elementary cafeteria or simply greet you at the door.

The meal is a traditional Thanksgiving feast and includes turkey, dressing and all the trimmings.

“The turkey and the dressing are great,” Wilde said, adding the mashed potatoes are made from scratch.

Way back when Skip Wilde started doing this at Thanksgiving, it was pizza, fruit and some other goodies that were given out and it was all done by delivery. Skip owns Domino's Pizza in Norwalk and his extended family all got together to fix the desserts and extras. We helped out, too, as did some other friends. It ran that way for a few years and then it expanded to the amazing tradition that it is now.

Mom still helps out, and whoever happens to be home for Thanksgiving helps, too. And it's a wonderful way to spend part of Thanksgiving.

Halloween at Work

2007-10-31T21:49:00.000-05:00

I got everyone to dress up at work this year!
Pam, Clayton, Me, Madeline, Bill, Beth, Corey and Super David in the front.

Bill as the Pope. He didn't really dress up, he just always has that hat in his office.

Beth as a busy bee.

Corey as a hippie.

Pam, covered in tatoos.

Madeline as an angel. And I'm a little devil.

Halloween Party!

2007-10-28T11:23:00.001-05:00

Party People

2007-10-28T11:20:00.000-05:00

Maker Faire

2007-10-23T21:15:00.000-05:00

Sunday Doug, Ken and I spent about 4 hours checking out the Maker Faire. It was amazing! We saw some really cool DIY projects, some awesome robots, a pumpkin-hurling catapult, a giant mousetrap (like the old game) and tons of other great stuff. I think we all got some great ideas, too! I know I have a few including making a mousebot and some cool lamps. When I get around to making those, I'll post some pictures of the building and the finished products. It should certainly be interesting to see how they turn out!

Time for a change

2007-10-21T17:04:00.000-05:00

I decided that it was time to give the blog a new look. The old design was getting boring. I think I like this one. We'll see.

More homecoming...

2007-10-10T18:27:00.001-05:00

I found some more pictures of Homecoming. The DJ took a bunch of pictures at the dance and mom told me about it. There are about a hundred on the DJ's website.

Kate looks a little tired. Must have been towards the end of the evening. She's on student council so she had to help set up and decorate everything before the dance and then stay to clean up, too. She sure looks cute, though!

Homecoming

2007-10-09T20:30:00.000-05:00

St. Paul's Homecoming was this past weekend. I've got one picture so far. Kate's on the far right for those of you who haven't seen her in ages.

And, courtesy of the Norwalk Reflector, here are highlights from the parade and crowning. Aunt Mart, the first SPH Homecoming Queen had the honor of crowning this year's queen.

And highlights from the football game! I love that the paper at home is starting to catch up on technology!

Bathroom finished!

2007-09-17T21:39:00.000-05:00

Saturday we tore up the bathroom: cabinet out, toilet out, new paint, new toilet. And no more cabinet! This shelf looks much, much better.

So's this one....

2007-09-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

I finally got the shower curtain for the tiny master bathroom, too! So, we have two new toilets and both bathrooms are freshly painted and decorated.

Doug's trip home

2007-09-09T19:11:00.001-05:00

Doug went home for a week at the end of August. He flew into Boston and spent Saturday with Christopher and the guys. Sunday afternoon he went to a Fishercats game with Big Doug in Manchester. This fabulous panoramic is from the game.

Monday Doug and Doug went to Cooperstown to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame.

2007-09-09T19:10:00.000-05:00

Wednesday they spent some time at the beach in Ogunquit, Maine. I love that beach and that whole area! Doug had a lobster roll and I made him tell me all about it because you can't get fresh seafood here.

Then, Thursday night, Kim and Nate came home for the long weekend. Everyone was there for Thursday night and Friday. Doug was first to leave on Saturday morning. They all had a really good time, though, and Doug really enjoyed his vacation!

New pictures!

2007-09-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

We've finally, finally hung pictures! We got photos enlarged today and then bought frames, which were on sale at Michael's!

The picture over the fireplace is from Budapest and the three on the red wall are winter pictures from Boston.

The paint is finished!

2007-08-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

From the sink by the bathroom...

I finished the painting at 11:00 last night. Well, most of it. I have to do the little alcove with the sink and the bathroom, but I ran out of paint last night. I bought the paint tonight, but I'm tired. I'm taking a night off! When Doug gets back, we'll have things hung on the walls. Some of it is too heavy for me to hang by myself.

Another school year

2007-08-28T08:36:00.001-05:00

Kate starts her Junior year today! Mom's been at work all month already, but now they're both there!

You can listen to Kate and the band at halftime of the football games on the radio. The station has posted the schedule on their website so you can listen to the live games, or the playback games.

Good luck Kate!

While Doug's away.....

2007-08-26T18:03:00.000-05:00

I'm working, not playing! I started in on the bedroom this morning. The accent wall is finished as you can see. I'm working on the rest of it. The parts right next to the orange are finished and some of the rest has one coat. Luckily I have all week to get it finished!

Vacation!

2007-08-25T17:29:00.000-05:00

Not for me, for Doug. He was supposed to leave at 12:55 this afternoon...his flight finally took off around 4:15. He's going home for the week to hang out. Next weekend, Kim and Nate are both coming home for a couple days, too. Should be fun for all of them! If Doug gets around to it, I might have pictures to post all week.

I'll be here painting...fun, huh? Feel free to come help!

Pillows!

2007-08-24T19:23:00.000-05:00

We have throw pillows for the sofa! Finally! I bought these two napkins ages ago so I could make pillows, but I never got around to it. My friend Pam helped me make them this morning. I sewed them myself! They look very nice on the sofa and are just what we needed.

3 down, 1 to go

2007-08-16T14:33:00.000-05:00

Rob moved into his dorm room today at BG. Zach stayed for a bit to help him get unpacked while Mom and Kate drove home. Zach's staying up there for the weekend to hang out with friends, too.

So, it's Kate and Mom and home now. It'll certainly be different this year.

Congrats and good luck to Rob!

Kate drives...

2007-08-14T18:55:00.000-05:00

me crazy. Kidding, kidding. Congratulations to Miss Kate who passed her driving test this afternoon with a 100% on both the driving and the maneuverability! She is a licensed driver and has already been out to the store by herself once tonight and I imagine she'll go again if she can manage it. (Norwalk drivers beware...)

And congrats to mom who doesn't have to teach anyone else to drive, ever again! And who probably won't have to run her own errands anymore, either.

So, if you need a lift, just call the house. I'm sure Kate will be more than happy to drive you around.

Happy Day!

2007-08-13T20:55:00.000-05:00

Happy Sweet 16 to Kate!

I do believe she had a pretty good birthday today. She shopped and had lunch with dad, had a surprise party at her favorite coffee place, had a huge dinner with cake and ice cream and then she went to the concert at the fair this evening with some friends. She was so busy, it was hard to get a hold of her to say Happy Birthday!

The Patio

2007-08-12T18:39:00.001-05:00

I don't think I've posted pictures of the patio since I got cushions for the chairs and some plants. It all looks much better now and it's quite comfy. (Well it would be if it weren't so darn hot right now!)

2007-08-12T18:30:00.000-05:00

2007-08-12T18:20:00.000-05:00

This little guy has been living in one of the new plants for the last week. I'm not sure if he'll stay or not. The big one that lived in the gazebo when we first got it didn't last. I'm not sure where he went, but he probably got blown away in one of the crazy storms we had all summer. I wouldn't mind if this cute, tiny little one stays, though.

Like the movie!

2007-08-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

We never did make it up to Dallas to see the 7-11 that was turned into a Kwik-E-Mart. Probably because it would have taken about 3 1/2 hours just to get there. I did happen to find some Buzz Cola at a 7-11 down here, though!

2007-08-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

A bit of advice

2007-08-12T10:43:00.000-05:00

When people come to Austin, they want to see a show. Being the "Live Music Capital" of the world, that's not an unreasonable request. However, do not go to an outdoor show in the middle of August in Austin. I discovered this the hot, sweaty way by going to Stubbs last night to see Rufus Wainwright. On what has been the hottest day of the year so far. I've never felt so gross in all my life (except for maybe the Rancid show last summer....you'd think I'd learned my lesson).

So, if you want to see a show, don't come in the summer. Or at least don't pick an outdoor show from May-September.

And, some new flowers

2007-08-08T20:58:00.000-05:00

If you remember pictures from earlier this year, I had flowers in front of the house. Well, the petunias started to die and I ended up having to rip them up. And then I went home for a week. And forgot to tell Doug to water the flowers. So, those had to ripped up, too, when I got home because it was hot that week and they were a little fried. After that, I didn't have anything. Myra, a woman I work with, suggested Mexican Petunias and she even gave me some cuttings. As you can see, they are flourishing! Myra said they probably won't get bigger, but they'll start to fill out and spread. Yay! Plants that aren't dying!

Yardwork

2007-08-07T20:42:00.000-05:00

Well, this was the best "before" picture I could find with those darn bushes. They're between our house and the neighbor on the corner. These are the most frustrating bushes- they grow like crazy, they're messy and they don't die. Even I can't kill them. I planned on doing some serious trimming back in the fall, but I came home Sunday to find the neighbor attacking them. So, Doug finished the half she didn't and now they look much better. When it gets cooler, I'm going to dig out underneath, get rid of all the weeds and grass growing in there and put a bunch of mulch down. It should look quite a bit better after that.

2007-08-07T20:40:00.000-05:00