Silent Night ... HOLY NIGHT

Merry Christmas Eve!

HOLY NIGHT!

May you celebrate Faith, Family,

and Friendship this Christmas Season.

... have a peaceful, blessed holiday!

p.s. above 'pic' is of the Haddock boys ~

great Christmas card Julie!

xoxo

18 MORE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS ...

TODAY IS JOE'S 14TH BIRTHDAY
(HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!)

18 MORE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

8 MORE DAYS UNTIL BRYAN COMES HOME FROM UTAH!

14 MORE DAYS UNTIL KEVIN TURNS 25!

9 MORE DAYS UNTIL CHRIS' BIRTHDAY (how old will YOU be Christopher??)!

Here is our grand dogger, "Jack", all ready for Christmas! He is a very handsome boy! (Stefanie, I can not believe you have presents wrapped and under the tree already!!!!)

xoxo

Where have I been - have you missed me?

OHMYGOSH! ALMOST 5 MONTHS SINCE MY LAST BLOG ENTRY!

just a few things that have transpired since July ...

I am a Certified Nurse Aide ... here is a picture of my class (I actually passed my State exam)

SUMMER FUN ~ GIRLFRIENDS, GIRLFRIENDS, GIRLFRIENDS!

... that is so what it is all about ... girlfriends can get you through anything - ANYTHING!




Guys are important too - here's Rog on his boat!





Leah and Stefanie and Jack on Leah's boat!


Joe driving Uncle Roger's boat!

Lobster, now Lobster is very important!
(lobster at Aunt Dorothy's birthday party prepared by Dick)

I was a cook at Girl's Camp in August. It's A GREAT week of service and fun too!

Girl's Camp theme was "... By their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7:20) the below picture is on the last morning of camp and the girl's are releasing tiny bubbles into the air signifying all of the good works they would be known by. It was way cool!

Girl's Camp is awesome, but it is a ton of work ... love this photo of me and two of my kitchen friends scrubbing pots and pans in the sink (do you recognize me?)

Bry drove back to Utah to school with Kevin in August.

We had a little combination birthday party and going away party for him!

My boys and their Dads!

Bry and Michelle!

Bry and Shell and Bruce!

Bry with his new vanity plates inspired by Carl! Bry earned the "LFK" tag from "Uncle Carl" back when he was a wee tiny baby.

THE LFK (the Little Fat Kid) not sure why Uncle Carl ever called him that back then ....baby Bry ...

Paul Rusch got the lead part of Oscar Madison in "The Odd Couple" in his school play! Congrats PAUL!

The Oktoberfest at the beach was a blast!

"Carving Pumpkins"
Hay Rides! Jack-o-lanterns at the beach!

... off to New York for Richard Tanasi's 30th Birthday Bash!

here we are just before the harbor tour ...
Lady Liberty ~ GOD BLESS OUR AMERICA!
"I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life." ~ Charles Swindoll

i learned a bunch this summer about me ... at Cherry Brook Health Care, at the beach, at Girl's Camp, at work, at school, at home, and at play ... with my family and my friends.
It was a good summer and I am Blessed!

are they cute enough?

... talk to you soon

xoxo

Begonias,etc.

WHITE FLOWER FARM with BLU

my Begonias NEVER look like these ...

check White Flower Farm out at

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/07-begonias-event-2.html

M.Y.R.

xoxo

Back to School, etc.

BACK TO SCHOOL

("Mama, can you hear me?

Mama, can you see me?")

Oh what would she think? ... today was my 1st full day of lecture and lab at my accelerated CNA course (what was I thinking?). Actually it was pretty awesome. Out of the classroom very soon and off to Cherry Brook Health Care Center. If all goes well I will be a certified Nursing Assistant by the end of August ~ amazing! I guess there is a bit of my Mom in me after all, I'm just looking forward to giving back and making things a bit easier for some folks

(while earning $$$ to send my boy to college).

Jasmine is very proud of me

(and loves to have her picture taken)!

Tons of homework - YIKES!

"Service changes people. It refines, purifies, gives a finer perspective, and brings out the best in each one of us. It gets us looking outward instead of inward. Righteous service is the expression of true charity, such as the Savior showed."

--Derek A. Cuthbert, "The Spirituality of Service", Ensign, May 1990

What are you folks doing for fun this summer?

Here is another one of my favorite

"summers-gone-by" Cape Cod pictures!

Who is this HOTTY?

xoxo

Boys and their very BIG Toys

Boys and their BIG toys!

Let's take a look at a few

of his most recent 'TOY' acquisitions

beginning in 2002.

2002 - Sea Doo

Personal Watercraft

Jasmine loves the Sea Doo!

Rog and Barbara

2004 - Brand New HONDA CRV

CRV and Jasmine

2006 - 2006 Honda Ridgeline

October 2006 - Samsung 40" High Definition LCD
(no picture needed)

2007 - New Ariens Zoom

Zero Turn Lawn Mower

6/16/2007 - Sea Doo Speedster

BOYS AND THEIR TOYS

Editorial Reviews
"Book Description: The key to understanding men is in understanding how they relate to their gadgets. Just because they may seem to show more interest in their computers...or their remote controls...or their fancy watches or their power mowers or their stereos... doesn't mean that their toys are really the most important things in their life. In Boys and Their Toys, bestselling author Bill Adler, Jr. explains how men use toys to assert their independence and freedom, relieve stress, connect to their lost childhood, and even express their nurturing side (without having to admit it). Written in Adler's fun, humorous style, the book reveals how women can:
* learn how a man's interest in particular "toys" can be used to predict his behavior

* know when a guy's passion for gadgets crosses the line into obsession and what to do about it

* take advantage of the human-gadget relationship to improve the human-human relationship

Smart and funny, Boys and Their Toys helps readers understand what makes their men tick...and grow closer with them in the process."

NEED TO GET ME A COPY OF THIS BOOK!

xoxo

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day

to every man

who has loved a little child

and helped that child to grow!

MY DAD

Arthur A. Chouinard

July 14, 1927 - November 4, 1989

"LOVE YOU DAD!"

How lucky to have had so good a father!

On us his warm, unstinting sun long shone.

We were, of his hardworking life, the center,

Loved for the pure joy of love alone.

Uncanny are the requisites of pleasure,

Coming as they do within the will.

Knowing well where lay his greatest treasure,

Years on years of love he labored still.

By Domenico Scarlatti

xoxo