Nathan Mitchell Family Update!

Hello, wanted to let everyone know we are doing fine. The kids sure are growing fast Gabi will be 4 in June and Azi will be 2 in April. We just recently took a trip to Vermont and had lots of fun! It was great for the kids we stopped in Springfield, MA so the kids could see the Dr. Seuss memorial park then we drove all the way up to Stowe, Vermont were we spent the night. We found a great restaurant were the kids could eat and be as loud as they wanted which was great for them after riding a a car for about 5 hours. The next day we went to the Ben & Jerry's factory and took the tour which is where the picture was taken and also went to the Vermont Teddy bear factory and also took their tour. The kids each got a teddy bear and so did mommy. Its the neatest teddy bear its made of about 6 different colors. They called him a kaleidoscope, Gabi got a dog of course she always does and Azi picked a red teddy bear! Any ways it was lots of fun.
Nate went to the doctor today about his back finally. He got a referral to see someone so hopefully they figure out if he can do something different so that he doesn't have so much pain all the time. I Started selling Avon Friday from home.I'm really excited and if anyone is interested I'll post the link for my web page! Its great because my friends and family that are not close by can order right from my web page and have it directly delivered to your house 24hours 7 days a week. I also love how Avon has a satisfaction guarantee. I can return anything for your not happy with. and If there is any product your not sure about. I may be able to send you a sample. Please pass it on if you know anyone who might be interested in checking out my website.http://www.youravon.com/amitchell7673

New house, new job

Well been at my new job (actually working for Berty) for a week now. I really like it and I think she does too..It's going really good. Learning more and more. Lots of paperwork and some phones and other stuff but a very nice variety and so makes the day go fast. It's a lot more of up and down, rather than just sitting at a desk all day processing dental claims. Very interesting....

Gary and Brad are still in Lancaster County..Getting our house ready to sell. Takes time and then you have to wait til the inspector, mold specialist, the appraisal person and all come out. Had to have some plumbing done, also thought there was mold in attic--the tester comes out tomorrow so hopefully that will pass.., also had to have electric work done... So...still waiting on the septic system..Hopefully they will either retest and pass ...or we'll reduce our price to sell it...

Was looking at houses up here over the weekend...Saw 3 and have more that I want to see..Property values and prices have went up up here because now they are drilling for natural gas soo....We'll see... what all that turns out to be...

Oh well, talk to you soon.. Staying with Bert and Ed right now..will let you know more when I know it..Love ya..

Last week's painting schedule

I spent a good bit of two days last week painting--painting, that is, boxes for sales reps to display in homes.

The company I work for has shifted focus from sunrooms and kitchens to bringing homes up to energy efficient standards by adding cellulose insulation and radiant barriers in attics, installing solar water heaters, window films, etc. I have spent most of the last two months designing and developing a sample box for the salesmen to demonstrate the difference between cellulose and fiberglass insulation, both with and without a radiant barrier. I finally got it to the point where the owner told me to build 40, at which point we went into production mode. I'll say that it's been a lot of work getting everything to come together, but now I have a system in place which just needs some fine-tuning.

Rex is talking about building another batch--200 or so. Guess I'll still have work for a while.

Vacation Report

We went on another cruise starting on Jan 31. Flew to Ft Lauderdale and spent the night and then went on a week long cruise in the Carribean. Was lovely and we had a good time. Stopped at Princess Cays, St. Marrtin, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk; then back to Ft. Lauderdale. Thought we might be stranded at the airport due to snow but there wasn't any here and only a couple of inches in Allentown where our flight was ending so we had no problem. We did a couple of fun things--the sea lion swim was pretty cool. Also some snorkeling and learned to ride a segway. Ended up erasing the photos from the first half of the trip but here's a couple from the last half.

hello all,Lee

it,s been a long rough road with a lot of help but i finally got to actually post on here. thanks to all who helped me along the way. Val is back from Brazil and we are getting settled in again while she was gone i tore the bedroom apart and repainted the walls and ceiling.also patched where it needed and polyeuthened the log wall so when she got home we had to put stuff back took the time to change it around and make it different love to all more later

I have a new boyfriend.......................

...................and so does Wade!


Isn't he cute? Omar, the sea lion. We met him at Coral World in St. Thomas.

Good Morning

Good Morning peoples, hope you are all having a awesome day. We have a blue sky and the sun is out, we got about 4 to 6 inches of snow on the hill, that is enough snow for me, I have seen all the winter I want to ,or at least until next year. lol We are remodeling are house, we tore out are spare room moving the living room down and making a dining room, and then in the kitchen Bob is going to make me a island, can't wait until it is done. Right now we are pulling up that nasty pink rug, and laying tile, we try to do alittle each night I do some during the day but I'am not very good at it . LOL Other then that we are doing great, I'am not working now I did not want to go back to the nursing home to stressful, If we can do it I'am going to take the summer off and go find a job in the fall. I have not had a summer off in twenty years so it will be nice. Looking forward to spring so I can be out in my green house and dig in the dirt . Will I guess i better get going Love you all come and visit when you can. Rose and Bob

Knauer News

Well, I wrote a blog the other night...but then posted on Brad's blogger so...guess you didn't see it there did you? Actually was just telling about my new job...This week I am in New Jersey (where they got 24 inches of snow on Sat and supposed to get anywhere from 8-12 more tonight...Everybody is sick of the snow...Came down on Sunday afternoon/evening and then started my week of orientation/training on Monday. It's going really good. Training is different than working but still is exhausting...makes me tired...It was weird to come to a motel without Gary and thought I probably wouldn't sleep good but that hasn't been a problem. In a way its kinda nice to come home from work..grab some supper somewhere and then do whatever you want..But I do miss them all..I heard Boomer barking tonight when I called and I miss that too!!!It was also weird to drive that far without Gary or Beth to tell me which way to go..But I have survived and doing really good with remembering how to get to somewhere again..Amazing at 50 (almost) I might actually be growing up!!

We still don't know much about our house...We had an inspector come and he said a couple things that we didn't like...surprise?? He told us about possible mold in our attic ceiling so Gary went up and sprayed bleach on it with a sprayer. We have to have that tested again.

Then he also said our sewer was failing which surprised both of us..We don't agree with him and so would like to have a second opinion but ....it keeps snowing.. The day he came and tested it--it had just snowed the 18 inches and melted and so he came the day that it was just finished melting in our yard--and he said the ground was saturated!!! Yeah??? So anyways, now we are just waiting for the snow to get here, melt and dry up some so we can have it retested...

Anyways...will talk to you later!!

We're Home

Was a good vacation! I'll post more tomorrow or the next day--gotta check my email and get myself into "back to work" mode.

Did you all notice that Lee started to post something the other day. Go to the Edit Posts section to see it. Unfortunately for us, he left it as a draft. I'm not sure if he's still fine-tuning it, didn't push the Publish button, lost his nerve, had to go see what Valerie wanted, etc., or what.

C'mon, big brother, we're all waiting to hear from you.

Hello everybody, Just want you all to know I'am home now, Bob and me are doing awesome . Thank you all for not judgeing me. I had to figure out some things and I did and now I'am good. Come and visit when ever you want, miss and love you all Rose .

First Portrait (except for Lukie)

This is Alice and her great-grandaughter, whose name I don't know.

Talk about putting paint on a woman's face!! It only took me four tries before I got it good enough to leave it.

SOLD!!! well, signed anyway!

Well by Monday evening we knew we had two offers...The realtor was excited to show them to us so she came over on Monday night about 8:30 and showed them to us..We had a few questions and so she got answers and came back on Tuesday night. Plus we still had a showing on Tuesday during the day. So then we accepted one of the offers and signed the papers that night. Now it's off to inspections and tests, and appraisal. Settlement is now scheduled for March 17th, if we can we'll move it up but not sure that will happen... It's hard to believe that it happened this fast..But why should we be surprised---every other thing has just fallen into place about this whole thing so.... Like I didn't want Matt (Berty's boss) to call between Christmas and New Year's because I couldn't get off then--he didn't but called in Jan when I could get away..I got lost coming home from the interview in New Jersey but found my way even though I usually have Beth or Gary to tell me how to go. I hated to tell Coresource that I was leaving but...that worked out--not the way I had planned but still worked out..They have someone taking my place from another office who has dental/flex background so not so much training..so that is good... My last day there is next Friday-Feb 5th..

So right now, we are finishing up those things we should have done years ago...like outlet covers, molding, finishing the window cases---we told them we would get that stuff done..And packing, and packing, and packing.....hahaha...And trying to find a place in Potter/Tioga County. So if you hear of something--you that are up there..Let us know..

love ya..

SOLD!!! well, signed anyway!

I took your advice, Phyl, and started working an 8 x 10. It's a portrait of a friend of mine holding her great-granddaughter at a Christmas party I went to. Sketched it out about a week ago and have it almost completed. Haven't spent nearly as much time going back over and repainting as I did the last one. Probably because it's smaller, maybe I'm starting to catch on.

I went to a class today at the school Cindy has been going to--basic web page design, you know, HTML and all that. I missed the first week, but considering that I had learned a lot of that before on my own, it wasn't any trouble to catch up. The class runs every Monday afternoon for four hours. Pretty interesting. I don't get any credit for it, but neither do I have to pay for it.

I might actually start making a living by working my brain instead of my muscle. Gonna' have to someday, since the muscles aren't what they used to be.

Moving news:

We listed with the Realtor on Tuesday evening..They came to put the sign up and take pictures on Wednesday..Yesterday we had someone come and look at it...And we have another person (s) coming on Sunday afternoon...Hope that's a good sign..


We'll be thinking of you, Bob as you go out to Rose...Drive safe and have a good time on your way..Our thoughts and prayer go with you...

Ahem! Drum roll, please. Ta Da!

Ok, ok, quit your grousing. Here they are. I am not satisfied with either of the photos, but you can understand what they are supposed to look like. I think I had too much flash when I snapped the painting, so it turned out quite blue.

Still haven't figured out what Numero Cuatro is going to be, but it's going to happen.

Knauer's are moving (hopefully!!)

Well, might as well make it official...I have accepted a position where Berty works at Seabrook House to be her assistant. My first day working there will be Feb 8th...A week of orientation in NJ and then up there to work for Bert!!! YIPEE!!! We have put our house on the market with a Realtor here (some of you remember the Rancks--this is Charlene Ranck-Merle's wife that Bob worked for...) They are very impressed with Gary's ability and work and feel like the house will sell rather quickly and for what we want...Hopefully that is what will happen even though of course they can't promise anything..

Not sure what we will do up there as far as housing as of yet...Going this weekend to look at some and see what we think..Probably I will just stay with Bert and Ed for a little bit (if they will have me) until our house sells and Gary and Brad move up...Not sure how that's all gonna play out but am looking forward to it all..

It has been a dream of ours for a long time to move back up there and not live in so much congestion and people, traffic and such...Didn't think it would happen until we retire or later but...it has and we are excited but very nervous and scared.. We have really felt that if God wanted it to happen that each step would be blessed and each obstruction would be taken out of our way...and that is what really has happened..I didn't want Berty's boss to call me for an interview between Christmas and New year because I couldn't really take off then..and he didn't..And then I got lost going to the interview and prayed that if God wanted me there on time I would see a sign..and I found my way... .just things like that........

So just keep us in your prayers as we make this exciting and scary journey and see what God has in store for us...We are looking forward to it but ...not looking forward to the actual moving day!!! Want to help move all our stuff???

love ya all!!

Patience, patience...

OK. It's done, or at least as much as I'm willing to do right now. I don't think that I'm going to improve it by tinkering, so I guess this is a good place to stop. Problem is, though, my camera battery is dead and I seem to have misplaced the charger. It appears that it will be at least tomorrow evening before I'm able to take a picture and post it for you. Sorry, you'll just have to wait another day.

Almost There!

Shouldn't be long now, a few more days and I'll have a picture for you. Looking pretty good, I think, and no I'm not biased. Purely objective.

Had a scare, though, the other day. Thought I might have to eat some crow and throw it away. I was having some trouble getting the floor to come out. Cindy even told me to quit or I'd ruin it and have to throw it out. Good thing I don't listen to people who know more than I do. Kept at it and managed to drag it out of the trash can.

This is fun! I'm really enjoying myself and am looking forward to the time when I can hang up the construction and make a decent living painting pictures. Course, if that happens, it'll probably become work and then I won't want to do it.

Lukie can hardly wait. I've been telling him that when I post, he'll become immortal. Or maybe he can hardly wait for me to play football with him, again. Never can tell with that dog.

UGH class

Well, just finished the final exam for the UGH class. Have to write the final of a 10 - 12 page research paper. I had to submit an annotated bibliography for the paper last week (it is a bibliography with notes about the source, the author of the source and his credentials, and how the source will be used in the paper). I knew I'd lose a few points because I was one source short and I had a few sources that were not written in the last 5 years - but...I got a 97! Pretty Cool - I was quite pleased because I was rather overwhelmed by the assignment! -- OK, onto writing the paper then this class will be completed!! woohoo

First thing I did when I got home this evening was to erase some of the lines and redraw them. Dang!!! Well, that was after I played football with the dog for five minutes or so. (We never know what the score is at the end, but time runs out when I decide to quit.)

Anyhoo, got started painting the floor again. Looks pretty good, but I reached a point where I couldn't make the colors work, so I quit. Started criticizing the lines and perspectives again, so I quit and started this post. Dang me!!! Engineers have a saying about the paralysis of analysis--in other words, you see so many things wrong that you never get anything done right. Gotta finish it, paint it, and move on. Probably it won't be too bad.

Phyl, do you ever have this problem?

Oh, in between times I cooked dinner and am expecting Cindy momentarily. Candlelight, soft music, butternut squash and baked chicken. Why am I complaining?

Almost had it!

I thought I'd be able to post my latest painting sometime soon, but t'ain't gonna' happen. I kept getting more and more frustrated with it and finally took a break for a couple days.

I'm painting a picture I took of my dog in my house. I have a Linoleum type floor which looks like hardwood. Pretty durable too, because the dog and I don't tear it up when we play football, which is about every night. But...let's get back to the subject.

I kept painting and repainting the floor, but couldn't get it right. Finally, I decided the perspective was all wrong, so I wiped it out and started over. This time I drew the floor boards in with a pencil and straight edge. Even so, I had to go back and make some changes until I got it. I'll tell you, it's easier to paint a house. I should have it done in a week or so and I'll drop by so you can see it.

I'm learning new things every day and starting to catch on. It's going to be a fun ride.

Same ol', same ol'

Well, I've tried to write a few times recently but seems that life doesn't change much from one day to the next so if you guys bookmark this and read it when you are wondering about me then you'll know what I'm up to!

Work, School, Work, School, Work, School, Work, School, Work, School, School, Church, School!

And there you have my week!!

I'm finishing up my fall semester this week. This final class was..., well..., un.... UGH!!! A Sr. level theology course titled Humanity, Sin & Salvation, It was a ton of very deep, often dry reading, it covered a lot of area and assignments were strange and very detailed even though they didn't cover the whole breadth of the material....UGH! Well, now that is over so....Moving on. The Life of Christ is next and I think I'll enjoy that much more! I may (depending on how aggressive a schedule I keep) be able to graduate Next June...not this coming but in 2011 but if not then definitely should graduate in Dec '11.

So, there you have it. dinner is on so I've gotta run! Love ya all!

I think we're all here.

So easy even a caveman...

Thought you might enjoy what I really look like. That is, before I shave it off. Every year it gets whiter. Some day I'll look like Bob and then I'll let it grow. Maybe.

If you wonder why I'm not smiling, it's because I'm looking at you!

Good News

I spoke to Rose on the phone on Monday evening. I flat out asked her if she wanted a divorce, she said "NO!". I told her then that she needed to make a decision soon whether she wanted to be my wife and live with and love me, or not - one way or the other. We also discussed some other things and I laid my feelings on the line about a lot of it - I said just what I felt. I did not converse with her at all on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I noticed there was a missed call from her on my phone, so when I got home from work, I called her back. She told me at that time that she was ready to come home, but needed to earn some money to pay for the trip. Also, she was nervous about driving home alone. I told her that I would fly out and we could drive back together. Sooo. I am flying to Omaha on the 27th of January and we will then take 3-4 days to drive home. We are planning to drive into Kentucky and Weet Virginia and do some sightseeing on the way home. This will also give us a great time to talk over and hopefully through some of the issues, and maybe get us started on the road to recovery.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers during this time and after. Do not hesitate to call or write and check up on us. We love you all. Bob

Home Again

We just spent four days "upcountry", mostly with Amanda, Justin, and the babies. Had a good time with them. The kids are growing up so fast. We have a lot of pictures and I will post a few for you.

We went to an indoor ice skating rink near their place one afternoon. The kids had never skated before and loved it. Even Emily (2-1/2 yrs.) got in on the act, although her version is to have someone push while she rides. Brianna and Gabriel did real well, both were starting to skate on their own at the end. Brianna didn't want to leave. She probably would be on the ice constantly if it were possible.

Cindy and I drove up to see Phyl and Wade Tuesday evening. We went to Lebanon the next morning to see Cindy's mother, before driving back to Philly for the trip home. That is exhausting! Tried to make a connection with Helen and Beth, but just couldn't do it. I think that, next time, we will go to one location and notify everyone where we are and how long we will be there. If anyone wants to see us, they can make the trip. That way we'll know how many people love us! Right? Of course, right.

Now it's back into the grind for a while. This trip killed my budget and I need to replenish before we go again.

Berty, I have a question. Who is Jess?

Love you all.

Our Day

Today, I cooked and cleaned. Didn't really seem like Christmas--seemed like a Saturday! We are celebrating Christmas with our family on the 29th, when Makayla can be with us. Michelle isn't coming home until the morning of the 29th (I think) and Joe, Shannon, Dave, and Jess all have to work, so we're having "Christmas" around 6:00 that night. Joe and Shannon will have Mattie and Lauren that night, so it all works out well. Not really sure what the kids thought about it--we just said "this is what we're doing" and they all said "ok", but it probably eliminated the rushing from one house to the other that you seem to do on Christmas day.

I wanted to do something special, so I made a nice dinner and John and Lynda came over. They always do their family Christmas on Christmas Eve and for years have went to Donna Plummer's on Christmas Day. Donna was getting elderly and moved from Knoxville to her son's in Nevada, so it worked out really nice for both of us. They brought us a gift--a picture Lynda had taken about 3 years ago of Morgan, Makayla, and their granddaughter, Terri, in a nice frame. The three little girls are all sitting in one "camp" chair and is an EXCELLENT picture of Morgan. Warms our hearts. Ed was pretty emotional today...cried several times...misses Morgan. I just kept busy (my strong suit, I think!). We're picking up Makayla on the 29th and will have her until the 3rd. Should be fun!

I did manage to get cards out, Phyl, but only because Ed addressed them all and signed them. I told him that I wasn't going to mail any because I didn't have time. He said that he would do a few if I wanted him to, so I gave him the cards and the rolodex and when I came home that night, he told me he had done 35 (or some such!). I guess it occupied him all day long. I was so proud of him. Well, it's been a long day, so I'm going to close.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas! Thanks for the cards--sorry I didn't get any out this year. Take care of yourselves. Hope you all can put difficult circumstances aside and enjoy the day. Love you.

One from Cindy

This is a picture that Cindy painted as a school assignment. She took the apple blossom photo I shot, cut out a small section, blew it up to fit the canvas, and got an "A" for her efforts. Looks good, doesn't it?

Numero Dos

Like I said. I can see a distinct improvement over the first one. Now all I have to do is decide who to give it to. Cindy says I should keep it, paint more, and do a show.

Enjoy

Hi all. Just to let you all know, I am doing OK. I still don't know whether Rose and I will get back together or not, but at this time I just keep telling myself that it is the choice that she has made, and I feel confident that I could not have changed the choices that she made regardless of whether or not I could go back in time knowing what I know now. I also feel that I did not treat her wrongly, so I do not beat myself up thinking that I should have done something differently. I am staying in contact with her, I either talk to her or text her almost every day. Some days I think that she will be back soon, other times I think that it is a lost cause. I have made up my mind and I have told her that I will give her some time to decide what she wants to do, but I will not put my entire life on hold while she tries to decide. She will have to make a decision whether she wants to be married to me and be a part of this family or whether she wants some other life, and she will have to make that decision fairly soon.
On another note, Nate and Amanda and their kids are home for Christmas until the 28th. Bambi & Kevin came over tonight, so all the kids were here for a while. Really enjoyed the time together. The kids are all getting so big & I really do enjoy them.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and get lots of time to spend with your families. I do love you all. Love, Bob

First of Many, or Getting Better All the Time

OK,don't laugh. Here it is. You can skim down a few posts to see the original. I'm quite pleased with it (for starters), but I can see every mistake I made. I'm going to have to create a learning curve for grass. (Looks like little, crawly worms, doesn't it?) But the perspective and the lines are quite close, so I think that I just need experience.

I think for now I'm going to focus on close up shots of beautiful flowers. I have a picture of apple blossoms that I took a few years back in PA and I know a place here that has a vine hanging over a fence with gorgeous purple flowers.

Here's to Numero Dos. Merry Chritiquing!

I have the painting done and framed. Still need to get a picture to upload. Looks pretty good, or at least I think so.

Starting to get ready for Christmas

We went to the tree farm last Sat. with Tara & Tom and got our Christmas tree--it's in the garage. And today I shopped for gifts for my volunteers. If I get to work tomorrow, I'll start wrapping them. We're supposed to have a storm so if it's really bad, I'll stay home and start baking cookies. I have scheduled cookie packages for all of our patients to be delivered next week so the volunteers will be bringing in their cookies on Mon & Tues. Then on Wed. afternoon, we'll package them up and spend Thurs & Fri delivering them. Plus I have to bake some for our house. We've already gone to one Christmas party and have two more on the schedule. Did a little bit of shopping last Sat evening and probably will do more this weekend. No decorating done yet in our house.

How's it going with you?

First Attempt!

For the first time in my life, I'm going to paint a picture. This photo came from my front yard and has been sitting on my computer ever since. There is a pencil sketch on the wall in front of me. Yesterday I drew outlines on a canvas and am just about ready to start putting paint to it. I have been reading one of Cindy's books on color. She is giving me some technical advice, but the end result will be mine entirely. When I get it finished, I will post a photo here.

Hi all. Been a while since I wrote anything. Been busy, just got back from a few days at Mike Mitchell's. Hunting, got a couple of shots, but nothing to show for it. Oh well, there is still some time left in the season. Nate's are coming home tonight for the weekend.

Wanted you all to hear it from me before rumors get spread around, Rose has left us for the time being, and maybe permanently. Roger and I went to Mike's on Friday night, and on Saturday Morning she left, took her clothes, her truck, some savings, and a few other things. She apparently met a friend (male) who had flown out from Nebraska at the Buffalo airport and they drove together back to Nebraska. I just talked to her for the first time since she left, she said that she doesn't know what she wants to do yet.

I will let you know as much as I can as soon as I can. I would ask for our sake (both hers and mine) that you keep this info to yourselves at this time unless someone asks, then if possible share as little as possible. She may at some time come back (I am not real optomistic at this point, and I am not certain what I want), and I would prefer to share the news with people as I feel they need to know. Please do not judge her harshly, for my sake if not for hers.

Love, Bob

The Last Piece Is In Place

The carport, sunporch, & deck were added over the last couple of weeks so the house is completely framed. This addition makes it look much larger even though it's only the size of a two car garage. But because of the height, it looks big. Wade has been shingling the roof since the weather was so good and working on the insulation too. It's coming along really well and keeping him busy. No nibbles on this house--actually very few lookers--so no reason to rush to finish. And with the holidays coming, I suspect traffic will become even slower.

I just remembered that today is Mom's birthday and her death day. She would have been 83 years old. I still think about her a lot.

Miss you, Mom. Happy Birthday!

Knauer Knews!!

Hey..How are you all? We are doing pretty good here...Boring life but busy....work, sleep, do papers, work, sleep, clean house, do papers...get the drift?? But anyhow...Life goes on and seems to be going faster and faster...can't believe it's almost Christmas time again...Good grief!!

Well don't think I ever updated about our trip...Will post some pics later when I get aroundtoit...but we went almost 2300 miles. Left on Thursday am and came back on Monday afternoon...It was way too many miles for that many days...Don't think we'll do that again..We just went into Ohio and Michigan (as Roge said--it's too far to go to Wisconsin and down into Indiana too...As it was we ended up driving a lot of interstates just to get somewhere and then to get home at a decent time..Don't want to do that again but ...we did get to see some fun stuff and we did enjoy ourselves. Went up to Cleveland Ohio and saw Lake Erie from there--had to get down and taste the water there--never saw waves on water that wasn't salt water so wanted to be sure...That was fun... Then checked out the Cleveland Browns stadium--not a browns fan but....still was cool to see something you only see on TV. ... Then went on to Michigan. saw a lot of flat land and alot of trees--some colorful some not--went up the West side of Michigan, so saw Lake Michigan, and alot of pretty county there. then went up to Mackinaw Bridge and crossed into the "Upper Peninsula" . The Mackinaw Bridge and the Upper Peninsula were worth the whole trip....The U/P is very remote and not much up there--makes you realize how the country was years ago before we all were here...We really liked it up there and liked seeing all the lakes..Went up to the northern end so we could say we touched Lake Superior too...Would have liked to travel across the U/P and came down through Wisconsin but knew we just didn't have enough time to really enjoy it... Maybe another year...We were kinda disappointed in that we were surprised at how flat Ohio and Michigan are...There are not a lot of hills...Of course, I thought "go north--see hills" like in PA--found out that wasn't so...So we decided we are more "hill country" people and will travel to those more next time.. Wherever that may be....But we still had a good time and enjoyed being by ourselves and also being away from work and stress here so it was good....

well, I'd better go...will write more again soon about the rest of our life...write soon everyone...

hello

Just wanted to tell everybody I love you and your all awesome people

"So Long, Farewell, Aufweidersehen, Goodbye"

What a week it's been. I'm glad it's almost over. Don't ever want to go back.

I started feeling a little funny last Sunday, but didn't think too much about it. By Monday morning I knew I had the flu, but worked most of the day anyway. (I did knock off earlier than usual.) Monday night was bad, bad, bad--fever, chills, nasty headache, diarrhea, painful joints, etc. Tuesday was a repeat that didn't start to let up until afternoon. Wednesday was better, but I didn't do anything. On Thursday, I went to Starbucks for a cup of coffee and cleaned around the house a little. That night, I went to Wal-Mart and bought some Pepto-Bismol and Alka-Seltzer. Yesterday, I went to a large kitchen remodel we are doing just a few miles away and worked all day. Had at least seven men there and got a lot done, but I was whipped at the end. I'm feeling fairly good right now, considering, except for my hands, head, belly, and just generally overall, which aren't back up to snuff.

I've had to force myself to eat simply to maintain, lost a lot of strength which I need back. For about three days, all I had were two bowls of chicken noodle soup and a couple Reese's cups. I did chug the water though, didn't dare to get dehydrated.

I haven't been sick for years and this one made up for all those others that missed me. I think this has been the worst flu I've ever had. Since Cindy was in "Joisey", no one was here to feel sorry for me except the dog, and he spent at least as much time sleeping as I did.

Speaking of Cindy, last time I talked to her, she had the flu, Amanda and the three oldest kids had the flu, Justin was gone most of the time working, and then the mother-in-law showed up. She was not a happy camper. She'll be flying back to Jax on Sunday afternoon, which will probably make a difference. We'll be flying up Dec. 27 for three days, so might be able to see some of you then.

Berty, how are you doing? I think about you a lot.

Love you all.

Makayla

I got a letter from Makayla on Friday. It says and I quote...

Gramma, That was so nice of you. I was wundring wat you wur dowing to. Love, Makayla I am cey borging.

Now, I'll translate... She was wondering what I was doing also. (I wrote in my letter to her what I was doing at the moment--can't remember what that was.) She is keyboarding (in school). She gets her d's, b's, and g's a little confused and she writes just like she thinks it sounds! Sometimes, I have to think for a little while what she's trying to say...

Beth suggested a great idea. When I write to her, I enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. That way, she can write back to me without it being an issue to anyone. This is my second letter from her. I was SO happy to get it--I can't imagine how she must feel when she gets a letter from someone. On that note, if you have time to write a short note to a little girl whose life has been topsy-turvy, I'd be forever grateful. Her address is 30 Pee Wee Ln, Duncannon, PA 17020.

Happy Birthday to you to Roge!!

Meant to say something about Dad's on his birthday...Obviously I need a few (maybe a hundred or so) or those roundtoits too, Bob!!! Get this into production and soon!!! But didn't.....so this am...saw that today was the 29th and oh my gosh...here it is Roger's birthday already.... So anyway, Happy Birthday to you....hope it was a good one.....

Cigars All Around!!

We have a new little girl, Sophia Grace, who arrived on the scene last week. I'm not sure which day. She lives with Amanda and Justin, along with the other three. I now have seven grandchildren, six of whom are girls. Girls.

Cindy flew there yesterday morning for two weeks. Amanda needs the help. She developed a hernia during her pregnancy and is not allowed to lift anything until it heals.

They are expecting to drive to Lebanon one day to see Cindy's mother and may stop in to see Beth and Helen. Anticipate a phone call. It might happen.

Cindy will be getting lots of pictures while she is there. I will post some of them for you.

Important Question

Are you all leading dull, boring lives?

Construction Photos Continued

First--looking down into the great room from the loft. Second--the kitchen full of scaffolding and Shadow, the supervisor. Third--looking up toward the loft. Fourth--the fireplace. And last--view of the front windows--all in but the one that was the wrong size.

Construction Photos

Was feeling extremely weary the last couple of days so today I took a half day off from work--the afternoon--and took Shadow out to the new house and spent the afternoon watching Wade work. Well.........I did a little bit. Shadow and I walked to the end of the property and took some progress photos so I'm uploading them for you to see. The first one is from the inside of the balcony. Second is the front and carport side--carport is not yet done. Third is front and balcony side. Fourth is back side and fifth is backside from the end of our property.

Cindy's cousin, Jeff, is with us for a week. He lives in Lancaster County. We're going to Cocoa Beach, which is south of Cape Canaveral, for the weekend. We got two nights at a Best Western for $30. That's right, $30, and 90 minutes at a time share pitch. Of course, the answer is no, not interested, but I can sit through it for 90 minutes.

I need the break. I feel like the Energizer bunny. In addition to my regular job, I'm trying to put Millennium Tile together. We're picking up some jobs, usually piggy-backing off Patterson, but hey, work is work. The situation at Patterson is starting to look a little grim. Construction is way off and we're starting to feel it, so maybe a new startup business is a good thing. We'll see what happens.

Planning our trip

Planning our annual "honeymoon" or anniversary trip... Two years ago went to New England, last year down in West Virginia.. This year we are going to Ohio, Michigan and possibly Wisconsin, Indiana and then back home...Lots of travel time, road miles ....but just to see the country and stop at a few things to see and look at...LOVE IT!! Wish we had more time but....we don't so...this works for now...Planning on leaving Thursday am (the 8th) and gonna be back home on Monday the 12th... Guess we'll have to start flying to a place and then driving back or touring out there--not many places we can drive to...anymore.... If you have any suggestions (you travelers) please let us know asap.... looking forward to just getting away....

Hi everyone.... I enjoyed seeing the reunion pictures (despite the multiple attempts to get them posted!!) Sorry I couldn't join you. Where is 2010? Glad to hear all are well. My arm is healing faster than expected according to the surgeon--God's blessing no doubt. Unfortunately He said I will probably have a nagging ache whenever the weather changes or is damp etc.. just like my patients! Now I really feel old!
Nice picture of the retirement house momma-- BUT.... I must say I am shocked by your vulgarity. Last time I checked PUTZ was not a word I would ever expect you to say or print. Boy you sure do find ways to surprise me and make me laugh.
Chat soon

Techno Putz Strikes Again

Last weekend I took my camera to our new house and took quite a few pictures to add to the blog for you guys to see but when I got home there was only ONE on the camera. Not sure how that happened!!! So I decided that I would take more pictures the next day but I forgot the camera! So you only get to see pictures from one side due to my incompetence. The construction is moving along quite quickly and fairly smoothly which is always a good thing.

Where is everybody??

Hey!!What's happening to our blog??? Why doesn't everyone try to post something about how their week is going at least once a week... We NEED to stay connected and know what going on in each others lives....Help...please... Post your blog, today!!! (I'm trying out for a salesman position,,,,just joking...) Love ya all.

Lil' Cutie, Lovebirds, Three Stooges

now I've got the hang of it.....more pictures

Okay..not that I've tried to save these 3 different times........

Okay...I'm not the smartest knife in the Mitchell drawer......

Reunion 2009

Ok...Here's the pictures from this weekend...Had a great time...enjoyed it..Hope you all did too..

This is our guard dog, Lukie. Originally, he was with Joey, but couldn't stay at his apartment, so we inherited him. At first, he gravitated to Cindy, but lately I've become his person.

I'm teaching him to say "Please" by sitting down and holding up one paw. I want him to go to the door and do this when he needs to go out. Whether it will happen or not is debatable.

He gets quite excited when I pay Cindy any attention. I think he's a little bit jealous. He's never been anything more than a nuisance, but the other day he got a tad more aggressive. She was sitting on the sofa and when I leaned over to kiss her, he bit me. In the ass. No lasting damage, though, and the only scars left are psychological.

Look at him! Doesn't he look vicious?

Seems like it's been forever.

I've been working with two other men, both Albanians, to set up and run a tile installation business--Millennium Tile. History is that I was at Starbucks one day about a 1-1/2 yrs. ago and noticed them sitting at another table. Since I was wearing my official Patterson shirt, they approached me and asked for work. We had a few little jobs, so I gave them a chance. After a few months, they came to me with the proposal that I act as CEO for their business, which at that time was disappearing due to lack of work. Since then we have been slowly building to the point of bidding commercial projects, the last of which was over $61,000.00 just for the tile work. Unfortunately, we haven't landed any commercial contracts, but there is some residential work to fill in.

Needless to say, I haven't had a lot of spare time lately. These commercial jobs have bid deadlines which usually fall within two to three weeks from the time I find out about them, so we have to scramble. Not quite sure where all this is going to lead, but hopefully I can parlay this into some "moving money" and, with communications the way they are today, still be able to work the business from Montana. (By the way, Genti and Columbo are expert tile mechanics, so I won't have to lay any unless I want to.)

We're still on for Montana. Cindy has made it clear that she's ready to leave Florida and, as long as she is working and holding her own, I might actually reach the goal of $10,000.00 to move with. It's feasible, but I will have to work a lot of Saturdays to make it.

Any road, I am counting down the days until next Friday morning when I fly out of Jax and head to Rochester. Looking forward to seeing everyone there. I can almost smell the steaks grillin'.

P.S. The staples came out of the head recently. Looks like everything is healing fine. Time will tell if it knocked any sense into me.