This morning when we woke up...

I had to tell Linda that it was time to go home. She was NOT a happy camper...

I keep telling her that we always spend Saturday night at home, in our own beds so that waking up for early service on Sunday is not so hard.

Didn't matter. She was still not happy...

Want to see that again?

No, I didn't think so...

Last night we had company for dinner!

Yeah, him...Hubby Dearest! Our first dinner guest!

While dinner was cooking, Mark took the jet ski out on a solo ride, but after dinner, we jumped on for a sunset cruise. It's my favorite time of day to be out on the river!

We went down under the Freeport bridge...

Past the house that looks like a castle:

Down around the island where the house boats dock so the children can play on the sand bar...

And back again!

As we passed Freeport, they were having a concert in the gazebo in the park...I didn't have my camera with me, but I managed to take one with my cell phone. I wish you could see it...it looked so neat!

And after ice cream, we sent Mark home for the night. He's always up and in his office about 5:30 AM on Saturday mornings to catch up on paperwork. We certainly didn't want him waking us that early to head home!

So now, after sweeping and dusting and getting things ready for next week, Linda and I are heading home.

See you there!

Girlfriends!

Linda and I decided to come back to the river to chill for a few days. Mark is pretty busy at work and Tony has a few long days scheduled this week...

We knit, we chilled, we had our morning coffee on the dock. After dinner, I sat here,

Knitting, drinking coffee and listening to a book on my mp3 player.
When it got dark, Linda and I jumped in the van and went to a place called the Ice Cream Pump, where they serve this:

Linda ...

And now, it's time for bed. Linda's already there and I'm on my way.

Sweet dreams!

Jan

Here comes June!

After 20 years of trying to read and knit at the same time, I bought myself a new toy:


Isn't it adorable? I think it would fit in a tic-tac box and has more features than my 8 GB mp3 player! I love to listen to audio books and our local library has dozens.

I also got new glasses. Look quick, I'm glad I took a picture of them because they are now at the bottom of the Kiskiminetas River. That's not the worst part. The worst part is that they discontinued the frame. I can't get another pair like these. One day I'm going to have to resort to plain old glasses like everyone else...that will be a sad day for me!

Of course, there was something that I have been waiting for since 1992:
A Stanley Cup!!!!!!!

I don't think it's a secret that we're a hockey loving family. Always have been, probably always will...this year was a real nail biter:

Tony, Morgan, Kailyn and Andy all came over to watch the seventh game...

It was tense. To lighten the mood, Tony and Morgan took self portraits...
Andy and Kailyn entertained us by putting their rings in their noses (don't ask, I think it's something in the water, certainly not genetic!)...

It was stressful! By time it got to this:
I was in tears. I called my sister-in-law to announce that I was going to throw up.

My biggest fear was a repeat of this...


By time we got this far...
I was a nervous wreck!

We all slept like this...

And woke the next day, ready for this:


I'm not into pain and would never get a tattoo, but if I ever change my mind, this:
is what I'd have!

Don't get me wrong. I have a great hubby and I love him dearly...but he's not the only man in my life...there are many:
My guys! Thanks, Pens, for a wonderful, victorious year.
But you know, June wasn't all about hockey. It was the beginning of summer vacation!

This picture kind of describes Morgan's first week of vacation:

She was jogging and stepped in a hole. No broken bones, but really messed things up. No work for 4 weeks and now, nearly 6 weeks later, she's still a mess, but back to work.

She also decided to see if her Corgi, Chubbs, would like the river. Look at this and you tell me:
After the first ride, whenever Morgan would get on the jet ski, Chubbs would jump up on her lap!

My darling niece, Katlyn, came to the river for the first (but not last) time. Kailyn took her for her first jet ski ride...and now she's a regular!


The boys continue to play...and to learn new things...Vicky keeps tempting Stacy and Clinton...

And Chubbs still waits for another ride...

Could that be...is it possible???

It was!!!! That was June! You are finally caught up on what I did last year. Of course, I am sure I have forgotten things...and when I think of them, I will tell you...but that's pretty much it!

See???

You didn't miss much!

I'm still happy you are here!

See you soon,
Jan!

Still here!

Almost like a honeymoon! Yesterday we had a house full, here on the river. Imagine this: 5 kids under 11, two brothers, one his, one mine; two sisters-in-law and a mom. We issued invitations, they came, all wearing bathing suits and life jackets, all eager to play in the river.

We had a lot of this:

And little of this:

and of course, this:

Just waiting for their turn to do this:

And that:

Is it any wonder that we stopped to take a ride, just the two of us, after the guests had all gone home, kids tired and sun kissed (only kissed...we are firm believers in sun block!), and probably asleep before they reached the main road, to take that fabulous sunset ride?

A restful night, no dogs to ask us to let them out at the crack of dawn (instead a married son to call at 6AM to talk about jeeps), just blissful quiet, a steak cooked over a wood fire for breakfast...and no, I was too hungry to stop and photograph it before devouring it...

And now, a few more hours, just the two of us, before our kids and mates come to spend the evening playing in the river.

Then back home...where he dogs outweigh and out-eat the humans, dust bunnies, after having their way for two days, will probably have started a community complete with mayor and school district and of course, the laundry, that is bright enough to multiply and too bright to get itself back into drawers...

Ahhhhhhhhhhh...I am blessed!

View from where I sit...

This evening, this is what it looked like from my seat behind hubby on the jet ski.

Earlier, we sat around this:

We're taking a no-kids, no-dog break from reality...

Back tomorrow, with June, I promise!

Miss me?

May Day! May Day!

Yes, we've almost come a full circle. Can you believe it? See all that you missed last year? Now we're down to just a few months and we'll be all caught up. Funny thing, it feels as thought it happened just as quickly as it did here on my blog. Time flies by!

So let's talk about May, one of my favorite months of the year:

First things first. When you think of May, don't you think of spring cleaning? We do! Everyone helps. Here's Linda, doing what she does best...cleaning the windows! Of course, Bill has two skills, looking dumb and looking dumber. Here he's doing both!
After we got our chores done...what am I talking about? There is no end to the chores!

Before we could put the jet ski in the water for the summer, we had to put the jet ski dock in. We bought a new one this year, so we had to do some prep work.

Next they had to put it in the water and tow it to the dock with the jet ski. For some reason, Mark let Andy do it.

It was a little tricky getting into it's spot, but they did it!

The first person to get a ride this year was my mother. Tony asked and she just jumped on!

But May was not all play! When you live in a very old house, chances are, you have some very old trees around. I know we do. In the six years we've been here, we lost three of them. It breaks my heart every time. Here is number 3. Two years ago they told me it was in sad shape. This year it was obvious that it had to go. We hired a man to bring it down, but the clean up was left to us.

Andy and Tony pitched right in! All they had to do was lift those logs and bring them to where my brother was running the splitter.And do it all over again...Andy thought he could train Bill to carry logs...Bill said no!
Linda doesn't talk much...but made her opinion to yard work known...
I think the guys felt the same way after two days of hauling wood.
After five or six or twenty of these...
Winnie put on her life jacket and said it was time to head for the river!
When we got there, the sky was blue and there wasn't a cloud in the sky...but there was...But that didn't stop my family...no way! Soon there was a crowd on the dock...

Including, Max, my grand-dog...who very quickly...
So my son-in-law had to...But...
Yes, all was well!

It was still pretty cold, especially on the water...
I'm not sure if it was the cold air, or just plain brain farts, but some of us just dare Stacy and Clinton (from TLC's "What Not to Wear" for those who have no cable) to come and get us!She wasn't the only one who thought it was cold...
But some braved the late spring frigid temperatures, like Andy...

And Michael...
And Kailyn. You can't keep her out. She was ready to knee board on Christmas Day. I was afraid we'd have to cut a hole in the ice to let her try her new 'board!But it was much warmer and almost as much fun hitting those golf balls off the dock!
We didn't spend the entire month at the river, though...there were things to do at home, like bath the dogs...When your dog is as big as a small pony, you don't pick them up and put them in the bath tub, even if it makes the dog unhappy...

Tony went to a baseball game on fireworks night...We decided it was time to let the Honda go...After 6 years and 218,000 miles, it's now living across town, a first car for a young high school boy. The buyer's mechanic, who gave the car a once over, told Mark it was pretty much a 'brand new car with 200,000 miles on it.' Mark hated to see it go!

Winnie got Bill all tied up...

Whew! What a month! Good thing we rested up all winter! Guess what? Tomorrow is June, that catches us up! I told you I would do it! Come back tomorrow and we'll do June together!

Until then...
Jan!

God Bless America!


Cardcow.com

A brief interruption to the year in review to wish all out there in blogland, their families and loved ones, a safe and happy holiday.

My family will once again turn into river rats for the day. I'll see everyone here tomorrow for yet another installment of 'what I did last year' by me...Jan!