A lot is well...

Here it is, after 7 AM and I'm back in bed.  Got my coffee and debated:  should I give in and  turn the furnace on?  Should I just take a cup of coffee upstairs,climb into my warm bed,  turn on the laptop, turn on the news and pretend all is well. Is it? 

 So many people ask, I thought you might like an answer.  There is not a morning that has gone by in the past two months that I did not go downstairs to make coffee and have been hit by the reality of it all.  Mark, who made my coffee every morning (and frequently brought me a cup before I got up), is gone.  That alone is enough to bring me to a grinding halt...BUT...

I am blessed.  I lost my partner in crime, my inspiration, my (fill in the blank) two months ago yesterday, but I never find it hard to come here and tell you about my blessings simply because there are many.  I am a grieving, sniveling mess who has the best friends, pets, kids and readers...I lost much but I had much to lose and I still have much left.  I have much because I AM BLESSED BEYOND ALL MEASURE and am always thanful for that.

God is good.  My prayers have been answered.  Not always the answer I had in mind, but my faith in HIM got me here and will certainly get me there, wherever that may be.

ALL is not well but MORE THAN ENOUGH is, and that keeps me on my toes.

So...

The dysfunctional family from House on the Hill is working on a top secret project.  Can't tell, can't even hint, but I'm sure you'll find out sooner or later.  Until then, want to see what is going on at Andy's house?

Please forgive the crappy photos.  I will soon learn not to trust my phone for those Kodak Moments in life. 

He got a new piece of furniture!  No, not a sofa or a dresser...not a fridge or a bed...are you ready for this?

A PING PONG TABLE!

Yes, because he is a 25 year old guy with a home of his own, he decided to move the living room into a spare room and furnish his living room with a ping pong table but before he got the furniture moved, they decided to set up the table...

I'm thinking we won't be seeing much of Tony at home, he loves this game!

I got tired of watching the ball bounce, so I went out to get the guys pizza.  Guess what they were doing when I got back? 

You bet...they were playing ping pong!

But now they had a spectator!  It's Pele!

But not for long, he's not named for a soccer player for nothing...he's a natural!

~sigh~

So, what's new in your world?

Time to run!  Busy weekend coming up.  I'll try to remember to take my camera so I can tell show you everything!

Go out and make someone smile?!?

Love,

Jan

It takes sooo little...

A few weeks ago, Andy, Tony and I went out for dinner.  On our way home, Tony got a call from their friend, Tom, who said he had a cell phone cover for Tony.  Before I could say a word, we were on our way to Tom's house.

As I sat outside of Tom's house...

I got bored and started playing with my camera.  I focused on a bike on the back of Jon's car, in front of me...

Just then, Andy, Tony, Jon and Tom came out and spotted this...

A tricycle in the neighbor's trash!  Before I knew it, the tricycle was in Jon's car and we were headed for the parking garage in town...

The guys were so excited!  They couldn't wait to take turns riding on the trike...

Tom pulled out his skate board, Jon got on the trike...

Next it was Andy's turn on the trike...

There he goes!!!

Everyone has to get in the act...Here comes Tom....

Whoopsie!

Tony?  Aren't you going to go?

They just kept going...GO!  GO! Andy!!!!

 

Of course, they can't be happy to just ride taking turns...

Let's ride tandem?

A triple?

What?  They won't fit?  Hey, someone bring that skate board!

I think they've got it!

Ahhhhh, it's cold, it's late and it's time to go home.  Time to retire the trike....

Good night Jon, good night, Tom!

Tell me again, the difference between men and boys? I'm not suure I can tell. 

Yes, I am blessed!  Now YOU go out and be a blessing to someone.

See you soon,

Love,

Jan

A day in the life of...

Tony, Morgan, and Sydney (Morgan's sister) invited me to go to CiCi's Pizza with them.  Cici's, the all-you-can-eat pizza restaurant, is one of their favorite.  When we got there they were so excited to find that they had a Tuesday special, all you can eat for $3.99...that is 3.99 plus the cost of your drink which is more expensive than champagne, but who is counting?

Before we go on, I apologize for the quality of these photos.  I used my cell phone and had no idea that the phone that handles calls crappily would do double crappy photos...go figure!

Morgan and Sydney sat across from Tony and me...

I'm not a pizza lover but to me, all you can eat at Cici's is very little!  I chose soup and a salad...

Sydney LOVED  the pizza...

I think Morgan did too!

Everyone had their favorites.  Morgan tried to get Sydney to try the one she liked best...

Sisterly love!

No one seemed to like the crust and before you knew it, it looked like they were playing Jenga with the crusts!

Tony seemed like he was having a good time too!

Ewwwww!

After pizza, the kids decided we needed to go to Goodwill. 

 I pretended like I did not know them for good reasons...

All of a sudden Tony called me to come and see what Morgan found...

A PINK Dyson!

We tested it and it worked great (just like a Dyson) and it was only $19.99!  I told Morgan I'd buy it for her for her birthday.  After that, she pushed it all through the store...

When she didn't have her hand on it, she had Tony Dyson sitting for her!

The kids had such a good time but I was happy to finally get them out of that store.

When we got to the house, Morgan and Sydney said good bye and left for home.  They live next door to each other and couldn't wait to get home and Dyson the floors!

Tony and I went to Andy's so Tony could help him move some furniture because he got something new, but that's a story for another day...

Now I'm off to see what trouble I can find...the rest of you go out there and be nice!

Talk to you again soon,

I love you,

Jan

Okay, Chris, I hear ya!

It wouldn't be hockey without a fight...right?

Mark's family has always been close but most of them live in the same area, visiting was easy.  Our little family was 45 minutes to an hour away so drop in company was unlikely.  We did most of our socializing in the summer at the river or on holidays.

Mark's death was a tragic reminder of how short life  and how unpredictable life is and just  how important family is.  They have all stepped in to fill the void in our lives.  They were there when the boys and I needed them and they are still there.  We get together often.

One of the things we've been doing is spending Thursday evening with Mark's brother, Mike, his wife, Michelle and kids Tori and Tyler.  This past Thursday was no exception.  The boys and I went to their house to watch the Penguins smash the Capitols and to eat pizza.

The pizza was excellent.  We all ate our fill before the start of the game.  We were ready, happy and a family...except...

There seems to be one problem child in each family.  We always believed it was Tony but now we are thinking it might be Tyler...

Of course, no hockey night, no matter where we gather, would be complete without a scrimmage, even if it is Mike and Michelle's family room...

And of course, no scrimmage, no matter how innocently it begins, leads to a good old fashioned hockey fight...

It gets pretty intense at times...

But any hockey fight that ends with the floor being mopped with Ovechkin

Can't be all bad, especially when we beat the Caps, 2-1!

There, Chris...an update, now get out there and hit the trail!

Love you guys, now go out and be a blessing to someone!

Jan