Caps Game

Had a good time at the Caps game in DC last night. We met up with our friends and went down early to try and get something to eat around the Verizon Center. No deal. It was packed. So we then went for a little walk up 7th Street and found a restaurant called RFD Washington. It was perfect. Had the football games on and the food was really good.

We got to the game in plenty of time and found our up-high seats. They were still very good seats and you could see the entire ice. After the 1st period the boys split and found open seats a little lower. My friends and I hooked up with another person we knew there and spent the 3rd period down by the ice. Sweet view. We got home about 11:30 and called it a night.

Come and gone...

Well Christmas 2008 came and now is gone. The kids and I went to midnight mass this year. Something that Chris and I used to do all the time BC... before children. It was nice and very peaceful. We didn't get home until about 1:45 and they all went right to bed. I was up until 2:30 and then laid in bed until 3:30. At least that was the last time I saw the clock. I just laid there and thought of all the good Christmas eves that we've had in the past.

I set my alarm for 7:45 as I had to put the turkey in the oven. I hit the snooze and then at 7:50 my mother called me to wish me a Merry Christmas and thank me for the presents I sent to her. Needless to say I was a bit out of it! Everyone was up and about by 8:15.

The dog was excited and could not wait to get her new bones, and new bed. The boys got new snowboards and Alex got a new cell phone and a new NorthFace jacket. The kids pimped me out with new jeans and sweater to try and get me out of the 80's!

Everyone came over to our house around 4. We had a lot of food and everything turned out really well. We exchanged presents and had a gift game that we've done for many years now. It was nice day. Everyone left by 10pm and I just sat on the couch to soak it all in for awhile.

Yesterday (Sat) my friends from Annapolis all came up to see us here at our house. They brought soup, and pepperoni bread and all the things needed to have a nice evening! It was really very thoughtful of them. They care a lot about the kids and I and went out of their way to see us.

Today is Sunday and all the days of the last week are catching up to me. I'm really exhausted. I got the kids tickets to the Washington Capitals hockey game in D.C. for tonight so we'll be headed off to downtown in a little while. I'll fill you all in on that later.

Christmas came. There's a huge void left that was filled by Chris. I'm trying very hard to make things as good possible for us.

Happy new year !

Christmas Eve

Well I've been pretty busy the last several days preparing for Christmas. The kids and I just got back from midnight mass and they are finally starting to settle down. Tradition has it that they get pajamas on Christmas eve and all sleep in Alex's room. The tradition continues!

Tomorrow we'll have about 30 people over to our house to celebrate Christmas. It has been very hard to get into the holiday spirit this year but I am trying. EVERY time I turn around something is reminding me of Chris. This is not a bad thing at all, don't get me wrong. It just tugs a little harder at the heart strings is all.

Last week a very good friend lost her father to a 17-month battle with brain cancer. Marianne is a dear friend of mine and worked for Chris for several years. Her birthday was last week and her father died on that day. I didn't know her dad very well as I had only met him a few times. What I do know is that the child that he raised is one that I have a great deal of trust and respect for. She helped me and continues to help me through all of my journey. We can only hope that our children grow up to be good people. Marianne's father did a wonderful job raising his and for that I am grateful. He will be missed by many, but he remains with us through his children.

I have more to do before tomorrow morning and I have to get up early to put my 22 pound turkey in the oven.

Merry Christmas to all that are reading this. God bless us all.

Lycoming Women’s lacrosse program honored with service award

12-16-08

CHESAPEAKE BEACH, Md. – The Lycoming College women’s lacrosse team was honored at the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Honors Banquet with the 2008 Team Community Awareness Award for Division III. Former coach Kara Reber accepted the award at the banquet.

Lycoming was informed over the summer that the team would be honored with this prestigious award, but could not release the information until after the banquet.

Reber and the Lady Warriors made an outstanding commitment to community service throughout the 2007-08 academic year, a commitment that included at least six separate events throughout the year.

In October and November (2007), the team captains organized a school supply drive to collect supplies for an impoverished school in Arizona.

On Dec. 1, the team visited the Valley View nursing home to play games and spend time with the elderly adults living at the home. It was the second year in a row that the Lady Warriors visited Valley View.

Also in December, the team captains and Lyz Logan team up to organize an event to send cards to soldiers serving the country overseas. Logan’s brother is currently serving in the military. All the players on the team wrote cards explaining what was going on in the states and letting them know how much their services were appreciated.

On Mar. 14, the Lady Warriors took part in a Relay for Life event on campus. The team raised and donated money throughout the night and took turns in the continuous walk throughout the event.

On Mar. 29, senior Heather Suit (2008 graduate) organized a special event for her senior community service project. She invited 25 girls from the Ashlor Manor, a home for troubled teens, to come to a Lycoming women’s lacrosse game. After the game, the girls were treated to a lunch and a two hour clinic with the Lady Warriors.

On April 12, Reber organized a “Pink Out” at a Lady Warrior home game. The team sold 500 pink t-shirts to raise money for breast cancer awareness. All the money raised was given to Climb for Hope, an organization that one of the players' mothers believed strongly in before she passed away. The Lady Warriors wore pink jerseys and encouraged all fans to wear pink to the game. After setting an initial goal of raising $3,000, the team more than doubled that with a total of $6,200 raised. The team also donated money to buy a brick on the Lycoming commencement steps to honor their teammate’s mother.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Adelphi University were also honored with the Team Community Awareness Award.

Trans Siberian Orchestra

PICTURES

Last night the kids and I went to DC to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. We went to see them last year at about the same time and had a good time then. This year we went down early and walked around downtown DC for a little bit.






We went to the American History Museum and then walked up to have dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill. Dinner was great and we walked back to the car over by the museum after. We swung by the Washington Monument and walked up to it in darkness. It was really cool to be up close to it at night time. Looking down to the Lincoln Memorial you could see the WWII memorial all lit up. Very nice.

The concert started at 7:30 and was just as good as last year. If you ever get a chance to go you must do so. Got home late and today we're all paying the price... BTW: This is MY video!

Faith is the bird...

Alex did a little picture manipulation and came up with this card. The saying is what we had inscribed on the back of Chris's headstone.

The original saying came from a calligraphy drawing that Chris did back in high school. It is hanging in our dining room. I have recently had it reframed. Here it is for you to see.

Jimmy V Foundation

The Jimmy V Classic basketball tournament is going on this week and it brings back a wonderful memory from 1993 in a speech that was given by Jim Valvano at the ESPN Espy awards. I've embedded it here for you to listen to. It's long. If you haven't heard it in its entirety please do so. If you have heard it, please listen to it again. You won't be disappointed. Not to spoil the ending but the final closing remarks from Jim were "Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever. I thank you and God bless you all." He died less than 2 months later, less than 1 year after being diagnosed with bone cancer.

Chris and I listened to this speech on April 28, 2007, the 14th anniversary of Jim's death. We were driving to John's Hopkins and she was scheduled to have a chemo treatment that day. After listening, I of course was all teary eyed, but she looked at me and said that she knew how he felt and that she felt the same way. It just goes to show you how your outlook on life and everything around you changes when cancer takes over. Not only the individual, but all those around them too. The thing to remember is to keep a positive attitude and live each and every minute of your life to it's absolute fullest.

Michael's Birthday

Sunday was Michael's 13th birthday. It was a special birthday being turning 13 for him. One of my neighbor's offered his ticket to the Ravens vs. Redskins football game that day to me as he and his wife were out of town. I said sure and took Michael for his birthday as he's a big Redskin fan, just like his mom. The only problem was that the temperature was only 24 degrees at gametime which was changed by the NFL to an 8pm game!!!!! It was cold, but we survived it okay. It was a pretty good game even though the Ravens won.




Saturday we were invited to a neighborhood Christmas party. We had all intentions of going but earlier in the day I was out running some errands and went by the cemetery. I put a Christmas wreath on a wire stand and placed it on Chris's grave. It really hit me hard and put me in a "funk". I couldn't get myself motivated to go out and be with people so we just stayed home and the boys and I watched a movie together. The holidays are really tougher this year than they were last year. Not sure why. They just are. Even my mother-in-law said the same thing.

Tyler makes the paper again.

Well Tyler was published again in the local newspaper. This time his picture of Chloe was put on the Pet Pics page in the sunday paper. The page is shown here along with the exact picture.

Thanksgiving getaway...

PICTURES OF THANKSGIVING ARE POSTED...


Well this Thanksgiving we decided to do the same thing as we did last year. Each of the kids came to me and asked "are we going back to Deep Creek for Thanksgiving"? I wasn't sure about it this year, but after they asked I immediately made the call for a reservation.

We are staying at a place that is right on the lake calle Will O' the Wisp. The room is a 3-level condo with a loft. Each level has big windows overlooking the lake. It's great as we have space to get apart from one another at the same time it's small enough that we're still close.

When we arrived on Wednesday we unpacked and then went to dinner at the resort's restaurant Four Seasons and had the Pasta Mania all you can eat made to order pasta. Just like last year!

Thanksgiving morning the kids all slept in. I got up early and went for coffee at the local coffee shop Trader's Coffer House It was quiet and not many people there that morning. I read the paper and went back to wait for the kids.

Thanksgiving afternoon we went to Swallow Falls State Park. The weather was cold but very sunny and nice. They had about a foot of snow on Tuesday and it's still here. It's a lot like upstate NY where I grew up. Snow from November to April! We walked through the park to all of the sights that we have seen in the past during our summer visits. It was totally different in the winter with snow everywhere. Just breathtaking.

We had dinner in the Four Seasons and it was excellent. We had a little bit of everything and then some more!!! We all walked away stuffed and barely able to walk! The boys went to the pool early in the evening and then we all crammed on the couch and watched a movie together on my laptop. No DVD in the room!

Friday we spent the day driving around the area. Spent about 4 hours looking at places that we have not been before. We were in WV for 1/2 the time as well. We did a little shopping in the old section of Oakland. We went to the antique store that Chris was in back in Aug 2007. She bought a plant stand that she really loved. We bought a plant hanger that goes on the wall that matched it this time! She would be proud of us I'm sure...

Later that night we went and got a pizza for dinner and brought it back to eat. We lounged around for awhile. The boys want to see the new 007 movie so we took them there and then Alex and I did a little shopping in the Christmas Store. We were exhausted by day's end for sure.

We finally left Saturday morning and just made a bee line for home. We were home around 1pm. Alex was not feeling well and actually had a 104 temperature when we got home. She slept most of the rest of the day. The boys and I put up our 2 Christmas trees later in the day. There is one in the foyer and family room. There is now a new one in the basement too.

Sunday, Alex left for school around 1 and the boys and I struggled through getting more Christmas decorations up. NOT an easy task but we are trying very hard. Last year was very sparse and we are all working on doing better this year.

Been a busy week

Well it's certainly been a busy week. I spent a great deal of time working on an RFP (request for proposal) for work this week. It is finally done. It's a lot of work and a big reward if won. Stinks if you don't. Anyhow it's over.

Tyler is spending the weekend in Ocean City, MD at a retreat for church. He's been pretty active in church and is preparing to lead a confirmation retreat in January. It's a lot of work and he's been really involved.

Michael is at a neighbors house tonight for a birthday party. I walked him over and and on the way over he said "I bet you like it when Ty and I are both gone, you get some peace and quiet." Not really, in fact as I explained to him, I hate it when no ones home. It's the worst thing that happens to me. I deal with it, but still stinks. I work from home all day alone and that is no problem. That's what I do. Being alone in the evenings or weekends is NOT what I do and that's what I need to work on.

The picture you see is a picture that was taken of Chrissy and I in August 1984 right after I met her. She's had this picture on her desk since then. It's been in the living room and I just wet and got a new mat and frame for it. It's funny what time will do to you!

Next week is Thanksgiving. Another holiday that we are all trying to cope with. Each of the kids came to me and asked if we could go back to deep creek lake again. So I made a reservation and we'll be heading out next Wed through Saturday. Hopefully, it will help us to move ahead.

Little problem with the printer today

Grey skies

Kind of a gloomy, rainy weekend. This picture came yesterday evening when the sun started to fight it's way through the clouds. It was still pretty ominous in the distance.

Neuro Update

Okay so I'm back from the neurologist. I initially went there for headaches caused by neuralgia. I went last week for an MRI and we looked at the films today. The films showed a narrowing of the area around one of my disks. Nothing too major, but something to watch.

He performed a nerve test today. Interesting little test. Wasn't painful but a little uncomfortable for a couple of the tests. Basically they move a bunch or electrodes around and check your muscles and nerves to see if they carry the electrical current they way they are supposed to. Sort of like putting your tongue on a 9-volt battery! The nerve test didn't show anything abnormal.

The last time I was there I was taking antibiotics for a bad sinus infection and they were not working. I went back to the primary Dr. and they gave me a much stronger regiment. That seems to have helped some as my sinuses are clearing up. About 75% better than before. Along with that the headaches have dropped considerably in severity.

So the diagnosis..... Sinus problems caused pressure on the head and spine. Since I have Occipital Neuralgia it was aggravated by the pressure and caused the nerve to react hence causing headaches. This in turn made my entire left side of my body unresponsive. 3 weeks ago the Dr. did a test where I put my arms out and he pushed down on them one at a time. My right arm was able to hold him off completely. My left could barely offer any resistance. Weird. This time my left and right were pretty close.

He did say to keep an eye on things but that hopefully it should continue getting better. Also, he said that I did not have to have the nerve block unless I wanted to. I opted not to have a needle shoved into my neck at this time.

I'm feeling better, but not the greatest. Life is much better than 3 weeks ago. Thanks to everyone for keeping an eye on me!

Now back to business!

Say goodbye to Ramsey...

It is with great sadness that I tell you all that we had to put our cat Ramsey to sleep tonight. Most likely he was hit by a car and it broke his back and pelvis. He dragged himself home to the back door and could not sit or walk. X-rays at the emergency vet were pretty conclusive. There was not a lot we could do for him and I had to make the incredibly difficult decision to put him down.

We got Ramsey at the pound about 5 years ago. I remember it because I was in California on travel and Chris and the kids called me from the pound. The people there would not let them take him home unless I gave the okay. Alex named him after Patrick Ramsey of the Washington Redskins at that time.

He was a pretty good cat and got along very well with the dog. The last year he has been by my side at night sleeping in Chris's spot trying to keep me warm. We will all miss him very much as he has been a part of our family for 5 years.

Cold one!

Well this picture tells you how chilly it was last night!!!

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.....

This picture of Tyler popped up on my screen saver and I just had to show everyone!!! It was taken in 2000 so he was all of 6 or 7 years old!

Halloween

Just a quick picture from Halloween. Alex bought the Dog a Lycoming shirt and of course for safety sake she wore a glow stick !!!

MRI

Well this past WednesdayI went to get my MRI. It was done on my upper spine in hopes that the dr. can find why I'm having problems with headaches. I am very claustrophobic and this time I actually did better than I had in the past. It was an open mri but that really didn't seem to be of too much help. The main difficulty I have is not with the enclosure, but being secured and not able to move while in there. That's the tough part. I woke up at 3am before the test and could not go back to sleep. That actually helped me to relax.

Next week results and nerve test....

Tyler caught a keeper!

CLICK HERE TO HEAR WHAT TY HAS TO SAY!

Tyler went fishing at the Linganore dam today with his friend Tanner. Within 5 minutes Tyler pulled in a 14" Large Mouth Bass!!! It was pretty big I must say.

The 2 of them brought it home and then looked up on YouTube on how to clean it. Too funny. They took it in the back of the house and cleaned it and then built a fire in our fire ring and proceeded to cook it over open flame. Then they stood around and ate the whole thing!! It was a sight to see that's for sure!

More drugs!

Well went to the neurologist on Thursday. He did a bunch of tests and such. Found out that my left side (arm and neck) is no where near as strong as my right. I would put my arms straight out and he would push down with most of his weight on my left arm and I could give a lot of resistance. Doing this with my left would require very little effort on his part to push my arm down. Interesting. I've been having problems in my elbow on my left arm so they are related.

Next, 2 weeks I go back for a Nerve test. Something they shoot electricity through a nerve and see how well it travels. I also have to get a c-spine MRI. I'm going to an open MRI but I'm very claustrophobic. I freeked out at the last real MRI I had 2 years ago and even was uneasy about the open one I had. Maybe I can get one of the boys to go with me. They'll like that.

I then went back to my primary Dr. on Friday and she prescribed Levaquin to try and knock out my sinus infection. It's worse than before. I cannot breath at all through my nose. The neurologist said that it may be causing the occipital nerve to get pinched.

So there we are. I'm sick and trying to get better. I'll keep you posted.

Alex home...

Yesterday I drove up to Lycoming and picked up Alex and a couple of friends. Friday is a day off for them and they all had no classes on Thursday. It gives them a nice chance to get home for a few days. It was a long day, 3 hours up and 3 hours back but it was worth it. I'll have to take her back on Sunday afternoon so that'll be long too.

I did get a chance to meet her new coach, Erika Brown. She's pretty young and the girls seem to get along pretty well with her. I'm sure that she'll fit in pretty well.

Today I have a Dr. appointment with the neurologist. We are going to chat about what my options are to stop the headaches... Hopefully we can do away with the needle option and use that as a last resort.

Rainy Day

Saturday was an incredibly dreary day. It rained all the way until about 4pm. The boys and I were going to go and visit Alex and watch a special "pink" football game for breast cancer awareness, but the weather was just not cooperative. It's too far to go and sit in the cold and rain.

Saturday night Alex's previous coach, Kara Reber, came up to the area as she was attending a lacrosse tournament and doing some recruiting there. It was as Mount Saint Mary's which is only 25 minutes from our house. She is now the head coach at St. Mary's University in southern maryland. I had not seen her since Alex's last game last year. She's doing well and adjusting pretty well to life in Maryland.

I made dinner for Her and the boys and we actually ate in the dining room. The 1st time it has been used in over 1 year! It was really nice having a house guest for the night.

Golf

I finally had a chance to get away today. I took the afternoon off from work and played golf with some friends. I played well which makes the day even more enjoyable! Hopefully we'll get out again sometime soon before winter rolls in soon.

Tomorrow we were planning a trip up to visit Alex but the weather does not look like it is going to cooperate.

I have my own URL!!!

For future reference you can continue to get to this website using the old Blogger URL, but I just recently was able to purchase a new domain and have redirected it to this site. Please start using:

www.charliedewitt.com

Just a funny picture...

My dog is quite the studious one don't you think?

Fishing on the Bay!!!

All the pictures are located HERE. I took a bunch and it's not easy posting them all in the blog.

It was a little cold on Saturday for our fishing trip. Waves on the Chesapeake Bay were in the 6'+ range!!!! That made it a bit difficult to get around but with the boat we had it was not to difficult!

I did NOT get sea sick. Thank goodness! I am a land lubber that is for sure.

We started the day leaving the marina with 5 of us on board. My friend Danny used his dad's boat and the 5 of us went out for a day of fishing. My friend Rich came down from Rochester, Danny, Glen, and Keith were on board with me.

We first went out and and did some bottom fishing. We caught about 40 or so small 4"-7" croakers, spot, and white perch. We threw them in the live well then took off for the Bay Bridge. We dropped anchor in about 40 feet of water right by one of the bridge islands and then used the small fish to try and catch the bigger fish. We caught about 8 blue fish in the 12-15" range. Fun to catch as they really fight hard when you're bringing them in. Glen caught a toad fish. Now that is one UGLY fish.

We then tried to find some calmer water and did some more bottom fishing. After a bunch of catch and release there we finally packed it in early afternoon. It was a fun day and was a very therapeutic for me as well! The boys were with my in-laws so I had not worries, except drowning!



Saturday, Danny and Rich surprised me and came out to my house to spend the afternoon with me. We took Michael to his lacrosse game and then came back to my house to see some football in the newly remodeled basement.

A day away from home!

Looking forward to tomorrow. I'm going to my friend Danny's house tonight and we are going fishing on the bay tomorrow morning. It's the one day of the year I get to myself, or so it seems. The boys are going with Chris's parents for the evening. After this week with all the school conferences and lacrosse meetings it is going to be nice to have an evening away.

For dinner we are going to Chaps in Baltimore. It was featured on the food network. Here's the clip:

From Alex

Alex sent me this picture that she added some highlights to using picnik.com

Here are the rest of the lyrics. They pretty much wrap up how we're all feeling...

I'm alone
Yeah, I don't know if I can face the night
I'm in tears and the cryin' that I do is for you
I want your love - Let's break the walls between us
Don't make it tough - I'll put away my pride
Enough's enough I've suffered and I've seen the light

CHORUS:
Baby
You're my angel
Come and save me tonight
You're my angel
Come and make it all right

Don't know what I'm gonna do
About this feeling inside
Yes it's true - Loneliness took me for a ride
Without your love - I'm nothing but a begger
Without your love - a dog without a bone
What can I do I'm sleeping in this bed alone

CHORUS

Come and save me tonight

You're the reason I live
You're the reason I die
You're the reason I give
When I break down and cry
Don't need no reason why

Baby, Baby

CHORUS

You're my angel
Come and save me tonight
you're my angel
Come and take me allright
Come and save me tonight, Come and save me tonight, Come and save me tonight,
Come and save me tonight, Come and save me tonight

And the original music video to go with it!!!

Here's what I have...

Finally went to the Dr. yesterday about my headaches. It's been 2+ weeks with constant headaches in the same spot. I had something similar 2 years ago and went to a neurologist. By the time I went though it had gone away. It is called "Occipital Neuralgia". It's an irritation of the occipital nerve that runs from the back of your head to the front. The Dr. also noticed that I have a sinus infection yesterday as well. So, now I am on antibiotics and have a referral back to the neurologist.

The neurologist is going to want to do a nerve block I'm sure. That I'm not looking forward to. I'll know more after I meet with her. I am feeling a little better but it's time to get this looked at. More later...

No School

Well there was no school today. Michael spent the night at a friend's house last night and that let Tyler and I... We ran a couple of errands last night and this morning I took him out to play golf. We finished in just over 3 hours which was really nice. I was back home in my office before 1.

Ty went to a friends to skateboard the rest of the day and I went to get Michael around 5. We then went to the grocery store for some necessities.

Have had a headache for 2 weeks straight now, so I'm calling the Dr. tomorrow to go in and see what we can find.

In the Streets

Oh yeah, Saturday the boys and I went to downtown Frederick for the annual "In the Streets" celebration. They close off about a 1/2 mile stretch of the main street in town and have all types of displays and food vendors there. It was a glorious day and we had a pretty good time.

Today was our anniversary.

Today, October 5th, is the 23rd anniversary of the day that Chris and I were married. Last year this date came up on me so quickly that I did not have time to even think much about it. This year, however, was much different.

The boys and I went to church this morning and then went out to breakfast at Beans and Bagels. After that we came home and just vegged out some. I fell asleep on the couch while watching the football game.

Tyler had youth ministry tonight and he rode his bike there so I went to pick him up. Before getting there I went by the cemetery to spend some time on my anniversary with Chris. I was there arouns 7pm right when the sun was setting over the mountains. It was a beautiful evening and I just sat on her gravesite right in front of her headstone. It was nice. I felt close to her. The flowers that you see are from my friends Sam and Jenny. They came to my house on Friday morning and were a huge pick-me-up! Their anniversary was on 10/4 so we never forget. Sam introduced Chris and I many years ago and I am eternally grateful to him for that.

Clothes, clothes, clothes...

Last Sunday Tyler and Michael attended a special Youth Ministry meeting at church. They were asking each participant to bring in some used clothing to donate and it would be distributed to many of the local charities and shelters.

Well mulling it around for quite awhile I decided that this would be a good opportunity to donate some of Chris's clothes to a good cause. She had a LOT of clothes and all of them were still in the closet and in her dresser.

It was very hard going through and seeing all of the things that she used to where. With each piece I could vividly remember how she looked when she wore it. Putting them in bags to take away was another step in the process that we are all going through. There are still a lot of dress/work clothes left and I'll be looking for a place for that as well.

Maybe this is a good sign...

This evening while the boys and I went out to dinner it rained pretty hard. When we were driving home a beautiful rainbow appeared. You could see it stretch from one end of the sky all the way to the other. It was spectacular. When we arrived home the end of the rainbow appeared to come right out of the top of our house! The picture does not really do it justice as the colors were very vibrant.

Just goes to show you that there still is a ray of hope over the DeWitt house...

Charlie Bit Me!

This just made me smile and I thought I'd share it with you...

New Dooor

Today we had our old patio door taken out and a new sliding glass door put in. I was going to do it myself but I've had very little time lately so we left it to the professionals!

We celebrated Chris today!!

Saturday would have been Chris's 46'th birthday. Last year she died right before her 45'th birthday. That day came and went that we didn't even have time to think about it. This year was different. We've had plenty of time to think about it. (Picture from 9/27/2006 - Chris's 44th birthday)

My good friend Rich reminded me that birthdays are meant to be celebrated. They should not be days of mourning. If it was not for Chris's birthday none of the wonderful times we've all had with her would have happened. So that is why we celebrate!!! Easier said than done, but not impossible to do once you put your mind to it. So, with that in mind, the boys and I "celebrated" Chris's birthday for her.

Michael and I went out for breakfast while Tyler slept over at a friends house. We then went out and bought some flowers for the house. Chris loved flowers and I make it a point to keep fresh ones in the house as much as possible.

In the afternoon, I went to the cemetery and cleaned up some of the flowers that had been left behind from 9/11. I brought a pumpkin and a beautiful mum for presents. I stayed for awhile and even sang happy birthday.

Tyler, Michael, and I went out to dinner to celebrate just as we would if Chris were with us. We went to her favorite restaurant, La Paz. It was a nice evening and we sat outside. I had her favorite drinks, margarita on the rocks NO salt! The boys looked at me like I was crazy as I always get them with salt. It was my way of having her with us! We also ordered her favorite side of guacamole! I hate it, as do the boys but we got it and laughed the whole time we ate it.

We walked around downtown Frederick for about an hour and made our way home where we watched a movie together and then crashed.

Happy Birthday wishes to you Christine!

Friday Night Lights

Last night we went to the TJ vs. Linganore High School Football game. Great game. It rained 1/2 way through the game and of course got us all soaked!

The boys went off and hung out with their friends and I was able to find some folks to sit with as well. It's always easy as so many people from the neighborhood go to the games.

This picture was taken in the 1st quarter. The wide receiver jumped up for the ball and was hit just below his waist. He turned completely over and then some and landed on his back. Very scary to see in person. He got up and walked away w/o any problems. AND he held onto the ball!

Gloomy weekend ahead?

Well if today is any indication this weekend is bound to be gray and gloomy. We haven't had much bad weather recently so all I can attribute it to is that tomorrow 9/27 is Chris's birthday. No plans yet.

This Wednesday I took the boys to the high school after dinner and we watched the JV football game. Tonight is the varsity game at one of their big rivals, Linganore. It's really close to our house so we'll probably try to fight the weather and go watch the game.

Besides that we're struggling along with homework and tests and work and all the other day to day things that we're faced with.

So tomorrow, as a good friend told me, we should all celebrate Chris's birthday in some way. If it wasn't for that special day which she was born, we would not ever have had the chance to live our lives with her. For that reason we celebrate her birthday!!!

Creepers!

Okay after many of you asked I've finally put a link on my blog to my personal webcam. Click the picture of the kitchen in the sidebar or click here. The camera is sitting on top of our stereo cabinet in our family room. You can move the camera simply by clicking on the image. The camera will center on where you click.

Nothing too exciting going on inside the kitchen and family room so go at it!!! A bunch of people already had the link but now it's open to the general population!!!

You'll be hooked in no time I'm sure. Enjoy the "free" trial! :)

Back home from Lycoming

We had a nice visit with Alex this past weekend. We left Saturday morning and ran over to Borders to get Michael a new release book from a series that he enjoys. He immediately dove into it and read it the whole way up and back.

We met up with Alex just before the football game. The weather was just spectacular. Sunny with some puffy clouds. The game was good and Lycoming won. After the game we drove back to her dormatory and took some goodies up to her room for her. the boys and I ran over and checked into our hotel and the boys ran down and swam in the pool.

We went back to Lycoming and picked up Alex and her boyfriend Jon around 7 and went over to Michael's favorite restaurant, Ichiban Japanese Steak House. It's the one where they put on a show and cook the food right in front of you. Very funny especially when the cook tries to toss food into your mouth to catch!

After dinner I took the students back to the dorms. Tyler was invited and stayed with them for the evening. He was able to enjoy a little bit of college life at the ripe age of 15. Mike and I went and got a coffee and headed back to the room to crash.

We woke up fairly early on Sunday and just read for awhile. We then got ready to go around 9 am. Mike and I went for a walk through downtown and then headed over to Alex's school. It was a 10 minute walk.

We met her and Tyler and then we all walked back to the hotel for breakfast. Good breakfast and great to have us all together again. Later we drove around some and eventually got back to campus around noon, said our goodbyes and headed home.

We got home around 3 and the boys immediatley when their ways. I tried to relax from the drive. Tyler went fishing at the lake near our house and was excited as he caught a large bass. See the picture. I started dinner and then he and I went back down there and he caught an even bigger one! He likes fishing.

Well tomorrow is another beginning to anohter week. Better get to bed soon!!

Away to visit Alex

Today the boys had the day off from school. Each year the schools get a day off for "fair day". This is a day that the kids can go to visit the Frederick County Fair. It's a big event that happens the same week each year. Both boys were able to go with some of their friends and spend some fun time together.

I had lunch with one of Chris's colleagues at COMSTAR today. It was a really nice seeing him and chatting about so many great things. We went to Chris's favorite restaurant in fact, La Paz!

This weekend is Parent's Weekend at Lycoming College where Alex goes. We've attended every year at this time and this year is no exception. We'll be going up Saturday to see a football game and then spend some time with Alex.

The weather has been beautiful here and in PA too so it should be a very nice trip.

High School Football Game

Today the boys and I went to Baltimore to watch Tyler's high school play football against a private Catholic school out there. Mount St. Joseph played them last year and TJ High dominated. This year was just the opposite and TJ came out on the short end.

My friends Danny and Brenda send their boys to MSJ and they along with several other friends met us there to watch the game together. Afterward, we all went out for an early dinner to a new restaurant not far from there. It was called the Catonsville Gourmet and was very good. I recommend it to anyone looking for a nice place on that side of Baltimore.

The boys and I took a long way home and watched a movie to cap off the day....

Welcome to the new blog...

Welcome to the new blog for the DeWitt Family. I'm glad to see that you found us. Bookmark this page by hitting CTRL-D. Check back often.