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.