Out with old... in with new.

This week was very busy. We had all the windows in the house replaced. All of them. They came out just perfect. They all open and they all have beautiful screens in them. The old ones were just a mess. These are low-e glass and I qualify for the new tax credit for getting them! Gotta love that.

We also had the front door taken out and replaced. Looks basically the same which is what I wanted. The wood around the door was all rotted out. They fixed it all and also wrapped any wood in aluminum cladding. There is no painting ever needed.

Additional pictures can be found here on my Facebook page.

HOUSE!!!

My friend Rich teeing off in a charity golf tournament! I just had to post this for all to enjoy.

Keys Game

This year's annual Chris DeWitt Memorial Breast Cancer Awareness Night was a big success, despite a little bit of the nasty weather that summer brings.

Last year the event was postponed due to rain. Although disappointing it still worked out very well. This year was almost the same. After getting 100 tickets from the Keys for friends and family many people gathered at my home the afternoon of the game. While we were enjoying the friendship, the weather took a turn for the worse. It poured around 5:00. Gametime was 6:00. Long story short, we waited and it did pass. The game began right aound 6:35.

I was able to address the crowd both before and after the game. I made sure that they knew that the event was not only being held to honor Chris but to honor each and every person that that was affected by cancer in some way. One of the people that threw out a 1st pitch (myself included) was a recent cancer survivor. She was so thrilled to be a part of the event. I went up and spoke with her during the game and gave her a pink ribbon pin that I had. While standing there a foul ball nearly came up and bonked me on the head!!! I think Chrissy was aiming for me! :) I missed getting the ball but a nice gentleman gave it to me. It will be on the mantel with some of the other special memorabilia that we own.

During the game a small rainstorm formed and sent everybody running for cover. It lasted about 20 mins or so. It did offer up an absolutely beautiful rainbow that came down from heaven and shined on us. The picture does not do it justice.

Luminaries were lit and placed on the infield after the game, and a huge fireworks display followed to cap off a very special day.

THANKS GO OUT TO THE FREDERICK KEYS ORGANIZATION FOR ALL THAT THEY DID FOR US.

Email from Keys Mascot

Breast Cancer Awareness Night – On July 26th, we invite you to come out for the Frederick Keys’ 2^nd Annual Chris DeWitt Breast Cancer Awareness Night. The night will kick off with a ‘Survivor’s Reception’ in our picnic pavilion from 5-6 pm. Contact Laurie Frey of the American Cancer Society at Laurie.frey@cancer.org for more information or to make reservations for the reception. The Keys will also be raffling off a number of pink, team signed bats and plated bases and the American Cancer Society will be in attendance to provide information to anyone who might be interested, as well as to sell honorary luminaries for the ceremony, prior to the fireworks that evening!

2nd Annual Awareness Game

The Frederick Keys baseball organization is once again honoring Chris's memory this year with the 2nd Annual Chris DeWitt Memorial Cancer Awareness Night! Pink is the color of the night!

Players wear pink hats, there are pink bats, even the bases have pink logos on them.

The game is SUNDAY JULY 26TH AT 6:00 PM. I along with many others will be there again this year. Please let me know if you're coming and make sure to find me to say hello!!!!!

Thanks!

Keys Game

We are getting ready for the upcoming Frederick Keys Breast Cancer Night. While going through old pictures I ran across this video from 8/30/2005. ENJOY! The game is Sunday July 26th at 6:00 PM. Please plan to attend!

Concert

Took the kids to a concert last night at Nissan Pavillion in VA. We saw Cheap Trick, Poison, and Def Leppard. Great concert and lots of people !!!! Gotta love the 80's.

Crabby Dog

Chloe and Cory enjoying Alex's birthday crabs at the beach in Ocean City! She was too funny.

Ocean City 2009

This week I am spending the week in Ocean City, MD. For about 20 years my in-laws have rented a condo right on the beach from a very good friend of mine. Each year they would invite family memberss to come and go and fill up the condo during the week.

This year, because of my mother-in-laws cancer diagnosis and up coming surgery they asked me if I wanted it for the week. At first I didn't want to go but then decided it would be a great way to get away from the house for a week of mind clearing!

Alex and Tyler stayed home until Tuesday night because she had to work. So Michael and I went out on our own last Saturday. It was just the 2 of us for 3 days. We went out for dinner, breakfast, to the beach, and even caught a movie. Tuesday we did the all day mini golf too. This is the course the Chris would take them when we would come down before.

Alex and her boyfriend, Cory, came out with Tyler on Tuesday evening. Wednesday we went out and got a 1/2 bushel of crabs for her 21st birthday which we celebrated a day earlier.

Today is her birthday and an era of having a little girl is now over. Hard to believe, but I guess I have to accept the fact that my little girl is all grown up...

Monday my good friend Danny and his wife came down and we spent the entire day out on the beach with our friends Jim and Maria who were also down here. The weather was spectacular and we spent the whole day just relaxing and partaking in beverage on the beach.

Of course being here has brought back many, many good memories of Chrissy and our times that we spent here. Today the kids went to the Kite Factory and tried on funny hats, just like they did 2 months before she died. We also ate dinner at Bull on the Beach which was always a favorite place to go.

Something also happened which I am still trying to work out. I've worn a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon on my right wrist ever since Chris was diagnosed in Aug 2004. Just under 5 years this has never left my arm. Today I was simply giving it a little stretch and it broke. I know that I could not wear it forever and was planning on taking it off on the 2 year anniversary of her death. This was obviously not meant to be. I'm a little bummed but at the same time it perhaps is a sign for me to keep moving on... wish there was a way to figure all this out.

Coming home on Saturday...

New AC and Furnace

I finally got around to hiring someone to install a new HVAC system in the house. 13 years is how long the last one went and I decided to change it out before it checked out. It's all about efficiency nowadays. My old AC was a 6 or 7 SEER rating. The new one is a 20! I should in theory cut my electric bills in half.

I also got a new furnace as well and tacked on a new humidifier at the same time.

The best thing about all this is that both the inside and the outside unit are very very quiet. In fact you have to be right next to it to know that it is on. I also had the AC unit moved to the side of the house that we never go by instead of behind the house. Next year we'll be extending the deck to make it a little bigger!!!

What recession?