Year 3 begins...

All I can say is wow. These past few days have been a real whirlwind of activity on my emotions. It's hard to put it all in perspective right now. Friday was a rainy, dismal day. I dropped Michael off at school and then went by the cemetery early in the morning. I took a dozen roses Chris's gravesite and propped them up against her headstone. They were nice but in a way meaningless.

What Chrissy and I had will stay with me forever, and nothing will ever change that. Absolutely nothing. When I lost her I lost a huge part of me. The past 2 years I have been focused solely on Alex, Tyler and Michael and nothing else. I owe it to her to do everything I can to make sure the kids grow up safe, and become fine young adults in both her image as well as my own.

Friday, Alex came home as well and the 4 of us sort of just were with each other, quiet but understanding what each one of us was dealing with. She came home because Chris's little brother Joey was getting married on Saturday. We all went and I found it very, very difficult to listen to the vows being said. It reminded me again of what I have lost, but at the same time it also reminded me of what I was able to cherish for the years that we were together. We had wonderful lives together. It's just that in our case we had a limited amount of time together. I would never trade those years in for anything.

I've been so focused on them I've neglected myself. Both physically and emotionally. I have continually suffered from gastrointestinal issues. Just went to the Dr. this morning in fact. Next test will be an upper endoscopy that also uses an ultrasound looking for issues. It's called and endoscopic ultrasound. That'll be in a few weeks so I'll have to start juggling rides and stuff soon. I'm doing okay but I tell you with stress and all that I carry it really flares up sometimes.

The past 6 months or so I've really had my emotions bottled up. Friday I opened the bottle and spilled them all over. I was home alone most of the day and did a great deal of soul searching and thinking about myself. I have to.... I've promised myself that the coming year will be better. Not sure exactly how, but I have some ideas. Exercise, better eating, and new friends may be just the answer. All I do know is that it sure won't hurt!

So... I will continue on down the path that God has shown me. My life is what it is and I cannot change the past, but I do know that I can control my future. I think I've finally started to accept that, and I pray to God that he guides me to make the right decisions in my life as the future comes at me so fast! The past 2 years have gone by in the blink of an eye. I'll never get them back. So now it's full steam ahead... wish me luck and say a prayer for me!!! And I will quote my dearly departed wife “You know, sometimes in life you just have to jump in and get wet.”

Well look out. I'm getting a running start....

A special thanks to each and everyone of you who have helped me during my journey. I could not have made it this far without your the caring, love, and understanding that you've given me.

Thank you...

Oh and one other thing... I can see from my site statistics that there has been a lot of activity on the site the last week. There's 20 or 30 of you out there regularly checking in on me not to mention the new people that arrive each day. Today I received the following email from a site owner that I borrowed a picture from. Seems as if when you click the picture he was actually getting hits on his site. He couldn't figure it out. He did look at my site and sent the following:

Charlie,

As I look through the information on the back end of my website I consistently
see hits coming via your website. I see the "french fries picture" which you somehow copied directly from my site (it's okay I don't mind. As a matter of fact thanks to photoshop it no longer has the golden arches on them.) I'm puzzled though as to how and why viewers are coming from your site to mine. Perhaps when you get a minute you can enlighten me if you know the answer.

By the way, your site is a magnificent way to keep the memories of such a wonderful woman alive!

I commend you.

Many Thanks,

Sam Wernick
General Manager
All American Baseball Academy

Wonderful words from an absolute stranger... nice.

2 years ago today...

Concert picture

Wednesday night my friend Greg took me to a concert in Baltimore. We went and saw Journey with opening band Night Ranger. Both were excellent. The tickets and hospitality helped clear my mind some from the week at hand.

Alex's early games next year

Alex will be playing at McDaniel College in Westminster on Feb 27th.

Also her team will be having a pink out game at Lycoming on Sat April 10th with proceeds going to Climb for Hope in honor of Chris.


Just wanted to put those dates out there in case anyone wanted to attend. I will be at both of these games for sure.

Hell week....

Well as you all know 9/11 is fast approaching. This week, 2 years ago, was an incredible blur. I can relive each day vividly in my mind. Friday will be a tough day for all of us and I just ask that you all keep us in your thoughts.

Alex will be coming home on Friday as Saturday is Chris's little brother's wedding. A joyous occasion for sure. She would certainly be very proud of both he and his wife-to-be.

Tomorrow I was invited to go to a concert with my friend Greg. It should be a good time and hopefully will take my mind off of the rest of the week. We'll see. Hopefully I'll get a picture or 2 as well.

I also, made a new friend today...

Ty's picture

Ty's picture is used on the youth ministry site at st. johns...

Check it out HERE>

Little League World Series

Sunday was an exceptionally busy day. The boys and I were planning on going to Williamport, PA and bring Alex's things for college up to her. At the same time she was able to get us "Friends and Family" passes to the Little League World Series games and VIP tent. Nice!!!!

Until, they announced on Saturday that VP Joe Biden was coming!@!!@#$!$#@$! ESPN had to revoke all F&F passes for the day for security purposes. We were going to be left out in the cold... The lady at ESPN that Alex works for knew that we were coming just for that so she secured us 3 regular seats in the VIP ESPN section right near home plate!!!!

So, we left early Sunday morning and Tyler drove us the entire way up there. That was nice as I could drink coffee, read the newspaper, and relax the whole way.... NOT!!!!! He's a good driver, but I have to pay more attention when he's driving than if I drive.

We got there around 11 and went in and found Alex in Volunteer Stadium where the consolation game was being held. She had on her credentials and was working with a camera crew getting shots of people in the stands. It was fun watching her work.

After that game Alex was able to take us to one of the concession stands and get us lunch on ESPN. She just showed her badge and that was it, so we ate a good lunch! Sorry your ESPN cable fees will probably go up next month...

We had to go into the championship game early because the VP was coming. The boys and I went in and Alex and Cory went out to the outfield. The seats were just perfect. Under cover, and not that far from home plate. A great view of the game.

We saw some famous folks as well, Brent Musburger, Joe Biden, Jared from Subway, Moses Arias from Hannah Montannah's show, and Orel Hershiser! The game was great and the US won in a pretty close battle over Taiwan.

After the game the boys and I drove to Lycoming and moved in Alex's things into her dorm. She's in a new housing area that has 2 bedrooms, and a large kitchen/lounge area. It's a really nice setup. We stayed for an hour and chatted with her roomates who are on the lacrosse team and then finally took off for home. It was a busy day but memorable none the less...

Pictures for the Championship game can be found on my facebook page located HERE.
Pictures for the Consolation game are HERE.

Yeah I'm still here...

This picture was taken on the day we got Chloe. It was a surprise party for Chrissy's birthday and Alex's freshman year. September 2006.

Lots of things going on. Alex is at school but classes don't start until Monday. She's been up there for about 10 days. She is working for ESPN at the Little League World Series that is held there. She's working directly with a camera guy that shoots shots of people in the stands during the game. She was able to secure ESPN Friends and Family passes for the boys and I so we are going to the championship game tomorrow (sunday). We're taking her things up there to her as well so it will be a busy day!

Tyler started 11th grade this past monday. All things working out well so far. He also had to work 3 days this week after school at the golf course. He's able to get a ride from school with a friend and I pick him up later in the evening.

Michael went to his Freshman orientation for St. Johns. They spent 1/2 a day at school followed by an overnight retreat up in Emmitsburg, MD. They were able to meet and greet with all their freshman classmates as well as do a quick run through of their classes. He has 15 people in his English class and 3 people in his Art class. A lot better than the 35 he had last year. My fingers are crossed that this is the right choice for him. He's ready to go. I'll get some pics next week on Tuesday which is his official 1st day of school.

Me? Well this week I finished my 8-week Young Widow/Widowers group at the Hospice. It was a very emotional meeting as we all brought in pictures of our spouses and children to share with the group. The group was helpful as it reinforced the fact that I am not alone in this journey and that many others are dealing with the same issues as I.

Health? I WAS feeling pretty good for a couple of weeks. Vacation was good and the week after as well. Then all of a sudden I started getting pain again this past Monday. It has tapered off as of yesterday so we'll see how it goes.

1st pitch

I was able to throw out the 1st pitch at the memorial baseball game a few weeks back. This video showed up on YouTube recently which was taken that day... Enjoy.

Disney Vacation Videos

These are some videos from out Disney vacation....

Alex goes back to school

Well Alex left the boys and I to be on our own again this week. She left Wednesday morning for Williamsport to start her final year of college.

She will be there for 10 days before as she is working for ESPN at the Little League World Series! She is excited beyond all imagination and was just assigned her "credentials"!

The boys and I are going to be taking her things up to her next weekend which just so happens to be the date of the championship game(s). So we may be able to sit in again on those exciting games. We've done it the past 2 years but now we know someone on the inside!!!!

Disney part II

Well the week has been a very busy one to say the least!!! Tuesday we went to Epcot. The last time we were here it was our favorite park. This time it was too. We got there and immediately went and got a fastpass for the new ride "Soarin'" That allowed us to go back later in the day with no wait. We went over and rode the ride "Test Track" the wait was an hour but due to technical difficulties it was almost 2!!! Inside at least.

Later in the afternoon we visited 1/2 the countries around the world. Eating a huge snack in Germany.

Tuesday night we had a reservation for Maggianos Italian Restaurant. We ate like no tomorrow. Each one of us camee away with huge food babies. Me... twins!!! If you ever get a chance to go I highly recommend it. http://www.maggianos.com/

Wednesday we hit the other Disney water park called Blizzard Beach. It was a very hot day and a good thing we were at the water park. The climbs to the top of the mountain to slide down were really good exercise and the rides down just great. We did get a garbage pail ice cream. A pail filled with just about everything they had in the hut. Came complete with a small shovel. Tyler used that. We went down quite a few times despite the crowds. We also hopped in some tubes and rode the lazy river around the entire park.

Thursday was a down day. Michael finished all 500 pages of the book he was reading so he and I ventured out to Borders to buy another one. He loves to read and you can't fault him for that. Then all the kids and I drove around to a few outlets and kicked around a little bit. We were going to go back to Epcot to visit the other 1/2 of the countries BUT the skies opened up and it poured like crazy for almost 2 hours. Think of the hardest rain you've ever seen and then imagine it continuing for 2 hours!!! We bagged it and made our way over to Downtown disney. I wore my emergency poncho and the kids made fun of me. I was dry, they were not...

Today, Friday, we are packing and heading out to Epcot to try again. The flight home is at 8:30. Our family vacation 2009 is coming to a close...

Disney World Trip

6 1/2 years ago Chrissy and I took the kids to Disney World. This year now that they are all much older we decided to give it another try. We had a good time then and so far this year we've had good weather and a good time. We're staying in a suite at the Embassy Suites so there is plenty of room for us to get out from under each other.

We flew down on Friday evening and 1st thing Saturday we were off to Animal Kingdom. We rode our first ride which got me and Tyler soaked!!! The rest of the day was a little soggy. We also rode their newer coaster called Everest. SCARY. The kids got hooked on pin trading the last time and they brought their pins down here with them this year and started trading again. Just walk up to a "cast member" employee and trade any pin you have for one you see on their lanyard. Fun.

Sunday was a trip to Hollywood Studios. There we rode the Rocking Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. Both have left a lasting impression on me!!!! Very terrrifying. Sunday night we went to downtown disney for dinner at the House of Blues.

Yesterday, we did a water park. 1st time any of us have been to one and we had a good time. They had this giant wave pool that would create a huge 6 foot tall tidal wave! We went down several of the water slides some of which were in the dark!

We're all very tired but are continuing on today and for the rest of the week.

Pictures are found on my Facebook page HERE.

The kids and I in the paper...

This article made the local Frederick Newspaper this morning...

Here's how it looked in the paper.

Widows, widowers find comfort in support group

By SUSAN GUYNN
News-Post staff
sguynn@fredericknewspost.com

The death of a loved one can be devastating whether it be a spouse, child, parent or friend.
“A lot of the emotions are the same, but the dynamics are different,” said Denise Watterson, a bereavement coordinator for Hospice of Frederick County. She is the facilitator for an eight-week support group for young widows and widowers currently under way at Hospice.
As with most Hospice support programs, there’s an educational component; this one focusing on the grieving process. “But young widows and widowers really need an opportunity to share,” said Watterson. Charlie DeWitt of Frederick lost his wife of 22 years to breast cancer on a September day two years ago. He attended a general bereavement support group soon after, but found that “going through situations where somebody has lost a child or parent, I didn’t have any way to relate to that, just as they didn’t relate to my loss.”
But meeting with other young widowers and widows, “when I say something, I know the people in the room can relate to it.”
His late wife, Christine DeWitt, battled the disease for three years and continued to work and care for their home and three children until about a month before she died. Having that time to prepare was “a saving grace, but it wasn’t easy to do,” DeWitt said. “It was really hard to talk about it.
“You can say you’re prepared all you want, but you’re not. The first month is numbing, like living in a fog,” DeWitt said.
With his 21-year-old daughter at college, DeWitt cares for his sons, 16 and 13. “I was the disciplinarian. (Christine) was more nurturing and helped with homework, coloring Easter eggs and playing games,” he said. “That’s not there now, though I try as hard as possible.”
DeWitt, 47, said the challenging part for him now is the “me” part. “I’ve been focused 110 percent on my children and family. It’s time for me to start thinking about me, personally.”
Laurie Moser, 50, said her family’s life changed forever in June 2007 when her husband, Rick Moser, was killed on the job in a state highway work zone. “The life we knew was gone completely. We’ve spent the last two years trying to find out who we are,” said Moser. Their children are now 22 and 12.
“In that time I’ve been effectively able to find purpose in Rick’s death,” said Moser, a FCPS teacher. Moser and her daughter, Rachel, have become advocates for roadway work zone safety awareness at the state and national levels. “That’s been healing, but there’s still a tremendous loss in our hearts and we’ll always feel that,” Moser said. “I don’t feel sorry for myself. That’s just the reality.”
With a daughter in college and a son about to enter middle school, Moser said she was drawn to this support group “to talk to parents about how they’re dealing with these issues.”
The group is also a place for building friendships and a social network. “After Rick was killed so suddenly, I could almost feel people stepping back. It was a reality no one wants to face,” Moser said. “Initially, it was isolating.
“But as I’m getting further on this journey I’m seeing things a little differently,” Moser said. “It was just too painful for people who knew us well. They were grieving a loss, too.”
Knowing that cancer would likely someday claim her husband, Ellen Baker said, “In essence, I was grieving before the loss. The reality sank in two weeks after he passed on” seven months ago.
Her husband, Doug, was diagnosed with a rare cancer five years before they met. “It was tough, but it didn’t control our lives,” Baker said. “It didn’t stop us from enjoying our life. With a prolonged disease, you know this is going to happen.” Having time to say the things you want to say was a gift, she said, “but watching him go downhill ... you’re never fully prepared. “Even though we knew he was sick, we were still planning a future. There are miracles,” Baker said. The hardest part is “knowing he’s never coming back.” Baker said that meeting other widows and widowers through the support group takes away feelings of isolation and talking to people who are further along in their grief journey is helpful. “There’s a uniqueness to losing your spouse if you’re young,” she said.
Common threads
Watterson led a workshop for young widows and widowers last year and saw there was a need for a support group.
“They were planning to raise their kids together, grow old together, retire together, and now that’s gone,” Watterson said of the participants. If there are young children involved they become solo parents through a situation thrust upon them.
“Oftentimes, if the husband has died it can drastically change things financially. (The widow) has to find a job while she’s grieving and taking care of the children,” Watterson said. “For men, it may be taking on the more nurturing role and learning to do that. It turns their world upside down.
“It doesn’t matter if it was a lingering illness or sudden, until that last breath, it doesn’t hit that you’re alone,” she said.
For John McCarthy, 51, of Woodsboro, the emotions are still raw. His wife, Sallyann Trapane-McCarthy died of cancer Christmas Eve. Having time to prepare for her death was helpful but “it still hits you like a ton of bricks when it happens,” McCarthy said.
“It’s just good to know there are other people going through the same thing,” he said of the support from the group. “We have so much in common” and talking to others helps him get around obstacles in solo parenting and grief.
“I have to get up every morning. I don’t have a choice,” McCarthy said. “I have a 10-year-old (son) who needs me to take care of him. People in the (support) group have the same thing. You’ve got to get up and make it look like it’s a good day.”
McCarthy’s brother-in-law, Anthony Trapane, lives with them and helps care for his son, Emmett. “I want to make sure my son gets through this without undue suffering and that he has a positive memory of his mother.
“I’ve got things to learn and we’re going to learn them together,” he said.

Frederick Keys catcher Wally Crancer presents a ball to Charlie DeWitt after DeWitt threw out the first pitch at a game recently. The game was Christine DeWitt Memorial Breast Cancer Awareness night. DeWitt’s children are, from left, Tyler, Michael and Alex.

Staff photos by Bill Green
Fans fill a section at Harry Grove Stadium for Christine DeWitt Memorial Breast Cancer Awareness night recently.

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?

Dumb A**

Oh I'm so proud of him....

A day away from it all...

Yesterday the boys and I were able to get away from the house for the day. Our good friend Danny and his wife took us out on the Chesapeake Bay for a little fishing excursion!!! We had a great time tooling around the huge bay. We did some fishing and some swimming and dined on some very yummy pretzel sticks all day! Hey we were fishing. Everyone caught a fish too. Including Brenda who wasn't even fishing!!!!

We went over by the Bay Bridge, as well as the Kent Narrows Bridge. While there we swung by Red Eye's Dock Bar. It wasn't Sunday so it was a little slow. Check out their website and I urge you so stop in on a Sunday afternoon/evening!!!!

After fishing we went back to their house with some other friends and just hung out by the pool and enjoyed the evening.

Here's a LINK to all the pictures I took that day... THANKS VERY MUCH DANNY AND BRENDA!

Keys Game

Yesterday was SuperHero night at the Keys stadium. Alex was WonderWoman so of course we had to go! Fun night and a perfect night for baseball! Thanks to Dave the GM for great seats once again!

Full Swing Summer

Well summer is here and in full swing. I'm working still. Times are tough in the industry right now and not many companies are buying stuff. I keep plugging along. Yesterday I had to go to Morgantown WV to actually install one of the systems that I sold. I was only 3 hours away vs. sending a tech from California all the way out there. It was good. I used to do that kind of stuff all the time, but now I am focused primarily on the sales side. All went well and the customer was up and running live on the new system when I left.

On the way home I stopped in Cumberland, MD and had dinner at a small restaurant in the blocked off downtown area. It was the best Jambalaya I have ever had, outside of New Orleans. Who would have thought in the middle of nowhere.

Health - I saw my gastroenterologist on Tuesday. All is okay with the tests and results that I've gotten so far. He recommended that I have another colonoscopy in 1 year to monitor one spot that they found. Also, he wants to perform an EUS or endoscopic ultrasound. It's pretty high-tech. They go down through your esophogus and perform some pretty low level investigation of the pancreas and other organs looking for abnormalities. It actually can get detail on the several layers of the tissue down there. If they find something, they can also do a biopsy at the same time. Only 2 places in MD do this right now, Hopkins, and UMD. Frederick hospital is getting the equipment right now and should be up and running on is soon. I could be the 1st one! Oh happy day. More on this later...

And now the crappy stuff. Some of you may already know, but Chris's mother found out a couple weeks ago that her breast cancer has returned. About 8 years ago she fought off early stage and has been doing pretty well. After all the tests and consultations they are confident that it has not spread. She will be undergoing surgery in about a week for a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. Recovery will certainly take some time after that. Cancer has reared it's ugly head once again.

Keep July 26th on your calendar. That is the date for the Frederick Keys Breast Cancer Awareness night in honor of Chrissy! Drop me a line and let me know if you would like to go.... I will have some tickets available.

Old friends

Thursday evening I attended a little reunion among friends I used to work with. There were 7 of us and many of us had not spoken in over 15 years! We used to work at my old company called Oncor and were all in the IT department there. We've since all gone our separate ways but the friendships are still there.

Cool Bird

While putting up shutters on the house we were able to get a birds-eye view of a mourning dove in the tree by the front door. She has a little baby under her.

Want fries with that?

Last night I went to the Keys baseball game except this time I saw none of it. Tyler and I worked in the largest concession stand there along with other friends from the high school boosters.

I worked the fryer! Making french fries, chicken fingers, and... corn dogs!!! I must have made 100 bags of fries and the temperature must have been 120 degrees by the fryer. There was grease and oil all over me!!! I think I still smell like a chicken finger. It really gives you an appreciation for the work that needs to be done.

In any event we made a good deal of money for the work that we did. It will go to a good cause for the school athletes.

Climb for Hope Lunch

I had the honor of having lunch today with Andrew Buerger who is the founder of the Climb for Hope charity that raises funds for advanced research for Dr. Leisha Emens. She was Chris's oncologist at Johns Hopkins.

Andrew brought his wife with him and the 3 of us had a wonderful lunch discussing all sorts of topics. His sister had just passed away a month ago from breast cancer leaving 3 children and a husband. A very similar situation as mine.

They are actually leaving this weekend for a climb in Iceland! Very exciting for all of them.

We had lunch a year ago as well and will continue to keep in touch for sure. Please check them out at www.climbforhope.com

Alex makes conference honor roll

Here is the story...

Alex was one of 9 girls on her team to maintain an overall 3.2 gpa or higher. She was honored in the MAC conference for lacrosse.

Lacrosse comes to a close and 20% less!

Well today was our Spires Lacrosse club picnic. Of course it was supposed to be on Friday but was postponed due to the 2 straight days of heavy rain. Then the boys tournament on Saturday was canceled because of the soggy fields. The girls tournament went on as scheduled on Sunday. Even with the reschedule we must have had close to 500 people attend the end of the year picnic. Very well attended this year. Finally, lacrosse in the DeWitt house is over.

Saturday evening there was a small get together in the cul-de-sac that I live on. About 10 families came out and we ordered crabs and had a small cookout with a bon-fire in the middle of the circle! It was nice as I had not really seen everyone in a social setting like that in quite a while. Hopefully, we can do it again soon.

Today was also a crappy day for work. Everyone in my company was hit with a 20% pay reduction until the recession rights itself. This was hard for all of us to swallow. Especially me. Going from 2 very successful salaries to one was hard enough. Now that 1 is not as successful and is now 20% less! Hmph... It does beat the alternative of being laid off and only makes me want (need) to work even harder at the sales and marketing stuff. Wish me luck!

School's out next week and it's time to start planning the next 10 weeks of summer. Tyler needs a JOB. If not then he'll be volunteering somewhere in downtown Frederick.

Critters!

Came home a month or so ago to find about 6 deer in the front yard of the house. Hard to see them but their eyes light up. Last night I was attacked by a lunar moth! It was huge!

2nd Annual Award

Last Wednesday I presented the 2nd annual credit union award in Chris's honor at the MDDC League's annual marketing award ceremony. This year Tyler and Michale attended along with Chris's Mom and Dad. It's a great feeling to be a part of something so special...

DGEFCU Wins Christine DeWitt Memorial Award
for Excellence in Marketing, Best of Show

The Christine DeWitt Memorial Award for Excellence in Marketing, Best of Show, was presented to DGEFCU for its winning entry in the Best Marketing Campaign. The award memorializes Christine DeWitt who was the Vice President of Operations of COMSTAR FCU before her untimely passing in September 2007. Members of the DeWitt family presented the award to Carla Decker, CEO of DGEFCU, Joann Clark, Chairman of DGEFCU, and Claudia Saidon and Maximo Gastaldi from Graphic Ideas.

The entry featured low-rate tiered unsecured loans (personal, holiday, kwik cash, overdraft LOCs and credit cards) and a chance to win a loan payoff up to $5,000, from October 1, 2008, to January 20, 2009. The theme was “New Year, New President, New Possibilities…Inaugurate Yourself!” to make your dreams come true. This theme was used throughout the campaign and featured, “Inaugurate Yourself with a makeover, celebrating with your family, with new adventures, with extra cash, and in your work place. All of the promotional materials were printed in both English and Spanish versions.

The judges remarked on the creativity of the Inauguration theme and perfect tie-in to DGEFCU’s field of membership as well as the results – they exceeded their loan goals despite the overall lack of consumer confidence and the credit union’s falling loan volume and balances.

2009 Christine DeWitt Memorial Award for Excellence in Marketing, Best of Show, is presented to DGEFCU. Left to right: Claudia Saidon, Graphic Ideas; Joann Clark, Chairman of DGEFCU; Charlie DeWitt; Mallorie David of COMSTAR FCU; Carla Decker, CEO of DGEFCU; and Mike Beall, CEO of MDDCCUA.