Tomorrow

Tomorrow should be interesting . . .



We're going on our first "actual" house viewing tour with a real estate agent. Her name is Francesca and she happens to be from Naples and married to someone in the Navy stationed here - the best of both worlds, it seems. She will pick us up in the morning (Saturday) at 0930, and will have lined up quite a number of houses for us to see. My goal is to take pictures of the houses to share with "you all" (especially you two, Karis and Misha ) so that you can see the pictures and get an idea of what it's like for us when we're out driving around and catching our first glimpses of our future life over here.



It should be a little slower pace tomorrow so hopefully I'll be able to take some notes to remind myself where we are/were, and then I can relay that to you!



It should be fun!


Ciao, Bella ~ Mimi




PS. . .

These lemons and tangerines are huge - the size of a baseball - filled with some kind of heavenly tasting filling. Just wanted to take a picture because it was so surprising. This picture didn't do it justice, however, since there wasn't anything to compare with and see just how large they are. Three times as big as regular lemons, I think.

Ella at 6 months! "Now this is love . . . hmm hmm hmm, la la la, hmm mmm mmm." Too cute for words.

Pictures, at last!

It's late in the evening, but I finally uploaded a few pictures and wanted to post a few of them, at least, before calling it a night. I wish I would have taken a notebook with me to jot down the names of the places we were when we took pictures . . . as it was, I was "the" only person with a camera out of I don't even know how many people . . . dozens! We were zooming around like crazy scoping out the lay of the land and trying to get our barings - two big busloads of us! All newcomers to Italy. It was quite the tourist day!

Although it was not a very clear day, it was still breathtaking to see Mt. Vesuvius jetting up near the edge of the city of Naples. There are over 200 old churches in the city of Naples and we saw almost all of them at once from this stone wall viewing site. It was marvelous!

We also had our very first world-famous Naples pizza. All I can say is it is like no other pizza I have ever tasted! YUM!! I commented that it was like the difference between a taco shell from Taco Bell and handmade tortillas in Mexico - there's just no comparison! This is a picture of our guide, Terri, just before she ate hers.

Well, enough for tonight. If I don't go to sleep soon I will be back on North Carolina time.

I've learned now that a sweet way to say good-bye to friends and family is "Ciao, bella!" It basically means (at least I was told), "so long, my dear friend." I thought it meant "good-bye, beautiful", but ciao can mean "hello", "hi", "good-bye", or just a casual "bye."

So, I bid you . . .

Ciao . . . bella!

Facebook Posts

For my non-fb buddies,

From time-to-time, I've promised to post the fb posts here on my blog for those of you that don't have fb. Here is the first of that installment:



August 25th ~

Just and update as promised. We made it. We are in Naples!
Sherman did very well during the flight and is staying with one of the chaplains until we get a
pet apartment on Friday. We are tired! The end of a very long day (really two days rolled into one) we'll keep you posted as we get more settled. ~


August 27th ~

We're in our Navy Lodge pet apartment. So Sherman is back with us now... hurray! Very busy with area orientation (AO). But happy to all be together. All is well!

• It's a bit strange for Sherman. No cozy rugs yet and only one "baby" of his that we brought along with us, but he's happy just to be with us and waits patiently for our return - always! We should find a permanent place to live within a month or two.

August 28th ~

We ventured out today with one of the chaplains and his wife to a nearby shopping mall. We tasted gelato for the first time. Yum! And had a good chance to just sit and watch the Italian people. Beautiful! Such lovely families! We went to a big WalMart type store, also incredibly amazing! Bought fresh mozzarella cheese lifted from a vat of water. Very fun! And saw what must be the longest pasta aisle in the world.

August 30th ~

Monday~0700~**Fireworks**3rd day in a row!! . . . and first thing in the morning no less! Something to do with August being a festival month throughout Italy (I'm sure we'll find out more about this later), and fireworks go off every time there's a birthday, a wedding, a birth, a wedding, etc. . . poor Sherman!! It's very close and sounds like we're under attack! ~1500 **Fireworks** again on the same day!! Same story. It doesn't seem to matter that it's daylight outside . . . who knew!

August 31st ~

Back to the "pet apartment" to let Sherman out of his crate during our lunch break from our orientation class. Every 4th day we have to lock him up so the housekeeping team can clean, or they won't do it. We've both passed our driving tests and can now drive in Italy. Yay! Next step . . . buy a car. All this walking and lugging groceries, etc... for many blocks/miles is really wearing us out!

September 2nd ~

Yes! 38 years ago today we said "we will."

The Happy Couple

Happy Anniversary to our son, Jesse, and our daughter-in-law, Elina - married 6 years today! May God grant them many more wonderful years together!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Naples . . . at last!

So it begins . . .
We arrived after 4 and 1/2 hour flight from Norfolk to the Portuguese Islands known as the Azores, where we took a break and saw Sherman for just under two hours. There were 9 other dogs on the flight and all the dog owners were able to let there dogs out of their crates to go potty and get drinks and then spend some time together where we reassured each other that everything would be just fine! We all boarded the same plane again (a military charter) and headed to our final destination for Naples, Italy, which took another 4 and 1/2 hours. Put it all together and our trip was about 11 hours.
We had a posse of two chaplains and their wives sitting in a row of chairs waiting to greet and welcome us right as we walked out of the customs area. And even the CO of base had a personal welcome as he headed out to visit some of our folks in Bahrain. The "posse" had gifts for us and Sherman too! So incredibly kind! They swept up our luggage and Sherman's crate and we all headed back to the base to our room to unload and take Sherman over to Chaplain Luff and Paula's house. They kindly offered to take care of him until today (Friday), which is when a temporary "pet apartment" became available at the Navy Lodge, and I'm writing this first blog entry from my computer in this apartment. We are so blessed!
Since Wednesday we have met a number of the chaplains here; we've had dinner a few times with new-found friends and today we began the long process of Area Orientation, Intercultural Relations, and House Hunting. This includes things like getting a driver's license in this country, learning the laws here; pay changes, when to expect our furniture, medical coverage, mail, etc. The classes and paperwork take a week - all day long . . . each day! One of the days we take a tour of the area; getting to know how to use the transportation system, shop in the stores, buy gasoline for our car, and so on.
We still have vet appointments and a driver's test to take; a car to buy and so much more! But all is well!
The weather is nice. The people are lovely. And most importantly, "Papa" and I get to spend every day together! We're walking all over the place and bone tired because of the time change and jetlag, but no complaints here!
It's great!

Naples, Italy - Here We Come!

It's a strange dichotomy - this Navy life of ours - wanting to do our job, yet feeling the strong tug of the love of family, friends and church; yearning for life at "home" - especially now that most of our family is in one part of the country! We feel it too! Yet, nevertheless, in just a few short weeks we are moving to Naples, Italy, where we will be living for the next three years. "Papa" will be the Command Chaplain at Naval Support Activity Naples [ https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Naples/index.htm ].
Here is a little more of what we have to think about as we prepare for moving to this new country:

"Duty in Italy offers opportunities of a lifetime. This goes for travel, recreation, professional development, education, and a whole lot more. The key to enjoying a successful tour lies in remembering that living in Italy is not like living in the United States. The customs, culture and way of life here are significantly different than what you are accustomed to. Houses and apartments are constructed differently; electric power and utilities are different; shopping, driving and dining are all different. Some people find this adjustment a hard one to make, but embracing the food and the warmth of the people you meet will help you make the transition. Our improvement projects have taken giant steps in improving the quality of life for those assigned here, but remember, the key to a successful tour in Italy lies in your willingness to learn and adapt to the differences you will encounter here.
Any move is filled with stress and distractions, and your move here will be no different. Culture shock, jet lag, and many other things will likely be a part of your PCS experience. Your command and your sponsor will help you adjust and get settled. Coming prepared will minimize your worries. Follow guidelines in the this book, and you can smooth out many of the potential wrinkles in your upcoming move."


Due to the lateness of finding out about this assignment (mid-June), we've been working like crazy to get everything ready for such a big move. And now it's crunch time! Our pack-out (which consists of household goods, long-term storage, and an express shipment - as well as professional books, etc. ), starts a week from today . . . then we move in with Mom and Dad who live just a few miles away. That's another grouping of suitcases and clothing that need to last for about two months or so . . . careful not to let passports, vet records for Sherman, pass-codes to everything, etc. . . get packed . . . and so on! This is military life! The part I don't like very much! Too stressful.

One time a friend of ours living a few doors down on the base in Japan was getting ready to go to the airport for their flight home and discovered all of their passports (hers, her husbands, and their two kids), had just been packed that day in their express shipment! GONE!! It was a terrible feeling! All their plans had to be changed. They had two labrador retrievers scheduled on the flight as well! What a mess! They had to go Tokyo the next day and get expedited passports and visas, then try and get it all done before the paperwork for their dogs expired. It was a disaster!

These kinds of stories "float" (haha) around the Navy all the time, as a warning to those of us who follow after. Be careful to keep your important documents and paperwork away from the movers!!! Usually we try and clear out a bathroom or something and put all the important stuff in there and tape it shut and don't even let the movers walk in to it. Anyway, all of that is happening next week.






We'll stay with Mom and Dad until we leave, Lord willing, at the end of next month, and then off we go, hopefully together! My part (visa, passport, etc.) is very complicated to get worked out in such a short time).





I plan to write more and more often now here on my blog. Lots of pictures and great recipes to follow!!

Love to all my family and friends,

Tamera

Home At Last

A friend of mine did me a big favor today! She wrote me an email and here is what she had to say:

Hi Tamera,

I was going through the websites, etc. that I have saved in my favorites and came across The Pelikan Brief and realized that I haven’t looked at it in an extremely long time. When I saw that the last entry was November 2009 that worried me. Please tell me that you and all your loved ones are fine and that you’ve just given up the blog.

Hugs, Irene


To put someone through this worry needlessly just isn't right! It's the kick-in-the-pants I needed to get me blogging again, as well as to clear up any concern about possible "troubles abroad" or some other reason for not blogging! No such concern, however! Just no desire, is all! It's funny what happens on a long deployment . . . you think you'll be one way, but you find yourself turning into an entirely different creature all-together! I wanted to come across as one way, I guess, but couldn't bring myself to write "me" as that way - so - I didn't write at all. Silly, really. Time went by and weeks turned into months and here I am - at the end instead of the middle! Thank God!!

For now, I know a few things: My husband is home - we are together! We're getting to know each other again, and after almost 38 years of marriage - that's easy and it's not! I have a lot of things going on inside my head that I'd love to share - but I don't know how yet. So many things are changing in our lives right now that it feels like a tangled necklace - it's going to take quite a bit of doing to untangle them all ... new assignment, different living setup, catching up with a year-in-the-life . . . of everyone!

It all takes . . . TIME! And time we have! :) So, no worries, Irene!!

(((hugs))) and smiles,

Tamera

The Downhill Side

Fr. Philip, or Chappie as he is sometimes fondly called, has finally settled into a "life" at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. He and I were talking just today about how he isn't quite sure what he's going to do to actually find all the time needed to get everything done on his very long "To Do" list before it's time for him to return home!

Funny . . . it doesn't feel the same for me! Although, I must admit, this side of our long 12 months apart is going by a bit faster than I'd thought it would.

Thank you, God!!

I think I may actually be able to get a bit of a handle on my life during this "downhill side:"

• Our boat is in the water!

Now, for many reasons, this is a real miracle!!

First or all, there were months and months of repair after a terrible accident while the boat was being shipped across the country; followed by battles with the insurance company(s); schedules and weather delays . . . need I say more? The list goes on and on!!

Our boat - renamed "Pelikan Cliff's" - was finally ready to go back into the water during "Papa's" R&R last month (October). The weather was still really nice, and thanks to a lot of effort on many a family member's part, everything worked out beautifully!

It was a beautiful time together! I thought it might be too hard this time to be together and then say good-bye again . . . and maybe it wouldn't be worth it.

But it was! It was totally worth it!

Blogging Blues

I'm blogging in more than one place now and it takes up a lot of my time - so, here's part of my solution: while Papa (a.k.a. Dad, Fr. Philip, Phil, Chaps) is in Afghanistan, I'm going to do a lot of my blogging on the MEB (Marine Expeditionary Brigade) blog which I've created as the new MEB Parent Advisor. I'll continue some of the family blogging here when I can. If I refer everyone to the MEB Parents blog, then you'll be able to read that blog and I'll be "killing two birds with one stone" so-to-speak and you'll get the added benefit of a bunch of really cool information along the way.

That blog address is: http://mebparents.blogspot.com/

Once you've navigated to the other blog, be sure to check out all the links to the different websites I've put up. There are neat articles - there's one right now where they are interviewing the MEB Command Chaplain - our very own Chaplain Pelikan. You gotta check it out! That article is on the 2nd MEB website.

We had a wonderful time together before the deployment when we went to Disney World for 6 days - just the two of us. Once the grand-kids are a little older, we must take them . . . but this trip was just for the two of us and all of those special days we won't be celebrating together over the next 10 months - all rolled into one week! It was a blast!

The staff gave us the first class treatment and even gave us special stuffed animal gifts and complimentary drinks and food. This one says "I miss you!" and isn't even sold in most stores. We stayed inside the park at one of the resorts for the first time in our lives and had one of the best experiences ever!

Shortly after coming home from Disney World, Phil left for Afghanistan! He's been gone almost six weeks now.

Sherman came along! We got a hotel room the night before so that Phil could check out of his quarters. We made sure it was a dog-friendly hotel, so that we could all be together and he could say goodbye to Sherman too! Here we are just before loading the bus and driving away!

Bye, Honey! See you in 10 months!

Con't . . . A New Day

Ok, well, it worked! For those of you keeping up with my blog, you'll now be able to catch up and read about my precious Uncle Cliff's passing and the beginning of the Lenten Season (A Big Cleaning), which was actually posted about February 25th or so. (Not January as it states)


















It's time to talk about Dad for a bit (a.k.a., my husband, Fr. Philip, Fr. Dad, Papa, Chaps, etc.), and his eminent deployment to Afghanistan. He will leave toward the end of April and return sometime around the beginning of next March! (ugg!) We are in the middle of designing lots of ways to keep in touch with him, but because of where he's going in Afghanistan there's nothing there but sand right now! The Marines are building a base there from scratch, so there won't even be a lot of communication in the beginning. Everyone will be sleeping and working in tents and eating MRE's. It's going to be a bit old-fashioned - we'll have to actually (oh my goodness!!) send MAIL!! And who knows how long it could take to make it from here to there. No one knows at this point. For those of us writing a lot of letters, it'll be like the early days and we'll need to number our letters again so as not to get them all mixed up. Sometimes a whole bunch could arrive at once after not getting any mail for weeks, etc.

Chaps (as I will call Dad for the duration) is the Command Chaplain for the entire operation that you're hearing about all over the news lately and is ultimately responsible for over 8,000 Marines and 15 Chaplains from many different denominations. He's the only Eastern Orthodox Chaplain, however. Interestingly, he once asked the Commanding General what level of involvement he was expecting of him, especially with regard to the civil affairs piece of this operation? And he looked right at him and said, "I expect you to be very involved!" Pretty amazing choice of words in our world!

What does this mean, exactly? Chaps will find out a little bit more today as he goes to a class on government and economics of Afghanistan! Whew!


So, it is really happening! He's really going! As many of us wives so often say in the military, "Here we go again!"

A New Day

This is a test to see if my post will work an actually post with today's date???

A Big Cleaning

(I wanted to write about cleaning at the beginning of the Lenten Season, but I was having trouble posting to my blog at that time. I'm trying again to post today and will then add a new post if this works)





Americans make New Year’s resolutions. Japanese do o-souji, cleaning that is!

Literally, it means free and clean. It refers to the year-end cleaning Japanese do. Not just a little neatening up. Hands-and-knees, sweat-equity scrubbing, sweeping, waxing and buffing so they enter the new year ready for whatever awaits them. It's big business too! In the month of December, even Hello Kitty gets in the picture! More broadly, it refers to the custom of getting your affairs squared away before Dec. 31. That means paying all overdue bills, performing any obligations yet unmet and metaphorically purifying yourself. We move, if we follow the Oriental calendar, from one Year to the next.

"Hungry for Words" writes: In the west, at the start of spring is the time to do a big cleaning. In Japan, (o-souji), which literally does mean ‘big cleaning’, is at the end of the year. O-souji is not just about getting the house in order before relatives and friends come over on New Year’s Day. It has a spiritual and religious significance.

I was talking with a friend yesterday, explaining a little bit of this to her, and how after living in Japan for so many years I began to look at spring cleaning more as my o-souji! Meaning that I have found more spiritual and religious significance to it than just the spring cleaning I was brought up with stateside. I've blended it a bit more with my Christian life and here is the outcome:

Liturgically, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Clean Monday marks the beginning of Lent—and thus Lent itself—begins on the preceding (Sunday) night, at a very moving and special service called Forgiveness Vespers, which culminates with the Ceremony of Mutual Forgiveness, where all present will bow down before one another and ask forgiveness. In this way, the faithful begin Lent with a clean conscience, with forgiveness, and with renewed Christian love. This first day of Great Lent is called “Clean Monday” because Christians are called upon to begin the holy season with “clean hearts and good intentions.” It is also because the season of Lent is regarded as a time when Christians should clean up their spiritual house; coming to terms with their lives and rededicating themselves to a more holy and righteous way of living. The entire first week of Great Lent is often referred to as "Clean Week," and it is customary to go to Confession during this week, and to clean their own home thoroughly. The theme of Clean Monday is set by the Old Testament reading appointed to be read at the Sixth Hour on this day (Isaiah 1:1-20), which says in part:"Wash yourselves and ye shall be clean; put away the wicked ways from your souls before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well. Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, consider the fatherless, and plead for the widow. Come then, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and though they be red like crimson, I will make them white as wool (v. 16-18).

Clean Monday is a public holiday in some countries such as Greece and Cyprus, where it is celebrated with outdoor excursions, the consumption of shellfish and other fasting food, and the widespread custom of flying kites. Eating meat, eggs and dairy products is traditionally forbidden to Orthodox Christians throughout Lent, with fish being eaten only on major feast days, but shellfish is permitted. This has created the tradition of eating elaborate dishes based on seafood (shellfish, mollusks, fish roe etc). The happy, springtime atmosphere of Clean Monday may seem at odds with the Lenten spirit of repentance and self-control, but this seeming contradiction is a marked aspect of the Orthodox approach to fasting, in accordance with the Gospel lesson (Matthew 6:14-21) read on the morning before, which admonishes:"When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret... (v. 16-18)."In this manner, the Orthodox celebrate the fact that "The springtime of the Fast has dawned, the flower of repentance has begun to open..."

Ideally, what I like to do is begin cleaning just as soon as Meat Fare Week begins and have a final "big cleaning" during the first week of Lent. This helps to set the tone for Lent and keep me free of the distraction for needing to do a lot of housework during the Lenten Season. Once the Paschal (Easter) Season begins, my home is fresh and clean, ready for the new year and all that awaits me. (This is the goal) One day (or year, as it were) I will fully succeed in my quest!

Will you join me this year in "A Big Cleaning?"

Cliff Tyner - Of Blessed Memory

Blessed Memory:


Yesterday morning, our precious Uncle Cliff ended his six-year long battle with colon/liver cancer, and went home to be with the Lord! His family was by his side.

My earliest memories of him are when I was 14 years old and I was in his and Auntie Karen's wedding in Flaggstaff, Arizona. Not long after that, I stayed with Auntie Karen when Uncle Cliff was away with the Navy when I was 15 years old; their twin girls, Christy and Cathy, were born when I was engaged to Phil, and they were a year old when we were married and moved to Japan . . . and the list goes on and on . . . ! Many of our families memories are shared memories, and Uncle Cliff was always there - the stable rock!

He was a brilliant engineer, inventor, faithful friend, and gentle leader of his family.



















These pictures were taken two years ago when he and Auntie Karen were visiting us in Japan. He was very sick then too and wasn't even sure he was going to make the one-month trip. But he had a wonderful time - as did we all! Mom and Dad were with us for a two-month stay too, at the same time. I love the sweet expressions on his face. It was a trip of a lifetime and chalked full of preciously sustaining memories!




May his memory be eternal!

A Benicia Pelican

The phone rings on the boat and to my surprise it's Papa! (I thought he had left 5 minutes earlier for the store to purchase some lunch) "Hey, look out the window," he says! "There's a pelican on the dock just a few feet away from the boat. He dove and caught a fish for his breakfast and he's just finishing the last gobbles." So I take a look as we're talking and there he is, in all his majesty - bigger than I always imagine! We both watch him for another minute or so - me from the boat, Papa from the rental car - and then "our pelican" takes off to circle the marina for more fish.

That got us to thinking, "How big are pelicans anyway?" So, I looked it up. Brown pelicans are 4 to 5 feet in length and have a wing span of 6 to 8 feet! Wow! No wonder he looks so big! And what's even more amazing is that they weigh anywhere between 6 to 12 pounds! Now that is a big bird!

Pelicans are majestic and powerful, but they seem to have a bit of a sense of humor too!

This pelican stetches his beak and the one below shares his food! What a crack-up!

My . . . How The Months Go By?

How does the time go by so quickly? Christmas is just around the corner!! It seems like just a few months ago I was writing to you and commenting about the how quickly the summer had passed and that Mom & Dad and the "Jesse Pelikan Family" had moved to North Carolina, and Johnny coming back from Afghanistan, but that was all the way back in February and April! An entire summer and fall have come and gone since then; Karis had her 4th birthday in July, Jesse and Elina celebrated their 4th anniversary, John and Rondi celebrated their 6th anniversary, and we had our 36th wedding anniversary on the 2nd of September! Misha turned 3 in October and Elijah began his 2nd year of life on the 1st of November! Now that is really amazing! Elijah is one-year old already! Wow! We had our first annual Thanksgiving gathering at Mom & Dad's new North Carolina home (Gami & Grandpa's) - a great potluck feast with all the family, and as of the 15th of November, the Advent Season is upon us.







Phil (a.k.a. Papa, Fr. Philip, Fr. Dad, Chaps, Chappie) is deploying to Iraq with the Marines this coming mid-January, and will be gone at least one year! It's a blessing that I didn't have two gone to the middle-east at the same time! Johnny is officially out of the Army now. He is what is called on "terminal leave", which means he will use up the rest of the leave he has on the books (be on vacation) before he gets out of the Army in early January. Then he starts his new job with a company called Booz Allen Hamilton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booz_Allen_Hamilton) What's even better is that he will be staying in the Fayetteville area and won't have to move away anywhere! Hurray and thanks be to God for that!


Jesse is enrolled in college for the second time and doing extremely well! He is pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in Computer Gaming and Design, after which he hopes to work for a gaming development company, like Epic Games (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_Games) here in NC (just 45 minutes from our homes), or possible companies such as Rockwell or Lockheed/Martin developing simulation programs for training in real-time to train troops in virtual reality, doctors for surgery, etc. It's a great career field with endless potential!



While "Papa" is "at work" in Iraq for a year, I'll keep things in order on the home front. It's wonderful to have my entire family close by to keep me company and help (when needed). This is a first for me, however, and I know it's going to help the time go by so much faster.




We'll keep the boat nice for Papa and look forward to lots of fun times of fishing and boating with family and friends when he gets back home!

Where Have You Been Lately?!!

Hi Everyone,

Wow! It's hard to imagine that the entire summer has come and gone and I've not posted on my blog even once! My friends in Japan especially must wonder what has happened to me? Gomenasai! (Forgive me!)

After John's big homecoming, I was very sick this summer with salmonella poisoning; my mom broke her shoulder; my dad had surgery on his hand, and I was helping out Jesse and Elina by watching the kids off and on while they got started back to work and got their schedules sorted out. Needless to say it was pretty crazy couple of months!

On Papa's weekends he's worked very hard (with help from the boys and the reward and dip in the pool afterward - ahhhh!) on the backyard putting an above-ground pool and more deck in for the family, and we've all enjoyed it very much this summer. It's been busy but wonderful, however, and I'm feeling my energy returning little by little.

So, I'm ready to start blogging again and to get ready for phase two of life here in "Pelikan Parish" . . . as I mentally dubbed our little community here in North Carolina here the other day while listening to the news about Louisiana and Texas. Pelikan Parish has a life of its own, believe me, and I find myself just kind of along for the ride at the moment - which is a lot different than I thought it would be, that's for certain. But that's ok and it's all good.

The grand kids are growing like weeds! Elijah was 10 months old on the 1st of September and is a very big boy! He's a whopping 27 pounds! You should see his feet and hands - reminiscent of Great Dane puppies! (ha) Very cute! He's adorable with the temperament to match and we all just adore him.

Misha will be 3 years old on October 17th! How time flies!

She is constant energy and conversation, and seems to be learning continuously. She uses her daddy's ipod with the ease of a 5-year old! Plays games - all sorts! She's is a master at puzzles and is getting braver in the pool with each plunge. So fun!

Karis has turned my favorite age - FOUR! Her birthday was this past July 15th and we all celebrated at our house. I've always loved four-year-olds. She's the little matriarch of the group and wants to mother her cousins and help them - so cute! She pushes Misha on the swing now and helps us feed Elijah. She'll be swimming all by herself in no time too.

More pictures and catching up tomorrow . . . for now I must pull myself away from the computer and do some "actual" work on my house.

Until then . . .

(((hugs))) and blessings