NSB and BHM

I had a great weekend in New Smyrna Beach. The weather was so nice and the beach was magnificent. Grandma Mary and I always have a great time together. On Friday, Mike's brother, John, took us sailing. We got to sail on the Atlantic Ocean. It was just his second time taking his boat on the ocean. The weather was cloudy, but warm. I sat on the front of the boat and just took in God's creation and felt blessed for this experience.

On Saturday night, Mary hosted a "Porch Party." She invited four couples that she's gotten to know and that I see every winter when I visit. It was a very nice time on her screened in porch. It rained Saturday until about 1:30, then it turned sunny. I spent 2.5 hours on the beach. On Sunday morning, we got up and went to church at 8am. She goes to an Episcopal Church . It reminds me of my Catholic upbringing on some levels. It feels very comfortable. I also really like Father Jim. He always speaks to my heart and I walk away with a great lesson. We spent all afternoon Sunday and Monday on the beach. I left NSB at 5:30pm on Monday. I also got in a couple walks on the beach.

Mike and Kaitlyn are off tonight to a Black History Month event. It is a dressy occasion. I told Kait that she looks like one of the Academy Awards Presenters (Keri Russell). The rest of us could have gone, but Tim's been sick and it would be such a late night for Julia... and I'm tired from travelling last weekend. It actually feels good to be home. I'm such a homebody. I love to travel, but I love being HOME.

It's been so nice having Kaitlyn home. Just wish the week wasn't going so fast. Nick comes Friday with Michael. We will have a fun weekend. Nick will be home all next week. Kait and Michael will leave on Sunday after church. I know....I need to focus on enjoying my time with Kait while she is home.

Karen

Out of My Mind on a Sunday Night

This is Mike blogging and here are some random thoughts on this Sunday evening:

I had to hang up on Karen tonight. As many of you know, she is in Florida visiting my mom. As if it wasn't enough to go sailing on the Atlantic ocean and spend two days soaking up the sun while the rest of us are facing snow, gray skies and cold temps, she had to mention while on the phone that she had just spotted dolphins. That was it, I hung up.

Kaitlyn came home on Saturday. It is great to see her. We have been low key while she has been home. We went to church and spent alot of time at home.

Nick and Kaitlyn's boyfriend Michael are coming next weekend. That will be fun. Michael will be spending a few days and then taking Kaitlyn back to Ann Arbor. Nick is on Spring Break and will be home the following week. Fun, fun, fun.

I find the current political situation fascinating. I still like all three (McCain, Clinton and Obama), but I have to admit that Obama is really pulling me in. He has that special charisma, like a John or Bobby Kennedy, that pulls you right in. Obama is going to be speaking at University of Cincinnati tomorrow (Monday). I wish I wasn't so busy at work, otherwise I would love to go. I saw Jimmy Carter speak in Flint, Michigan the night before his victory in the 1976 presidential election. That was cool.

Speaking of cool, I got an e-mail this week from my all-time favorite singer, Burton Cummings (former lead singer of the Guess Who who had several top 10 hits including American Woman, These Eyes, No Time, Undone, Share the Land). I go to his my space page and respond to his blogs. I went to my e-mail one day and there was an e-mail from Burton thanking me for my enthusiasm on his board. I love the internet age. Here I am communicating with a former rock star.

I'm watching the Oscars, but I'm not into it like I have been in past years. I have not seen any of the movies up for awards, so it's hard to get excited.

It has been my pleasure to serve on the planning committee for the Mercy Health System Black History Month Special Event. The event is Wednesday and it will be a fun night. We'll have over 400 people there. Our featured speaker is Herman Boone - who is the coach who wrote the book Remember the Titans that became the famous movie starring Denzel Washington.

Karen and I are enjoying our new wellness life. Karen has gone crazy and is a real "health nut". It seems that everyday she comes up with some new health treat whether it's cod liver oil, coconut oil, flax meal - there's always something new. She is also exercising 6 days per week and I'm doing 5 days. Karen has lost more than 17 pounds and I have lost 15 pounds. We both feel healthy and great.

Julia and Tim are doing great. They are super kids and they make me laugh each and every day.

Here's a joke for the week: What goes clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, BANG, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop. Answer: An Amish drive by shooting.

Well, that's about all that's in my mind tonight. I hope all of you have a super week.

Love,

Mike (Dad)

Happy Birthday, Kelsey Kersten

This is my niece, Kelsey. She is the daughter of my sister, Kelly. She is the little sister of Haley. Kelsey is an awesome young lady. She is kind, funny, loving, caring and beautiful.

Happy 11th Birthday Kelsey Kersten!

Happy Birthday Mike

Today is my wonderful husband's birthday! I just want everyone to know how blessed I am to have married my best friend and true love. He is a great husband, awesome father and just a great person. I love you, Mike, and hope you have a fantastic birthday! Mike at the Hard Rock Cafe in Moscow next to a guitar of his favorite group, The Guess Who

Mike and Kaitlyn

with Nick

with Tim





Enjoying Russian Tea on the train to Ivanovo














The moment Mike met his new daughter, Julia!

Happy Birthday, Michael!

from the weekend

Julia with Emily

Julia and Aunt Linda

We had a fun weekend. My cousin, Kathy, and her daughter, Emily, were in Cincinnati. Emily dances hip-hop and was in a national competition. She is a very talented dancer! Julia and I watched her on Saturday. Then, Linda and Tom stopped by on their way to Gulf Shores, Alabama. They are on a week's vacation exploring the Gulf of Mexico coast.

Happy Valentine's Day

Daddy-Daughter Dance

Happy Valentine's Day to all our friends and family. Mike and Julia went to the dance on February 1. I remember when Kaitlyn was too old to attend the dance and Mike was so bummed about this. He was disappointed that at last year's dance he would be already in Cincinnati working. Nick stepped up and went as Julia's date. (thanks, Nick)

Mike enjoys spending one on one time with each of our kids. Julia has been really warming up to her daddy lately and it is so cool to see. Mike just adores her and I can tell Julia adores him. I've recently been telling her that "I can tell how much you love Daddy." She playfully just smiles.

Love to all our family and friends!

Karen

Black and White Soiree

Twirling in our dresses!

Me

Michael and I

My roommates: Vanessa, Sarah, Jessica, Kendra, and I

On Friday night, my roommates and I hosted a party we called a Black and White Soiree. All guests were required to wear black and white. Wine, cheese & crackers were served. It was a great time!

snow day

Tim, Julia and I are happy to have a snow day. We really don't have much snow, but lots of ice.

Our weekend was a lot of fun with Uncle John, Lindsey and her boyfriend, Mike. The Miami University basketball game was fun. I like going to college basketball games. I told Tim and Julia that this would be a good place for them to go to college. Not that "yucky" university up the road that has the word "THE" in front of its name. ;-)

I'll try to post some pictures later today. I haven't taken any in awhile, but today might be a good day to do that.
Love to all!
Karen

Friday Evening

This is Mike posting. It's Friday evening after 11pm and Tim and I are up jamming to music. I just got the new Jukebox cd by my favorite singer Burton Cummings (along with his old partner from the Guess Who and former founding member of BTO - Randy Bachman). It is a great cd. Karen got it for me off the internet for Christmas, but it just arrived since it originally went to our old address in Michigan. Tim and I went to see Cloverfield tonight. It's a movie about a giant monster destroying New York City. Sounds goofy, but it is a really good movie. We went to have tea and coffee at Starbucks after the movie so we are both wired on caffeine right now. Karen and Julia went to see the Hannah Montana movie tonight with Julia's friend Camryn and her mom. They didn't visit Starbucks so they are now sleeping soundly.

Tomorrow we are going to Oxford, Ohio (home of Miami of Ohio University) to see my neice Lindsey Combes' and her boyfriend. Lindsey's boyfriend is the head athletic trainer for the varsity men's basketball team. They are really good and made the NCAA tournament last year and won in the first round to make it to the final 32 teams in the nation. My brother John will be there and we are all going to the Miami versus Central Michigan basketball game. John is a graduate of CMU and he obnoxiously cheers for them wildly whenever they play Miami to the chagrin of his daughter. So my job tomorrow will be to put a lid on his cheering. (I know it's hard for all of you to imagine that I have a brother that cheers obnoxiously for his team. I don't know how we could possibly be brothers.)

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Love,

Mike/Dad

Poetry?

By Kaitlyn

I'm taking a creative writing class this semester, and the first half of the semester we are writing poetry. Now, I love to write, but I am not a poet - I've only written a few poems in my life, so this class is stretching me in my creative thinking. The wonderful thing about it is the freedom we have to write poems about anything we want. Anyway, tomorrow I have to share a poem with the class so that they can "workshop" it - basically critique my poem, tell me what they like, what they don't like, and how I can improve it. I'm pretty nervous about this, since the whole class will have a copy of my poem and I have to read it out loud. So, I thought I'd try to get over my nerves by posting my poem on here first:)

Haiti’s Child

Little fingers wrap around
the orange gate as brown eyes
light up, as excited shrieks escape
little mouths.

I hesitate. If I enter their world
I will never come back.

Haiti’s child is the
song my heart is waking up
to sing –
to belt out loud and strong
with no inhibition.

I cannot hide this song,
so I open
the gate to twenty pairs of arms
reaching up to me,
just me,
and they’re not even a fraction.

Haiti’s child is hungry,
thirsty, sick, poor, illiterate,
orphaned.
I am wealthy, educated,
well-fed, comfortable,
loved.

I know, I have seen,
I am burdened.
Haiti’s child is a passion
burning fiercely inside
at a frightening rate,
threatening to overtake me.

Random Thoughts From Dad

Here are some thoughts out of my mind on this Monday Morning (with apologies to Bob Talbot, the old Detroit Free Press writer who wrote a weekly column entitled "Out of My Mind on a Monday Moaning"):

Loved seeing the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I despise the Patriots. I have always loved rooting for the underdog - it's something I learned from my Dad while watching sports. Unless he was a fan of one of the teams, he always rooted for the underdog. I find New England is so cocky and arrogant. Bill Belicek is a cheater and Tom Brady is a pompous idiot in my book - so it was fun seeing them get beat. Also enjoyed seeing former Spartan Plaxico Burress catch the winning TD. It was a touching interview after the game when he broke down and cried. I also enjoyed Tom Petty's halftime performance, but he sure is looking old.

I'm enjoying winter in Cincinnati. We had a sunny weekend around 5o degrees. I went for a walk on the walking trail near our house on Saturday with shorts and a sweatshirt. This evening it had to be near 60 degrees. I was outside on the back porch trimming my goatee without my shirt on - and I wasn't cold. It's suppossed to be 66 degrees tomorrow. I thought I might miss the snow, but it's really nice to not have any lingering snow. It snows here, but it generally does not stay. The first snow of the year, I woke up and shoveled the driveway. At work, I told everyone that I was surprised that I was the only one in my neighborhood to shovel. The people at work laughed and said, "we don't shovel, because it will be gone by noon."

I'm really enjoying the primaries and the entire political process. I really like John McCain, Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. We have brute honesty and integrity (McCain), brillance and a total command of the issues (Clinton) and a true charismatic, electric person with new ideas (Obama). It will be interesting to see what happens. I predict Clinton versus McCain with a Clinton victory as America has it's first woman president.

It's January, so it's the busiest month in the club business. Work is busy, but I'm enjoying it for the most part. Nice, kind people - members, staff and the Mercy administration.

Karen and I are enjoying our new "wellness" life. You wouldn't believe Karen. She is buying Bison meat, cod liver oil, coconut oil, range free eggs and all sorts of other healthy treats. We are also getting five workouts in per week. Karen is totally into spinning now and never misses her Monday evening spinning class. We both feel great and are looking forward to getting our weights down. Karen is focused on following the Chris Johnson On Target Living method of getting the cell healthy.

Well, it's time to go to bed.

I'm looking forward to seeing Kaitlyn and Nick come home for spring break towards the end of the month.

Take care and blessings to all,

Mike

kaylee and kylee are 6!!!

Happy Birthday Kaylee and Kylee! I love these little girls so much. They have brought so much joy to our family. For those who don't know, Kay and Ky were adopted from Haiti by my sister and her husband, Karla and Rod. They have been home since April 2003, when they were 14 months old. They are in Kindergarten and are learning to read already.

Happy Birthday and I love you very much!

Love,

Aunt Karen