Decisions Decisions

New toy or old toy?

Christmas Day

We continued the celebration of Christ's birth with the Mann family Christmas afternoon. We draw names for the gift exchange. This year, we had the Mann family sisters, Tina and Danelle. Next year we have Diana and Todd's mom. I like it when we get to shop for the ladies in the family!

Santa Spoiled TJ Again!

Santa ate the cookie and drank the milk that TJ almost forgot to leave for him. In exchange, Santa left a Kindle for me, a IU Jersey, Skyrim Xbox game, and sled for TJ and not much for Todd (he no longer beleives). The stocking were stuffed with good things and we went overboard again with gifts for our favorite child!

Christmas Eve

We celebrate Christmas with the Bruce family on Saturday! There were presents galore. I was thrilled with a Bissell carpet cleaner. TJ received a new scooter that will carry his 100+ pound frame around, and Todd will be working outside but in warm coveralls and fleece lined jeans! Doug received a throwback board game - Dark Tower and TJ was immediately sucked in to the play with him.

TJ sitting on the stool!

Getting Married!

Doug proposed to Amanda while on a cruise to the Bahamas this past week and she said yes!

Three Amigos

2nd Place Tourney Finish

Not too shabby. The FBA team finshed 2nd in the 6th grade IBA league.

Boys and Girls Club

My friends, Mitch and Mike McGuire (yes they are identical twins) have organized and hosted a gift giving party for the children of the Boys and Girls Club on South Troy for over 20 years. I have been volunteering for this event for the past 12 years only missing one or two parties. Good friend, Melissa has also joined in the fun the past several years. Each year, they purchase and we wrap 4 presents for each child (this year 41 children attended the party). Santa delivers three presents to each child at the party and the parents are given one to take home for them to unwrap Christmas morning. The gift giving follows games with prizes and lunch also provided by the McGuires. This year, TJ also volunteered his time. He assisted with the bozo bucket game! It is a rewarding way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Papa's Tree

TJ, Doug, Amanda and I spent Sunday afternoon with Dad decorating his real tree and putting together the train to go around and around. Dad vetoed the figure eight and complicated track path Doug had planned.

O Christmas Tree

It Is Basketball Season

Today was opening day for the CYO season for the Tigers. With Todd coaching the 56A team he began pacing early this morning. The team played a great game but finished two points short to win the game. TJ is still on restriction for his elbow injury but managed to play left handed for the final 4:29 of the game. After sitting the bench the last 5 games of his IBA travel team, those four minutes were good for his mental health! He loves the game. GO TIGERS!

Chess Club 2011

TJ was one of three 6th graders who continued with chess this year. They added a 5th grade girl to form a 6th grade and under team. The Club has 35 chess players and many looked to TJ for guidance. It is fun to see the 1st and 2nd graders asking him questions about the game and he patiently explaining the moves to them. The team finished second in the league and first in the CYO championship match. TJ earned a gold medal and was awarded the Christian Attitude Award.

Indy's Super Cure

Three More Weeks

TJ's elbow is healing and physical therapy is going well but the Doctor is restricting TJ's sports for another three weeks. Not sure who is more disappointed...TJ, his dad, his papa, his travel basketball coach or his baseball coach.

CCH Conference 2011

I recently attended the annual CCH conference with some co-workers. This year the event was hosted in San Antonio. I planned my trip to catch some sunrays before being locked in air conditioned ballrooms from sun up to sun down but the weather failed to cooperate. So I ended spending the afternoon in the hotel bar surrounded by Cowboy fans watching the Colts lose to the Falcons on one little TV that I talked the bartender into switching to the game! One evening they treated the attendees to an evening at local ranch where there were long horns to ride, armidillos to race, and a rodeo to watch. All in all the conference was Great. I always leave the 4 day event with lots of ideas and great best practices to use at Somerset.

Fall Break 2011

My Dad, TJ and I took off Friday for a 48 hour road trip to Ann Arbor to cheer the Wolverines to Victory for the University of Michigan football homecoming game in the Big House. (They played Purdue.) However, first we stopped for afternoon in Toledo to enjoy the zoo. It was chilly but the sun was shining and the animals were very active. It was a fun weekend!

Officially Taller than his Godmother

Helmsin Visit

April, Emma and Evan blessed us with a visit while Joe is working for Cummins in Columbus. We all met up at Dad's house for dinner, pumpkin carving and a little birthday cake since Emma's special day is just a couple weeks away. It was great to see them!

2011 Football Comes an Abrupt End

Well.........just before halftime yesterday, TJ makes a tackle and in the process finds his right arm smashed between two helmets. Official Diagnosis: Salter Typle III Fracture involving the medial epicodyle of the distal right humerus. My interpretation: Broken Elbow. After a consult with the Ortho Doctor, no surgery is required but TJ is restricted from sports for several weeks. He is home from school today self medicating with ice cream. Todd is relieved that the basketball season does not officially start for several weeks as TJ just made the 56 A Team for his school.

Tiger Football

Gramie was on the sidelines for TJ's first official game of the season (in the pouring rain)....CTK 6 St. Simon 7. Bummer. TJ is playing center on offensive and linebacker for the defense. He won't be scoring touchdowns this year but he did successfully cause a fumble for a Tiger recovery!!!

IT ALSO FITS TJ

Happy Birthday To Me

Another day all about me. Nothing really different than most days. We celebrated with red velvet cake from Taylors and presents!

97 Years Old and Going Strong

We gathered last night to celebrate TJ's Great Grandma's 97th birthday. I pray that if God gives me the strength and health to live 97 years that I am as alert, agile and bright as my Grandma! Amazing!

First Day of Middle School

Cookout

BFFBs gathered this past Sunday to catch up from a hectic summer. Little BFFB in training, Maya brought her plank she cracked in half at tae-kwon-doe. She and her daddy built a play bed out of it.

Somerset Challenge

Our firm's Employee Events Commmitte which I chair, planned a field day for our co-workers. Two weeks before the big day, teams were drawn, taunting began, bets were made, and teams actually gathered to train. Teams brainstormed team names such as Charlie's Angels, Tiger Blood, Joe and the Amazing, etc. Each team wore a different color t-shirt and some decorated them and carried banners throughout the day. Following opening ceremonies, events began. The events included inside and outside activities. Some were based off the show Minute-to-Win-it. Others were more sport related like corn hole, frisbee and balloon toss, 50 yard dash and mile run. Participants on each team selected an event to compete and gain points for their team. The finale included a tug a war and obstacle course. Hilarious!!!! The closing ceremony included a great catered cookout.

Indiana Travelers

Although football season is just around the corner and TJ's school team is already having daily football conditioning sessions (can not call them practices!), baseball evaluations and try-outs for the 2012 year took place this past weekend. TJ will be joining the 12U Indiana Travelers! Several of TJ's team mates from the Bandits join him on this new team as well as some soon be new friends. We are excited about the upcoming season and the plan to develop the player's abilities.

Benihanas - YUM

To celebrate Todd's birthday, we dined at Benihanas. TJ ate all of my shrimp appetizer, 1/2 my steak, most of Todd's shrimp entree and his adult steak/chicken size meal!!! He has great taste in food.

Mann Family Vacation

To celebrate the retirement of Todd's mom as well as Todd and Tyler's birthdays, the Mann family gathered for a long weekend at Bill and Diana's new lakehouse on Lake Norris in LaFollete, Tennessee. TJ was dragged behind the boat on inner-tubes with his cousins for hours upon hours, while I and various adults stayed behind to hold down the rafts floating dock side as well as keep the beverages on ice!

Another hot birthday celebration

Tonite we joined friends to celebrate their son, Jacob's birthday with some pool time and an Indians game! Fun!

One hot birthday celebration!

Living Proof was playing at the Moondog Friday nite and birthday girl, fellow BFFB, Vicki, was determined to dance the night away in celebration of her birthday. So....despite 100+ degree temp we piled into the Moondog with our dancing shoes on! As soon as the band started, the a/c went out! By the time we left, I could wring out not only my undergarments but my outer wear as well!

Because She Can World Tour

Sherri Jo Wilkins departed her home in Australia a year ago to travel the world on her motorcycle. I have been following her blog (http://sherrijosbecauseicanworldtour.blogspot.com) and have found the photos interesting and her tales about the people she has met along the way facinating. She has traveled 45,000 miles on her motorcyle and is half way completed with her voyage. She stopped in Indiana for a two week stay visiting family and her CPA firm - Somerset!!! This afternoon, I had the pleasure to join her and Steve Wessel for a beer at Chammps and hear about some of her experinces in person. She has a great personality and outlook on life. I am honored to be included in her adventure. I wish her the best as she continues her trip around the world.

Slip N Slide

A birthday present from the Burhenns provided some cooling entertainment during the 4th of July weekend. TJ was practicing his baseball slides. This activity resulted in a not one but two nasty bruises on his knees!!!

Bowling

A vacation day Friday resulted in a trip to Pinheads.

36 Years Ago......

I met Stephanie Booth and her two younger sisters. We lived one street apart, two houses if we cut through the yards (and we did multiple times every day!). Her mom made the absolute best chocolate chip cookies and regularly fed me and most of the neighborhood peanut butter sandwiches on her picnic style kitchen table. We played Ghost the Graveyard, Kick the Can, and drank Kool-Aid until we grew up and apart. Then, we discovered facebook and what a tool it is to reconnect and stay in touch!!!! Now, some 36 years later, Stephanie attends her first reunion, we hug for the first time since our childhood days. There were tears! Love her!

25th High School Reunion

(Dee, Beth, Me, Jenny) Although in denial that twenty five years have come and gone, I thank Julie and Tina for organizing a reason for friends to visit. It is easy to say "let's stay in touch" "I will call you" or "we need to get together more often" but then our lives get busy. I am never upset that we have not talked or seen each other in five years but disappointed about what I have missed in their lives. The memories I could have been a part of. I am grateful for my friends that do not let life get in their way (like Dee) and conciously makes the effort to reach out regularly. I appreciate her and others like her that are in my life soooo much!!!!!!!!!

Bandit Brawl

This weekend's tournament consists of 20 Indiana teams. The Bandits won 3 of 4 pool play games and following an overnight with the coach's son and family, the boys start the championship round this afternoon. Hope they got some sleep. (TJ's pick off move to third base from the mound!)

Rascals Fun Zone

Riding In Style

TJ invited some school friends for an afternoon of go-carting at Rascals. With the dilemma of transporting ten young men to Whiteland, we hired the CHICKEN LIMO as a surprise! As it approached the house clucking, the reaction was "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" "TIGHT" "AWESOME"...."CAN I RIDE SHOTGUN?".

60 Inches

TJ is offically five feet tall.

Cincinnati

We traveled to Cincy for a long weekend of baseball. TJ's team competed in the 11U Cincy Flames tourney which consisted of 28 teams traveling from as far as Wisconsin to Florida. The Bandits went 3-0 in pool play. The first game was Thursday evening against the Mustangs. Then the rain arrived so games on Friday were delayed. They played two innings against the host team with TJ on the mound. The Bandits were ahead 2-1 with TJ on first base before the game was called for Thunder. He threw the ball 7 times in the first inning and 14 in the 2nd inning. The defense was on it! On Saturday, we started the day with more rain delays but finally competed late in the afternoon against the Oakbrook team. Then they finished the game against the Flames. TJ was back on the mound. He completed the game with 86 pitches. It was the first time he pitched an entire game. It was exciting and emotional for his dad! The team qualified for the championship round as the 5th seed. Unfortunately they had to immediately play again and were eliminated. The Florida Pokers won the tourney but the Bandits were still celebrating their victory over the Flames with swimming, a pizza party, cake (from the coaches) at midnight in honor of TJ's actual birthday and Horsley Haircuts!

Happy 12th Birthday

Fun was had by all as we celebrated TJ's 12th birthday with a cookout.

Runner-Up in CITL Tournament

Round Two

Installation of round two of braces occurred on the first Monday of Summer break.

Indy 500

"Gentlemen, start your engines!" Papa invited Doug, Amanda (her first race), Todd, TJ and a friend to the race. With no baseball games on the schedule for Memorial Day weekend for the first time in several years, they were "stoked". TJ invited his friend AJ. They escaped sunburns and had a great time.

Sweet!

TJ's current baseball team challenged the team he played for last year. Although the "old" team only has 3 of TJ's prior teammates, he was thrilled to score the winning run in a come from behind victory in the final inning! Bandits Win!

Carb Day 2011

Great Fun! Todd and I ventured to the track yesterday morning for a day of people watching, amongst other things. The weather was a little on the cool side but the rain stayed away. We were guests in the FE Harding Party Tent where we saw many friends and where Angela Buchman was being friendly. Todd quickly took advantage!

We spent the day enjoying the sights, watching cars and indulging on draft beer! We met up with Melissa and Jim to rock out to Papa Roach and Staind. Great concerts!!!!


We finished the evening with dinner at Binkleys followed by Tylenol and a hot shower!