Random acts...

Friday morning Duffy decided to stop by Chick-fil-a for breakfast. He waited in the drive thru for a while but finally made his way to the window. When he arrived, the workers were giggling and a little excited. They went on to tell him that the woman in front of him had paid for his breakfast! They went on to say that she'd left a note for him. The note simply said that she'd heard on the radio station she listens to about random acts of kindness and she thought she'd brighten his day! What a wonderful idea...and needless to say he was surprised! There is plenty of goodness in this world. I'm sure inspired to pass it along.

% Our All Star! %

Just when I had come to terms with the boy's hockey season coming to a close, Jon received news that he'd been selected for the high school all star team! What an honor! Last night, the team played and won! It was a a fast paced game and was great to see all of that skill work together. Some of the kids on the team played together when they were young. So cool for them to be a team again...even if for one game.

The team was introduced one player at a time and needless to say, Jon had his own personal cheering section! (In case you're wondering, we're not quiet! ha!)

I think his face says it all! It's a combination of liking the attention but also saying, please make them be quiet! =)

So, for the last time, Jon left the rink as an official high school player! It was a great night!

There are angels and cats among us

It's been a while since I've participated in Kelly's weekly post. But this week at Kelly's Korner, we're sharing things we collect. I'm not a particularly big collector, but there are two things I like to have around. Willow Tree Angels and local Cat's Meow!

The angels are simple but have so much character. Here are a couple of my favorites...

There are Cat's Meow's over most of the windows in our house. Most from the Frederick collection and have a lot of sentimental value to me. But the ones I love most are over the main window in our family room.

When Daddy was young, his Dad owned a local grocery store in Buckeystown. This is a replica of that very building.

My best school years were spent in this building! St. John's..I spent the 6th, 7th and 8th grades here and have great memories!

The bell tower at Baker Park is beautiful! This doesn't do it justice but it's absolutely one of my most favorite icons in Frederick!

Frederick High School...enough said!

Yep, that's our house! This is by far my most favorite Cat's Meow...no question! Jim's Mom and Dad had this made for us 2 Christmas' ago. I was stunned. I had no idea it was possible...ha!

Happy Birthday Mom!

It's your special day...all day long. We hope you enjoy every minute of it!

A dinner date?

I got a text from Duffy that said...LaPaz? Um...YES! =) If you remember, it's one of our favorite places but not one we visit often enough. So, needless to say I didn't have to think about it for long. What a great idea and a SURPRISE! =) Thanks Duffy!

Meet Matty!

Ok, so it's really Matt, or more officially Matthew, but Julie calls him Matty so often that she's got me doing it too! He and Jules have known each other for years but just reconnected over the last few months. So, they're trying out this dating thing. So far he's passed the Men-Men (me :)) test! Seriously Matt - welcome!

Contributing to society!

I joke with the kids about contributing to society...in other words GET A JOB! =) Julie's worked since she was 14 and Jon worked for a while at a local pizza shop and did some mowing two summers ago and now (cough, cough)....ummmmm BUT most recently, Jacob got his first pay check! He completed a hockey referee class last year and reff'ed his first game a few weeks ago. I think he was a little stressed about all of the responsibility of watching all of the players and remembering all of the rules - a lot different when you're the one 'in charge' vs. actually playing! ha! But I'm thinking he liked when the paycheck arrived! Congratulations Jake, we're proud of you!

Leave me alone!

Duffy is going to have a fit that I'm posting this...seriously! And the people that I talk to every day are going to say...not again! But I can't help it...I still can't stop laughing when I think about this story so I have to share!

On Sunday, we visited Sam's Club. Heading to the checkout Duffy made a side trip to the restroom. As he made his way through the door, a woman who'd been waiting in the hall yelled past him 'PAUL!'. A little startled, Duffy kept moving forward, noticing that the restroom was especially busy. After only a few seconds, Paul responded from a stall......'LEAVE ME ALONE, I'M POOPIN'!' OMG who says that?! I'd say only in Hagerstown but I think there's probably lots of places that could be said about. But really...for some reason, I can't stop laughing about it! Every time it sneaks in my mind, I'm out of control again! And when someone calls my name, I have to fight the urge to respond.....LEAVE ME ALONE...well you know, right?! Oddly enough, Duffy was the only one in the restroom who was laughing out loud! No one else found this little exchange out of the norm. Concerning?! I don't know but thanks for letting me share!

Here's a little cartoon a friend at work made to commemorate the event! =) (Thanks Roo!)

Beauty for their ashes

Molly and Max spent 4 l o n g months in a shelter. I'm a BIG softie for stuff like that...I mean seriously if I really thought about it, I'd tear right up! But when I walk by them now and see this...I know that they've been blessed!

So I guess all of that hard time paid off for them! =) As they lounge around the house and wait for the next opportunity for a treat.

"....He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory.” Isaiah 61:3

All creatures great and small, The Lord God made them all!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

We hope you have a great day...all day long! Enjoy!

One chapter ends and another begins...

Last night, the boys wrapped up their Sunday night hockey league with an impressive win! (We didn't see many of those this season so I was excited! ;)) Both Jon and Jake played well..Jon was on fire as a key defenseman and Jake had an assist. Lots of reasons to cheer. But more importantly, it starts a new chapter for Jon. You see, being a senior this year means that he'll no longer participate in the high school leagues. And while that doesn't mean that he won't play hockey in the future, it does mean that this chapter comes to a close. I know so much more awaits him...not just with hockey but in life. But I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to say that watching him grow from a little boy who could barely stand on skates to a young man who happens to be pretty good at this sport has been a blessing! We're proud of you Jon and hope you know you're my most favorite 18 year old Godson EVER! ;)

You have to see it to believe it!

It's absolutely amazing outside. It's a little before 9 and it's still snowing! It hasn't stopped, not for one minute, since it started yesterday afternoon. Duffy went out about 3 hours ago to clear the driveway and sidewalk. They're covered again but at least it'll be easier when he has to do it again. We hear that the wind is going to continue and cause drifts of 6 feet! OH MY! The blizzard warning has expired here but was extended for Frederick (where I work) until 10 tonight. Duffy's office is closed again tomorrow and I'll have to wait to see what the morning brings for me. Right now, I can't imagine how I'd get there....but who knows. A lot can change overnight. Here are some pics...no description necessary. They speak for themselves. Stay warm and be safe!

Guess what?

We're under a blizzard warning til this evening! Pounding my fists and stomping my feet probably won't help, huh? =) Thought I'd ask.

I feel like a broken record but we really are getting dumped on again! 14 inches of new snow over night and it's snowing so hard still! Practically everything is closed...even my work! Duffy's office has been closed all week so far and it's not looking good for tomorrow either!

I thought I'd share a little video I took of the boys trying to make their way through the snow this morning.

Of course I'll take some pictures today. Not sure that's exciting anymore...it's all I feel like I've done lately (take pics of snow!) but this is like nothing I've seen in my 30 some years!

We survived!

Last night when we went to bed, this is what it looked like out back...

And this is what it looked like this morning!

Quite a difference, huh?

A year or so ago we bought a snowblower from friends who were relocating to North Carolina. We hadn't used it yet but thought this could be just the storm to break it out. One little problem though, we didn't have gas in the gas can. So, you guessed it, out we went! It wasn't horrible but there was certainly a lot of snow out there! It was a good excuse to go out...I hate being stuck! This is a picture of the road on the way to the gas station.

And the park near our house

And our street!

We were all set, so off Duffy went...blowing away!

It was no easy task! There's a ton of snow out there! (Our local news says we got about 21 inches) Julie visited from time to time (ha!) her contribution was getting his hat for him...

There was much work to be done....Julie's car was trapped!

But after hours of blowing and shoveling....finally...

The furry boys love the snow. But this was a little too much for them. So, they got to watch from Duffy's truck. But they would've loved to be out in it!

And Molly watched from her window. But if it has snowed much longer, I'm not sure she could've seen out!

It finally stopped late afternoon and we had a little bit of sunshine...

Things are looking better!

So, we're settled in for the night. It's bitter cold and icy. We hit the Red Box, have plenty of snacks and are ready to break out tomorrow! =) Here are a few more pictures from today. Be safe and stay warm y'all!

Happy Birthday Linda

We're wishing you a very happy birthday! Sorry there's a blizzard on your special day but hope you have a good day anyway! =) EnJoY!

You see that pretty snow?!

Ok, I'm trying to find the positives in all of this snow! When Julie was little (I mean really little - like still in a car seat little), she would look out the car window and ask if we saw the pretty no (snow in little words). Now that makes me smile!

As predicted, we are getting lots and lots of snow! It stared just before lunch today and hasn't stopped since. The good thing is that it didn't really start sticking to the roads until after the sun set. So, I raced home from work, picked up Julie and we headed out to see a movie. We had planned to see Dear John weeks ago since it is its opening day but we were worried we wouldn't make it with 30 inches of snow in the forecast. But we made it! I'm not going to share any of the details because I don't want to ruin it for peeps who haven't made it yet, but I will say - take tissues! It's a great movie!

When we left the theatre, things looked a lot different than when we went in. Notice the bare pavement under the runner? Let's just say conditions had definitely deteriorated....it was a slow, long drive home!

So, we're all snuggled in, food in our bellies and wine in my cup =) cheering the Caps on to their 13th win in a row (amazing!!!). Even Mason enjoyed a taste of rice cripsy treats!

The snow is pouring down! There's no other way to describe it. Here's how much we have so far.

It is really beautiful out there! I'm sure it'll look a lot different in the morning! I'll share more tomorrow.