Family News

A few weeks ago I learned that my niece Amy and her fiance David will be married on May 16, 2009. I expect to see them a week from tomorrow when we celebrate Amy Marie's first birthday. Of course, we will also see Dan and Laura's new house in the Warren, OH area.

Speaking of great nieces, I will be seeing Kendal and Hayden on Sunday at my niece's in-laws in Medina. It will be an early birthday party for Kendal, but it will allow some of us to see Hayden in person for the first time. They are coming in from Howell, MI. The Kendal and Hayden blog is now an "official" link.

If you haven't already noticed, I added some RSS feeds to my blog recently. The one from Boston is my favorite TV station in the market that I haven't seen live in person in almost 15 years. I should be seeing it next year, if not sooner when I go to visit Patty, Dan Sr., Amy, and David, either for the wedding or just to visit.

The Indianapolis one is one that I have never seen in person, but 8 is one of my favorite numbers, although Channel 3 (WKYC) is my favorite station here in Cleveland. (I don't watch Channel 8 (WJW) a lot, although I love most of the sitcoms that come from Fox. I have also peeked at Mike and Juliet, That's Life, (Robin Swoboda's program (Go to http://www.myfoxcleveland.com for details, if you are from out of town.)) Tyra, and other shows throughout the day.) The main reason that WISH is here is because the call letters sound cool.

These sites are my first forays into RSS feeds. Widgets are easier, but these two RSS feeds are worth it. As far as I am concerned, widgets and RSS feeds both serve the purpose of providing outside information to personal web sites. I hope that you enjoy these widgets. There may be more to come.

My next report will deal with the Kendal and Hayden festivities on Sunday. Read the Kendal-Hayden blog for more details, if they are available. Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend wherever you are.

Amy's Engagement

Two weeks ago, my niece Amy was engaged to be married to David Goldberg. The wedding will occur either in the Spring or Fall of 2009. Details on the wedding will be given when I learn them.

There's A Hero in the Making, But the Coach Deserves Some Credit, Too.

On Thursday, Hayden Nicole Schmidt came into the world. I am now a great-uncle of three (Kendal Schmidt and Amy (Marie) Sweeney are the others.). When I first heard the name, I thought my sister Maggie said Katie or Katy, but after reading the Kendal-Hayden blog, I played back the message which confirmed that I misheard. It would have been nice to be named after my second cat, but being named after a cheerleader or coach on TV is just fine. Jane Fonda's ex-husband also comes to mind. Go to http://kendalmarie.blogspot.com for pictures and other statistics, but come back here for "education".

Tomorrow morning, my taxes will be in the mail. They weren't complicated, but Bob (My brother) had to double-check my work. "Commitments" and procrastination are the main causes for the delay. Maybe next year, late January or early February will be the goal.

I'm on the hunt for more "widgets." Please check back for updates. It could be fun.

Family Fun

Easter was a fun event. It was held at Mike (Schabel) and Maggie's house. The participants besides the hosts and myself were Kathleen, Bob, Joe, Mandy, and her boyfriend, Paul. We had plenty to eat. Ham and all sorts of vegetables and appetizers were featured. Dessert was "simple", but we filled up on everything else. Except for Paul, the same cast was in the same place on Bob's birthday luncheon (It was Super Bowl Sunday.) on February 3.

Two weeks after Bob's birthday, we celebrated Tim's birthday at Dimitri's. (See earlier posts for the general location.) In addition to Tim, his companion Lois was at this event. (The cast of characters from Bob's party were all in attendance.) Tim played "catch up" with birthday gifts for Joe, Bob, and Maggie. It's not everyday that other people get to enjoy gifts from the birthday boy. (I was a beneficiary at Amy Marie's Christening a week after my birthday. By the way, I also celebrated at Dimitri's with Bob, Kathleen, Maggie, Mike (Schabel), and Mandy as guests.) We all enjoyed ourselves at this party. It is rare when a family function isn't enjoyable.

In other news, Dan, Laura, and Amy Marie have moved into their new house outside of Warren, OH. I can't wait to see it. Their "old" house was nice, but the "occupancy limit" was pretty close to being violated at Amy Marie's Baptism. At least, the party went smoothly as reported in a previous post.

Marnie hasn't had the baby yet, but it should happen within the next few weeks. I hope that things go smoothly. Kendal needs some more excitement (Just kidding!).

On Easter Monday, Bob, Kathleen, and I visited our Aunt Rita in Westlake, OH. It had been over nine months since I had seen her. She's still the same character that she's always been. We sure enjoyed her hospitality over many Christmases over the years. My mom must have enjoyed having her as a sister. Too bad, Mom's missing all the fun, but so is Dad. They're probably having fun in heaven. Tune in to find out more.

There Will Be No Howlin' in Howland Tonight!

Dan, Laura, and Amy Marie will not be moving tomorrow from Chardon to Howland (Both in Ohio). There have been some technical delays that should be all resolved soon. The snowstorm tomorrow would have made it an adventure anyway. For my readers outside of my family and/or outside of NE Ohio, go to the WKYC widget on the left side of this page for more details. As a happy result of the delay, my sister Patty is staying with my brother and me for a few days. Let's hope that we are not snowed in today.