Christmas 2009

Video courtesy of my new Flip camera given to me by Santa Rosie! Just a little glimpse at our day. I love my family. We have such a good time on Christmas. My mom always finds just the right thing to get us laughing and this was the year of the nasty teeth. We had a great day although when we sit around the big table, it's a big reminder that Dad is no longer with us and at his place directly across from my mom.

It's almost here...

After a very emotional day, we have decided to build a fire and watch Elf and The Polar Express. That's it. No more than that. The wrapping, cleaning and all other ongoing household chores can wait until tomorrow. Today we are going to be together and count our blessings.

8:00 p.m. Just finished The Polar Express. Evan said all he wants for Christmas is his mommy, his daddy and his family. And presents. :-)

Today

He wasn't suppose to live, let alone live for 22 months. But he did. And his young (but wise beyond her years) mother stayed by his side. Every minute of every day. She fought for him, she held him, she loved him. Right until the end. God decided that today was the end of his life here on earth. Heaven has another angel tonight. His name is Nicky.

Thanksgiving

2nd piece of pumpkin pie
Boo!!

Evan swears there is a ghost in the window on the left

First of all, I can't believe it's December 1st. Where has this year gone? I have no idea when I'm going to do Christmas cards, shop, wrap, etc. The weekends are starting to fill up as well as my days off from work. I'm started to panic. I really am.

We went to see Mike's brother and sister-in-law for Thanksgiving, a trip Evan is always excited to take. He loves his uncle and aunt and cousins Steph (24) and Steve (21). They spoil him rotten and he loves every minute of it! They live outside of Philadelphia so on Friday, we went into the city and took the walking ghost tour called The Spirits of '76! Evan was beside himself. It was cold but lots of fun.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Awww......

Happy Veterans Day

Just a rant

For a long, long time, I wondered what I had done during my pregnancy to cause Evan such pain and suffering. I admit, that sounds SO freakin' dramatic but honestly, if you would see first hand your baby being intubated or see your 4 lb baby with an incision on his side going from front to back or having your 18 month old come out of a 6 hour surgery with his neck cut open and in all those cases, the baby has to be on morphine because of pain, you too would say your baby is suffering. I blamed myself for his birth defects. Hard not to. I know now though that it just happened but I'm sure all moms who did everything right during their pregnancy-they ate right and exercised and didn't drink, smoke or take drugs-yet still had premature births (and ALL that can go along with that-PDAs , ROP, BPD, brain bleeds, developmental delays, NEC) or babies born with birth defects feel the same way I did. Actually, I know for a fact they feel that way.

I wonder about those moms who don't do everything right. Those moms who don't seem to care about that little life inside of them. They take drugs, they drink, they smoke. Their babies end up fighting for their lives due to the fact that their little bodies have been abused before they are even born. How do those moms feel?

Fall Piano Recital

Evan has taken lessons now for a year. I think he's done great and he's actually starting to pick out tunes (that he LIKES and WANTS to play) on the piano without music. He's just like me-hates to practice and the structure of lessons BUT does enjoy playing and so I'm going to keep "making" him take lessons!

Halloween 2009

My little duck 2001
My little cow 2002

My little zombie 2009
Isn't this sweet?

The days of cute costumes are over..........:-(

Disney

We had a wonderful time at Disney. Evan was the perfect age. He appreciated it and found the magic in Disney. Sounds corny but it's true. He never complained, never whined, never threw a tantrum like many of the kids that were there! Kids even older than he was. It was very hot and humid.....of course we were there when they were close to hitting record highs for October! It didn't matter though. We just enjoyed every minute that we were there.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge was gorgeous! We couldn't believe we were staying in such a nice place. Without the help of our friends that let us use their timeshare, we never would of been able to afford it! It was like an apartment. Full kitchen and kitchenette, washer/dryer, 3 flat screen TVs, whirlpool tub in one of the two bathrooms, living room, 2 bedrooms, etc. We woke up to giraffes out our window almost every morning. Zebra too. We didn't spent ALOT of time at the lodge as we hit the ground running come Wednesday morning. This was after arriving at 12:30 a.m. Epcot Wed., Magic Kingdom Thurs., Animal Kingdom Fri. and Hollywood Studios Sat. We hit all the parks AND Evan was able to ride every ride he wanted to-we all did. We LOVED Soarin', Thunder Mountain Railroad, Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, Rock and Roller coaster. Mom even rode some of them-the best was having her ride Mission Space at Epcot!! Disney was very accommodating when it came to Mom in the wheelchair. They made everything very easy for us when it came to the rides, the buses, etc.

Evan is obsessed with the Haunted Mansion at Disney. We went to Disneyland when he was almost 4 and while he loved looking at it, he did not want to ride it. For almost 5 years, we've read books about it, watched You Tube videos of people riding it, etc. As you can imagine, our first stop when we went to the Magic Kingdom was The Haunted Mansion. 10 a.m. Thursday morning. We made it.........we were there.......The Haunted Mansion. Hmmm, not much of a line. We're greeted by "cast members" who tell us they are experiencing technical problems and the ride is closed. WTF??? You can imagine my response. However, my little guy was awesome. He took it in stride and just said that maybe he could ride it later. We had plans to attend the Halloween party that night and all I could do was pray that it would be open at least for the party. He really wanted to ride it with Liz, Mom and Cathy (who were not going to the party) so throughout the day we kept checking to see if it was up and running. Finally at 4 o'clock we got word that it was working. They took us in another door so that they could stop the moving walkway so Mom could get on the ride right from the wheelchair. So, we're THIS close to the "doom buggies" and then the girl that was helping us says that they were sorry but they had to stop the ride again. Okay, so at this point I'm ready to blow. I was hot, sweaty, tired and all my kid wanted to do was ride this ride! She walks away and this other guy comes up and said come on, we're getting you through the Haunted Mansion. I almost hugged him. So, we went through the mansion all by ourselves! Evan was in heaven. He proceeded to then ride it 4 more times that night when we were back for the party. :-)

The Halloween party was awesome. We had to buy separate tickets for it but we couldn't go to Disney without going to the party at the Magic Kingdom. It was so worth it. The costumes were great, lots of candy was handed out and the parade was so much fun. He was about to fall over by the time we left at 11:30 p.m. He was such a trooper.

I have loads of pictures-go to http://sliferfamily.shutterfly.com to see them. I believe I'll have to give you permission to view the site but it's the only place I wanted to store all of them! More videos to come as well. I just need to get motivated to go through them all and put them together!

Indiana Jones Stunt Show

Some day I will write about our adventures at Disney. Our trip was awesome to quite awesome. My first order of business is sorting through the pictures and videos that I took. Here's my first creation-the Indiana Jones stunt show. I only wish I could of kept the camera on Evan's face the whole time because he was beaming.

The day is here!!

Animal Kingdom Lodge

After almost 8 months of planning and anticipating, we are finally leaving for Disney today!!! It's going to be a long day because we don't leave until 6:30 p.m. and we're suppose to arrive in Orlando at 10:20. Just praying that the flights are on time and there are no delays. It will be a crazy 5 days but I know we'll have a great time. Cathy said she'll probably cry because she's so excited and will be so happy. I'll probably do the same when it comes to Evan seeing and doing all that he wants to do, especially the Halloween party at the Magic Kingdom! Praying for safe travels, good health and good weather!

I feel like a crazy lady!

Kids have been dropping like flies at Evan's school this week. I was horribly sick on Monday with I don't know what. It only lasted less than 24 hours so that was a good thing and nobody else in my house seemed to get it. I am paranoid about two things. Evan getting sick before or during our Disney trip AND the H1N1 virus. Just read that a 14 year old boy died from it at Children's last night. That freaks me out a little bit. I'm not ready to have Evan get the vaccine because I feel as though they've rushed to get it out and I don't trust it right now. I HAVE to get it at work so I have no choice for myself. I worry about my mom too. She can't get a flu vaccine due to her history of Guillain-Barre. I've got a whole bag of over the counter medications to take with us to Disney just in case. I hate to be pessimistic about our trip but I have to be practical I think. My prayer continues to be the same every day-please keep us healthy for our trip! It sounds selfish but we've waited so long and God knows when we'll be doing it again.

A very good Saturday

It was a difficult week for me. It started with the death of a precious baby early in the morning on Sept. 26th. I was with his parents shortly after his death in his hospital room and it was heartbreaking to see their raw grief and sadness after watching their son pass away before their eyes. It was hard for me to see his lifeless body as they hadn't taken him away yet. I can't imagine that being the last image they have of their son. Sunday was the ALS walk which is always an emotional day for me. The next day was Dad's birthday. Wednesday was the funeral of that little life gone way too soon. The idea of going to a funeral for a baby is just not right. The parents were so happy that I was there and while I was teary throughout the service, I almost lost it when saying goodbye to them. The father pulled me close and hugged me tight and thanked me for what I do and also thanked me for being there for his wife. You see, they live 2 1/2 hours away and she lived at the Ronald McDonald house alone for six months and he would come up on the weekends, in between working his two jobs. When saying goodbye to her, I thought my heart would break. She holds a special place in my heart and it saddens me to think of her having to go on without her son. She was so dedicated and faithful while he was in the hospital. She texted me last week and wondered what she's suppose to do now. Her life for the past six months has been in Columbus at Nationwide Children's. I continue to pray for them as they grieve and move forward.

So, after all of this, I was in need of some family time. We traveled up north to my cousin's house, about an hour away. We grew up together in NY and since we're just a year apart, we've always had a special bond. They live in the country (Evan wants to move there) and many of their neighbors are Amish. One of them has an apple press so we took bushels of apples to their farm and watched as their apple press made us fresh cider. It was fascinating to watch AND to see these little children help their grandfather with the press. I WISH I could of taken pictures but I knew I couldn't. From there we went to the Amish bulk food store (I love that place) and got good cheese and meat and candy and then back to John and Betsy's for chili and cornbread. They have a son who is just 13 months older than Evan and then my other cousin's 7 yr old was there as well so they all had a ball together. Evan just loves going up there because they are allowed to just go outside and play and explore without any worries. I had a ball with the 6 wk old kittens that they have! I'm in love. Anyhow, it was a day full of fun, laughter, love and fellowship. Just what the doctor ordered.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Yesterday was the Walk to Defeat ALS. I woke up to rain and immediately was depressed because in the 5 walks that we've done, we've never had anything but blue skies and sunshine. However, God heard our prayers and as we drove over to the walk at OSU, bits of blue sky started appearing and then the sun came out for a good portion of the 4 mile walk. The whole family walked this year, something that's never happened before. We had a great day together. After the walk, we headed up to Pathway to the Son where my dad's ashes are. We shed some tears and had some laughs too. After that, it was our annual lunch at the Rusty Bucket to celebrate Dad's birthday which is today. Love you Dad. I miss you every day but know that we will be together again some day.

It was a great day after a rough Saturday. I'm not ready to blog about that yet, but I will in time.

Big week

I have packed Evan's lunch every day since kindergarten. I guess it's been the last thing I have felt I have control over in regards to what he eats. The doctor has told me that his esophagus is pretty open and we probably will not need another dilatation for a long time BUT I still worry every time he's away from me and I know he's someplace where he's eating. Part of me is fearful every day at lunchtime. Silly I know but I can't let it go. Kindergarten and first grade he really didn't seem to care about buying his lunch at school and I didn't really offer it up to him as an option. Last year I told him he could if he wanted to but he wasn't too interested. He's quite a creature of habit and he likes things to be the same every day in regards to what is in his lunch box! So, Monday night he came home and said he wanted to be a "hot luncher" tomorrow. So, we looked up his code that he would need in the cafeteria and I wrote a check and off he went Tuesday morning without his lunchbox. He was SO excited. I told him to make good choices as to what he should eat AND to make sure he had enough to drink and he just said, "I know, I know Mommy". Ah. It's been 3 days now that he's bought his lunch. He wants me to pack it for him tomorrow though since it's Friday. ?? No idea what Friday has to do with it but I'll do whatever he wants. :-)

Sunny 95

Every year, the morning show on Sunny 95 holds a marathon for Nationwide Children's. I have volunteered to answer phones in the past and decided to do it again this year. That got me thinking about the interview I did for the marathon five years ago. The radio station gave me a CD with the interview on it so I actually found it in the basement and then an idea came to me. I've started playing around Windows Movie Maker and thought that maybe I could scan all the pictures from the NICU and use the interview as the background. Ta da!! The finished product. I also want to share something that took place 5 years ago when I was answering phones. They played my interview and then when they found out I was there, they had me speak with the hosts on air. About 5 minutes later, a man called and he was pretty insistent in speaking with me. He was about 35 years old and born with TEF/EA, just like Evan. He felt that he needed to call and talk with me and let me know that things will be okay. This was a time when we were still strugggling with feeding issues and we really didn't know if we were going to have ongoing issues with the narrowing in his esophagus. This man made me cry. I didn't get him name but that phone call touched me greatly and I will never forget the kindness of that stranger.

He Rides!

Well, the day I've been waiting for has finally arrived. Evan rides a bike without training wheels! Yes, I know he's almost 9. From the start, Evan has struggled with delays in many, many areas (mostly related to gross motor skills) since he was a baby. Crawling, walking, running. I don't attribute the delay in bike riding to his developmental issues only, but I think it's been a combination of both physical limitations and lack of confidence. Just like with swimming. He actually rode for the first time when I was out of town so tonight was the first night I witnessed this tremendous accomplishment in my little guy's life. :) Oh, and it's my first real attempt at using Windows Movie Maker, something I think I'm going to have fun with!

Obama's speech

Yeah, I'm upset by his words. He made my child write this. Click on the picture so you can read it. Aren't you outraged??

Has it really been four years?

Easter '67 or '68


"To The Glory of God Altar Flowers have been given by the Blakeslee Family who remember with love their husband, father and grandfather, Jim Blakeslee"

I really have a hard time believing that four years have gone by since I have seen, talked to or hugged my father. I miss him every day and I don't think that will ever go away. We spent part of the day in London at church and then to Bob Evans for breakfast w/Mom, Liz, Cathy and our good friends Jim and Diane. Dad loved Jim and Jim loved Dad. Tears have been shed on and off throughout the day. I woke up at the time Dad died and that's when it started for me! I then took a good walk in the early morning and it was a beautiful morning just like the day he died. We got in the car to go to church and as soon as Mike turned it on, Wake Me Up When September Ends was playing on the radio. We literally got goosebumps. That song was a hit for Green Day that September when Dad died-his birthday month is also September so it's turned into a hard month for all of us and yes, just wake me up when it's over! It always reminds me of him and I can't say that I've heard it on the radio in quite awhile. He was a good man, a wonderful father and husband and a devoted friend to all. Here's to you Daddy. I say this with beer in hand. :-)

One more thing I want to add. A very good friend of Liz and Cathy's is currently in the ICU, awaiting a lung biopsy that will be done on Tuesday. Denise has endured 3 battles w/breast cancer and was admitted Thursday with fluid in one lung (2 liters were removed) and then suspcious looking xray on the other. A CAT scan was done yesterday and yes, there is a mass. Please, please keep her in your prayers. She has a son overseas, I think in Iraq, and a daughter who was just married this year. Tears were shed for Denise as well today.

The day is getting close

The anniversary of my dad's death is fast approaching and of course he's been on my mind alot lately. I was empyting out Evan's school folder today and came across this.......wow.

Papers from the first week of school

I think I need to track down Harrison Ford and let him know there is a little 8 yr old boy that wants to meet him!

1st Day of School

August 26, 2009
Kindergarten-the beginning of a beautiful friendship

1st grade
2nd grade

3rd grade

3rd grade. Not possible. We are so happy for this year because while he did well academically in 2nd grade, let's just say we had some issues with the teacher. This year his teacher is young, so incredibly sweet and very patient with the kids. Evan is thrilled. Here's hoping for another great year at Colerain. And yes, again I'm posting the pictures of Evan and Andrew from the first days of school. :)

Anything to keep from cleaning

April 2001

While I was dusting today (hate it), I decided to take out the picture about of me holding Evan to scan it (some day I need to take the time and scan ALL the pictures from his baby/toddler years) and behind it was a picture I had forgotten about from Feb. 2001. Looking at the date, I realized it was during a brief period of time that Evan was getting by on nasal cannula only-no vent, no CPAP and we were so hopeful that he would not need the trach. I think he probably crashed just a few days later and he was re-intubated again. It was just a sweet time for us in the hospital when we were able to see his face. The 2nd picture is from Evan's first trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house. First trip anywhere except for doctor's appointments! We were so nervous, taking him 40 miles away from home. Oh God, the stuff we had to bring with us just to enjoy an afternoon with family. Oxygen, apnea monitor, air compressor/tubing for the cool mist collar, emergency bag, diaper bag, feeding tube stuff-it took us 30 minutes just to load up the car! That trip was well worth it though. Even though it took alot of work, we needed to do it to know that we could start to have somewhat of a normal life outside of our house. Somewhere I have another picture from that day of Evan by his tree that my dad planted for him. :) I'll have to find it.

Cruise In To Defeat ALS

Good article by Jeff Gates of the Madison Press. Boo hoo.
August 21, 2009

Get your popcorn ready.

Or at least a milkshake or ice cream sundae.

This Fall, the Buffalo Bills are celebrating year number 50 as part of professional football. The Bills were one of the original American Football League franchises along with franchises in New York, Dallas, Houston, and Kansas City.

It was more than 40 years ago when Jim Blakeslee and Les Takacs met in that great Western New York sports town. This Sunday, Takacs helps honor the memory of his friend with a Cruise-In (as well as raffle and auction) at Takacs Family Ice Cream, 129 W. High St. in London from 5-8 p.m. The proceeds of the day will benefit amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the disease which claimed Blakeslee’s life in 2005. This is the third year that Takacs’ business has hosted the event.

The Blakeslee/Takacs bond began when both worked at the famed Roswell Park in Buffalo, America’s first cancer center. At the time, Blakeslee was working on his doctorate, while Takacs described his duties as less glamorous.

“I was a flunky,” Takacs said. “I worked in the lab taking care of animals.”
Even when Takacs departed for the Army in 1967, the two kept in touch. As fate would have it, they would be reunited in Central Ohio in the early 1970s. Starting in the 1980s, both families lived in the London area.

While Sunday’s car show is free to attend, there will be several opportunities for people to donate to ALS on that day. According to Blakeslee’s daughter Liz — who has spearheaded many ALS-benefiting events — her father was a big sports fan including the Buffalo Bills and hockey’s Buffalo Sabres, and of course, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Therefore, it seems only fitting that highlighting the raffle will be an exclusively-autographed photo of London native and NFL legend Dick LeBeau (who served as a coach for one season with the bills during his 51-year tenure in the NFL), commemorating the dinner held in LeBeau’s honor at London High School in June. Other raffle items include prints from local artist Kim Lattimer, and Ohio State University print signed by two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, donations by local merchants (including Ronetti’s, Picadillies, Gabrielle’s of London, etc.) and gift certificates to such places as Ann and Tony’s, Montgomery Inn, and the Red Brick.

The live auction items include Cincinnati Bengals tickets, a pair of tickets to the OSU-Wisconsin football game, a stay at Alexandra’s Bed and Breakfast, and Longaberger Baskets. The baskets were donated by Walt Keigley, whose wife Karen succumbed to ALS last year.
Since Jim’s passing less than four years ago, the Blakeslee family has continued its fight against this yet-incurable disease. To date, the Blakeslee fund raising efforts have totaled more than $20,000.

The Blakeslees hope to add to that total Sunday with this great event in memory of an even greater man.

Seven years ago

8/17/02
8/19/02

Just came across these pictures and realized that both were from 7 years ago almost to the day! I also realized that these were taken just about two weeks after his major airway surgery where he spent 4 days in the ICU. Amazing how resilient he was, how resilient so many of our kids are. What a blessing he is to me.

Our special Pattys

Angel

Evan and Patty F. Jan. 2006

I got on the shuttle the other day at work (it goes from the parking garage to the hospital-it was way too humid to walk) and I see Patty G. We talked a bit and it got me thinking about the first time I met her. Patty was the 1st special Patty to come into our lives after Evan was born. At the time, she worked for Interim Healthcare and she was a homecare nurse who made visits post-discharge. She wasn't someone that provided nursing care for us but she came every few days for the first couple weeks to check his weight and make sure his trach and g-tube site looked okay. We brought Evan home about 11:30 or so and Patty was at our door that afternoon. I'm sure Mike and I looked like deers in a headlight as we sat on the bed in the nursery/hospital room and talked with her that first day. I'll never forget that first meeting. She not only directed me to tracheostomy.com (which became my lifeline and as a result of connecting to that site, I have made some life long friends) but she also reassured us. She knew how scared we were to have him home but she made us feel that we COULD do it-we COULD care for this little 5 lb. baby who was so, so fragile. She shared with us Welcome to Holland, something all parents of special needs kids know. I think she only came maybe for a couple weeks as an Interim nurse BUT she stayed in our lives much longer than that. She offered to watch him on my first Mother's Day so that I could go to church. She offered to watch him one night in June so that Mike and I could go out for dinner and a movie. She never wanted money-she did this out of the goodness of her heart. She directed me to a ministry at her church that had a moms group for mothers of children w/special needs/medical issues, something I so desperately needed at that time in my life. Here's something really crazy, she even made a home visit as a nurse to my mom and dad's house when he was sick. It was one of those, wait, I know you situations and I think she saw a picture of Evan too. Anyhow, we've been in and out of touch over the years and believe it or not, she now works at Nationwide Childrens in the neonatal clinic! We were brought together all those years ago and who would of thought we'd now both be working w/NICU families at the hospital.

Patty F. I honestly don't know where we would of been without Patty F. About a month after Evan had been home, we had finally been approved for some nursing hours courtesy of our county board of MRDD (had to wait 18 months to be approved for Medicaid, something that doesn't happen now for a trach baby). Anyhow, while it was the agency's job to send potential nurses to us, it was MY job to make sure I picked someone I could trust and that could truly care for my baby. Many talked the talk about being able to care for a trach and feeding tube but could not walk the walk. Talk about alot of responsibility. Patty was the first and last nurse I interviewed. She came into our home and I knew she was the one. She went to nursing school later in life and you could tell she had a passion for it. Her last client had been a little girl who passed away on the same day Evan came home from the hospital. At that time, Patty didn't think she wanted another case for a long time. The agency told her about us, about Evan and she decided to go ahead and come to our home to meet me. She was kind, she was gentle and oh so caring. I had heard horror stories about home nurses and was terrified to have someone come into my home although I knew I needed some help or else I would of lost it! She started on April 16th, 2001 and stayed with us until the end of August 2003. Evan's trach came out in May 2003 and Medicaid wanted to yank our nursing care at that time but I fought to keep her over the summer JUST IN CASE. It seems alot longer that she was with us now that I think about it! Patty came only about 20 hours a week or so but boy, did I look forward to her being there. Not only so I could shower and go grocery shopping but so I could have someone to talk to. Other than Mike, she was sometimes the only adult I would have contact with in any given week. We got to know each other very well very quickly and she became my confidante; she became my friend. We laughed together, we cried together. She made the trip to Cincinnati to see Evan when he was in the ICU after his airway reconstruction surgery, she got to know my family, she came to Evan's birthday parties. I needed her as much as Evan needed her. On her last day with us, we exchanged gifts. I gave her a Willow Tree angel and she gave us the little boy angel in the picture above. That shelf was right above Evan's bed at the time so he watched over Evan for years. It's still in his room, although not above his head anymore but I will make sure it remains there forever.

My quick trip to Florida

Florida in the summer-no thank you!

Kathy, Gary, Karen and me (or is it and I?) I don't know

Karen and me

The happy couple

They combined different color sand rather than light unity candles

I went to Florida on Friday for my friend Karen's wedding. We went to high school together-we were both in marching band and very involved in youth group at church. Her parents moved to Atlanta after graduation in 1981 but we've stayed in touch through the years. I made many trip to Atlanta during my single days (including the 1996 Summer Olympics-tickets courtesy of her dad). Many trips to Fripp Island SC w/her parents (whom I adore) and we even took a trip together to San Francisco-one of my favorite places as a result of that trip. Anyhow, this is her first marriage and I really wanted to make sure I was there for it. We had a great time. It was wonderful to see her parents and siblings as well as meet some of her extended family. I was "adopted" by her Iowa cousins-we met Friday night in the hospitality suite that Karen and Tim had for everyone and just hit it off. I ended up hanging by the pool with them Sat. afternoon (Blue Margaritas-2 for 1) and then went to dinner with them Sat. night. Just really nice, friendly and funny Midwesterners! We laughed so much. Karen and Tim didn't leave after the reception-they actually stayed in Florida until today so they were at the pool Sat. afternoon as well. It was just really a fun and casual wedding. It was also great to see my friend Gary and his wife Kathy. They also came down from Columbus but as you know how it can be, we don't see them as often as I'd like. Gary and I have known each other since 3rd grade if you can believe it! Other than it being unbearably hot and humid (I'm surprised no one fainted during the ceremony-85 degrees and 90% humidity at 10:30 a.m.), it was a good weekend. I would of kicked myself if I hadn't gone so thank you Mike for insisting I do!