Category Archives: Family

Firestone Park

My brother, Adam, has been staying with us for a few months. He brought along his dog, Shadow, and we have been spending time taking it on walks. Going to Firestone Park with the kids, Adam, and Shadow is a great way to spend a few hours. It is close enough to walk to and there is plenty of open space. It seems watching them play that I really should have gotten them a dog when they were younger. It was always “too expensive” and I “didn’t have time”.

It is far too late now. I would be getting a dog for myself at this point. Patty is heading to college in Cleveland this year and Eddy is going to be a senior. They really seem to all enjoy just chasing the dog around and playing fetch. Maybe when they grow up they will get married, have kids, and get a dog. I am sure from spending the last six months with a dog they realize how cool that would be.

First Bike Ride 2015

It was not quite warm enough to take a bike ride when the sun was starting to set. Perhaps with the right clothing to keep a person warm while bike riding it would have been fine, but as it stands it got chilly at the end. This is not to say that we would not have gone out anyway, because we would have. It would have been nice to be a bit more prepared though. It is hard to really adequately express the need to go outside and do something usually reserved for the summer when the weather finally starts to get nice. The ground is still frozen, so while the sun is shining and it feels warm enough, the breeze sweeps over the ground and reminds you that it is still very early in the year. All the pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Fun ‘N Stuff

Coming out of another Ohio winter it was time to do something fun. Even with all the holidays and family and activities planned around the Fall and Winter it is still enough to make you a little stir crazy waiting for a nice day. School is not quite over yet and there are going to be more days of snow and freezing temperatures, but it was a good time to do something. Something to get moving. It was time for Fun ‘N Stuff.

The kids went roller skating. They do not really go roller skating. I still call it roller skating, but I am often correct as they are actually going to roller blade. Roller blades used to cost more to rent, but now it is the same price either way. I have never actually been on roller blades, but I have gone ice skating and I was told that it is a similar experience. In which case I will stick to roller skates.

They were both allotted tokens for games. They proceeded to play games that resulted in winning tickets that they spent on toys before leaving. Air Hockey games were played. We did not play the crazy kind with the multiple pucks or the one that four people can play at the same time. No, it is strictly the old fashioned type for us. The kids are better at Air Hockey than they were last time we played. It was good fun.


Michelle’s 20th Birthday

I don’t have any pictures of the day, but Patty, Eddy, and I all drove up to Cleveland to see Michelle for her birthday. We got to see her new apartment. We all went out to a local place to enjoy dinner and the food was good. We all got a chance to catch up on how she was doing. She is doing really well as it turns out. Very busy though. Two jobs and going to college full time? Keep it up kid.

We bought cake and stuff and had a little birthday celebration at the apartment. Michelle got her gift, which was a new book bag. It was the right color and was specially made for women. As it should have been – since she helped pick it out. The laptop she got a few years ago is a little too big to fit in the bag though. It fits, but she could definitely use something a bit smaller.

I will be sure to get a picture of her in her new book bag.

Christmas 2014

Patty and Eddy put up the tree and the stockings, and they did a very good job as usual. This Christmas My brother Adam was here from Texas. That brings the total of people here for Christmas morning to five. Gifts were unwrapped and there was a very nice dinner later that day. This was another fantastic Christmas. The pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Winter Arts Festival 2014

This is the last year that Patty will be participating in the Winter Arts Festival at Archbishop Hoban High School, since she is graduating this year. It has been four years of her learning to and playing the violin. There will be one more performance that she will attend in the Spring. Eddy also had a piece of art that he had made in the gallery in the hallway. The pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Hoban Football 2014

The 2014 season is over for the JV and Varsity Hoban Knights football teams. The games were all a lot of fun and they won more games than they lost, so overall it was a good season. Hotdogs were eaten, umbrellas were brought, and most of the games were watched. Eddy got a chance to play both sides of the ball this year as he played wide out and defensive line. All the pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Eddy’s 16th Birthday

Eddy’s 16th birthday was a little cookout and everyone that could make it was there. He had a great time with his family and there were gifts and an ice cream cake that his Mom had to go quite a bit out of the way to get when the Dairy Queen down the street from the house did not have any on account of someone leaving the freezer door open. More pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Cedar Point 2014

The Cedar Point trip started at approximately 7 O’clock on a Friday morning. The trip was originally supposed to be a bit of a surprise, but each of the kids managed to find out before Friday. That is when showers had to be taken and everyone had to be up in order to eat breakfast and get ready. With the car packed it was on to the driving. About an hour and a half later we arrived in Sandusky ready to park and get to the rides at Cedar Point.

We rode just about every roller coaster in the park. Patty’s favorite was the Raptor. At the end of the day she actually got to sit in the front and she said that it was probably the first time she had ever been in the front seat of a roller coaster. Michelle did not really have a favorite roller coaster, but she insisted on going on the bumper cars four times. Michelle also made sure to pet every animal in the petting zoo. Eddy’s favorite was the Millennium Force. I did not go on Wicked Twister, but Michelle said that was the only ride that scared Eddy.

We all went on the Millennium Force at the end of the day and it really is kind of amazing being that high and looking over Lake Erie. We never had more than an hours wait all day, which was really cool. One of the highlights was Patty and Eddy giving each other a high five on the Gemini. Sometimes it is the older rides where you can still have the most fun. The weather held up nicely, despite there being a chance of storms all day. The kids really kept it fun and ran around the park all day. We managed to stay until the park closed at Midnight and we all had a really great time. The last thing we did was get shirts at the gift shop. I was a great day. The pictures are on the pictures page.

Patty’s 17th Birthday

Patty’s 17th birthday came in three parts this year. The first part was a picnic with her friends at the Munroe Falls Metro Park. Hot dogs were made, presents were given, and Patty and her friends enjoyed swimming, going on the paddle boats, and had a really nice time there. The second part of the birthday was the cookout, which is exclusively for family.

Her Grandma, both her parents and siblings attended her birthday cookout. There were presents and a cake. This was also a good time. The third part is a day with me, her Dad. We went to Summit Mall and got her gifts at the Bath and Body Works. We enjoyed some StarBucks while we walked around the mall for a bit, before deciding to go to another store. She wanted The Last of Us video game for the PS3. I introduced her to Pad Thai. She enjoyed that more than Chinese, which is what she usually requests for her birthday dinner. We finished up the day by getting the books her and Eddy need for summer reading.

Patty is going to be a high school senior this year and it is going to be a very busy year for everyone. She got to enjoy this birthday, but who knows what the next year will hold. She has to start making choices about college, taking a SAT and/or ACT, and keep up with all of her after school activities. We are hoping that she is chosen for Varsity lacrosse this year, but we will have to see how that works out in the Spring. The rest of the pictures can be found on the pictures page.