Category Archives: Michelle

Cedar Point 2014

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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

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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.

Michelle’s Birthday

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Michelle only asked for one thing for her birthday. That one thing was not always the same, but eventually she decided on headphones. The family gift to Michelle this year was a set of headphones. It took awhile to get them to her between all our busy schedules. Michelle is in college now and she is doing a good job. She really seems to like the headphones. She said they sound really good and apparently they are very loud. You can find all the pictures on the pictures page.

Cleveland Zoo

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There were a few things that I wanted to cross off the list for this summer and I’m happy to say that one of them got done. The kids and I went to the Cleveland Zoo. Originally, the plan was that we were all going to go to the Akron Zoo, but upon further investigation it seems that the Akron Zoo, while nice, is perhaps not really big enough nor does it have enough to occupy children who are high school age.

The decision to go to the Cleveland Zoo ended up being a very good one. We all had a lot of fun and there was so much to see and do that honestly we are considering getting a year pass for the zoo next year, because that will allow us to go several times next year. All the pictures were collected and they can all be found on the pictures page.

Eddy’s Birthday 2013

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This marks Eddy’s 15th birthday. Another birthday means another chance to have a cookout. This cookout was unfortunately cut a bit short by the weather. The pictures had to be taken inside and Eddy is quite soaked from having to run outside and help move the birthday party indoors. Luckily the food had already been prepared and it was not a problem having everyone come inside to eat.

Eddy got everything he asked for, which is to say that all he asked for was this collection of books. The books are very important to him, because he likes to read them and to draw. He was very pleased with this and his pair of new jeans. There is one book missing from the picture and that is because it was on back order. That has since been resolved. As usual all the pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Patty’s 16th Birthday

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Patty’s 16th birthday went well. The weather permitted a fine cookout. Cake and ice cream were served. All of the family that could be there were. She even got the only thing she asked for, which was an iPhone.

The cookout included chicken that had been marinating overnight. Plain chicken seemed awful boring and mesquite seemed to be a flavor that everyone would enjoy. With Kristy’s help bacon was added to the cheddar cheeseburgers, after cooking bacon on the grill did not turn out so well and it had to be completed inside. Everyone really enjoyed the food.

The cake and ice cream was served after the dinner and Patty finally got her gift. She already knew what it was, because she only asked for one thing. Everyone really pitched in for this gift and it was worth it, because she really loves it. As usual you can find all the pictures on the pictures page.

Honors Night

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Patty made honor roll for the majority of her Sophomore year at Archbishop High School, so she was invited to and received an award at Honors Night. Honors Night is a night of recognizing all the achievements of students at Archbishop Hoban and especially the seniors who are receiving grants and awards on their way to college. If Patty continues to do well this will be something to attend for the next few years. Her mother and I were in attendance, along with her sister and Grandmother. It was great seeing her win an award.

Michelle’s 18th

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Originally the plan for this birthday was a cookout, which has become a bit of a tradition, but the weather was not cooperating this week with temperatures in the 40’s and quite a bit of rain. It certainly looked as though the cookout could happen and the preparations were made to have one, but in the end the plans had to be changed. It was decided that the meal should be a favorite of Michelle’s choosing and what she wanted was potato gnocchi with vodka sauce. This dish is usually served with a vegetable, so yellow squash, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms were sauteed. This was served with a parmesan crusted chicken. It was a very elaborate meal.

Dinner was served and it came out extremely well and there was plenty for everyone to eat. Next was the singing of “Happy Birthday” and ice cream cake. Finally, the presents were given to Michelle. The original gifts were things that she needed, but were sort of gag gifts in order to throw her off from the main gift, which was a new laptop. The complete set of pictures can be found on the pictures page.

Easter 2013

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All three of the children were here for Easter this year, which of course is a very good thing. They all received a bunch of candy. They got Peeps, a chocolate Easter bunny, jelly beans, and various chocolate and marshmallow filled goodness. They also all received a small gift. This family has a tradition of small gifts for Easter. The girls both got summer scarves, which are apparently very popular, and James got Pokemon playing cards. We attended Easter mass at St. Bernard’s that evening. All the pictures taken that morning can be found on the pictures page.