What I Did This Summer.....Part 1

We had a Luau!

Catherine and Vicki in their Luau "finest"!

Christopher thought we needed to have a "Hawaii Party", since Sharyll and her family spent 3 weeks in Hawaii this summer. So we had a Luau! Catherine and Phillip were both at my house, and my dear friend, Vicki from Texas, flew in that afternoon for an 8 day visit.

Angela (Horak) and her mother-in-law, Marilyn, did all of the planning, shopping, decorating and cooking (OK, I helped choose the menu and paid for the food). What a spread! We had roast pork and barbeque chicken, coconut sweet potatoes, haupia (Hawaiian coconut pudding), shrimp cocktail, fruit kebabs with pineapple dip, 7-layer salad, coconut cake and pineapple upside down cake.

In attendance were: Angela and Aaron Horak (girls: Emily,11 and Elianna, 23 months), Marilyn Horak , Tim Coffey and Angela's mom, Jenny; Sharyll, Fred and Bekah Martin; Julia Smith; Catherine and Phillip Ippolito; Amy, Christopher, Vicki McMeans and ME!

The Happy (and FULL) party-goers!

The Girls' Club: (L-R) Julia, Vicki, Sharyll, Me, Amy, Catherine and Angela (behind in the window Bekah Martin, Emily Horak and Christopher -- who wanted to be in the picture -- hence the window as a background!)

Where in the world do I start?

Summer..........



I have been gone from this blog a long time! My excuse, feeble though it is, takes the form of something like "It's summer...not just any summer, but one of the mildest in memory... and I don't know what I'll be able to do outside next summer...and my computer doesn't like the sun and I do...and my computer likes the inflatable pool even less..." You get the idea. This summer has been phenomenal here in Indiana. We have only had about 2 weeks when it was "too hot to go outside" (like 9 months of the year is in Texas!). It has been delightful. I have what passes for a tan (for ME) and feel better emotionally, if not physically, for the time I've spent outside. Christopher, Amy and I have tried to go in the 10' x 30" pool daily as weather allowed and I'm committed to milking every last nice day of the season! Fall is beautiful, but it is still followed by WINTER (that bleak, gray, muddy season) when houses shrink and spirits fail...so VIVA SUMMER!

I'm Sill Here

I have company from Texas right now.. my dear friend, Vicki... but I am still around. Just BUSY and trying to get outside every chance I get!!! Above is a picture of me, Catherine and Christopher yesterday. Love, Claudia