It's cold out, so we don't go out much! 

I met Gretchen at St. Mary's College to visit Rachael. 

Brian and I go to Texas for the weekend to visit Cheryl and Brian.  We went to the Canton Trading Days. Made me wish we drove to Texas and had a trunk to fill up!  Brian said he's never seen a larger collection of fat shirtless men in overalls anywhere! 

Like that but with the tummy covered! 

We also meet up with Angela and Dena from my reading group.  I really got to know Angela when I made her horse hair jewelry site, Spirithorse Designs.  It's nice to finally meet in person someone you like so much through email. 

Brian's parents Mim & Norm celebrated 50 years of marriage. We met up with them, Barry and Brenda's families at a water park hotel in Schaumburg.

I really wish I could read my own writing on the calendar.  I think Barry and the kids came for an overnight. 

 OMG! It looks like I had a colonoscopy! 

I had my first Urologist appointment ever! I thought it would make feel old, but opening the door to the office and I was the only patient under 65, I felt quite the whipper snapper.

Barry and the kids came for a visit. Douglas had a swim meet at IUPUI. In case you are wondering how we say that in Indy.  
It's  U E Pew E 

Brian and I spend way too much money on Elton John/Billy Joel tickets, but find out they were worth every penny!  If you want to read more about that...go here!

Brian and the boys went into Chicago and met up with Norm, and they all took the train down to a White Sox game. Don't have a picture of that, but I do have an adorable one of Collin in his T-Ball shirt I ordered in the wrong size. 
It didn't shrink! 

I had some outpatient surgery, all you are getting out of me is that it worked!

I met a girlfriend who has two boys, named Ian and Collin, at Purdue for lunch and we all had lunch with my Ian.  Ian tells me after lunch he wants to transfer out of the Engineering program.  

To which I said, 

"When you brought home that great pin you made for me in your Sr. art class, I knew then you weren't an Engineer, you're too artistic. So I sort of knew this was coming."   

To which he said,

"Couldn't you of told me that before I took Calculus and Physics?"

He is now majoring in Computer Graphics Technology, or something like that. I'm hoping for some free software!  Well, if you can call tuition bills  free!  

May 4th we unexpectedly lost our beloved Montana, it was just heartbreaking, if you knew him, you knew he was the perfect dog.  

If you would like to read Montana's Page, just go here.

Cheryl's youngest son Brent got married to Rosebud. I was a bit of a wreck after Montana died and didn't feel like putting a fake smile on, and didn't go to the wedding. I thank God Cheryl loves her dogs as much as I do, and understood.  Makes me cry just writing about him still.  I do have some pictures from the wedding though!

The Best Sisters
in the World.
Renee, Cheryl and Georgia

The wedding was in Cheryl's back yard. Cheryl's other daughter in law Chandra, and grandson Brent were in the wedding. Brent is in a little Marine uniform Cheryl made. 

Cheryl and her Brian.  

Rosebud and Brent. 

Ian graduated from High School

I went to a Diana Gabaldon book signing and luncheon, and got to meet up with a bunch of good friends in Michigan.  At the luncheon I raffled off a "Brianna's Bracelet" from my jewelry collection, and raised about $700.00 for the Jackson County Michigan Library! 

The bracelet winner, Diana and me. 
(The cool thing was the winner of the bracelet started reading Diana's books on a recommendation I made on another reading group.)

This would be you don't see a lot of pictures of me, actually this one is a bit tamer. :-)

It's the first anniversary of Montana's death and the one year birthday of our wonderful Lola. She is the most dog like dog we have ever had.  Meaning, she will not bend to our every whim, although  nothing heals the heart like a puppy!

We also went to a concert in Chicago, it was the three guys from "Spinal Tap", one of our favorite movies, all grown up.

 It was great!  

 We we're a little nervous what they might sing, alas we worried for nothing. 

We went into Chicago for Zach's High School Graduation party.

Brian, Ian and I head to Purdue University to visit their Engineering school

In our mourning of  Montana, we booked a little vacation that we could take Lego with us.  It was on beautiful Lake Barkly in Kentucky. However our cabin we rented was not beautiful, it was covered in cobwebs, there were bugs everywhere!  

We learned an important lesson, don't book a cabin at a place just because their marina has a cool pontoon boat with a slide you can rent!

The place was bad, I lasted two nights, and we booked a hotel for the third night if the breeder said "no" to letting us pick up our puppy a day early we were getting on the way home.

We stop in Baghdad, KY to pick up our new furbaby!  We get there and there are 7 seven week old puppies out in the yard. We got to pick from two black females. That's a very hard thing to do!  We settled for the one with the biggest head!

That would be Lola!

Took a good three weeks for Lego to warm up to her. 

I have a puppy there is no living with me.

I have a good net friend in St. Louis that we became closer during the Obama campaign, and we decided if Obama won the election we would meet for lunch in Springfield, Illinois to celebrate!  

Brian and I left the day before and toured the capitol, new and old and the Lincoln Library. The next day we had lunch with Elaine, Larry and their kids Adam and Tati, and then all went to Lincoln's house.  We had the nicest weather, not to be out done by the company!  

Brian was suppose to go to Mexico for a week, but the swine flu broke out there a couple of weeks before and the trip was canceled.

Collin starts Drivers Ed!

Ian turns 19!
Michelle still standing.

Lego tolerates Lola!

Barry and the kids come for a visit. Barry, Brian and the kids spend the day at King's Island, where Barry screams like a girl.

Looks like Brian and the boys met up with Norm and did a Sox game. It's become an annual thing.  

Collin gets his braces off!  

OMG! They took his teeth too! 

We pack up the car with Ian's stuff. 

Drop him off to his dorm that's about the size of our master bath.
His roomie is on the left. 

We leave him there, and I don't cry until I blog about the day later that night.

Go Here! 

Ian once again starts school at Purdue. It was much easier this year. He got an apartment on campus with two other nice guys, and I didn't think he would want his mom there telling him where to put things.  Turns out I was right, the other two moms went and drove them all nuts! :-) 

Ian's Purdue table he made for the 2009-10 year. 

Meet up with Ian at Purdue for lunch.

Brian is in Chicago for a trade show.  Probably wants to trade in his wife.

Sometime in September Brian, Scotty and I met Renee and her NEW BOYFRIEND at a Diana Gabaldon signing in Dayton, Ohio.  Yes! I said NEW BOYFRIEND!  Georgia, Will and Lois met us for dinner at Mimi's Cafe, and we got to all check out Victor and give him our thumbs up or down.  
We all agreed.......two thumbs up!

He looks just like that guy Renee likes on "24".

Met Fr. Bill up in South Bend for our annual Hospice walk.  We walk one mile and burn approx. 25 calories.  Drive to Dairy Queen and eat 250 calories.

I get the opportunity to design some jewelry for fiction lovers, and make a website and graphics for the jeweler that sells it!

The Author's Attic Here! 

We go to the Indy Octoberfest.
Die Indianapolis Deutsch Ocktoberfest sucks!
We thought there would be a German music stage, there was, but the lady was singing a Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin song, I can't remember which.

October is such a wild month for us, and this year was no different.  

The second week Brian was at Orlando for a week for a conference.  Collin and I were jealous, and we couldn't find good enough deals on flights to meet Brian for the weekend. So we made some plans of our own for Disney!

The third week of October was the Hospice walk with Fr. Bill.  Then I was in Surrey for the yearly gathering for my net friends.  
Was home a few days and then...

the fourth week we were at Disney!   It was by far the HOTTEST Disney trip we have ever taken, Africa Hot!  But it was pretty dead and no lines, so that makes up for a lot! 

And The Author's Attic has a great year, we just had our 315th order!

I was out shopping one night and I hear my phone ring, which is sort of a rarity with me, seeing that either I can never hear it, or I forget it at home.

It's Brian. He says, "Lola has graduated from socks, she's got a pair of your underwear."

I said, " Where did she get those?" I bundled up laundry that day so I know there wasn't any on the floor at least. "Did you get them?"

Brian says, "No, she's outside in the backyard with them."

"You got to be kidding me, go get 'em!" I paused. "Is there a soccer game in the field, are there any neighbors out? Just go get 'em!"

Well, I was hoping if Lola was gallivanting around the yard with a pair of my panties they were at least a pretty pair with lace or something, thank God I don't own any thongs!

But no, just a CLEAN pair of plain cotton hipsters, not white, but almost as boring.... off white! Did I mention they were CLEAN 

Collin turns 15!

Scotty, a dear friend of ours who moved back to the midwest to escape his adult children, watched the dogs while we were at Disney, and did the frame work for some book shelves in the family room.  In November I found some trim I liked, he added it on, and then I painted.   Tah Dah! 

If you want to see from start to finish... go here! 

Collin turns 16!
Collin always picks white chocolate cheesecake for his cake.

Thanksgiving here at home, just us.  Then Saturday we celebrate with all the Moore's!  I finally get to meet Barry's new girlfriend Lorna!  We didn't know at the time we all met up at Thanksgiving that Lorna and Barry got engaged on Thanksgiving Day!  

Okay, that's not really Lorna.  So I just googled "Lorna" and found the closest I could find to Barry's Lorna.  This Lorna reminds me of her... very pretty! And she has a twin boy and girl, who are almost 7 and I want to steal them till they turn 9 and then Lorna can have them back. 

Brian spends a week in Chicago. I spend the week making cookie dough and then eating cookie dough.  My appearance changes drastically

Lola is spaded and has her dew claws removed. 

I decided last year after spending a week making cookies, that I would be taking a year off of manic cookie baking.  Instead just making a couple of favorites to have at the house for Christmas.  
I figured I will accomplish two things: 

1.  People will appreciate my cookies even more! :-)

2. I will not gain any cookie weight!

And that's about all I have for last year and this year.

Wishing you all the best Holidays ever!


Michelle, Brian, Ian, Collin, Lego and Lola