April 27th-I turn 50 on the 29th-hard to believe. My friend Debbie and I went out to eat the other night to celebrate both of our birthdays-we had a great time. Tomorrow- Emily, Carolyn and I are going out to dinner with the Grays( Bill, Lyland, Carolyn and Reid) to celebrate my birthday. It should be a good time. Chris was going to get me a new ipod for my birthday so I went ahead and got one for myself. It came in yesterday so I have been spending time ripping my cds to put them onto the ipod. It is a video ipod so I downloaded a movie and TV program to try them out-the picture quality is great, but the screen is only about 3 inches square.

School has been busy-we had state testing this week and have more of it the first of next week. Because the regular schedule is changed for testing the kids have been wild! It is hard to believe we only have a month of school left. The last day for students is May 30th. I am looking forward to spending time sitting out at the pool in the sun. The girls and I will be traveling to the Chicago area for my niece's wedding at the end of June. I am attending a conference in Florida for school in mid- July and we begin school in early August-summer will fly by!

It is weird with Chris not around, it is hard to believe he died almost 2 months ago. I have been busy doing all of the "paperwork" for insurance policies and changing accounts to just my name. Just when i think I have it all done, I think of another thing that needs to be change. Being the computer geek that I am, I'm trying to do as much as I can electronically-it is much faster than "snail mail."

Thank you to everyone for the cards -it has been overwhelming to see the all of the donations that have been made in memory of Chris-A fine tribute to a fine man. Thanks. Mary Jo

Emily and I had a great time on my Spring Break. We spent a quiet week with my family. I did a little shopping and a lot of knitting. I finished two books and watched several different movies. Julie , Emily and I did a bit of scrapbooking and I a lot of talking.
We had a long drive back to Kentucky on Sunday-Once I got us on to 65 South, Emily took over driving. It was nice being a passenger-Emily drove the rest of the way home. Today it is back to school. I've spent a bit of time catching up with everyone about their time off. I think I am the only one to encounter snow on Spring Break! I spent a bit of time going through all of the mail -yes, the paperwork was still waiting for my return. well, I am at school an have work waiting for me. I'll post again later. Take care. MJ

Here it is Friday of Spring Break and it is hared to believe our time is almost gone. Emily and I have had a quiet time. Reading and watching TV and sleeping in late. My sisters are taking good care of us. Last night Emily and I helped my sister Julie with some scrapbooking. We had a great time, but have a lot more to do. Yesterday after school. I helped my nephew Joey with a project for Social Studies-he made a mobile. It was great doing simple things. I have just about done all of the knitting I can do on the entrelac bag I am knitting. I have read 1.5 books and listened to one on CD on the way up in the car. The best part of this trip, is being able to visit with my mom, sisters and brothers. Tonight we will have pizza with my brother Patrick and his wife Nancy. That should be a lot of fun. Emily and I are getting ready to leave to spend the day shopping with my sister Meg and we will meet up with my sister Jane. This is the day Emily has been waiting for. . .a trip to Woodfield Mall -it is a huge Mall on three different levels, before the Mall of America, Woodfield was the largest Mall around. We should have a good day-hopefully not too expensive! Too soon we will return to Kentucky and back to the paperwork! Fortunately, I have had a relaxing week and it shouldn't be too bad facing the paperwork wait for me. Have a good day. Take Care. MJ

It is hard to believe we are already in April. Where has the time gone? Things are settling a bit since Chris died, but there is still a lot to do. I have done much of the paper work and am now waiting to hear from some of the companies I contacted. I do so much on the computer that "snail mail" seems to take an eternity. School has been a bit wild-it usually is right before a break. Friday can not come soon enough. Emily and I (and maybe Carolyn) will leave for the Chicago area late afternoon on Easter Sunday. We will drive for several hours and then stop and continue our trip on Monday. I am hoping to avoid Chicago rush hour. on Monday It will be good to have a week where I don't have to do anything. I plan on reading , knitting and needlepointing-nothing that requires much thought. Of course Emily may have other plans. It will just be good to be away for awhile.
Emily and I took the dogs to the groomer's today to get "fluffed and puffed" -it is always an experience taking the dogs on a "road trip" Patches, the mutt, tries to climb into the front seat-he usually ends up perching on Clancy's back in the rear seat, puts his front paws on the arm rest between the front seats and breathes down my neck. It makes for interesting driving.
We have received so many notes and cards-what a wonderful testament to Chris. Take Care. MJ