Hope Everyone is Ready for Christmas!!!

Hello all - I think I've shared in the past that I enjoy reading (lurking) blogs. Today I was visiting a blog that I enjoy very much http://athomewiththefarmerswife.blogspot.com/ and she has a video posted that I enjoyed! It is on todays post (Dec 22) and it's the second video - she has written: Kelly can teach us all something.......

All you ladies - look at it and know that I want that for all of us in this family. I love you all (okay you guys too), and wish we were closer.

Brenda - Dave and I are praying for John! Keep us informed!

Cory & Tiffs Wedding

The Beautiful Bride
Getting Ready Cutting of the Cake!

My Future Hubby and I!

Tessa and Bryan!

Jeremy & Brittany Hartman

I know it's early...

But if I don't have your mailing address, would you please forward it to me if you'd like to receive our holiday card this year. Thanks!

And I can't wait to see the picture Ciara.

Cara :)

Hello Everyone!

Hey, I figured it had been a little while since I had gotten on here and posted, so I better update everyone with what is going on! As you all know, Cory got married last weekend! The wedding was beautiful and we all partied and danced the night away! I will put up pictures tonight when I get home from work! I also bought my wedding dress last weekend! I would post pictures of that as well, but then my fiance might see it and that wouldn't be good. Other than that all the wedding stuff is coming along greatly! :) We have booked our location and have our bridal party all picked out! Miss you all!!

Please.....................

Please talk, please. Is anyone else busy already getting ready for Thanksgiving?? I got a big ole 20.25 lb butterball in the freezer already. I want to get a turkey breast too, so I can send some leftovers home with some. I've made sugar cookies already - found these cute cookie cutters shaped like maple, oak, and acorns. Finished the biscotti, now I'm working on pecan tarts. Our freezer is burstin'.

Dave and I are going to Charlottesville, Virginia for the weekend. We've never been to Monticello and after really enjoying the HBO series John Adams, we decided we need to go see Thomas Jefferson's home. I'll take pictures of course. It's supposed to be pretty cold Saturday, probably Sunday too!

Okay, please share, I'll be good - I'll try not to let so much time go by.

I Miss You Guys!

Sigh, I need to be with you all! I need to hear from you all! Thanks Tim! Funny how this is my favorite time of year - it's beautiful, on my drive to work I cross a little "body of water" on a one lane bridge - I think the creek is called Winters Run. There are trees hanging over the road and meeting overhead. When the wind blows all the autumn colored leaves flutter down, I took some pictures, but since I've inherited Rachel's old laptop, I haven't figured out how to down/upload photos yet. Before I share more, I want to show you a picture that my niece emailed me - when my sister in Florida was here last fall, my other sister and her family (who live in Frederick, Maryland) came over. My nephews wife is a photographer, so she brought her camera(s). We decided to have each family grouping dress differently - in white, in black and crazy in purple. Anyway, Rose sent the "goofy" family picture.

Rose cracked me up, she wrote "I've got no idea what Uncle Dave is doing." ha ha ha

I let myself get "down" this month - my 54th birthday was last week and I was dwelling on my mother's death. She went in the hospital for the last time on her 54th birthday, she died three weeks later. I think of her and how relatively young I am and I just grieve again for her loss. Bear with me, I miss her so much. There is no other woman like your mother. I know not all mothers are the same ..... but.....

Then, the same week as my birthday, my boss called me in to his office and boom the economy has struck home. My hours have been cut, I now work 3 days a week. After my initial bad attitude, and Dave's encouragement, I realize, this is okay, I'm off Fri, Sat, Sun and Mon every week. There's lots I like to do at home, so I can handle this. The situation is to be "revisited" after the first of the year. My hopes are not very high.

But in all this I have many, many blessings! My family is coming to my home for Thanksgiving! We will have another crazy photo shoot courtesy of Heather! My husband loves and supports me (and is very excited about dinner being on the table when he gets home from work 2 days out of 5). It will just take a little longer to pay off the kitchen remodel. It's only money.

God is in control. I share this all the time, now I must practice the words I share!

Ciara - I can't say how much I enjoyed your post about the marriage proposal! I was reading it outloud to people. How romantic! I'm so happy for you. You look absolutely BLISSSFUL!

Rachel is racking up those air miles. Rich has reservations to fly to Philly on Thanksgiving Day. But his leave hasn't been approved yet, if it is not approved, she will fly to Texas. I hope and hope his leave is approved, both because his family would love him to be home for Thanksgiving, and because I hate the thought of Rach sitting in airports on Thanksgiving Day. Ugh.

Helllloooooooo!!??

This is very rare that I make two posts in a row. I guess everyone just got busy......or maybe Cindy got tired of pushing.......I hope not. We need you, Cindy. You understand us, and all of our quirks. You know how to make us talk!

Well, having made my plea to Cindy....let me tell you all what is going on with us. Not much..








Just kidding. We made it through the election (Merideth and I voted early). Although we voted for the "other guy", we are optimistic about the future of our great land. We will pray for President Obama as we would for any and all of our leaders. It is our hope that he is all that he said that he is, and that he is able to unite us for a common cause......America!

We, like the rest of you are concerned about the immediate and long-range future of our economy, and our way of life. These are definately troubled times.

So much for the political stuff. Cory and Tiffany are getting married on the 14th (just a week away). So things are ramping up just a little. They seem at ease with the plans......they are heading to Seattle this weekend for a Company party. After the wedding at the country club, they are heading to LA to catch a Cruise Ship to the Mexican Riviera for a week-long honeymoon.

Jeremy and Brittany are doing well. They have settled back into their regular routine, and are growing together as a married couple.

Ciara and Shane are coming down this week for the wedding. Ciara will be home on Tuesday. She and her mom are going out to look for a wedding dress, and to do some planning for the May 9th event. Shane will join us on Friday, and I think that they are heading home on Sunday.

Tessa has just a few more weeks of school left.....then State Boards......then off to work! We are so excited......oops, I mean she is so excited! She and Bryan are doing well.

Merideth and I are just in LOVE, and busy planning our future (69 months until the big event).

We hope that all is well with each of you.

Love to all, and Happy Holidays.

Tim and Merideth

Ohhhhhh Cindy,

That was funny! I was just going through my e-mails and got to the last "new" merger (bang-bang back at cha).

Yeah, we got the pictures of the proposal, the ring, and the happy couple. Merideth and I could not be happier with Shane. He is a good man and treats Ciara like a princess (when she deserves it), most of the time. We knew that he was the "right" guy when we first met him. The way those two are together, their happiness, the look in their eyes, and all of those outward signs that someone is in love.

So, Jeremy and Brittany are happily married, Cory and Tiffany are anxiously waiting (Nov. 14), Ciara will be married in May, and Tessa just turned 21. I am not sure about Merideth, but I am starting to contemplate middle age. I am really no where near it, but just starting to think about what it might be like.

Love to all for now.......I gotta get back to work

Tim

Announcement!

So I have an announcement to make, as of today, I am engaged to the most amazing guy in the world! I am going to be a Luke! Shane proposed today, he took me up in the mountains to where we had our first date! He was very sneaky, we went up to go "elk hunting" and help his younger brother find an elk! When his brother wasn't there, I just started looking around the mountains through the spotting scope to find some elk. Shane had taken a little walk to "use the restroom" and then when he came back he wanted me to look and see where they were planning on hiking for the deer hunt. Then he pointed out this green poster off a distance in the trees; I was having the hardest time making out what it said. Then finally I made out the word "Marry" and know what was going on. I turned around and Shane was on his knee with a ring in hand and asked me to be his wife! Of course my answer was a tear filled YES!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited! The sign that Shane made me!!
My Beautiful Ring!!!!!
My future hubby and I right after the proposal!!!!

German Fest 08

I thought I'd share our German Fest photos from this weekend! We had lots of fun!!

Not Much

Well, there's no news, but I miss you all. Wish we could/would talk more.

It's definitely cooled down here, really feels like fall. I went for a walk after work today and my neighbor's tree was dropping buckeyes, I picked up a bunch to put in a bowl with some acorns and pine cones, it will make a nice fall decoration. I like fall. Tomorrow I'm making Cheddar Chowder for dinner, one of our favorite soups. I'm going to go to Panera Breads and see if I can buy some of their bread bowls to serve it. Just thought I'd share.

Dave has his truck loaded up with "stuff" to take to the dump. It feels good to clean out, but I'm such a pack rat that Dave really has to prod me to part with "stuff."

Dave and Rachel are both off and running with their teaching -- both come home and are busy preparing at home. I tell you - they earn their pay.

I did send the card that we all signed for Aunt Gail's birthday - and a large copy of the photo at the top of the blog with everyone identified and everyone's address. Knowing Aunt Gail alot of you have probably heard from her already. She's a pistol - 81 and tarp as a shack!

Doesn't anybody want to talk?

So many stories

Cara - I've heard the saying (and I probably won't get it right), that children are God's way of saying the world should go on.



Thanks for sharing your memory(ies). Hearing (reading) others stories gives me a little glimpse into their (your) life (I AM NOSEY). The more stories I hear (read) the more I realize that this is a small world we live in.

Here's something a little different, watch this waterfall! I enjoyed this, I have emailed it to some of you.

http://www.noob.us/miscellaneous/creative-waterfall/

My 9/11 recollections...

9/11 brings a mix of joy and sadness for me...

At the time, we were living in Maine and I was telecommuting for a mutual fund company. I was an adjuster so I was waiting for Wall Street to open that morning so my system would update with the closing prices from the day before. I was logged into our department's chat room and a friend told me to turn the tv on. So I went into the living room and began to watch the madness. Needless to say, Wall Street didn't open that day, or for days after that, so I was on standby and had nothing to do.

We had offices in the twin towers - and 328 company employees died in New York. There were also Boston employees, 2 in fact, that died on the plane that left Boston. Needless to say, it was a sad day for my colleagues and their families.

However, I was also 9 months pregnant at the time. And with nothing to do for work, I found myself sitting on the couch watching LOTS of news. So much in fact that I went into labor 2 weeks before my due date. So after 2 days of labor, Emma was born on 9/13/2001.

So this time of year while sad, is also joyous for me. Every year I can see the beauty of the world's potential in my growing child admist the madness of religious intolerance.

Cara :)

Thanks

Tim - I just finished reading your post (to Dave too). I must admit, I hadn't thought about you first responders across the country and the impact and perspective you all had.

Thanks for sharing.

Anybody else?

I'll never forget........

I was on my way to work and had stopped into 7-11 for a cup of coffee. I was in uniform, so the clerk asked if I had heard about the plane crash. After a short conversation, I left with the same impression that Cindy had; I though that it must have been a small plane, surely a Cesna or something along those lines. When I got to work a few minutes later, Gene (the fella that I was relieving) was glued to the TV. I knew Gene well enough to know that he almost never has the TV on in the morning, much less sits in front of it.

Anyway, Gene looked up at me and said "can you believe this #@$&" (Gene doesn't curse much either). I stood there in absolute disbelief at what I was seeing, it just couldn't be happening!

As the minutes passed, I began to think about what our brothers (FDNY) must be going through and what an insurmountable task lay before them. It was about then that the second plane hit. I remember sitting there in the chair.......breathing.......breathing.......at least I must have been breathing since I'm still here. Then I became aware of the phone ringing, ringing, ringing. It was my workday calling! I had completely forgotten where I was.

The next thing that I remember is crying when the Tower 2 came crashing down. There must be hundreds, if not thousands of people in there! I wondered immediately how many firefighters must have been caught in the collapse. I remember thinking that the other one is coming down in a few minutes......get out....GET OUT!

I spent the rest of the day driving from station to station and doing some peer counseling. As you can imagine, our gang was pissed! Many of them wanted BLOOD, and they wanted it NOW! How could anyone do this to America....to civilians.......to our FDNY Brothers! Most were in shock. We had a difficult time understanding what had just happened, much less trying to make some sense of it.

I can't tell you how many times I talked with Merideth and the kids that day. It's all kind of a blur after that morning. But, I know that we found some solace in each others voice. I remember for days afterwards, the absence of airplanes in the sky. And, even more so......the first time that I saw an airliner after the flight ban was lifted. For months, each time I heard a jet overhead I would look up and wonder......is it happening again?

The next morning I went home and cried with Merideth as we watched New Yorkers suffer through the disaster. We had some of our folks that were deployed to assist with the initial searches at ground zero, and wondered what they must be going through.

Yesterday, and each September 11th since 2001 I get to participate in a memorial ceremony at the New York / New York Hotel along with about a hundred local firefighters. I can tell you that each year....the emotions are there. And, that I will never forget the day that 3,000 innocent civilians were murdered and 343 fireman died in the line of duty.

Thanks for letting me share.

Tim

Remembering

Hey you guys, I know I've told you that I enjoying reading blogs. Today a lot of my favorites are remembering 9-11. One I just read was sharing what she was doing that day. It made think, I wonder what the Hartman families were doing that day. So, I'm going to share "where I was when the world stopped turning...." (thanks Alan Jackson)

I was working as a part-time secretary at our church, and I was the only one in the building that day (something that rarely happens). I had the radio on, listening to a local country music station. They interrupted the program to say that a plane had just crashed into one of the world trade center buildings. In my head I imagined a small private plane and was thinking maybe the pilot had gotten sick, heart attack or something like that.

I continued working and not much later you know what happened. Now I was stunned, shocked and suddenly I had a thought I'd never had before in my life - "we are under attack." We - the United States. I called Dave - he was at work and had gone into the conference room at his work where they had a television and had seen the second plane fly into the other tower. We were on the phone with each other - but not saying anything - just needed to be aware of each other's presence. I wondered about Rachel at school. I was anxious for the work day to be over and be at home with my own little family. That evening we watched hours of coverage and just prayed and held onto each other.

Just typing this gives me such a sense of heaviness, sadness, I want to cry and mourn for all those lost.

Tell me where you were......

Wedding

The wedding was tons of fun! Everything was beautiful and the bride couldn't have looked more stunning! Unfortunately like my dad already stated, I as well did not get any pictures, however my Aunt Steph did and I stole a few of them to post on here! Hopefully there will be more soon!

Her dress was amazing! She designed the whole thing and wow did she ever look amazing!! She is the newest Hartman!!Tessa and my little cousin Shelby! I am not sure if any of you remember her from the trip to Florida! But she has definitely grown up!! They look beautiful!!
Party Time! The bride was able to take off the bottom part of her dress that way she could have herself a good time! Can anyone say "YMCA?"

!!

Whew!!!!!

I can't believe that it's finally over. We have a new daughter-in-law! The wedding itself was beautiful.....the bride was gorgeous (and as is typical........late), the groom was admittedly nervous (and very handsome), the setting was breath-taking, the weather was near perfect, the guests were plentiful and joyful. All-in-all it was a wonderful day! We visitied with good friends, and danced the night away. We took our camera and our video camera, but didn't take a single picture (too busy). I am certain that there will be some pictures to post soon.

In the meantime, welcome to Brittany Joy (Rodriguez) Hartman!

Congrats can be sent to jbandbj@hotmail.com


Love to all,
Tim and Merideth

Congratulations to

Mr. & Mrs.

Jeremy Blair Hartman

Brittany and Jeremy,

Dave and I wish we could be there to see the rest of your love story. We are looking forward to seeing the photos that Ciara has promised. Remember, if you want to visit the East Coast (and this goes for anyone in the family), we are here and welcome you!

Congratulations again, best wishes for the joy filled life you will have together!
Love - Uncle Dave & Aunt Cindy

Wedding

So tomorrow is the big day for Jeremy and Brittany! We are all super excited!! I am getting ready to head down to So. Utah in about an hour! I will post tons of pictures as soon as I get back! Sure wish you all could be there! Love you all tons!!

Some New Pictures

Mom and Dad recently flew in from Belguim and we traveled up from Louisiana to North Carolina and met at Caryn's. Here are some pictures we took while we were there!!

Oh and another thing

Geesh, I forgot to add to my last post that Marla and Hutch need everyone to think seriously about their plans for next summer because they will need to reserve some cabins soon. So please think about this!!! Have you looked at the site yet? I think we will have a great time at the park and doing outings! Please give it a look soon!

Hello Family....

I just finished a nice chat with Marla and by the way tomorrow is Aunt Gail's 81st birthday - she will be receiving the card we all signed for her in Texas. We were talking about the reunion in Pennsylvania next year. Here is a web site to visit

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/moraine.aspx

This is the site for the Moraine State Park - go there and click on all the wonderful information - they show pictures of the cabin (even interior shots), list all kinds of fun things to do - below are some items that I have "cut and pasted" from the web site:

Fishing: The 3,225-acre Lake Arthur is a warm-water fishery. Common species are northern pike, large mouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie and bluegill. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stocks muskellunge, walleye, channel catfish and hybrid striped bass.

Crescent Bay Boat Rental: On the South Shore, just past Pleasant Valley Beach and about one mile from the park office, the concession is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Single and double kayaks, paddle boats, canoes, small motor boats, run-a-bout motorboats, sailboats, and four sizes of pontoon boats are available for rent. Items for sale include gasoline, fishing bait, and prepackaged snacks and refreshments. 724-368-9955 www.moraineboatrentals.com

Lake Arthur Wildlife

Lake Arthur provides over forty miles of scenic shoreline. Its tributaries include Muddy Run, Big Run, Swamp Run, Bear Run and over 75 intermittent streams. Ranging from an average depth of 11 feet to about 36 feet deep near the dam, the shallow waters are home to a variety of warm-water fish. Frogs, newts, turtles and water snakes prowl the edges of the lake. The tall great blue heron, and the small belted kingfisher prey on minnows and fish fry. In early spring, common loons stop at the lake on their migration north.
Osprey may be seen flying over Lake Arthur. Once extirpated from Western Pennsylvania, these “fish hawks” have been reintroduced to Moraine through a hacking program begun in 1993. The first osprey pair to nest along Lake Arthur as a result of the reintroduction effort raised three young in 1996. Bald eagles have also been spotted nesting in the area.
A waterfowl observation deck is along old Route 422.

*******************************************************

Marla says the park is probably a 4 hour drive to Niagara Falls - so easily a trip we can do. She also said there are wine trails nearby in New York. Two hours from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

There's more, but I can't remember all she said - I just know Dave and I are already excited and HOPE HOPE HOPE that bunches of you all will be able to come too. Go ahead, check out the site I included here!

In other news - Dave and Rachel start back to school tomorrow - poor babes - some of us have had to continue working all summer - sigh.

Love you all bunches and bunches!

Hey Tim

Tim so you are a sore loser. Are you? SO SAD! I had fun ,sorry I had to let you down.Better luck next time. LOVE YA, DEBRA

My sister

My sister cat had 7 kittys but this one died after 3 days.

mom & puppies

more puppy pics

New puppys

Puppys for sale $FREE

Reunion was a blast!!

Destiny Rae and her beautiful drawing of Uncle Tim, "The Pig!"

Uncle Gary and Uncle Dave playing some Chess! Oh the fun things we did!!
Dad and Jonathan playing horseshoes! Watch out, don't walk in front you might get a horseshoe to the face!!
All the youngsters after catching the minos!
Sitting out by the campfire and roasting marshmallows! It was such a blast!!
I have a lot more pictures! Just e-mail me if you want me to send more!! love you all!!

I can't wait till next time.........

What a great time we all had. Merideth and I talked and talked about the family and the adventures........then, we got home and back to reality. Jeremy and Brittany are getting married in 30 days, and the cabin (mountain) is no where near ready. We are heading up again tomorrow to spend about 10 days. Hopefully, we'll be able to get alot accomplished.

Jeremy had an accident (not that kind Cindy) on Tuesday. He was pulling a trailer loaded with mountain supplies, heading out of town. It had just rained so the freeway was a little wet. Anyway, to make a long story short he spun out, and hit the center divider. He is OK, but the truck is most likely totalled. Just a little stress added to an otherwise un-stressful time. He is taking it very well and is even a little excited about the prospect of a new truck. He and Brittany are working non-stop on the last minute details for the wedding.

Cory and Tiffany are way ahead of the power curve. Their planning is all done, and they are just waiting patiently for the 14th of November to roll around. Unfortunately, we have been out of town and have not seen them lately. Cory just had a birthday (24) and he thinks he is all grown up now.......I tend to agree. He just bought a new truck........at least he says its a truck. He bought a Dodge (do they still make trucks). They are busy taking care of their horses and doing the things that young couples do.

Ciara is posting, so you know what she is up to. She also just had a birthday (23). Miss you sweetie!

Tessa is now a Senior at Euphoria School of Cosmetology. She is becoming quite the stylist. She and Brian are doing great. Brian is on a new project at work that gets him up at 3:30, so they haven't been able to see each other as much as they would like to. Her birthday (21) is coming up in October.

But hey.......back to Texas. It was wonderful to spend some "quality time" with all of you. The stories, laughter, and bonding is what reunions are all about.....dysfunctional or otherwise. I think I'm still a little sore from the whiffle ball, and I'm alot sore that Debrah beat me head-to-head in poker. Merideth and I are planning to go to PA next summer to see the "cousins". Hopefully you guys can make it there too. I sent an e-mail to Helen about reserving the place for 2010, and am waiting for a reply.

Pam.........please post!

Love to all,
Tim & Merideth

Woo Hoo Ciara!

You know how to make your favorite auntie happy!!!! Great job posting and your catalog will be in the mail shortly!

Hey this is the Hartman Herald! Please share what's happening in your life! I want to know and I'm sure everyone else in the family does too! Jennifer & Paul - I so want to see photos of your family - it's been a long time. Chris & Alicia - your babies too! I know Nick and Becky are expecting and have their own blog - but please post here too! Okay Pam - you gave us some beautiful pics of your granddaughters - what beautiful little ladies they are - but I want MORE!! Come on the rest of you! We can stay close - just take a few minutes (and if you need get your children and/or grandchildren to help you with this new fangled technology!)

Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Ohio, Maryland, Utah, Texas, Nevada, Oregon, California, what's that country Bill and Diane are in? We are all over the place - but we can stay in touch! I'm pleading now! YOU ARE MY FAMILY and I so loved my time with you all in Texas (and those who weren't there - yea we talked about you and loved you in absentia [spelling suspect]) I need to keep this connection!

Okay, all this begging pleading and neediness could be avoided ya know.

Hey Everyone~

So I figured I better get on here and blog or Aunt Cindy might get a little upset! :) I am so glad that I got to do down to reunion, I don't know about all of you, but I had a blast! Aunt Cindy, the pictures are adorable! I love them! I will post some pictures that I took! Jason and Jen, both Addison and Mason are adorable, and don't worry Davey, Destiny is just as cute! :) I love you all tons! Ohh and Aunt Cindy, I am really hoping I was included in that mailing of the catalog, I am really wanting to see everything in the catalog! If not, then I will just have to steal my mothers next time I go home! Hope everyone is doing well! Oh and Aunt Cindy thanks for the movie review, I can't wait to go see it!!!

Movie Review!!!!!

Okay, we had date night tonight - dinner and a movie - yes, it was only McDonalds (because the line was too long at Chick-fil-A) - but the movie - wow.

"Mamma Mia!!!! " At first Dave said, "this is silly" but then I heard him gut belly laughing a few moments later. We did notice that most of the attendees in the theatre were "middle-aged women" and a few brave men (Dave chief amongst them). We laughed, we sang along alot, I sniffled, and we both really enjoyed it. I think I'll be buying it when it comes out.

Okay family, please chat with me and all of us in the process!

Love ya! Cin (& Dave)

Yahoo Brenda!

Outstanding - I love hearing/reading from everyone else. Glad you got the CD - Dave and I had a blast printing the case covers! I know there are some real "ssshhhaaakkkyyyy" pictures! I'm still trying to learn all settings on the camera.

Tell Jen if she is interested in becoming a demonstrator there is a conference call on Sunday and she is more than welcome to join in the call - no commitment - just to get more information. I have already mentioned her to my leader. And that goes for anyone else interested (if you are reading this). Just give me a call.

I love that Mason and Addison had to be deprogrammed!! Ha ha! And that Destiny, she misses us huh! Let me know what she thinks of the pictures! We sent picture cds to Pam & Louie, and Hutch & Marla.

Debra called me today - her dog had 7 puppies! I hope she takes pictures and puts them on the blog! I love puppies - good thing we don't live there!!

Dave has training everyday next week, then just one more week before school starts. It's been tough leaving for work every morning with Dave and Petey still lounging in the bed!

Okay that's enough for now! Brenda keep coming back and posting - the rest of you too! Let's keep in touch!!

GOT THE CD

YOU ARE THE OFFICIAL PICTURE TAKER. GREAT JOB! SOME FUZZIES BUT STIL A FANTASTIC JOB, CONSIDERING I DIDN'T EVEN TAKE OUT MY CAMERA. MASON AND ADDISON ARE DOING GREAT AFTER A COUPLE OF DEPROGRAMING DAYS. THEY ARE COMING OVER THIS WEEKEND AND WILL REALLY ENJOY THE PICTURES. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ONE ALREADY. CINDY I RECEIVED YOUR CATALOG AND ALREADY HAVE A FEW THINGS IN MIND. I'LL PLACE AN ORDER AFTER JEN COMES THIS WEEKEND.
I KNOW I HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE REUNION I HOPE EVERYONE ELSE DID TOOOO!!
DESTINY WAS A LITTL BUMMED WHWN SHE AWOKE TUES. AND MOST EVERYONE WAS GONE. SHE SAID I WOULD HAVE TO TELL HER MOM WHAT ALL SHE DID BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T REMEMBER IT ALL. CINDY-- I'M BLOGGING, SEE I DO REMEMBER HOW. SEE YA.

Just a few more words now

Dave put picture cds in the mail today to everyone. Be on the look out for them! Come on now - let me hear from you! Love you all!

Just a few more....

The facilities were very nice - this outhouse right outside the barn was new!

Destiny says "a little privacy please!"

"do you think I can sit at the grown-up table?"

This was a serious discussion! Hmmm, what shall we do now? Shall we go down to the river and catch minnows, collect snail shells, how 'bout run bases for the old uns, or shall we ask for more s'mores on the fire? Naw, let's get more Texas hold 'em lessons...

Can there be too many Hartmans in a kitchen?

There was so much good food and as far as we know, no loss of digits.

A couple more pictures!

What an adorable family - oh that Mason - how is he doing without us Jen and Jason?????

Uncle Gary instructing the children, "never count your money while you're sittin' at the table..."

Father and son checker match - Davey looks on, the suspense is intense!

No clue what this discussion could be - Uncle Dave

discussing the pathagorian therom? I don't

even know how to spell that! But the children's

eyes appear glazed over!

Now this is chillin!

Hmmmmm? Brudder love?

The Party's Over........

What I learned in Texas:

1. It's HOT

2. I like Armadillo Eggs!

3. I like Aunt Brenda's crackers!

4. Uncle Dave (Trester) is a trouble maker and a hoot!

5. Aunt Meredith and Jeremy are gourmet cooks!

6. Destiny likes to collect "things" in her bug net!

7. The cowboys at the long horn steer drive in Ft. Worth are "c d" employees.

8. Mason is tooooooo cccuuuuuttttteeeeee.

9. Gary makes a mean s'more on the open fire for his boys!

10. We miss you all after only one day, we had such a wonderful time, playing, eating, sharing, loving and can't wait until the next time!!!

P.S. More photos on the blog to come, plus copies on cd will be put in the mail. Oh and girls, the new catalogs will be in the mail soon!

announcement

hey guys....check out our blog for a reunion that hutch and i would like to plan for next year....sign up and give us your opinion, suggestions and props!!! =) hope the reunion this weekend went well for everyone!!! =) much love,
Caryn

Get ready 'cause here we come.......

Our bags are packed, we are excited! This time tomorrow we will be settled in and looking forward to seeing more family!

Sweet memories!

Oh Cara, thanks for posting that picture! It's sweet because I can remember that visit and that morning. I wish you all could be at the reunion. Dave is already talking about what he hopes we do in two years! He said he wouldn't mind going back to Branson! That was fun. But we were also thinking about Tennessee - Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, outlets! I imagine everyone will be talking about that in about ten days or so.



We are piling stuff up that is to go to reunion - gathering things - new shorts, sandals, pictures, cameras. How 'bout mosquite repellant - hey all you Texans - are the mosquitos a problem down there? How's the weather right now - I'm expecting hot and humid - am I right? Any suggestions before we depart?

Old Picture

Hey family. Look what I found...



I was looking for some stuff in my photo boxes for a scrapbooking project and I came across this photo. Thought you would enjoy it.

We won't be able to make the reunion this month. We have to have the floor and toilet replaced in our bathroom and the only time he can do it is that weekend.

Have some fun for us!

Cara :)

Their New Adventure - My Nostalgia

Well, this photo was right before I said goodbye

and started crying! They are on the way to San Antonio, when we get to Glen Rose next month for the reunion Rachel will fly back with us. I can only imagine how difficult that will be for her.

I told Dave this morning that I miss "our adventures." Taking 30 days leave and driving all over the country. Getting excited when we got new orders and immediately going to Family Services and checking out the file on the next base and studying the area and what new places we would have to explore.

I need more adventures in my life!

So excited!!

Hey everyone!

I am so excited for reunion! I can't wait! As my dad said, I have bought my plane ticket and I am for sure coming!! I was lucky enough that my work schedule just happened to fall right into place! :-) I will be flying out on thursday afternoon and coming home early monday morning!!

Just to keep everyone updated, I only have 2 more days left on my training at work and then I will officially be out on my own taking calls as a 911 dispatcher!! I am so excited! The training process has been long and rough at times, but so worth it! I have had some awesome calls and some really funny ones as well! I will have to fill everyone in on some of my funny calls at reunion! I cant wait to see everyone!!

Ohh and just so everyone knows, if you are interested, I have my own blog just to keep everyone updated on whats going on with my adventure of being out on my own!! :) It is swaraslife.blogspot.com feel free to check it out! Love you all!!

We are READY!!!!

Tickets in hand........and our bags are packed. Well, OK the bags aren't packed yet. And, we don't actually have our tickets "in hand" yet. But, we are ready to go to Texas! Ciara and Jeremy have made their arrangements and will be staying for most of the time (not sure about Brittany yet). Tessa is still unsure about her dude's work schedule. And, Cory and Tiffany don't have the vacation time.

Merideth and I will be arriving the afternoon of the 15th and leaving the morning of the 22nd. Our only plans for the 7 days are to have a good time with y'all.

Yeeehaaaaa!!

Love you all,
Tim and Merideth

Congratulations 2Lt Cuddhy

Today we had the great pleasure and honor of being apart of Rich's commissioning. He asked Dave to give him the oath (evidently an officer must be given the commissioning oath by another officer - Dave is a retired USAF Capt). So at 8:30 am we were at Cole Field House at the U of MD.

We then drove to Arlington VA to the Air Force Memorial - what a beautiful site - overlooking the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery, the monuments in Washington. Just beautiful, there was a ceremonial commissioning there and the pining on - Rachel got the help pin on those gold bars with Rich's parents and grandmother. It was a very happy occasion. It brought back memories of Dave's pining on - Dave's Mother and Grandmother and I put on his gold bars.

This is the memorial - the ceremony was right between the three "vapor trails" (not sure what exactly to call them).

Then the celebratory dinner at this restaurant - talk about character! It is right next to the College Park Airport. We were told that it is the oldest operating airport in the WORLD. We were also told that because of it's close proximity to D.C. that only a very few private planes use it - and they are registered with the secret service. hmmmmm.

The decor inside the restaurant was all old WWI and WWII photographs and memorabilia. There were several plans outside, including this one.

It was just a delightful day.

Dave was up at 5 a.m. and I can hear him in the living room now - snoring.

How smart is YOUR RIGHT FOOT??

1. WITHOUT anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY……) and while sitting where you are in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make Clockwise Circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number “6″ in the air with your Right Hand.
Your foot will change direction.


Ha ha ha ha ha - how easily entertained am I!!!!!!!

How is everyone!?

Hey, I figured it had been awhile since I had posted anything on here to update everyone what is going on with the new job! As most of you know, I am currently a 9111 dispatcher for the city of Provo, UT!! I have had some very comical calls! One that I find very humerous, I was talking to a caller that stated he had just witnessed someone hit two deer... the caller said he had been making fun of the individual that hit the two deer and he had said he didn't understand how someone could manage to hit one deer, much less two! Then, about 200 yds away, the caller himself managed to hit two deer! We all know what they say about Kharma!! :) Anyways, I am loving my job! I have 3 more weeks of training and then I will be out o my own! Kind of scary, however, also very exciting! I am not sure if my dad let anyone know, I also received my schedule for the month of July and it does look like I will be able to attend reunion!! Whoo hoo!! Well I guess that is it for now, I hope to hear how everyone else is doing soon!! Love you all!!

Confession (not really)

Well, Rachel says I'm addicted, but is that bad? Since I've found out about blogs - I have discovered quite a few that maybe I really am addicted to - I just enjoy reading them every day (okay, and sometimes more than once a day). They want me (us) to read them. And I'm gonna share them with you guys:

http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

http://www.wonderfulworldofweiners.blogspot.com/

http://www.beccasfreshfruit.blogspot.com/

http://www.godsgraceinpractice.blogspot.com/

Okay, that's enough for now - don't want to overwhelm ya'll.

So, where are you all? I really want to talk to you! Please come on and talk. Did I tell you that we've made our airline reservations, car reservations already for July? I was thinking that's a good move with the price of gas - locked in our ticket price. Now I hear we may be charged for each piece of luggage. This could be our last "big" vacation, sigh.

Everyday as I drive to and from work I take a little short cut on a country rode and I drive over this little one lane bridge, it crosses over a little creek, I think it's called "Winters Run". Anyway, I've been taking pictures of it once a week to see how green everything's getting. Now I'm sharing it with you.

Okay, come on and let me hear from you!

Whirlwind Weekend Part II - Washington D.C. on Saturday

We had absolutely beautiful weather! It's like Cory must have brought spring weather from Nevada with him. Dave got a GPS for his birthday, so the boys sat up front and got the new toy plugged in and ready to go.

Rachel and I were in the back seat - me documenting the trip (Rachel telling me that it really wasn't necessary to document her - tee hee hee). Notice the starbucks frappuccino (sp?) - Cory had one also. Dave and I were more aware of the potential need for potty breaks. Older bladder control?


So off we go to the College Park (U of Md) Metro Station. We get our fare cards and hop on. I, of course, need to document Cory standing for his first Metro/Subway ride.

First stop - Union Station (huge train station). We walk across the street the Post Office Museum - where of course we visit the Capitol City Brewery. They have samples in cute little glasses of all the beers they brew.

Just to be polite, people taste the samples......

Back across the street to Union Station, back on Metro and next stop Smithsonium/Mall and assorted monuments.

Washington Monument - 897 steps - Dave says he walked up it when we got married, his Mother was here and I imagine his Mother and I took the elevator.

Next was the WWII Memorial, it was our visit time seeing this memorial.

Then we walked along the reflecting pool (chatting about Forest Gump) and as Cory looked back to take a picture I snapped his - the monument behind him is the Lincoln Memorial.

The Vietnam wall here (Washington Monument in the background).

If you look really carefully you can see Cory's brown shirt and Dave's white head at the top of the stairs on the left as they go into the Lincoln Memorial.

We took a short pause and when I turned around, Rachel and Cory both had their cell phones out and both talking to their "honeys." Well, I'm assuming it was their "honeys." My honey was buying us all bottles of water. The weather was so nice, but we were all really hiking - still had places to go, things to do, people to see. . . .

Think this might be my favorite memorial - Korean War Memorial - these statues are life size and when you walk up on them, it's just uncanny. I would really like to see this at night, there are lights there so I'm sure it would be an incredible sight.

Waiting underground to change trains - no photos of the rest of the day, but we got back to College Park, picked up Rachel's honey, Rich. Then went to Hard Times Cafe for dinner. Then everyone came back to our house and the young people went hoppin', the old uns went to bed.

I will post the Sunday whirlwind pictures, later.

BUT, THIS MUCH FUN (AND MORE) IS AVAILABLE TO ALL FAMILY WHO WISH TO VISIT US!!!!!!!