Friendship

An amazingly touching card arrived in my mailbox today from an awesome, longtime friend. We've carried our friendship across the miles from the start. The first move was when she moved from next door to across town and we thought we wouldn't survive .. and now 40 years later and many, many moves on both our parts she remains in my heart as a true friend.

Sprinkly Saturday

Hat Day

At school Ellie has a different theme day for every letter of the alphabet ... yesterday was Game Day, today was Hat Day ... Insect Day on Friday .. stay tuned for more photos!

Glad where you are ...

When we were house hunting last May in Bloomington we just loved the purple flowers outside our front door ... and now, here they are again .. seems a month early .. but as I tell Ellie, 'the one thing you can't change is the weather!'

And a new one I always tell her when she's being crabby ... 'You bring your own weather to the picnic!"

One I learned last week from a new friend, Sam. She tells her 9 year old son, "you can be sad or glad in the same pants, my friend!"

Here's to being glad exactly where you are!

Freezing cold Saturday Soccer

Ellie has another full weekend ... up this morning at 4:30am asking if we could go downstairs! Soccer game at 8am, and a Chuck E Cheese birthday party for Allie at noon. She keep us running! I'm pretty sure a nap is in store for her this afternoon whether she thinks so or not!

Black Bat Day

Jody taught me to celebrate Black Bat Day on Friday the 13th days. She and Cindy used to hide cut out black bats for each other, they later brought Linda into the loop and of course, Mary as she got older.

Since Maureen and I both babysat for Jody, we started celebrating with each other many years ago too.

This year I told Ellie she was old enough to be in on it too! I told her all the fun began at 6, and now she was ready to understand. She was very excited. Before she got home from school yesterday I made sugar cookies, used a rubber stamp to make the impression of the black bat in the center and filled that impression by using a paintbrush and black food coloring mixed into corn syrup! That's quite a project of handiwork for me!!

Ellie is holding the coveted prize .. Black Bat Cookies!

Boyfriends ....

On the way to school today I asked Ellie if she had any ideas for Jesse's present, as his 6th birthday party is Saturday night. She said, 'no'. When I asked, 'well, do you know what he likes?' She said, "sure - he has a DS, like me and he has MarioKart game too." I told her, 'Oooooh, that's good. What else?" Then she said, "he likes Transformers too! But don't get him that cause I think Olivia is getting him that."

"Okay......"
"Mommy, Olivia and Jesse are boyfriend and girlfriend!"
"No, El I didn't know that."
"Mommy! We all have a boyfriend in Kindergarten!"

The plot thickens ...

"So Ellie who is your boyfriend?"
"Teagan"
"So what makes you boyfriend and girlfriend? What do you do to be boyfriend/girlfriend?"

"We smile at each other once a day, and we try to be nice to each other"

It's not what I expected her to say, but I have to admit it reminds me a lot of marriage ... smile once a day, and try to be nice to each other!

Couldn't resist sharing this one ...

Happy Easter 2012

After soccer on Saturday we colored eggs .. Ellie is now a huge fan of eating hard boiled eggs .. it reminded me of Grampa and his constant request for 'drinkin eggs' which were more of 3 minute eggs, than 10 minute eggs, but I digress ...

The colored eggs make for a nice centerpiece with the tulips and daffodils that Bill and Ellie surprised me with for Easter!

And, of course, who could overlook this Easter basket full of treats! She found 23 eggs hidden around the house this morning and found many more inside her basket. She'd divide things up, "Daddy, you'd like this candy so I'll put this one in your pile!" We told her it was all for her!!!

Sole Sisters

Ellie's new soccer team is called "Sole Sisters". I started a Shutterfly site just for those pictures. Here's the link.

They played hard today! And celebrated with cupcakes as it was Emma's birthday today and she shared with the whole team!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Opening Day for the NY Yankees ... complete with Peanuts and Cracker Jacks!

Mega Millions, Mega Donate!

Firefighters win lotto, donate to one of their own

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/04/02/firefighters-donate-mega-millions?hpt=hp_t2

We already know what you’d do if you won the Mega Millions: Buy a chocolate speed boat, fill a swimming pool full of $1 bills or pay off your debt...

A group of Albuquerque firefighters actually did win a piece of the jackpot and here’s what they did: donate part of their share to a fellow firefighter in need of brain surgery.

The men had never started a lotto pool at the station, but with so much at stake, they thought, why not? So they procrastinated the day away (ran a few calls, saved a few lives), then picked up their tickets right at the last minute.

They actually missed the reading of the numbers and, when they looked them up online, thought for sure that one of the guys who was good with computers was playing a prank. It was the day before April Fools’ after all.

But nope -- it was true, they had just struck it somewhat rich. It may not have been the $640 million jackpot, but it was still pretty good -- $10,000 (before taxes, of course).

“Being the calm, cool, collected, emergency responder I am, I had the ticket in my hand and ran screaming through the station telling everybody that we hit five of six numbers,” Captain Jed Hyland tells HLN.

Everyone in Station 8 went in on the pool -- the captain, lieutenant, two drivers and a firefighter -- and all told they walked away with about $1400 a person.

And what’s the first thing they did? Divide it up and donate it to a friend in need.

“These are families that are literally counting groceries every week,” says Hyland. “They volunteer to give up some of their earnings right away rather than schedule that trip to Disneyland. It’s a credit to these guys that they decided to go that route.”

And when we say they donated to a “friend,” we really mean colleague, but when you’re talking firefighters, there’s no difference between the two.

That friend is 24-year-old Vince Cordova. He has served as a firefighter for three years and has a rare and serious brain tumor called “Jugular Foramen Schwannoma.”

Cordova traveled 14 hours to Los Angeles with his mom, dad and girlfriend (and that's not counting the hours they spent having his Jeep repaired after it started smoking). He's now at St. Vincent Medical Center, waiting on a specialized surgery that will remove the two golf ball-sized tumors from his brain. It'll set him and his family back hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“It’s all a drop in the bucket in contrast to the huge amount of money he’s going to owe,” says Hyland. But that’s not really the point.

“Firefighters are family and when firefighters are called upon to help one of their own, they do,” says Hyland.

The donation will actually be going to the Firefighter Survivors Fund, which will mostly be helping Cordova but could also benefit other firefighters in need.

We spoke to Cordova, who sounded upbeat as he was signing release forms and waiting to meet more specialists.

"I'm more nervous than I've ever been in my entire life for anything -- times 10," he tells HLN.

"The brotherhood in the fire department is so strong. We help our own on and off work. We're family," Cordova says. "I'm so blessed, I have so much support. It's awesome."

Cordova is being admitted to the hospital Tuesday morning and his big surgery will take place at 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday. All he's asking for is a lot of prayers.

If you want to read more about Cordova’s story or make a donation, check out his blog: firefightercordova.blogspot.com.

Sad day ....

Attached is the obit for a former State Farm employee who retired last June after 36 years. He was well-known for being Santa during the holiday events and for his involvement in baseball officiating. He will be missed ....

A. Kevin Mallehan

A. Kevin Mallehan of Normal, Ill. passed away at 6:41 p.m. on Monday, March 26, 2012 at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal. He was 59.

His memorial service will be 10 a.m. Saturday at the Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington, Ill. His brother-in-law Rev. Roger L. Toon will officiate. Visitation will be 3-7 p.m. Friday at the Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington, Ill. The family suggests memorials be made to the American Cancer Society or Bloomington Normal Officials Association in care of his wife Linda Mallehan, 207 Sandra Lane, Normal, Ill. 61761 . Kevin was born Feb. 2, 1953 in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina the son of Arthur Z. and Ruth J. Bondy Mallehan. He married Linda M. Toon on Jan. 8, 1977 in Heyworth, Ill. She survives.

Also surviving are his parents, Arthur Z. and Ruth J. Mallehan, Newnan, Ga.; 2 Sons, Aaron (Jenny) Mallehan, Normal, Adam Mallehan, Charlottsville, Virg.; 3 Sisters, Karen (Michael) Baker, Acworth, Ga., Kimberly (Peter) Poolos, Newnan, Ga., Kelly (David) Burnham, Newnan, Ga. Also surviving are 8 nephews and 9 niece.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents.

Kevin graduated in 1971 from Ottawa Twp. High School, Ottawa, Ill. He retired June 1, 2011 from State Farm Insurance Company after 36 years of service. Kevin volunteered as Santa for the children of employees at State Farm. He played baseball at ISU and was actively involved in setting up the Pony Ball League in Bloomington-Normal. He also played Corn Valley Baseball and was an umpire in area baseball leagues including state high school finals.

Kevin was a certified Clinician to teach baseball officiating. He was a member of the Bloomington-Normal Officials Assoc. and served on several baseball advisory boards. He was a mentor to many area officials. He was a passionate Chicago Cubs fan and attended Cubs Fantasy Camps for the last 10 years. Please view the obituary and share your condolences and memories online at www.calvertmemorial.com.

Soccer Practice