Slumber Party

 Riley

Kate

Mary Grace

Mike and Rex were on a golf trip this weekend with a group from church, so we had a girls-only slumber party!  The girls took a bubble bath in our tub.  We read books, ate popcorn and had lots of 'girl talk'.  It was a fun weekend.  I miss sharing these weekend pictures with Grandma.  I would send pics almost every Sunday to her and by Monday morning I would have a response from her over email.  I always looked forward to her response and the chance to share what we were doing with her. 

Update on the Life of Katie

Hey Block Family!  I sent out an email to update people on life and so I thought I would post here too!  I hope you are all well!  

So, I am in COLORADO!!!  Pretty crazy, right!  There are still so many times that I find myself thinking that I am on an extended vacation or training and that I will be headed back home to Chattanooga... Alas, I am living here in Colorado!  I do miss Chattanooga a lot.  I miss the Y and family and friends and so much more!  I am truly enjoying my time in Colorado.  It has been a wonderful adventure so far, but has has been a big adjustment... a few reason why it has been an adjustment...
1. There is always snow on the ground, and I am not exadurating when i say always... I really do where boots everyday so my ankles and feet stay warm! 
2.  I do not know where any thing is!!!  I don't know where a car wash is, or good restaurants, or free wifi, haha it is kinda funny, but I am learning to explore and am really enjoying that. 
3.  I can't really pump gas or play outside without gloves on... you would not think this would be a big deal, but I am not the biggest fan of gloves... could cause a problem!

A few things that I have really enjoyed...
I have really gotten to love my team that I am a part of.  I get to laugh a lot and I get to be creative and have fun!  It is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL here!  It is such a blessing to wake up to the Rockies every day. Surprisingly enough I have also really enjoyed some time to myself... it has been a very long time since I have had time to me.

Thank you for praying for me!  I can thank you enough for that! A few ways that you can continue to pray for me or send good thoughts my way... 

• Pray that I find people to get connected to!  I have meet some great people, but pray that I continue to meet people and that I form deep and meaningful relationships with people. 
  
• I am about 3.5 weeks into my job and I am learning and sitting at my desk the majority of the day is REALLY hard for me.  I mean I am busy and have things to do, but I want to be out and about with people and connecting with people.  I know that this summer will be so full of that, but till then, pray that I stay sane working at my desk and that I find ways to connect with people as part of my job!
• Since I have been away from the Hamilton Y, I miss my teenagers!  I miss talking with them and having them in my office and talking with them about life!  Pray that I continue those relationships but that I don't hold them back from building relationships from people in Chattanooga!  Also pray that I find a way to get connected with teenagers in Grand County, whether that be through volunteer work or through my job! 
  
• Keep praying that I stay confident in God wanting me to be in CO! 

Thanks for keeping me in thoughts and prayers!  I love you and miss you all!

Katie

Oh... I do have a blog... I can't say that I write in it all the time, but for those who are interested... http://www.coawakemysoul.blogspot.com/

"What do you do?"

Hello!


Like everyone in the US, I get asked what I do for work a lot and generally people's eyes glaze over about 30 seconds into a description of my job. While the day to day life of a data systems engineer isn't very exciting, the big picture of what we do is pretty neat.

This video was shown today at work and I thought some of you more techy people out there might find the technology we're creating pretty cool. I'm working on the Boeing side of the project, so no exciting trips to the London Headquarters in my future. :(

You can really get a sense of scale for the satellites when they unfurl the solar panels in the manufacturing plant. They always look so small in the pictures, but modern day satellites are huge! I guess when you are making the pictures representative of the satellites in space, most things would look small in comparison.

All of this information is freely available on Inmarsat's website and on YouTube, so you don't have to worry that you're going to have to be killed now that I showed you the video. :)


Hope you have a great weekend!

Rikki

Weekend in Raleigh

We spent the Weekend in Raleigh watching the Fields while Mike, Maria, Anna and Rex went for an annual get together at the beach with friends.
It was fun to be with the kids and there are always some laughs.

Kate loves gum and I guess Maria rations it pretty closely. Kate knows where it is stored and she said she wanted a big piece which I allowed her to have. Mary Grace goes ballistic saying her mother is going to be so upset. She decided it would be best if she gave Maria a call and give her a heads up that her youngest was going down the tube.

Kate was into talking about her bottom. Mary said to her, “ Kate it is not polite to talk about your bottom.” To which Kate replied “Well, Doctors look and talk about bottoms, so I am just being a Dr.”

It is very hard to win an argument with them.

The kids spent an afternoon doing braided bracelets which Riley thought would be great to sell at school for $1 to $10. All you cousins should be ready for a sales pitch the next time you run into her.

We will go back in March when Sarah, John and Evelyn will be visiting and then we get to go to NYC in April to do a weekend babysitting gig for Evelyn.

Family Tree

Hello!

My family reunion is coming up in July, and since the Wigness tree starts at the level above my great-grandmother it can be confusing to keep track of everyone and how they are all related. To help combat this, I set up an online family tree generator that people can update on their own.

I know that it was a little daunting at first for the new people (Me!) to keep track of all the relations when joining the Block family and on more then one occasion I made John sketch out a tree on the back of a napkin. Since you are all so technologically awesome, I figured I'd set us all up an account there as well, if people wanted to fill in their information. I know you all know everyone already and don't need the reminder, but at least it will be there for the next new addition to the family!  :)

If you are interested:

http://www.familyecho.com/
Login: blocxfamily
Password: The same as the email and as the blog


Have a lovely day!

Rikki

Topsail Beach

We had another wonderful weekend in Topsail Island with our friends Tracy and Joe and Anna and Chad (hosts) and Maria and Mike.  It has become an annual MLK weekend tradition of oysters on the dock, board games and lots of eating!  We had a great time and this year got hooked on Settlers of Catan.  Good way to start the short week!  Love to you all.  Anna

Atlanta Old People

Well some of us are getting older.  I got the green light today that my knee will be OK for my hip surgery.  I only have torn acl/ tyd, pct and so on.   So soon I will be able to dance, run and play again.  Nan is excited to have it done and will be as usual a fine nurse.  We both are praying for our marriage.

The weather here has finally given way and we are back to some reasonable temperatures and some reasonable people. Oh and big deal we are now on  the right blog.

Jim

News: Elizabeth Jane Block Interred Today

Jim and I drove up to The Georgia National Cemetery today to inter Mom's/Grama's ashes. It was a cold gray day, but a beautiful place.  The Christmas wreathes were still there--to be picked up by a team of volunteers tomorrow.  Since it was a holiday there were few other visitors there.

The grave site had been prepared. To our surprise, Mom was placed in front of Dad!  She had said she'd "be in the back". I thought she'd really love where they put her. (And I so wanted to call her to tell her the news!)

A couple of workers gently filled in the hole and then they let me lay down the little square of sod. A Rabbi once told me that that final gesture was like "tucking a loved one in" to her final rest. That's exactly what it felt like as I patted in the corners.

A brand new stone will now be made in the next month or so with both Dad's and now Mom's names on it.

Love to All,
Nan and Jim

Late to the party...

I think I might be the last person in the US to read this book, but I just started listening to "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" this morning. I have about a half hour commute to work in the morning and I love listening to audio-books, so this is my newest download. Of course, I had probably the best drive ever today and it only took me 14 minutes to get to work, but I'm already hooked after only listening to 14 minutes. :)

If anyone else would like to join me in listening to the book, send me an email and I'll send you the files. It'd be like an audio-book club!

I can't wait to finally be able to join in discussions when people start talking about the series, rather then quickly jamming my fingers in my ears and saying "Don't tell me!!". 

Have a great weekend!

Rikki

From Kate:
I just dropped Luke off at the orthodontist - he is finally getting his braces off!

A tribute letter from Mom's friend & neighbor (& walking buddy)

From Kate:

Mom's friend, Barb VanDyke, sent me an email today and wanted me to send it out to all. It follows:

 

Dear Children of Clare and Jane:

 

I cannot tell you how much I miss your mom.  She and I became "weekend walking buddies" after your dad passed away.  While I know all of you know how special they were, I feel compelled to write you as I've never met anyone like your mom and probably never will.  She touched my life in such loving, fun and positive ways.

 

I am fortunate that both of my elderly parents are still with us.  They're in their 80's and live back in Nebraska.  Yes, she and my first common thread was being from Nebraska!  Jane was my second mom and I want to thank you for sharing her with me.  One of our other fun common threads was that we were both tiny and would compare where to find clothes that fit us.  She was the first I'd tell if Talbots had a sale - she'd go that day.

 

Don and I moved to Masters Square five years ago.  We met both of your parents shortly thereafter at the neighborhood Christmas party.  I have never in my life seen two people, especially two elderly people, be so in love and so kind and carrying to each other and others.  Don and I would see Clare walking quite often and he always stopped and talked with us.  There was something about both of them that when you saw them and/or spoke with them it just always made your day a better one.

 

About 3 yrs ago one of the gals in here organized a "walking" group which ended up to be just women.  Your mom was our inspiration.  Two weeks before her passing she/I took the 2-3 mile regular route which was something I so enjoyed every Saturday and Sunday.  I never knew it would be our last walk.  She would get up and cook the special things for your father (homemade bread comes to mind) and just loved loving him and doing anything she could for him.

 

While you all know how blessed you always will be to have had them as your parents, I don't know how to put into words just what special people they were to me.  I always told your mom when I grow up I want to be just like her (I'm in my early 50's).  All seven of you held such special places in her heart and I know that you all know that.  It was fun to be able to meet some of you whether it was in person or via skype.  She so adored all of you, your spouses, your children, your grandchildren - never was an unkind word spoken.  And while she "bragged," she never "bragged."  I don't know how she did that - I only know I'm striving to be more like her.  Then as I met each one of you, I found out you all have your parents' traits.  Just such a wonderful group with so much love and kindness for all you are.

 

It wasn't until after your father's passing that your mom and I got to know each other better.  We shared a lot of coffee and if it was later in the day, wine.  She never complained about missing your father, but when he passed her heart was broken.  The love they had for one another was like no other love I've ever seen or probably will ever see.  They, in her words, were best friends and lovers.  It couldn't be better stated.  There were days I worried about her and especially if she was eating or not.  She never wanted to let on how much her heart was missing him.  What an honor for all of you to have had two parents who loved and adored one another.

 

Unfortunately two more of her neighbors became widows after she did.  I know without a doubt she was a huge part of their mourning.  I know they've probably told you how much her friendship meant to them after their husbands' passings.  I saw it myself.  And like I stated above, she was like a second mom to me.  She gave me such care, understanding and guidance.  And she let me brag about my husband and son.  Some people would hate that - she enjoyed hearing about both of them.

 

How she carried her independence but yet not be bossy is something not a lot of people can do.  Not every parent is able (a lot of them aren't ever) to honor and and respect their children - they don't treat them as equals.  She not only considered all of you as equals or better, she did it with the utmost class of any person/woman I've ever seen.  Like I said, I want to be just like her. 

 

There are people my age who cannot maneuver the computer as well as she did.  "I can't" didn't exist in her vocabulary.  By example she taught me to keep on trying to keep up - just because I'm getting older doesn't mean "I can't."  She mentioned one walk she had missed several episodes of "Drop Dead Diva."  Having the same cable company, I showed her how to work the "on demand" feature of her Comcast remote one time.  It took me months to self teach that to myself and she "got it" after I showed her only once!  That just amazed me.  She never wanted to be a "burden" to anyone (like she ever would have been) - she learned things herself and felt more comfortable not having to ask anyone for help.  She was so very proud of the last items she had fixed in their home and the person she had do them. 

 

I'm not telling any of you anything you don't already know - she was your mom.  I just wanted to share with you what a blessing and difference she made in my life and why.  I will forever be grateful I got to know her and be one of her neighbors even if it was for a short time.

 

God Bless!

 

Barb Van Dyke

Thinking of Grandma

I came across this Raymond Carver poem today and it made me think of Grandma. 

LATE FRAGMENT
And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.

Update on classes

Nothing too exciting to report here. I am in the middle of typing up my notes. My Neuro class is completely in the dark (except the projector screen). The class has taken to bringing in their cell phones, etc. to light up their desks. It makes for kind of a funny looking classroom. We are moving through Brodmann's areas at the speed of light, and it's so interesting but so challenging! I suppose that's why I like it so much.

After class, I headed over to the student center to meet up with a friend and chat about life and classes. We colored a few paper bags for a student organization that was filling up the bags with "food with nutritional value" and dropping them off. I should have asked where they were dropping them off, but I get so excited about providing food to the less fortunate that I just spaced and ran off with the bags and some markers. I tried to draw a picture of a little guy from Eastern... It didn't turn out very well... Thought that counts, right?

Auburn won the National Championship last night, which made me a very happy camper! but it also caused me to be wide awake at 1 a.m. Thank goodness for the coffee pot this morning! We are getting a lot of snow right now, and we're supposed to be getting more tonight>tomorrow. Steve's class is canceled tonight; most likely because it's so snowy outside! We're using today to study and read our textbooks. Glamorous life! 

I can't believe how much snow is in your pictures! I think we may have had less than you yesterday. Today is a different story, but wow! How fun for Ryan to get to make snowballs and go sledding. I showed his picture to my friend today, and we decided that he's probably the cutest kid ever. She works at a Pre-K learning center and always tells me such fun stories about the tiny tots. I was glad to have some to share this time.

I better get back to typing my notes up! Love to all.

Hailey

Cooking for the troops

Snow and now ice and the cupboards will be bear by Thursday. Meals are interesting. Used our last brownie mix last night. I have seen some squirrels in the yard so that is an option. Worried. We eat all around the house since Ryan is on the move most of the time. When we run out of beer and salsa and chips, it will be time to make a run to the store as Chuck and I did some years ago. We hope the ice will be clear by then. We are warm and cheerful so far.

Jim

Mom's new stove

It is snowing here in Murphy and very pretty. There are a few vehicles on the street so the town is coming to life again.
I was thinking about Mom's story about getting her first stove that was not a woood stove. I wondered if I just invented the story. Here goes: Mom said that she had baked bread that morning and when the delivery man brought in her first stove he said, "Anyone that can bake bread like that does not need a new stove." Does anyone remember this?

Cha Cha White Chicken Chili

We roasted a chicken on the Big Green Egg (Costco had organic whole chickens for a good price.) But I think you could boil some chicken or get a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store to speed this recipe up even more.
It is spicy and tastes great on these cold days! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions
1.Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

Atlanta all Snowed in

So they didn't get any snow in NC, but we are snow/iced in here in the ATL. And looking at the forecast, we are starting to think that we maybe should have taken that trip to the grocery store a little more seriously. It is only the first day and Atlanta is shut down. They have closed most of the Interstates and continue to tell everyone to stay home. The bad part, everyone already has a little cabin fever. We took Ryan out this afternoon to play in the snow. With about a half inch layer of ice over it, you have to break through to get to any of the powder. We showed up on Mom and Dad's doorstep this morning worried that the ice was going to knock the power out. Don't think that happened, but aren't braving the frozen roads again. We can't complain though as we are being well taken care of. Great dinner and Ryan is very entertained by his Nana and Gramps. Andy and I are both going to try to work some tomorrow, but looks like most of Atlanta will continue to be closed. What do you see in the picture? Probably Andy handing Ryan a snowball. What do we see? Dad wearing shorts. Gotta love a man who knows what he likes and sticks with it.

Hope you are all warm and cozy! We are and enjoying the extra family time. Love to you all! Emily

Love the Blog!

I wanted to write a quick note thanking Hailey again for setting this all up. I received Anna's invite to view her pictures of the haircuts and saw the one with a caption saying Mary Grace was "pre-tears". I thought to myself, "I wonder why Mary Grace was crying?" and then I thought "I know! I'll check the blog!". Lo and behold, there was the story. :)

Thanks again Hailey for creating this great sharing space and letting me find the answers to my questions! And I'm glad Mary Grace's tears were because of the scary hairdresser and not because she is minus one earlobe now.


Best,

Rikki

Haircuts

No Snow Snow Day

Girls got out of school 2 hours early today and it didn't snow at all. Already called for at least a 2 hr delay tomorrow. did I mention we have no snow? hummm....

Anna and I took the girls this afternoon to get their hair cut. Mary Grace started crying in the chair. I think it was because the woman cutting her hair looked like she was from the movie Avatar (am I right Anna, or am I right?) not because her hair had not been brushed in a week. Kate cheesed it up for the camera and has continued to ask all night if we like her new cut.

This afternoon the girls came across their school pictures I had popped on a shelf a few months ago. Mary Grace said she had way more than she needed so she would give them to her friends at school. Riley said she would sell hers to her cousins.

I have started Anatomy and Physiology class. I asked the other day if the girls wanted me to teach them what I had learned so far and Mary Grace said, "Yes, can you start with the part about the penis?" Riley, "Is it at least a few pages?" Kate, "he, he, he, penis". I wonder if having a brother would make this topic less interesting. we will not find out.

Mary Grace and Riley started basketball at the Y on Saturday. There was a very wide spectrum of talent. The girls were on the outskirts of the spectrum and have the greatest chance of winning "Most Improved" awards. Andy, we could have used your preseason coaching at the reunion. They could have run out on the court to Justin Beiber with Molly, Rikki and Hailey rocking the dance floor. I guess, part of that actually did happen.

We are very excited about the trip to the beach this weekend. Thanks, Mom and Dad for your wonderful services! Though we have not gotten any snow, we saw on the news tonight the NC beach is covered in snow! We will be shucking oysters with snow boots on.

peace, love and warm weather.
Maria

What were we doing???

Sarah came across this picture recently. I have no idea what we were doing but it made me laugh! I think Riley looks alot like Maria in this (compliment or not???)

Anna's Video

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Mom's Rose

Hi everyone,

Have received so many kind condolences concerning Mom this week. It has given me the opportunity to share about how precious she was/is and always will be. Last night I was thinking about if she were enjoying a heavenly family reunion. I find myself thinking about her all the time.

Today a friend at church had placed a beautiful red rose on the altar in honor of his new granddaughter Macy Wren. After the service he brought the rose to me to take to Bill with condolences. As I asked him about his parents, he teared up and said how much he missed them and how he thinks of them everyday.

We await the snow and hope everyone in its' path will be warm and safe.
We are thinking of you, Jim, and hope there will be smooth sailing with your hip operation when it is the right time to proceed with that. Young Jim F., thanks for being your parents' parents! The older I get the more I see the connectiveness of all people.

I hope Joe Block that you will post about your Christmas Tree Mulching experience. It was funny and once again gave your Dad and me a chance to just wonder at political decisons.

Have begun to work with a cute little girl in reading; finished a "snowflake"dress for Riley; worked at the church office and quilt store. Time passes. Life is good. I now am livng with a man my age!

Hoping all are well with each and everyone of you.  Love to hear people's stories. Take care and keep in touch.
Mary

John, "our hero" (Originally dated: 1/8/2011)

from Kate:
The basketball season for the boys started back today. John's game was @ 10 and Luke's will be @ 2:30. I have been feeling sad about the games starting up again and going without Mom.

John was on fire this morning at his game, scoring 13 pts out of the 34 his team scored over the other team's 17. As John & I were driving home, I said to him: "Grandma would have loved seeing how well you played today. She would have called you 'our hero'," (which is what she always said, meaning: our hero coming in to save the day (game).) He smiled and said "Yeah. I did it for her. And for Grandpa."
It made me tear up. These are hard days, missing her!

This morning, Andrew, Luke & John (with Frank supervising) have dug a big hole in the area next to the front of the house, (where the water comes into the house from the street.) It has been leaking since well before Christmas. They went to Gilroys Hardware store to get new pvc stuff to repair it. (This is the 2nd time it has leaked & they've had to "fix" it. Hope it will work this time!) So the water to the house is shut off, until they are done. Since Luke's basketball game & team pictures are this afternoon, I don't expect to have water til evening!) Always something around here...! : )

By the way, who posted the blankets & is that the pattern Mom used?

 

Just passing time (Originally dated: 1/7/2011)

Hello! :) Steve and I are just lounging around tonight, so I thought I'd take a minute and write what we are up to. Today, we slept wayyyy in and finally woke up around noon. I immediately jumped into homemaker mode and cleaned, cooked, and organized the home. We had a huge pile of recycleables that have been just growing and growing since mid-December that finally found their way out of our apartment today. This afternoon, we went to the local mall and exchanged some of Steve's Christmas goodies. He picked out a nice blue shirt and some corduroy pants. I keep trying to get him to wear some more red. He looks so nice in red! We walked around forever and found some funny home goods we liked. There was a little cupcake maker, mini donut press, and a quesadilla presser -- all very fun things. We got out of the mall to find our car buried in snow! We have so much! From reading Nan's email, it sounds like GA is getting lots of snow as well! We are staying out of the cold and watching the LSU vs. A&M game on television. I used to really like A&M in high school, but then my loyalties switched over to the SEC. 

I guess that's all for now. I'm typing this out on my phone, so I better stop before my fingers start aching!

I miss you very much.
Hailey

PS. I love reading everyones updates!!!!

(Originally dated: 1/8/2011)

Enrolled in the Sacred Heart Spiritual Society (Originally dated: 1/7/2011)

Hi, All. I received this in the mail from Jim & Annette Christensen.
It is a leather booklet:

"A Spiritual Treasure"

Then, inside is the following:

"To hallow the memory, bless the soul and to implore God's tender blessings.
Jane Block is hereby enrolled in the Sacred Heart Spiritual Society
and will share in the daily Mass and prayers offered for members of the Society."

I thought that this was such a nice thing for them to do. I hope you all are doing well. We are all doing okay. I spoke with Sarah Dalena today and we both wished that we had had a memorial for Mom/Grandma while we were together. Maybe that would have helped us. A year seems a long time away to wait...

Love to you all, Kate

Virginia (Originally dated: 1/7/2011)

Dear Grandma,

Molly and our neighbor's daughter were jumping on the trampoline.  Molly grabs her private area and says, "What do you call this, Mom?"  I am busy trying to take down Christmas decorations and I look at her and say, "Your bottom."  Her friend says, "Your Butt."  Then the friend says, "I think it is called Virginia."  I continue to ignore both of them as they continue to jump on the trampoline talking about something else.  Oh the joys of being a child....Love, Melissa

Profile Picture (Originally dated: 1/5/2011)

What a beautiful profile picture!

Home Again (Originally dated: 1/4/2011)

Dear Grandma,
We arrived home safely on Sunday evening. The weather was perfect and the kids enjoyed watching utube videos on the 2 iPads.  Mom sat in between the kids and monitored their videos.  She did a great job while she was watching.  When we got home,  Molly went into her room and googled babies....When I went into her room she was watching a couple getting ready to go to the hospital to have their baby.  Oh what fun.  I had her turn off the IPad and go to bed.  Lots of questions followed and all I could say was it is very complicated and I will need a couple of days to think about what to tell you.  Off the hook for now.  Love, Melissa

Gmail and Picasa (Originally dated: 1/4/2011)

Hi Everyone!

I emailed this information to the contacts Hailey had, but I thought I would put it here as well since this is the new sharing location! I'm not going to post the password on the blog, but if you want/need it contact me and I'll let you in on the secret. :)

Allison and I set up a Picasa account so that everyone can deposit their pictures in once central location. Through this account, you'll be able to download the pictures for free, order prints, upload them to facebook, etc.

This account is tied to a gmail address that unfortunately doesn't match up with Hailey's blog, but I'm sure we can all remember two more logins in this multi-account electronic world!

If you would be so kind to go into this gmail account sometime and add in your contact information, I'll work on setting up a group list so that someone could go into that gmail and email everyone at once.

The Gmail Account

www.gmail.com

Login: blocxfamily

Password: contact me for the password

Please click 'Contacts' on the left side, then 'Add to "My Contacts"' and type in your name. You can then click on your name and add your email, phone, address, etc.

The Picasa Account:

http://picasaweb.google.com/home

Login: blocxfamily

Password: contact me for the password

If you have any questions on anything, please let me know and I'll do my best to help.

Rikki

Grandma's Table (Originally dated: 1/4/2011)

Just wanted to post a picture of Grandma's table in it's new home.  Just in the few days we have had this table we have enjoyed it so much.  We went from eating every meal at the bar to eating every meal here.  The girls go straight to it.  I enjoyed my quesadilla for lunch and some light House Beautiful reading there today.  I feel very blessed to have a little Grandma with us at every meal.   A huge thank you to all of you for sharing bits of Grandma's life and things with all of us.  I have never been one to find things very sentimental, but I am finding the pieces that were part of Grandma's life so special. 

When we were driving back to Raleigh, Mary Grace said, "When you die, will you text me?"   I feel confident if texting were done in heaven, Grandma would be doing it.

Thank you, Hailey for setting this site up.  Very appropriate for Grandma to have a blog.   Good luck with your classes this spring.  I start Anatomy and Physiology I tomorrow.   It is a dense book.  I might be emailing you for questions on blogs and body functions.

Peace and Love-
Maria

Drive Home (Originally dated: 1/4/2011)

We just woke up a couple hours ago to the sounds of maintenance knocking away at our door. Steve and I got new hardwood floors put into our apartment over the week, and they were coming in to place the final touches on the hallway. Mark stayed over last night, since we didn't get back until about 3 a.m., and we got to spend some time just relaxing last night. Well, they did anyway. I decided it was a great time to get up and start sweeping, dusting, unpacking, and cleaning! We slept in until about 11:30 this morning, and we're finally getting some coffee and breakfast.

Tomorrow, we start up school again. I am taking Neuroanatomy and Anatomy & Physiology II, and Steve is taking some business courses -- he'll have to get back to you on that one! I never know... I think he is trying to get into an international business course, but it's currently on a wait list. He is number one on the wait list though! He is on the couch right now, reading over his Finance syllabus and laughing. His professor told him that he'd be making "arrangements for coffee and breaks," and Steve is trying to decode that message. :)

Well, I better head off. We have absolutely nothing in our fridge/freezer and about 20 days of mail being held at the post office! Yikes!

Miss you,
Hailey (and Steve)

Bill 1-9-11

Nan, how many speeding tickets did you get coming home?

I now have only 19 more days of work before I retire. On Thursday the new Commissioners fired the county Manager. One of the Commissioners said there were people in the courthouse earning 90 and70 thousand $ a yr. The people in the county were hurting and the county employees should share in the hurt, makes sense.

So they fired the Mgr because they thought they could find somebody to work for a lot less. The mgr had a smile on his face because his employment contract calls for a severance package of over $100,000. A great way to save some money!

Adding to employee morale is the state bureau of Investigation is investigating the sheriff’s office for corruption.

Everybody keeps telling me they wish they were in my shoes and could retire with me.

Friday we are off to Raleigh to watch the Fields kids while Mike MAria Anna and Rex head to the beach for the MLK weekend. I hope it warms up for them. This AM in western NC it was 12 degress and we are on tap for 6 to ten inches of snow tonight.

Bill

Nan 1-7-11

Hi Everyone,
I have a "Block Family" address in my email that makes it a lot easier for me to "Call Grama".  So here's the gist of the latest "call":

Wednesday, Jim and I were driven up to Greenville, SC to take delivery of his new car at the BMW Performance Center.  He got a black 550i.  The whole experience was a lot of fun.  Ultra-VIP treatment: dinner, hotel, breakfast--all tips included--before we were shuttled off with about 8 other folks to the Perf. Cntr. a few miles from the hotel.  We spent the morning on the track, driving a car like the one we were buying. The professional race car drivers had us drive a slalom track racing through a series of cones and wide and sharp turns.  Then we did a stopping exercise, revving the car up to 50 mph only to stand on the brakes, keeping the car under control.  One would never choose to do this to one's own car, but lots of laughs in their car!! Tons of smoke and burning rubber!  (The exercise was to demonstrate the ABS braking system.) The pro would chide you gleefully if you didn't brake hard enough!  Then we did a few turns on a smooth-as-silk concrete track that had just been washed over with water.  The driver sitting beside you told you to step on the gas and then do a hard stop.  Of course we all ended up doing 360º spins. I got some serious whiplash!! Jim ended up in the center of the circle in the mud and a car had to come pull them out! Then the driver turned back on the traction control button that we had turned off.  We repeated the same circle, but this time the 4 wheels, steering and suspension "talked to each other" and we all were amazed that we could keep the car under control.
After the driving we had lunch in a beautiful cafeteria there. The whole place is very modern and very cool.  We opted out of the tour of the museum and factory because it was just too much walking for Jim's bad leg.  We took delivery of our car in a very cool, huge room where they close the interior walls, so it's a private "tutoring" session. :-]  After the associate finished hooking up our phones and setting our garage doors, we were ready to hit the road.  She opened the exterior glass walls so we could drive away!!  Waaay crazy, silly fun.  When I told Em all this, she said it was all a good reason to buy a used BMW, so one wouldn't have to pay for all of this overhead!! Smart girl!

We went to the orthopedist today to get a reading of Jim's MRI.  He really messed up his knee in the fall!  He tore his posterior collateral ligament away from the bone.  The guy said it was better than tearing the ACL, but still not good.  We have to go next week to a Sports Medicine specialist to see if Jim needs surgery on his knee before they do his hip. We thought that's what they would be telling us today, but another specialist has to take a look. In the meantime Jim has to be on crutches all the time. It's a drag, but he's actually trying to comply.

We are going to try to go see Ryan start his swimming lessons again this Sunday.  In this class it's just the kids in the pool without parents.  That should be very interesting.

I met Jimmy at his work today to give him a couple of little things from Mom's house.  I told him about Jim's knee and he chafed that Jim was doing too much walking and then he asked me why I wasn't wearing my sunglasses!  I told him I took them off to chat with him.  He laughed and told me that he had to worry about Dad and his leg and me with my retinas!  I told him that when Em found out Jim and I were sleeping until 9 am she was shocked. I told him that I told her we were "reverting into our teenage years". I think our kids may be morphing into our parents! Scary/Funny!! :-0

I did a ton of errands today.  Returns, package mailing, groceries, cleaners, Target, etc.

We got a beautiful condolence card from Tracy Robinson, a FB friend to me and a dear "real" friend to the Blocks.  Anna and Maria share their lives with her.

I hope you all got to see Katie's videos of her trip to Colorado with her mom. I think they were on either FB or her blog.  They were really funny. Kathy, the navigator, told how they had to to turn around and go back to get a picture of a state sign they missed. Priceless.

According to the news tonight Atlanta is due for 4-6 inches of snow on Monday.  Monday was to be Mom's interment.  I think it will be postponed a few days.  I can't tell you the number of times in the past few days that I've wanted to pick up the phone to her.  I know a lot of you are feeling the same way.  This is a bit of selfish therapy, but I figure she would have passed all this on to you.  I hope you will copy the above addresses and let me know what you are doing.  Also would you please tell me who I've missed with this email.  I don't have Andrew's, Luke's, or Heather's email addresses. I've included Shannon Inouye's address since she has asked to be kept in the loop. I posted a couple of pics on the Block Picassa site. Not great, but I used a fun iPhone app.

Stay well. Stay warm. Stay connected.

Lots of love to you all.
Nan