Prom

Mitchell and his girlfriend, Sam, recently attended the Paxon Prom after a lovely meal at the Melting Pot (fondue). They looked great in their fancy clothes.

Bishop helped Mitchell figure out the laces for the fancy shoes.

Mitchell graduates May 30th. Yowza! Two, graduated!

Charlie has been given an award for being one of 800 middle school students in Duval County to keep a 3.5 GPA througout his middle school years. Way to go Charlie! He's all registered for classes at Paxon (yep!) in the International Baccalaureate program.

Olivia's cast is off and she's recovered enough to play in a few end of the season softball games. She might let me take pictures tomorrow... might.

School is out for summer on June 5th (June 10th for teachers). Oh, happy days!

Catch up, Up date

Mitchell turned 18, started driving, got a car, and started dating a very nice young woman all in the space of about two months. My head is still spinning, but he's a happy kid- er, adult. We celebrated his big day at the usual spot with the usual suspects (Charlie took the pictures).

Bishop is seriously looking into joining the Navy. He is attracted to the structure, money and adventure. Brad took him to the recruiting office today to find out about the possibilities. They now have a long list of things to do. Thank goodness we are off for Spring Break next week.

It turns out that our decision to buy a hot tub rather than go on a trip this break is a good one. Brad loves the spa (and so do I).



Here's another reason that a trip would have been difficult: Olivia's cast. It comes off next Wednesday, but she'll be tender for a little while after that. She fractured her growth plate sliding into second base at softball practice. Second injury to the same ankle. OUCH!

The Pink House

Ever since I lived on San Jose Blvd. across the street from the pink house, I've always wondered what it looked like inside. Last weekend, my curiosity was finally relieved and as a bonus, we toured the house with Ned and Stephen who were visiting from Chilly Philly.

Lucky for us, they brought some warm and wonderful weather with them. What a fun weekend, filled with visiting, eating, touring and a little Super Bowl partying. Unfortunately, I was having so much fun I completely forgot to take any pictures with my new camera so you'll just have to take my word for it.

It is possible that I was distracted by my new diamond ring! That's right, after 20 years of marriage, we decided to upgrade. The television was also upgraded, lest you think that Brad was neglected. His 52 inch Aquos brings our entertainment shrine- er family room into a new dimension. At one point, Ginny and I were outside comparing diamond color grades while Brad and his dad were actually measuring television screens- a veritable Rockwell moment. I think that Ned and Stephen were quite amused.

Back to the pink house... The interior was a bit less grand than I had envisioned. The rooms are spacious with wonderful light from large windows. The back yard's oak canopied patio would be a perfect spot for entertaining. There is even a garage apartment (great for some distance from the teen in your life). However, it was a bit pricey for a home that doesn't even have an upgraded kitchen. Still, there is the pineapple fountain out front. For the right people, it is a charming home.

We have another wonderful weather weekend ahead of us, and I am ashamed that I ever complained about the heat. One month of gray, chilly weather cured me! I hope y'all have a lovely weekend, too.

Camera-LESS and JAGS

The holidays blew by with the usual mix of over-busy and joyful reunions with family. Unfortunately, in all the hullabaloo, my camera is gone. Therefore, I have no pictures of the fabulous times we had in December.

Still, it was great, great, great to have Leslie, Josh and Charlotte stay with us for a week. Everybody was digging the new Wii game system. I think Charlotte won, though. Josh might disagree. Wait, no, Josh won the tennis, but Charlotte won the water obstacle in Mario Galaxy. I have no idea who is the winner of the Uno Attack, but that is one fun game. Go get one and see for yourself.

The trees and decorations are still up and here's why: Last night the Jags beat the Steelers in a nail biting, topsy-turvey game. We had some folks over for the game, so I left up the decorations just for the party. Since the Jags won, it would be bad luck to take them down. They play again next Saturday against the Patriots. I know they haven't lost this season, but in this house, we BELIEVE the Jags can win. Merry January!

My friend Lori is traveling to Egypt as part of an educator exchange program. I don't know the details, but she is keeping a blog while she is there. I think it is super cool! Check it out: Egypt Trip.

Ch,ch,ch changes

Since my last post, Olivia has turned 11 and started middle school, Bishop turned 19 and left for college and I am now in my 40's.

Bishop seems to have settled in quite well in G'vlle. He's hooked up with some people from Jax and met new people. I hear he's even cleaning the apartment.

Mitchell is a SENIOR. I should get his picture up soon. He was a sport and allowed me to get a nice picture. Then he shaved his head. Now he's talking about multi-colored liberty spikes. FUN!

Charlie is the top dog at LaVilla this year. If only his little sister wasn't there to bug him! He's taking beginning piano at school. We have a new electronic piano so that he can practice his skills at home. He's picking it up pretty quickly. All those years of voice and music theory have been good.

Olivia is making the transition to LaVilla and middle school pretty well. She's met people in the neighborhood on the bus so she's off spending the night and hanging out a lot these days. Softball has begun for her, and Brad's coaching again this year.

Hope that all is well with all of you. Send me an email and let me know: birol@bellsouth.net

Big News

August 19th, the day after Bishop turns 19, he's off to G'vlle to go to college. He'll be attending Santa Fe Community College and living right across the street in a student apartment with three roommates. He has his own bedroom and bathroom- not bad. And, they have a washer and dryer right in the apartment. I wonder if he'll use it?

If you email me, I'll send you his address. We and he are pretty excited about this new opportunity. He'll be living the student life, going to class full time and eating lots of pizza.

The daughter in DC

I didn't expect to have such a good time in DC. I was impressed with the pagentry and formality of the memorials. I'm glad that our capital contains so much public space that is filled with the idealism of our country. Certainly our politicians don't always measure up to the quotes that are carved in just about every stone surface, but it is good that the ideas that our country started out with are there to show what we can strive for.



I really liked seeing Olivia sprint up the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Here she is taking a picture of the big guy.

Olivia was also nice enough to take a picture with me in the Roosevelt Memorial.



There is a sculpture in a park called the Awakening. Olivia was one of the only kids who could sprint up the leg onto the knee with no hands. She had to try many time to get it right, but she was determined.

Washington, naked

Two things that I noticed right away in Washington, DC: lots of nudity and words carved in stone everywhere.

This is one of several huge urns that is in the park right across the street from the White House.


This mural is in front of the Kennedy Center.

We never get to see any nudity in public art around here- this is not Italy, that's for sure. I think some artful nudity is nice to balance out all the porn and soft porn that is all over the internet and in music videos... or maybe I'm just a perv.

Seattle Celebration

Olivia, Audrey and I have just returned from a week in the Northwest visiting Dominick, Stephanie, Sebastian, Mercedes, Nicholas and Dorien. While we were there, Stephanie and Dominick officially tied the knot in a wonderful backyard ceremony surrounded by their friends and neighbors.

Here is a shot of the whole family.


Stephanie and Dominick were gracious hosts even if I was a grumpy traveler. It was awesome to see everybody. Meme and I had fun hainging out at the pool and the lake with the kids. If you are interested in getting some of the pictures, talk to Audrey.


July is a great month to visit. The weather was awesome- no rain, no humidity and not too hot. They don't have grits or too much air conditioning, though, but the views all around are spectacular. With our first step out of the airport back in Jax we felt the familiar humid air. Home sweet swamp.

Charlie's Big Adventure

Charlie had a fabulous time visiting the Uncles! You'll have to visit them, too, to see some pictures and hear/read all about it. Just surf on over to AS YOU WISH...

While you are there, check out the new landscaping at the cabin, well perhaps I should say villa instead. Nice evergreens!

Olivia had an adventure in Washington, DC with the patrols. Stay tuned for pictures from that trip...

Award Winners

It has been an award winning month around here. Since May is the last month of school (only one week to go!!) there have been several banquets, concerts and award ceremonies to attend. Here Olivia is shaking hands with our school's superintendent after receiving an award for being in the top 5% of all 5th graders in math and science in our county.



Here is Charlie with his award for Outstanding Musicianship for chorus.



Tomorrow (the 23rd of May) is our 20th wedding anniversary. When we first got married, I would have told you that twenty years was a long time, but now I understand how twenty years can feel like ten minutes.

Shocked and Dismayed!

I, like you, am shocked and dismayed at the lack of frequent updates to this blog. There is simply no excuse for going for so long between updates, especially considering my awesome, new, digital camera.

The only problem with the camera is that because it is digital, I let the kids take oodles of pictures. Now I have 300 pictures from the Lafer visits to go through and edit. I think this is a case of over documentation. Our best group shot is at the top of this post.

As I alluded to before, we were very lucky to have hosted the Lafer family for a fine weekend in April. I can't speak for everybody, but I had a great time. The kiddos all seemed to get along really well. We spent a lot of time just hanging around the house. Good thing everybody loves the cats. Any time y'all want to take advantage of the cheap real estate and the warm weather, just come on down. There are 6 houses for sale just on our little corner of the street right now. No pressure...

Fair warning, though: May is a busy month. Might not be many updates in May.

Her Big Debut(s)

Two big debuts this week: First, my grandmother, Glenda Bishop, came to town for a few weeks to help out my dad after his first knee surgery. We sent her home with a big dinner at Sakura.


The second debut is Olivia's first softball game. Here she is at bat for the first time.

And here she is when she realizes how fast the ball is coming at her. Eventually she was walked and then she scored a run.

Birthday Boy and a New School

Mitchell is officialy seventeen. His birthday was yesterday. For his birthday we all enjoyed a sushi dinner and then a strawberry, chocolate cake. His big present is a computer of his very own (in his room)... we may never see him again.

More good news- Olivia has earned a high audition at the same arts middle school that Charlie is attending. Olivia will be in beginning band next year. Many of her friends will also be attending the school, and she is over the moon with excitement.

Happy Birthday, Mitchell and Congratulations, Olivia!

Dad Update, New Camera

Steve is recovering much better this time than last from knee surgery, but he is still in pain and stuck in the hospital. He's pretty bored and restless by now, but at least he's alert and breathing. Our fingers are crossed that he gets released from the hospital early this week, and he can go home to a more comfortable, familiar place to heal.

We found the Dames Point Bridge park this afternoon so that I could try out my new camera. It was a bit cloudy, but seeing the bridge from a different angle was cool.




This is a really big ship just squeezing under a really, really big bridge. We saw a few ships last night in the dark when we celebrated Audrey's birthday at a restaurant right on the river near Mayport. Tonight we are not watching the Oscars because tomorrow is the beginning of FCAT (our state test). Everybody needs a good night's sleep.

Happy Birthday, Meme! How old are you?

Good News

The surgery went well. Steve came out this time much better than the first knee surgery. He was awake and alert in between dozing off. Hopefully the pain will not be too bad, and he will heal well. The next surgery will be sometime in the next 6 to 12 weeks. One down, one to go...

The Good, the Bad and the Serious

First, the serious: My dad is having two more knee surgeries. The first one will remove the artificial knee and replace it with a temporary, antibiotic-infused plastic one that will hopefully kill any infection. Six to twelve weeks later, he'll have a new knee put in. The last surgery did not go easily, but this time the doctors seem to be more in synch and his heart doctor is working in tandem with the orthopedic doctor. Plus, he is getting his very own post-op nurse so that if he doesn't remember to breathe, he or she will be there to remind him.

Second, the bad: From the looks of our white patch covered throats, Mitchell and I have strep throat.

Third, the good: I'm getting a new digital camera. I'm hoping to increase my posts because I'll have pictures to share!

Christmas Flakes

I know that the holidays are over, but I wanted to share the group picture from the Flakes Christmas.

Charlie survived his operation pretty well. The first three days after surgery were the toughest. Right after surgery he commented that he could breathe through his nose. I guess that was unusual for him. He did not like the experience of going under anesthesia, but he did not get sick afterwards. Now he's all better.

Can you believe that January is almost over? We've been enjoying the post holiday lull, although things are heating up again. Charlie and I saw Sweet Charity with Molly Ringwald this weekend. It was a good show. Molly can sing and act, but her dancing is not as great. The other dancers were fabulous. Awesome music, costumes and sets.

In March, Olivia and I will see The Lion King. I must say that, as good as the traveling shows are, seeing a play on Broadway is much grander. The stage and sets at our theater cannot compete.

I'm trying to get back into the Sunday update routine. I'll do my best!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas. We've had a lovely, low key day. This morning we were up early to open gifts. Last year was our final Santa year- the big guy fell along with the Easter bunny and the Tooth Fairy. The stockings were still stuffed this year, though. Some things never change. Later we went to Meme and Poppy's house for some lasagna, the traditional Christmas Day food.



This is the monster tree that nearly killed me. Next year- smaller family room tree!




Here's a shot of Olivia lighting the candles on the Menorah. Brad actually made latkes tonight for dinner. Happy ChristmaHanukkah!

Tomorrow: Charlie's surgery.