Saturday, December 29

The front of our house early this morning. I had the driveway all shoveled yesterday!

It has been a busy week once again.  Sara and Matt drove to Cincinnati on Tuesday morning, in that crazy snow storm thinking that they would be getting their household goods delivered to their new apartment only to get a phone call at 8 am that they were cancelling and would come on Wednesday.  The only good thing was that I got to watch Evie all day and night.  Wednesday morning the movers arrived and by the time Evelyn and I got their around 3 everything was moved in but not unpacked.  Luckily, Matt was able to get off work and his brother Joey was there to help so things were a lot farther along than if the movers had been left to finish.  Matt finally told the movers just to go.  Evidently they did a lot of standing and not much moving.  Sara was pretty ticked because the first thing they did was to break her vacuum while unloading.  I talked to her today and she said she only has about 4 boxes left to unpack although she still can't located their shower curtain.  I was going to take pictures of their new apartment but decided to wait until they are unpacked.  They have a ground floor apartment with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths that overlooks the lake.  They are also very close to the pool.  It is located off of I-71, one exit south of Kings Island.  It is smaller than their place in Honolulu but still very nice.  Yesterday, I went to urgent care as I felt like I was getting an ear infection again.  She put me on another antibiotic and then last night I got sick with flu like symptoms.  I felt awful and was so glad that I didn't still have Evelyn.  I had a fever, the chills, achy all over and with my already congested head I was not much fun to be around.  This morning however, I woke up feeling much better so it must have been a 12 hour variety of whatever virus I had.  Guess I should have gotten my flu shot this year!  Other than not feeling 100% I have been enjoying the snow.  Our 4 wheeler, Super Mache with the snow blade has been a real time saver and makes life much easier.  Shorty, Molly and I walked through the woods this afternoon and really enjoyed the quietness.  We saw several of the deer that had been bedded down and they were probably not too happy that we disturbed them.  Shorty and Savannah will be going to their new home on Monday.  I am not sure if Molly will miss them or not.  I do think Molly has lost some weight trying to keep up with Shorty.

The Little Darby Creek

Our afternoon walk

Feeder favorites!  My Carolina Wren and in the background is a downy woodpecker.

Christmas Day-Tuesday, December 25

Last night's Cantata and Communion Service were both very moving in different ways.  The Cantata which is all music was very nice and included a candle light portion to the service.  The sanctuary always looks so beautiful when the lights are out and each face of the congregation is lighted by a single candle.  I always look forward to this service.  Last year I was in Hawaii and we could not find a church nearby to attend for Christmas eve and didn't want to venture too far with little Evelyn.  This year I sang in the cantata, a reminder of how much I love being part of a choir.  I think we sounded pretty good considering several of our soloist were battling colds and flu like symptoms.  Following the Cantata, Pastor Pat held a communion service that was a little more intimate since many who attended the cantata did not stay for communion.  I liked the relaxed and meditative feeling of this service.  I felt as though everything slowed down a bit and I could reflect on the real reason we celebrate this very special night.  I also prayed for the families of the 27 who died in Connecticut. And yes, I prayed for the brother of the gunman, who must carry enormous guilt for the acts of his brother and the loss of his mother.  The families of all those young children were in my thoughts both last night and today.  As I watched Evelyn and talked to Luke and Lily about their Christmas, I couldn't help but think that some families would find it very difficult to celebrate because of their losses.  As saddened as I am, I am reminded that the birth of Christ is also a time of hope.  Hope for the day when loved ones are not taken from us by acts of violence, cancer, accidents or natural disasters. Hope and the blessed assurance that God will stand by us during the good times and the bad, he will laugh with us and cry with us and most of all, he will love us, unconditionally.  My wish for everyone is that we can awaken each day with the excitement and expectation of a child on Christmas morning.  I don't know about you, but as for me, I believe!

Grandma and Grandpa-Great

Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa's house

  We had a wonderful Christmas dinner at Bob and Ramona's house.  We had Mom and Dad there to share the day with us as well.  Tomorrow Sara and Matt will be moving in to their new apartment in Cincinnati.  Of course we are expecting between 6-12 inches of snow.  Hopefully, it won't hinder the moving process.  Evelyn will be staying with Grandma until the movers are finished and the roads are clear enough for travel. 

A Bichler Christmas Card-December 21

                     Merry Christmas!

                   From:  The Bichlers
                   Carol, Andy & Dusty
  (First Christmas, Mechanicsburg, Ohio-1972)

Wishing all our dear friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  The year has flown by and about the only thing that has happened is that we all got a year older and a tad slower.  Luke turned 5 in October, Lily had a clean scan for her 2nd birthday in May and Evelyn was here in Ohio for her 1st birthday and we got to see her take her first steps.  Life is good and when it isn't we are just reminded that help is just a prayer away.  Count your blessings, be a blessing and remember to thank the one who made it all possible! 

Thursday, December 20

Another reason I didn't get my Christmas cards out.  A set of corn hole for someone in Delaware. Andy built them but I had to paint them.

Putting up the Christmas Tree

I have been rather lax posting to our blog and for that I do apologize.  I have had several mention the fact to me and my sister even called to see if everything was ok.  Yes, we are doing fine but the last two months have been busier than usual.  Sara and Matt are back so the baby has occupied much of my time and much to my delight she loves her grandma.  I am reminded, however, that it is next to impossible to get anything done with a toddler around.  We just returned home from Delaware and yesterday we replaced the garbage disposal in the sink.  I could not believe that it cost $99 for the exact disposal that I swear I only paid $50 for the last time we bought one. (OK, so it was probably 10 years ago! It is still a lot of money. Maybe I should start composting.) We did get our tree put up today.  Evie was a big help as you can see in the pictures. 
I am wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas here on the blog because I will not be sending out Christmas cards this year.  They are still sitting on the kitchen table and today I have decided that it just isn't going to get done.  Unless they decide to write themselves they will still be sitting there on Christmas Day!  I have been in a "funk" as of late, I think partly because two of our long-time neighbors are moving but mostly because we are nearing the 4 year anniversary of Andy's life changing fall.  I have come to realize that I am not Super Woman, nor do I want to even try to be any longer.  I just want normal, at least what I perceive normal would have been prior to December 28, 2008.  Evelyn, Luke and Lily and the girls have kept me busy enough not to dwell on the things that will never be and keep me focused on the many blessings that surround me.  So I send my best wishes for a warm and wonderful Christmas and a most blessed New Year!

I forgot I took these pics on the last day we were in Delaware

Three of the best gifts anyone could ask for!

Friday, December 14

Last night we drove down to Ocean City to see a Christmas/Holiday Light Show.  A small train drove around a park filled with light displays that showed a variety of holiday scenes like the 12 Days of Christmas, Hanuka, reindeer, Santa even some scenes that were on the water.  We saw Santa but Luke was the only one brave enough to get close to him.  Lily and Evelyn are not going to be any where near Santa this year.  Both girls like Santa but only from afar. After the lights we ate at Big Fish in Rehobeth before heading home.
This morning was Luke's Christmas program.  It was held in a local high school in the auditorium. It was a great program filled with musical numbers by the pre-school and kindergarten classes.  The kindergarten class even played the handbells. Luke had a full house as his grandma and grandpa Foulk, Grandma Bichler, Aunt Sara, Evelyn, Lily, Mom and Dad were in attendance to watch him sing.  Well, most of the time he was singing, when he wasn't talking to his best friend Patrick who was next to him.

Our handsome little man with his tie and vest.

Lily dressed up to go see her big brother.  She will be singing next year.

After lunch Luke and I did a little geocaching and located two more caches.  On our second find we found a travel bug in the cache.  A travel bug is a trackable dog tag that usually has a goal and can be tracked by the owner to see where it is going.  Ours originated in Washington, USA and was named Fire & Rescue.  The goal is to travel from cache to cache and be placed in caches that contain the words fire or rescue in their name.  The owner's web page didn't say but I wonder if they are work as a fireman.  The dog tag is attached to a small red fire truck.  Luke was really excited until I told him that a trackable can't be kept and must be moved on.  He really wanted to keep it.  Tomorrow we are going to place it in a cache not far from here that is called The Fire of Zeus.  We are also going to look for another cache that is supposed to hold a Marine Geocoin.  Geocoins can be kept so hopefully that will appease Luke when we have to put the fire truck in a cache to move it on it's journey.

Monday, December 10

I'm sure many are thinking "Why don't she write?" a line from one of my favorite movies, Dances With Wolves. The answer to that question includes a certain little person, Evelyn and another, not so pleasant leaky toilet.  At Thanksgiving I noticed that the tiles in our bathroom were popping up.  After pulling up several tiles it was pretty clear that there was a leak around the toilet.  When all of our house guests left I pulled up all of the tiles to see where the exact problem was.  I had planned to call a handy man or at least a plumber to help with this project but I couldn't even get anyone to come out for at least a week. So, while Matt was still here we tackled the job ourselves and it turned into a nightmare.  There was a layer of flooring on top of the sub floor and the water that was leaking from the toilet went between the flooring layers leaving both mold and some were beginning to rot.  It looks pretty good now but it was longer than the half day that I was hoping for, more like 5 days.  The rest of my time is spent playing with Evelyn.  We also have been practicing for our Christmas Eve Cantata and yesterday our handbell choir played at the Madison House for the residents.
PS  I am so far behind that even this post took 2 days to publish.  Sara, Evelyn and I drove out to Dover today and will be staying with Trish until Sunday.  I will try to post some pictures of Luke's Christmas Music Program that is going to be performed on Friday.

Friday, November 23

I really don't know where to begin.  The week has been a busy one with Trish and Chad getting in late Tuesday night, Galaxy Games and Golf on Wednesday, Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and Evelyn's Birthday Party today.  Oh, and did I mention that today was also our 40th wedding anniversary.  Although busy, it has been so much fun.  Galaxy Golf off of Wilson Rd. is a great place to spend a few hours playing in the indoor playground, playing video games or, like Luke and I did, playing 9 holes of golf on the North America Wildlife course.  The weather has been great so we have been outside a lot. We ate way too much at our Thanksgiving dinner and then again today.  Luke and I did some Geocaching this morning before the birthday party.  We were able to locate 5 different caches in under 3 hours.  Luke is getting pretty good at finding the hidden caches.  He loves when the cache is large enough and contains a treasure.  The rule is that you can take a treasure as long as you leave something of equal or greater value. You also sign the log book before you return the cache to it's hiding place.  It's a great way to see places you might otherwise never visit.  The birthday party began at 3 and we had seven very excited children and one very cute birthday girl.  Evelyn loves dogs and puppies so we had a dog theme party complete with hot dogs, puppy chow, dog ears and noses and a cake topped with a dog that looked like her very own Shorty.  Evelyn really got into the smash cake and it didn't take her very long before she was completely covered in icing. I don't think she ever really got to the cake.  It was pretty chaotic but the kids had a great time, fights were minimal and they even barked Happy Birthday!  We have a lot to be thankful for here in the Bichler household.

PS  forgot to mention that Mr. Bichler went shopping with the boys, Chad and Matt, both Thanksgiving night and again this morning at 5 am.  Needless to say, he has been sleeping ever since.  He did wake up to eat birthday cake!

A house full of cousins

Grandma Great eating with the kids

opening gifts is a team effort

The Dora scooter was a hit with everyone

The doggie cake from Cake Creations of Hilliard

One of the doggies at the table, waiting for cake

Even Evie put on her doggie ears

Happy Birthday, Evie!!

Lincoln was the last one at the table and the best birthday guest ever!

Sunday, November 18

Like all of the grandkids, Evie likes the merry go round!

I am embarrassed at my tardiness in updating the blog.  I have been doing many interesting things and getting a lot done while the weather is nice which is also why I have not been able to write on the blog.  Hopefully, I can get caught up because I think that it will be another week before I get on here again.  Sara and Matt have been staying here this week so I have been thoroughly enjoying Evelyn.  Here antics are non stop and so much fun.  She is always on the go and getting into everything.  Last Thursday we went to the Members Preview for Wildlights at the Zoo.  The weather was perfect and we timed our stay so that we were there early enough to see a few animals, ride the carousel and watch the light show on our way out as the crowds were coming in.  I have been putting up some of our lights for Christmas and today I put the Nativity set up.  I will refrain from lighting it until after Thanksgiving.  Trish, Chad and the kids are coming to Ohio on Tuesday to spend Thanksgiving and we will be celebrating Evelyn's birthday while they are here.  I should have lots of great family photos to share after the weekend.  Have a very, very nice holiday and be safe in your travels! Oh, and don't get into any fights on Black Friday!!

Sneaking up the stairs

Looking for the Hostess Twinkies

Checking out the turtle in the manatee exhibit

The zoo's new male polar bear, Nanuq. A 25 year old weighing in at 1,000.