New Years Resolution....(made in February!)

To update this blog more often (ie. at least once every couple of weeks!) I can't believe that it has been since July that I have had time to update this blog! What a slug! Things really haven't been THAT crazy....there is no excuse! I guess to start it would be easier to post a few summer photos and then go from there...here they are!
So nice to see photos were we look tan...and warm! Those times are LONG gone now as we are pretty much buried in the frozen tundra here. Maine has been pretty well smashed with winter this year..I think the worst on record for a long while. If global warming was real, I wish it would come to Maine every once in a while. :o) These are a few photos of Josh and me at Portland's Annual "Festival of Nations." Its this really cool gathering where many of the different immigrant populations in Portland are able to put up a display of their culture and..the best part...they all serve traditional meals from their original countries! It was pretty hard work convincing Josh NOT to go for the Indian food (as we eat at the restaurant pretty much anytime we go out to eat) . We ended up trying Somalian and Ethiopian cuisine and Josh had to try a gyro, too...as if he's not had one of those before being in my hugely Greek family. Any excuse to eat, I spose. :o) At one point, it started to rain quite badly so everyone huddled under the few tents that were available while a percussion band from Africa played in the rain...it was really beautiful! We met some amazing people "under the tents" who had developed lots of non-profit, privately funded programs to help the immigrant populations in tons of ways--whether providing assistance with heating oil bills in the winter time (killer!) or getting them involved in ESL courses or helping them to get connected to affordable, good health care. It was really a blessing to see that there is so much outreach going on right under our noses....especially where it is so easy to get discouraged and to start thinking that they aren't too many opportunities to help the disadvantaged in our predominately wealthy state and society! Anyhow, it was a great summer day and Ray even got to splash in puddles....how much better could it get!?


The Curell's Visit!

A one point in the summer, we were lucky enough to have Jenn and Craig Curell come to Maine for a quick visit! They were actually hear for a wedding so it worked out perfectly that we could spend some time with them. We had some really nice, leisurely days of sightseeing and spending time talking and hanging out (and eating, of course!)...it was hard to have them leave! Makes it hard not to want to move to Florida since there are so many people there who we love and miss! Nice place to visit, though!...and we have lots of really good excuses!
Here is another token photo of Mr. Ray with a little mohawk action going on! For a small part of the summer, daddy had a mohawk and Ray didn't want to be left out. :o)





I wanted to include this photo because FIRST, it makes us all miss SUSIE!--and second because it makes summer feel so close. There are probably 50 photos of each of us through the years with our "Mobis Lunkis" fish as dad would call them. :o) I guess we are rednecks and proud of it. :o)

OK! So more to come later. Time for work! xo!