Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.   It is right up there next to Christmas.   I have crates and crates of decorations.   Before I had my son, we used to decorate the house to scare the trick or treaters.   Then when I became a mom, we decorated for my son’s enjoyment.  We always had Halloween dinners and parties.   He loved creating haunted houses. 

Last night we hosted a Halloween party for the TM band.   It was a fun night.  About 50 students grades 7-12 attended in costume.  

We had several games…they seemed to enjoy the carrot game the most.

Also enjoyed the old traditional sack race.  Sometimes hard to do in costume.

We had a DJ and lots of food.

We ended the evening with some Ghost Stories.

It was a great night of fun for everyone.

Happy Hauntings!

Surprises

A few weeks ago, I surprised my husband and son with tickets to see the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Team in Pittsburgh.  My husband has been a long time hockey fan.   He has attending several games and often takes our son.   I’m not really a sports fan, but I enjoy watching hockey and I have also attended a couple games.    Tickets are sort of hard to come by for the Penguins at the new Consol Energy Center.   Mike had looked at buying tickets but couldn’t get seats together.

 Someone at work had a relative that wanted to sell 3 tickets for Oct. 15 and since our anniversary was Oct. 12, I thought it might be a good Anniversary gift for our whole family.   I purchased the tickets and surprised my two favorite guys with them.

To make our trip even better, we left early and went to Smokey Bones in Greensburg to eat.   They have the BEST barbeque.  I enjoyed smoked turkey and pulled pork.

The new stadium is beautiful.  The Penguins lost, but we had a great time and it was a wonderful way for us to celebrate 26 years together.  Now they are asking when we can go to another game.  Guess my surprise was a hit.

Are You A BOSS?

Today is Boss's Day! I'm so blessed to have such a great team in my

department. I had forgotten that today was Boss's Day. When I arrived at work today, my secretary had a lovely bouquet and balloon sitting on my desk. Then she and several other team members took me to lunch.

Being a boss is many things.  It is sometimes being in charge of the actions of others.  Being the person they report to, the person they complain to.  It includes being the person that sometimes takes the heat for the rest of the group.  Sometimes it also means being the person who has to lean on people to get a job done.  It also means you get the pleasure of watching people grow and learn and become leaders themselves.  It means you get to be their cheerleader at times.   It means being happy for other's successes.  I'm sure Webster dictionary has a more succinct definition for "Boss," today it means "Bliss" for me!

Sparklers and Fireworks!

Hope your July 4th was special. I promised you some pictures of our July 4th celebration! I hope you enjoy them.

Every year we decorate the place for the July 4th holiday. This year was no different.

There is always lots of food, all kinds, and lots of great conversation. My Parents provided the meat - this year it was sliced ham and pulled pork for sandwiches. Our family provides all the paper products, drinks, and several side dishes. Everyone brings their favorite dish and we have a huge buffet. Everything was delicious. Special hits at this year's festivities included Mom's Pork Barbeque, Kim's Calico Beans, and Donna's Pnut Butter cookies hand-dipped in chocolate.

The most special thing about our Independence Day celebrations are the guests that attend. Every year new people come and the regulars are there. It just keeps growing and we enjoy it more every year.

Around 9:00 we all head over to the hill with our lawn chairs to watch the fireworks. Our neighbor puts on a spectacular show, Pinchot Thunder.

If you want to see more, check out the slide show I put together. There is music so you might want to turn your speakers on low.

Make your own free picture slideshow

Happy 4th of July!

How will you celebrate the July 4 weekend?

How will YOU celebrate the Independence Day Weekend?   

I am very much looking forward to some extra time off.  

Our plans include lots of yard work, cleaning, and then enjoying lots of family time.  Swimming, picnics, fun food and making some great memories.

We have a big picnic planned for Sunday night..   About 70 people and lots of great food.  After we eat till we can't hold anymore, we will take our lawn chairs across the hill and watch some good old-fashioned fireworks.  

In case you haven't guessed....I live in the country.   The hill is some land that my father owned till he sold the farm, but the new owner still allows us to set up our lawn chairs on top of the hill and watch fireworks that our neighbor puts off each year.   They are as good as any around.   The whole valley enjoys them.

We will enjoy the fireworks and then maybe some sparklers.  I'm 51 (guess I shouldn't be publicizing that) and I still enjoy doing sparklers!  We have been hosting a 4th of July party since Neal was a few months old.   A few years we have been away on vacation and my parents hosted it.   This year because of my dad's health, we are having it at my parents home so my father can attend easily.

  

We go all out with decorations and red, white, and blue food, dishes, etc.

I hope you are planning something special on this Independence Day.  Please comment and tell me about it.  It is great to hear about other's ideas and events.

Check back next week for pictures of the event. 

So what big plans do you have for the holiday?  What are your favorite July 4th memories?

Happy Father's Day!

Most people love and admire their father. And on Dad's day we especially try to acknowledge our father with cards, gifts and kind words.

It was no different in our family. Neal and I were up early to make Michael breakfast in bed. He was showered with kisses, gifts, and love before his feet hit the floor. (Michael started making me breakfast in bed on Mother's Day when Neal was 2 weeks old. I have done the same for him on Father's day. So this is a longstanding tradition.) We then attended church as a family.

Neal and Michael Smith

We took Michael's father, Patrick Smith out to dinner at Red Lobster the night before. And then visited him after church.

 

          Patrick and Michael Smith                                                             Neal and Patrick Smith

                                                                           

Neal, Patrick and Michael Smith

Then we came home for a while and prepared food for a picnic with my parents and siblings to honor my father. Today was a special Father's Day for us. My Dad has been so ill and he is now doing a bit better and it was sort of a celebration of his improved health as well as Father's Day.

David That O'Neal, David O'Neal, Heidi O'Neal, and Robin O'Neal Smith

We took some pictures, we visited with him, we gave him gifts, we ate a great meal that we all contributed to, and then we visited some more. It was a great day!

 Heidi O'Neal and David O'Neal                                                     Thad O'Neal and David O'Neal

Robin O'Neal Smith and David O'Neal

My sister, brother and I, all have much to be thankful for. His improved health, and that we were so fortunate to have him as a father. Also, that he loved our mother and they stuck together for all these years!

David and Donna O'Neal

I'm sure each of us could tell many things we have learned from our father, but those are for another post.

I will leave you today with one final picture .......

Thad O'Neal, Donna O'Neal, My Dad - David H. O'Neal, Heidi O'Neal, and Robin O'Neal Smith

............and just to say...Father's are special and mine is the best!

Why am I starting a blog?

Do I think people will want to read my blog?   I hope so, I mentioned yesterday that I wondered if anyone would want to read anything I wrote….my life really isn’t any more interesting than anyone elses.   But I think that is the secret to success….people like to know what other people are dealing with.  They like to know they are not alone.   They want to hear about other people’s issues.   Our grandparents watched soap operas and listened in on party lines, our generation watches reality tv shows and reads blogs.  In both cases we compare our lives to others.  Sometimes we look better, sometimes worse, but it gives us some comfort in knowing others deal with the same issues.  But bottom line…I’m writing because I want to and I’m sure some of the things I write about will be enjoyable for my son to read in the future!

Do I think that I will someday be famous because I’m writing this blog?   NO, but I do think I will make some people smile, I will make some people shake their head, and some might even get mad at some of the things I write.  There is always the chance that I could be like Ree Drummond of the Pioneer Woman Blog and get tv and book offers.  But that would be a surprise to all and not the reason I am blogging.  I do think I will reach people outside of my little Saxton/Hollidaysburg world.  I think somehow, someway I will make a difference with this blog….if no where else, at least in my own life.  And I’m happy with that.

What are my goals?  My goals are simple…to record our history, the goofy things and the happy times as well as the sad times we share, to make you smile, to make you laugh, to make you think, to inspire you, and to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone at times.

Our family (whatever yours may look like) are the most important people in our lives. This blog is a way of honoring those people who matter most.

How long will the posts be?   Some days posts will be about this length, some days maybe a few sentences, some days a picture, some days, when I’m on a roll, the posts might be longer.  Feel free to comment if you think they are too long!

How often will I post?   At least once a week.  Hopefully at least 3 times per week depending on what is going on in my life.

How will you know when I post something?  Several ways….you can sign up to get a copy via email.  You can sign up for RSS feed.  Or sometimes I will post on facebook.  Or you can just look my page up when the mood strikes.

So tell me....do you think I'm crazy for starting this blog?