Okay, so I have been HORRIBLE about blogging for almost 3 years! Seriously!

Updates: Adam and Priya, married, happy, graduated and moved on. Bonnie, graduated law school, clerking for a judge in Anchorage, has an amazing boyfriend. Ross is finishing up grad school, works for the US Forest Service making data maps, lives in town, and is happy. John is still working, though for a new company. I am volunteering at the high school and have started doing some serious genealogy.

I am trying to decide if I do my genealogy things here, in this blog, or start a new one...questions, questions.

As for the here and now. Bonnie's boyfriend wanted to get her a new kitten for Christmas. Enter little orange kitten (girl) that I spent an entire day picking out. She is adorable! And a lot of work. She is social and cuddly but also playful. She and Chai had a bit of trouble connecting for about 5 days: Chai wouldn't eat, would hiss at her, was angry at us. But now they play the chase game. Cookie was desperate to be her friend, but she was all mean-girl to Cookie. It is all sorts of high school drama here!

We go to Ann Marie (my sis) for a pizza party for the family today. Looking forward to seeing everyone and catching up. I saw Ann and Brian at my cousin, Ted's funeral. Also, my brother Ted did the funeral mass and he was so good! Gave a great speech about their time growing up together (fig fights in the hay alley, catching pigeons in the grain barn, barn owls vs boys...), along with a good spiritual message. I was so touched and so was Ted van der Mortel's family.

Moving on...

Looking for a good blog name for the whole genealogy thing: 1nce Upon an Ancestor? 1 more Family story? A mix of Scotch and Dutch? Nah... I will keep thinking.