the Klimek Chronicles

Sweet Sixteen

2011-05-16T09:13:00.000-05:00

Today is Andrew's GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!!!

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Sweet Sixteen and never been kissed?

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Happy Birthday to our adventurous, fun-loving, handsome, athletic, Reeses-eating, texting-loving, game-playing, soon-to-be driving son!

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We love you, Andrew, and we are so proud that you are our son!

~~~

Happy 16th!

love, your family

Six Months Ago...

2011-05-15T20:02:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, Monday, May 16th is a joyous day in the Klimek house. Tomorrow, Andrew will celebrate his golden birthday.

~~~

However, tomorrow also marks the six month anniversary that our Carter Mike became an angel in Heaven. I had planned to publish my Victim Impact Statement that I wrote for the judge (in the sentencing hearing for the man who killed Carter) on the six month anniversary of Carter's death. I didn't realize that would be Andrew's birthday. Because I don't want to overshadow Andrew's very special day with sadness tomorrow, I am choosing to publish to my blog tonight.

~~~

We miss Carter as much today as the first day he went to Heaven. I hope the reading of my impact statement reminds us all to tell our loved ones we love them and to have our hearts ready to meet Jesus at any time, because only He knows when our final day on Earth will be.

~~~

Your Honor:

My name is Shana Klimek, and I am Carter Dorwin’s auntie. I would like to share with you how the events of November 16, 2010 have changed my life forever.

First, however, I would like to give you some family background. I like to joke that our family tree is more like a “family wreath”. My husband and I were married in 1992. In the winter of 1995, we went on Chad Dorwin and Nicole Klimek’s first date with them. Chad is my first cousin, and Nicole is my husband’s sister, or my sister-in-law. As you know, they went on to be married and have a family. Their two boys, Carter Michael and Bradley James are my nephews (and my cousins, if you get technical)! Those two little boys are very special to me-- I was there the days they were both born, and I love them both very much. My children view those little guys more like little brothers than little cousins. Carter and Bradley and their parents are all very dear to our family.

The morning of Tuesday, November 16th, 2010 started out like most of my days. I had to be at work by 7:00 am, and left my family sleeping at home while I left the house at 6:40 to venture out into the darkness. That day was my husband’s birthday, and I had left him birthday wishes along with the daily note I leave for the kids with their daily instructions. I had an early patient that Tuesday morning, a 7:30 exam. Little did I know, that as I was performing my first ultrasound of the day, my family’s world was shattering five hours south in Lake Geneva. As I came out of my exam, I checked my cell phone, as I wanted to call my husband and wish him a ‘happy birthday’. Instead, I found a voice mail from him, urging me to call him as soon as possible because something awful had happened.

I took my phone into a private area and called my husband. He had gotten a phone call from his sister that morning. Time stopped for me as he blurted out his somber greeting. “Shana, it’s really bad. Nicole and the boys were in an accident on the way to school.”

He paused and tried to catch his breath. I began to get hysterical and asked him what happened, still not realizing the extent of what he was trying to tell me. “What happened? What happened! Is Nic okay? Where are the boys?” I asked my husband.

“Carter’s dead.” my husband choked out.

I refused to believe what my husband, Jamie, was telling me. That had to be a mistake. How could there even have been an accident? There was no snow on the road, the weather was fine! Was there that big of difference in the weather in southern Wisconsin?

I tried to reassure my husband. I told him that perhaps Nicole was distraught over the accident and Carter was only injured. I told Jamie, my husband, that I was going to call Chad, Carter’s dad, and find out what was going on.

I called Chad, still refusing to believe that my vibrant, nine-year-old nephew was injured, let-alone dead. When Chad answered, I asked him what was going on. Chad told me there had been an accident. I asked him if Carter was okay. That is when Chad had to tell me that his first-born son “didn’t make it”.

I cried in disbelief. I asked if the roads were bad; if it was foggy. Chad said no, and that our little Carter Mike was gone in an instant. He said he talked to a fireman over the phone, and the fireman told him there was nothing they could do for Carter. That’s when I realized that Chad wasn’t even in Lake Geneva, that he was south of Chicago, and had to drive 5 hours to get home to his family. Five hours for a grieving father to sit behind the wheel of an eighteen wheeler and fight through busy Chicago traffic to reach the surviving members of his family!

I immediately made arrangements to leave work and to go home to be with my family. My boys, Austin (17) and Andrew (15), never made it to school that Tuesday morning. They were still home when their Auntie Nicky called with the horrific news that their little cousin went to Heaven. I came home to find them sitting on the couch in shock, crying and scared.

My daughter, Abby (12), however, was already at school when the call came. My husband went to pick her up, and then I suffered through one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I sat with my daughter and had to tell her that her little cousin, the cousin that she spent all the time at Grandma and Grandpa’s house with, the cousin that chose her out of all of his friends to take on an overnight vacation to a water park, the cousin that was one of her best buddies, had gone to be with Jesus. My little girl sobbed and sobbed. She looked to me for answers, but I had none to give.

Abby and I quickly packed our suitcases, preparing to leave for Lake Geneva. Jamie and the boys would follow later, after they made some arrangements. We all climbed in two vehicles; there was another task we had to do.

My in-laws, Jamie and Nicole’s parents, live in Chippewa Falls, WI. It is about an hour south of our home in Barron, WI, and on our way to Lake Geneva. Our next stop was for the five of us to stop in Chippewa Falls and tell Carter’s grandma and grandpa that Carter was gone. I will not go into the details, but for grandparents to find out that their precious grandson has died has got to be one of the most heartbreaking things imaginable.

My father-in-law, Ken, shut down completely. He suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome as a result of the Vietnam War and gets through his days with the help of medication. He relied heavily on medication, and still does, to help him with the grief and despair and helplessness he feels as a result of Carter’s death. Not only is he dealing with the loss of a grandson, but watching his daughter live through the horror of losing her son has taken a tremendous toll on him.

My mother-in-law, Debbie, is in fragile health. We were immediately worried that the news of Carter’s death would be detrimental to her health. Although she did as well as could be expected through the funeral and several weeks to follow, she did end up hospitalized about a month after Carter’s passing and has been in and out of the hospital since that time. No grandmother should have to attend her grandson’s closed-casket funeral and stand by as her daughter and son-in-law make the decision to cremate their nine-year-old son.

I drove my in-laws, Nicole’s aunt, Beverly, and my daughter, Abby down to Lake Geneva so we could be with Nicole and Chad and Bradley as quickly as we possibly could. The drive seemed to take forever, and I spent the majority of the time with tears streaming down my face. I still could not believe it was true. That morning, we were all living the ‘American Dream’. We were happy, healthy, and thankful for our families and the lives we were living. Now, it seemed it was all up in smoke; just an illusion.

When we arrived at Chad and Nicole’s house, we walked in to find Nicole grieving on the couch. She was re-living every moment of the crash; every moment of that morning. She was second-guessing everything she had done. The “what if’s” were rolling out of her mouth. She was blaming herself for what had happened to Carter. She was pretty banged-up from the accident. The impact occurred directly behind her seat where Carter was sitting. She was sore and bruised, but she practically ignored all of her physical pain, as it was overshadowed by her emotional pain. It hurt me so much to see her like that; to see her sobbing, broken, and trying to take all of the blame for the actions of another.

Chad seemed to be in shock. He has always been a quiet guy, and he just didn’t know what to do. I felt so awful for my cousin; he looked so lost. How can you console a man who has just lost his son? How can you make things right for someone whose world had just crumbled?

Little Bradley had multiple cuts all over his face, his neck, and his left ear. He was playing, but he never let his mom and dad out of his sight. Every once in a while, he would start talking about Carter and how “Carter was bloody”. Bradley asked frequently where Carter was. His mom and dad had to tell him over and over again that his big brother Carter was now in Heaven with Jesus. Then, Bradley would say, “Carter’s not bloody anymore?“

My heart was breaking thinking about the horrible things that my little four-year-old nephew had witnessed that morning.

Over the next two days, I felt that I should take the responsibility of contacting the funeral home (Chad and Nicole had a name of a local funeral home that had helped a friend previously), as Carter’s body was still in the morgue. I talked to the coroner and the funeral director about the condition of Carter’s body. I felt strongly that Carter should be bandaged up with gauze in case Nicole and Chad wanted to see him one last time. Because of this, I was subjected to listen to very graphic descriptions of my little nephew’s condition. Carter’s death was caused as a direct result of severe head trauma. Please understand, I do not regret taking on this roll, and I would do it again in an instant to try to ease the burden on my sister-in-law and brother-in-law/cousin, I just wish circumstances had never caused me to do it to begin with.

I tried to take on as much as I could to help out Chad and Nicole. I called the pastor when they needed him, I kept in contact with the funeral director, I made arrangements with their former pastor “up north” for a second memorial service, I contacted police about getting accident reports and retrieving belongings out of Nicole’s car, I made arrangements for flowers, I wrote an obituary. All of these activities kept me busy, but as hard as I worked, I couldn’t get the image of my sister-in-law, trapped in her car in that swampy marsh with her two boys in the back seat; one boy screaming in horror, one boy damaged beyond recognition, out of my mind.

Because Chad and Nicole had only lived in Lake Geneva a short time, we had uncertainty as to what to do with Carter’s body. I will always remember how awful I felt as I led them into Carter’s room to talk with them about “arrangements” for Carter’s body. I had to broach the idea of cremation vs. burial with Chad and Nicole. They both knew that Carter’s funeral would have to be a closed-casket funeral due to the extent of Carter’s injuries, but the question of what to do with Carter’s body after the funeral was up in the air. I can only imagine the horror they experienced in having to make that decision. Now, Carter’s ashes sit on a shelf in Chad and Nicole’s bedroom in a 10” x 5” box. That is what they have left of their son’s earthly body.

We went to the funeral home to make arrangements to say goodbye to Carter. Chad, Nicole, the pastor, both sets of grandparents, and myself were there. The funeral director had “prepared” Carter for his mom and dad to see him. I went in with Chad and Nicole to see Carter one last time. His little body was lying on a hospital cot, dressed in the last outfit his mom would ever pick out for him. He had a thin, white blanked draped over his lower body. Carter’s little head was wrapped in layers of white gauze. Only his right ear, his mouth, and his chin were able to be uncovered. He looked as though he could have been sleeping. I had never seen Carter so still before.

The deep, heart-wrenching sobs of pain that Nicole cried tore at my soul. Tears streamed down Chad’s face as he stared at his oldest son. Nicole frantically kissed Carter as she examined his fingers, his hands, his feet, his chin; all the while telling him how much she loved him and how perfect he was. It reminded me of the day Carter was born-- Nicole did the same thing, kissing Carter and examining him and telling him he was perfect. This time, however, her tears were tears of pain and suffering, not tears of joy. This time, her expressions of love were intermingled with apologies for not protecting him from harm. This time, Chad was not looking on with happiness, but with such great sadness that I thought his heart was surely breaking.

Soon after, the grandparents came in to say goodbye to Carter. Chad’s mom, my aunt LaNita, was terribly distraught. She suffered terribly seeing Carter in that condition as her husband, Bill, looked on with tears rolling down his face.

My in-laws came in shortly after Chad’s parents. My mother-in-law stumbled weakly several times as she walked toward Carter. My father-in-law sobbed loudly. The pastor prayed for peace over all of us. The anguish in that room was palpable.

As we were viewing Carter’s earthly body one last time, my husband, Jamie, and my two sons arrived in Lake Geneva and came directly to the funeral home. I had not planned for my children to see Carter with his injuries. I wanted them to remember Carter the way he was, smiling, with mischief dancing in his eyes. I will never forget the looks on my son’s faces as they stood over their little cousin’s body. My oldest son, Austin, sobbed into my shoulder. My younger son, Andrew, just stared at Carter. I think he was in shock. My husband clung to his sister, father, and mother and they all cried and cried.

Four months have passed since Carter has gone to live with Jesus. Much has changed in my life and the lives of my children as a direct result of Carter’s death. I live with daily depression, sometimes so dark that I can’t get out of bed. I have lost 20 pounds, as many days, I can’t bring myself to eat hardly anything. As much as I would like to deny the fact, my family suffers because of my condition.

My eldest son quit basketball his senior year just weeks after Carter died, as he was persecuted by his coach for missing practices to attend his little cousin’s funeral. Austin has played basketball since he was seven years old and was the only returning starter on the varsity team this season. He loved the game. The stress of Carter’s death and the coach’s cruelty, however, was too much for him to bear.

My two younger children, Andrew and Abby, will be attending a new school next year. Due to the health concerns of their grandma that escalated after Carter’s death, my husband feels we should move to Chippewa Falls to take care of my in-laws. My mother-in-law is in poor health, and my father-in-law is still suffering emotionally since Carter’s death.
Carter’s death has left a huge hole in our family. We celebrated his little brother, Bradley’s fifth birthday just a month after Carter went to Heaven. I stood and watched while his mom sobbed in the background while everyone else struggled to sing “Happy Birthday” for Bradley. Nothing for our family will ever be ‘normal’ again.

I think about Jeremy Dees frequently. I have visited his online blog more times than I care to admit, trying to get a glimpse into the man that has caused our family so much pain. Most days, when I think of Mr. Dees, I feel nothing. I pray to have the strength to forgive him someday. Right now, I feel robbed. My husband and I try so hard to teach our children right from wrong. As we have one son who recently earned his driver’s license, and one son who will (hopefully) earn his in May of this year, we have stressed the rules of the road over and over to our children. I feel cheated that Mr. Dees has broken the law so many times with his three DUI’s and just recently getting his license back after having it suspended--why was someone who so clearly does not respect the law out driving on our roads? What kind of message does this send to my children? This man’s blatant disregard for our laws time after time finally resulted in a horrible tragedy.

What is my nephew’s life worth? Certainly more that seven years in prison. More than 20 years-- more than 100 years! No punishment that can be handed down to Jeremy Dees will ever bring back my mischievous, fun-loving, intelligent, adorable nephew. We, Carter’s family, will have to take comfort in the fact that we will see him again in Heaven, thanks to God’s promises. In the mean time, my hope is that you, in your authority, will punish Mr. Dees to the full extent of the law and set an example both for him and for our children.

Thank you.

2011-05-15T17:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday!

~~~

Our sweet little Tinkerbelle would be eight today,

We would be having a big party if we had our way...

But, instead, with brave smiles we say "hooray"!

As she celebrates with Jesus on this beautiful Sunday.

~~~

~~~
Happy Birthday, Hannah Rochele!
We love you and miss you!

Missing Mexico...

2011-04-21T16:17:00.000-05:00

I've been wearing my Cuddl Dudds again these last few blustery days.

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I am missing the fabulous week of vacation we had over Christmas...

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Nothing like the feeling of ~~snow~~ sand between your toes!

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Summer, I miss you.

The Camera Thief

2011-04-18T12:48:00.002-05:00

My camera was stolen.

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A crime was committed.

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The Perpetrator...

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Some victims were willing participants...

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Some victims had that "deer-in-the-headlights" look...

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Some victims wanted nothing to do with the crime in progress...

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Some victims were caught unawares...

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Some victims seemed to ponder their involvement...

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While some "victims" shamelessly posed for the camera...

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The identity of the Perpetrator was discovered when multiple pictures of the Perp's Father were noted on the memory card of the camera...

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Some of the victims took on a Nixon Pose to proclaim their innocence--"I am not a crook!"

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And finally, some victims were horribly exploited while pictures of their body parts were taken and the innocent victim was completely unaware...

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Because the Perpetrator was a minor, she was released into the custody of her parents with a squishy hug, a smooch, and a squeeze of her little muffins!

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Guard your cameras, people.

H.I.T.'s 2011

2011-04-18T12:22:00.002-05:00

On Friday, April 8th and Saturday, April 9th, our family once again gathered in Fergus Falls, MN for the annual Hillcrest Invitational Tournaments, or H.I.T.'s, as they are known around these parts. There's nothing like a fun weekend of family basketball!

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The crowd gathered from near and far to watch the entertainment...

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Some of the fans were REALLY excited--right, Grandpa Denny!?!

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Jamie coached again this year and took his job very seriously...

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Austin puts up a three-pointer!

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Andrew showcases his skills from outside...

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Eric was our power-house underneath...

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Jeremy slid past the defender to put up two!

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Jordan was golden this time from the line...

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Matthew pops it up from deep range...

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Scott lays it in on a break-away...

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Sean pulls up for two!

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Timmy battles the defender to put up a shot...

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Wes executes a fade-away jumper...

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Eddie forces the defence to open the lane!

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Andrew takes advantage of the slacking defense!

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H.I.T's are a great time for cousins to spend time together...

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Allie had fun with her craft box...

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Em, Morgan, Abz, Allie, and Ty Lewis

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"Basketball Fans!"

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Skye cheers for her daddy!

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Coach Jamie gathers the team in the huddle...

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Wes dumps it off to the side...

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Tim powers it to the basket!

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Sean lays it in!

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Scott gets position for two!

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Matt lofts one in from outside...

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Jordan fakes out the "D" with a pass to his teammate...

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Jeremy brings the ball up the court...

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Andrew for THREE!

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Austin with a power move to the middle..

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Eric towers above the defenders for two more!

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Our team was the proud recipient, for the first time EVER, of the award of the
TIDY BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!
Feast your eyes on this baby!

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Here is our weary team after four hard and competitive games, showing off their plaque...

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The fans enjoyed the show! Abz is looking forward to next year, as she will FINALLY get to play in the tournaments, and she wants Fergus Falls to know:

"I'll Be Back!"

~~~

Thanks for a fun weekend, Borowski and Fylling Families!

BHS Junior Prom 2011~Fountain Oasis~Das Lach Haus, Cumberland, WI

2011-04-17T23:29:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, April 2nd, the BHS Junior Class hosted the 2011 prom at the Das Lach Haus in Cumberland, WI, with the theme, "Fountain Oasis".

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This was the first year both Klimie Brothers decided to go to the prom, and, I must say, they both looked stunning in their tuxes!

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Two debonair brothers!

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Austin, once again,escorted his friend, Kaitlyn to the big evening. She came over to the house for some photos, and the two of them made a very attractive couple...

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Andrew, and his two buddies, Isaiah and Lane, showered and got ready at our house. Isaiah and Lane's parent's came over to take some pics of these handsome hunks before they left for their night of fun...

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Andrew and Lane...

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Andrew and Isaiah...

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After a minor hair emergency that caused a bit of a delay, the girls joined us at our house for some more photo ops.

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Andrew had the pleasure of having TWO dates for the prom this year. He escorted both the lovely Elizabeth and the lovely Shayna to dinner and the prom.

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Austin and Kaitlyn went to dinner with Andrew and his friends, as they are all friends and have fun together.

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In an effort to remind me of his "uniqueness", Austin had a few pics taken with his "nerd glasses"--Kaitlyn didn't even bat an eyelash. I guess she must be used to him by now!

Here is the whole gang before they left our house for dinner...

Embarrassingly, I don't remember the guy in the back row's name in the light blue (he's from another school), so we will just call him "Afton's date".

So, from L to R, Back Row: Afton's date, Afton, Elizabeth, Kaitlyn, _______, and Austin.

Middle Row: Andrew, Lane, and Isaiah

Front Row: Shayna and Sarah

~~~

When we arrived at the prom to watch the grand march, we enjoyed looking at all of the kids dressed in their finest. My favorite couple was Austin's friends, Mitch and Kyle, otherwise known as, Meechie and Yeags. Pay close attention to the beautiful corsages--Meechie made them for him and his date!!!

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I snapped a few quick pics at the prom before Jamie and I gracefully made our exit...

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I am sure the kids had fun, and post prom lock-in was on the agenda for the rest of the night following the prom hosted at BHS.

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Another fun year of prom come and gone. Perhaps the last year for Austin, unless he comes home from college next year to escort Kaitlyn again???

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My boys are so handsome!!!

:-)

Two Months

2011-01-16T20:38:00.000-06:00

Remembering....

A Visit From Jack's Babies!

2010-12-19T22:23:00.000-06:00

On Saturday night, Miss Julie and Mr. Monti were kind enough to let two of Jack's daughters come over to our house for a visit--even though Casey, the puppy's mommy, has full-custody in this baby arrangement.

~~~

This was fun because:

A. When isn't it fun to have cute little five-week old puppies visit your house

B. Bradley was visiting this weekend and he got to see the puppies.

C. Jack and Sophie got to meet and drool profusely with nerves while never looking the puppies directly in the eye, and,

D. With Jack and Sophie, the two visiting puppies, and Toby, the Dorwin Yorkie, we had FIVE dogs in the house at once!

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Here is Abz the dog-lover snuggling the two little sisters...

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The pups are getting so big, the two of them together barely fit into my Christmas basket

for some photo ops!

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The babies tried on Jack and Sophie's reindeer antlers/ears for a few pictures--

don't you just want to take one home for Christmas?!?!

~~~

This is the little girl I secretly refer to as

"Snow White"--

She is my favorite, as I have always liked the lighter goldens.

We call her "Whitey"--not very glamorous as my princess name for her!

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"Little Red Riding Hood", or just "Red" to the common folk (because of her collar)

is Jamie's favorite. She is very pretty and majestic sitting in her basket!

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There was even time for a little "Dog Pile" and some puppy wrestling during their short visit to our house!

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One last pose of my little Snow White--

can't you just smell her puppy breath!

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One of these five beauties could be yours for Christmas! They are being potty trained on cedar chips, so all you will have to do is sprinkle cedar chips outside where you want them to go, and they will know what to do--Brilliant!

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What a great addition one of these little sweeties would make to your family!

Leave a message on my blog with serious inquiries, and I will get you in contact with Casey's family (the momma dog) to fill you in on all the details.

~~~

Merry Christmas!

Remembering Carter Mike One Month Later...

2010-12-16T07:00:00.002-06:00

Carter Michael Dorwin

July 27, 2001 ~ November 16, 2010

On the day we said goodbye to

Carter Mike

at his church in

Lake Geneva,

we had a balloon release in honor

of the celebration Carter was having at finally going home

to be with Jesus....

~~~

My spectacular cousin, Leah, captured these images and shared them with me.

I can only imagine how happy Carter was to see hundreds of ORANGE balloons, floating through the

sky honoring Carter and his favorite color!

~~~

And what a celebration our

Carter Mike must

be living every, single day!

~~~

we miss you, buddy...

The End of an Era...

2010-12-14T12:52:00.001-06:00

On Thursday, December 9th,

Austin played what turned out to be his last

basketball game as a Barron Golden Bear.

~~~

After putting up with repeated mind games and cruelty from his coach for several years,

the recent mis-treatment of Austin by his coach after the death of little Carter

was the straw that broke the camel's back.

~~~

Austin was the best player and the player with the most hustle on this year's team.

He was the only returning starter to this year's team, and was a leader on the court.

~~~

Austin acted as more of a man than the "man" that has been hired to lead this team.

We are so proud of him, and, although I am extremely sad to see his season end,

we support him in his choice.

~~~

In true Klimek/Davis fashion, Austin went out with a "bang" from his last game of the year.

Number 10 fouled out with 1:05 left in the game--once again, diving and scrambling for a loose ball.

~~~

We are proud of you,

Austin!

love,

Mom and Dad

The Rollie Pollie Puppies are Four Weeks and On the Move!!!

2010-12-10T12:48:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday night, Mrs. Julie graciously let us invite ourselves over to see the puppies after Abby's basketball practice.

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We were somewhat anxious to see the little ones, as it had been several weeks since our last "sighting", and we had hear they had gotten much larger!

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Well, we were not disappointed! The puppies were HUGE for only being four weeks old--I am quite certain that these 5 little ones are bigger now at 4 weeks than their daddy was when we brought him home at 6 weeks! These are some little porkers!

Abby LOVED the puppy breath and the puppy teeth!!!

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Five Fur-Balls in a Fuzzy Row...

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A puppy kiss for a squirrel!

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A sleepy, wrinkley puppy...

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Tired puppy eyes...

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Three Dumplings!

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Cool Dude!

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Too much excitement for little puppies--time for bed!

Only a few more weeks to go, and one of these little darlings could be yours for Christmas!!!

~~~

woof!

Remembering Jacob on His Third Birthday

2010-12-04T21:24:00.000-06:00

In memory of my nephew,

Jacob Gabriel Dorwin

born sleeping

December 4, 2007

~~~

we wanted him, we prayed for him~

he was loved long before he was born.

but on the day that became his birthday,

all our hearts could do was mourn.

he was a fighter from the beginning.

he defied the odds from early on.

auntie saw him on his ultrasounds,

perfectly developed, healthy, and strong.

but, in spite of all of mommy's great care

and daddy and brother's love,

our little jacob slipped away

to his new home in heaven above.

he went to sit on Jesus' lap

his little soul alive and free!

while his body was born here on earth,

already sleeping peacefully.

oh! how we miss that boy!

we wonder what might have been...

would he have blond hair and sparkling blue eyes?

would he have a dimple on his chin?

would he have a sweet smile like the brother's?

would he have his daddy's nose?

would mommy's curls sit atop his head?

right now, only Jesus knows.

but someday we will see him

our little "angel jake"!

all because Jesus forgives our sins

and died on the cross for all our sake.

so please think of my sweet little jacob

on this fourth day in december.

and a message to his mom and dad:

we WILL always remember.

in memory of my nephew,

jacob gabriel dorwin

10 oz

born sleeping december 4, 2007

chad and nicole dorwin

big brothers carter and bradley

~~~

Jacob was there in Heaven on

Tuesday, November 16, 2010,

to welcome his big brother,

Carter Michael Dorwin,

as one of Heaven's newest angels...

~~~

...until I see you again, boys.

Auntie loves you.

Missing Carter

2010-11-20T22:26:00.003-06:00

My Nephew

forever nine...

~~~
His mom is without her first baby boy, his brother can’t find his best friend.
His dad’s fishing buddy lives with Jesus now; gone is the perfect family blend.
~~~
Taken from us in a moment so quick, one blink of an eye and it was true.
Our beautiful little Carter Mike was lost, my sweet little 9 year-old nephew.
~~~
His smile was bright and contagious, his eyes were always twinkling so blue~
He loved playing Star Wars, Legos, and exploring, and was always collecting something new.

~~~
He loved his brother, Bradley, so very much! Carter taught him stuff non-stop~
Like when Bradley thought that Dad was “Number 1”, Carter said GOD was on top!
{then Dad!}
~~~
Carter had a deep love for his mom, their bond was more special than most know~
They shared a unique love, respect, and trust, and every day it would only just grow.
~~~
Carter loved his Dad with all his heart, and the special things he would do just for him~
Dad knew all the favorite things to do like go on the boat, read books, and make fires on a whim.
~~~
Carter’s love shined bright for his Grandmas, and for his Grandpas and dog, Toby, as well
And he thought that his Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Friends were just awesome and swell.

~~~
Carter loved his classmates, Badger Youth Wrestling, soccer and especially his Cub Scouts!
He loved the campfires, tomahawks, archery, BB guns, fishing, and especially, the campouts!

~~~
Mere words can’t describe the unique and awesome potential of my Carter Mike,
I hope you were one of the lucky who knew him and got to know what he was like.
~~~
Right now, we are all so sad, we miss Carter Mike so very much!
Our hearts are breaking inside for him; we long for just one more touch.

~~~
But we cannot be discouraged, we have hope in the promise He gives.
Because of the words in John 3:16, we know that our Carter still lives!
~~~
Carter Mike believed in Jesus, he asked Him to live in his heart.
So November 16th wasn’t the end of his life, really, it was just the start!
~~~
Wow! The fun Carter must be having! He always looked forward to Heaven with glee~
I’d bet he already has some kind of collection, and is holding his brother, Jacob, on his knee.
~~~
So let Carter’s life be your blessing! Let him be your guide.
Ask Jesus to live in your heart, too, and someday, we’ll all be by His side.
~~~
Until that day….
We’ll miss you, Carter Mike.

~~~

Love you so much,

Auntie

Winter Wonderland???

2010-11-14T00:13:00.004-06:00

Bah, Humbug!

~~~

Although I don't normally use profanity on my blog, I will warn you, internet, that today's post will be full of a certain "s" word. Yes, it {snowed} in Barron overnight!

~~~

We awoke Saturday morning to a snow-covered world. While we enjoyed the whole week with temperatures in the 50's and 60's, I was dismayed to hear the forcast for the fluffy white stuff for the end of the week.

~~~

For once, the weather man was right, and when I looked out my kitchen window, this is what I saw...~~~
Now, even though I hate snow passionately, I did find some beauty in the cold, icy nastiness...

~~~
Even Abz thought this tree was pretty!
~~~
This, however, was NOT a pretty sight, and was a foretelling of many days to come!

~~~
Two little girls had a BLAST in the snow all day today--coming in only to eat hot cream of potato soup and enjoy mugs of steaming mulled apple cider...

~~~
Two stinky, wet dogs enjoyed the snow even more than the two girls!

~~~
Both Abz and Bay and Jack and Sophie are sleeping good tonight!

~~~

Goodbye, fall--I will miss you!

Quintuplets!

2010-11-10T21:52:00.003-06:00

Announcing the arrival of five bundles of joy!

A boy, three sisters, and one more little boy...

~~~

Eyes tight shut and sweet little faces-

One look at these pups and your heart just races.

~~~
One little girl was so very happy to see
the new babies of her dog, Jack, and his wife, Casey!
~~~
Five little tails, twenty tiny paws...

Soft round little bellies, and miniature white claws.

~~~
So now the puppies must grow, sleep, and eat.

They snuggle, nuzzle, and nurse from a teat.

~~~
And eight weeks from now as Christmas draws near,

One could be YOUR new baby as you start the New Year!

The End.

~~~

Welcome to the New Puppies

11-9-2010

Happy Birthday, Gram...

2010-11-08T22:43:00.003-06:00

November 9th, 2010

~~~

Happy Birthday to you...

~~~

I can't believe that it's true..

~~~

This year you aren't here for your birthday...
~~~
Yet all our thoughts are of you.
~~~
Missing my Gram so much on her 89th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Gram. We love you.
~~~

http://klimekchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-gram.html

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T23:48:00.006-05:00

Happy Halloween!
~~~

For Halloween this year, the Squirrel designed a costume of her own making! She decided she would be a "Fairy Princess" and dreamed up her costume weeks ago. She paid attention to every detail; from her princess crown, to her fairy wings, to her spider earrings, to her "Whoooo wants candy" owl shirt, to her stripped tights. But nothing was cooler than her hand-made tutu that she made herself! The purple, green, orange, and black tulle was very festive and looked stunning on her!

~~~

Earlier in the day, Abz and Bay tackled the huge task of carving the ginormous pumpkin...~~~
I think they could have both fit inside that thing!~~~
Here is Abz showing off her finished product...~~~
Abz and Bay went and did a bit of Trick or Treating with Bailey's dad around town. I stayed home to hand out some candy to trick or treaters here at the Klimie house while I was on call. (The Steelers were playing, so Jamie was otherwise occupied!)

~~~
Austin had a dinner date with friends for the evening, and just as I was leaving to head out to the hospital for a call-in, these trick-or-treaters showed up at the kitchen door...

~~~
A.W.O.L. Soldiers?!?

Nope, it was Carsen, Neil, Lane, Andrew, and Jed!~~~

Operation:

"Taking Barron by Storm"~~~
Happy Halloween from the Klimeks!

I Left The Girls Alone For Five Minutes...

2010-10-27T21:53:00.004-05:00

...and this is what I found!

~~~

A few yummy treats were used to bribe Sophie into the Beauty Parlor...
~~~
The results of the make-over were smashing!

~~~
Sophie was "workin' it" for the camera!

~~~
"Please, Please. You are too kind!"

~~~
It is hard to be humble...

~~~
Smile for the camera!

~~~
Getting tired of the paparazzi...

~~~
One more BIG smile...

~~~
This was exhausting!

~~~
hairstylist: Abby Klimek

costumes: Abby Klimek

photography: Abby Klimek

~~~

"work it, girlfriend!"

Puppy Watch--An Update

2010-10-22T13:16:00.003-05:00

Perhaps you all remember the joyous post highlighting the wedding of

Jack Klimek and Casey Hallberg

September 3, 2010...

I am pleased to announce their puppies are due to arrive sometime around

November 5, 2010!

~~~

Stay tuned to the Klimek Chronicles for a birth announcement...

Fall Day Fotos

2010-10-17T21:48:00.003-05:00

Carter and Bradley came for a short fall visit for our annual Pumpkin Patch Adventure (see post below), and the three youngest cousins took some time to play in Abby's leaf pile out in the front yard while they were "up north".

~~~

The three cousins posed by Abby's huge pumpkin! She picked out this pumpkin from the Adam's farm from their pumpkin patch--Thanks, Adam's Family!

~~~

Carter climbed the porch post for a photo op--perhaps there are two squirrels in the family?!
~~~
Cute little Bradley...

~~~
Abz on her ginormous pumpkin!

~~~
Carter!!!

(his whole body was buried! I had to pull off a few leaves for this picture!)

~~~
Bradley having a blast in the leaf pile!

~~~
Abz and her "special effects"!

~~~
Carter Mike

~~~
Bradley James

~~~
Abby

~~~
We had a fun time in the leaves, and none too soon! When Abz and I got home that afternoon, dad had hauled three truck-loads to the compost pile and mulched the rest!

Goodbye until next year, leaves!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-17T21:10:00.009-05:00

The Klimek Family and 3/4 of the Dorwin Family made our annual trek to Mommsen's Pumpkin Patch in Rice Lake on Saturday, October 16th. Unfortunately, Chad had to work and couldn't join us for our yearly adventure. We missed him, and I am sure he missed the fresh caramel apples, although Nic and the boys took one home for him!

~~~

We had a beautiful fall day to enjoy our time together at the Pumpkin Patch. The temperature was around 65 degrees--a big change from some of the years we have been there in winter coats, hats, and gloves!

~~~

Our trip to the Pumpkin Patch is a day for cousins to have fun together...

(the pumpkin with the big mouth isn't related to us...)

~~~

The Klimie Kids were great to humor their mom with a few photo ops throughout the afternoon!
~~~
Nicole snapped a pic of our whole family together!
(maybe that big-mouthed pumpkin head is a relative--he seems to show up in quite a few pictures...)
~~~
The Three Klimies...

~~~
Carter and Bradley...

~~~
Three cousins had fun in the corn maze!

Carter had the most fun picking the cobs of corn...

he had all of his pants pockets stuffed with ears of corn until his pants were almost falling off, and then he stuffed the front pocket of my hoodie full of corn cobs when he couldn't carry any more!

~~~
Our traditional Mommsen's Produce Patch Truck photo. We have taken one every year since 1998! You can take a trip down memory lane by clicking this link:

http://klimekchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/10/driving-mommsens-produce-patch-truck.html ~~~
The three Dorwins took their turn in the Produce Truck...

(last year, Toby was driving in the truck with the boys!)

~~~
Carter loves to look for gourds--

he found a good one here!

~~~
Nicole and the boys posed for a picture...

~~~
One more shot of the Klimie Kids in the loft of the barn.

~~~
Until next year, Pumpkin Patch!

Happy Fall, Everyone!

Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog!

2010-10-17T20:52:00.002-05:00

WOOF!

~~~

ARF!
~~~
Grrr...

~~~
*Pant, Pant*

~~~
Hot Dog!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Pat!

2010-10-01T21:40:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to

Grandma Pat

October 1!

Hope you have a great day!

~~~

We love you!

Run, Forrest (I Mean Abby), Run!

2010-09-30T20:59:00.003-05:00

Abby has been enjoying her first experience with a school-sponsored sport this fall. She was able to join the RVMS Cross Country team and ran in six meets with the team.

As it turns out, Abz is quite the runner! She took first place for the Barron Girls in all six of her Cross Country meets!

~~~

Here she is--

the Leader of the Pack!

~~~

Never one to shirk fashion, Abby, along with her good friend, Bailey, made tutus for the cross-country team. Here is Abz, sporting her tutu in Barron school colors...
~~~
Runnin' with the competition...

~~~
Concentrating hard on the run!
(She runs with her inhaler in her hand...)

~~~
Coming out of the woods for the last stretch of the race...

~~~
Zooming by mom!

~~~
Great job on an AWESOME cross-country season, Abby!

The Princess is Three!

2010-09-27T08:42:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, September 22, Princess Diamond Sophia turned three years old. That's 21 in dog years, but she's still not allowed into any establishments that serve adult beverages.

~~~

Sophie's birthday is marked on our calendar, but due to our busy week of Homecoming activities, we didn't celebrate her blessed day until Sunday.

~~~

Abby made her traditional doggie birthday cake....

(check out the appetizing congealed, can-formed stack of dog food!) ~~~

The traditional Klimie Kids doggie birthday picture....

~~~

Sophie loved her birthday cake!
~~~
Sophie was a good girl and shared her cake with Jack...

~~~
Abz picked out Halloween costumes for the dogs for a birthday present for Sophie.

Sophie is a bee, and Jack is a pumpkin! Soph didn't mind her cute costume, but Jack was feeling somewhat humiliated--especially by the stem on the top of his head!

~~~
The costumes in all of their glory!

~~~
Sophie got a new sock monkey halloween toy with a squeaker for her birthday!

~~~
All of the birthday excitement wore her out...

Happy Birthday, Sophie!

BHS Homecoming 2010

2010-09-25T23:08:00.002-05:00

The BHS Homecoming Dance for 2010 was held on Saturday night, September 25th.

Before the dance, the kids stopped by so I could have a photo op...

(and not have to show up at the dance!)

Austin and Kaitlyn

~~~

Mitch, Kayla, Kaitlyn, Austin, Morgan, and Kyle
~~~
The Sophomore Boys
Isaiah, Neil, Andrew, and Carsen

~~~
Strike a pose...

~~~
Havin' fun...

~~~

Mamma's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be...

2010-09-25T22:46:00.003-05:00

...Cowboys!

{Cowboy Day--Homecoming 2010}

Homecoming 2010: Powder Puff...Softball?!?

2010-09-19T23:23:00.002-05:00

It is Homecoming week at BHS once again, and, as in years past, the first event of the Homecoming week is the Powder Puff games. This year, due to multiple injuries that have occured on the Powder Puff Football Field, the football games were changed to Powder Puff SOFTBALL!

~~~

While watching the girls play softball games wasn't quite as exciting as "back in the day" of the Powder Puff Football games, it was a fun evening of softball...

and CHEERLEADING!

~~~

For the last time, Austin and his buddies "suited up" to show their Class of 2011 spirit as Powder Puff Cheerleaders...

The senior boys watched the Junior/Sophomore game from the roof of the equipment shed while flying their "colors" for all to see.

~~~

Meanwhile, at the game in progress, Andrew and his buddies performed their Sophomore cheer for the appreciative crowd.

from L to R: Elliott (with his gorgeous turquoise hair...), Isaiah, Carsen, Macky (sporting the big bazookas again this year!), Andrew (looking stunning in his turquoise evening gown!), Neil (I had to bleach my eyes after seeing this...), and Conner (who cheered even on crutches!).

(The Sophomore boys took second in the cheering contest, losing only to the freshmen!)

~~~
Some of the Sophomore Powder Puffs from the class of 2013...
~~~
The Senior Cheerleaders
L to R: Kyle, Mitch, Austin, David, and Tyler
(The Senior boys took third place in the cheering competition. Of course, they feel they were robbed!)

~~~
...and the Senior Powder Puff team representing the Class of 2011...
(They won the Championship Game!)

~~~
A fun start to our Homecoming week!

Our Dells Adventure--Day One (Continued)

2010-09-07T22:03:00.010-05:00

As I am playing catch-up with my blogging, I am still working on the first day we were at Wisconsin Dells! As you may remember from previous posts, our morning began with our BigFoot Zipline Tour.
http://klimekchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/09/klimeks-meet-bigfoot-alternately-titled.html

Before we went on our Zip tour, the kids checked out this old army medical helicopter that was parked outside of the Original Dells Army Ducks where we did our BigFoot Zipline Tour...
~~~
Tough Guys in the Steel Bird...

~~~

After our big Zipline adventure, we embarked on yet another adventure on the

WILDTHING!
~~~
The WILDTHING is a 1200 HP jet-powered speedboat, guaranteed to make you hang on tight and bring you back to the dock soaking wet!

Abz and Jamie getting ready to enjoy the ride...
~~~
The WILDTHING put us through a series of unexpected power stops and wild 360's and left us dripping wet and laughing like crazy!
http://www.dellsducks.com/wildthing.html
~~~
After all of that fun, we were hungry and ready to eat. We drove up and down Wisconsin Dells Parkway, eyeing up our many options. We finally decided on Crabby's -- who advertised their $9.99 all you can eat buffet and crab legs.

Well, to make a long story short (you're welcome), the advertising was a bit of false advertising to lure people in for a less-than-desirable buffet with cold crab legs at a trumped-up price.
Needless to say, this restaurant lived up to its name and left Jamie very
CRABBY!!!
http://www.dellscrabbys.com/
~~~
Our evening of fun didn't end at Crabby's door! Our next stop was
"Top Secret"...
~~~
Top Secret had captured Abby's eye several times as we had driven by throughout the day. It is a model of the White House, but turned completely upside down! The reason for the upheaval of the condition of the White House is, of course, Top Secret!
Interestingly, outside the disheveled White House, there are two life-sized presidential photo cut-outs. The following two U.S. Presidents are represented standing outside the White House that has been literally turned upside down...
and...

...coincidence?

I think not!
~~~
The three Klimies posed by/on a car that suffered the after-effects of the White House's fate...

~~~
Abz and I proceeded to purchase our tickets and enter the over-turned White House for a tour and to hopefully discover the Top Secrets of our government...

All of the rooms and offices had the floors on what were perceived as our ceilings!

Here is George Washington sitting at the desk in the Oval Office above our heads...

(Please disregard the fact that there WAS no Oval Office when George Washington was in office, that there were no phones (see red phone on desk), and there was no electricity (for the lamp on the desk) back when George was around!)

~~~
The Presidential Seal on the "floor" of the Oval Office which was above our heads...

~~~
The dining room suspended from the ceiling...

~~~
The Green Room...

~~~
Then, our guide took us deeper into the recesses of the damaged White House.

There, we saw evidence that the Government is hiding knowledge of Alien Existence!!!!

~~~
Further into the catacombs, we came across this psychotic woman, being hidden from society because of her insane ramblings--

does she bear any resemblance to Hillary?

~~~
Further still, and we were exposed to the live evidence that, yes! Aliens DO exist and they are being housed in the White House!

~~~
More horrors were revealed when we discovered this vicious creature in the bowels of the White House!

~~~
And our nightmares came to life when we stumbled onto this monster...

~~~
But the biggest horror of all was around the last corner. The discovery of the hidden treasure trove. Wherever did our government come by these riches? They appeared to come from foreign lands! You make your own conclusions...

~~~
I can say that after taking this Top Secret Tour, the objectives of our administration all make sense now, and I fully understand the meaning behind all Executive Decisions.

~~~
Before we left the White House "grounds", Jamie and I stopped to tell the Big Man how we feel about the current administration and several of the decisions that have been made...

A light caress of the jawline...

~~~
Jamie "stickin' it to the man"!

~~~
http://www.dellstopsecret.com/index.htm

...And then we were off for our next Dells Adventure, Day One!

September 2, 2010--First Day of School

2010-09-03T23:16:00.008-05:00

The 2010 - 2011 school year has officially started for the Klimie Kids. Thursday was their first full day of school. As I had to work on Thursday, Dad was in charge of getting everyone up and back into the morning routine. Dad was also in charge of the "First Day of School Foto"!

The excitement is just bubbling over and out of the picture, don't you think??

(a little note: the boys are wearing their personalized "Jordan" shirts they recently got in the Dells. Andrew's says "Kleezy", and Austin's says "Craiigerz"--gangsta.)
~~~

After school, Abz had her first Cross Country meet of the season in Spooner. She had a fabulous run and placed first for the Barron Team!

(Bailey, Abby, and Ahna)
~~~

The boys had a soccer game in Cumberland after school. Cumberland beat us just two weeks ago, and, as far back as we can remember, Cumberland has always won when our two teams meet on the soccer field...

~~~

Here is Andrew working through the defense....~~~
Andrew moving toward his shot on goal...~~~
Andrew and Eric (my co-worker's son) battling for possession...~~~~~~

Austin anticipating the header while Andrew blocks the defense on a corner kick...

~~~
Austin powering the ball out of the corner...~~~

Austin "bulling" through the defenders... ~~~
The final score was Barron: 1, Cumberland: 0!

The BHS Boys finally broke Cumberland's winning streak where Barron was concerned! The lone goal of the game was captured being scored in the very blurry picture below...Yep! That's Austin, driving the ball home to score a goal!
~~~
BHS is now 3 and 3 for an overall record.

(Austin has scored 2 goals and Andrew has scored 1 goal for the season!)
~~~
GO BEARS!
~~~
{more soccer pics can be viewed at:}

http://shanassportsshots.blogspot.com/

BigFoot Strikes Again--Pirated Photos!

2010-09-03T22:27:00.005-05:00

One more post about the BigFoot Ziplines!

(See previous post if you don't know what I am referring to!)

~~~

I finally found our "professional" pictures online of our adventure. I have pirated them to share on my blog--ENJOY!

~~~

This is a picture of our whole group that was with us during the "Three-Hour Tour"...

~~~

We will start off with pictures of Abz...

Here she is, hanging upside down! Every time she hung upside down, she kept her body curled in a ball--thus living up to her name of "ABZ" as she showed off her tight Abdominal muscles!

~~~
Abby again...
~~~
Abby nearing the end of the line... LOOK OUT FOR THAT BEAR!

~~~
Andrew is the next Klimie to zip down the wire.
Here he is "relaxing" in his harness!

~~~
Andrew makin' it look easy...

~~~
Andrew coming in for a landing--OH, NO!! THAT BEAR IS STILL THERE!!

~~~
Austin is the next Klimie to skim through the trees...
He loved hanging upside down!

~~~
You can reach speeds of up to 40 MPH on these lines...

I think Austin probably came extremely close!

~~~
Enjoyin' the ride!

~~~
Jamie swung from the line like a monkey!

~~~
He looked like a professional...

(Do you see the bear lurking below him?!)

~~~
Jamie getting ready to break as he comes into the tower...

~~~
And here's the proof that I, too, hung upside down hundreds of feet in the air...

~~~
Guess it's a good warm-up for the sky-diving the boys have in mind for me for our next adventure!

(When they are both 18, that is!)

~~~
And that was our Zipline Tour in Review!

The Klimeks Meet BigFoot! {Alternately Titled: The Dells: Day One}

2010-09-03T19:42:00.011-05:00

We took a end-of-summer vacation to Wisconsin Dells last weekend for a "last hurrah" before school started and we had to say goodbye to summer. Our mini-vacation started early Friday morning when we left the house bright and early to get to the Dells for our 11 am departure on the BigFoot Ziplines!

~~~

Jamie and the kids are all geared-up and ready to go! ~~~

Here is me and the kids--all harnessed up. I was scared to death and the rest of the family was excited and couldn't wait to hit the ziplines!

~~~
This is a map of the lines...

We did six lines and it took a total of about 3 hours. Through the trees, over water--it was breathtaking!

~~~
Abz had a blast riding the lines...

~~~
Andrew coming in fast to the end, where Peter, one of our tour guides, waits to "catch" him.

~~~
Austin had no fear flying over the water!

~~~
Jamie was the official photographer during our excursion. He had a blast watching everyone zoom down the lines! He also had fun on the lines himself--taking running jumps, falling off the tower backwards, and hanging from the line upside down!
(Which, by the way, we ALL did those "tricks"--yep! Even Abz and I!)

~~~
Here is Austin flipping upside down while on the line!

~~~
This is Andrew hanging upside down in mid-air!

(Clicking on the picture will enlarge it a bit--we couldn't bring our "good" camera on the lines, so we used our old digital and our camera phones...)

~~~
Abz hanging in the middle of nowhere!
~~~
The Klimie Kids on top of one of the towers...

~~~
And here is me--Shana--hanging over the water...

~~~
The last run was a dual run, so two people were able to race! Generally, the heavier of the two would win the race (physics, you know!), and our family proved that to be true...

~~~

Jamie and Abz race to the finish line...~~~
The Klimie Brothers race to the end...

~~~
We had a fun time flying through the sky as a family!
~~~

http://www.bigfootzip.com

A Wedding Announcement!

2010-09-03T16:46:00.002-05:00

Announcing a wedding!

~~~

Casey Hallberg and Jack Klimek are pleased to announce their nuptials!

September 3, 2010 at 1:30 in the afternoon.

~~~

Casey the "Blushing Bride" and Jack the "Handsome Groom"!

~~~

Looking smashing in their wedding attire...
~~~
Puppies (hopefully) to follow in about three months...
:-)

The Last First Day......

2010-09-02T09:19:00.002-05:00

Today marked Austin's last first day at BHS.

This mother has a pit in her stomach at the very thought.

~~~

Of course, we commemorated the first day of school with our traditional "sign pictures" outside of each Klimek Kid's respective school!

~~~

Here is Austin at the start of his Senior year, quickly posing for the camera before his friends drove by!

(His buddies knew of our plans for the "sign pic", and were stalking us and laughing at Austin's misfortune!)

~~~

Andrew poses for Abz in front of the BHS sign as he is starting his Sophmore year...
~~~
Abby is starting her sixth grade year at RVMS! Andrew snapped a picture of his sister posing...

~~~
Happy First Day of School, 2010 - 2011!

Beach Bums--The Blogging Hiatus Ends....

2010-08-09T22:39:00.006-05:00

As summer has been going full-swing, I have been neglecting my blog and enjoying the beautiful weather and time with the kids as they are home from school. My laptop has suffered an "injury" and is on the way to the hospital tomorrow, so I decided I was long-overdue for a quick blog update while I was doing a back-up to my hard drive.

~~~

Abby and I just got back from a whirlwind week in Nelson (which is a whole 'nother blog post!), but we did head down to the beach at Lake Pepin one afternoon with Sheri, Morgan, and Allie for a quick dip. As I was armed with my camera, I will share a few pictures...

~~~

The sun was just right for a few silhouette shots in the water--I liked how I could see Morgan (left) and Abby's pony tails outlined in the bright sun! ~~~

Abby enjoyed the lake!

~~~
The girls showed off a few "tricks" for the camera...

(Morgan on the left, Abz on the right)

~~~
Morgan began by checking out the water temperature.

(She had already been in once with Emily--Em chose to stay back at Grandma Pat's Pepin house for this Lake excursion...)

~~~
Allie had the best time searching for special rocks and seashells on the shore!

~~~
Silly, Sandy, and Sweet!

~~~

Abz demonstrates another skill as Morgan looks on...

~~~
Allie liked Abby carrying her around in the water.

~~~
Abz and Morgan

~~~
Yet another "trick"!

~~~
Morgan and Abz

~~~
Laughing with joy!

~~~
A handful of Treasures!

~~~

Drawing in the sand...
~~~
Finding seashells...

~~~
Playing with Grandma Sheri...

~~~
Such a fun day for a little girl with her grandma!

~~~
We enjoyed the cooling lake waters, and also, the view of the sailboats on the water...

~~~

We are looking forward to more fun days on Lake Pepin, now that Grandma Pat and Grandpa Denny are making the 6 mile move to Pepin. I will try my best to be a more diligent blogger again once my laptop is back in working order. Hope everyone is having a great summer!!!

Top Dog!

2010-05-28T19:54:00.007-05:00

Today we are celebrating

Jack of Diamonds Klimek's

fifth birthday--

that's thirty-five in dog years.

Jack and Jamie are almost the same age now--

that must be why they both have the same color muzzle???

:-)

~~~

Here is the birthday boy...

(Austin gave him a special "Furmination" brushing for his birthday)

~~~

Our traditional dog birthday picture--the boys were thrilled to pose this year!

~~~
Abz made her usual delicious doggie birthday cake for Jack. She even spelled out his name in crunchy doggie treats! Can you see it?

~~~
How about now???

~~~
Jack and Sophie's mouths were watering (all over the floor) while Abz was creating the birthday cake with canned Beneful dog food and MilkBone crunchy toppings.

Jack was thrilled when he was finally presented with his cake!

~~~
Jack couldn't eat his cake fast enough!

~~~
But, like a good daddy, he shared (not too willingly) with Sophie after Jamie and Andrew let go of her collar!

~~~
Just like little kids, when one dog has a birthday, the other gets a present, too! The dogs each got new scarves to celebrate Memorial Day and Fourth of July.

They are quite proud of them...
(Sophie on left, Jack on right)

~~~
Here is the back of their new scarves, although we all know that dogs in MY house wouldn't vote independent--their scarves should say "Mr. and Miss. Republican"!!!

:-)
~~~
Happy Birthday, Jack!

Happy Second Birthday, Ty Cameron!

2010-05-25T21:45:00.002-05:00

Today, a very special boy turned TWO!

My little nephew, a great boy, has his birthday today!

~~~

Ty is one active and curious boy...
~~~
He is adorable, even when he is feeling a bit "under the weather"...

~~~
He loves to be with his dad...

~~~
And it is in his genes to be a basketball star one day...
(I am sure the Klimie Cousins would say that comes from them!)

Happy Birthday to our favorite TWO-YEAR-OLD boy!

We love you!

love,

Uncle Jamie, Auntie Shana,

Austin, Andrew, and Abz

School For Nerds

2010-05-22T00:50:00.002-05:00

Riverview Middle School

presented

"School For Nerds"

on Thursday, May 20 and Friday, May 21.

~~~

This play was about Brawny High, a school where "jocks rule and bookworms drool".

But... the school accreditation committee gets wind of the fact that Brawny High holds no classes and only focus's on sports. In an attempt to save their school, Brawny High Administration recruits some nerds to increase their overall test scores. The nerds and jocks, however, don't get along very well. The play shows the fun interactions between two very different cliques and how they save Brawny High.

~~~

Due to the high number of students that tried out for the play, four 5th and 6th grade students wrote an additional act into the play entitled, "The Quiz Bowl". Abby was one of the fifth grade students who wrote this act, and she starred in the act as "Naggle", a nerd from a competitive school as they challenged the jocks from Brawny High...

~~~

Naggle the Nerd!
~~~
Davis the Jock is offended by Naggle the Nerd and her knowledge of pi (NOT pie!), and drags her off the stage for a "swirlie" in the toilet!
~~~
With wet hair from a recent "swirlie", Naggle discusses the various types of eye disorders...
"Opthalmia, Astigmatism, Conjunctivitis...."

~~~
Go Nerds!!!

~~~
Dora and Naggle register disbelief when the jocks get an answer right in the quiz bowl!

~~~
The Jocks from Brawny High win the quiz bowl in some strange twist, but, as Naggle looks on, the jocks are disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior.

~~~
As a result, the nerds win the Quiz Bowl and the trophy!

~~~
The cast of School for Nerds

~~~
Abz and her friend, Kyra

~~~
Two Nerds
Abz and Sara

~~~
Quiz Bowl Nerds

Zach and Abz

(Edgar and Naggle)

~~~
The kids put on a great production!

Thanks to Grandma Pat for coming to watch the performance--even Austin and Andrew enjoyed the play!

~~~
Abz is looking forward to her next opportunity to be in a production- she loved it!

'til next time!

Happy Birthday, Em!

2010-05-18T22:25:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to the third "Baby", Emily Ann!

Fifteen years old today, May 18th!!!

You are a beautiful girl, both inside and out! Hope your day was great!

love,

the Klimies

Jamie, Shana,

Austin, Andrew, Abby,

Jack, and Sophie

Birthday Boy!!!

2010-05-16T23:32:00.002-05:00

Today is my Andrew's fifteenth birthday!

~~~

It is hard to believe how fast this boy is growing up and becoming a young man!
~~~
To celebrate Andrew's big day, we took a trip to the big city (Eau Claire) for a day of birthday fun. We hit all of the "good" stores in the mall (American Eagle, Hollister, Scheels, Finish Line, and Game Stop, to name a few), and Andrew scored a bunch of new clothes and some new games for his XBox.
Then, after we had worked up quite an appetite after roaming the mall for hours, we all headed to Texas Roadhouse for a Birthday Supper in honor of Andrew! He made us swear that we wouldn't reveal to the waitstaff that it was his birthday, though--if they know, they make the birthday boy sit on the "birthday saddle" while they all sing Happy Birthday to the guest of honor! Andrew would have been mortified! (We should have done it!)
:-)
~~~
Abby baked and decorated a cake for her birthday brother...
~~~
Later this evening, we sang and blew out the candles. Andrew's mom couldn't remember where she put the candles, so Andrew got to celebrate his 15th birthday with candles spelling out the number 11, as that was all I could find!!! He was a good sport, though!

~~~
Abz, Andrew, and Austin
"Happy Birthday, Brother!"

~~~
Even mom got in a pic this time--I thought the deal was if I took one, then dad would, but he didn't hold up his end of the bargain!

~~~
We are proud of you, Andrew, and we love you--to the moon, and back!

love,

mom, dad,

Austin, Abby,

Jack, and Sophie

ConGRADulations!!!

2010-05-15T22:07:00.005-05:00

Today, my "little" nephew, Jordan, graduated from

Valley City State University!

~~~

Here he is, receiving his diploma!

(a picture I swiped off of Maite's FaceBook page, that she got off of the live webcast!)

~~~
We are SO proud of you, Jordan!

Congrats!

Seven in Heaven

2010-05-15T17:18:00.001-05:00

Celebrating her seventh birthday with Jesus today...

We miss you, Tinkerbelle!

A Family in Pictures

2010-05-13T23:12:00.010-05:00

The other day, at Gram's going away party, I took advantage of everyone being dressed up and snapped a few photos of those that were able to be there.

~~~
Here is a pic of the Klimie Kids with Gram last summer...

~~~
Mike, Bob, Bonnie, and Clint

(not pictured: Courtney)

~~~
Con and Al

~~~
First Row: Pat and Denny

Second Row: Shana, Sheri, Sheila, Shane

~~~
Paul, Morgan, Sheri, Allie, Jeremy, and Kara

(not pictured: Jordan)

~~~
Tim, Sheila, Wes, Ty, Heather, Matthew, and Emily

(not pictured: Zac)

~~~
Jacob, Gail, Michael, and Amber

~~~
Missy, Nathan, Joe, and Karly

~~~
Cory, Brett, Olivia, and Corrine

~~~
Al and Con and the Grandkids,

Brett and Olivia

(not pictured: Karly and Nathan)

~~~

Cory, Al, Brett, Olivia, Con, and Corrinne
(not pictured: Joe, Missy, Karly and Nathan)

~~~
Jeremy and Allie

~~~
Cousins

Shane, Mike, Clint, Sheila, Cory, Shana, and Sheri

(not pictured: Joe)

~~~

Shane, Con, Sheri, Bob, Shana, and Sheila

~~~
Con, Sheri, Bon, Shana, and Sheila

~~~
Bob and the twins

(sheri on left, sheila on right)

~~~
Allie and her Grandma Sheri...

~~~
Joe and Nathan
~~~
Karly!

~~~
Brett and his car...

~~~
Two Girl Cousins: Allie and Olivia

~~~
Jamie and Ty--crusin' in the wheelchair!

~~~
Jamie and Ty--

(But, Uncle! I have a good grip so I don't fall off!)

~~~
Great-Grandma Lila and some of her great-granddaughters/great-great granddaughters

Row 1: Abby, Allie, Morgan

Middle Row: Grandma Lila

3rd Row: Heather and Emily

~~~
The girls

Front: Abby, Gram Lila, Allie, Morgan, and Shana

Second: Sheri, Mom, Heather, Emily, and Sheila

~~~
Brett -- adorable!

~~~
Olivia!

~~~
Olivia and Brett

~~~
A picture of Gram and Gramp's old farm...

~~~

A Party for Gram

2010-05-12T21:18:00.006-05:00

We had our "Going Away" party for Grandma Bonnie on Mother's Day 2010, Sunday night, May 9th with a Visitation for all of her family and friends.

~~~

Gram would have been so proud and pleased with how beautiful everything was in her honor! Her casket was pristine white with delicate pink roses surrounded in gold. If Gram could have picked out her own casket, this is the one she would have picked! It was perfect for her, and lined with soft, pink satin for her final resting place. ~~~

The flowers that were there for Gram were absolutely gorgeous! I once gave Gram a bouquet of roses for her birthday, and she exclaimed over and over about those roses and how much she loved them and how "beeeutiful" they were and how pretty they smelled--well, I know she was smiling down at all of the "beeeutiful" roses and lilies that were there for her at her "Going Away" party!

~~~
The "Mother" bouquet that sat on top of her casket...~~~

~~~
Gram's special cardinals were nestled in among her "Mother" bouquet...
~~~
There were flowers honoring Gram as a Grandmother...

~~~
...and flowers to honor Gram as a Great-Grandmother, too.

~~~
And, two special flowers from her Great-Great Grandchildren.

Gram never got to meet her first great-great grandchild, Hannah, here on Earth. I know she is sitting in a rocking chair in Heaven, rocking Hannah and patting her little butt--Gram always liked to rock the little ones!
~~~
There were many flower arrangements from family and friends, too.

~~~
Gram would have been so proud!

~~~
A table with pictures, cardinals, some of Gram's violets, some Mother's Day Cards, her plastic canvas tulips, and (not pictured), Play-Dough, Nutty Bars, and Kool-Aid--all memories we have of our Gram.

~~~
A candle burned by the casket in honor of Gram...

~~~
There were so many friends and family that came to share their memories of Gram and to celebrate the life of a great lady.

I am proud to say she was my Gram.
~~~
Bernice Marie Strand

November 9, 1921 ~ May 7, 2010

~~~

Feel the Fury!

2010-05-12T20:28:00.001-05:00

This is Abby's AAU Basketball team,

The Wisconsin Fury...

Check them out at:

http://www.wisconsinfury.com/girls10u.html

and

Feel the Fury!

My Gram

2010-05-07T19:54:00.004-05:00

Saying goodbye to my Gram.

~~~
How can I put on paper
The memories through the years?
So many great times spent with Gram
Make me smile through my tears.

Reflecting back over time,
My Gram could always be found~
For all the holidays and birthday parties,
And for everyday life ~ she was around.

~~~
{Gram and I at Con's Halloween party 2009}

~~~
A lifetime of hugs and caring,
Of fierce, unconditional love.
Fun, happy times together:
That’s what my memories are of.

From home-canned pickles to egg-toast,
To the saltines and a “bunk” of cheese~
A snack at Gram’s kitchen table
Was always sure to please!

The sugar cookies pressed with a glass,
The chocolate oatmeal bars,
And a Little Debbie snack here and there
Will always be memories of ours.
~~~

{Austin, Andrew, and Abz with Gram, Summer 2009}

~~~
As a kid, going to Gram’s and Gramp’s
Was like a vacation every day!
Gram spoiled her grandkids lovingly,
And our only job was to play.

Making forts down in the field,
Sledding on the hill.
Fishin’ at the fishin’ hole~
Every visit was a thrill!

~~~
{Gram and Gramps with their Grandkids 1979?}

~~~
Hiding in the lilac bush
And the Lily of the Valley out back~
Gram wasn’t so worried about us crushing her flowers,
But she was scared of a rattlesnake attack.

And as the years passed the family grew
With marriages and great-grandchildren knee-deep.
Gram’s heart just grew to love them all,
And she became known as “Grandma Peep”.

~~~
{Gram and Con October 2009}

~~~
Our family has been so blessed
To have our Gram to love us all.
We will always miss you, Gram,
And your memory we’ll always recall.
~~~

Bernice Marie Strand
November 9, 1921 ~ May 7, 2010
Beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother

miss you, Gram!

Barron Bears Volleyball

2010-05-07T11:05:00.002-05:00

Abby recently completed her volleyball season on the Barron Bears Volleyball Team. The Barron Bears played in two tournaments, and their overall record was 15 wins and 3 losses! Abby played the position of setter, and her serves were excellent--very consistant, and she had many "ace" serves!

~~~

Here are a few action shots of Abz...

~~~
Waiting for the serve--check out that athletic stance!
~~~
Another "ACE!"

~~~
The Barron Bears

Ariel, Joey, Lacey, Keisha, Leila, Molly, Kristin, Abby, and Coach Dave
~~~
Congratulations on an Awesome season, Barron Bears!

Junior Prom 2010

2010-05-02T09:36:00.008-05:00

The 2010 BHS Junior Prom was held on Saturday night, May 1st at Turtleback Golf and Conference Center.

~~~

Austin looked smashing in his tuxedo as he headed out to pick up his date...

~~~

The guys got ready at our house-

Kyle, Mitch, Austin, and Tyler

~~~
Kyle and Austin, checkin' out the hot rims!
~~~
After the guys picked up their dates, we met at The 5'oclock Club for a few photo ops...

Kaitlyn and Austin
~~~
The whole group:
Bailee, Kyle, Kayla, Mitch, Kaitlyn, Austin, Kenzie, and Tyler
~~~
Another picture of the good-looking group!
(bottom step to top) Kaitlyn, Austin, Bailee, Kyle, Kenzie, Tyler, Kayla, and Mitch

~~~

The individual couples...

Kaitlyn and Austin

~~~
Kayla and Mitch

~~~
Bailee and Kyle

~~~
Kenzie and Tyler

~~~
Later, at the prom...
Kyle W., Matt, Austin, and Kyle Y.

~~~
Austin and Eric

~~~
Crowning the queen!

(Trisha West)

~~~
Prom Court 2010
(l to r) front: Raquel, Renee, Queen Trisha, King Cole, Sarah, Stephanie

Middle: Tyler, Emily, Ralicia, Courtney, Austin

Back: Mathias, Doug, David, Kyle, Hunter

~~~
Junior Class Picture
{those that were there on time...}

~~~
The boys rolled in at 6:00 this morning. Andrew and his friends did not go to prom, but they did go to the post-prom festivities at the school. Austin, Andrew, and a few friends stumbled in early this morning and went right to bed. I will have to wait until afternoon to see if they won any prizes at post-prom! I think they had a fun night!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Ken!

2010-04-30T20:36:00.002-05:00

April 30th--

the last day of April, and the first day of Grandpa Ken's wild ride in the world!

A great day for a birthday!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

We love you!

love,

Jamie, Shana,

Austin, Andrew, Abby,

Jack, and Sophie

~~~

Razzle Dazzle Revue 2010

2010-04-29T16:08:00.016-05:00

{Updated to include song titles :-) }

While I was out in Fergus a few weekends ago for H.I.T.'s, Abby and I, along with Kara, had the opportunity to see Morgan in action in the Razzle Dazzle Revue at the Fergus Falls Center For the Arts.

Morgan did an awesome job, and we enjoyed the show so much! Here are a few pictures I snapped of Morgan and her fellow cast members...

(excuse the quality of some of the pics--we were not allowed to use flash photography, and our seats were in the back of the theater...)

~~~
Morgan was in the first group song, "On Broadway"...

~~~

~~~
~~~
~~~
~~~
Next, was her solo piece, "Alice Blue Gown" from the broadway musical, Irene--Morgan sang wonderfully in her solo!
~~~
~~~
"There's No Business Like Show Business" was a selection from Annie Get Your Gun...
~~~
"America" from West Side Story was a fun, upbeat song!

~~~

The girls sang "Matchmaker" from the musical, Fiddler on the Roof...

~~~

My personal favorite (other than Morgan's solo) was the song "Aquarius" from the musical Hair! Morgan had some awesome dance moves in this number!

~~~

Of course, Grease made it into the Razzle Dazzle Revue with the song, "We Go Together"...

~~~

The final number was from the musical, Mary Poppins--

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"!

~~~

The Star of the Evening...

~~~
Great Job, Morgan! We are proud of you!

{thanks to my sister, Sheri, for providing me with the song titles--I have a short memory!}
:-)

H.I.T. 2010 Weekend--A Review

2010-04-26T22:48:00.012-05:00

April 16th and 17th marked the 44th Annual Hillcrest Invitational Basketball Tournaments held in Fergus Falls, MN.

Or otherwise simply known as:

(special H.I.T. cake courtesy of Abz!)

~~~

Once again, as has become our family tradition for the past seven years, we traveled to Fergus to take part in the basketball festivities with our family. This is a weekend we look forward to all year long! Abby even gave up her first AAU Basketball tournament and Austin missed his first Varsity Golf Meet of the season to attend the H.I.T.'s this year!

~~~
On Friday morning, Little Ty came to spend the day at his Grammie's house while his Mommy went to work. We had arrived at the Borowski house late Thursday night, so we were excited to see Ty on Friday morning. Unfortunately, poor Ty had an allergic reaction to something (maybe on me??) when we saw him on Friday morning.

He wasn't feeling so good...

~~~
But his Grammie got him some Ben@dryl, and he soon was feeling much better!
~~~
Later that evening, the games began. Generation Gap was represented by two teams again this year.
People came from miles around to watch the Gap light up the court...
(L to R: Paul, Wes, James, Gramps, Sheila, April, Sheri, Steph)
~~~
When all was said and done, one Gap team had a rough go of it, and, despite their valiant attempts, couldn't claim any victories for the weekend. The other Gap team pulled out a third place win for their efforts!

~~~
Jamie assumed the position he is most comfortable at--coaching! He enjoyed concocting strategies with the guys and coming up with "plays" from the bench.

~~~
While Andrew's team didn't have that great of a showing on the hardwood, he had a fun time with the cousins and just playing basketball.

~~~
Andrew played mostly point-guard on his team that included Grandpa Denny and Uncle Wes, as well as some friends of the family.

~~~
Austin grabs some air as he shoots for two...

~~~
Trent goes up for the dunk!

~~~
Timmy is ready to crash the boards while Scott shoots off the glass.

~~~
Matt emerged from the basement to play in the later-day games and showed the crowd he hadn't lost a step by missing a year...

~~~
Scott soared above the competition...

~~~
Jordan still has the perfect form...

~~~
Zac was pumping up the three's...

~~~
Wes could give Kobe a run for his money!

~~~

Air Dennis retired the green sweats and looked smashing in his fashionable hoops shorts....

~~~
The competition was tough, but Gramps stood his ground and played hard.

~~~
Watching all of the basketball games was fun, but even more fun was the time spent with family.

~~~

Grandpa Paul and Allie spent time snuggling and watching the games.

~~~
Auntie Morgan played with Allie and Ty...

~~~
Emily and Abby squeezed little Skye...

~~~
Allie spent some quality time with Uncle Jordan....

~~~
Allie was happy to see her Uncle again!

~~~
Paul also got some time in with little Skye!

~~~
The newest little fan of Generation Gap!

~~~
When the days got too long, Skye just snuggled in and took a nap...

~~~
One little guy had fun running on the court between games just like the big guys!

~~~
Ty can't wait until he can play basketball with the Gap!

~~~
Big Lewis and Little Lewis...

~~~
A boy and his dad...

~~~
I love taking pictures of this cute girl...

~~~
But these cute pictures are hard to come by...

~~~
'Cause every time I told her to smile for the camera, this is the look she gave me!

~~~
H.I.T.'s are a great time for cousins to get together and hang out--

or hang upside down...

~~~
Morgan, Abz, Emily, and Andrew watched the game together--Go, Gap!

~~~
Crazy Cousins create constant chaos!

~~~
After a long day of basketball, two little cousins relaxed in front of the Princess and the Frog...

~~~
...until their little eyes couldn't stay open any longer!

After a long weekend of basketball and short nights of sleep, we all took our cue from Allie and Ty and slept all the way home to Wisconsin.

~~~

Thanks for the fun weekend in Fergus, Borowski's and Fylling's!

The Birthday Boy--Belatedly...

2010-04-25T01:17:00.004-05:00

On Aprill 22, our "little" Timmy celebrated his special day.

While I thought of him often, I am belatedly getting my birthday blog posted in honor of his birthday.~~~
Happy Birthday, Timmy!

We love you!

{Stinky ears and all! :-) }

Hope it was a great one,

love,

the Klimie Cousins

Happy Birthday to My Sisters!

2010-04-06T21:32:00.002-05:00

Today, April 6th, is the anniversary of my twin sister's birth.

Today, April 6th, is the day my mom and dad became parents.

Today, April 6th, is the day that Carmen Electra filed for divorce from Dennis Rodman in 1999 after only a six month marriage...

~~~

...but, I digress.

~~~

Of course, I could not let the day pass without a Birthday Blog Shout-Out to my much older, (questionably) wiser, thicker-haired, (slightly) shorter-statured, but bigger-bosomed sisters!

~~~

A brief trip down memory lane...
(Sheila, behind me, and Sheri, to the right)
~~~
(from tallest to smallest) Sheri, Sheila, and Shana
~~~
Christmas presents!
(I still have mine!)
(L to R) Shana, Sheila, and Sheri

~~~
I am not sure if this was the first day of school, or an Easter picture...

Whatever it was, I was NOT happy!
(L to R) Sheri, Shana, Shane, and Sheila

~~~
Another picture of all of the kids in our fam--still not sure of the occasion, though.

**Check out Sheila's adorable expression!
(L to R)Sheri, Sheila, Shane, and Shana

~~~
Graduation party for Sheri (L) and Sheila (R) with our cousin, Mark.

(I bet all of those ham sandwiches had butter on them--ewwww!)

~~~

Happy Birthday, Sisters! I hope you enjoyed your day!

love,

Jamie, Shana,

Austin, Andrew, Abby,

Jack, and Sophie

Easter Celebration, 2010!

2010-04-05T00:07:00.010-05:00

On Easter Sunday, our family of five went to Grandma Deb and Grandpa Ken's new house in Chippewa Falls to Celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. Chad, Nicole, Carter, and Bradley had spent a few nights there, and Grandpa Edward and Grandpa Denny were planning to join us as well.

~~~

We all enjoyed beautiful Easter Sunday weather, and I took the opportunity to snap a few photos in Grandma and Grandpa's new back yard.

Here are the cousins, posing for me under a tree. It wasn't so easy to get all five of them to look at me and smile at once--this was the best pic out of about 10!

~~~

Grandma already had some flowers blooming in her backyard--I could identify these pretty daffodils...
~~~
Much to Grandpa Ken's surprise and to the Dorwin Brother's delight, Grandpa caught the "Easter Bunny" in his live trap last night! Good thing the Bunny had already made the rounds to all of the boy's and girl's homes around the world before he fell victim to Grandpa's trap!
{Grandpa did let the Bunny go later in the day, and he (the Bunny, not Grandpa Ken) scampered off to hide under the neighbor's deck!}

~~~
Bradley James sat still just long enough for Auntie to snap a few pictures...

~~~
And Carter and Toby gave big smiles to the camera!

~~~
The Dorwin Brothers

~~~
Carter and Toby are still posing nicely for Auntie, but Bradley's true nature sneaks out, and he can't resist hamming it up for the camera!!!

~~~
Carter thought HE might make a good Easter Bunny...

{Really, he was licking the frosting off of the opposite side of the bunny face that had been stuck on a cake! When he was done, he had white frosting all over his face!

~~~
We had a great Easter dinner, as Grandma Deb got to use all of her new appliances for her first official "party" in her new house. Chad and Nicole helped prepare the meal as well--it was yummy!

After everyone ate until they couldn't eat anymore, I found two Cinderellas in the kitchen, slaving away at the dinner dishes...

~~~
Meanwhile, with "full bellies and dry pants"*, other members of the family were feeling kindof sleepy and were relaxing in the sunroom...

{*When the kids were little, Jamie would say to them after their bottles, "Full belly, dry pants--time for a nap!"}
~~~
Grandpa Ed found a comfy spot in the recliner. He is putting his house for sale, and may soon be moving to Chippewa to live with Grandma Deb and Grandpa Ken.

~~~
Grandpa Denny caught up on the news while enjoying some basketball on TV with the guys...

~~~
...and Chad and Ken were taking in the hoops, as well.

~~~
In the mean time, in the living room...

Uncle Jamie had put some coins into plastic eggs so the kids could have an Easter Egg hunt. The "Big Kids" (a.k.a. Andrew and Abby) hid the eggs, then Carter and Bradley went on a hunt. Here is Bradley, telling Abby and Andrew all about where he found an egg...

~~~
Bradley shows off some of his "eggstra"-special finds...

~~~
Carter worked "eggstremely" hard to find lots of eggs!

~~~
During all of the excitement of the egg hunt, Austin took advantage of his full belly and dry pants and took a nap on the couch!

~~~
Never fear! Bradley made sure that Austin was not left out of the egg hunt when he used Austin as a stool to reach the lamp that is a perfect hiding place for eggs!

~~~
After Carter and Bradley found the eggs, Carter was the "hider", and another game was played-- It was just like our egg hunt here at home this morning!
~~~
I can't forget to mention the family pets that were at the Easter Celebration. While we left Jack and Sophie at home, Toby was at Grandma and Grandpa's house...

~~~
And, of course, Grandma's EVIL cat, Tiger, hid out in Grandma and Grandpa's room all day. I don't know what it is about that cat, but whenever I get within 5 feet of him, or even look at him, this is what I get...

Dumb cat!
~~~
We had a fun day with family~

~~~
We had a great time with our Lake Geneva cousins and wish they lived closer!

We miss you guys!

~~~
Happy Easter, everyone!

The Coloring of the Eggs--2010

2010-04-03T21:52:00.005-05:00

This year, our family had some special guests for "The Coloring of the Eggs".

Auntie Nicole, Carter, and Bradley came up to our house with Grandma Deb and Grandpa Ken to get in on the adventure! In anticipation of all of the fun, I cooked 84 eggs to be used as our blank canvases.

~~~

Lo and behold, the "other" Klimek's have never decorated their eggs quite like we do in our family, so tonight was an "eggstra" special "eggsperience" for them! Armed with our Crayola Crayons, we all set out to decorate our eggs with various works of art before dunking them in our dye color of choice.

~~~

Here are Abby, Austin, and Carter hard at work on their eggs...~~~
After a slow start, Grandpa Ken joined in the fun with Grandma Debbie!

~~~
Carter (well, half of him), Andrew, Jamie, and Bradley are having a BLAST creating their eggs!
~~~
I think Carter won the award for "Most Eggs Decorated In a Single Session"--
Here he is showing his award-winning technique while Austin diligently works on his masterpiece "Diamond Egg"...
~~~
Bradley preferred the GREEN dye--his favorite color--and drew some great pictures on his eggs!

~~~
Bradley even tasted the GREEN dye that was on his fingers and declared it "yummy"--must have been the somewhat "pickley" taste of the vinegar water!

Auntie Nicole worked on her eggs while Sophie looked on, hoping Auntie would drop an egg for Sophie to snitch for a tasty after-supper snack...

~~~
"The Coloring of the Eggs -- 2010" was a success!

~~~
A great time was had by all!

~~~

Coloring the eggs is one of the fun family traditions of Easter, and, I am sure the Bunny will visit our house tonight (unless the dogs get to him, which has always been a joke or concern, depending on which kid you talk to around here). The commercial parts of the Easter holiday are great fun, and hey, who doesn't love those Reeses Eggs?!

But, it is important to remember the REAL reason we celebrate Easter. The sacrifice that was made for us on the Cross on that Friday long ago, and the Resurrection on Easter Sunday that guarantees us all eternal life if we trust in Him.

He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

~~~

Happy Easter!

Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Three Kids (And An Old Guy) In A Tub

2010-04-03T21:42:00.002-05:00

After decorating the eggs, Uncle took Carter and Bradley and his Squirrel into the hot tub for a quick dip.

The kids had a fun time, but those of us watching quickly got cold and headed back inside where it was warmer!

~~~

Everyone was posing for the camera, but Jamie was caught up in a story!
~~~
Bradley was a little ham in the hot tub...

~~~
He even demonstrated his "tushy dance" for the camera!

We had a fun night with our Lake Geneva cousins coming for a visit!

Poor Poochie

2010-03-29T22:12:00.003-05:00

The weather continues to be gorgeous for March here in northern Wisconsin.

Our family is enjoying the early spring by taking advantage of the unseasonable temperatures.

We have been grilling out, doing yard work (well, Jamie has), and playing outside sports like basketball and golf.

The dogs have also been loving this change in the weather.

Today, however, Jack had a bad day.

~~~

*First, when he went outside earlier today, Sophie chased him relentlessly and interrupted his routine of "marking" his territory by weedling on each and every tree.

*Then, when he and Sophie were wrestling on the trampoline (which, at that time, was not fully assembled and had the safety net still on the trampoline bed), he got tangled in the safety net. During his traumatic entrapment, Sophie continued to attack him while he was stuck in the net!

*Finally, tonight as Jack was jumping onto Abby's bed to tuck her in, he yelped in pain. That is when we discovered his cut on the bottom of his paw--right on the side of one of his paw-pads!

This required immediate attention from the entire Klimek Family, and the first aid kit was quickly fetched from the linen closet in an attempt to "patch" Jack up.

Poor Jack relished the attention his "lame" paw got him, and he really played up the "poor puppy" routine...

~~~

Jack proceded to tell Sophie just how bad his paw really hurt!
~~~
As a result, Sophie inspected her paw to make sure she didn't have any boo-boos, too...
~~~
Both dogs were happy to note that Sophie's paw was fine!

~~~
But poor Jack was pathetic and wounded.
Get well soon, Jack!

~~~
**Disclaimer: Shortly after watching Jack wave his bandaged paw around and limp on three paws, I unwrapped his paw and he went merrily on his way. His cut is about the size of a grain of rice, and I am sure will heal nicely--if he can stop licking it for a while!

~~~

We live in a small town, we get our entertainment where we can.

Dental Floss, Door Knobs, and Dumb Ideas

2010-03-25T22:41:00.004-05:00

What do you get when you combine

Dental Floss

Door Knobs

Dumb Ideas?

...that, internet, is the end result!

Nope, it's not popcorn. Not a chewed up piece of gum either. It's Abby's molar!
~~~

Abz went with the good old tried and true method of tying a string (in this case, dental floss) around her ridiculously loose tooth, and then proceeded to tie the other end to the door knob. ~~~
After a few good "slams" of the door, this was the end result...A big, bloody gap where her molar used to be!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2010-03-25T21:47:00.004-05:00

The end of the Third Semester is approaching.

Approaching? Heck, it is TOMORROW!!!

~~~

The Klimie boys have procrastinated with their reading pages for English Class!

This week has been spent frantically reading to reach their class goals.

~~~

Tonight, I ventured downstairs to monitor their progress. This is what I found...

THE GOOD

~~~

THE BAD
~~~
and...

THE UGLY!!!!

A Birthday Blog for My Son

2010-03-14T22:39:00.004-05:00

Today was a monumental day.

~~~

Today, my oldest son turned seventeen.

~~~

Happy Birthday to a son who is a wonderful guy, an awesome athlete, and a hard-working student. ~~~

My sweet little boy is growing up too fast...
~~~
We are so proud of the young man he has become!

~~~
Happy 17th, Little Ed!
We love you!

XXOO,Mom, Dad,

Andrew, Abby,

Jack, and Sophie

A Lazy Saturday Afternoon

2010-03-13T16:00:00.003-06:00

Today was a relaxing Saturday afternoon here in Barron. Andrew and his friends took the opportunity to soak in the hot tub...{Carson, Isaiah, and Andrew}

~~~
Striking a pose...

~~~
Abz and the mutts watched some Nickelodeon...
~~~
Abby had a birthday party last night, so she is pretty tired. The dogs--well, they are always tired and lazy!

{Jack, Abz, and Sophie}
~~~
Austin had some gaming time on X-Box Live...

~~~
I notice his schoolwork on the desk, ignored and collecting dust, as he is hunting down the bad guys on his game...

~~~
Unfortunately, not EVERYONE enjoyed a lazy afternoon.

Someone was out on "Poop Patrol"!

~~~
Due to our recent rapid melting of snow, lots of logs have made an appearance.

No worries, Jamie was on the job!

~~~
The guys are off to watch a sectional final game tonight in Menomonie, and then Jamie and I have a get-together tonight at our friends, the Sloans.

~~~

Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday!

Scooby Snacks

2010-03-12T23:09:00.002-06:00

It is no secret the Squirrel loves her dogs.

~~~

Unfortunately, I think she has been spending too much time with them. She has learned some new tricks from an Old Dog (Jack)...

{Jack's is a MilkBone, Abby's is a Scooby Snack--a delicious cinnamon, graham flavored treat!}

Love Those Locks {Alternately Titled: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow}

2010-03-10T19:13:00.003-06:00

Today was the

BIG DAY!

~~~

Today was the long-awaited day that Abby chose to donate her hair to Locks of Love.

~~~

Here is Abz.

One last picture of my little girl with her beautiful, long, thick hair...

~~~

Abby decided to donate 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love way back in November of 2009, but we agreed that she would wait until after basketball season so she could still get her hair into a ponytail for games. She has been wanting to cut her hair for quite a while, and when she heard about Locks of Love and that she could donate her hair to help make a wig for a child with cancer who had lost her hair, she thought that sounded great! One of Abby's friends, Jolene, won a battle with cancer over the last year, so Abby had a chance to see first-hand the effects of chemo and how it can cause people to lose their hair.

~~~

Here is Abz in the salon chair, her hair already separated into three ponytails, just waiting for the first snip...

~~~
At this point, mom is practically hyperventilating! The last pony is about to be snipped...
~~~
... and voila! Ten inches gone, and feeling ten pounds lighter!
~~~
But, the snipping didn't stop there! Our stylist friend, Holly, washed Abby's hair and began to cut it into a style. I think, in the end, it got shorter than either Abby and I actually anticipated, but it still turned out very cute!

~~~
We are proud of Abby for donating her hair and for thinking of others who may need her hair at a time in their life when they are sick and scared.

Our Abz is a great kid!

The End of an Era

2010-03-07T23:16:00.004-06:00

On Tuesday, March 2nd, the WIAA Boys Regional Basketball Tournament Play started. Barron traveled to Bloomer for the first round of tournament play. The student section was well-represented from BHS--check out the neon green arrows to see the cutest BHS fans in the visiting student section...

~~~
A close-up shot of the Squirrel in her Barron gear...
~~~
Andrew sported his funky hat in support of the Bears!

~~~
The Bears came out in the first quarter ready to play! They were on FIRE!!!

Here is Austin bringing it at his defender...

~~~
This was the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter--the Bears really lit it up!

~~~
Austin gets some words of advice from Coach...

~~~
We only scored 4 points in the second quarter, while Bloomer scored 21 points! We were only up by one point at half-time with a score of 24 to 23.

~~~
At the end of the third quarter, this was the score we had on the board--BHS had lost the lead!

~~~
We continued to work hard, however.

Here is Austin directing the team from the point position...

~~~
Unfortunately, our efforts weren't enough on Bloomer's home court. The BHS Varsity 2009-2010 season ended that night.

The final score...

(It looks worse than it really was due to some last-minute fouls committed in an attempt to stop the clock...)

~~~

We had a great season and had a lot of fun as spectators watching our boys play basketball this year. Both Austin and Andrew had great seasons, and we are proud of them for all they accomplished this year.

:-)

The Final Countdown

2010-03-07T23:02:00.002-06:00

Friday, February 26th had the Barron Golden Boys traveling the hour and a half north to Poplar to challenge the top team in the conference, the Northwestern Tigers. Northwestern went all the way to the WIAA State Tournaments last year, and they have a good chance of making it there again this year.

~~~

The C-Team played their game in the "old" gym, as the Northwestern School District built a new gymnasium and this is their first year to use the new hardwood. The C-Team boys put up a good fight, but, in the end, they didn't have enough time left on the score board to pull off a win.

~~~

Here is Andrew, surrounded by Tigers, putting up a hook shot...

~~~

Andrew had a lot of playing time this year on C-Team as one of the starting five players. Here he is taking a rare, but well-deserved break!
~~~
The Varsity game proved to be an exciting game to watch. No one went into the game with real high expectations, yet our boys managed to play well throughout the game! At one point in the game, we were within two points of Northwestern!
Here is Austin working through the man-to-man full-court press...

~~~
Austin had no trouble with the man-to-man press!

Our boys played well, but Northwestern proved to be too much for the Bears, and we ended our regular season play with a loss. This was Andrew's final game for the 2009-2010 season, and Austin only has tournament play from this point forward.

~~~

Thanks to those of you who watched the Varsity game on the internet on ifan.com! What a fun way to be "at" the game without making the long drive!

~~~
Go Bears!

A Belated Birthday Blog

2010-03-07T22:45:00.002-06:00

On February 23rd, my pretty niece, Morgan Paige, turned 15! While I extended my birthday greetings to her on Facebook, I am late in posting my birthday wishes on my blog--sorry, Morgan!

~~~

Happy Birthday to the oldest "baby", and the first one to hit 15!

We hope you had a GREAT day, Morgan!

~~~
We love you!

love,

the Klimies

Jamie, Shana,

Austin, Andrew, Abby,

Jack, and Sophie

A (Four and a Half Hour) Road Trip

2010-03-07T22:13:00.002-06:00

The Barron Golden Bears hosted their last home basketball game on Tuesday, February 23rd. This was a non-conference game against Colfax. Austin and Andrew were VERY fortunate to have some special spectators make a road trip to come to watch their last home game...

Three of the Borowski Family came all the way to Barron to enjoy some Golden Bear Basketball!

~~~

Abby was thrilled to have her cousin, Emily, with her for the night to watch some b-ball and to giggle with!

~~~

We found out that Andrew's C-Team game was CANCELLED for the evening at about 10:30 on Tuesday morning due to too many ill players on the Colfax team! What a bummer, since Auntie Sheila and Uncle Wes were making a special trip to watch the Klimie Boys play some ball.

Well, we were pleasantly surprised when Andrew was asked to suit up for the JV game, along with two other of his C-Team teammates! Even more awesome was that Andrew and his C-Team buddies actually got quite a bit of playing time during the JV game! We were happy he was able to play, after all!
Here is Elliott, Andrew, and Macky, the C-Team guys, on the JV bench...

~~~

Andrew at the point position--he did very well while he was in the game. He and his other teammates did not look out of place amongst the other JV players--we were proud of the guys.
The JV won by quite a good margin, and we were able to watch Andrew play after all.
~~~
Austin did not start for the Varsity game, as it was senior night, and the coach gave the starting spots to the senor varsity players. We will sure miss the seniors next year!
~~~
The Varsity game was a very intense and close game! Austin played well, and, again, his defense was great!
The Varsity game came down to the wire and kept us all on the edge of our seats until the last buzzer, but Barron came out on the winning side of the score board at the end, so it was a great night for BHS basketball!
~~~
After the game, some of Austin and Andrew's "fan club" lingered on the gym floor before we made a trip to Dairy Queen...
Grandma Deb, Grandpa Ken, Em, Sheila, Jamie, and Wes.

~~~
Thanks, Borowski's, for taking the time to make the trip to Barron to watch the boys play their favorite sport! We all appreciate you driving so far for such a short period of time!

Thanks, too, to Grandma Deb and Grandpa Ken for coming to so many basketball games this year! Now that you are living in Chippewa, you won't have near as many miles to go to come support your favorite athletes!

One Couple, Two Birthdays!

2010-02-17T23:42:00.003-06:00

Time to celebrate two more family birthdays!

~~~

Jeremy and Kara both celebrate their birthday within one day of each other... Jeremy on the 16th, and Kara on the 17th! No need to acknowledge the year of their birth(s).

~~~

Here is the birthday couple with Allie Marie

(yep, I am recycling a pic I used last year...)

Happy Birthday, Jeremy and Kara!

We love you!

love, the Klimies

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-10T22:46:00.001-06:00

A Squirrel and Her Dog.

~~~

The Second Generation

2010-02-10T00:57:00.004-06:00

Many years ago, over twenty-five years, at least, a friendship was formed. Two guys discovered similar interests they shared while growing up together in a small town. There were other guys in this group of friends, too: Jason, Adam, Scott, Danny, and others that an old wife can't remember when writing a post at 1 am. These guys grew up spending time at each other's houses, sharing thoughts and secrets, and, most importantly, having fun throughout their school years.

~~~

Friends are one of life's most valuable treasures.

~~~

Growing up in Independence, Shane Wronske was one of Jamie's good and treasured friends. We were honored to have Shane stand up for us when Jamie and I took our wedding vows.

~~~

Enjoy this "Blast from the Past"--Shane and Jamie's senior pictures--IHS Class of 1990

(Jamie is the hot one in the middle...)

~~~

As we all graduated from high school and moved on with our respective lives and had families, Shane had a baby boy with Tara, a beautiful girl from Neilsville. Their son, Logan, was Shane's pride and joy. Tragically, Shane died in a car accident at Easter time 8 years ago. He was 29 years old.
~~~

Tara and Logan, along with Logan's awesome step-dad and Logan's little brother and sister live in Neilsville these days. Ironically, Barron decided to pick up a non-conference game this year with Neilsville--can you see where this is going???

~~~

Life kind of came full-circle tonight when Jamie's son, Andrew, played basketball against Shane's son, Logan, here in Barron.

Here is Logan, number 7, bringing the ball up the court...

~~~
Another shot of Logan waiting to get a rebound--forgive the blurry shot, I didn't use a flash!
~~~
Andrew and Logan guarded one another quite a bit tonight--once again, a bit surreal watching the two boys play against each other!

~~~
This time, Andrew had the ball, and Logan was on defense...

~~~
Andrew and Logan shaking hands after the game--neither knew who the other was, but we introduced the boys after the game.

~~~
Tara made the two hour trip over from Neilsville--it was fun to see her again! Shane's twin sister, Shannon, who lives in Cameron now, also came to the game, so we all visited during the C-Team game. Grandma Deb and Grandpa Ken were there, as well, so there were a lot of people with Indee ties watching tonight!
~~~

I am pretty sure Shane would be very proud of his son if he could see him today!

:-)

Ballroom Blitz!

2010-02-09T23:35:00.004-06:00

The RVMS Fifth Graders have been working very hard for the last few weeks in their phy ed classes and music classes on a special unit: Ballroom Dancing! Believe me when I tell you that the kids have been very excited about this unit. The girls on my basketball team often had to be reminded that we were at basketball practice, not ballroom dancing!

~~~

The students worked hard toward their goal of a mini-performance for their parents that was scheduled for this morning, Tuesday, February 9th. As the day drew nearer, the conversation both at basketball practice and at home centered on what the girls would wear for the big day. Given my daughter's aversion to anything even remotely resembling a dress, I didn't have high hopes.

~~~

Imagine my most pleasant surprise, when Abby announced she would not only be wearing a dress for her "dance recital", but she would also allow me to fix her hair!!!! I was thrilled!

~~~

Well, today was the big day, and true to her word, Abz wore a dress, complete with a beautiful "velvet" jacket. Her hair had some fancy braids and a matching hair ribbon as well! What a pretty picture she was. Of course, her outfit wasn't without a few stipulations. She insisted on wearing black leggings under her dress...

~~~

...and her retro pair of Chuck Taylors!

~~~
Yep, my girl has a style all her own! Here she is with her dance partner, Carter.
~~~
The kids demonstrated a variety of dances: the foxtrot, the tango, the polka, swing dancing, meringue, and the electric slide.
~~~
Here is Abz and Carter shakin' it during the swing dance...

~~~
Hmmm... I think this one was the Tango!

~~~
Tango again! They were having fun!

~~~
The kids did a GREAT job with their dance performance! Jamie and I missed the Electric Slide demonstration, as I had to leave to get to work for scheduled patients. :-(

I am hoping to get a look at that someday soon--maybe my basketball girls will give me a recital some night??