How Time Flies......

Well...no matter how hard we try...the years keep increasing, and no amount of cream, gel, or hair color keeps the reality of aging a secret. So we might as well get used to it. In good spirits, I allowed my 37th birthday to occur.

The rest of the weekend couldn't be touched by that amount of excitement. We went to the Hunt-Phelan Home on Beale Street on Tuesday night instead. MAN, it was worth the wait!!!! The home was built between 1824 and 1828 and was designed by the famous architect, Robert Mills, who also designed the US Treasury building, the Washington Monument and parts of the White House. During it's history, the house has cared for such visitors as President Andrew Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant. The home served as Grant's headquarters and as a hospitality lodge for troops during the planning of the seige at Vicksburg. The house actually has a slave escape tunnel that has been restored and was also used during the war to relay messages. Today it is a bed and breakfast with gorgeous rooms, and the chef is AMAZING. David and I sat outside on the beautifully landscaped patio area with the cicadas singing. We even met the house dog, Nick Caskey. The old boy wanders the grounds and visits anyone who will show him some attention. We sure did as you can see from the photos. Overall, turning 27...(oops, 37) wasn't painful, but rather enjoyable. It's good to be grown up.

All my love and best wishes to you all.
Love, Karen

Can I just tell you what fun it is to visit old friends....especially when they are these ones??? I just spent 4 glorious days with my old "roomie", Kim, her husband Tom and their girls Emily and Olivia. The last time I'd seen these guys, Olivia was just a month old and Emily around 2. My have they grown, and Aunt Karen has grown especially fond of them!! Good genes don't fall far from the tree, and these guys are no different. Talk about making you laugh! Emily is a cheer fiend and most flexible than a straw! Olivia plans on giving Kim and Tom a run for their money when she becomes a teen. Both are blond hair, blue eyed cuties!!

Kim and I got to spend some awesome QT together at dinner and with friends over our own lobster feed in the backyard. We also got to really break in their new hot tub which we sat in while the meteor shower took place. One night, we were so pruned on our fingertips, we thought we'd lost feeling int them permanently! The weather was a lucious 75 degrees and cool enough at night to sleep with the windows open. HEAVEN!

As for Tom, well, he was "delayed" getting back from a training class in St. Louis due to a "telephone malfunction". Good one, Tom. Glad you got to see me!!

I was so sad to leave my friends, but I've decided that we won't wait so long to get together again! We're already planning the next gathering. Cheers to old friends...I love you guys and miss you tons!!

Karen :)

Hi everyone. Most of you will have seen these pictures on Shutterfly, but I wanted to share them with others as well. Our most recent adventure was to Liz and Chris's for a week long PAR-TEE. On July 1, Mom and Dad celebrated their 39th anniversary. On July 2, Austin turned 1. On July 3, Dad turned 60. Our Nation's birthday was on the 4th and Chris turned 28 on July 5th. Can you say holy crap!!!

Charlee and I trudged off to Annapolis, MD for the festivities which started with a complimentary upgrade to First Class on Northwest Airlines. Charlee thought that ROCKED! Next, we arrived at the surprise party for Dad at Harris Crab House. That night, Dad received the Omega watch he's always wanted!! Yay, Dad! Then, we went to Six Flags in Baltimore for the day on July 2. Fun was had by all, except maybe Joshy, who got creamed by this adult freakazoid and refused to ride any water slides after that. Nice guy...NOT!

Parties followed after that, with about 45 people showing up to wish Awesome Austin a happy 1st birthday. His Mom, Liz, sure went all out for all the party go-ers with great party bags, and water guns and balloons. What a super day everyone had...hot, but terrific. We also got to spend some time with Susan and Ray! Good choice, Sue. He's met us all now, and hasn't run away screaming. We like him! :)

The guys went to see the fireworks in Annapolis on July 4th...I was too beat to attend, but they tell me they were the best they've ever seen. On the 5th, we had a smaller party for Chris. We gorged on sushi and strawberry shortcake. Another yum. Needless to say, we're all on a diet now!

Who knows when the next update will be. Stay tuned!!

Love you all, Karen

So what do you do when the weather's hot, and you have mice in your house?? You move to Mom and Dad's for the weekend. That's what we did Memorial Day weekend. And fun was had by all...especially the 4 legged family members. We sprung Winston and Ellie Mae from the kennel and everyone went for a swim. Petie and Jessica's lab "heritage" sure came out during this stay as neither wanted to get out of the pool and actually fought over space on the float. King of the Float I guess you'd call it.

As for the mice, they seem to have all departed....from this world. On Monday, David and I finally installed the hardwood floors in the dining room. I hate that job more than anything, but the results are beautiful. Overall, we had a really good time visiting at Mom's. Today, its back to work. YUCK! Talk with you all soon. Next pictures will be from SPACE CAMP, as my two boys attempt to fly the Space Shuttle. Look out!! Love, Karen

Hey everyone. It was Mother's Day yesterday and Dad and I took Mom to the Memphis Botanic Gardens for brunch. It turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon with the Memphis Jazz Orchestra playing Frank Sinatra music in the background. There was a soft breeze across the lake by the Japanese Garden, and Memphis Carriage was offering horsedrawn carriage rides around the gardens. It was just an unbelievably nice day for Mom. I think we walked through almost every garden...the rose garden, the fruit tree garden and the sensory garden. We hope that all of you had terrific Mother's Days too. Love, Karen