Matthew, the High School Marching Band Boy :-)

Just a few 'Proud Parents' pictures of our boy doing what he loves, playing the trumpet in the High School Band!  We're very blessed to have a great Band Instructor at our Middle School, who happens to also teach Band at the High School.  He gave the kids who want to do it the option of being a part of both Bands :-)

Matthew is an extremely dedicated trumpet player, and boy does he continue to just get better and better! 

No Bah Humbug! for me this year, especially because ...

... I'm hoping to help with the Christmas 2010 Budget just a bit by getting some Shutterfly Christmas cards for free :-)  We send out about 150 cards each year, and so this year when I noticed I could possibly get 50 for free I was feeling pretty good.  The design I've pinpointed (I think) for this year's card is the "Family Memories Christmas Card".  Why, you ask?  Well, because I love to include as many photos as I can on our cards, and this one allows me to include 12 photos!   In the past I've done newsletter style cards with pictures, but I'm not always satisfied with how it comes out - I'm kind of picky that way.  And, I also started noticing which cards I'm more likely to keep, and truthfully, I like the cards with pictures that come with a nice informative 'what's been going on in our family' type of letter.  Since quite a few of the people we exchange Christmas cards with are not ones we keep in touch with, it's great to hear all the things their families have been doing during the year.  And, I've also discovered when I write my annual Christmas letter it gives me a chance to focus on the positives of our family member's lives during the past year, which I feel is a great way to end the year and start the new one!

To check out all that Shutterfly has to offer for your Christmas cards, just check out ...
www.shutterfly.com
or to check out stationery and Christmas cards go to ...
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

And, check it out ... “Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards”
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery 

Wow, am I really going to get going on my Christmas cards before Halloween?!  Hmmm, we shall see :-)

Yup, time to blog again ...

Yup - it's been months, but what they hey, it's time to get back on the bandwagon again.  Here's a few pictures from our recent trip to DC ... it was a pretty awesome trip, and one of the highlights was getting me on the airplane!  Nope, don't love to fly, but I did okay, which kind of opens up a whole world of traveling for me to do :-)

 So nice to have a TV to watch while we fly :-)

 Layover time in New York - never been there before, and I guess I still really haven't!

 A great picture of Bob at Shaun's football game!

 Drinking wine and watching football with the lovely Annie in his lap.

 Arlington Cemetery.

 One of several morning lattes made by our gracious hostess Pam :-)

 A little morning porch sitting time for me and Annie.

 Matthew being a silly kid in one of the many museums we visited!

 Yup, I really was there!