Domenic on his way to the country club... haha

Vacation and Relaxation

Vicki and I are now in Myrtle Beach, with a planned return date of February 9. If you need to talk to me, you can call me on my cell phone.

Love to you all,

Brian

FIREPROOF--A Movie Review

Vicki and I have just finished watching the movie, FIREPROOF. We had been waiting impatiently for this movie to come out on DVD, which it did today. It is a wonderful movie, that was produced by the Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA.

For those who are not familiar with this church, they started a new ministry, Sherwood Pictures, several years back and began making inspirational and spiritual films. Their first production, FLYWHEEL, was a moderately successful film in the state of GA. Their second film, FACING THE GIANTS, was about the coach of a high school football team and their season. This second effort of Sherwood Pictures gained national success. Vicki and I highly recommend both of these movies, both for their spiritual value as well as their entertainment value.

FIREPROOF centers around a young couple whose marriage is on the rocks. The lead character, a fire department station captain is played by Kirk Cameron, whom you may remember from the popular television show GROWING PAINS, which starred Alan Thicke. Kirk is a very devout Christian and he volunteered to bring his experience to this latest project as the star of the movie. Again, both from a spiritual and an entertainment angle, this movie was excellent and well worth watching, probably more than once.

I can only tell you that it has opened my eyes to some things in my own marriage which I wish I had done differently and which I will be attempting to do differently from now on. I would certainly recommend that ALL my children check this movie out and watch it with their husband, wife, fiance, etc. If you need to borrow a copy of the movie, I have two.

Love to you all and God bless. I am going to bed now.

Dear Family, It's so good to see that more of us are using the site! Keep up the good work! I am enjoying.... yes, enjoying!!!!... the process of reorganizing my office! I know, I know... it has been a disaster for a long time, but I am REALLY dedicated to cleaning up and cleaning out... 4 large trash bags so far. One of the nicest parts of doing this is coming across notes, pictures, articles from the past which evoke many happy memories as well as a few poignant ones. I have located all my camera equipment on the table to the right of the computer and in the lovely empty corner next to the bookcase, I am going put either a chaise lounge or a comfy chair with footstool. I spend a lot of time in here and I decided it needs to look nicer and be a more pleasant place. I know you will all agree!
Our show at Northeastern is coming along very well. I hope some of you can come and see it. It is February 27,28, and March 1... "Little Shop of Horrors." This involves a HUGE plant... very HUGE... which grows only by eating blood... human blood. Doesn't sound very musical, does it? Thus show was produced in the 60's and has a large cult following... great r and r tunes. We rented the plant ... actually 5 plants .... in various stages of growth from tiny to gigantic.. from Millersille U. The fully grown version involves having a kid inside to manipulate
its movements... it actually devours several people before your very eyes... and another kid to be the voice... oh, yes, it talks too! If any of you can come, please let me know so I can secure good seats for you.
I lost another two pounds... total of 14 now and I'm feeling great! So proud of you... Abby, Vicki, Brian, Gary and Deb ...for hitting the healthy trail too. We'll be known as that "skinny Sutton family!"" Love you all, Grandma

Our first blog!!!

Since everyone in the family is joining the blogging world Tiffany and I decided to jump on board, and let you all know what is going on with our life and with how our trip to Florida went. Well as you all already know I proposed to Tiffany on Christmas. Well here is exactly what happened we had to wait til christmas night to exchange gifts since Tiffany's father had to work. Once all the gifts were exchanged and the room was cleaned up everyone gathered around. I sat next to Tiffany and told her "since we have been dating for 19 months now and each month has been more wonderful that the month before and that I cannot see my life without you," I then paused and got on one knee and opened the ring box and asked if she would marry me. Tiffany did not answer right away due to her tears coming down her face but she got out a yes just barely. I placed the ring on her finger and then we kissed. Then of course she showed off the ring.

In the photo above from left to right: In the photo above from left to right:

Tiffany, Scott, Elizabeth and Markus Cy, Beth(Mom), Tiffany, Van(Dad)

The trip was a major blast for both of us, we got to spend lots of time with Tiffany's family and especially her sister Elizabeth. We went to the Jacksonville Zoo where we got to see both the Nebraska Huskers' Football team and Clemson Tiger's Football team. We of course saw all the amazing animals including many large cats no tigers though :( on the other hand there were wolves :) and for Tiffany the Giant Sea Otters which she loves and refused to leave the zoo until she saw them. The weather the entire trip was beautiful. We had almost no rain while we were down there. We also went to the beach and had lots of fun there and did many other fun family activites.

When we did return from our great trip and finally made it back to farmville we had a lot of work to do before I started classes but then Tiffany and I came down with the Stomach bug and for 4 days we were both Miserable and in Hell. I am really enjoying my classes this semester and working hard with Habitat for Humanity. Tiffany is still looking for a job but with the economy the way it is it is hard to find a job anywhere. Other than that all is well. We hope all is well with everyone. Oh and one last minor note Tiffany has wedding fever but she is enjoying herself with it all.

Love,

Tiffany and Scott

CORRECTION

In my entry of January 17, concerning hibernation, I have been advised that the pictured animal is NOT a hibernating bear cub, but is in fact a sleeping Nittany Lion cub, who is all shagged out from watching reruns of Penn State Football Games from this past season.

My apologies to all concerned.

SUCCESS! Hopefully...

Well, today is the beginning of week 3 of my weight watchers online plan. I have lost another two pounds, bringing my total to 7 pounds so far. I had actually had lost an additional pound by mid-week, but went on a little bit of a bender this weekend :( Oh well! Time to get back on the wagon...

I am working very hard to stick to the plan, and make healthier food choices. Joey and Melody are helping me, by trying to plan WW-friendly meals and foregoing their usual KitKat and Oreo addictions. Joey and I are also going to the gym three times a week, and I do an at home workout twice per week. I have discovered that I do NOT have a talent for dance aerobics. When Joey saw me he asked if he should call an ambulance to treat my seizures LOL But I guess the point is to get some cardio exercise, so even if I look ridiculous, I think I am accomplishing my goal.

I am encouraged to hear of Gary's and Grandma's weight loss successes. I am also very excited to have my mom and dad join me on this journey. Hopefully, by this time next year we will be a healthier (and newly wardrobed) family.

Keep up the hard work everyone!

With Winter Comes Hibernation

I always love those nature shows on TV where they show the animals in their natural habitats. Recently, I was watching an episode of Wild Kingdom and they had these really close up shots of the hibernating bear cubs. I put one here, although you can't really see the mama bear, but, as you can see, the little cub is certainly sawing them off. Like I said, I love those nature shows.

New Year's Dieting Resolution

For some of you, this will be a source of renewed hope; for the rest, a wink, a smile, and a "yup, heard that one before."

I honestly don't know if this will be the year or not, but Vicki and I are starting back to the gym, now that all disease and pestilence seems to be out of the way. Also, Abby surprised us by joining WeightWatchers Online and has lost 8 pounds so far. Teddi is also doing WW, so Vicki and I are joining the online WW with Abby and forming our own little weight loss club. In truth, although I have tried most of the diet plans at one time or another, I have never tried Weight Watchers, so maybe this time will be THE time. Only time will tell.

Love to you all

Fatso...uh, er, um, I mean BRIAN

Getting Healthy!

Dear Family, Sounds as though we are all on a good health journey in 2009! Good for all of us!
I'm trying, too. I try to get to Curves at least 3 times a week and am following the eating plan they offer. I've lost 12 pounds and am now starting to wear my size 12 pants which have been in the back of the closet for quite a while!
Lots of fun things coming up in my "widow world." I am hosting my 3rd annual "Souper" Bowl
Party on February 1st. There will be 12 of us enjoying 3 kinds of soup, 4 salads 4 desserts and crusty French bread. Then we play cards followed by supper with the leftovers.
We are into rehearsal for "Little Shop of Horrors" at Northeatern, Feb. 27,28, March 1st.
This is difficult show but we have a wonderful bunch of hardworking kids and so I am enjoying myself so much bringing it to the performances.
March 6th I'm off to Mexico with the retired teachers for an 9 day trip to Copper Canyon and the Sea of Cortez.. I'm very excited because I have never been there!
And finally, we are having a murder mystery dinner theater at the Woman's Club on Apruil 18th.
I amd writing the play and having a ball with it. I now have 6 suspects and can't make up my mind who the culprit will be!LOL.. Anyway, life is GOOD!!! Love you all, Mom and Grandma

Update on Gary

Just to update all of you on Gary's impending knee replacement surgery- he met with the surgeon today and is scheduled for surgery on Monday Feb 2. We won't know what time until the weekend before. If all goes well, he will be in the hospital for 2-4 days afterward and then come home. The Visiting Nurses or Physicial Therapists will come to the house for a week to work with him. After that he will go out to for PT for several weeks. So, that's the plan at this point. He's sticking to a diet very well and losing weight, about 15 lbs so far. Obviously, the less weight on the healing knee the better. He's been in so much pain for the last few months that he's actually looking forward to this!
So that's it for now from us............. hope you are all getting and staying healthy! Love to all!

Curse you, Deb!

Just a short entry in reference to my previous post, The Body Count. At the end of that entry, in the comments, our beloved Deb commented that she thought I would be next. Less than 24 hours later, I WAS NEXT!!

I guess the lesson here is multi-faceted.

Lesson 1--When you are the only one who has not gotten a virus yet, DON"T BRAG!
Lesson 2--Don't piss Deb off...she might just hex you for the hell of it!
Lesson 3--This virus sucks the big one so try to avoid it if you can!

In closing, be it known to all people that I have, on this date, certified Deb to be our Queen Bitch of January, 2009 for putting my name forward as the next Virus Recipient.

ALL HAIL TO HER ROYAL HIGH(NEY)NESS, QUEEN DEB, BITCH RULER SUPREME!

Your Lord High Blogmaster Supreme,
Brian

My First Entry

Hey All, I finally figured out how to work this thing!


Chris is feeling much better- still coughing, but upright at last. I'm beat. I finished re-doing my entire bedroom, still have the moulding to stain and cut , and I need to stain the new closet I built, but overall, it's finished. And, I love it.

Not much else is new- heck I talk to most of you daily.

Robin

THE BODY COUNT

OK, it is Thursday night, 10:20 P.M., and I am sitting in my office watching the BCS Championship game, currently tied at 7-7, and I got to thinking about the body count of the last two weeks. I am talking about the disease and virus body count of course.

It is exactly two weeks removed from Christmas Day. During that two weeks, that is the last week of 2008 and the first week of 2009, the following members of this blog have been felled at one point or another by various maladies.

Let's review the body count. We will go back just a little before Christmas to start our review. Early December through today, yours truly has been suffering through the effects and after effects of a M.R.S.A. staph infection in my leg.

On Monday, December 22, 2007, our dear friend, Al Conte, fell on the ice at Robin's house and managed to break his ankle in three places. He has had surgery and is currently on 5 or 6 weeks of bedrest at his son's home in Haymarket, VA. We send him our love and best wishes for a quick and complete recovery.

My brother, Gary, has succeeded in tearing the miniscus in his knee and will shortly be scheduled for knee replacement surgery. Good Luck with that!

Now, to the less serious and more mundane garden variety virus casualties. The following family members have been victimized at one time or another in the past two weeks with a very nasty and (fortunately) relatively short-lived virus:

Robin and Chris
Vicki and Andrew (not me yet, knock on wood)
Abby
Charlie, Mia, and DJ
Scott and Tiffany

In short, the only members of this blog who have not been virusized yet are Mom, Gary, Deb, Brian, Joey and Melody.

Perhaps we should amuse ourselves with setting up a pool bet on who will fall next!

Update on Domenic

Domenic now weighs 18.5 lbs!!! Our chunky monkey is outgrowing all of his clothes. Last week, Charlie and I went to lunch with some of my friends from my van pool. Joey, one of the riders, brought his niece, Amelia. She is 4 1/2 months old and is half Dom's size!!! I have a feeling Dom will be playing linebacker for Penn State before too long... :-)

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Love, Mia

Health Update

This is just to keep everybody up to speed on my leg infection. I will have to begin another round of I.V. antibiotics on Monday morning. My leg improved considerably after the first treatment but it is not completely cured yet, so the doctor wants me to repeat the treatment, in the hopes that this will wipe out the infection altogether. He is also putting me on Lasiks pills to prevent and liquid build up that can occur with this type of infection. I have had a little shortness of breath and light headedness and this is all part and parcel of this problem. It is a serious problem, to be sure, but with the skilled medical care I am receiving and all the prayers that are being said on my behalf, I have absolutely no doubt that I will make a full recovery.

I will continue to post as the situationi warrants. I love you all. Happy New Year.

"Undecorating"

Dear Family, I'm glad Brian set this up! We had talked about doing something like this after the holidays but it is really fun to contact everyone so easily!
I want to thank each of you for your lovely gifts to me! I will use and enjoy them all and I am always delighted by your thoughtfulness.
Today, I am going to "undecorate." I love the decorating process, although it's more fun to share it. However, even alone there is a sense of accomplishment when all the treasured items are in place, and the lights are turned on and the beauty of the season comes alive in your own home.
When it comes time to put everything away, there is a bit of sadness that it's all over for another year. However, when everything seasonal is carefully wrapped, labeled, and stored, I always have a sense of ,"Now I'm ready for the new year... its joys, challenges, and opportunities for growth and most of all a fresh start toward being a better person." No matter how old you get... and who knows better than I!!!..... each new year offers a better life if you are willing to work for it and make it happen.
As I label my decoration boxes, I'm putting your names on them, not because I think I won't be here next year, but because the items will someday need a new home and you will delight in them as I have for so many years! So let me be the first to wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Please support Al

Dear Family, As you know, the morning after our early Christmas celebration, Al slipped on the icy steps and shattered his ankle. He was operated on at 10:00p.m. that night and on Tuesday was taken by his son, Chris, to recuperate at his home in Haymarket. He is doing well, but is completely incapacitated and will be for about 5 weeks. If you would do so, I encourage you to take a moment and send him a card at: 7154 Mercury Avenue You may address it to Al Conte
Haymarket, VA 20169 c/o Christopher Conte
You may also call him on his cell phone.... 609-858-4097
He has a high rtegard for all our family members and I know your thoughtfulness would be greatly appreciated.
I went to see "Marley and Me" today. It is a great movie about family life in its various stages
and the dog is wonderful. I hope you are all off to a good start in this brand new year. Love you all!!!

Happy New Year to all of my loved ones!

I hope every one has a healthy and the best possible year in every way. Let's love each other, support each other, be patient with one another and remember that we are a strong family.
Hopefully we will always be available to help each other in whatever ways we can and that
Grandpa/Dad/Chuck can be proud of who we are and what we do. God bless us every one!

Thought I'd give this a try

OK, I am not much for technology, but here goes...

Things are going well here in "Wilson land". Although, it depresses me to say that I must also be getting "old". At the ripe old age of 28, Joey and I spent our New Year's Eve eating ice cream, playing video games with Dad, and anxiously awaiting Melody's return from her first actual party, which she attended at her boyfriend's house (after confirmation of parental attendance, of course) :) Melody arrived promptly at 1:00, as instructed, and we were all in bed by 1:45.

We are looking at a lot of changes in the upcoming year. Joey will be earning his black belt, after nearly four years of hard work, Melody will be getting her driver's license in early spring (gasp!) and starting to visit colleges, and I have resolved to really get serious about my weight and health. It won't be too long before Melody is out on her own, and I am determined to be in good health by then, so Joey and I can start pursuing our goal to travel and lead a more active lifestyle.

Our thoughts and love are with you all, especially Dad, Gary, and Al, as you all heal from your various injuries. I hope all of you have a wonderful 2009!

Happy New Year to all- posted by Deb and Gary

Wow- I'm actually posting my very first blog! We are watching Penn State playing in the Rose Bowl. Normally this would be a totally sacred time during which even contemplating doing something other than watching the game would never be tolerated. But seeing that the score at this point is 31-7 and PSU has basically not showed up to play the game, here I am trying something new!
We went out last night to the New Years Eve party at the Box Hill Club and it was really nice. We had lots of steamed jumbo shrimp that were awesome! The band was the same one that played at our wedding, it was great to hear them again. We were home by 12:45- I just can't stay awake for late night parties any more, must be getting old- YUCK! Of course, today we had the traditional PA Dutch pork and sauerkraut dinner for "good luck during the upcoming year". I'm not sure that it worked.......
Our 2009 has started out on a not-so-great note. Gary has torn a meniscus in his bad right knee, and has earned a trip to the Orthopaedic surgeon for a knee replacement.
We have a couple weeks to wait for the consult w/ the Doc, and then get surgery scheduled. We are hoping to have it done late in January or early in February. The sooner the better, as he has a lot of pain and the knee just gives out. No golf this summer for him!
Well, that's it for now from us. We wish you all a very happy, healthy, and blessed new year!