Welcome Dimples and Sweet Pea!

My sis Andrea has started a blog. I thought as way to welcome her to the blogging community….I would send you there. So click on the pic.

Stop by and say “hello” to her if you get a moment. She’s one of the sweetest gals this side of Texas.

Almost There

This next month is going to be an exciting time. My brother and his fiancé Jamie will be having their first baby in a few short weeks. I think I’m going to be an aunt for the 8th time? It’s getting hard to keep track. All I know is I can’t wait to meet the little guy or gal.

Glowing Jamie

Chris and Jamie

If I’m not blogging, it’s because I’m too busy holding a sweet little newborn in my arms.

Andrea

Over the fourth of July holiday I got to see ALL of my family. It’s not usual that all of my sisters can make it up at the same time, so you can only imagine how psyched I was to see them. Seeing them ALL though is hard considering how large my family is. It seems like there is never enough time to spend with each of them. I did spend a great deal of time with my sister Andrea and nephew Griffin since they stayed with me a couple nights. One evening I spent a good couple hours setting Andrea up with a new blog and Flickr account, showing her a lot of cool features. While in the process I thought about how she didn’t even have a camera and how she probably wouldn’t even use the Flickr page all that often. Then I remembered a camera that Jeff and I had lying around the house waiting to be sold on eBay. I also thought about how Andrea’s birthday was coming up. I talked to Jeff about the camera and needless to say…….we gave the camera to Andrea for her upcoming 26th birthday. *interesting tidbit….July 27th until my birthday in September Andrea is 26, our other sis Jessica is 27, and I’m 28.*

Anyway…here are two pictures Andrea has posted on Flickr which I absolutely LOVE:

Griffin and Oliver (cousins)

Griffin summer swinging</center

Keep up the great shots Andrea!!! Glad you love your new camera and that I can see all my Bama family more often now. Even if it is only virtually.

Bringing the Past Back…Briefly

Using the Wayback Machine, I was able to capture some screenshots of what my extended family’s website (grandma’s side) looked like at various points throughout the years. The site was up and running until about a year or so ago. I have no idea what happened, if the distant cousin no longer wanted to maintain it or what. I can’t ask him either. He lives in Massachusetts and I’ve only met him like twice in my whole life. I would have taken it over if I had known he no longer wanted to keep it up.

There used to be a discussion board, photos, a memorial for deceased relatives, and a little bit of some family history. I wasn’t able to capture all that I wanted, but here is what I did get:

This is what the first site looked like back in 1999.

Here is what the site looked like in it’s last incarnation. Excluding the pixelation of the title.

Here is a picture circa 1941 (one of my favs) that I was able to pull up. My grandma is the third from the left.

She passed away in 1997. I miss her so much sometimes. I think she would have been quite proud of me if she were still alive. She was like my second mom, always picking me and my sisters up to take us over her house, camping, to the library and parks, etc. Of all my dad’s side of the family, I felt closest to her. Always will.

In the last year of my grandma’s life, at some point while she was still cognizant, she made me promise her that I would finish college.Not too many went to college in my family. I promised her, knowing that I would do it. If not for myself, then for her.

In 2004, I walked across EMU’s stage, diploma in hand.

Smiling proudly, I said to myself, “this was for you grandma. I kept my promise…”

Thanksgiving Vacation

We’re off to Alabama tomorrow for a week of family time. I just wanted to make sure I took a moment to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!!

May you eat till your bellies are full and may you be graced with the presence of loved ones.

I give you…..Ken and Angela’s Wedding

Because Jeff’s father (Fred) put it into words much better than I EVER could, I’ll let him tell the story. *With his permission of course.* The following is an e-mail that Ken and Jeff’s father sent to a friend in Pennsylvania who inquired about the wedding. Without further adieu….I give you the story of Ken and Angela’s wedding. Or in Fred’s own words, the “slightly exaggerated” version of the debacle at the church:

George:

Let me set the scene for you…

Wedding day, Saturday, October 21st. Groomsmen & ushers meet at our home, pictures are taken, checklist after checklist gone through, and off we go in a motorcade to Our Lady Star of the Sea Church–clear across town. But first all the groomsmen/ushers drop-off their individual cars at the reception site at our end of town since a “wedding coach” which was picking-up the bride et-al was to haul the entire wedding party from the church to the reception. (Lynn and I drove separately to the church so we could take the male contingent of the wedding party with us.)

Got to the church early, greeted our guests and before we knew it we were walking down the aisle to our places for the big moment.

The pipe organ begins blasting the “Canon in D” and here comes our son Ken, the groom, followed by his best man, our younger son Jeff, and all the groomsmen. They line-up at the altar facing us as the bridesmaids start processing in. Lynn and I are nearly moved to tears when the herald trumpets burst into “Trumpet Voluntary” and the bride, our soon 2-B daughter-in-law radiantly heads down the aisle.

At that long-awaited moment I feel a tap on my shoulder, turn around, and face my son Jeff who’s white as a ghost. “Dad,” he says, shaking like a leaf, “I FORGOT THE RINGS–THEY’RE IN THE CAR!”At this point Angela’s Dad is handing her off to Ken right next to our pew, my vision blurs, my heart skips two to three beats and my first thought is to kill Jeff on the spot.

As the bride & groom step up to the altar, I turn to my brother and explain the predicament before trying to exit the church as unobtrusively as possible (as if THAT were possible), run to the farthest possible point in the church parking lot where we left our car, with the intent of retrieving the rings. As I burst into a full trot at the back of the church, I collide w/the bagpiper who just arrived to march the bride and groom out of the church at the end of the service. The wedding coordinator comes running, I explain the situation, and we all head to the car, throwing things left and right.

No rings.

Jeff’s girlfriend Sarah joins us, sees ours quandary, and surmises that Jeff left the rings in their car at the reception site when we switched cars!

My head reeled.

Convinced I was going into cardiac arrest, I fly back into the church, slink against the side walls and hide behind a banner at the altar trying to inconspicuously get the priests attention to let him know what’s happening.

By the grace of God he had his wits about him and suggested that Lynn and I simply take off our rings and Ken and Angela use those for the ceremony.

Trying 2-B as nonchalant as possible (HA), I return to my seat and whisper to Lynn what Fr. suggested.

Guess whose ring wouldn’t come off her finger?

After much struggling, w/me whispering I’d cut her finger off if I had to, off it came. I once again slinked along the walls and surreptitiously as possible handed our rings to the priest.

George, it seemed like two to three days had passed from the time Jeff dropped his bombshell to the time our rings were placed in the priest’s hand. When my heart stopped racing and my head cleared, I was shocked to find that the Mass had only progressed to the Old Testament reading.

From that point on all went well, and Lynn and I cried our eyes out as Ken & Angela exchanged vows and rings. (God only knows how long we waited for that moment!)

Beaming, Ken & Angela marched out of the church to the lively tunes of a bagpiper hired in honor of Angela’s Scottish heritage–of which she’s particularly proud.

As Lynn and I stood at the back of the church talking to family and friends about the debacle for which I held Jeff personally responsible, here he comes looking like death warmed over. As I literally glared at him, vowing to eventually forgive but to NEVER forget, he literally collapses into Lynn’s arms sobbing that he ruined his brother’s wedding.

Naturally, I felt like an ass.

As we tried to console him, here comes our new daughter-in-law in full bridal regalia, grabs Jeff, hugs him, and says something to the effect that his oversight made the ceremony all the more meaningful because she and Ken got to use her new in-laws rings which initiated a marriage 39-years ago that she and Ken hoped to emulate.

At that point everyone was openly crying–and Lynn and I realized what a wonderful, wonderful wife Ken had, and how very, very lucky we were to have her in our family.

But it doesn’t end there.

Here comes Fr. Roger to inform us that whenever the rings turn-up, he’d bless them for Ken & Angela. If they were to turn-up before the wedding party was done taking pictures, he’d do it then; if not, Ken and Angela could schedule an appointment to come to his office whenever.

Now George, our son Ken is obsessive-compulsive.

Hearing this, he begins wondering if he’s actually married!

Sarah takes the bull by the horn and one of our neighbors agrees to drive her clear across town to the reception site to retrieve the rings and try to get them back to the church before the bridal party finishes taking photos and departs the church on the wedding coach.

As fate would have it, picture taking is over, everyone’s on the coach but the bride and groom–and still no Sarah w/the rings. The decision is made to delay departure in the hope she’s on her way. What seems like hours pass when we hear screeching brakes and Sarah just misses hitting the coach. Everyone applauds as she holds-up the rings. I run back into church hoping against hope Fr. Roger might be around. There he was, in the vestibule, ready to start the 4:00 p.m. Saturday liturgy. I explain the rings are on hand, and recap Ken’s groundless concern.

George, would you believe the priest actually delayed the scheduled Mass, kept an entire church full of parishioners waiting, and stepped into the wedding coach where he graciously conducted a “mini” service, blessing the rings, and having Ken & Angela exchange them. Once again, there wasn’t a dry eye around–and Jeff’s girlfriend captured it all on video.

After all that commotion and far too much weeping, the coach pulled away from the church to wild cheers–and the sun actually burst through the clouds!

Off we went to the reception, which was absolutely fantastic.

Though I vowed not to drink until later in the evening, at the doors to the reception site Ken had arranged for waiters to walk around passing-out glasses of champagne.

Guess who had the first one?

Ken & Angela thoroughly enjoyed their reception, and my son who rarely dances tripped the light fantastic most of the night. (Guess he was convinced he was “officially married” as a result of the ring blessing.)

Naturally Jeff was the talk of the reception–as I guess he’ll be for years to come. We can laugh now, but let me tell you, as this all transpired…Oh, well.

Tons of photos were taken of this long-awaited Karolski wedding. When the pictures are ready, I’d be happy to share them with you and Barb if you’d be interested.

I appreciate your asking about the wedding George, though after this rambling discourse I’m sure you’re sorry you ever inquired!

(Truth be told, I needed to recount all this to someone since though I’ve forgiven my youngest, I guess I haven’t really gotten over how close I came to passing away at my son’s wedding as I scurried madly about.)

My apologies for being so late in responding to your e-mail. To our surprise there was an awful lot to do AFTER the wedding–the most exciting being driving the new husband and wife over to the airport for their flight to Maui where they’re spending ten well-earned days relaxing after ten solid months of planning.

Hope you and Barb are doing well.

F R E D

As you can see…..Fred has a way with words. He summed the whole thing up quite eloquently. Thank you Fred, for allowing me to post your well written account of the wedding day we will all NEVER forget. I’d also like to wish another Congratulations to the bride and groom (Angela & Ken). They’ve just returned from their Hawaiian honeymoon all smiles and ready to start a new chapter in their life together

*I’ll try and post more pics later as we organize them, etc. Please forgive us for how long it is taking*

Andrea

I was looking through my Flickr pics when I came across this pic of my sister Andrea and our dad. I just love it so much:) If only that blurry finger or whatever wasn’t in the lower right corner.

*Update* I accidentally deleted this photo on my Flickr site:(…sorry! At least there is a copy…somewhere.

Here she is as an adult, again with our dad (well his legs anyway..and most likely wearing a U of M cap on his head too) Ha!

I really need to go through some old family photos at my mom’s house one of these days. I don’t have ANY photos of me as a baby (uhh hmm…mom…perhaps a mother daughter project or birthday present for me?)

How bout the one where I was lying in a puddle of my own drool? Can I at least have that one?

Family Time

The last two days have been packed with lots of family and running around (at my uncle’s house). It’s been fun but pretty exhausting. I feel like I have barely had time to sit still and have a conversation that lasts more than ten minutes. I never feel like I have ADHD more than when I am with my extremely large family.

Whew!! Boy do I love each and every one of them though:) I’ll share a ton more pics later of course. Here are just a few. My fav is Jeff with the illegal moonshine that a cousin brought to share with everyone. Ahh…. nuthin’ brings a family closer than alcohol. Ha ha

MySpace

I think I’ve lost my mind because it seems everyone I have been talking to lately has joined MySpace.com. All of my sisters except one are on there so I decided to jump aboard too. If it makes it easier to keep in touch, why not?! I’ll try it out.

Andrea & Griffin

Andrea & Griffin
Originally uploaded by Sarah_S.

My sister sent me some adorable photos of her and her son (my nephew). This one is my fav:)