Momma's birthday was Saturday, June 26th. Even though it's always sad to be apart for these sorts of things, knowing that we'll be together next year made it more ok :-) Mom and Steph were both sick (so was Carol) so they didn't really do a lot of celebrating. Hopefully they'll both be feeling better so Mom can have an extended birthday and celebrate next weekend!
Birthday Momma
Pullman, June 26th 2004
Sunday, June 27th, John took me up to Marblehead, MA. His Dad loved this place and I can see why. The lighthouse is so unique and the park area is really pretty and peaceful. And WOW the houses!!! I don't even want to guess at what they must go for!! We walked around for a couple hours, had a nice lunch, and just enjoyed sort of hanging out and talking :-) What a great afternoon!
What a GREAT time we had down the Cape for Mother's Day! We Ceces gathered together on Anastasia Road at the Warnocks summer home for our annual weekend. The house is coming along great! They completely redid Ma Rose's bedroom and it turned out wonderfully. Fred, Joanie, and Kayla, unfortunately, were unable to make it but we still managed to have a fabulous time together J. Click here to see pix from the weekend!
Wow, what's been going on with us??? Well, let's see: John was named Associate of the Quarter at work! Yea honey! It's so awesome when he gets recognized for all the work he does for his office and the hotel! I couldn't be more proud of him!!!
Wednesday, John went for an upper GI in Boston. We think he may have a hiatal hernia :^( We've got a follow up visit on the 29th but will probably hear sometime next week about the results of this test. Don't worry guys, he's totally ok. And we'll keep you updated as we find stuff out!
I will FINALLY meet with on oral surgeon on the 9th to see about getting my wisdom teeth removed!!! I'm SO nervous but TOTALLY psyched! I think I've given these darn things more than enough time to come in if they were gonna!
For St. Patty's Day, we'll be seeing Irish singers/comics at the local comedy club. He's seen them once before many years ago and was really excited to take his Irish gal to see them, too :^) Can't wait!!
Can you believe it? It's been 4 years since John and I met! It seems like just yesterday we started emailing, IMing, and calling. It's amazing how quickly time flies. And how happy we still are together :^)
On Valentine's Day, we went into town to the Fleet Center to see Disney on Ice, Monster's Inc. What a great time! We were one row from the ice! Afterwards we hopped over to Target (woohoo TARGET!!) then went for a simple, quiet dinner at Applebee's (one of our favorites). The rest of our Valentine's / Anniversary weekend was spent puttering around the house and saying lots of I love you's :^)
My Johnny
Boston, March 5th 2004
What a great time we had at the Irish show on March 14th!! It was so funny and just a terrific time all around :^) We didn’t get to have our Irish dinner with the Family because we’d made plans to visit friends but I did get my corned beef and cabbage fix at work!! I even got John to eat a piece of carrot!!!! YEA ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!! I knew the luck of the Irish was real!! Heehee!
Speaking of John, he got the results from his upper GI. Yep, it's a hiatal hernia :^( We have an appointment with a Gastroenterologist on Monday, March 30th to see what we can do to help him. I think it might be a bit difficult because it just doesn't happen that often (taking something like Prilosec is recommended if you show symptoms two or more times a week, which he doesn't, and can cause shortness of breath and that just doesn't sound good for an asthmatic... not to mention the fact that Johnny can't swallow pills... Oy vey. But I have faith that everything will work out just right and John won't have to worry about these attacks anymore! Yippee!!!
I'm scheduled to have my wisdom teeth removed Friday, April 2nd (*nail-biting, nail-biting*). I've never had any kind of surgery or been under anesthesia for any reason so I'm pretty nervous. My wonderful husband will be there to take care of me so I'm sure it won't be so bad... I hope!
Hey all! Yesterday I had my wisdom teeth out! Woohoo!! Let me tell you though, yesterday was AWFUL!!!!! I don't think I've ever been in so much pain before and that includes when I broke my collarbone in 3rd grade, got my foot run over (well sat on) by a car junior year in high school, or dropped the box for our entertainment center on my ankle! But today is a lot better. Probably because I can use heat instead of cold and can actually eat soft food (yummy mashed potatoes for breakfest, honey!!!).
Speaking of honey, the next step in his esophagus troubles is to have an upper endoscopy on April 28th at 7:30am. Yep, the old camera down the throat bit. Hopefully his gag reflex can be controlled with the sedatives they'll give him. On a positive note, the last two times he's felt an attack coming on they haven't come so we're REALLY happy about that! All in all it seems just going through the tests and talking with the doctors has made a big difference for Johnny in how he's feeling. I think it's been a big relief knowing that it's something we can take care of pretty easily!
My sis is scheduled to have an Upper GI on the 15th. The doctor's afraid she may have an ulcer :^( Seems the Askew-Cece family just can't get away from this stuff, huh? Luckily since Johnny's already been through it he was able to answer all her questions on what to expect and how the test will feel. What a great brother-in-law!
In other news, Cindy announced her engagement to Mark on her 37th bday yesterday! Congratulations you guys and to the "Law Firm"!! All the best!!!
Cindy & Mark
Revere, August 30th 2003
Happy Easter everybody! Hope you all had a great time wherever you ended up! John and I had breakfast with Walter, Keith & Joselyn, and Cindy & Mark on Saturday morning (as Walter was in town for the holiday). That evening we went out to dinner with Ma and the Warnocks then headed back to our house for dessert and some Red Sox ;->. Easter Sunday we spent the day with the Fox/Knox family in Malden and had a great time watching the kids go crazy looking for Easter eggs :^) Everything was just delicious (even the pineapple pudding ;->) especially the meatballs Raquel's mom made (no offense to my hubby - even he agreed with me!!!).
In Chitown, all the local Leeneys were together at Mom's. I miss them all so much and just can't wait to be back permanently!! It's gonna be so awesome to be able to actually help my Mom get ready for Easter next year :^)!!!!
Love to all!!!
Aunt Bobbie and Cricket
Pullman, April 11th 2004
Steph got her results back... Luckily it's NOT an ulcer but she does have acid reflux disease :^( It'll suck to have to take another medication but at least she's not eating a hole in her stomach ;->
My Momma also got some test results back and she has osteoporosis :^( So, I'm counting on all of you Midwesterners to keep on her about taking her medicine, too! We can't have her shrinking any more :^) Got that Mom!!! Heeheehee.
John's endoscopy is Wednesday so be on the look out for more EXCITING medical news from the Askew-Ceces!!
I can't believe 4 months have gone by and I have yet to congratulate my aunt Judy on her engagement to her beau, Bob! Not only will I one day be gaining a new uncle but also three new cousins! So Bob, Bobby, Marty, and Taylor, WELCOME WELCOME!!! And to the soon to be Blankenship-Meier family....
....CONGRATULATIONS GUYS!!
Judy & Bob
Hammond, May 26th 2002
Momma Cathy and Steph
Pullman, April 13th 2004
Back in Chicago, Momma opened her gifts from her three kids and loved them all. It was sad not to be able to spend the day with my own Mom but my Mother-in-law is so wonderful that it at least made it a little bit easier. I can't wait to spend the day with Mom and Steph next year! Though, like I ALWAYS say, the best thing would be if there was such a place as Chicagoboston J!!!!
Site News: Check out the entertainment report page! It's all updated and I'm officially vowing to keep it updated!
Other News: We still haven't heard about John's endoscopy.. He'll call AGAIN on Thursday and hopefully we'll get some answers. If they needed two or more weeks to get the results, that would be fine but when they tell you to call back in one week, you kind of expect they'll have information for you, right? That's my little rant for the day ;-> Also, we've been in contact with our realtor and we're all on board for putting the condo up the third week of August (around August 20th).
That's it for now! Have a great day everybody!!
Wow, long time since the last update, huh? So here's what been going on:
John's Endoscopy: We FINALLY heard about John's test. Apparently now he doesn't have a hiatal hernia and the doctor wants him to get on Prilosec.
Cece Family: Ma Rose was diagnosed with macular degeneration in both eyes, dry in the left and wet in the right. They want to treat the left eye with vitamins and she's scheduled for laser surgery on the right today. We were very lucky that she's able to have the surgery because only about 10-15% of wet MD is treatable this way. It may not be able to repair the damage already done, but it should definitely stop the problem from getting worse. Let's keep our fingers crossed!!! To learn more about AMD, visit the macular degeneration website.
Billy, John, Nick, John, Jake & Jess
Malden, July 11, 2004
First and foremost, Happy 1st Anniverary to my cousin Dan and his wife Amy! Congratulations guys!!
What a fun weekend we had with Billy! We had him for two nights and two days while his folks were down at the Cape. We watched some movies, did some shoppin' and topped it off with minigolf and an afternoon at the Fox pool :^) [Thanks for having us over John & Raquel!!]
Birthday Boy Zack
Blue Island, July 14, 2004
Happy 15th Bday, Zachary!!! I said it last year and I'll say it again... I don't know WHO told this kid he could get older!!! And for that matter, I don't know who told this kid he could get TALLER!!!! He's got to be closing in on 6'2" and I'm sure he's not even close to stopping! J
Today was the 9th anniversary of my Grandma's passing. It's so hard to believe that this much time has gone by...
On a lighter note.. The last three weeks have been just NUTS at the hotel! There was the Democratic National Convention. The following week was our annual Mr. Marriott visit. And the week after that we had our first company outing since September 11th. Dinner and sea lion show at the Aquarium (boy was it like I never left when we walked in!) followed by a 90 minute boat cruise of the Harbor. Jimmy & Robin came with us and we had a great time! Oh yeah, and just another tiny little thing: John celebrated his 17th anniversary at the Long Wharf! Congratulations Love!!!!!
Jenn's Grandma
Hammond, Sept 28, 1991
August 12th 2004
July 14th 2004
July 12th 2004
June 28th 2004
June 8th 2004
May 19th 2004
May 9th 2004
Jo & Ma, Billy, Billy, John, & Jenn
Anastasia Road, May 9th 2004
Momma Cathy
Pullman, May 9th 2004
April 24th 2004
April 18th 2004
April 11th 2004
April 7th 2004
April 3rd 2004
March 22nd 2004
March 7th 2004
February 14th 2004
Ok everybody, it's official!!! We signed the papers with the realtor today and the condo will be going on the market tomorrow! Can you believe it's that time already??? It's been an EXHAUSTING last four days with all the cleaning and lifting and moving around of stuff in the house (especially the back closet!!!). But it's all gonna be worth it if things go according to plan J ! The next step is to get our resumes in the right hands and get the job search wheels in motion.
August 18th 2004
Ok ok ok! A LOT has happened in 10 days!! Like I told you earlier, the condo officially went up on the market Thursday, August 19th. On the 20th, our realtor Jeanne, called John and told him she had two people coming in on Saturday morning to look at the place. On Saturday morning (the 21st), she was showing the place to THREE separate people. By 2pm that afternoon, she called us to come to her office because we had offers! By 2:45pm, we accepted an offer.. for $10K more than the asking price!! Woohoo!! Yeah, needless to say we were pretty darn excited!
August 28th 2004
We headed north on the 22nd for our weeklong vacation in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. John's been wanting to take me and I've been wating to go so a couple weeks ago we just booked it. We had a fabulous time (check out the photos here) hiking through the Flume Gorge, watching the bear show at Clark's Trading Post, and just enjoying the beautiful surroundings.
On Cannon Mountain
Lincoln NH, August 22nd 2004
Sunset over Suffolk Downs
Revere, August 21st 2004
Johnny & Ma
Revere, September 5th, 2004
Happy Labor Day, everybody. Hope you had a great three day weekend! We worked today because we used our holiday during our vacation but we still had anice couple days. Friday night we had Ma, Jo, Billy, and Billy over for Johnny's pizza (yum YUM!!) and the Red Sox game. Sunday we were at Cindy's for Marky's 13th Bday BBQ. Here are a couple pictures of the day.
September 6th 2004
Us & the Warnocks
Wilmington, Sep 19th 2004
What a fun and different weekend for the Askews and the Ceces!
Saturday, Mom, Steph, and Carol went to the Jean Shepard museum in Indiana for A Christmas Story convention! Ralphie, Randy, Schwartz, Flick, and Farcus were all there and they had a great time!! For pictures of their day, click here.
Sunday, we went to the Shriners Rodeo with Jo, Billy, and Billy. We were supposed to go to the Cape this weekend but with the unending downpour Saturday morning, we had to cancel. After the rodeo, we stopped my Ma's and then brought Billy to our house for some PS2 and a game of Nightmare (which I actually won for a change cuzins!!!!). Click here see the pics!
Steph & Zack 'Farcus' Ward
Hammond, Sep 18th 2004
September 20th 2004
Howdy howdy all! We visited with the Jay DellIsola clan on Sunday, September 26th. It's amazing how big Jack has gotten in a year :^) Hey Kim, this one might actually look like YOU! Hahaha!
We're entering the final stretch here in Beantown. I've been sick with a pretty bad cold for the last week so not much has happened yet packing wise but I have made some progress. Next Friday, Steph and Zachary will be flying in for a visit. John really wanted Zack to see Boston before we moved. They'll be leaving here on the 12th and City to City moving will be picking up our stuff on the 18th! It's just crazy how fast these last couple weeks are gonna fly..
In other news, John went before the Management Candidacy Review Board in Quincy on Tuesday for an interview to determine whether he has what it takes to pursue a management position within the company and he received the full endorsement of the MCRB! I am SO proud of him!!! This can open more doors for him and give him more options within the next 18 months.
Congratulations, Love!!!!!
October 1st 2004
Robin & Jimmy
Salem, October 2nd 2004
HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY MARY LEN & BOB WITTLOCK!!!!! Many many happy returns!!!
Busy busy day for us today! John got his final haircut at Gena's then we had a quick visit with Ma Rose where we also saw Billy, Marky, Matthew, and Justine. After that it was off to New Hampshire to see Auntie Chicky and Skunkie (GREAT burritos, Skunk!). And we capped off the day at the new Pace house where we hung out with Jimmy, Robin, and the girls, then went to a great Italian restaurant for dinner.
Thanks SO much to everyone today for all their hospitality and just letting us spend time with you!!! You guys are all so very important to us and we just love yas!!!!
Skunkie and Johnny
Salem, October 2nd 2004
October 2nd 2004
Jay in his studio
Lynnfield, Sept 26, 2004
Taking after Dad (Jack)
Lynnfield, Sept 26, 2004
Hey Everybody!!! No, we have't fallen off the face of the Earth :^) To say the last month has been crazy is putting it WAY too mildly!
October 8-12: Steph and Zack came out for a visit. We had SUCH a great time! Zack and I even climbed the 294 steps to the top of the Bunker Hill monument!!!!!
October 13-16: The mad packing rush was in full swing! The Warnocks came over all weekend to help us with the packing situation. The City-to-City pods were scheduled to be dropped off on 10/17 but...
October 17: I had to have Jo & Billy take us to the emergency room.. John had a severe asthma attack brought on by inhaled dust and aggrevated by the stress of the packing deadline... We were there for about 4 hours. Luckily we were able to push back the pod drop off.
October 18: Our 2nd Anniversary. John wanted to go to work so I went in with him to make sure he was ok and tried to fill his predizone prescription (ugh another long story) the headed back to pack more. We pushed back the drop off one more time to the 19th. We ordered food from Luigi's, a recent favorite of ours, and ate between boxes :^)
October 19: Jimmy Pace and our wonderful friends from work Jimmy Boyle and Woody Chavis came over and helped us load everything up!! Jo and little Billy also came by to help. Unfortunately we needed to get one more pod :^(
October 20-22: We finished up all the packing and cleaning and found out our closing was postponed :^(
October 27: We closed on the condo!!! Jeanne, you are a FABULOUS realtor!!!!!!!!
October 28: Our last day of work :^(
October 30: We took off for Chicago. It was so sad to be leaving... Little Billy spent the night with us at Ma Rose's and saying goodbye to the two of them was so so hard. We just love our Boston family and friends SO much and it'll be strange not seeing you guys like we're used to :^( But we're glad we got to see you all before we left and for the ones we didn't.. You better come out to see us soon!!! This means you Bengtsons!! :^)
November 1: We arrived in Chicago!!! What a relief to FINALLY be off the road!!!!
Hey there everyone! Well, I'm sure mostof you know by now but John & I got the house!! We're SO happy. It's exactly what we wanted. And just the right size, not too big, not too small. It's in Glenwood (a Southern suburb of Chicago)and REALLY easy to get to. Check out some pictures here.
Still no luck on the job situation :^( John's going a little stir crazy. Afterall, this is the longest he's gone without working in 17 years (vacations included). All prayers welcome :^)
November 23rd 2004
Grand Uncle & Aunt Tom & Bobbie
Highland, November 25th 2004
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We had a great Midwestern Thanksgiving dinner at my Grand Aunt & Uncle's house. Unfortunately, we had to cut the afternoon much too short because John was having a bad readtion to their cats :^( I really hope we can find a great allergist for him here like we found in Boston...
After returning to Pullman for a quick treatment, we headed to Crown Point, IN to Mom's sister Judy's new house to visit with the Dankovis sisters, meet Bob's side of the family and my new cousins.
November 25th 2004
The Gang at House of Kobe
SChererville, Nov 28th 2004
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHNNYKINS!!!!!!!!
Today was Johnny's 38th Bday! I know!! And he doesn't look a day over 37 ;-> Seriously though, we had a fabulous day! He opened his gifts from Mom, Stephie, and me in the morning, then I made his cake, and we met Kevin and Carol at the Houe of Kobe (their bday gift to him). Yes, we walked into the restuarant with birthday hats on our heads :^) And though he tried to get out of it I reminded him once you've gone to Chuck E Cheese as an adult for your birthday, you couldn't say no to party hats :^) More pictures here!!
