Has it been that long?

Well, I know that it's been nearly a year since I posted here, and so much has happened. I decided that I would take our "Christmas Letter" that we send to many of our family members and friends and post it here. (We didn't send to everyone this year, due to our income situation, which is explained in the Christmas letter.) So, here it is:

Well, another year has passed, and what a crazy one it has been! We almost didn’t write a letter this year, but changed our minds at the last minute. It just wouldn’t feel right not sharing what’s going on with all of our family and friends.

First, for those of you who don’t know, last year, Curt started working only four days per week. He has continued working only four days through 2010, unless he had a big project to complete. In addition, Erica lost her job in February. She really never thought that it could happen, but it did...after 13 years of working with the same people. Anyway, as they always say, every cloud has a silver lining. Since Erica lost her job, she was able to spend nearly two weeks in Myrtle Beach and was there for the birth of our granddaughter, Gracelynne Elizabeth, on February 28. What a blessing to be able to share such a special time with Scott, Jessica, and the boys! We don’t know that they’ll ever know how much Erica appreciated their putting up with her during such a tough time in her life and such a hectic time in theirs!!!

In April, we had the chance to visit Myrtle Beach together. It was the first time Curt got to meet Gracelynne (aka Gracie). We had a wonderful long weekend visiting with everyone. At home in Youngstown, we also celebrated Matthew’s third birthday, and Cari was home to visit for a few days.

In May, Erica had a rather exciting experience. Elton John (one of Erica’s favorites) actually played a concert right here in Youngstown! Although we were not thrilled with our seats, it was such a fun day...especially since we didn’t have to travel to Cleveland or Pittsburgh to see him.

June brought along Regionals, as usual. Although Curt’s skaters skated well, none of them went to Nationals, which is the first time since Curt became a coach that he did not have to travel to Nationals. It was a nice change of pace.

In August, Erica had her first overnight stay in the hospital (since she was a toddler). She went to the doctor with a pain in her side and a fever. When the doc saw her temp of 103, he sent her straight to St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Although they never figured out the problem, the fever was down, so she went home the next afternoon. On a brighter note, Cari and her boyfriend, Jeff, came to visit later in the month. We got to spend a great weekend with Bill, Amy, and Matthew at “camp,” while Cari and Jeff were here. We also went with Cari and Jeff to Cedar Point, where Erica realized that she’s really too old for that stuff! We also spent a day at the Canfield Fair with Cari, Jeff, Bill, and Matthew.

Then, in September, we took our annual week-long trip to Myrtle Beach for Ethan’s and Logan’s birthdays. We had a great condo, and the weather was perfect! Our September trip is always so much fun, whether we’re just sitting around, playing with the grandkids, or sight-seeing. It’s always so difficult to leave!

October and November were filled with the normal Autumn fun. We got to take a trip to Pittsburgh to see Jake play in a shoot-out tournament at the new Consol Energy Center. He did great, and we even got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Center. What fun! We went all-out for the Halloween decorations, as we usually do, and we had our annual Three-Dinner Thanksgiving. (For those of you who don’t know, we have our own turkey dinner for breakfast. Then we go to Curt’s family’s for another meal at 1:00 PM, and then we go to Erica’s family’s for another dinner at 4:00 PM.)

We’ve had so many fun and exciting things happen this year, that we almost forgot one important “little” piece of info. We forgot to mention that little Gracie is going to be a big sister sometime in the beginning for 2011. That’s right! Scott and Jessica are expecting another baby—a boy—on April 2, 2011. This will make baby #4 for them and grandchild #5 for us. (It seems like we are announcing a new addition to the family every year, doesn’t it?)

As of right now, we are preparing to have a great Christmas. Although Erica is still looking for a job, she has a possible opportunity that we hope to confirm over the next couple of weeks. Cari is coming for another visit during the week of Christmas, which is going to really brighten things around here. We are just so blessed! We wish we could share more, but we’re quickly running out of room again. So, we’ll close and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year. God Bless!

Much Love,
Curt and Erica

When the Police Knock on Your Door...

Okay, so here’s the deal. I got tickets (through work) to go to a Lake Erie Monsters’ hockey game in Cleveland on Tuesday night. So, we invited our friends, Tom and Crystal, to join us. The plan was to meet at our house, grab a quick bite to eat, and head to Cleveland.

So, I get home from work Tuesday to find Curt and Tom chatting in the kitchen. Crystal was expected to meet us about 15 minutes later. Curt explained that he had backed his car into the driveway and had Tom help him unload a large box and put it on the back porch. (Curt and I had picked up a rather large Christmas gift the day before, and we had left it in Curt's car.)

I went back to the bedroom to change clothes, and as I was coming back out, I saw Crystal pulling up, parking on the street with Tom’s vehicle. I let Crystal in, and we met the guys in the kitchen. After a few minutes of chatting, we decided to get on the road.

Crystal and I headed into the living room, only to find a police officer standing at the door, getting ready to knock! Before he could knock, I opened the door. He asked if I was the “homeowner,” so I said, “Yes.” (The first thing I thought was that, for some odd reason, he was going to tell us to move the cars that Tom and Crystal had parked on the street.) However, he said, “Your neighbor called and said that someone was breaking into your house. Can I come in and have a look around?” As I stepped back to let him in, I looked outside and saw 2 or 3 other officers in the front yard and 3 police cars on the street in front of the house.

As this was going on in the living room, Curt and Tom were still in the kitchen. Tom went to lock our back door and said to Curt, “Hey, there’s someone walking across your back yard.” When they went to look, there was a strong knock at the back door, which is when Crystal, the officer, and I walked into the kitchen. There was another officer (hand on his weapon) knocking at the back door. Tom unlocked the door to let him in...so, now we have two officers (not counting the ones still outside). Freaky!

We weren’t sure what was going on at this point. We headed back to the living room, and the first officer explained that a female neighbor “directly across the street” had called in that she saw someone trying to break into our house. He also said, “Although, we have reason to believe that she’s losing her mind.” We explained to him that our neighbor across the street wasn’t even home, so it couldn’t have been her calling. We thought that it must have been the elderly lady in the house diagonally across the street from us. He checked the address, and said, “Yep. That’s the house.”

By that time, the neighbors from two doors down were walking over to see if everything was okay, and I was nervous about leaving the house. Remember - We were about to leave for Cleveland and probably wouldn’t get home until after 11:00 PM. Did she simply mistake Curt and Tom for two people trying to break in or did she really see someone trying to break in? Who knows how long it was between the time she called and the time the police arrived? Maybe Curt and Tom has scared away whoever it was - if there was someone. It was nice to know, however, that the members of the neighborhood are watching out for each other! With this in mind, we went on our way, with our other neighbor promising to keep an eye on things.

Despite the rough start to our evening, we had a good time, and the Lake Erie Monsters won the game, beating the Grand Rapids Griffins (the Detroit Red Wings affiliate team) by a score of 6 to 2. What an evening!

June 2009 Update

It’s been nearly a month since my last blog (other than the poem, which doesn’t count since I didn’t write it), and I thought it was about time to tell everyone what’s been going on with us.

It has been crazy around the Baun residence lately!

As usual, this time of year, things have been really busy. First, there was all the time spent watching the Stanley Cup Finals at the beginning of the month. Then, Curt and I have season tickets to the Mahoning Valley Thunder (AF2 Football), and we had two games in two weeks. Usually they are spaced out a little more than that. On June 19, we took a friend and her son (who I think is now 7 years old) to see one of the games. It was actually the best game of the year! The game on the 27th was Fireworks Night, so we got home a little later than usual.

Then, between the two Thunder games, we had the Great Lakes Regional Roller Skating Championships in Romeoville, Illinois. Obviously, Curt and I were not skating, but Curt had students that were. Out of the three entries (four students skating - two solo and one team), one solo skater qualified for the National Championships in August. So, on August 7, we will be heading to Peoria, Illinois for the National Championships.

Then yesterday, Sunday, June 28, was a big day for me. I was baptized. It was such an amazing experience, and I don’t even know how to begin to describe it…so I won’t. (LOL) I’ll just say that it was so great to have Curt there, in the water with me (pictures on FB), and to have my parents there, as well as Bill, Amy, and Matthew. After church, we went to eat with my parents. We got to spend a little time with Matthew later in the afternoon, and we visited with long-time family friends at Curt’s parents’ house. It was such an awesome day that I didn’t want it to end!

However, here it is…Monday…and I’m back at work. I’m so glad to have a long weekend coming up. Of course, as usual, we have a full, busy weekend planned. I think we’ll have a free weekend in the middle of August! So, until I have some free time again…

Ain't

This was sent to me by a dear friend of our family. I thought that it was just too cute not to share!



He was just a little boy,
On a week's first day.
Wandering home from Bible school,
And dawdling on the way.

He scuffed his shoes into the grass;
He even found a caterpillar.
He found a fluffy milkweed pod,
And blew out all the 'filler.'

A bird's nest in a tree overhead,
So wisely placed up so high.
Was just another wonder,
That caught his eager eye.

A neighbour watched his zig zag course,
And hailed him from the lawn;
Asked him where he'd been that day
And what was going on.

'I've been to Bible School ,'
He said and turned a piece of sod.
He picked up a wiggly worm replying,
'I've learned a lot about God.'

'M'm very fine way,' the neighbour said,
'for a boy to spend his time.'
'If you'll tell me where God is,
I'll give you a brand new dime.'

Quick as a flash the answer came!
Nor were his accents faint.
'I'll give you a dollar, Mister,
If you can tell me where God ain't.'

Have a great week!

Chaos Takes Over

"The Baun Boys"

(ha ha ha)

Wow. It seems like forever since I last posted. You know how it goes…our holidays got chaotic, and then, we decided to go to Myrtle Beach for New Year’s, to meet our new grandson, Logan, and to spend holiday with Curt’s kids…all three of them.

In all the years that Curt and I have been a couple, I don’t remember any holiday where he has had all three of his kids together – and we’ve been together nearly 14 years. In fact, the last time we had them all together was for Scott and Jessica’s wedding several years ago.

We arrived in Myrtle Beach around 1:30 on New Year’s Eve. Ethan was napping, but we finally met Logan. I was so happy to finally rub his little head full of wild, dark hair. (Most of you know that since I first saw Logan’s picture, all I’ve wanted to do was rub that little head!) Even though we were tired from our trip, we stayed awake and celebrated the arrival of 2009 with Scott and Jessica.

The next day, New Year’s Day 2009, Curt enjoyed a poker game with Bill, Scott, and Cari. (Cari’s boyfriend, Victor, joined in later.) I was so happy for Curt to have this time with them. I don’t know if they realize what it meant to Curt for them to spend this time with him, even if it was only a couple of hours.

We spent the next couple of days just hanging out with Scott, Jessica, Ethan, Logan, and Cari (whenever she wasn’t working or sleeping, since she works nights). We even made it down to the beach for a short walk. You know me: I couldn’t be that close to the beach and not go for a walk, and I had never been to the beach in the winter.

Ethan warmed up to us a little more quickly this time. We were only there for 3 1/2 days (as opposed to 7 days last time), and Ethan was talking to us and even giving us hugs and kisses. Logan seemed to think that Grandpa was really funny. Curt seemed to be able to make Logan smile more than anyone!

We left on Sunday morning, before anyone else was even out of bed. We got home and spent the evening relaxing and reflecting on the wonderful time we had (despite the nasty wind during the drive down and the yucky weather driving home). Between Monday and Tuesday, we finally got our Christmas decorations down and put away.

There’s just so much more I could add, but I just realized that this is getting to be a long post. So, I’ll sign off by wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2009.

Changing Lives

I read a blog post yesterday that really made me think. You can read it here. This post discussed how commenting on a child’s simple, homemade costume did so much to raise that child’s self-esteem, and how moved she and her mother were by this small gesture.

I often wonder what I (as one person) can do to change the world. I hear people talking all the time about making the world a better place, but after reading this blog post, I see how simple it really can be. It made me wonder how many lives I have changed, simply by smiling at someone at the right moment or by commenting on an outfit, a costume, a hairstyle, or something...something that was, in my mind, a simple act of common courtesy.

Amazing what a little courtesy can do!

Making Memories with Family

I just wanted to share this photo, because simply looking at it makes me feel good. It’s a photo of our grandson, Matthew, and his great-grandparents (Curt’s parents). We were lucky enough to spend a few hours yesterday at my in-laws’ house while Bill and Matthew visited, too.

I never really knew my great-grandparents. In fact, I only ever met one of them, and she passed away when I was rather young. Even though I was young, I can still (slightly) remember her. I look at this picture and hope that our little ones will someday realize how blessed they are. I pray that the boys all have the chance to grow up knowing and remembering how many people love them.

Happy Birthday Logan...

Well, not exactly. Logan is one month old today, and what a month it has been! Unfortunately, we still have not made it down to South Carolina to meet the little guy, but we get regular reports from his parents and his aunt. We are hoping that sometime over the holidays, we will get to visit with them.

We talked to Scott on Saturday. Ethan wasn't really in the mood to talk, but we got at least a "Hi," a "bye," and a "love you" that were clearly audible (which is sometimes tough when you get a two-year-old on speakerphone). We even got to hear Logan for the first time, which made me all the more excited to get down there!

I was also excited to get a note from Jessica yesterday in the mail. It was a thank-you for the gift card we sent for Logan's "diaper shower" and a "PS" thank-you for the Halloween goodies we sent to the boys. (That sounds so cool..."the boys...") Anyway, I was so excited to learn that Ethan really likes the sticker/coloring books - they are "his favorite" according to Jessica.

That's all for now.

A Huge Thank-You to Everyone

I just wanted to thank all of you who kept our family in your prayers for the past week or so. In case you have not heard, Baby Logan’s test results came back, and he is perfectly healthy! It was a very strange time for us - up and down like a roller coaster…so glad to have a new baby in the family, and then 10 days later to be worried that he could have a terrible affliction, finally to find out on Friday (a little over a week later) that he is healthy. What a strange time for us all. I can only imagine what Scott and Jessica (Logan’s parents) were going through. And again, Curt and I were reminded how difficult it is living far away from family members. We were also reminded that God hears prayers…He hears us when we cry out (just like we have been learning at New Hope the last two weeks)!

General Update

I know that it’s been a while since I wrote anything, but as some of you know, we were away for a week, visiting family in Myrtle Beach. We had a wonderful trip, and it was so amazing to see how much our grandson, Ethan, has grown. He seems to be a happy little guy, and he now talks like crazy! I was just a bit disappointed that he took so long to warm up to us. He hasn’t seen us since October 2007, and he didn’t even let Grandpa Curt pick him up until the last night we were there. I guess that’s the downfall to being a long-distance grandparent. Now that Ethan talks so well, we’re hoping that telephone calls will help him remain familiar with us. We’re also trying to come up with other ways to make ourselves more familiar to Ethan, so we’ll see how that all works out. (Any ideas are welcome!)

On Tuesday evening, Scott (Curt’s son) called us to see how things were going since we got home. He also wanted to tell us that the due date for their second son, Logan, has been moved up. Logan was originally due on October 31 – a Halloween baby! However, after Jessica’s doctor appointment on Monday, they adjusted the due date to October 10. So, we are officially on “baby watch!” We have cell phones with us all the time – even Curt, who only takes his phone if he “needs it.” Every time the phone rings, we jump up to see who it is calling. It’s so exciting!

Even though we can’t get back to Myrtle Beach for the “Diaper Shower,” I’m hoping to talk Curt into going back to Myrtle Beach after Logan arrives. I really don’t think that it will take much, but we’ll see!

Bible Study - Update - Myrtle Beach Trip

Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to the Bible study last night. Things really blew up with our upcoming trip to Myrtle Beach. First, we found out that our friend, Betty, couldn't go with us, due to her husband being in the hospital. This may not sound like a big issue to some, but we use Betty's timeshare when we go, so this was a bigger deal than one may think.

So, we got a "guest certificate" (for an additional fee), which would allow the remainder of the party to go without Betty. However, we then noticed that the reservation was for a one-bedroom unit, when it was supposed to be for a two-bedroom unit. (It's hard to sleep 5 people in one bedroom.) The company assured us that the one-bedroom could accommodate our party, but then they said that two of the beds were bunk beds! Well, Curt and I really aren't into the bunk-bed thing, and I don't think my parents (both between 65 and 70 years old) are up for getting into bunk beds! So after some arguing with them for screwing up the reservation, we ended up with NO PLACE TO STAY.

Talk about panic!!

So, we called my mom and kept getting her voicemail all evening. She finally called me back to say that they may not be going with us, since her sister (in New Jersey) was in the hospital. My mom and her other sisters are probably heading to Jersey this weekend or early next week.

Curt and I made arrangements to stay with his son, but then Curt decided that he wanted to stay on the beach or no where. So, we spent about 20 minutes looking online, and we found what looks to be a GREAT place to stay!

So, what ended up not being a great way to spend an evening didn't turn out too bad. We're still waiting to hear about Betty's husband and my aunt, who are both in the hospital (one in Cleveland, and one in Jersey). Nevertheless, we have a place to stay, and the trip is still on...thankfully!