Grandma Sighting

Grandma Jeanne was spotted in Stansbury Park, Utah of all places. She was accompannied by her son Jim and daughter-in-law Beryl to a dinner graciously hosted by the Philpot family.

Good times were had by all!!

Green People

I am sorry to interupt the Christmas List posts with a little post of my own. I remember when "We're All Kids On This Bus" was released back in the day. I liked the whole album. One song stood out, though. This song was "Green People." That song opened my eyes to how sharing and caring will get you far in this world. Everytime Abe picks up a guitar, that is my first request. At Maurika's wedding in Missoula, we were lucky enough to hear the live version with help from Nick on the vocals. I just downloaded the tune from iTunes and it took me back. Thank you for putting the song on iTunes, it just made my day. I'd like to leave you a little excerpt from the song:

"It's nice to see you,
Well, it's nice to see you too!"

Who knew 99 cents would buy you happiness. I seriously love this song.

Christmas Treats

Hey all. It's a sunny, cold day here in the City of Broad Shoulders. We had our first snow last week, but it didn't stick and the grass is still green - though the leaves are turning. All in all, it's perfect football weather - which bodes well for John's (and Bri's?) visit out here November 3rd for the ND-UNC game. If anyone has a line on tickets, that would be the best Christmas gift I could possibly imagine. I've been down to South Bend for the Penn State game (just tailgated, no tickets) and the Purdue game (tickets thanks to John and Ann!) so far. It's tough to find a ticket for less than $200 to any game, even after that brutal loss to Michigan. I'm flying out to Baltimore at the end of the month for the ND-Navy game in the Ravens' stadium (again, ticketless!), which should be fun.

Christmas treats I'd enjoy:

Books: "The Richest Man in Babylon"; "State of Denial: Bush at War"; "Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules"; Complete Short Stories of Hemingway

DVD: "Sunken Treasure, Jeff Tweedy Live In the Pacific Northwest"; "Bob Dylan: No Direction Home"; "The U.S. vs. John Lennon"

CD: Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend (double disk); Colin Hay - Company of Strangers or Peaks and Valleys; Beck - the Information

Grizzly shirts (size L) or sweatshirt (size XL) or stocking cap

white undershirts (L)

a football

a visit from you

Like Mary, I may be able to supplement this list later. For some reason it's really hard to sit and think of things I would like to have. I suppose that's a good thing.

No other big news out here. My kosher slaughtering case is still going full steam, and I have to go to Brooklyn later this month to argue a motion. Looks like Kit (and maybe Joey?) will be out here for Thanksgiving.

Hope all's well with y'all.

WHERE OH WHERE HAVE THE CHRISTMAS LISTS GONE??

OK so it is October 13. I think folks need to start thinking about the big holiday coming up...no not Halloween, not Thanksgiving (although I am hosting dinner at my house for any and all who are interested! Let me know!), but I am talking about CHRISTMAS! I think we need to utilize this web site to posts our desires for the yule time. The giver/givee list is a few posts back so look in the arcives to see whats what or whos who!
So put on your thinking caps and get your list compiled. Then post up and get it on here!!
My list is as follows:

Mary's wish list:
sod for my back yard!
an ipod for my walks in the morning
a happy healthy family (I think I have this!!!)
a happy healthy new grandbaby! ( take care of yourself Miranda!)
size XL sweatshirts appropriate for work (my room at school is freezing!)
house plants, any size and shape
certificates to a bedding place: Bundis in Great Falls, Home Depot etc. for my flowers in the spring or maybe a tree!
donations to Holy Spirit School or Holy Spirit Parish building fund

Thats all I can think of right now. This may be revised at some point but I think it is a start for whoever has my name!

Love y'all!!!

Beryl's 50th Birthday

Well Beryl had a great 50th celebration that lasted almost a week. Her actual birthday was on the 26th and this is a picture of her and her sister Betty who flew in from Minneapolis.

The real celebration was Friday and Saturday in Park City. Beryl had her kids there as well as her sisters. We had a great time and the weather was perfect.

Charlie's Army: Bozeman Chapter

I hope you all had a great weekend. It was nice to see Notre Dame play to their potential. Jake, Ryan, Joey and I spent all day watching our teams win. We started off with the Notre Dame game and loved the outcome. We then switched to the MSU game and watched the 'Cats hold on to a victory. After the MSU win, we switched over to the UM game and watched the Griz also squeak one out. We also watched bit and pieces of the Carroll-Tech game in which the Saints won by 8. It was a good day. Here are a couple pictures of our football filled fun-day.

Comma karma

Here's a cartoon for Nate and Jen. Both of them have been having their own challenges with a simple punctuation mark. And they aspire to be attorneys?

our little thespian

Hey all.....live from Sioux Falls!!!

I hope everyone is doing well. I just wanted to give everyone a quick note.....Molly has just recently landed a lead role in Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors!! It is awesome!! She is really excited! The play is to be put on in early November! She is also part of a cast who is opening and closing our variety show during Homecoming week. She is going to be a busy bee these next few weeks, but she is doing what she loves, so it makes it that much easier. I just thought I would let everyone know about our budding thespian (another word for actor Jake and Nate). I am doing fine. I am keeping my head above water with classes and practice and work. Hope all is well!! Send Molls a congrats if you get the time!

Salute!

All of us in the family salute and thank the Dinger for keeping a roof over Mom's head and bed. I'm serious about this. Jim donated his time, talent, and considerable amounts of Tylenol to shuffling the shingles onto the house and garage. And then nailin' 'em down. Thanks, bro -- we owe you a lot. But not in, like, legal tender. I'm sure you understand. You have our respect, reverence, and first dibs when we want similar work done on our domiciles. Okay, well ... get your greenhouse done first. Thanks again.

After the Family Picnic ...

The big activity here in Helena involved Jimmy and Jadranka's wedding. Briana was here to help out, and a big help she was -- preparing food, arranging flowers, taking photos, and adding cheer to the festivities. Here's a shot taken during preparation.

The ceremony took place in Women's Park in Helena, with several close friends in attendance. Then it was back to the house for a fun reception, cake cutting, and signing ceremony. Following that, Jimmy and I did a gig at Miller's Crossing. I know ... it's a bit tawdry to do a gig on one's wedding night, but everyone had a bunch of fun.

The next day, we took off for Portland. Briana and Peter were gracious hosts for a couple of days. We had a real relaxing session at the spa and took a little jaunt to the coast. Here are the newlyweds against a beautiful backdrop.

After the long drive back to Helena, Mr. & Mrs. Celik spent a day preparing for the long trip to their European home. They boarded the first leg of their flight early on Tuesday, August 22, and we received a message on Thursday that the journey had gone smoothly. Jimmy and Jadranka send regards, along with this observation: "What a wonderful family!"

Announcement!

Hello from the south! Being that I didn't think I had enough going on with moving across the country, starting a new job, and going to grad school, I decided it would be great if I added one more huge change. Thus, Nate and I announce we are expecting! According to my calculations, I should be due early April. Although we are both very excited, I am feeling miserable. I have gotten sick off of everything I've tried to eat except Frosted Flakes (probably because they're great!) So needless to say, I'm not able to eat much and so am pretty fatigued which doesn't make it easy to work 12-hour shifts. I'm hoping I'll actually start liking the idea of food again soon. Nathan has been great at doing everything around the house, even laundry which he hates.

So please keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next several months. We'll need all the help we can get! Love you all!

- Miranda and Nate

Women Running in Montana

This picture is from a while ago but I just put my pictures onto my new computer and I remember Meg and my mother wanting this picture to be posted. Meg came down to Billings to do the Montana Women's Run and by the looks of the medal, she came down to dominate. My mother also dominated I am assuming because she too has a medal. Forget that all participants get medals regardless of performance, those two showed real heart and determination by walking and running their way through downtown Billings while raising awareness of women's needs and stuff. Great job you two! I wanted to join them in the running of the women, but because of my gender I was not allowed to participate... sexist yes... dissapointing, even more so. If Michelle Wie can play in men's golf tournaments I think that I should be able to try my luck against the best women's runners in MT. Oh well. Enjoy the picture and I also remember Meg and mom saying that they want all the Moore family women to come down and participate next year in the race. Plan on it.

CHRISTMAS LISTS 2006!!!

Yes, it is that time of the year again, already, and all that jazz! At the family picnic, the bees seemed to rule the day and we forgot to do the drawing there. So we managed to squeeze it in at the brunch on Sunday. Jan, Tom, John and I made the decision to lump all grandkids and greats in the same drawing. It turned out quite well I think. Anyway, enjoy.

Sibling List

Connie............Ann
Bill .............John
Jan .............Jim W.
Marc ............Bill
John ............Jim M
Ann .............Mary
Tom ............. Connie
Jeanine ..........Marc
Mary.............. Tom
Jim W............. Beryl
Jim M............. Jan
Beryl..............Jeanine

GrandKids list

Maurika.......................... Miranda
Mark............................. Matt
Rileigh...........................Shannon
Bridger...........................Joey
Truman............................Nick
Abe.............................. Molly
Hannah............................Maddie
Jerry.............................Sam
Mikayla...........................Jen
Carter............................Will
Kesiah............................Kelly
Briana............................Nate Meunier
Peter.............................Mike
Mike..............................Nate Moore
Matt..............................Carter
Kelly.............................Truman
Will..............................Ben
Joey..............................Rileigh
Meghan............................Abe
Jen...............................Jake
Molly.............................Mikayla
Miranda...........................Bridger
Nate..............................Jerry
Ben...............................Maurika
Jake..............................Mark
Nick..............................Hannah
Sam...............................Briana
Maddie............................Peter
Nate..............................Meghan
Shannon...........................Kesiah

There you go folks. Have fun shopping and remember, it is just a few short months until that big day! Don't forget to post your wish list on this site. Love you all!

Family Gathering 2006

I think this little guy (Truman Wells) expresses the fun we all had at the Family Picnic. We had a nice "beesy" gathering at Ryan Dam, hosted by Connie and Bill. Good food, fun visits, and (of course) the Washers game. After a bit of rest-up, folks gathered at Bert & Ernie's for some music by Mi Dva, an internationally acclaimed folk duo. Then Mary and Jim hosted the after-concert sing-along around the patio fireplace. A bit of rain sent the revelers inside, but didn't dampen the party. Mary and Jim were also hosts for the Sunday brunch, and I want to express our appreciation for their hospitality. Mary will soon be posting the results of the Christmas name-drawing. And I want to extend a fond "we-missed-ya" to the MIA crew: Mike; Matt, Kelly & Will; Joey (came lately); Molly; Karla; Jerry, Mikayla, Carter & Kesiah; Miranda & Nate; Ben, Jake & Nick (softballing).

We are officially international...

Just thought I would post a hello from abroad so that this blog is now an international blog. The Moore family is always going bigger and better. If any of you want to know exactly where I am you can ask the family to see if Mike showed them. He definitely showed Kelly so she could point it out to you on an atlas when she comes back through Montana in November. I will tell you that I have never been as hot and sweaty as I am now. Montana folk are not made for this climate. :)

I am sorry that the WA Buyskes are missing yet another family picnic. I promise that we will make next year's picnic. We will definitely be around in December (looks like after Christmas right now to match up with Mike's visit) so we will make the effort to see as many of you as we can at that time.

It has been fun hearing news from Kelly and I am excited to see the postings on the blog of the family picnic. Congratulations to Hannah on the new one on the way!! I am already behind on meeting new additions to the family but hopefully I can catch up over Christmas.

Take care and I will chat with you again soon.

Later,
Matt

The Final Fourth.... Probably

Even though our news has already circulated quite well, I thought I would do the official post of the newest Moore (Philpot) grandbaby on the way. We are due with Baby X at the end of January. Carter is, of course, lobbying for a boy whereas Mikayla is rooting for yet another sister. Kesiah likes to hit my stomach, hopefully that isn't a sign of things to come. Anyway, I thought I would throw up a picture of their smiling faces and let your imaginations envision how the fourth might look. Love, the Philpots

Congratulations!

Now that Meghan has announced the big news, I can post this photo. This is in our kitchen at the end of the Big Day. They didn't talk about the "Marry Me" tableau, though. Cool move! Congratulations to the happy couple!

Mother and child

Although I said I'd calm down, I've neglected to
include Mama in the pix. Here's a shot from today ...

One more round of photos ...

And then I'll calm down ...






Abe and Karla left early this morning to return to Chicago. We've been enjoying a quiet and calm Memorial Day here in Renton.

What could be more Tru?

Here are a couple more photos from the newly expanded family. Abe and Karla arrived last night for a short visit. Today, the whole entourage went to a movie (including Truman). It's been fun!

Some of these photos (such as this one -->)

might be a bit graphic for the faint of heart.

Tru to you ...

Hello from Renton! Yes, it's true -- this beautiful baby is Truman Broderick Wells (not some stock photo from the Gerber model collection). He's an easy-going boy, apparently quite happy with his circumstances.

It has been an interesting 12 days since Truman arrived. Ann flew out here on Mother's Day to help out for a week. Briana picked up the coverage for four days. Bri picked me up at the airport today, then headed back to Portland. I'll be here for a week or so, along with Abe and Karla over the holiday weekend. Maurika is feeling better, but still quite tired. Meanwhile, the Wells household carries on -- Rileigh and Bridger in school, Mark in a new job, and the two dogs curious about the new family member.

Hello from WA...finally!

Hey everyone,

Thought it would only be appropriate to give a hello to everyone before I depart the country. I am not sure my accessibility to the internet while flying around the world with the Navy, but I will update all of you on my travels when I do get a chance to make entries on this site. I would love to hear how you all are doing as well. Email is great, but it seems like someone inevitably gets left off a list. So I will work with this until someone says there is a list that is complete.

Most of you will probably get a chance to see Will this summer as Kelly will be travelling around while I am gone. Hopefully they will be able to make it to the family picnic (put your plugs in now). Will is getting huge and is apparently in the 95th percentile for size among kids his age (6 months). So he is a healthy and very happy baby. He does miss his stay at home uncle, though. We do too, Joey. :)

We are all doing well in Washington and will try to get an update out soon via email. This is my last week in town so I am not sure if it will make it out before I leave, but we won't leave everyone in suspense for too long as to the happenings of the Buyskes in WA.

Love you all!

Matt, Kelly and Will

Add one more!

CONGRATULATIONS Maurika!!! Yay for adding another one to the bunch. We'll all be expecting lots of pictures! This year seems to be a good one for baby boys - anyone else up to the challenge!?

thanks to all who supported Relay

Hey guys!! I just wanted you to see a picture of my coach, Jeremy. This is the guy I was talking about who earlier this year overcame testicular cancer! He is now in his 3rd month of remission! The weather was absolutely gorgeous for the Relay for Life walk and I made it all night! I was exhausted the next day, but it was well worth it! Thank you all for your wonderful support and I hope you all have an awesome week!!

birthday boy

Hey all....just wanted to wish joey a happy 25th!!! wow....he is old! it is on may 8th...so drop him a line or card and wish him the same!

From One to the Other

Just wanted to let you all know that our MSU savior Travis Lulay signed with my favorite NFL team this week. Yes, Travis Lulay will battle it out for a roster spot with the Seattle Seahawks. I just wanted to mention this and then include a picture of the Grizzly killer. Lulay, Lulay, Lulay, Lulay! (sing to the tune of Ole!)

Moore Family New Year

Hey! In case ya'll didn't know...our Papa Buyske dearest is up for re-election for District Judge. Any moral support you can give would be awesome! And I hear that Matt and Kelly created a great website, but for some reason no address has been sent! What is this? (I actually saw it earlier this weekend, but I can't remember it!)
Anyway...I hope ya'll are doing well and that life is going good! Seems like it from the updates we've sent around. I'll be around eventually once anything exciting happens (although a 26 hour road trip with mom and dad is bordering that!).

Management Training

Hi, all -- I'm spending a few days in Missoula doing some classes. As you can see, quite a few people showed up today. We had to get crowd control in.

I was talking with Briana recently, and we agreed it's time for another round of e-mail news. I've been planning to get one started, but dang if there isn't a lot of other stuff to do. So, anyone should feel free to get the ball rolling. I think now's a good time -- before school gets out and lots of family folk are on the move. I know this site has been good for some catching up. And some of you are better than others in using it. But I still think the "old-fashioned" e-mail method is a bit more thorough. Who'll be the first to step up to the task?

Bored Nate

Hey everyone. I was bored one night so I decided to throw together a video and edit it with some music. I chose the night I met Ted Ferguson, the Bud Light Daredevil. Now if you don't know who Ted is that's alright. He is a man who does dangerous stunts like staying after 5:00 on a Friday at work or going shopping with his girlfriend during a playoff game. If you want to check him out he has a site www.tedferguson.com ANYWAY Here is my video... the music provided by the Foo Fighters. Remember, I am not as good as Abe at editing videos yet and this one hardly is on the same plane as the Family Picnic Video. Oh well, check it out.



I copied and pasted the embedded player again, sooo see if that works. If that doesn't, here is the link. Abe told me that his computer wasn't opening it either so it must be the video host. Alrighty, take care.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v8uFZBZdxc

John's Birthday greetings!

Happy Birthday John!
I hope you have a terrific day and we wish you many more!

To all of you, Happy Easter!
All the Wingys, minus Ben, are gathering at our house for the weekend. Miranda and Nate are going to be here for the whole week. They will be arriving here today sometime. Then we have Easter, then the next weekend is Maddie's first Eucharist and Confirmation. So it is very awesome that the Meuniers can be here for that!

Have a happy weekend and safe journeys if you are traveling!

Love ya all, Mary

Hello wonderful family!!

It has been a while since I have update you all on the happenings here in SD...so I figured I better do so. First of all, I hope you are all having a wonderful Holy Week and whatever your plains for Easter, I hope it is a blessed one. Molls and I will be travelling to MT to visit the older sis.

Secondly, our outdoor track season is underway. We began in TX with our spring break trip, that is what this picture is from, some of us girls enjoying the sunshine. Anywho, I didn't throw very well to begin with, but I had a great trip. Then last weekend we had a home meet. I threw better there and provisionally qualified for the outdoor national meet. Hopefully I will be able to better my mark and move up the list. We only have 4 more meets remaining, this season sure goes by quick.

Other than that, I am just plowing through classes and the other stuff that happens at college. Molly is busy preparing for the Pirates of Penzance, which will be put on at the end of the month, and which Matt, Kelly, Will, Mom, Dad, and Meghan will all be able to see. That is going to be a super fun weekend.

Looking forward to next year, I have to register for courses and I can't believe that I am almost done. This summer, while hopefully being able to spend time with family, will consist of studying for the LSAT....yeah. But right now I am just soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the wonderful spring weather that we have been blest with, I only hope this keeps up for the remainder of the year and track season.

I know that I have sent you all emails, but I also wanted to remind you about the Relay for Life. It goes on the first weekend in May, and I would truly appreciate any donation that you would be willing to give. My address again is: Jen Buyske, Augustana College, Box 275, 2001 S. Summit Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57197. If you have any further questions or if you know of anyone who would also be willing to support this cause, please send me their contact info!!

I know this was long...but come on, if you are on this sight, you are wasting time anyway! :) Have a great Easter everyone!

Love,

Jen

Birthday and Big Day ...

We had a great celebration last weekeend for Connie's birthday. Lunch at Bert & Ernie's, with Ann and the Buyskes joining. After catching our breath, we had dinner at Mary's ... what a nice spot to gather! We're glad for those who could be there and thoughtful of those who couldn't. We hope to all gather again soon.

hello

John is trying to educate me - tough job - so now we're trying it out!

Happy Birthday, Maurika!

Hey, everybody - Today is Maurika's birthday, and she's 48 years old! April Fool -- she's only 33. Best wishes, Mo, and many happy returns. Love. Love. Love.

New to the Blog

Abe sent some info to get Grandma started on the blog, and I'm setting it up for her (this is John). Please use comments and e-mail to encourage her full participation on this site. With some encouragement, she'll be the Big Blogger.

My Weekend

Well, Karla and I both had the weekend off last weekend, which is a pretty rare treat for us. On Saturday, we found ourselves just sort of bumming around the house - doing nothing.

I was just sort of staring out the window, and I wondered, as I had many times before, where does Lake Shore Drive go? That's Lake Shore right there, looking north out of our window.

So, we decided to check it out. We fired up the car, picked up a couple cups of coffee and just started driving north.

We found out that Loyola University is up there. Very nice campus.

After we passed Loyola, we found a magical land called "Evanston" - where Northwestern University is.


Also in Evanston, we found this really neat Baha'i temple. I had never heard of the Baha'i faith before, but it turns out it's pretty neat. It's a very inclusive sort of religion, which believes very much in the unity of all mankind. They also believe that all of the prophets of the major religions (i.e. Buddha, Christ, Muhammed) were messengers from God. It's just a very inclusive and non-judgmental faith. Also, the temple was cool.

"Unity is very highly emphasized in the Bahá'í writings. Three core assertions of the Bahá'í Faith are the unity of God, the unity of religion, and the unity of mankind; a single, all powerful God, revealing His message through a series of divine messengers or educators, regarding them as one progressively revealed religion, to one single humanity."

Then, after touring around the northern suburbs for a little while, it was time to hop on the highway and head home.

Happy Birthday, Connie!

Happy Birthday this Friday (March 31) to Connie Jeanne. The past year has blown hot and cold, and we wish you and Bill all the best. We're hoping to see you soon and deliver birthday greetings in person!

Reporting from Travels ...

Ann and I just returned from a Pacific Northwest trip -- a couple days in Portland, a couple days in Renton. I'm happy to report that all family members are feeling well and doing well. Here's picture of the new sign at Briana's spa. She and Peter keep very busy, yet find time for Tai Chi and other activities. They've also added some nice touches to their house, such as a bamboo floor in the main living-dining area.


In Renton, Rileigh and Bridger are both doing very well in school. They anxiously await the arrival of brother Truman, probably mid-May. Maurika is the picture of radiant health. The possibility of the family moving to Portland didn't pan out. However, the possible relocation to Chicago will become clearer over the next couple weeks. I couldn't resist posting this picture of the dogs, Nala and Dakota.

Meanwhile, happy birthday to Carter last Monday (3/20), and happy birthday to Maurika coming soon (4/1)! Hope to see other news on this site soon.

Happy Birthday, Carter!

Hay, everybody -- Monday, March 20, is Carter's birthday. I hope y'all get the chance to extend your best wishes. Happy birthday!