GroundCrew Envelopes

One of my responsibilities at MMS is to help with the mailing of the GroundCrew newsletter. Karen keeps track of the mailing list.  Weeks before the mailing she will send out each MMS family's personal mailing list.  When she gets the lists back she edits the master list as needed. With the labels hot off the printer my responsibility begins.  Last week I sorted 6,111 labels and grouped together certain zip codes.  I grouped the labels together and put each group of labels with a box of envelopes.  The boxes then went home to the MMS wives...my "sticky ladies." They will stick the labels to the envelopes and bring the boxes back.  I will then put approximately 250 envelopes in each mailing tray.  Before the GroundCrew can be "stuffed" into the envelopes each newsletter needs a return envelope stuck inside of it.  The return envelopes get folded by the young people of MMS.  Those envelopes are then stuck into the GroundCrew by a group of ladies from a local church.  When the newsletter is ready the MMS ladies will meet for an evening and tackle the job of putting the newsletters into the labeled envelopes.  The next morning I'll take a check and the proper paper work along with approximately 24 trays of mail to the post office.  If all goes well a few days later people all over the world will be reading the latest news about MMS Aviation. 

Here I am surrounded by boxes of envelopes ready to go home to my "sticky ladies" and young return envelope folders.

There's a virus among us

This past Monday when I arrived home from work Caleb informed me that he wasn't feeling well.  He slept most of Tuesday and Wednesday he seemed to be feeling better.  He ate very little all week and even lost 7-8 pounds.  Thursday he informed that his throat hurt.  I didn't want to play pass the strep around all weekend so I called the doctor and she fit us in Friday morning.  Friday morning I woke up with Caleb feeling somewhat better and the girls feeling lousy.  We all trooped off to the doctor's office.  She tested Caleb and it isn't strep, but some virus that has been going around Coshocton County.  She told us that it has been taking the patients she has dealt with over a week to kick this bug.  I pray that they feel better soon.

Here is Lydia curled up in the chair giving her body a chance to fight this bug.  Her temp is 102.6 as of the last reading...she feels pretty miserable.  Notice that she has found comfort in her faithful companion.  Today we entered Maia's picture in a local store's (Buehlers) Cutest Pet contest. Each picture is given a bucket in which customers can vote by putting money.  The picture with the most money wins.  All of the money raised goes to Relay for Life.   

Josie is feeling pretty crummy, too.  Her fever is 103.6.  She has been asleep most of the day...she even fell asleep on the way home from the doctor.  Notice that she has sought comfort under her daddy quilt.  Somehow I knew she would go straight for that quilt.  : )

Lydia's 12th Birthday

This picture of Lydia was taken when she was only 1 day old.  Lydia is sitting next to Love E. Bear...the teddy bear Chris gave me the first Valentines Day we were married.  Yes, she was born with all of that hair and no she didn't loose it.  Notice those long fingers...I always knew those were piano fingers.  : )  I still can't believe that 12 years have passed since Lydia May came into this world.  I remember that morning so distinctly.  I remember looking out the window of my hospital room and wondering if anyone out there realized how much my life had changed...I had a little girl.  When we left the hospital with our baby girl Chris drove extremely slow through the streets of Chicago.  I still smile when I think of the beginning of Chris' protectiveness for his little girl.  They always had a special bond.  I think they bonded so well, b/c Lydia is SOOO much like me in personality that Chris knew how to handle her...he was used to me.      

This first picture is a "trip down memory lane."  This picture of Chris and Lydia was taken the day Lydia turned 9...3 years ago on this date.

This year the puppies even got in on the present giving.  They thought she should announce to the world her devotion to them.

Lydia really wanted to have 2 of her friends, Lauren and Meredith, spend the night.  They came and we had tacos.

Lydia, the birthday girl.

One of the activities on the agenda tonight was to play Raving Rabids on the Wii.  Here are the girls dancing.