Happy Birthday Melissa!

I love you.

Because dad said so...

Just wanted to clarify that my last post was NOT meant in a mean way, I was being completely sarcastic. Apparently my dad thought everyone would be mad at me...so I'm fixing this like a good little daughter.

For real, start emailing me or something guys, I want to know what is up.
jennifernbraun@gmail.com

Block your drivers license!

This is upsetting, and thought I should pass it along. Now you can see anyone's driver's license on the internet, including your own! I just searched and there it was picture and all! Thanks Homeland Security! Privacy, where is our right to it? Check your driver's license - I definitely removed mine, I suggest you all do the same. Go to the website and check it out. Just enter your name, and state to see if yours is on file. After your license comes on the screen, click the box marked "Please Remove". This will remove it from public viewing, but not from law enforcement.

http://www.license.shorturl.com/

What up Fools?

I'm just starting a new post because I'm tired of the old one.
The following are acceptable talking points on MY post:
1. I got my new job and everyone can congratulate me.
2. The Georgia Bulldogs whupped ass again this weekend.
3. Bedazzling or craft projects
4. Creative use of eye make up
5. The marriage of Jimmy & Carissa (along with a move to Georgia?)

What will not be tolerated:
1. Making fun of grandma's spelling- she's old she can't help it.
2. Talking about the amazing weekend you all had together without Me & Nancy.
3. Inside jokes about "Egrets" and what-nots that were formulated on said trip to FL.

Also allowed are topics on current events, offbeat news, and personal anecdotes.

More of Florida

This was Saturday evening and the kids were getting ready to go out for dinner at 9:00pm. Too late for us older women. We stayed in Bridget's suite with Kelly and Johnny.
In the elevator on the way to Bridget's suite.

Up Close and Having a Great Time!

Mom and Kathy at the Marlin's Game

Fly the Flag Campaign

On Monday, September 11th, 2006, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States.

Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this fifth anniversary of our country's worst tragedy. We do this in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

So take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and fly an American flag of any size on 9/11.

how was your weekend?

Hey everyone. So when is everyone going down to FL?? I read Brit's blog and I guess BB went down yesterday? And she's going down Friday. What about everyone else? We didn't do much this w/e. Hayle and I went to the mall for back to school shopping and we cleaned house on Sunday. Today we're do more little stuff. Nothing new. What about you??

Beach Near Us

I tried to learn some new things with my camera yesterday. I learned how to take black and white photos, and rapid fire pictures (whatever that's called, where you take take many really fast) and I also edited this one. Cool. We drove about an hour yesterday to the 'Gower'. Hung out, had lunch, fell asleep. But it still felt a little cold if the clouds came out. aah, nice day.

Pictures

I don't know about you but I certainly think this is alot nicer to look at when you pull up the blog then that last creepy picture.
This is a picture I took at my girl friend's who lives on Berry's College campus in Rome, GA and this is just a short beautiful walk from her house. This is where I want to take you (Linda and Hank) next time you come up. There are more deer on this campus then I have seen any where. Anyways, I just had to put a more pleasant picture up so when I check the blog I wasn't slapped in the face with those "Charlies Angel" I mean "Becky's Bitches".

I keep telling Tony and his friends to stop but they can't seem to stay out of my damn make
up case. I just wish creepy could say enough about the picture.

New Post

You all asked for a new post, here it is.
Some more pictures from our barbecue.

Fun with the Braun's!

We had a lot of fun at Gerry and Barb's, naturally. But it was hard work.
As you can see, Barb told both Gerry's to eat on the table.
They have a very big ball for volleyball and it ain't easy.
Then all that hard work in the pool. It was an exhausting day.
Sorry you all couldn't be here.

Where the frick is everyone!

Ok people, come on!! I am tired of pulling this thing up with no comments. What the heck are you so busy with in you Poor, Pathetic, Pledge Pin wearing, Preposterous LIVES, that you can't type a few words on this blog? Huh? Kathyt has asked each and every one of you a question, Personalized, and yet you fail to respond! Last night I dreamt I went for a walk with Pete, got separated and I could not find my way home. I walked through a closed university, through fields, then to I thought I was back at the university and made my way through the maze of stairs, (and slides) only t find it was a hospital whaere a girl was walking with a dog who kept tripping me so she gave him to me. Then I was in a school and a male teacher grabbed me, and NO ONE ever heard of Westbourne Road!!! Urrgghh!!! My legs are tired, and I am exhausted. I know no one likes to hear about other peoples dreams, but I felt this was so interesting you all would want to hear it. SO, today at 4pm, we are all going to a photography studio, with the dogs, to take pictures. If you're nice, I'll let you know how that goes. Now let me see some posts!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANCY!

So sorry this is late. I was thinking of you. By the way, everyone, yesterday was my anniversary for quitting smoking. 20 years!!!

Empty nesters once again

Well we helped Gerry move into his apartment Saturday. It is a nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath with a sunroom, in a gated swim, tennis community. We have mixed emotions about him moving. Of course you all know we would love to have the kids with us but it was time for Gerry to move on and stretch and grow. He is living with John who is one of the guys he taught with last year at Lithia Springs, Ryan who was one of his biggest rivals in high school (how time can change anything) you is a para-pro, and Ryan's girlfriend Ashley. I really wanted Gerry to buy a house instead of rent, but he plans on saving and buying next year.
Charlie had spoke with his boss about doing something other than food service at Disney. She (Nancy) got him in touch with another guy who told Charlie the best thing for him to do was to go back and finish school, they would give him "eligible for rehire" status, and then they could find him something more in line with what he ultimately wants to do if and when he came back. There has been over 250 students on the college program that have wanted to get out of their apartment leases and Charlie has been the only one approved, thanks to Nancy. So Charlie will be home next Friday or Saturday. He has been busy connecting with some of his contacts at Kennesaw and has already arranged free room and board, an internship and a job. All he has left is his thesis and an intership and he will graduate in December.
I don't know if any of you have seen Failure to Launch with the gorgeous Matthew McConaughey and the girl (her name escapes me) from Sex in the City (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Terry Bradshaw. Well once Matthew moved out Terry (his dad) turned his room into a naked room. NO we are not turning Gerry's room into a naked room, BUT it will sure be nice to be able to run around in our underwear or go naked when we want.
Well that is the update on our family - what is going on with the rest of you?
Love, Barbara

Cruising!!

OMG! Can I just say OMG! If we don't do Melissa's reunion thing, or even if we do, this is something we all need to save up for and do together! It is so amazing!! Rome was great. We went to mass on Sunday at St. Peter's Basillica. Amazing! Beautiful, the congregation included more than 66 members of clergy. And the singing was lovely! We stopped in Naples and we went up to Mt. Vesuvius volcano, steep steep climbing. Saw the ruins of Pompei. Then today we stopped at Dubrovnic and went Sea Kayaking. THAT was FUN!! And Mom, the tour guide there gave us his info, he heard me talking to the lady next to me about Medjugorge, they do tours there, so I'll see what that's about when I get home. Now we're on our way to Venice. 2 days there. OK, gotta go. We've taken tons of pictures (but nothing compared to Mary) and will have to post them when we get home. Gotta go, Pete's waiting for me with a bottle of champagne. Oh yes, he bought me a Tag watch. The most beautiful one and THE ONLY ONE like it on the boat. I went back in to have it sized and two of the guys were like, Oh, you're the one who got it!! Yippee!!! And Kathy, I must hear about your eyes!!! Love ya'll!

John and I just got back from Myrtle Beach. We had a great time. There is something for everyone there. Lots of things to do. We were just hanging out at the beach.

Reunited and it feels so good (to be sung aloud)

Hello All.
First- Happy Belated Birthday Christy. And I'll go ahead and throw in a double whammy and say Happy Belated Birthday Brittany because (even though I reminded myself ten times to call her) I didn't call the Brit-ster to send my love.

Second- Congratulations Linsey. Waking someone from a coma rocks! That's right up there with turning a gay man straight. I've done neither, and therefore I consider my life a waste thus far. So congratulations Linsey- you're done. You can die now.

Third- The family reunion. I don't want to start a fight with this suggestion, but how does everyone feel about just having the Official Braun Family Reunion in Cape Hatteras Labor Day Weekend of 2008? With that much notice, nobody will have an excuse! Plus, we can make lots of plans and invite extended family (like the Faiellos). This year, if we want to get together, we can probably do so for Tony's wedding. They haven't made any plans yet, but there's a possibility they will want to do a small reception. I hope I'm not speaking out of turn here, but I think Erin wants a beach wedding, and we can even use that time to scope out the Avon Cottages and what the beach has to offer. I just don't like the idea of calling it a family reunion when the whole family can't be there.

So how does that sound- Labor Day Weekend 2008- NO EXCUSES?!
Love you all,
Melissa

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTY!!!

We Are FAAM-I-LY! (to be sung aloud)

So now that I've got this blogging thing down (I'm not computer-stupid, it just would NOT work for me for a while there) I will start posting about the family reunion.

From what I've gathered (from the posts and from my mother's gossip) this is what you all think so far/and my responses:
-We don't want to be hit by a hurricane or lose our money being evacuated.
--This is a logical concern and a good point. What if we did the reunion closer to late May/Early June when school is first out. The prices are the same until July 1st. The only pitfall is that we lose the Holiday Weekend, but perhaps that's not a problem?

-We don't want to wait a WHOLE year and a half.
--Be patient young grasshoppers. But, keep in mind that if we move things to June, we've solved the problem?

-Nancy needs lots of extra notice & doesn't know when Labor Day is AND she's lived over in Wales for just one year and she's begun spelling things funny (I quote "Labour").
--It would not be a Family Reunion without The Caltabianos, and so we can probably work around that. Just let us know how you feel about the new date range suggested and what dates/times work for you all.

-We like the idea of Cape Hatteras?
--My pitch: It's an in between since we're now scattered all over the world. The beaches are beautiful, and the houses are HUGE- which helps when you're looking at housing the BIG (yet beautiful) Braun Family. The Avon Cottages will let us spread out a little, but stay close together. They're reasonably priced (I think we'll be able to do housing for up to one week for about $100 each!) and they are RIGHT on the beach.

-You'd like to know more?
--Nearby is Ocracoke Island which the famous pirate Blackbeard was killed on. They have ferries running there, and it's supposed to be a fun place to visit. Lots of history there and the people still speak with an Old English Accent (Nancy can translate). I figure that would be a fun day trip for the kids & adults. Also, I encourage everyone to look into Geocaching- which I think would be a fun team game for us to do. Check out www.geocaching.com. I'm addicted... to the idea (I haven't actually done it yet). But I'm pretty sure we could have a good time with it. AND there is a small town where we can do shopping. With all the decks and the large living spaces, we'll be able to gather nightly. And don't forget the Beach!

So that's all. As soon as we settle on a date, we can start this thing for real (presuming my sales pitch of Cape Hatteras was convincing).
Love you all!

Carl in Iraq

Carl and his Navy buddies doing the work that the Army should be doing.

Family Reunion

What do you all think of Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks for a reunion?
What do you think of next Labor Day?
Here is a link to some cottages there http://www.avoncottages.com/
Melissa is looking forward to responses

Tony's getting out of the NAVY July 1st!!

I am so excited! Tony will be flying in to Seattle tomorrow night. He and Erin will be moving to Georgia in another week or so. Yeah!

And She's Off!

A Braun Family Gathering

We had so much fun!

Rick surprised us
Kathy was surprised

Charlie surprised Barb & Gerry and came home for the weekend.

NEW CAR!!!!

THIS IS THE NEW CAR! I miss the cavalier, and it was a great car to me, but when you graduate college eventually it's okay to make your first big purchase. It is a really snazzy car and I love it. Isn't it fabulous?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR RICKY AND MARYELLEN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!

Here's a laugh your butt off moment

Christmas 2005! It was an awesome year!

This is not a close up, but this is my Indigo Bunting. The damned Tufted Titmouse will not let me get a picture of him. He is too fast.

Health & Fitness

I keep reading that everyone is doing something to live a healthier life style. GOOD JOB EVERYONE. Linda is walking daily, Mary has joined a gym, Nancy is working out, and Kathy has bought an exercise ball to start working out. And I have gained back nearly 10 pounds of what I had worked so hard at losing last year. So lets motivate each other by letting everyone know what we have done GOOD as well as what we have done BAD (like eat a 1/2 box of cookies at a time) so that we can help each other out. We can also share any tricks that are working for us. They were Snack Well cookies by the way. I am going to get back on track today, no more low-fat frozen yogurt, if I am going to eat cookies it will be a serving size not 3 or 4, and I am going to do some sort of exercise. Signing off to go put in 2 miles on the tread mill. So everyone what are you doing today?

This is Linsey's graduation announcement!
Linsey graduated the end of May and is looking forward to starting a local college this fall.
I actually posted this picture right after graduation night but sent it out into cyber-space somewhere. I had to get the courage to call Barb to admit to stupidity AGAIN to get this to work.
I just got back from St. Louis (work related) and had a fantastic time. I really liked it there. Things are going good. Have a second date with a guy named Pete tomorrow. He's O.K.
Linsey started at a new day care center yesterday. She likes working with the little two year olds. her friend Erin is going to start working there as well, next week. Thats all I got!!!

The Georgia Aquarium

We went to the Georgia Aquarium today. Christy and Leeman brought Leeman's two nephews. They made our day.

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I don't know why the birds won't come to my sanctuary.