Its time to Catch Up!

Hello again from Holly Springs! Its the Kennedy family and we thought it was about time to catch you all up on where we have been for the past couple of months. The travel has been very heavy for both Ann Marie and I so getting to upload photos and write took a backseat to spending time with our daughter and keeping the house going! I have finally got some time to write and I am sure you are all ready to hear about the goings on, so here we go!

Back in mid October I attended my 20th high school reunion in Sanford, North Carolina and was surprised to find that almost 25 percent of the class made it back! I have always been a bit perplexed at why more people do not attend these events, but I will leave it at that as it could get a bit personal (right Jeff, Kevin and Scooter?). It was a fun night and it was good to see old friends like Susan Morgan, Earl and Rhonda Phipps, Craig and Stephanie McRae and one of the original “Clearwater Gang” members Tommy Maynor!

The next weekend we decided to take Savannah to her first State Fair here in Raleigh! Along with the greatest neighbors in the world, “Uncle Dick and Aunt Mary”, we paraded into the fairgrounds with visions of Greek cuisine, Polish sausages, NCSU ice-cream plus kettle corn dancing in our eyes and stomachs! Savannah loved seeing the animals, especially the goats and cows! After Mary won Savannah a stuffed animal we decided it was time to hit the kiddie midway for a ride or two. Who knew this midway would be more crowded that the adult midway! We finally made it onto the carousel, but the fear factor set in as we prepared to ride the pony and Savannah settled for riding in Mom’s arms instead. I wish we could say the same about Uncle Dick! We finished off the night early and headed home, but not without a great memory of Nutty Buddy’s first State Fair!

On a sad note we had to say goodbye to Cris and Jay Prebel at church as they pack up the kids Zack and Joey and head for Massachusetts. Cris was the keyboard player in our Praise Band at Sunrise UMC and will be sorely missed. Sitting behind the drum set and not having my friend to wink at on a missed note or off beat will be very sad, but the memories remain. Good luck Prebels!

At the end of October I made my first visit to “The House that Jimbo Built”, better known as Gymboree! I told Ann Marie that she had to go with me the first time just to make sure I played nice with the other parents! Well, all 3 of us had a really good time and I was amazed at how active Savannah was on the equipment. She is going to break a lot of bones if she keeps it up, as well as a lot of hearts!

After Gymboree we finished off the weekend with a hockey game Saturday night and an early Halloween celebration at Ann Marie’s parents house. At the game Savannah has taken to entertaining everyone around us as well as watching the game. She really has a good time watching the movement and dancing to the music when the puck is not in play, but her favorite are the French fries! How much more American can you get? On Sunday we hit the park at The Preserves and met up with Kaylie and her parents, Brian and Jodi Meers. It was fun to watch the kids, but I think it was even more fun watching the Grand Parents fawn over the girls!

Then came Halloween! On Monday Savannah and I carved her first pumpkin! She didn’t like putting her hand in to pull out the seeds, but she loved poking the pumpkin with the tools and playing with the eye and nose openings! After finishing the pumpkin we waited for the Great Pumpkin to appear, but alas, just like Linus in the cartoon we were greatly disappointed. Ann Marie and Savannah then took off to tour the neighborhood, Savannah the Lady Bug and Ann Marie the Little Devil with a Bacardi in hand! The neighborhood kids all made the rounds and Dick Baker and I manned the front porch handing out goodies while waiting for the girls to return home. Savannah was a huge hit in Sunset Lake Village and brought home lots of loot for us all to share!

In October I finally got to visit a museum that I have wanted to see for many years, the American Motorcyclist Association Museum in Pikerington, Ohio. The AMA has an exhibit this year entitled Motocross in American and follows the birth of the sport in the United States until the present day. It was like walking back into the past looking at some of the championship bikes ridden by the likes of David Bailey and Brad Lackey as well as current superstars Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart. I could go on all day about this trip, but I will leave that for another time. But if you want to know more, just drop me a line and I will tell you all about it!

Our next family outing was to Cary Band Day where my Niece was participating with her high school Southern Lee. Savannah was not interested in the first band she watched, then when she heard the next band she came to life and began to dance! It was really funny and she was more than distracting for the people around us as they watched her instead of the bands! This trip more than confirmed that Savannah will have music in her life in one form or another!

In November Ann Marie and her Mom and Grandmother traveled to Virginia with Savannah to attend the baby shower in honor of her sister-in-law Ann Brie. Ann and Joey are expecting a child in late December so it was a grand time for everyone to gather and celebrate the impending joy! Savannah was quite the little cousin and made the event more than fun!

Now comes Thanksgiving! Too much food in too little time ends up making us all feel like becoming a life time member of Jenny Craig or Weight Watches, but the leftovers if the refrigerator say wait another day! We first hit the Maynard’s for a great traditional meal of turkey and dressing, followed up with a nap on the couch while watching football. How much more American can you get? After the nap, we took off for the Kennedy’s for a follow up meal of Oyster Stew to take the nip out of the cool night air. Needless to say, two bowls later and the writer felt like he needed to seek professional help for the eating problem he had developed over 12 hours. Ann Marie obtained from the milky concoction while Savannah tried a spoonful and decided that macaroni and cheese was more her thing! Guess I could have had that third bowl after all!

On Saturday our friends the Irwins visited us from Augusta, Georgia with their daughter Sara Eve. We had not seen them in several months and was surprised to see how much Sara had grown and that she and Savannah instantly recognized each other and played like old friends! After a meal of hamburgers and hot dogs (yes, we were eating again!), we sat around and talked about being parents while the girls played on into the night. It was a great time and we promised them we would visit them in Georgia in the very near future!

Okay, we have caught up to tonight (Sunday, November 26) and the end of what was something out of a Richard Simmons nightmare. We celebrated Thanksgiving one more time at my sister’s house with her husband’s family and my mom and dad. Savannah had a blast with her cousins and attempted to turn their rooms’ upside-down while entertaining everyone with her sounds (next time you see her ask her what sound a kitty cat makes!). Savannah also discovered Santa Claus tonight and loved him! She is going to be one wound up little girl come the 25th of December as she already lights up and the mention of Santa and begins to dance when the Christmas music comes on! After a feast of turkey, ham, dressing and chicken wings (hey, we are in the South you know!) we all sat back and gave thanks for another great year!

Well, I guess that gets us up to date for now and I promise to be a little more diligent with the postings from now on (thank you Uncle Dick and Switch!). So, from the Kennedys to you and yours, Happy Thanksgiving and come back and see us again real soon!

Mike (Can someone please get me the Weight Watchers phone number?), Ann Marie (I think there is something wrong with the chicken wings, don’t eat them!), and Savannah (Why is everyone asleep after dinner?) Kennedy

P.S. Congratulations to my East Carolina Pirates who defeated our arch rival NC State last night! Mike Kennedy, ECU Classes of 1992 & 1996