Good-bye Lady Bug Red Raspberry.....

Today was one of the hardest days Ann Marie and I have faced since we married over seven years ago. Lady Bug Red Raspberry, Ann Marie's faithful sidekick for nearly 14 years old died today at home with everyone surrounding her and holding her paw. Lady had suffered from a form of cognitive dementia for more than a year which caused her to wander aimlessly around the house at all hours of the night, and along with her limited sight and hearing made us prepare ourselves for the inevitable. We had our longtime veterinarian and friend Dr. Edwards from Noah's Ark come to the house and assist us in putting Lady Bug to sleep and out of the suffering she was enduring. Lady was a wonderful puppy, a great dog and a loyal friend. She will be sadly missed here in our home as well as at the home of the Maynard's in Chapel Hill and the Kennedy's in Sanford. Lady leaves behind two very lucky but saddened owners, a 2 year old companion in our daughter Savannah, her arch nemesis McGuire (Boston Terrier) and a loving little sister in Patches (Jack Russell). Lady Bug will be buried at the home of my parents where we can visit her no matter where life takes us.

Thank you for being the best doggie that a owner could ask for.......We love you!

Michael, Ann Marie, Savannah, Patches and Mac

The Rest of Easter!

I know that Michael posted the first part of Easter earlier so I thought I would post the remaining pictures from our day! It really amazing to be able to enjoy this Easter! I honestly don't remember much of last Easter since we had just returned from China a few days earlier and didn't quite know what time zone we were in, sick and taking care of a new child! So, this Easter, my mom prepared a feast for friends and family! Ham, Lamb, sweet potato, polish cabbage - just to name a small potion of the food present! Way to go Mom!! Then we headed down to Michael's parent's house for MORE delicous food - Ham, green beans, pasta salad, baked bean. Do you sense a theme here?! Thanks Mom #2!!

So, Happy Easter and enjoy the pictures!

Ann Marie (how much meat IS there on this table??), Michael (I think I've been replaced as editor in chief) and Savannah (did someone say CHOCOLATE)



My second Easter Basket of the Day!


No more wine for Ann Marie!


Let the Egg Wars begin!!


Michael - my eyes are OPEN!
Dylan - is he REALLY my uncle?


No more wine for Anne and Joey either!


I swear I only had ONE shot of that Lithuanian Rocket Fuel!!


No more chocolate for Mom!


My THIRD Easter Basket - I got the hang of Easter NOW!


I got the hang of this heel thing now Mom!!


Thanks for teaching me the Chicken Dance Aunt Charla!


No more pictures PLEASE!!!

First Photos from Easter!

Okay, I know its not technically over yet, but we had to come out and post some photos for everyone to see how Savannah did with her first Easter with everyone coherent (if you remember, last Easter we were home but not yet over the jet lag!). Yesterday we spent the day at Ann Marie's parents house with her brother Joey, Anne his wife and the newest member of the Maynard family Dylan. Eggs were colored, tummies were stuffed and naps were taken! Today we are headed back to the Maynard's for an Easter lunch, then to my families house for a relaxing dinner, then back home to update the BLOG.....I promise! We hope this update finds everyone healthy, wealthy and
wise and enjoying a day of celebration of not only the Resurrection of our Lord, but of family and friends. Until we chat again.....

Michael "Do you notice I am not in any photos?", Ann Marie "Does Prada make Easter baskets?" and Savannah "What do you mean I am out of chocolate?" Kennedy

How many noodles do you think I can put in at once Daddy?

Hey Daddy.....CATCH!

A growing family brings a flood of happiness to the Maynard House!

Easter with Elmo!

Track Photos from Devils Ridge

Now that we have the Nikon D50 (thanks Katherine!) and the nice zoom lens, I wanted to share some of the photos from this past weekends racing at my hometown motocross track. Enjoy!

The first photo is Ian Trettel from Graham, North Carolina, #119. Ian is one of the hottest prospects in the United States at age 15. Just returning to the racing scene from a knee injury and surgery Ian was laying down some serious fast laps this weekend!



This is my niece Jennifer enjoying a free moment from helping with the event safety staff. She is a member of the Northwest Pocket Volunteer Fire Department and helps at each race along with her father David and my sister Charla.




The next two photos are of a very good family friend Ricky Phillips and his stepson Jeremy Diven of Bear Creek. Jeremy was in only his second race in the 125 D Class and finished 15th taking a 10th in the second moto! Great job and good luck in future races!













The Father and Son photos of the day go to Jim Neese and his son Luke. Jim is a long time fixture in District 29 motocross as well as National AMA Motocross, Supercross and Arenacross events. Dad was as fast as ever taking first in the 25+ expert

class, 6th in the 250A and was well on his way to a high place in the 125A class before a bike problem in the 2nd moto. Luke scored a 3rd place finish in the 50cc class to take some hardware home just like Dad!






Here is a photo that I will probably pay for the next time I am in Sanford. This is my sister, Charla Nance, who is a volunteer at the track assisting the local EMS staff. Here she is conferring with Roger Bess, a local rider and also a staff member at the track. The track depends heavily upon volunteers and a small staff of paid personnel, but in a family sport and atmosphere such as the one that exists in the sport of motocross, good people are not hard to find!

Well, thats all for now, I will leave off with some cool photos from the weekend and will get ready for the next post coming up over the Holiday weekend! Till next time, Have a Happy Easter everyone!

Mike "What do you mean I am too old to race bikes" Kennedy

Longtime track owner Mr. C taking care of the course on his John Deere

(Sorry, its a shameless company plug!)

A great artistic berm shot! (yea, its dirt, but its cool!)

Jeremy Wendelken of Suffolk, VA blasts out of the soft stuff!

Vann Gibson, another very good local rider in the 35+ and 40+ classes and Sales Manager at Sanford Honda, Suzuki, Artic Cat

Michael Mcdade of New Brighton, PA grabs some serious airtime in the 125A class. Look for this guy at the Pro level very soon!

A Very Special Day....

Tonight, a special treat. I am giving the normal staff writer the evening off and decided today to try my hand at writing. Now forgive me if this posting isn't as eloquently worded as others, I am much better at writing proposals that justify PM hours and contract modifications than I am at blogging. But, here goes!

One year ago today, a very special moment occured. A moment I thought fate did not have in my cards. I became a mom and we became a family. It was years in the making and did not occur the way I thought it would occur. Who would have known, after all the years of trying, seeing tiny little heart beats on ultrasounds, 8 cell embryos under high power microscopes, countless tests, operations and medications and doctor appointments that my child was chosen for me already! Fate would have her waiting for me half way around the world. I can't tell you what it is like to carry a child physically and feel that little life grow inside you, but I can tell you what it is like to carry a child in your heart for months on end, waiting with no indication or control over the situation, for a stranger in an office to select your child and then send you a few small photos. The "stork" was a FedEx plane and "labor" was a 16 hours flight from Newark to Hong Kong and "delivery" was in a small, hot crowded hallway in the Guangdong Adoption Affairs building in Guangzhou China. And on April 2nd, 2006, "GD04" as we were known became a "mom."


And now, here I am, one year later, looking back and wouldn't change anything about the way my life has happened. "Little Miss Magic" as we sometimes call her has captured our hearts, home and life. Her cute little smile, devilish little "look" when she knows she is not listening to you, her deligthfully full laugh when you tickle her or do something silly. She was handed to us in the blink of an eye - "gotcha day" they call it - and completely and perfectly fits in to our family. She loves music, playing drums like her dada, she loves hockey and expensive shoes like her momma. She takes all things in stride, not letting life get her down. Now all is not just a great stroll in an English Rose Garden either. She has tested me more than anyone or anything I have known. And just when I think I have had all I can handle, she gives me the biggest hug a little 2 year old can give, pats me on my back and says "I wud you" and I seem to forget what I was mad about and realize that this is the best and most rewarding part to being a mom. I would not change a thing about her - she is my daughter through and through. Matched to us perfectly by fate and a very special worker in the adoption affairs department in China.

So, perhaps there is such a thing as fate. And perhaps, no matter how hard we try to control fate, fate will always win. So in closing as it's late and need to get a few moments sleep before I get my wake up call, but I will leave you with pictures from our "Gotcha Day" celebration where we spent the day at the NC Zoo and a very special saying. An ancient Chinese belief about fate and how all the people we are going to meet and all the things that are going to happen will occur, just according to fate and inevitably in the right time and place.

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break."

Enjoy!!

Ann Marie "Does fate see a sale at Talbots", Michael "Can I take over writing now" and Savannah "Little Miss Magic"