Happy Valentine's Day!

As a child, my sister and I would wake up to find a Valentine's day card and a small box of chocolates for us on the dining room table. I have continued that tradition with my children, who look forward to it.

Do you have any Valentine's Day traditions? What are they?

Valentine's Day is our (Louie and Tammy's) anniversary, by the way. We try to do something special together, go out to eat at least, a movie, sometimes get a motel room for the night. Happy Anniversary, Louie!
Love you all!

Missing Grandma Anna

For those of you who don't know, I am a reporter for the local newspaper, The Evansville Review. As such, I keep atop of school and city news. Recently, it was announced that the new Evansville Senior Center/Community Center will be built at the site of the former Union Co-op. Right now, the Union Co-op has been torn down and it is a vacant lot.
For those of you who remember, the Co-op was right across the street from Grandma Anna's Maple Street home. Had she been alive, she would have just had to walk across the street to be with other seniors. They are even talking about building a pool! I wish she could have been around to enjoy it!

Sing A Happy Song

UPDATE: Visiting Mom this weekend, I learned that she once sang a Christmas song on TV Channel 3 WISC. She said it was when I was about three. I'm going to contact WISC and see if they have the old tapes still that we could find and copy the music!



I have a great repertoire of music - I like all kinds, from country to rock to classical to gospel to jazz to bluegrass. My kids friends are amazed that not only do I let the kids listen to their radio stations in the car, but that I know all the lyrics, even to some rap songs, and not only that, but that I sometimes sing along.

Music has always been a big part of my life, the good times of my life. I remember my mom singing in the car to the AM radio when we'd go places. She has the most beautiful voice and I hear she won singing awards in high school. But one day the singing stopped. I don't remember when. The last time I remember her singing was at an aunt's wedding in Janesville. I've also heard that mom and dad sang together in church. I wish I could remember that. But I miss hearing mom sing.

Another person I love to hear sing is Uncle Art. He has the best voice. I love his style, a deep, rusty kind of voice. I want to get a tape recording of him singing, doesn't matter what. And Mom too, I'd love a tape recording of that.

Let it snow!

Two of our dogs, up to their bellies in snow!

Southern Wisconsin is expecting 12-18 inches of snow today. No school (yah for the kids), but Lou still has to work AND he's busy with his snow plowing jobs in Madison, which the whole family helps with. (He has a customer list of about 10 families.) He's getting rich this winter. We've had more snow this year in one month than all of last year. These are the snows that I recall as a child, tons and tons of snow. It seems the last few decades hasn't brought much accumulation (global warming?). But if it is global warming, what happened to the global warming this year?

Sun Prairie's groundhog, Jimmy, did not see his shadow, so an early spring is predicted. Let's hope that critter is correct!

February Celebrations!

Happy February Birthdays to:
Feb. 1, 1950 David Lawrence Boettcher
Feb. 2, 1988 Jasmine Jeanne Jalinda Pomplun - 20 years old
Feb. 9, 1973 Deanna Michelle Boettcher - 35 years old
Feb. 13, 1950 Wayne ______Glock
Feb. 18, 1948 Judy ______(Dennison) Atkinson (60 years old)
Feb. 19, 1996 Austin ______Bailey
Feb. 20, 1975 Shona Dennise Burns
Feb. 21, 1984 Crystal Dawn Traxler

Happy February Anniversary to:
Feb. 14, 1986 Louis and Tammy Pomplun anniv.
Feb. 19, Doug and Tracy (Lambert) Bailey anniv. (WHAT YEAR?)

Happy Anniversary Sue and Dave

Rose caught this in the local newspaper, the Janesville Gazette. Congrats to a great, cute couple, Sue and Dave on 35 years of marriage!



Boettcher
(Anniversary)
JANESVILLE—Sue and Dave Boettcher, 3825 E. Rotamer Road, celebrated their 35th anniversary by attending the “White Christmas” Dec. 1 at The Armory. Also, they will take a trip to NASCAR in Las Vegas in March.
Boettcher and Sue Dennison were married Dec. 1, 1972, at Cargill United Methodist Church, Janesville. He is an engineer technician at Alliant Energy. She is an executive director of Edgerton Housing Authority.
Their family includes: Jay and Deanna Boettcher; Janna Boettcher and Adam Erickson; William Boettcher, and three grandchildren.

Packer Party

Anyone going to Lambeau Field to watch the Packers beat the Giants on Sunday? Anybody go up and help shovel Lambeau Field? I think I'd much rather watch the big game on TV than have front row seats! Baby it's cold outside! For our beloved in the Southern States, it's 11 now (Friday 5 p.m.) and expected to be a high of 6 on Sunday. Now that's what you call loyal fans!
PS Who's having the Packer party?

I knew it!

God spoke to me today.
Ok, before you think I'm totally nuts (well, I probably am, and you probably already know I am), today of all days I was thinking about Lance and Michelle and the new baby. And I knew what sex the baby is. It just came to me at Woodmans. And I knew it. Not like a "I think it probably will be..." but a "I know it is..."

So when I got home from Woodmans, there was a card in the mail from who of all people, Alice... and on the outside of the envelope was written,

"It's a ...."

I won't tell the rest. You'll have to call Lance or Michelle or Alice or Denny to find out. But I knew it first. Well, after God. Then Lance and Michelle... and then Alice... yah, yah, yah, maybe I didn't know it first, but I knew it before they told me.

Countdown to Retirement

This one's for Linda:
You often say you can't retire until you turn a certain age. So here it is... your own countdown until you can quit your job. Actually, this countdown is for us, since we're hoping that you'll move closer to Janesville when you quit!

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Get together at Dawn's

We had a great time at the get-together at Dawn's house when Alice and Denny came up after Christmas. Wish you all could have been there, but we know the snow that day kept many from coming. We heard Allie (their dog) got to see her first snow ever. We miss you Alice and Denny! I say we all move to Tennessee and escape these Wisconsin winters!

January Events

Happy January Birthdays to

Sisters Linda and Sue on Jan. 7,
Doug Bailey on Jan. 19
Becka Cronin who will be nine on Jan. 27
and Denny Burns on Jan. 29

Happy New Year

Can you believe it is 2008? I remember a long time ago thinking the year 2000 was so far off, that it would be forever until it arrived and that the world would be so different. While some things have changed, most things are the same.

What did you do to ring in 2008? April spent the night at a friends party. Kali went to bed early because she had to work the next morning. Louie and Louka and Tammy spent the night at home, and about 15 minutes before midnight, Louie and Louka were both snoring.

We heard Grandma Linda spent it at home, sick.

Hopefully, 2008 will be as calm as the way it was welcomed, but with good health.

Christmas Parties

Wow, what a happy, busy Christmas. The Pomplun family enjoyed several parties through the season.
On Christmas Eve, the immediate family (minus Grandma plus Jasmine's boyfriend Eric) attended worship at 10 p.m., followed by a roast beef dinner at their home, opening a few gifts, then a dip in the outside hot tub. Later that evening (morning) a trip to the ER for Rose led to a delay in the morning's activities. (See another post on Rose.)
After Rose's return home on Christmas morning, the immediate family awoke and opened gifts.

At 1 p.m., they traveled to the home of Bobby and Judy Atkinson in Janesville for a Dennison family Christmas celebration, where a feast was held. (If anyone has pics of this, please contact Tammy.)

At 4 p.m., they traveled to the home of Paul Pomplun (Louie's brother) in Janesville for a Pomplun family Christmas celebration where another feast was held.

On Thursday, the 27th, they went to the Cronin home to visit with Alice and Denny from Tennessee as well as Judy, Curt, Kimmy and the babies. After they left, they went to visit with Teresa Kimberley at the Kelly House.

On Sunday, Dec. 30, the Pomplun family traveled to Delafield, WI to celebrate Christmas with Tammy's mother Linda Babler and sister, Lisa Weber, at Lisa's home. Another feast was held, gifts were opened, and the kids had a great time playing together, especially six-year-olds Louka and Jonathon. Olivia thrilled us with her peteranswers.com physic website and everyone enjoyed playing Monopoly.

On Tuesday, Jan. 1, the Pomplun's had their friends, the Alisankus' over for a Christmas celebration.

Christmas was a pain in the back for two

Christmas was a pain in the back, so to speak, for both Kali and Rose, who both injured their lower backs around the holiday. Isn't it ironic?

Rose of course injured hers Christmas Eve. We aren't sure what happened, but it could be because she had been wearing some cheap tennis shoes without adequate support. At Church service Christmas Eve she could hardly walk. Then she spent the night with the Pompluns, on Louka's extra bed, which is a twin mattress with no box spring. That night she woke up in extreme pain, unable to move.

A few days later, Kali's back started hurting after she arrived home from work. The pain for both, they say, was severe, with shooting pains down their legs. We were concerned that it may have been something viral, since they both had the same prob days apart, thought maybe it could be something like spinal meningitis, but the docs said no, that is in the neck area and involves a fever (neither had any flu symptoms), and that they had never heard of a virus causing lower back pain.

Both are receiving chiropractic and physicians care.

Keep Christ in Christmas

Here's my Christmas sermon:

Most, if not all of us, celebrate Christmas, but unfortunately few of us attend worship services to give thanks and praise for the birth of Jesus Christ, even at Christmas. Let's make this Christmas extra special -- even if you don't regularly attend church, pick any church (I'm sure they'd be glad to have you), and attend services on Christmas Eve. At the very least, set aside half an hour on Christmas Eve to read the Bible or the story of the very first Christmas, and to pray God to thank Him for the birth of Jesus and all that he has done for us.
Amen.

What do you want for Christmas?

I remember as a little girl, when we would go to the Dennison family Christmas party, always held Christmas Day afternoon, everyone would ask, "What did Santa bring you?" and then "What did you get for Christmas?"
So... what are you hoping for this Christmas -- that is, besides all the "right" answers -- health for you and yours, happiness, world peace, etc... what material things are you hoping for?

Louka's big wish list item is IClops -- it's a magnifying glass that you hook up to your TV so you can see all the little things up close on the TV.
April's hoping for a digital camera, Kali a ZUNE, mp3 player, Jasmine and Rose stuff for their cell phones and apartments. Louie wants anything Chevelle and Tammy's hoping for a carbon monoxide/gas detector.

I think they've all been pretty good - but we'll have to see what Santa says.

So is everybody done with their Christmas shopping? We've gone a TON to do, this weekend will be crunch time.

Slippin' an' a slidin'

Oh, these Wisconsin winters --

The Pomplun family (and we've heard others) have had quite a winter -- even with our four wheel drive cars. Don't worry, no serious injuries, as far as we know, just a little banged up.
Jasmine slid into a car in Janesville about a month ago.
Someone did a hit and run on our suburban in Madison about two weeks ago.
Louie was t-boned a week ago in Janesville, totaled his S-10.
Jasmine slid into a ditch in Evansville that night, no damages or pain.

We also heard Cassandra hit a telephone pole driving home from work and totaled her PT Cruiser.

God must be with us.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

I was looking through old pics and lookie what I found! I had the year as 1970, don't know if that's correct. Alice is missing - was she the photographer?

Janna's engagement announcement

Janna's engagement announcement was listed in the Janesville Gazette this weekend. Doesn't she look adorable? Click on the image to enlarge and read it. I had to fold the paper to get the date of the paper, name of the paper as well as the announcement.
Congrats to Janna and Adam!

December Special Events

Happy Birthday to:

Dec. 8, 2005 Emma _____ Traxler
Dec. 23, 1980 Brett Jacob Burns
Dec. 25, 0 Baby Jesus
Dec. 26, 2005 Aurora Lynn Marie Voegeli
Dec. 27, 1997 Lindsey Rose Weber - 10 years old!

Happy Anniversary to:
Dec. 1, 1972 David and Sue Boettcher - 35 years of bliss!

In Memory Of;
Dec. 14, 1951 Rebecca Lynn (Dennison) Traxler