The Fisher Family would like to wish our family and friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Rest In Peace Sandi

On Friday, November 20, 2009, our beloved Sandi was set free from her pain and is resting in heaven. Sandi was only with us for seven years but it seems like she has always been with us and was a huge part of our family. Over the last year we learned that she was in kidney failure. We nursed her with medicine and special food until she would no longer eat fresh cooked chicken or even baby food. This was a difficult decision, but necessary to save her from pain. Sandi waited bravely for the girls to come home from school so we could all love her and say good bye. There will never be another dog as special and sweet. We miss her sad eyes, whipping around the outside of the house, meeting us at the door and telling us it is time for bed. We miss her terribly and she will always be part of our family. The tears still come, but time will heal the hurt and our memories will last until we meet her again.

College Bound!

It's been forever since I've been on the blog. Just a quick note that Olivia received her first acceptance letter from East Carolina University this past Wednesday! She still is waiting to hear from her other choice college, before a final decision is made. Olivia was over the moon and we are all so proud of her!!!

Go Pirates!

UPDATE TIME

Oh my, it's been awhile since I have been online. The girls have been busy with school and cheerleading. Olivia took her last SAT this morning, now the application process begins.

Brad playing at IBM family day; he rang the bell!

Lyndsey and Brad boxing!

After the 5K race.

Lyndsey crossing the finish line having her time chip read.

Brad crossing the finish line, he pushed hard at the end.

The 5k runners prior to the race.

Brad climbing up to race Lyndsey down the slide.

We lost Freddy the hermit crab a few weeks ago. This time he came out of his shell and we thought he was changing his shell again, but sadly he passed. He is enjoying the sand dunes in the great beyond.

Sandy hasn't been doing well. She will go three days without eating and then eat some. We are waiting on lab results from her last vet visit to see how her kidneys are doing. The last test indicated that she only had 25% of a working kidney. She has lost some weight and according to the vet "is pale".

Brad has been extremely busy working and preparing for another 5K which he and Lyndsey ran this morning at IBM family day. Brad improved his time and Lyndsey ran it in 30 minutes; 7 minutes better than her projected time and this was her first race. After the race IBM served lunch and had family activities available; bounce houses, inflatables, merry go round, ferris wheel, magicians, music, face painting, caricature drawing, cotton candy, snow cones and popcorn. The pictures will prove that both Brad and Lyndsey had a great time.

First Race!!!

HE DID IT! Brad ran his first 5K (3.1 miles) this morning. Here he is almost at the finish line. He did great, felt great and did his best time yet!

Here is Brad in the center of the pack at the beginning of the race.

The start of the race at the Old Well on UNC Campus.

Getting ready for the race, #3 is ready to run.

It was a beautiful autumn morning on the campus of UNC. The weather was cool with a slight breeze, perfect for a quick run.

CONGRATULATIONS BRAD!

BEAT EAST!

The first game the cheerleaders have cheered at was last night at our cross town rival East Chapel Hill High. GOOOOOOOOOOOOO TIGERS! GOOOOOOOOOOOO Olivia!



Chapel Hill Tigers did claw the "Kittens", otherwise known as the Wildcats; 12-7! Congratulations to all the Tigers! Our stands were filled with students who cheered on the girls and the team. With one second left on the clock the student body stormed the field in celebration!

We've Got Spirit!

School is in full swing for everyone. The girls are hard at work studying and cheering. I welcomed new students on Tuesday and have a great class. We are going to have a great year!

Olivia tried out for cheerleading and is on Varsity again this year. The squad finally has a coach, after waiting to hear all summer the school hired a coach the Friday prior to the start of school. Then they had to have try outs and begin practices, so they have yet to cheer at a football game. After missing three games they will finally cheer at "the big game" against our rival East Chapel Hill next Friday. GOOOOOOOOOOOOO TIGERS!

We've got spirit, yes we do! The first Smith Middle School football was a winner! Smith shut out Stanback with a 26 to 0 score and the cheerleaders were wonderful!


Captain Lyndsey had fun cheering for the team and inspiring the spectators in the stands. GO CYCLONES!

For Labor Day weekend we spent time in Virginia. Brad's parents joined us and we celebrated both Brad's birthday on the 4th and had an early celebration for his dad's 70th birthday on September 16. Brad went early and had Friday with his parents while the girls and I played a trick and arrived earlier then they thought on Friday evening to surprise Brad for his birthday. When we got to the house no one was there so Lyndsey set to work and made brownies for Brad and sugar free Jello for Pop Pop. Brad was surprised!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Mamie had a cheesecake for Pop for his celebration on Sunday. After cake we watched his present; a DVD of converted 1960's home movies. It was fun to see Mamie and Pop and all Brad's family from "back in the day". Mamie and Pop Pop haven't changed much!!!

Back to Work

Well my summer is officially over and teacher work days have begun. My co-teacher Cindy and I have worked two 8 1/2 hour days trying to rearrange the classroom and wash walls, windows, tables and chairs. Thankfully we washed all the toys at the end of the last school year in May. Tomorrow we plan to do a little more shopping for the last few needed items; new trash can, velcro strips, poster hangers, plants, etc. The next step is paperwork; checking completed forms, copying important information the families need to start off the year, including H1N1 information. Friday is open house for the families so everything needs to be completed by 9:30 Friday morning. We've invited our class and their families to come to the open house with the director, explore the room, meet us and then join us for an ice cream social to get to know each other. The children will come to school next Tuesday at 9:00; there is still a ton of things to accomplish but we always pull through.

August 25th - First Day of School - Hooray!

First day of school for Senior Olivia and 8th grader Lyndsey!

Happy 17th Olivia!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA!!!!!

It is hard to believe Olivia is now 17!!! Where does the time to go.

Olivia requested a red velvet cake which she totally enjoyed. She received some wonderful gifts from her grandparents and her sister. Her biggest surprise was a new laptop for her senior year.

Tuesday school starts and she will begin her senior year and today she gets her senior pictures taken. Olivia received her schedule yesterday and she is excited that she has first period free, which means she doesn't have to go to school until second period. In other words, she can sleep late!

Look what we harvested when we got back from our trip!

Fun in the Sun!

We're back from four fun filled days at Wrightsville Beach!

We all had a great time, excluding the dog, Sandi. It rained on Friday, but it didn't dampen our shopping fun, then the sun came out late in the day and we dove into the hotel pool.

We all enjoyed the clear ocean water. The days we spent on the beach were perfect for sunning and swimming. We all enjoyed jumping waves or avoiding getting smashed by waves.

The girls enjoyed going to the boardwalk at Carolina Beach. They rode carnival rides, ate junk, played arcade games and we all enjoyed the fireworks.

The mini vacation was fun and relaxing for everyone, except Sandi. She spent a lot of time in her kennel while we were out, but she was well behaved and happy to go home.

It's Been Awhile

Well I haven't blogged much because not much has been happening. Lyndsey had a fantastic time at church camp and Olivia continues to work and has finished her senior packet of information for the start of school. We've been busy at home doing the usual; washing clothes, cleaning and finishing Lyndsey's bedroom. We've made several trips to the library for summertime reading material and watching the garden grow.

Well we thought we lost another pet. Lyndsey returned from camp to find what looked like her hermit crab completely out of his shell. When she tried to pick it up to bury, it fell apart. Quickly, we googled and found out that hermit crabs molt! So Freddy has successfully molted and has just about finished eating his molted skin. So he is now up and around and has celebrated his first birthday with us. Happy Birthday Freddy!!

Just Another Week

Hi Ya'll!

Lyndsey is away at overnight church camp this week. The house is quite. Olivia continues to work at the retirement home and being with friends. Brad is enjoying using his smoker. This week he smoked both a pork loin and a turkey; not too bad. I have started doing research for work and lunching with friends.

Olivia's senior year is officially beginning; we got her appointment for her senior pictures. It is hard to believe that she will soon be 17! Where does the time go?!

Back From Vacation

We're home from our family vacation in Virginia!
Jenn and Baby Jack picking raspberries

Playing on the New River with Uncle Ross, Lyndsey and Cousin George

Baby Jack and Daddy Chad

All the grandchildren!

Lyndsey and George standing in back

Olivia holding Baby Jack and Mary
My Mom with her cousins in Mt. Airy; Anne, Marie and Dot is sitting
Lyndsey, Olivia and Brad enjoying the fire
Olivia and Mary taking a go-cart ride
One of many pigs at Smoke on the Mountain

Nana and Pap with Baby Jack

Tubing the New River

We're Back! My entire family spent a week at our Virginia mountain home. My brother Chad and his wife Jen and new baby Jack drove from up up state New York. My sister Jami and her husband Ross and their two children, George who is 8 and Mary who is 5, and my parents all drove from Pennsylvania to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Including my own family there were a total of 13 visiting. We had a wonderful week of fun; the guys played golf several days, the girls went to a berry farm to pick raspberries and blackberries, we tubed down the New River, hiked to a hidden cave, visited my Mom's relatives in Mt. Airy, had a campfire with smores, went to Smoke on the Mountain; Virginia's state bar-b-que competition, and we all ate way too much!

My siblings and I reminisced about childhood vacations and now our own children will one day reminisce about this family vacation. It is so nice to be all together, it has been a long time since we were all together.

Summer Time Fun

The girls and I took off for two days to Wrightsville Beach last week. We had a great time; too much sun, warm water, and henna tattoos for all. We plan to take off again for a quick get away soon.

This week Lyndsey is away in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on a youth mission trip. According to their blog it seems everyone is working hard on fixing up a house for a family. I can't wait to hear all about her experience when she returns on Saturday.

We plan to be in the mountains all next week with my entire family coming from Pennsylvania and New York. I finally get to see my brother Chad's baby boy Jack.

Here is Olivia and her friend Nick on Prom night. They had a great time joining friends in a limo to Franklin Street for dinner then on to the dance. All the couples looked beautiful and had fun.

SMILE

The family left Thursday and spent the weekend in Virginia. Brad was busy hanging doors and I was busy putting the new bedrooms together getting ready for all my family to visit soon. It was warm in the mountains but there was always a nice breeze. Olivia and I came home early Sunday morning for her to work at 11:00 and Brad and Lyndsey followed later in the afternoon.

Sandi, the dog, has good days and bad days. She is in kidney failure and we just don't know how long she will be with us. She has been good taking her three medications and they seem to be helping her feel better. We go later this week for more blood work.

Well, today was the day that Lyndsey couldn't wait for - her braces came off! She looks great and has a sparkly smile. Photos to be posted later; my camera battery is dead.

Monday Morning

Good Morning!

HOT, HOT, HOT!!!! That was the weekends weather, air conditioning is a great thing.

Well I have to say that Lyndsey's entrepreneurial skills are impressive. She decided to have a yard sale, so she organized her items, priced them all with color coded stickers and created a master list for display of colors equal price. She prepared on Friday by making signs and putting them around the neighborhood and set up tables with items in the garage to be ready for those early shoppers. Lyndsey also had bottled water, soda, and popsicles to help beat the heat. Six o'clock comes early but up she got and started pulling out her items and hanging her price lists. Seven o'clock and shopping started! The day was HOT, but she persevered and finished up the morning by packing up the remaining items, taking down her signs, and making a delivery to Goodwill. All in all a great day for her, she is now $102 richer and wants to start shopping for decor for her bedroom.

Happy Father's Day to all our special fathers in our lives!

Getting Started

Hi Everyone!

I have entered the age of technology and have created my very first blog. I still refuse to make a facebook or myspace account. My hope with this blog is that I will be able to communicate with family and friends; especially those that I haven't spoken with or have seen in years.

Summer is here and the girls have been out of school for a week and I'm counting the days until school starts! Olivia and Lyndsey were busy this week volunteering at Vacation Bible School at our church. They had a great time and enjoyed the children; they even made some babysitting contacts.

Olivia has also been working at a retirement home in the diningroom. She enjoys talking to the older folks; but especially likes the paycheck. Lyndsey was busy this afternoon making signs and setting up for her own yard sale tomorrow. She is determined to redecorate her bedroom and in order to accomplish that she needs some money.

Brad continues to work hard at IBM. He's off for the weekend to Virginia at our mountain house. He plans on finishing the fourth bedroom so each of the girls will have there own bedroom downstairs. I hope that he takes some well deserved rest and relaxation.

What have I been up to lately. My preschool has been out for several weeks and I enjoyed the quiet house while the girls were still in school. I have been working outside in the yard while the weather has been great; today not so good 100 degrees! I have also enjoyed scouring the thrift stores for that special treasure.

I hope you enjoy reading our family blog and let me know what you think.