Birthday wishes

Yesterday was Audrey's birthday!

Another Christmas photo

I just posted some photos from Christmas 1971 on my personal blog, and then found this one in my "cousins" file. How on earth did we all fit in Grandma's tiny living room?

Vintage Christmas, Adams' Style, 1963

I have a few Christmas photos that I haven't posted. I'd love to hear from you guys about having Christmas at Grandma's and Grandpa's house. We were crowded and loud and chaotic, but those are some of my favorite things about having a house full of family. :o)

Christmas in Kansas

When I was about 10 we moved to a farm between Reynolds, Ne and Mahaska, KS. Dad had gotten a job working for a farm cooperative and they furnished us with a house and farmstead to care for and live on. Now this was the most modern house we had ever lived in. It had electric heaters along the walls, a full basement with shower and storm cellar, plenty of bedrooms, wall ovens in the kitchen and best of all the owners butchered in the fall and we had a full freezer of meat to get thru the winter. It was our best and most comfortable home. We even had a concrete walkway under the clothesline so I didn't have to hang out the laundry walking in mud. We loved that farm it was the best even tho we had rattlesnakes and other poisonos critters around. We had a horse, some dogs and lots of space to play in and explore. To us it was a dream.

Usually we traveled to York for Christmas and Thanksgiving but this particular year grandma and grandad and some of the aunts and uncles came to us. One of the things we did on our farm was raise hogs. The result being that we had baby pigs being born all the time. Well this particular holiday it was warm but we had snow on the ground so us kids were either covered in mud and snow or running and skating in the basement like wild animals. Alcohol flowed freely, food was cooked in the fancy new ovens and a grand celebration was at hand. Then....Dad went out to check on his young sows, some of which were due to birth at any time. Yes of course that's what happened. Unfortunately the sow who was pigging was having her first litter and the babies were in crisis. Dad brought the babies to the house to see if they could be saved. Mom shifted into rescue mode and all adults were ordered to help. I will never forget the look on Aunt Linda's face when mom put a tiny baby pig in her hand and told her to blow in its mouth and rub its chest. Panic and disgust warred as she stood frozen holding that piglet. Then mom handed out some others and began doing what we called pig CPR. Mom was rubbing piglets in towels laying on the open oven door and blowing in the little mouths trying to save as many as she could. Grandma and grandad helped because they knew those babies were our income and having been farmers they understood the neccessity of saving the livestock. Finally some of the others started to help and most of the piglets survived. I think that holiday will always be remembered as the oddest that we ever had....all those city folks doing CPR on pigs. Liquor was liberally had by most adults as they cuddled baby pigs who had fallen asleep all nice and warm in their arms. Us kids we just went on playing, afterall disgusting things didn't faze us much, we were kids, give us fudge and we were happy.

100th post and BIRTHDAYS!

This is the 100th post on our Cousin Connections blog - only fitting that it be celebratory. Before we celebrate, I will apologize again. I haven't been keeping up here, and there are several birthdays to acknowledge. Clear back to the end of October. Sigh. I am sorry I'm so behind. Now, on to the BIRTHDAY WISHES!

Jay's birthday was October 25th: Danny's birthday was November 3rd:

Lisa's birthday was November 8th:


DeeDee's birthday was November 29 (sorry, I don't have a photo!):

Brian's birthday was yesterday, November 30:

And this one is right on time - Kathy's birthday is TODAY!

Thanksgiving wishes

Remember the days when we'd gather on Aunt Sherry's farm and run wild waiting for the men to come home from pheasant hunting so we could eat? Oh, and we did feast. The only specific food memory I have is when Grandma made a mincemeat pie and everyone made such a fuss that she'd used "real" mincemeat, that I just had to have a taste. Ugh. :o) But I know the table was loaded and no one went away hungry. The noise - oh, I'm sure the noise was deafening. We are a loud family. I will never apologize for that. :o)

I hope you are all enjoying your family this day, taking a minute to really think about how blessed you are. No matter what is happening in your life, there is always something to be thankful for.

Oh, and I have to share this photo - I hope you all enjoy the feast!

Belated Birthday Wishes (again)

Yesterday was Jenny's birthday. Jenny is Aunt Sherry's youngest daughter. She is married and has two daughters of her own. Unfortunately I do not have a photograph of Jenny. I'd love if someone wants to post one, or send it to me and I'll put it up.

And Annette's birthday was Wednesday...

Blast from the Past

It's been awhile since we had a Blast from the Past Friday, but I found this a little while ago and thought it'd be fun to post. Taking a photograph of a baby in a cloth diaper had to be risky...

Benefit Fund

Last week I posted the information about donating to a benefit fund for Daniel and Christa. Yesterday I emailed Katie for an update so I could let you all know how that project is progressing. Here is her reply:
"Unforunatly there is only $170 in it right now. ... I had talked with a lot of people whom I thought were going to make a donation and I am kind of sad that no one has really done anything. I am worried about how the families are going to make it for the next few months when all the guys are out of work.I know that for the first few days if you walked into a Wells Fargo and tried to make the deposit it would not pull up a "Dan and Christa benefit fund" however it should be fixed now (I guess if you are going into a bank branch to deposit the money you will have to tell them to look up the benefit account on the confidential list on the store portal) - or anyone can mail me the check and I will deposit it."
Please take a moment to consider if you're able to help out. If you can, then click on the word "information" to get to the address.
Thank you!

Here is Daniel and Christa's address:

Daniel & Christa Van Ekelenburg
1730 SW 26th Street
Lincoln NE 68522

Ok, here are the addresses for everyone involved with Daniel.

Ben Smith (Julup)
15850 N 70th
Lincoln NE 68517

Tom & Mandy Latzel
3632 N 11th
Lincoln NE 68521

Gayle, Bruce & Tim Pierce (Kelly's Parents and Brother)
4101 NW 54th
Lincoln NE 68521

And I forgot to get Daniel and Christa's will post it later

Kathy

Excellent news!

Hopefully you're all keeping up on Daniel's progress through the CaringBridge site, but in case you're not, Debbie posted this morning that Daniel is going home today. Definitely good news for them! :o)

Hi its just Kathy. I have been up to see Dan too and talk to Christa daily. He is made of strong stock and will pull through this, it will just take time. As he told Tristan is son, "I'm SUPER MAN!" aren't I bud? Tristan and smiled and nodded his head yes.

As far as Dan and Christa's kids go, Tristan is doing ok. He has had alot to deal with over the past week. His dad being so hurt, the loss of a friend, and another one still critical. Tristan has been very strong through all of this. He did get some questions answered from Aunt Jenny, and me. Tristan and I talk when he needs to. He will just start talking, I think it makes him feel better.

Yesterday, I took him up to see his Dad. We bought Dan a movie and Tristan picked out the card. He also enclosed a picture of himself that he had gotten from school the day before. He was very excited to finally see his dad. After I finally got us un-lost (hehe took a wrong turn). We fell upon the hospital.

Tristan was so anxious but he remained calm as I drove around in circles thanks to the co-worker how lives in Omaha. I will not listen to him again. I think the directions were to his house not the hospital.

Dax is a spitting image of Dan, I had him last weekend. However, he met his match on stubborness as I'm more stuborn then him. He relented everytime but you could tell he wasn't happy about it :).

I to plan on going back up next weekend to see Dan again, and will probably bring my boys with me and Tristan, as he asked if he could come with me. I can't say no, he is such a brave little boy.

Love you all
Kathy

A photo for you

I was able to get this photo from a slideshow Debbie had sent me last year after Thanksgiving. This is Daniel, Christa, Tristan, and Dax. Tristan is now 10, and Dax is 3. Those two LOVE those little boys! Daniel talked about how he takes them camping, and to the "rendevouz" events his friend Kelly participated in. I know there are some Adams cousins who maybe hadn't ever met Daniel, so I wanted to post this.

Late Friday

Hey everybody - just a quick note to update on Daniel and Debbie. Randy and I got to visit them today for awhile. Daniel looked great, even with the neck brace and all the tubes and wires. We had a nice conversation with him and Christa. He talked about the accident, told us how it happened, and told us about his friend Kelly.

We ate lunch with Debbie and Jen, visited about Nick's birthday party and some other fun stuff, and had lots to laugh about.
On the way out we saw Danny, and had a good visit with him in the parking lot.

Jen's going home tomorrow, and Christa is needing to spend some time with the boys, so if anyone can go visit and keep Debbie and Daniel company, please do. Danny's going to help out on Sunday so Debbie can take some breaks and get some rest. She's holding up, but it's wearing her out. It'll be nice when Nick is done with his job and can join her.

I plan to go back some time next week. We'll see how long Daniel has to stay at the hospital. I think now that he had the surgery to fix the bleeding, and if there are no new complications, he'll do great.
He's an awesome young man and kept telling us that "family is everything, and nothing else matters". Kind of our family motto, isn't it? :o)

Benefit Fund for Daniel

I got information this morning about a benefit fund that is set up for Daniel:

"Tammy,
You can stop by any Wells Fargo Branch and make the deposit into the account "Dan and Christa Benefit Fund" Or you can mail me a check written out to Dan and Christa Benefit Fund and I can deposit it for you. Hopefully the tellers will not have any problems pulling up the account, the banker assured me this would be easy. And if anyone does have problems please let me know!!
I may look into setting something up on Paypal to make it a little easier but I have not done so as of yet. Christa mentioned that all 4 families will probably divide any donations they receive between the four of them :)
You can mail the donation checks to me at:
Dan and Christa Benefit Fund
C/O Katie Coffey
1853 W Apricot Ln
Lincoln, NE 68522
Of course please make the check out to Dan and Christa Benefit Fund.
If you would like a receipt please indicate so and I will mail it to you.
Thank you so much and of course all of our thoughts and prayers are going out to all 4 families!Please email me if you have any questions!
Katie Coffey"

Here's Katie's email address if you have any questions for her:
katieco100@hotmail.com

I know many of us can only afford to send our loving thoughts and prayers, and those are much needed and deeply appreciated. Others of us can afford to send a few $$ to help them out. Whichever situation you're in, I know Debbie appreciates every gesture of support. Please leave her a comment on the caringbridge site - she needs us now.

Update on Daniel

This email update came from Debbie today. Please visit the caringbridge site and leave a comment. Our support is very important.
Tammy

"Hello Family and Friends,

On Saturday Daniel, my oldest son, and 3 friends went to Fremont NE to pick up a piece of equipment for Kelley and were in a very serious car accident. Kelley died on the scene, the other 3 boys are in ICU in Omaha NE. Jenny and I are staying at the Best Western 3 blocks from Creighton Hospital in Omaha. I have created a Caring Bridge account and will do updates to you can follow the progress.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/friendsatheart

Daniel is out of critical,still in ICU, they belive the internal bleeding is stopping, he is in alot of pain. Toms brain is so swollen that every hour he is with us is a blessing, the amount of injury is not going to be determined for awhile. Ben (Julup) has broken neck and other internal broken bones, I cant keep it all strainght....he is up in a full body brace and has been moved out of ICU. He came and spent some time with Daniel today. Daniel was the driver of the vehicle.

You all know how this is, lots of hours very little sleep. Keep us all in your prayer as we work through the day to day decisions, trials and tribulations.


--Sincerely, Debra Rosiu "

PRAYERS NEEDED

I just got an email from Barbie:
"Debbie's son Daniel was in a very serious accident this morning. The last we heard he was in Omaha at Creighton University Hospital. He has a lacerated liver, internal bleeding and several broken ribs. His one friend was killed and we don't know the status on the other just that he had been air vaced to Omaha earlier. Deb and Jen were on their way from TN at noon. We're using Nick and Jake in TN for info because Deb wants her phone for Krista. They call Nick first anyway so he's the better bet. 615-474-7009. When Dan was eventually evaced to Omaha he was consious and talking and in stable condition. I'm sure he'll need surgery for the cut on the liver, they said he had internal bleeding but I don't know if its from just the liver or other injuries.

They were in Daniels big white truck, one of those with the dble cab seating. I don't have any details on the accident itself so can't tell you.

They can use your prayers and positive energy."

Everyone please add them to your prayers. I know what it's like to get "that" phone call, and knowing that people are praying for you is an incredible comfort.

Belated Birthday Wishes!

My apologies for not keeping up on the blog. It's been crazy busy around here and I just haven't been on the computer much the past few weeks.

Hope you all had wonderful birthdays!

MXON

Over the weekend Alan, Randy, Jessica, and I went to Budds Creek, Maryland to the 60th Motocross of Nations (MXON). This is an international motocross race, and only the 4th time to be held in the United States. Team USA dominated and won the entire event. We had a fun time despite the crowds, dirt, heat, and sunburn. :o)

No Blast from the Past

Sorry guys, I'm leaving on a jet plane at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning, so I'm skipping this week. Alan, Randy, Jessi, and I are flying to D.C., driving to Colonial Beach, VA, then attending the Motocross of the Nations in BuddsCreek, MD on Saturday and Sunday. We'll fly home on Monday.
Have a great weekend, everyone!

Another birthday

Wish I could come celebrate with you! Hope you have a wonderful birthday and a fun weekend!

more Birthdays!

I found Stacey's birth announcement. :o)
Randy celebrated in Las Vegas at the Stratosphere. I'm in Nebraska with his kids. Hope he had a fun day. Really. No, really. :o)

Blast from the Past

I'm posting this early - I've been sick, plus I have Randy's kids staying for 6 days (and 5 nights!) and I'm not getting on the computer much. For those of you who don't know, Randy has a 4 1/2 year-old son, Wyatt, and 2 1/2 year old twins, Grace and Garett. I am 46. Today was day one. Not a great start since I have the tummy virus they had last week. I feel much older than 46 tonight.Oy.

Anyway, this photo is said to be of Jessie Mae, our paternal great grandmother. I understand Grandpa didn't talk about her much. I have some stories, but want to hear what you guys know before I write anything.

Belated birthday wishes

So sorry, Dawn, that I'm tardy in posting this. I got it ready early, but I've been sick the past couple of days and not spending much time on the computer. I hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Blast from the Past

On my computer this photo is titled "In Grandma's Kitchen".

Blast from the Past

Uncle Jim, Jesse, and my dad getting ready for a ride. Taken in Brighton, at Jim & Bobbie's house in July 1969.

Family Fun

Patty sent this the other day. Looks like it was a fun day at the Sioux City swimming pool!

Blast from the Past

Sorry about missing last week - we've been busy renovating the master bathroom and I just forgot about it. I'll make it up today by posting two photos. My thanks to Lisa, Patty, and Joyce for getting these to me!


I know this one of Bill's family was taken Memorial Day weekend, 1975:

I don't know when this one of Jay and Lisa was taken, and the blurry hand is on purpose. :o)

Blast from the Past

Looks like they're missing Uncle Bill. Look at Grandpa's face, and think of Bobby. Man, they look alike! Baby is Barb. Aunt Bobbie must've been new to the family?

Blast from the Past

Today we're going waaay back in time. :o)

Blast from the Past

Blast from the Past

Grandma didn't drink much or often. Bet there was a good time happening here! :o)

Birthday wishes

We wish you the best!

Yesterday, Toni's oldest son, Jake, left for the Navy. His "Auntie Patty" and the rest of us want to wish him the very best.
And to Toni, honey, we give you great big {{{hugs}}}.

Blast from the Past

Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday. I was working on it when Leslie arrived with the kids. They stayed here all day and I didn't get back to the blog at all.
Something a little different this week - Tom, Marilynne, and Jim. Tom and Jim have bouts on, so I wonder if this was Jim's wedding?

Blast from the Past

Christmas in July. :o)

Birthday day

Okay, I feel kind of silly posting my own birthday, but here it is.
(Don't you love the different letters? I found the way to do this here: http://metaatem.net/words/ )