Travel details

A question first - where exactly is the reunion again? So what city has the closest airport?

Okay, that said... how about everybody post their travel plans as comments to this post... then we can coordinate cars and such if needed. I know this is early, but I was just on southwest.com today and starting to look for flights...

reunion 09

well, i don't have any great ideas so far, but the first day of the reunion is father's day, so we have to do something to honor them, especially Mr. Wonderful. As for dinner ideas, what if we did a "world tour", creating meals from different countries or regions? Might expand our palates. I've been making some wonderful things from my new Mexico cookbook, and we had some wonderful food in South America.

How To Blog/Comment/etc.

Okay everyone, here's quick refresher of how to do this... definitions are in comments below:

To save this blog to your toolbar on your browser:
1) When you're looking at the blog, there should be a little star or orange or blue rainbow symbol up to the right of the website address, up at the top of your browser (firefox, explorer, safari, etc.)
2) Click that little symbol. It may or may not take you through some steps to make a BOOKMARK for this site. Click yes or okay or whatever. Then whenever you open your browser, the Harvey Family Thoughts blog should be listed in your bookmarks menu at the top, or even across the top of your browser (under where you type in www. addresses).
3) Click the bookmark and it will take you to the blog.

To write a new blog post:
1) Sign in to your account using the link at the top right. Click "remember me" if you're on your home computer to make it easier next time you sign in.
2) Click "new post" if you want to write a post on a new topic that's not already being discussed. If you want to just visit the blog, click "view blog".
3) Type in a title. Type your post.
4) Label your post (under the box where you wrote your post) with things like "games" "family pics" "technical stuff" "crafts" etc.
5) Click "publish post" to let everyone read your post.

To comment on a post:
1) Click "comments" underneath the post that you want to comment on.
2) Type in your comment/thoughts/ideas on the topic.
3) Submit your comment.
4) If you have thoughts/ideas that have not yet been discussed, write a new post.

To edit a post that YOU wrote:
1) Sign in.
2) When looking at the blog, you can click the little pencil icon down at the bottom of posts that you wrote.
3) Edit as needed.
4) Click "publish post".

I think that's it. It looks like Jill is checking out email notification - I'm not sure how that works. I just have the blog bookmarked and when I click on it in my browser, it lists the titles of the recent posts. If there's one I haven't read, I read it! Good luck!!

*Just had another idea - since most/all of us are on facebook, we could also use the Harvey Family group on there to share ideas, if that's easier or more convenient for people...

Email notification test

Testing email notification

Christmas list?

I can't find my email of the Christmas list, which I thought would be helpful to have on here... although I do know who we're supposed to give to! If anyone still has the list, please post it for all to see.

As far as ideas - I always like useful things that I need but wouldn't bother to buy for myself because I can make do with what I already have... like nice new wooden kitchen spoons, or new bedsheets, or new handtowels for the guest bathroom... I'm boring, I know!

Christmas Ideas

After a 5 month hiatus from posting, let's get it started again. As far as ideas for Ismael and I, I'm kind of at a loss. I know he would love some really good knives for the kitchen, but i don't know what brand or kind. Jazz cds are always good for him. Me? I'm going to be getting back into interpreting, hopefully soon, so some nice plain dark colored shirts and sweaters are a good idea. nothing flashy or bright, it makes it hard to see my hands. Or the new Nicholas Sparks book. I guess that's all I can think of for now.

love
melanie

115 in the desert!!!

We had a great time.  At least I know I did and I think my sisters did, too.

We shopped, ate, laughed, swam, played games, played with hair and make-up, walked, did manicures and pedicures and shed a few tears.

When we try to tell you something funny that happened, just nod your head and laugh a little like it is funny.  Some of these funny things are only funny to us and just don't come across as funny when we try to describe it to someone else.

I want to thank all of you for allowing your moms and wives to come together and spend some special sister time.  I appreciated the time and I appreciate my family for being so wonderful.

Blessings to all,

julie/Aunt Julie, Mom and Mema

I will send out a notice on July 1st about the reunion.  

Dates for the Reunion?

So it looks like June 20-27 has been brought up as a possibility for the date of the 2009 reunion. Thoughts? Conflicts? Ideas? Post your comments on here!

More Reunion 2009 ideas...

Here are the links that Julie and Neal just emailed out, for some possible locations...

"black pearl"
http://www.brindleybeach.com/book/house.html?PMSID=WL802&Stay=&Avail=
"oceans 10"
http://www.corollaclassicvacations.com/rentals/house.html?ID=125&Avail=&Stay=
"casa del mar"
http://www.corollaclassicvacations.com/rentals/house.html?ID=38&Avail=&Stay=
"beached whale"
http://www.corollaclassicvacations.com/rentals/house.html?ID=204&Avail=&Stay=
"fat cat"
http://www.cyberrentals.com/rental/p160730


How about you post your thoughts and preferences as comments to this blog post...

Neal and Julie

Here is an abbreviated version of what is going on in our lives.

Spring is on its way in Illinois, but taking its sweet time getting here.  Cold and rainy today and maybe snow showers by the weekend.  Ugh!!  We did get a motorcycle ride in the other day and it was good to be on the bike again.

Melanie and Ismael are coming home on Thursday and can't wait to see them.  It is going to take a long time to catch up on all their stories and go through their pictures.  Pray for them as they begin the search for jobs when they get home.

We kept Avery and Eden for a couple of days last week, but it was cut short when I got sick and Neal shipped them off to the other grandparents, who were getting over being sick.  Allyson was at a photography workshop in sunny Orlando and seemed to enjoy it and is anxious to get started using what she learned.

Neal is off counseling at a church about 45 min from here.  He has begun going there once a week.  He continues to counsel at our church two nights a week.  He says retirement is too busy.  Seems he always has something going on.  Wonder how he found time to work.  But he is getting in more walks and hopefully the bicycle, soon.

I will be going to KY  for a few days with some friends to a quilting convention.  Looking forward to going but then Neal and I will go for about 10 days the beginning of May.  That will be a fun time and a time to get some yard work done there.  We really enjoy it there, just not sure if we are going to eventually move there full time or what.  We have to see what God has planned for us.

I look forward to seeing all my sisters in June and the rest of you when we can.

I will restart looking at reunion places soon.  Want to firm down some ones that we are interested in so I can put our names in as soon as possible.

This is probably too long for a blog, but I'm old, so it's OK.

julie/mom/Mema/julia day

Oh, I have another thought on crafts.  LANYARDS!!!!  With the plastic laces!

Brand New Baby!!!

No, not our baby... sorry. Check out my sweet pea blog for the cool story, and watch NBC news tomorrow night (5:30 CST) for more!

http://sweet-pea-photography.blogspot.com/2008/03/all-fresh-and-new.html

easter

my family was totally not prepared for easter this year!!! So we just went to church and hung out with Hailey

Happy Easter

I love you all and pray that you will have a wonderful Easter and take a moment to think about what it is all about.

Blessings,

julie

Movie

We just watched 'Dan in real life' with Steve Carrell (sp).  Not an award winning movie, but cute.  But I loved their family place on the beach.  And they all come together for a family reunion and they play charades and have a race between the girls and the boys to get the crossword done in the paper first and have a talent show and the meals together.  It just made me love our family all the more.  We could be in a movie!!!!

Love you all and can hardly wait until we do it again.

Blessings,

julie