brag

okay, up until recently not too many people knew i was doing weight watchers. well, i have been doing it since january and i am down 29.4 pounds. last night i was able to put on my size 16 GAP jeans and other GAP pants that i haven't been able to fit into in about 4-5 years!! i am freakin' excited! i'm not stopping here, i have a long way to go, but this is huge for me!!

r.i.p. jeffrey zackon

once again i find myself writing about another loss in the oley valley. dr. jeffrey zackon, superintendent of the oley valley school district passed away today while on a trip to germany with many of the oley german language students, their teacher and other chaperones, including his wife. he was 62. he was the high school principal until 1995, when he was hired to replace the retiring superinentendent. he was a fixture in the valley.....he knew every students name, came to as many sporting events and other school events as possible, and even remembered you years after graduation. i feel like i lost a friend. his door was always open if you needed something or just someone to talk to. even after he left the building as principal, you could still find him roaming the halls during his "free time". he was passionate about oley, he was passionate about education, he was passionate about the students. he was a great man, and will be greatly missed. my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him!!

wow!

wow! i can't believe it's been almost a year since i last posted! i'm really good at checking in and catching up with everyone else's blogs, but not so good at posting my own. here are some recent photos, just to get you caught up.....






happy karl

happy me

crazy amelia, with her crazy haircut

yes, that is my husband and his friend sam dressed up as women
it was a drunken idea, but they went through with it sober

my nephew and amelia on the playground

it's our new, nice weekend thing....try new playgrounds

amelia will be 3 in about a month and she is all signed up for pre-school in the fall. 2 days a week and i think she will have fun! now, if we could only get her potty trained!! she honestly wants nothing to do with it....i've tried all the coolest "big girl" underwear, bribing her with m&m's, letting her go on the big potty and not her little potty, she just doesn't want to do it. hopefully this summer we can get it done, because i'm tired of changing diapers!

other than that, not much else is new. karl is still at the greenhouse and i'm still at aaa. hopefully i'll get better at posting on the blog, but if not, i'll try to do it at least once a year!!

pictures from the party

fun was had by all at amelia's 2nd birthday party. it was a tad chilly outside, but i don't think anyone seemed to mind, too much :) she had lots of fun with family and friends, and received lots of great gifts. we're working on the thank you cards, i promise! onkel cory was even there, and that made it extra special (since she only sees him a couple of times a year!) i guess now we'll have to go visit him in baltimore!

two years old

oh my, she was 2 yesterday!! i can't believe it! this past year has been full of great things! walking, running, talking, learning new things each and every day! she has the marks of an active todder.....scabs on both knees, and dirt under the fingernails. she is a daddy's girl all the way and wants nothing more than to be with daddy all the time.she had her 2 year check up, and she is 32 1/2 inches (25%) and 22 3/4lbs (5-10%). that's normal for her, since that's right about where she's always been. my little peanut! party on sunday, i'll post more after that! love you baby!!

robert rentschler

i know that the few of you that read my posts may not know who robert rentschler was, but he was one of the most amazing men i have ever had the pleasure of knowing. he was the high school phys ed and health teacher at oley valley high school for 33 years. he also coached the oley valley high school baseball team to 3 state titles in 5 appearances, in his 26 year coaching career. he was more than a teacher or a coach, he was a friend to his students. he was there if you needed advice, he was there to listen, he was there if you just wanted to shoot the shit. no matter how mean something sounded after it came out of his mouth, there were never any hard feelings. whether you were an athelete or not, he was also there to encourage you. there wasn't a day that went by that you couldn't find him in the gym between classes, just hanging out. i'm not sure if he ever really knew how many lives he touched, but he will be greatly missed by all. this quote is taken from his obituary in the reading eagle
"It can truly be said that Bob was the best son, brother, husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, teacher/coach, and friend anyone could have." Those words could not be more true. Mr. Robert H. Rentschler, you will be missed!!

oh, the last few months

oh, boy! i haven't updated since labor day. okay, so in october the dance group had their annual campout, and this year we tied in the halloween party. we were the wolter family farmers. the first week of november, karl and i went to disney world for a week for our 5th wedding anniversary. amelia also had a vacation, she spen half the week with omi and opa and the second half of the week with granny, pap, tante aby and cousin b. she didn't seem to mind too much that we were gone! the last weekend in november, karl and i were aboard royal caribbeans new oasis of the seas for a 2 night preview sailing that i won at work!! yay, being a travel agent paid off big!! it is the biggest ship in the world and it was amazing!! so much to do onboard the ship, not sure why anyone would actually get off :) then, the first friday of december, we had the annual dance group christmas party. amelia really wanted nothing to do with santa this year, but she is enjoying the present he got her. tonight we have karl's masonic lodge christmas party, where amelia is sure to entertain. if i don't update again before christmas, i hope everyone has a very merry christmas and a safe and happy new year!!