Our version of March Madness

Of course March Madness is basketball.

How could I not watch basketball with 5 Indiana teams (IU, Notre Dame, Butler, Purdue and Valparaiso) and 3 Iowa teams (University of Iowa, Iowa State and UNI) in the tournament?

And yes, I was crazy enough to wear my favorite Iowa sweatshirt while watching the IU game at a local pub...


But man does not live by basketball alone.  So we create our own March Madness...






Mike and several of our friends have March birthdays, and when I asked Mike if he wanted a party, without hesitation he said "hell, yes"!













So we cooked up 3 pots of soup and  chilled beer, wine and margaritas.  Let the party begin!

Kevin, Kathy, Chuck and Melanie 

Jane, Stacy and Brian

Brian and Jane

Melanie, Bryan, Pat, Chuck and John

A second cake for recent retirees.  Quitters.

Words aren't necessary, are they?

Mike and I enjoyed an afternoon at the Flower and Patio show.  We were trying to get ideas for building a new deck and patio, but we found some craziness along the way...

One water feature

And another

This can't be good!

Eye candy

And the neighborhood kids have their own version of March madness...

Have a great week!

Diane

Finding fun in winter

It's that time of year when we go stir crazy with all the snow and cold weather.

A winter wasteland.  Where the ground and sky meet, park benches are empty, and flower pots beg for flowers.

So, we have to make our own fun and laughs...

Donkeys?

Professor

Last Friday we enjoyed a local antique mall.  And Mike found all the props...

Number 9

Firefighter at the ready

And to add a dash of fun, why not travel with a cat?  Actually our cat Gilbert is diabetic and needs shots twice a day.  So he travels with us on short overnight trips..

From carrier 

to co-pilot

to fancy cat hotel

He is a trooper for sure.  Of course the amount of stuff we have to pack increases ten fold, but we want to take care of our little buddy.

And sometimes a little sign invites you inside...

Hope you are having a great week and enjoying sunshine and warmth wherever you are!

Diane

Family frenzy

Sometimes the stars and moon align, and the whole family gets together for a crazy evening of constant motion. Talking, laughing, eating, kids jumping and playing.  It really doesn't get much better than this.

Niece Diane & great nephew Rhys

My sister Angie & great niece Alice at Barney's Easter Party!

Nephew Dane and his dad Eric

Reading and general horseplay

Nephew Dane reading to great niece Violet

Great niece Violet

 Great nephew Rhys and his dad Jeff

Niece Diane, her husband Andrew and dad Ron

Getting ready for a group photo

And we attempted a few serious family photos...

My sister Pam, her husband George and kids Rich and Alex

The whole clan.  Four generations!

Brother Gary and his wife Peggy

 Judy and Ron's family

Mom and grand kids

Me and Mike

Mom, grand kids and great grand kids

By the end of the evening we were exhausted from laughing.  And maybe my back hurt a bit after playing horse with my great niece Alice, meaning she jumped on me. The horse.  

And I'll leave you with a couple of cool cats...

Traveling with Gilbert

Have a great week!
Diane