December 2009

Weekend in Door County

We just got back from a long weekend in Door County. Kathleen and I went up on Thursday, in time to attend "Lessons and Carols" at Stella Maris Church in Fish Creek. It was kind of low key but very Christmas-y. Cathy, Jon and Mary Jo joined us on Friday after dinner at the Cookery and we all watched "Love Actually" at our place.

Erin journeyed up from Milwaukee on Saturday. That evening we made our way to the Whistling Swan for a glass of wine. They were in the midst of their progressive dinner so we were treated to carols accompanied by a piano in the lobby of this old hotel. By Sunday we were into full Christmas mode. On Sunday morning we made Christmas cookies. Later we took a sleigh ride through the Lautenbach Orchard. The sleigh was pulled by two Belgian horses. The sleigh ride was followed by the elementary and middle school production of "A Christmas Carol" at Gibraltar High School. Marley, Scrooge, three ghosts, Cratchet, and Tiny Tim all in an hours time.

The Packer/Steeler game was interupted by an open house at the historic Noble House in Fish Creek. Erin and I attended and were treated with cookes, hot chocolate, cider and free admission to the house. We all concluded the evening by singing Christmas Carols out in front of the house by candlelight. It was a great weekend. God Bless us everyone!

Christmas 2009

Greetings and Merry Christmas from the Blaney Family!

It’s been an adventurous year for the younger Blaneys of the family and a pleasant and contented year for Cathy and me.

Last winter, Kathleen traveled to Nairobi, Kenya with a group

from Marquette University. The group met with government personnel as well as Non-government aid workers and immersed themselves in a culture radically different from anything they had ever experienced.

Highlights included meeting with members of parliament, shadowing social workers and going on safari. Kathleen returned just in time to resume her final months at Marquette as Executive Vice President of the student body and live the good life with her roommates.

Now a junior at Marquette, Erin spent her third spring break traveling with a group of students to Canton, Mississippi where the group remodeled and worked repairs on habitat for humanity – type homes. Madison County in Mississippi is the poorest county in the state. An “abandoned” dog provided a teachable moment. In brief, the group of 12 students befriended a mis-cared for, abused and neglected dog that lived near their work site. During their last night, two of the student leaders decided that the dog would be better off with a Milwaukee address. The story comes to an abrupt end when university officials discovered what had happened and summoned the Canton students for a three hour meeting lead by the folks from the Restorative Justice Dept. The theme was: “service to others without judgment”. The dog, however, stayed in Milwaukee.

Kathleen completed her college career in May. We were proud to hear her deliver the commencement address at the Baccalaureate Mass. Days after graduation, Kathleen left for Piura, Peru where she completed a community health clinical rotating between an entirely Spanish speaking ER, a rural hospice and frequent home visits.

During all these travels, Cathy and I never left the state. Our enjoyment has come in simpler forms. We enjoyed sharing fun times with our extended Early and Kolb families at the cottage. Some of the Blaney cousins have been getting together for regular lunches this year, which has been a wonderful treat as well.

Recently Kathleen took and passed her nursing boards. She is looking for a job and has been accepted into graduate school to earn her Masters in Public Health. Erin is excitedly preparing for a semester at the John Felice Rome Center in Italy. She leaves in the middle of January and returns the first week of May.

As I run out of room, we want to wish you a wonderful holiday season. As always, if you have time, we’d love to hear from you.

Best wishes,
Ken, Cathy, Kathleen and Erin