Welcome 2010

I do not know about everyone else, but the Ford Family is very glad 2009 is over. We learned a lot of life lessons during 2009, and we also realize while it was a tough year for us, it was a lot worse for others. I am sure you are all wondering about the photo on the blog, that is New Years Eve, 2000, cannot believe that was 10 years ago....

We have been very busy so far this year with basketball and softball. Sarah has decided to go to John Carroll for high school, so she is playing for Harford Xtreme, a travel softball team in Forest Hill. I have asked Jim if we will be moving back to Harford County, we moved to Cecil County, because Sarah was going to school here. Now she will be going to school and all of her sports activities are in Harford County. Guess we will just have to see how expensive it is to drive back and forth all the time.

Her basketball team is having a great year, they have a new coach, she is a Tome graduate. They have only lost 2 games so far this year. The coach has picked the 5 best girls to play most of the game instead of substituting throughout the game. Sarah is the starting forward, she is doing well on getting the rebounds and making the plays. We will have to remember to bring a camera so we can post some photos before the season is over.

We are looking forward to our trip to Dallas later this week. Cannot wait to see everyone.

Hope all is well with everyone...

Let it Snow, Let it Snow....

Jim and I were supposed to go to Alexandria on Friday to celebrate Stevie's birthday, we had to postpone the trip, due to the predicted winter storm. We made the right decision, as the weatherman did get the forecast right this time. (Secretly, I would love to make as many mistakes as they do and still have my job....)

Anyway, it started snowing around midnight on Friday and did not stop until midnight on Saturday. We did not venture out at all yesterday, Sarah did go out and take some photos and to bring in the mail. Some of our neighbors came over, as I made lasagna and ribs and Jim made chili. Something about a large snowfall always makes me crave lasagna and ribs.... Jim craves chili. There are only 3 of us, so we needed to invite friends over to help us eat everything. We had a great time, the kids all played well together and we all had too much to eat!!!

Here are some of Sarah's photos:

Brittney, one of our neighbors daughters, gave Sarah and Courtney make-overs last night. She did a great job straightening Sarah's hair. (Daddy was not thrilled with the eye make-up, I think he is still in denial that he has a 13 year old who is going on 30....)

Fall 2009

I know it has been a long time since we wrote anything on the blog. This fall has been very busy. Sarah played Fall softball for Rising Sun Little League, the age range was 13-16, she was the tallest on the team. She quickly became the starting pitcher for the team, unfortunately, no photos of the games. The season was supposed to end in the middle of October, but it did not end until the first week in November. I was glad it ended then, just because I get cold very easily, but I do love watching her play.



Sarah is now trying out for 2 different travel softball teams. She has to make a decision by December 15th, so not too much time left. The one team is in Delaware and the other team is in Harford County. She is also trying to decide on a high school at the same time, one in Delaware and 1 in Harford County. Some of our neighbors are going to St. Mark's High School in Delaware, Sarah was sure that was where she wanted to go also. I had her shadow at John Carroll in Harford County, just for a comparison. She likes John Carroll better, so she will most likely play for the Harford County travel softball team as she will go to John Carroll next year. I cannot believe she is starting high school. It seems like just yesterday we were trying to find a grade school for her to attend.


She did go trick or treating this year, here is a photo of her and her friend Rachel, (she does have shorts on under the dress). Jim was not thrilled with the length or should I say lack of length of her dress.


Adrienne, one of her best friends from school, is moving to Australia in 3 weeks. Her father is from Australia and is moving the family there as he has a new job. Sarah and 8 of her friends, surprised Adrienne last Saturday, they all went to see New Moon and then came here for a sleepover. Chris was not too excited about all those girls spending the night, but he and the rest of us managed to survive. The girls had a Coldstone Creamery cake, any excuse for a cake is fine with me....


Thanksgiving was very nice, Fred, Martha, Mandy, Stevie, Sean, Chris, Pam, George, Eddie and Brandon all shared Thanksgiving dinner with us. Lots of food, fun and conversation. Sorry, no photos, I need to hire new photographers.....

Now trying to get the house ready for Christmas!!!


Hope all is well with everyone....

Love, Anne, Jim and Sarah

Fall is here

Well, it seems like the germs have finally left the Ford house. Sarah is blaming Jim as he was sick first, she told him he does not wash his hands enough, LOL!!! I have turned her into a germ freak, I remember when she was 3 or so, she always had to go to the bathroom at every store, she turned to me and said, "I know, do not touch, anything". I was like okay, at least we are both on the same page....

We are watching the Penn State Iowa game, hoping Penn State will pull out a win. Iowa beat us last year, and that was our only loss doing the season. Hoping, PSU will prevail this year. Definitely football weather at Happy Valley today, wet, raining and in the 50's. How I miss those games, and the parties after... Not sure I would survive today, my joints would probably start to hurt....

Sarah is playing on the Rising Sun Senior Softball team this fall. She has done a great job pitching and playing first base. Jim played first base, so he is thrilled she is playing that position. She is the tallest on the team, even though she is the youngest. Some of the girls are 16, so it is very strange to see her towering over them and they drive to the games and practice. I guess it makes sense as she is taller than all of the moms in the neighborhood and most of the moms at school.

Hope everyone is doing well. The game is back on...

First Day of School

Sarah started 8th grade last Monday, August 31st. It is very hard to believe she is in 8th grade, I still remember her first day of kindergarten and it seems like it was only yesterday. She towers over me, not that that is a difficult feat as I am quite short for an adult. The common theme this year is that "school is boring", I am sure it will be an interesting year..


Sarah & Courtney (they are both in 8th grade)


Most of you will be receiving a flyer for Sarah's Race for Education. Please do not feel obligated to donate. She receives a dress down day card for every 5 addresses we submit, she can receive a maximum of 5 cards, so we try to come up with 25 names so she can receive the 5 dress down day cards. Just wanted to let you know.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Our Vacation - Kill Devil Hils, NC

We did not have much of a summer due to the weather and everything going on with my family. We wanted to go somewhere different for a vacation, so we went to the Outer Banks, to Kill Devil Hills, we stayed at the Croatan Surf Club. Stevie came down for Sunday-Monday, so it was very nice that we could be together as a family. Sarah's friend Mariah came for the week, it was great as Sarah had someone her own age to hang out with during the week, instead of just Mom and Dad. We played putt putt a couple times, but mostly we went to the beach and just relaxed. Our condo was right on the ocean, I really do not think I have ever lived that close to the ocean. The pool was incredible, the girls would go swimming at night, or hang out in the hot tub. The condo was only a year old, and had a great kitchen, all I really need for a great vacation. The condo was 2 stories, the first floor was 2 king bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. The master bedroom had a balcony and an oceanview. The second floor had a third bedroom with a bathroom, kitchen/dining room and a living room. There were at least 4 televisions, so everyone was happy at nighttime. It was great to just be able to relax, go to the beach and get some sun. We were all quite pale until this vacation.....

Here are some photos....



Mariah & Sarah - putt putt course


Jim - reading his book



The pool


Hurricane Bill

More Hurricane Bill

Summer is drawing to a close

Well, I cannot believe August is almost over, where has the summer gone. It seems like we have not had much of a summer this year, we have had a ton of rain and cool weather. I thought the rain would stop when I finally bought plants for the pool area. It did stop for a week or so, but it has been back full force for the last 4 weeks. Oh well, guess we needed the rain, maybe not quite this much.

I cannot believe Sarah is starting 8th grade on August 31st. It is hard to believe that in 5 short years, she will be starting college. Assuming of course the economy improves quite a bit between now and then and her college fund will actually earn money at some point in time. I have told Jim the pitching lessons might be a better investment at this point in time instead of throwing money away by putting it in her college fund.

I finally have a moment to update the blog with photos from the family reunion, my brother coming home and my niece Katie and her daughter Sophia coming to visit the same weekend. It was a great weekend, I forgot what it was like to have a baby in the house. Cassie, our dog, was not a happy camper, she had a fit every time I was holding the baby. As you can imagine it was a very long weekend for Cassie. Sophia is the best baby, she was so easy to take care of, she actually went to sleep within 5 minutes of when you started rocking her, unlike her cousin Sarah, who had to be rocked for at least 30 minutes if you were lucky. She never really fussed or cried even though she is teething and she has acid reflux. In case you could not tell, I really loved having Katie and Sophia here and I miss them so much now that they are gone...

Here are some photos:

3 Generations: Great Grandpa, Grandpa & Sophia






Mama & Sophia


Texting Cousins

Great Aunt Anne & Sophia

Sarah & Sleeping Sophia


Sarah & Sophia

Great Grandma & Sophia

Grandpa & Sophia