minichfamily06

Important Change with the Minich family Blog!

2011-05-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hello all~ I have decided to make a change with this blog. Within the next week or so I plan to close this one down. I have had it for about 4 years,and find I just don't update it very often anymore.The kids all have their own blogs/Facebook if you want to keep up with their lives. I will also post special family happenings on my blog from now on. So, if you would still like to keep up with the Family you can bookmark or sign up to follow by e-mail at
http://elayneminich.blogspot.com/

I will concentrate on my personal blog ( elayne's blog~Running to Recovery) listed above. And my business blog ( Fit 4 Life)
http://elayne-foodforlife.blogspot.com/

Hope you continue to share in our family times as well as sharing yours with us!
Thanks~ The Minich Family

Getting Ready for another Summer!

2011-04-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

Kevin &Matt

First summer to try the jet ski!

THE AMBO

Ready for another fun filled summer!

A Peach!!

2011-04-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

Our Little grand-baby is now the size of a peach! Nikki is now showing and I can not wait to see her and her little "baby bump".

I think about what it will be like to be a grandparent, to have a baby with all of us this year for the holidays. I have no idea if the baby is a girl or a boy. All I can say is I keep having dreams with this little blond haired boy in them. He is adorable and very brave!

Prayers for The Hudspeth Family

2011-03-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

Please pray for the Hudspeth Family after the loss of their 24 yr. old son David. Our son Kevin was friends with David. They all went to a small high school, Denton Calvary and played football/basketball together. David was married to his high school sweet-heart Elise. Our hearts are very heavy. Please keep this family in prayer.

Limes!

2011-03-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

Our grand-baby is the size of a lime this week! Mommy and baby are doing well. Nikki is at the end of the first trimester which has been rough, but it looks like she is feeling better going into her second trimester. Kevin has been very loving and supportive, taking good care of his family :)

I have begun cross-stitching the baby's blanket and REALLY hope I can do this before baby Minich gets here :) Still can't believe we are going to be grandparents, that plan to go by Oma & Opa Minich :)

Please Vote for my picture!

2011-03-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!
I entered a photo in a contest just for fun :) However, I worked VERY hard to get this picture by climbing Mount Brandon a 952 m (3123 ft) mountain on the Dingle peninsula in Ireland.
It is the highest of the unnamed central mountain range of the Dingle Peninsula and the 9th highest peak in Ireland.
It is a beautiful shot and I am trying to get in the top 10... I have a long way to go!
If you want to vote for my pic. just click on this link and hit vote...thanks!

http://baggagelabel.klm.com/Taggallery.aspx?image=97083&sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d769a556995cae2%2C0

What's in a name?

2011-03-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

This has been an important question for us as we are expecting our very first grand-baby! Of course there is the traditional Grandma and Grandpa but...we don't always like to do things the traditional way so we have been pondering this.
I realize as many of you have told me that we will be called whatever the baby calls us, but we can certainaly try to establish a name...right??

Do you pick a name easy for a baby/child to say? Or one you just want to be called? Maybe something to do with family heritage? One that is a version of your own name, like Grandpa Chris, or ..just make one up, like Grandma Opal!
My parents go by G&G Ski, a shortened version of their last name and easy for the boys to say when they were little. Chris's parents went by G&G Minich.

Here are some we have looked at and the one we are most leaning towards.
Mama and Grandpa Minich ( all the kids already call me mama Minich, (so it fits).
Nonnie or Nonna, which is Italian for Grandma but Chris does not like Nonno for grandpa.
In Scotland, they call their grandma either granny or nanna. Grandpa is granda (pronounced gran-da).
"Seanmhathair" is Irish for grandmother - . It literally means 'old mother' and is pronounced like this: shan- waw - her. WAY TO HARD!
In Yiddish, they say…
Grandpa = zeyde
Pronounced zey’∙deh
Grandma = bobe
Pronounced boh’∙beh / boo’∙beh
I’ve always heard it as bubbie or bubby( ah, don't think so :)

German is Oma and Opa. With baby Minich's last name and the easy pronunciation, Oma and Opa are growing on us and leading the way!

So, what do you think or like?Are you a Grandparent? What do you go by or what do you call your grandparents??

Tuesday's with Stephanie

2011-03-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

Our son Tim's fiance' Stephanie, arrived from Europe 3 months ago. Since then, I have had the opportunity to spend Tuesday's with her. Tim drops her off in the morning before he heads to work and then he and Chris join us at the end of the day for dinner.
First thing in the morning I teach my group fitness class and she has joined in with the group. I know all the ladies have enjoyed getting to know her :)

I have enjoyed our time together very much. Sharing outcomes of the vegetarian meals we are both preparing from the same books. Cooking several of them together and then having dinner with Chris and Tim.
We also share the same love for running and we are starting to talk about another half marathon in the fall. Yay..another family member to join in!

She is an avid reader, much more so than me, but it is fun to talk about books we are reading or have read in the past. Right now she is borrowing "Life and Death in Shanghai", one of my all time favorite books and one almost everyone in our family has read.
I love her heart for people and the environment, but most of all how wonderful she is for Tim and how happy they are together.
She will be out of town for a little while and we will all miss her while she is away. I, personally will miss "Tuesday's with Stephanie". See ya soon!

Tim..Twenty Six...

2011-03-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

Wow! Today is Tim's 26th birthday! Although we will see him tonight, we had a little surprise lunch for him on Sunday. Little did he know he was hosting his own birthday lunch at his apartment. He even ordered the pizza for everyone.
We told him it was a "send off' lunch for Stephanie as she will be leaving for Madrid on Wednesday :(
So, me,Chris and Matt came to the apartment after church, dug into the pizza while waiting for Nikki and Kevin to arrive. They arrived with a lit birthday cake ( carrot, which is Tim's favorite) and a cheesecake for Matt.We all sang Happy Birthday to Tim AND Matt ( whose bday isn't until April), confused them both, and then I gave them their presents.
We had to give Matt's early because they are all going to see the Mavs play the Knicks before April :) Kevin received his tickets in January for his Bday as well. They should all have a really fun time together!
Happy 26th Birthday to our oldest son and one of my favorite people~ luv you,Timothy...

From the Greek name Τιμοθεος (Timotheos) meaning "honoring God",

2011 a big year for The Minichs!!

2011-02-17T07:02:00.000-08:00

2011 is looking like a very exciting year ahead for our family! We will have many celebrations this year;
~in April Chris will hit the big 50 and Matthew, our youngest will turn 21!
~ in May Matthew will graduate from UTD!
~ we will have a wedding with Tim & Stephanie (TBA)
~ and our newest news..... BABY MINICH will be joining us in September! Kevin & Nikki are expecting!

Birthdays, Graduations, Weddings & Babies! New parents, first time grandparents, husband & wife, aunts, uncles, graduates...let the fun begin !!

Winter 2011

2011-02-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

Just some fun family pics from the past couple of weeks.. enjoy :)

LiLI

This is just about how our season went :(

Jeremiah

Chris..not a typical scene here!

Elayne with my new scarf & hat knitted by my niece Erika!

Winter home picture

Matt sliding on the ice

Matt & Ryo

Ryo running to her boy!

Kevin &Nikki

Stephanie :)

Tim & Stephanie

This was last weekend. Today we had windows open.

What This Old House Has taught Me

2011-01-31T20:15:00.000-08:00

I have learned how to remove linoleum, tile and carpet from concrete
How to lay ceramic tile & grout,
How to install hardwood floors
How to paint & stain everything!
How to remove, plane, sand and repaint trim
refinish furniture
insert a gas log fireplace
How to lay sod, plant trees, bushes, a garden, mow, cut and trim

HOWEVER~ I can not sew, fold laundry nicely, walk in heels, style hair, or make a pretty bow.
Living Thankfully and Loving my family & friends In "This Old House"

Broken

2011-01-29T21:18:00.000-08:00

Matt broke his hand on Wednesday playing basketball. No more basketball for Matt for a while :(

This Old House...Under Construction Again

2011-01-22T23:02:00.000-08:00

First thing we did was remove the tile in the hallway

The new floor!

Next we removed the carpet from the dining room and installed hardwood floors

The dining room complete with the refinished Minich Family table.

Removing the carpet with Kevin & Matt from the family room

Matt

Kevin

Tim & Chris running wires

Back porch converted to work area

The family room floors getting closer!

Life living "under construction"!

Family room


We are almost done, spent today refinishing all the trim and laying more floors.

It has been a huge undertaking and we will be glad to put the house back together but so far it has been well worth it! Final pictures coming soon!

Happy 24th Birthday to one awesome guy!!!

2011-01-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Kevin!!

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas & a Happy, Healthy 2011!

2010-12-22T22:18:00.000-08:00

2010-12-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

2010-12-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Quotes of Christmas Past Continued...1993 & 1995

2010-12-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

1993~
" What can we say about Matt???They say the third one's a charm. I never quite understood what they meant by that".

" Matt learned how to knee-board this summer on Uncle Jimmy's boat. He still has to learn how to let go of the rope". ( Matt is 3 yrs. old at this point :)

1995~ this is the year we moved to Portland, Oregon. Tim drove the first leg of the trip to Arizona with Grandma & Grandpa Minich & Cousin Marcus. So now the scene is set..
"Unfortunately Tim got stranded in Van Horn, Tx. after his grandpa slaughtered Bambi"
"The shock of the moment was too much for Myra ( Tim's pet hamster) she was buried in the desert with Bambi" ( actually, Tim left her on the dashboard in the sun)

" Matt earns the Get Out Of My Way title. His soccer coach recently gave him this title due to his enormous momentum exercised while running down the opposing team players during a game".

"After 11 years Duke ( our dog) has managed to save enough money to put a down payment on his new dog house. This is probably the only one we can afford to buy in this area" ( this wasn't far from the truth ).

Quotes of Christmas Past 1988

2010-12-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

Today I pulled out a book that Carla put together for all the family members years ago titled Christmas Letters. Every year most of the families will write a Christmas Letter to highlight the year. We would print them off and keep them all in this book.
As I read through the letters I felt many emotions. Some of the things we wrote absolutely cracked me up looking back at them all these years later.
Here are some of my favorites~ enjoy a few laughs at our expense :)

From1988 Our first Letter. Narrated by - Chris, comments added by Elayne:)
" As you can tell we got a hold of a computer. So now we are able to mass produce an annual letter".

"Kevin celebrated his first birthday this year. He is a big fan of water sports. He rode on the knee-board with Daddy" ( how big of a fan can you be at one??)

Timmy has had the pleasure of putting us through 2 sets of stitches this year, both on either side of his forehead".

"Elayne also had stitches in her forehead.She bumped her head wiping out while water skiing. It didn't stop her from going again". ( sounds like a couple of klutzes to me)

"Chris was involved in 2 car accidents this year in his 1970 Chevy Nova. Luckily, he was not at fault, therefore his car made us money because we never bothered to get the damage fixed. The second accident totaled the car and allowed us to get the long awaited mini van" ( Oh..the important things after 2 accidents)

"Hope to have you for a guest in the vacation capitol of the world The Colony, Texas" ( Really?)

Under Construction....again

2010-11-29T22:18:00.000-08:00

This Old House is under construction once again! Tonight Chris and I began the process of removing ceramic tile from our entry way.

A few lessons learned~ This is neither easy nor fast. Always read the "how to" on line BEFORE starting.

~ventilation is a must as well as a eye protection and long sleeves.

~be ready for a back breaking workout

~be REALLY sure you like the next floor because it is NEVER coming up!

We did get the entire floor up, it really wasn't that bad:) Now for the fun part.... check back for the finished floor!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T17:20:00.000-08:00

We had a FanFunTabulous Thanksgiving!!The morning began bright and early with the first annual Minich family & friends 5k Turkey Trot! It was cold, windy and a little rainy but we all had a great time!
Molly and I had fun decorating the table the day before and everyone came with lots of delicious food!
We had our traditional turkey chili along with vegetarian chili and tortilla soup for the main meal.
It would not be Thanksgiving without our pumpkin rolls which were a hit!
A wonderful day of family, friends, celebrations and memories.

Ryo is ready for the holidays!

A little guitar hero before everyone arrives

STEVE!!!!!!

Nikki, Tommy & Molly

Angie & Sera

The Minich/Weeks Family Thanksgiving

The right side of the table...

The left side of the table...

celebrating Molly's birthday too!

Mom and Dad came over for desert and Nikki's birthday

Today was also Nikki's 23rd birthday...we sang and sang and sang to her :)

Kevin & Nikki playing Kinect, we all had so much fun with this!

Nikki & Molly plugging the holes

Nikki & Adam Boxing it out

Tim made his mulled wine, a recipe from Prague

Happy Fall To All!

The Pumpkin Patch & Pumpkin Roll recipe!

2010-11-23T06:08:00.000-08:00

Kevin & Nikki

Kev

Pumpkin Roll Recipe~ Chris and I make Pumpkin Rolls every year and many of you have asked for the recipe, so here it is! Great for Thanksgiving
or Christmas desert. Please let us know how yours turns out :) Have a very Happy
Thanksgiving everyone!

http://corinthminichs.blogspot.com/2008/11/happy-thanksgiving.html

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

A last minute through together Halloween made for a very fun day and Halloween Eve.

Dr. Pepper

The day started with searching for pumpkins ( which could be found nowhere) and then making lots of candy apples! Nikki and Elayne were the candy apple Queens!

Next it was time to carve Jack-O! Chris was in charge of this one.

Chris

Chris & Jack-O

While Chris carved Jack-O the rest of us hung out and played Frisbee.

Kevy

Nikki

Elayne

Matt

Matt & Kevin playing a very odd game of frisbee. Instead of catching it, they try to hit each other with it. How do you win?? Take the hit without moving or flinching.

Kevin

Kevin; Mom, can we come over on Halloween and decorate? We will put everything out and clean everything up!
Me: Not this year Kev. I'm not feeling so great. How about just a movie and pass out candy?
Kev: OK
Me; ???????

Although Chris and I have pretty much given up the days of "Haunting" the house, the boys still have a blast with it! This is Kevin & Matt's last minute masterpiece.... which brought lots of "trick or treaters" to the house.

this thing is creepy

Our original plan for Halloween was to watch the Rangers, dress up as "boring old people" and pass out candy. I think this tends to be how Chris and I feel sometimes :)

Guess who??

Just decorate?? Oh no... must dress up and scare the older kids too!

Guess who??

We had a very fun day with all our kiddos! Hope all of you had a fun and safe Halloween.................

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-30T00:31:00.000-07:00

Tim and I watched "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" tonight as we have for the past 25 years. Always a classic, never gets old!

Happy Halloween :)

How I disrupted my family's evening.

2010-10-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Harris Wedding

2010-10-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday October 9th we were honored to be invited to Nicole & Ryan Harris' wedding. We have known Nicole since she was about 12 and she is also the best friend of our daughter-in-law Nikki. We had a wonderful time at the wedding and reception!

Ryan & Nicole Harris!

Beautiful!!

Molly

Nikki and Chris

Minich Brothers

Annie, baby Blaine & the beautiful Bride!

Tim, Adam & Kevin

Nikki & Kevin

Kevin & Tommy

Chris and baby Blaine

This looks good on him doesn't it??

On The Border with Minich/Weeks family....movie at our house after with everyone... Oh, and I got a huge free desert at the restaurant for being a breast cancer survivor. Everyone at the table sang"Happy survivor day" to me then we passed the desert around as everyone took one bite to share. Great day ♥

Molly, Nikki and Elayne

Adam & Sarah

Tommy & Angie

Tim, Katherine & Matt

Its Cowboy Season!!!

2010-09-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Game One!!

Kevin & Nikki

Game one at our house.... lots of fun.... terrible ending to a boring game. Great friends and family time though :)


Adam, Molly & Matt

Tim

Saying Goodbye

2010-09-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

We all spent the last weekend in August together in Tulsa to say goodbye to Lois, Chris's mom at her memorial service. Sadley this is our 3rd time to say goodbye to one of our family members from Tulsa in the past 3 years.

The memorial service was on Friday morning and beautifully done. Many family and friends were gathered there as we all remembered Lois's life, her giving spirit and pride for her family. After the memorial service we were able to say goodbye to Ed and Lois as they are now both in their final resting place here on earth, but together once again in heaven with our brother Jim.

Our last visit to the Tulsa House

We did get to see and spend time with the siblings, nieces and nephews that were able to come.

Jake

Anna & Carla

Elayne & Tim

The kids ALWAYS love playing in the pool, especially when a fun uncle joins in!

Uncle Chris, Erika, Lindsay & Sarah

Sarah, Anna & Lindsay

Erika

Brothers Mike, Chris, Dave & Bob

Carla & Chris

James, Bob & Katie

Jake & James

Before everyone headed home, back to Texas & Arizona we all went out to lunch. It happened to be Lois's Birthday so we all toasted to her on her very special first birthday in Heaven.

Tim

It was wonderful to see everyone, but we all agree we need to see each other under happier occasions soon. We will miss our trips to Tulsa, we will always miss our family.... Jim, Ed & Lois Minich

Four Days Of Family Fun!

2010-08-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

Four days of Fun with my family! My brother Marco and his wife Karen came to visit from Ma.
Days One and Two....Having fun with my big brother and sister-in-law!! Toured the Cowboys stadium then lunch at the Gaylord Texan today!

Cowboys Star!

Matt, Elayne & Marco

First trip to the new stadium!

Marco & Karen

Boys!!

Days one & two...off to a great start!

Day 2 continued... The Gaylord Texan... This place is awesome!

Day 3 of "Fun With Family"...The Lake!! Marco and I rode the tube together and Kevin was kind enough NOT to kill us :)

Day 4..... another great day with Marco and Karen! Went downtown to Dealy Plaza and the book depository, ate lunch at Gators and walked around the West End. Dinner at home with all the kids and a movie to end the night...lots of laughs and fun!!

Lunch At Gators!

Our morning coffee out back before it got too hot

We had a GREAT time and miss them already :)

The Kids enjoying the boat...summer 2010!

2010-08-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

I know Uncle Jim is smiling :) Kevin has been working hard to be able to fling people off the tube the way only Uncle Jim could. He says he is getting close :)

Matt & Molly

Tim

Nikki

Matt

Kev & Nik

Molly

matt & kevin

Nikki

Tim's new wheels!

2010-07-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

New News from the Minich Family!

2010-07-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

Well,I have not been on this blog for a while so I have a few bits of exciting news!

First- Tim will be home tomorrow after living in Prague for the last year, that is exciting, however,he brings with him ( In Dec/Jan) his fiance'! Yes, Tim is getting married!!
He is engaged to Stephanie, who he met while in school in Prague. He plans to live here until she arrives and then they will be married and get an apartment.

as you can see from the pictures, Chris and i did get to meet her while we were in Prague visiting Tim! We took a European vacation which included going to The Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium ( with a bike ride into Holland) and England! For some pics and stories from our trip please click on my blog
http://elayneminich.blogspot.com/http://elayneminich.blogspot.com/
then go back about 8 or 9 posts to "Trip to Europe". That is the beginnining.
Kevin, Nikki and Matt are all very excited to see Tim tomorrow for the first time in a year.
Nikki graduated from UTD and already has a teaching job for the fall, as well as coaching a cheer squad! She will make a wonderful teacher. Did you know she can rap really well??
And last, but certainly not least, my brother Marco and his wife Karen will be coming to visit us in August! Kevin and Matt are getting the boat ready at this very moment :)
Minichs are ready for the Lake and summer fun!!

Memorial Day BBQ with the family

2010-06-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

After a trip to Tulsa on Friday and Saturday to begin emptying Chris's mom and dad's house we came home and were able to spend a few relaxing hours with the kids playing sport toss & night frisbee. We BBQ jalapeno burgers with jalapenos from the garden and drank lots of ice tea. This was unplanned, but as always, spending time with them brought happiness to us during a tough weekend.

The Broken Chain

2010-06-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

We little knew that morning that God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to loose you, you did not go alone;
for part of us went with you, the day God called you home.
You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide; and though we cannot see you, you are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same;
but as God calls us one by one, The Chain will link again.

We will miss you Joey.

Joeseph David Uretsky ~ June 27,1991- May 31, 2010

2010-06-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

my daughter-in-law Nikki graduated Summa Cumlaude with high honors from UTD today!!!!! We are so very proud of her and happy to have her in all our lives!

2010-05-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

We got pretty loud. She looked right at us! Go Nikki!

May 10th 2010 Monday 8:05 PM

2010-05-11T05:53:00.000-07:00

Mother, Lois Minich, passed away Monday at 8:05 AZ time. She sailed away slowly from our sight while others saw her coming and cheered "her she comes" We already miss her. We will post arrangements as soon as they are made. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Dave Minich

Three years today~ Tribute to Jim Minich

2010-04-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1059138368672

The Birthday Boys!!

2010-04-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Chris & Matthew!!!!

Over the weekend we celebrated Chris and Matt's Birthdays! We had a great time with Kevin, Nikki, Molly and Grandma and Grandpa Ski coming over to join us!

We had our very popular BBQ beer Brats with beans and a garden salad for dinner, followed by a coffee Kahlua cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!

We played UNO, which Molly and the grandparents had never played but all caught on very quickly. It was lots of fun!
So, Happy Birthday to two really GREAT guys... Chris & Matt!

Happy Birthday In Heaven!

2010-04-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

We Love & Miss you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYO!!!!

2010-04-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER !!

2010-04-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; by His wounds we are healed Isaiah 53

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!

2010-03-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

Tim's Birthday in Austria....

2010-03-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite pictures. See his blog for more pictures and funny stories.... ( located under friends & family blogs~ Tim's Travels").

Happy 25th Birthday Tim!!!!

2010-03-01T15:01:00.000-08:00

We miss Tim today very much.... HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY Tim! I am however very happy for him as he is snow skiing in Austria today with his uncle Bob. What a great way to spend your 25th BDay!

From my February Family calendar~

2010-02-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

Texas snow storm 2010

2010-02-13T18:06:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed record breaking amounts of snow in Texas this year! Here are the pictures from 2 days of fun in the snow spent building a snowman, sledding and playing outside for hours!

2010-02-13T18:02:00.000-08:00

2010-02-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

January

2010-01-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

Each year after Christmas I realize I need a new calendar and have been making them using Wal Mart online photo center. It is fun and creative. These 3 pictures were the ones I chose for January since this is Kevin's Birthday!

Julie & Julia?? Well, maybe not...

2010-01-28T22:28:00.000-08:00

but we sure had fun trying! After watching Julie & Julia with my daughter-in-law we decided we HAD to bake! So off to Wal Mart for all the ingredients to make chocolate pies and Red Velvet cake.

By the time we made the pies and ate dinner we realized we may have been a bit too ambitious( after all that would be 2 recipes in one day) and decided to save the red velvet cake for Valentines day.

What a fun movie and fun day baking with my daughter! Oh, and the pies were really good too :)

The Deans List

2010-01-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

Matt and Nikki both made the Deans list!! The picture is from the UTD catalog

Happy 23rd Birthday Kevin!!

2010-01-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

Minich Family Fun!

2010-01-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T10:14:00.001-08:00

This Christmas Eve all the (local) kids were here as well as Nikki's parents and sister Molly.This was our first Christmas with out Tim, he is living in Europe now. We did all open gifts with him on Skype. Guess it is the next best thing to him being here, but not the same and we missed him very much.
After that, we all had a fun snowball fight before church and then another one after church that ended with me catching a snowball with my eye. Put a bit of a damper on the evening but all together we had a great time and then... we caught Santa under the tree.

We all woke up to the smell of fresh bread in the bread maker and coffee. Chris and I got up first and started making Quiche for our Christmas breakfast. The sun was just coming up over the snow covered ground. It was our very first White Christmas!

Then it was time for coffee and opening our gifts, here are a few of the highlights....
Matt getting his long awaited for mixer!

and Chris his long awaited for guitar pedal

and me.... for my notebook laptop~ yeah!

Kevin, his must have Call of Duty computer game

can't forget Ryo with her new bed

and LiLI with her kitty city that she does not appear to know what to do with

Chris and I got Nikki an apron with her name on it, I think she liked it :)

I think this pretty much sums up how we all felt after breakfast, presents and all the excitement

What a wonderful Christmas complete with family, friends, good food, a white Christmas and celebrating the birth of Christ. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
The Minich Family

Oh Christmas Tree.. Oh Christmas Tree...

2009-12-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Time!
The decorations are finally all set up, shopping has begun, it's ok to play my Christmas music now without everyone saying "it's too early"!
We went and picked out our tree the day after Thanksgiving with Uncle Bob and Matt. Kevin and Nikki came over later that day and helped decorate the tree and have popcorn & mocha's.

It's so nice to have a daughter, she actually loves decorating the tree :) The guys "go along with it". It was sweet to watch Chris and his new daughter stringing up the lights together. He even taught her how to wrap the lights up like a ski rope :)

We picked our "special person" which is a family tradition. You pick a name and can't tell anyone who you got. On Christmas Eve we find out who had our names and give a gift to the person you chose. The "special" part is that it has to be something you make, plan or do with or for that person, not just another present. Something special for that person or between the two of you. It is a lot of fun, takes some creativity and we all look forward to it every year :)

LiLi helped, sort of.

We have already had snow ( even if it was just for a few hours) and hope to one day have a "White Christmas"! This was pretty close though.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Introducing Kapium Products

2009-11-30T09:12:00.000-08:00

My son Kevin Minich has recently launched his new website Kapium Products. There is a great selection of items to take a look at especially for the men in your lives that you may be shopping for! Here is the link~

http://www.kapiumproducts.com/

Hi, my name is Kevin Minich, Founder and Co-Owner of Kapium Products. My vision is to create an online store where you not only can choose from a wide selection of products, but can also request a product to be sold on the website. All you have to do is email a description of what you are looking for and we will find it, price it, and post it for you to purchase! My goal is to make online shopping a smooth experience for you with customer satisfaction as our top priority. I want to create a personal relationship with my

www.kapiumproducts.com customers and make sure that they are happy. This is why I have created my Product Request page. It is a place where you can email and talk directly to me about a certain tool, toy, gidget or gadget that you would like to see sold on my website. I will work and collaborate with you the best I can to find that certain product you are looking for and will have it up and ready to buy as fast as I can. So please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments or just want to say hi. Thank you for stopping by and visiting www.KapiumProducts.com and I hope you find what you are looking for.

THANKSGIVING 2009!

2009-11-27T10:42:00.000-08:00

Molly & Nikki's football "treats" ??

Molly schooling Matt!

More Football...

hot chocolate & coffee..

and nap time..

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

Click here for our favorite Family Pumpkin Roll Recipe. Enjoy!!

http://corinthminichs.blogspot.com/2008/11/happy-thanksgiving.html

Final Tribute for our Dad, Ed Minich

2009-11-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

Funeral and other arrangments for Ed Minich

2009-11-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, November 12th, we lost our dad, Chris's father, Ed Minich. He is in the loving arms of our heavenly Father. His passing will leave a hole in our hearts and our lives. We will miss you!

Funeral Monday at 11:00 (plus additional info)
Dad's funeral will be Monday, November 16th at 11:00am at his church, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. There will be a lunch afterward at the church.

The Parish of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux is located at 4001 East 101st Street in Tulsa between South Yale Avenue and South Riverside Drive.

The church web site is at http://stbernardstulsa.org/

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Kairos Prison Ministry of Oklahoma, where Dad had volunteered extensively.

Kairos Oklahoma
PO Box 54383Oklahoma City OK 73154-1383
http://www.kairosoklahoma.org/

Several out of town family members have made reservations at the Tulsa Holiday Inn Express. The hotel have made rooms available at $73 per night if you tell them you are part of the Minich party.

Tulsa Holiday Inn Express
9010 E 71st Street South
Tulsa OK 74133
(918) 459-5321
http://www.hiexpress.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/tulwh?&dp=true

If you have photos of Dad you would like to contribute to the family, you may email them to David Minich dminich@datamovers.us.

Family Favorite of the week~

2009-10-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Chris with his sister Carla :)

Halloween Past

2009-10-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Timmy as a bunny~ his first Halloween

The punkin'patch

Kevin as Egon from Ghost Busters with Tim the dinosaur & Matt the LiL' Monster

Cookie Monster & Big Bird

Chris & Elayne

Grandpa Ski & Tim as a puppy

Kevin the pterodactyl!

Grandma Ski & Matt the baby Ninja Turtle

CANDY.. CANDY..CANDY...CANDY!!!

Family Favorite of the week~

2009-10-12T11:20:00.001-07:00

Tim's travel by train with a group of friends to Karlstein Castle- outside of Prague.

Sandi-Luke-Tim-Stephanie

Trip to Tulsa

2009-10-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

Chris and I took a 4 day trip to Tulsa Friday-Monday to see Ed, Lois, Judy & Bob. We arrived Friday and Ed was still in the hospital. At that point he was still weak and tired but Judy and Bob said he had much more energy than just the day before. We were quite anxious to get there and be with him.

The next 3 days were spent getting Ed home, settled and everyone learning how to administer his insulin shots as well as making sure his diet was appropriate for diabetes and gluten free. Kind of challenging.

He has decided it would be best to stay in an assisted living home for now and we visited one in his neighborhood. They invited us for lunch and to talk. I had no idea how nice those places are and what a great option for anyone needing extra care, but remaining independent in a great social environment. I think we were all ready to move in :)

Each day we saw Ed getting stronger and doing more and more. Including his typical "cutting up" with everyone. He was asking staff at the hospital and assisted living for a skateboard and trying to play "bumper cars" with his walker with the others. He never ceases to amaze me and keep me laughing :) He learned quickly that if you push the "emergency " button on the hospital bed the nurses come running- it did work!

We decided to stay in a hotel with a pool and hot tub which was much enjoyed after we did a 16 mile run downtown Tulsa at Riverside Park on Saturday morning ( more info. on the run see my blog; http://elayneminich.blogspot.com/

Monday afternoon we had to head home and knew it was just not a long enough amount of time there. His sister Judy and son Bob are holding down the fort right now and Carla should be there tomorrow, followed by Cindy and then Dave. All to help get Ed and Lois situated and Judy back home to Michigan. She has been a wonderful aunt and sister through this!

For more detailed and up to date info. on Ed please follow his blog that Bob is keeping up.

http://oakiegrandfather.blogspot.com/

Prayers for Ed and the Minich family are welcome and much appreciated! Ed~ a big hug to you from me :) Love~ Elayne

Grandpa Minich updates

2009-10-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is the latest update regarding how Ed is currently doing He was brought into the hospital after a blood test revealed his blood sugar level to be at 600. His sister Judy is now there taking care of Ed and Lois. The following information was an e-mail update last night from his son Bob.

"Dad's doing OK. He's still physically weak. He's alert and talkative, but still wants plenty of sleep. His blood sugar is still not well controlled but they are working on that with insulin and diet. The MRI results are in and the doctors are happy with the result. They said the tumor is shrinking and the treatment is doing what it is supposed to do.

Judy said Dad is eating well, though his menu is now both gluten free and diabetic appropriate. He said he didn't have any visitors other than Judy today and that's OK because mainly he just needs to rest and sleep. A diabetic nurse visited while Judy was there. They think Dad will require insulin when he gets home so they are going to set him up with a blood tester and supplies. According to the diabetic nurse, the three main causes for diabetes are steroids, genetics, and stress. It sounds like Dad is lined up with 2.5 of those factors.

Dad got his radiation treatment today and is still on the prescribed drugs. They are working to lower steroid dose. Dad still needs assistance. He is too weak to move between the transport bed they use to bring him to the radiation treatment and the bed in his room. They will be working on physical therapy to get him more active.

Chris and Elayne are planning to come to Tulsa."

-- Bob

Please continue to pray for Ed while he is getting the rest, treatments and care he needs to regain his strength. We are looking forward to getting there and giving him a hug :)

Grandpa Minich

2009-09-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pictures of Ed! ( Grandpa Minich)

I was reading my sister-in-laws blog today and thought about how heavy our hearts are as Chris's Dad ( Grandpa Minich) is having a rough time right now going through Chemo/Radiation for brain cancer. We just hate to see him have to go through this.

It looks like his sister is going to come down to Tulsa to help out for a while, which brings so much comfort to all of us that can not be there on a full time basis.

We too, look forward to him finishing his treatments and feeling better. I don't think there is anything he loves more than getting together with as many family members as possible at one time, the more the merrier!

Please keep Ed in your prayers, he has a few more weeks of treatment and then on to healing and recovery. We pray for rest, comfort, peace and healing.

FATHERS DAY~Kevin, Tim, Grandpa, Chris & Matt

Keepin' up with the Guys and Nikki!

2009-09-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that all of our kids have their own blogs now, so to keep up with what is going on in their lives please visit their blogs to catch up and keep in touch with them :). I know they enjoy hearing from all of you on their blogs.

Tim's Travel Blog

http://timinich.blogspot.com/

Kevin & Nikki's Blog

http://kevinandnikki03.blogspot.com/

Life according to Matt and Ryo

http://mcminich.blogspot.com/

Family Favorite of the week~

2009-09-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Since it has been raining for the last 4 days I decided to begin organizing my photos. You know, that thing on the "to do" list that you never really do. Well, I came across so many pictures, with so many memories and many of them simply make you laugh. This is one of my favorites and gave us all a good laugh :)

Matthew age 4

911- NEVER FORGET

2009-09-11T12:12:00.001-07:00

OUR NEICES, SARAH, ERICA & ANNA! Great job girls :)

Family Favorite of the week~

2009-08-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

The last days of Summer!

2009-08-26T19:17:00.001-07:00

Well, really it is still in the 100's here so summer is only over due to a school calendar.

We spent a great day at the lake Sunday with my cousins Michelle, Jeff and Little Matthew. It was Matthew's first time ever to go out on a boat and to ride the tube!

This is just adorable watching him look out at the water behind the boat while mom and dad hold on carefully to him :)

Matthew wasted no time at all getting behind the boat and on the tube with Chris- he loved it!

My beautiful daughter-in-law enjoying the lake :)

Stopping for dinner break and then back to the water :) Notice we had the place to ourselves by this point thanks to 'back to school days"!

Michelle & Jeff decided to take the Kayaks out and they let us take little Matt for a tube ride :)

Matt & Matthew tubing! Little Matt kept holding his thumb up for the signal "go faster"!!

Then they fell off and we all cheered for little Matt! He was then very proud of himself for falling off :)

And then... he drove the boat, with Kevin's help of course.

Elayne and Little Matt discussing how he was enjoying the boat- so cute.

Kayaking with Daddy!

Ahhhh- the end to a very fun day. What I don't have a picture of, and wish I did, was Kevin whipping Big Matt into shore on the tube as we all watched Matt literally roll across the water into shore. I'm sure glad I am used to boys!

"you have made my day" ~ Little Matthew

Family Favorite of the week~

2009-08-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

This was actually a few weeks ago on my birthday and before Tim moved to Prague. We all went out to Yogurt Story to celebrate ~

and on the way home we were all in classic Minich Mode with Matt as usual leading the way in making everyone crack up :)

I TRIED to take a picture of the 4 of them in the van and every time I did Matt would "jump" in the picture.

So... I tried to be sneaky and take the pictures over my head~

From Down Low~

From Up High,

Around The Seat Corner~

But... now matter what I did he always got there first :)

Just a silly, but wonderful birthday memory :) That's my Family! And.. my Favorite of the week :)

Family Favorite of the week~

2009-08-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

Our favorite this week~ Tim in Prague!!

Tim's send off!

2009-08-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Packing up the night before~ could you fit your whole life in 3 suitcases and a backpack??

Notice, LiLi thinks she is going to Prague :)

We went out to Chili's for lunch before leaving for the airport. Tim wanted one final Dr. Pepper:)

Saying goodbye at the airport to Dad~

to Kevin~

to Matt.... one last laugh from Matt :)

to his brothers and sister~

" BROTHERS"

to mom & dad~

a hug from Nikki~

and Mom~

and Tim is off to Europe to begin a new and exciting time in his life. Follow his blog to read more... Tim's Travels http://timinich.blogspot.com/

Tim's moving to Prague party!

2009-07-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

THIS FIRST PICTURE IS OUR "FAMILY FAVORITE OF THE WEEK"!

We had a big celebration for Tim that began on Saturday afternoon and ended on Sunday afternoon. Tim enjoyed the weekend with family & friends as everyone came to spend time with him and wish him well ( that sounds better than to say good-bye:) Everyone seemed to have fun playing football, frisbee, bocci ball and some game I don't know the name of :) Lots of food and all of it gone, including 42 braughts! The pictures really

tell it better. We love you Tim!

The game with no name :)

The Weeks Family!

The Wylie Minichs!

Aunt Christie & Uncle Mike

The Uretsky cousins!

Big Tim and little Tim ( they are both TJ'S)

Chris & Sophie~ I think this man needs a granddaughter :)

Tommy & Matt

Nikki & Angie

The Timely's!

"FRIENDS"

Sophie

Grandma & Grandpa Ski!

Matt

Well, not everyone is happy about this! LOL

We will all miss you Tim but look forward to reading your blog and hearing of your adventures!

To keep up with Tim, his blog ( Tim's Travels) is with all the others under "family & friends blogs. He leaves this Friday.....

2009-07-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Ed's Surgery

2009-07-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

Chris's dad, Ed Minich, will be having surgery in about an hour at noon today to remove a brain tumor. They expect the surgery to last 3-4 hours. He will then be moved to ICU for 24 hours followed by several days in the hospital. Your prayers and thoughts for Ed today and over the next weeks are appreciated. Thanks, everyone! He has a blog that his son Bob Minich will be keeping us updated on.

http://oakiegrandfather.blogspot.com/

Why arnt my parents excited??

2009-07-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

Last night we went out to dinner with Tim and on the way home he mentioned how excited his friends parents were about him moving to Europe. He said "they seem more excited than my own parents"! I said " yeah, that's easy for them to be excited, there kids are staying here" !

Well, we REALLY are excited for him and it has me think about this experience he is going to be able to have.

I am concentrating on things like ~ how this is something we ALL wish we could do.

~All the new and interesting people he will meet from around the world. One's with names like " James Lord and "Braumley".

~how technology makes it so easy to keep in touch with him. He will be starting a blog so we can follow along on his journey.

~ that he gets to live in a "flat" not an apartment and does not need a car to get around.

~ the places, cultures, food, history and people he will learn about and experience.

~how he is stepping out of the "box" and trying something so different and where God may lead him with his teaching English. He is a very good teacher by the way :)

~ oh, the photography! I am so jealous. He has a great camera too!

~ the courage and planning it takes to do something like this and how happy we are that he will travel with his friend Luke.

Please be praying for Tim and Luke over these next weeks and months as they adjust and settle in.

So.. to conclude we are most definitely excited but will very much miss him. We may just have to get our passports ready!!!

Family Favorite of the week

2009-07-16T11:24:00.001-07:00

Tim's moving to Europe!

2009-07-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

It's Official~ our oldest son Tim is moving to Europe in 18 days! He will be living in Prague for the first 5 weeks becoming certified as an English translator. After that, he will apply for a job and is pretty open as to where he will live. We are very happy for him to have this oppurtunity in his life but as you can imagine we will miss him terribly.

He and his friend Luke will be going together and have already enrolled in the class and have a flat that they will share with some other students.

Tim is in a great position in his life right now to do this and we are excited for him as he gets to travel Europe. He will be starting a blog to keep all of us updated but for now please feel free to leave him a message here before he moves. Move date is July 31.

Sunday at Kevin & Nikki's~

2009-07-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

Just a Sunday afternoon~

Kevin & Nikki invited Chris and I to their new apartment today to go swimming and have dinner with the 2 of them, Matt and Molly ( Nikki's sister).

It was 108 degrees today so it was either indoors or in water-only choices. We picked water!

The apartment is adorable and they have done such a nice job decorating it. Makes Chris and I want to sell everyhting and downsize to a one bedroom apartment :) Ahhh.... probably not.

They made dinner for us after we swam with ice cream for dessert. Very fun afternoon.

Then home to relax on the back porch ( only 100 degrees now) with ice tea, a magazine and guitar. Just a nice day :)

The 4th of July!

2009-07-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

A great day beginning at 6 am with a 10 mile run to the lake and back. A restful afternoon followed by hamburgers & Bocci Ball with Matt, his friends and Kevin & Nikki.

At the last minute we all decided to jump in the van and go to the lake Cities fireworks show. We hadn't been to the fireworks in many years and I must say Lake Cities put on a great show!

We all sat on blankets eating watermelon and watching the fireworks. It was warm but not too hot with just enough of a breeze to stay comfortable. There was "old time" classic American songs being played and lots of people from the community all sitting in the soccer fields. It really felt like you were back in time.

The night ended with desert while we watched "The Patriot"!

BBQ at our house the day after the wedding~

2009-07-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

The "gardeners" checking out my garden, which Ed enjoyed one of the tomatoes from :)

Ed, Lois and uncle Bob were all here from Tulsa!

Sophie playing in the sprinkler~ wearing her new swim suit from Auntie Elayne :)

Aunt Carla from Arizona was here!

Uncle Chris and Sophie. I am sure I have a picture exactly like this one of Chris and Jessica, Sophies Mom, our niece.

Emily and Lindsey enjoying watermelon after playing in the pool :) Emily was here with Cindy from Oklahoma and Lindsey with Carla from AZ.

Tim, Elayne, Jessica, Harold, Chris and Sophie. Harold came in for the wedding from Hong Kong and we are really glad he came over Saturday for the BBQ.

Matt and "Grandma" JoAn in from Florida. We loved getting to spend time with JoAn and missed her very much when she headed back to Florida :(

Thanks to EVERYONE that was at the wedding and especially those of you that came in from out of town~ it was great to see all of you and share in Kevin & Nikki's special day!

The Rehearsal Dinner and drive to the wedding!

2009-06-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

The Bride & Groom meeting for the Rehearsal at the Alexander Mansion!

The wedding party heading in for our "practice runs".

Nikki and her mom, Angie at La Hacienda where the dinner was held.

Lindsey and Emily ( the flower girls) with their flower girls bears from Build a Bear.

The food was delicious and the rehearsal and dinner went very well! A great time with the wedding party the night before the "Big Day"!

So far, this is my only picture I have from the wedding. Kevin and Adam ( Nikki's brother) drove with Chris and I to the wedding. We had to keep Kevin and Nikki from seeing each other in the parking lot. The girls snuck Nikki in and the guys kept Kevin hidden while helping him get ready in the car. He was sooo nervous and such a handsome groom! Steve and Adam took good care of him :)

What do you do when it is 110 degrees outside????

2009-06-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Take the boat out for the first run of the year!! Tim put a hitch on his pathfinder to see if it could handle pulling the boat. It was no problem at all.

How many times do you drive over the bridge and see the boats on the lake and wish you were there instead of on 35?? We enjoyed our view of the bridge on Saturday :)

Jim always kept his wedding ring in this floating key chain when he would wake-board. Saturday was Kevin's first time out wearing a wedding ring, so guess where he keeps it?? :)

Tim getting ready to go out and do his famous 360's on the knee-board. I don't think he has beat his Mom's record yet :)

Matt's turn~ the beginning of the season is always filled with the best wipe outs. Matt is particularly good at them. You heard "OHHHH" come from our boat several times when it was his turn, as he is upside down and landing on his head. Oh, Matt!

Kevin

Have a safe and fun summer everyone ~

Kevin & Nikki Minich!

2009-06-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

The wedding was absolutely beautiful and the reception was so much fun. I will post more later but for those of you that would like can go to http://danieldavisphoto.com/blog/?p=681 to view some of the photos from the wedding~ enjoy! More later...

June 10th ~Today Is Our 25th Anniversary!!

2009-06-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

25 years with my best friend~ THEN & NOW :)

George Eliot

What greater thing is there for two human souls
than to feel that they are joined together to strengthen
each other in all labor, to minister to each other in all sorrow,
to share with each other in all gladness,
to be one with each other in the
silent unspoken memories?

WALK WITH ME ON THIS JOURNEY CALLED LIFE~
Our 25th Anniversary ( Part 2)
Chris and I spent our anniversary at Lantana Lodge. This was just 2 days before Kevin & Nikki's wedding and was a nice little "get away".

We had actually gone there on our 20th anniversary as well but the lodge was just opening at that time and they were not prepared for us arriving during the week for dinner. The menu consisted of about 1 choice which was fish ( I don't like fish). So, after we told them it was our 20th anniversary they asked us exactly what we wanted. One of the employees actually went to the store and bought all the food. They returned and cooked us up a wonderful meal complete with flowers, champagne and dessert. All "on the house"!
We were so impressed with how well they took care of us 5 years ago that we decided to go back. This time, a tornado blew in and as we were eating dinner the restaurant flooded! (Notice the green sky outside the window). Again, they were very nice, moved everyone to different tables and lite candles on each table as the power kept going out. Romantic in a weird sort of way.

We spent the night at the lodge this time and had a wonderful morning drinking our coffee on the gazebo that overlooks the lake.

Followed by a great breakfast in the now"dry" restaurant and then back home to discover the storm tore one of our trees in half and broke the fence :(

The week came in with a storm and ended just beautifully!

It's Time For a Wedding!

2009-06-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

The time and place have been chosen, the bride and groom are anxious, excited and nervous all at the same time.
Moms & Dads are watching their children grow up and begin their lives together just as we did many years ago.
Brothers & sisters, Grandmothers & Grandfathers, family & friends all here to support them as they make a commitment to each other and to the Lord.
Kevin & Nikki ~
This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
I love you my son and my daughter~ Momma Minich

An angel watching over ~

2009-06-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

Chris's brother Dave was in a serious car accident on Sunday. His truck went nose first into a concrete ditch after another driver stopped at a stop sign, looked and didn't see Dave.He ( other driver) then went and "Pow" "Bam" CRASH"!( Dave's description:) He was taken to the local hospital by ambulance and then air lifted to a hospital in Phoenix.
He ended up in ICU overnight with a fractured vertebrae in his neck. He is now home and probably has a long recovery ahead. Dave~ we are sooo glad you are ok, gave us all a good scare. Thanks to everyone that was/is praying for our brother Dave.
Here are some pictures from the accident;
This is Barb, Dave's wife in the ditch after the truck was removed

Dave's truck

David and his son Jake

and daughter Melanie

" We are all just one phone call away from being on our knees"
Thank you God!

11 More Days!!!!!!

2009-06-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

Getting Ready!!! Kevin and Nikki are moving all their stuff into their new apartment and setting it all up so everything is ready when they come home as husband & wife!!

They have a really nice place with lots of amenities~ a balcony with a big tree for shade~ great feature in Texas!

an indoor basketball court~ I think this sold Kevin :)

3 beautiful swimming pools! Nikki and I already have plans :)

a great workout room and more! Nikki is having fun decorating and Kevin said " mom, I'm going to be living with a girl, all we ( guy roommates) ever worried about was where to put the TV and computers" :)

It is very exciting watching them prepare for their wedding and life together~ can't wait!

Just more funny stuff from Matt~

2009-05-26T20:06:00.001-07:00

Fishin' with Uncle Chris

2009-05-21T20:31:00.001-07:00

On the day of Nikki's bridal shower Chris spent the afternoon with TJ, our nephew. His mom and I ( our niece Kristy) went to the shower together while TJ hung out with his uncle.
Chris took him bike riding and down to the lake to go fishing. I think they both had a good time and we are looking forward to taking him camping soon :) Kristy, I think we have his baseball socks somewhere.....

Isn't he so cute...ahhh, little boys :)

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a wonderful mothers day! I had a great day with all my guys :) We went to church in the morning, then they all made lunch for us. We had BB-q jalapeno turkey burgers, corn on the cob and watermelon!
Relaxed for a few hours and watched a movie ( they watched, I slept :) Then the boys decided to go play basketball and Chris and I did our run to the lake, hung out there for a little while and then ran back. It was a very nice day :)

Mothers Day 2009!

What's in a name?
Timothy~ means; Honoring god

Kevin ~ means; beautiful at birth

Matthew~ means; Gift of God

They are all gifts from God, beautiful young men and I am honored that God chose me to be their mom.

Nikki's Bridal Shower!

2009-05-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

For Nikki ( almost Minich) Weeks!

She looked beautiful and the tables and decorations were beautifully done!

Nikki with her girlfriends :)

Nikki's made of honor, Nicole, had a suitcase full of Nikki's clothes and accessories that Nikki had to pull out and put on -blindfolded :)

OOOPS! blindfold came off.

She's getting there, what a trooper!

She did it-got everything on, including the socks that she used as "mittens" to avoid taking the boots back off!

Nikki had a great time opening the presents, she is just so sweet :)

Me with some of my dearest friends and niece Kristy, who I was able to spend some time with driving to the shower and back and enjoyed getting caught up with her. Kristy's son TJ stayed at our house and hung out with uncle Chris. They went fishing, bike riding and made popcorn with the hot air popper which apparently was a big hit with TJ.

Kevin made a surprise visit at the end of the shower and as you can see Nikki was very happy to have him there :)

It was a beautiful shower. Thank you to Donise our hostess , to everyone that helped put it together and came out in the pouring rain ( a true shower:) and to those that could not be there as well.
Love you Nikki! Mama Minich :)

This Old House~

2009-04-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

has a new kitchen/nook/bathroom/laundry and pantry floor! After 5 long weeks it is finally done!
Laying the last tile....

A weekend of Celebrations!!

2009-04-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was full of celebrations for our family!
We started Saturday at my niece Jessica's house to celebrate her daughter Sophie's 2nd birthday.This is Sophie opening up her present from Aunt Elayne & Uncle Chris. We got her a swim suit with matching flip flops and a hair bow (thanks Cindy:). I hear she loved her shoes and would not take them off :) Isn't she adorable??

From there we headed to game 4 in the playoffs! Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center. We were celebrating Chris & Matt's birthdays.

The crowd was huge, the fans were crazy

and the Mavs were great~ The game was close which kept it very exciting and the Mavs won 99-90! The fans were yelling, cheering and singing all the way out to the parking lots~we had sooo much fun!!

Then we were on our way to "HENKS" for dinner. The guys have been telling us about this little German resteraunt/deli/bakery they found and love going to in Dallas. They have told us that many of the customers and staff speak in German. That there is entertainment , someone playing the accordion and sometimes singing (in German of course). The customers will join in the songs of cheer and sing along. A women was playing when we were there and she played Happy Birthday for Chris and Matt on the accordian. And yes, the people sitting at tables around us were speaking in German. It was so cool. I didn't know such a place existed in Dallas :)
So we ate brauts, sauerkraut, spaetzle,German beer and cake! We toasted to our birthday boys, the Dallas Mavericks and to my great test results from this week!

It was a wonderful day with "my guys" :)

In Loving Memory of James Patrick Minich

2009-04-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

Today, April 26th, is the two year anniversary since Jim began his eternal life in Heaven. We all miss him SO much, but know that he is in the loving arms of his Father.
Wish we could be there this year with all of you in Oklahoma. We love & miss you Jim.
Chris, Elayne, Tim, Kevin & Matt

Another Birthday at the Minichs!

2009-04-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

Today is Matthew's 19th Birthday! I can't believe our youngest is now 19. A lot has changed for him since his last birthday. He decided to switch his major from Geology to Arts & Performance with a concentration in music. For all that know Matt, it is easy to see this change was good :)

Here is an e-mail he shared with me. Please take a moment to check out this film created by his roommate Felipe, in which Matt did the voice acting :)

"Felipe created two animated films, one of which I was the narrator and
primary voice actor for. He entered the films into the UTD Cosmic Film
Festival and won two out of the 4 awards! For his film I was NOT in, he
won best film, and for the one I WAS in,it won best animated film....and
here it is"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re-FgAekCM4

enjoi :)
Happy Birthday Matthew~ love you!
Please feel free to leave Matt a Happy Birthday message!

minichfamily06

Important Change with the Minich family Blog!

Getting Ready for another Summer!

A Peach!!

Prayers for The Hudspeth Family

Limes!

Please Vote for my picture!

What's in a name?

Tuesday's with Stephanie

Tim..Twenty Six...

2011 a big year for The Minichs!!

Winter 2011

What This Old House Has taught Me

Broken

This Old House...Under Construction Again

Happy 24th Birthday to one awesome guy!!!

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas & a Happy, Healthy 2011!

Quotes of Christmas Past Continued...1993 & 1995

Quotes of Christmas Past 1988

Under Construction....again

Thanksgiving 2010

The Pumpkin Patch & Pumpkin Roll recipe!

Pumpkin Roll Recipe~ Chris and I make Pumpkin Rolls every year and many of you have asked for the recipe, so here it is! Great for Thanksgivingor Christmas desert. Please let us know how yours turns out :) Have a very Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Halloween 2010

Happy Halloween!!

Tim and I watched "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" tonight as we have for the past 25 years. Always a classic, never gets old!

Happy Halloween :)

How I disrupted my family's evening.

The Harris Wedding

Its Cowboy Season!!!

Saying Goodbye

Four Days Of Family Fun!

Four days of Fun with my family! My brother Marco and his wife Karen came to visit from Ma. Days One and Two....Having fun with my big brother and sister-in-law!! Toured the Cowboys stadium then lunch at the Gaylord Texan today!

Day 2 continued... The Gaylord Texan... This place is awesome!

Day 3 of "Fun With Family"...The Lake!! Marco and I rode the tube together and Kevin was kind enough NOT to kill us :)

Day 4..... another great day with Marco and Karen! Went downtown to Dealy Plaza and the book depository, ate lunch at Gators and walked around the West End. Dinner at home with all the kids and a movie to end the night...lots of laughs and fun!!

We had a GREAT time and miss them already :)

The Kids enjoying the boat...summer 2010!

Tim's new wheels!

New News from the Minich Family!

Memorial Day BBQ with the family

The Broken Chain

Joeseph David Uretsky ~ June 27,1991- May 31, 2010

my daughter-in-law Nikki graduated Summa Cumlaude with high honors from UTD today!!!!! We are so very proud of her and happy to have her in all our lives!

May 10th 2010 Monday 8:05 PM

Mother, Lois Minich, passed away Monday at 8:05 AZ time. She sailed away slowly from our sight while others saw her coming and cheered "her she comes" We already miss her. We will post arrangements as soon as they are made. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Three years today~ Tribute to Jim Minich

The Birthday Boys!!

Happy Birthday In Heaven!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYO!!!!

HAPPY EASTER !!

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!

Tim's Birthday in Austria....

Happy 25th Birthday Tim!!!!

From my February Family calendar~

Texas snow storm 2010

January

Julie & Julia?? Well, maybe not...

The Deans List

Happy 23rd Birthday Kevin!!

Minich Family Fun!

Our Christmas 2009

Oh Christmas Tree.. Oh Christmas Tree...

Introducing Kapium Products

THANKSGIVING 2009!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Final Tribute for our Dad, Ed Minich

Funeral and other arrangments for Ed Minich

Family Favorite of the week~

Halloween Past

Family Favorite of the week~

Tim's travel by train with a group of friends to Karlstein Castle- outside of Prague.

Trip to Tulsa

Grandpa Minich updates

Grandpa Minich

Keepin' up with the Guys and Nikki!

Family Favorite of the week~

911- NEVER FORGET

Family Favorite of the week~

The last days of Summer!

Pumpkin Roll Recipe~ Chris and I make Pumpkin Rolls every year and many of you have asked for the recipe, so here it is! Great for Thanksgiving
or Christmas desert. Please let us know how yours turns out :) Have a very Happy
Thanksgiving everyone!

Four days of Fun with my family! My brother Marco and his wife Karen came to visit from Ma.
Days One and Two....Having fun with my big brother and sister-in-law!! Toured the Cowboys stadium then lunch at the Gaylord Texan today!