Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 16:30:38 -0500
Subject: Weekend Update: November 8-12, 2001

Karyn Mohn and her two children flew to Tennessee on Saturday to reunite
with her husband who had gone before to set up home and a job.  Brian's
family live in Tennessee.  Before she left, Karyn threw Loryn a birthday
party at the Manor.  When I arrived home from work on Thursday, there must
have been 20 or 30 little persons under the age of 5 enjoying the place.
I found a corner in the kitchen and a plate of supper and amused myself
with the chaos.  Loryn turned 4. I reminded some people that Joy's birthday
was on Monday the twelfth at which time she would be four-two (4, too).
Grandma Coleen provided the food (yum!) and we provided the space. 

Friday night, a party of two (Rich and me) enjoyed a movie at home
while the younguns went to a sleep-over quiz meet at Manchester CT,
and Joy hosted a tenderheart party at the Drew home.  Miranda arrived
home later with two of her college buddies.  We haven't seen Jessica
in weeks, but she'll be home soon enough.

Miranda planned an evening of cookout and fun on Saturday for 12 of
her college friends. Joy and I missed the fun, opting instead to attend
choir rehearsal and a very quick dinner at the local mall Food Court
with Mark and Joyce Hamlin.  We had to dash back to the church to pick
up the returning younguns.  By the time we got home at 9:30, the college
women occupied the barn and had put on a chick flick. And since I was
succumbing to a few germs that someone shared with me, we turned in early,
leaving the women to themselves.

Sunday was fairly restful, eating the leftovers from Miranda's cookout
bash, but Monday was even moreso.  I took the day off to spend the
entire day with Joy.  We lazed in bed for most of the morning before
brunch, after which we did even more lazing.  I took her out to dinner
(which was the easy part) and shopping afterward (no small sacrifice
on my part), wandering the aforementioned local mall looking for 
something to say "Happy Birthday."

In one card shop, I asked her if she'd like me to pick out a card that
expressed how I feel about her, so she could return it to the rack,
and save some money in the process.  She laughed and declined.  So, 
she got no card and no present on her birthday.  (She tells me that
her cat is her birthday present.)  Nevertheless, we still very much
enjoyed each others' company and consider that to be a precious gift
in and of itself.  (And all the women said, "yeah, right, CHEAPSKATE!")

Hey.  Works for me!

Mark  
-- 
+---_-----------+ Mark Metcalfe, metcalfe@cadence.com
| c a d e n c e | Cadence Design Systems, Inc.    Phone: (978) 446-6451
+---------------+ Manager, PCB Enterprise Publications