Packard Winter Weekend

Now...isn't this sporty sports car what you expected to see when reading a post called Packard Winter Weekend??!! Probably, not...

Kenny and I enjoyed a weekend in Dayton, Ohio at the Packard Winter Weekend that the Packard Museum there puts on. It was a great time...nice to get out of the house and away from Kenny's work that has kept him all too busy this winter and an event that I have never attended and Kenny hasn't been to in years. Good friends of the Friedrichs are in charge of the museum there and it was great to see them and other friends from around the country.

So, yes, the picture above was at the museum...Shaq's custom made Ferrari was there and Kenny sat in it, because it would actually kind of fit him.

This Packard sign Kenny remembers going somewhere with his friend Dom to pick this up and take it to the museum. Kind of cool to see the junky things you might find, cleaned up and on display now.

Kenny was involved with the La Carrera road race through Mexico for a couple of years with the museum and Bob Signom. The green Packard in the photo above was the car they raced one year.

Here's Kenny with the car.

Here's the side detail of the car.

And here's Kenny's name on the car as one of the mechanics.

Overall, it was a great, relaxing weekend...we always enjoy these things, have lots of laughs and new stories to tell. :)

So Proud to be a Huskie

One week ago, we shared our exciting news about Baby Charlie, but I couldn't bring myself until now to do a post about the bad news of the day...the shooting at NIU. I went to NIU for 4 years and without those 4 years at NIU, my life would be VERY different. I wouldn't have many of my closest friends and some of those close friends introduced me to Kenny...I LOVE going back to Northern to visit the places we used to hang out and I can't wait to bring little Charlie back there and get him NIU outfits. And maybe, if I'm lucky, he will want to go to school there too!

During my time there, I was involved with different organizations, but probably those that affected me the most were PSE and working for the school paper, the Northern Star. I feel like those organizations made me love NIU that much more and really made me feel apart of the family there. NIU is know for being so close to Chicago and it being a suitcase school, since so many packed up each weekend and went home to the burbs. It was NEVER that for me...granted when I started there, it was a nice perk, but I ended up getting so involved that I rarely went home.

The news of the shootings there broke my heart...I tried to put myself in the place of the current students and to have something that I love so much hurt by such a horrible crime...I just can't imagine. As an alum of the Star, we regularly get emails from the two advisors regarding upcoming activities and how the Star is doing. Those emails came several times a day for the last week. One of the killed students was a Star employee and the current staff has been so greatly hurt by that loss. Those emails also were so inspiring to read...they, along with many newspaper articles (many written by former NIU students and Star employees), described the great pull that has brought NIU together...and truly made them a stronger school than ever. THAT has been awesome to see, hear about and has never made me more proud to be part of the NIU family.

Finally...Pictures of the Baby!!!

To celebrate Valentine's Day, Kenny and I spent the afternoon at my doctor's office and we got to see the first pictures of Baby Friedrich. We both are healthy and doing great!! And the best part was we were able to find out the sex of the baby!! I can NOW stop saying "it" and "the baby" and start calling the baby a HIM!!!!!

That's right, it's a BOY!!! I've thought so all along, just a feeling I kept getting. Kenny and I are thrilled to have a son, but even more thrilled to have a healthy looking baby! The best part is, we have a boy's name picked out already...Charles Edward Friedrich...and we will call him Charlie. He was really moving around during the ultrasound and making it slightly difficult on the nurse to get a shot.

Here's the first picture of him...it's a profile shot. His head is sort of in the center of the picture and his body extends out to the left.

This picture is of his face and again, his head is in the middle and his body extends to the left of the picture. The black dots are the eyes.

And the proof that it's a boy! If you look at the center of the picture there is a white, computer made + sign...just to the left is the proof! :)

Welcome Baby Charlie!!! Now the surprise...who will he look like when he is born???!!