The Wesolowski's WEB site: October 2007

KARATE----A new sport and a new "outfit"

Thomas takes karate lessons in Elmhurst with his good friend, Jack. Thomas is practicing the Tsuru Dachi (Ta-sheer-you Dah-She) stance.

Watch out, his hands are registered weapons!

Stay tuned for more photos. Thomas is entering his first Tournament in mid November and should earn a trophy!

NIU Reunion Tail Gate Party 10-13-07

It's been over 20 years since we began our friendship, and this is the first time we've gotten all the kids together. Tom Bauhduin, Mike Morsch and I planned a tail gate party in conjunction with NIU's home coming on 10-13-07. We had a GREAT turn out.

We got there early, staked out our area, set up some tables and began grilling hot dogs and burgers.

Tom worked the Grills.

It was a big day for Thomas as Mom and Dad let him have his first can of soda. That's right, after almost five years of life without carbonated beverages, Thomas let out a big Yahoo in celebration.

Steve and Joe attended as well as Panto and Jack with their families.

Thomas already knew the Morsch's from swimming at the Elmhurst pool in the summer. Mike and his family live about 1.5 miles from the Wesolowski's. Apparently, it's cool to have stickers on your face?

New friends were made as well. Susan and Ed's wife had a good time talking.

The kids made new friends too.And then, into the game. We had good seats but the Huskies just could not get the job done losing yet another game. Looks like the first losing season in a long while. But Hey....

The real action is in the stands anyway. Thomas is rough housing with Tom's and Kevin's kids. Hey, I can't recall watching too many plays when I was in college. So, I think the acorn hasn't fallen far from the tree!

We had a great time filled with fun and lots of good memories.

The Guys!

Muskie Trip 2007 10-5-07

After a one year lay off, the boys returned to the annual Muskie fishing trip. This time we went up to Rhinelander, near Eagle River and fished Boom Lake and the flowage. The drive up was shorter and the accomodations were stellar.

After fishing only one hour, Thomas Tripp hooked and landed his biggest Muskie ever! 46 inches and it was a PIG.

The proud angler and his Muskie.

Tommy made the right choice and released it. Hey, we'll catch it again next year when it's 50 inches!

The celebration at the tavern on the river.

This was a great trip and everyone had a really good time. We even made it back home in time to watch the Bears beat the Packers!

A return to Pre-hockey 9-29-07

Well, Thomas took the summer off from hockey and did some roller blading in the drive way and went to free skates with Mom or Dad whenever possible. However, pre hockey started again in September and Thomas asked if he could join. We said, "OF COURSE! "

At the end of the Fall session Thomas was worn out. But during this session he had a new found spring in his stride (maybe it was the new skates) and was rewarded by being moved from the beginners side to the advanced side. He is now working on his hockey stop, cross overs and skating backwards.

Here's Thomas "lighting the lamp" or scoring a goal. He's in the red.

Soccer A first time for everything! 9-3-07

Thomas enjoyed playing soccer this late summer/fall. It was his first time playing soccer. The first 30 minutes is practice and the second 30 minutes is a four on four game with coaches as ref's. As Thomas points out - I really competed against another team!

I could not tell if Thomas liked the uniforms or the treats after the game better! But whatever the reason, he liked playing and took losing in stride. Unfortunately, no wins for our team yet, maybe this Saturday? Yes, the Blue Bears won the last game of the year to avoid being shut out.

Cousins at Play 8-4-07

In early August, we had a small family BBQ at the Wesolowski homestead. Dylan and Thomas had a blast.

Tribute to Mary Ann Forys - Beatles Style! 8-3-07

In early August, the Fest for Beatles fans came to Chicago. It was an event that our late cousin Mary Ann never missed. With Mom's assistance we donated several of Mary Ann's Beatles works of art for a special "fund raising" raffle. The response was Incredible!! People were lined up out the door and around the hallway to buy the raffle tickets. Some people remembered Mary Ann, and others were just moved -- the show organizers were wonderful in promoting the raffle. The money raised was donated to a John Lennon special fund - Just as Mary Ann would have wanted.

"And in the end, the Love you take is equal to the Love you make"

The Baudhuins come to the "Windy City" for a visit 7-14-07

Tom, Cindy, Mathew and Amy came to visit us in mid July. The day started with a home made Pancake breakfast at the Wesolowski's. Then we went downtown.

After learning all about the Sears Tower, the boys went to Wrigley Field and the girls went shopping. Amy visited the "American Girl" store and picked up a couple things.

After the Ball game, we all met at "Navy Pier." We had a good time walking around, eating and Matthew and I went for a ride on the SWINGS....