Homecoming

This past weekend was Ohio State homecoming. We made a quick trip up North to visit the 'rents, see some other relatives and watch the game. Fortunately, the Buckeyes beat Michigan State and remain number 1. Woo hoo! I'm hoping this winning streak continues....I remember many years of being disappointed in the team....those would be the Cooper years. I'm a much bigger fan of Tressel.

So, this morning, we all met for breakfast at Bob Evans [minus the hubby who was on a plane headed for California]. Nicholas got to meet his Great Great Aunt Dorothy. She was sisters with my grandmother, Effie. And Dot and Nick share a birthday.

Well, off to bed! My brain is blah, and I'll have a busy week flying solo with Mr. Nick.

Operation Buckeye: Please Help!

The Christmas I found out I was pregnant with Nicholas was when my dad sent out his first care packages to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It wasn't called anything then -- it was just my dad collecting items or money to buy items to send in the first round of boxes. He got the idea after reading a newspaper article about our troops.

Most, if not all, the money came from my dad and mom, our family [including me and the hubby] and dad's friends. My hubby and I went to Meijer with him to buy the items for those first boxes and planned to help him pack them all up. [While the hubby helped Dad fill the cart, I snuck off to buy my pregnancy test!]

Since then, this labor of love has a name, more volunteers, more attention and more funds. It's not just my dad, Jim, anymore. It's now called Operation Buckeye. Last year, 1064 boxes were sent to the men and women of our armed forces. To date, over 1400 boxes have been sent.

Trying to bring a touch of home and brighten the day of a soldier, the boxes contain items that are both treats and necessities: Beef Jerky and hard candy are two of the favorites, along with drink mixes (to give water a better taste). Gum, chips, cheese crackers, canned fruit, granola bars, tuna snacks, tooth brushes and paste, books, batteries, deodorant, foot powder, peanuts, puzzle books, and wipes are only a partial list of items sent.


Want to Help Operation Buckeye?
There are several ways to help. The most obvious is through donations:

Operation Buckeye
PO Box 1814
Westerville, OH 43086-1814

Or dropped off at any Huntington Bank branch [if you live in Columbus, OH].
Please make all checks out to "Operation Buckeye"

They also look for volunteers. Volunteers gather at Operation Buckeye HQ every second and fourth Saturday. Boxes are usually packed from 1pm to 4pm.

Operation Buckeye HQ is located at :
4290 N. High Street
Columbus, OH 43214


Contact Operation Buckeye:
Jim Caronis [my wonderful dad!!] - Chairman: Jim@operationbuckeye.org
Dave Eyestone - Treasurer: Dave@operationbuckeye.org


More About Operation Buckeye
OPERATION BUCKEYE was formed with the sole purpose of sending boxes to our troops as a way to thank them for their efforts and to bring a touch of home to them. The physical conditions they endure are difficult and being away from family for long periods of time is also difficult.

OPERATION BUCKEYE boxes contain food and snacks, personal hygiene items, reading materials, and good wishes of love and support.

All monies raised through letter writing campaigns, media exposure, and donations from individuals and companies are used to purchase items , supplies, and postage. OPERATION BUCKEYE provides caring civilians the opportunity to show their appreciation and respect to the men and women of our military stationed in hostile and remote regions of the world.


Related Articles or Stories:

http://www.dispatch.com/live/contentbe/dispatch/2006/10/19/20061019-C1-00.html
http://ohio15th.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html
http://www.dispatch.com/live/contentbe/dispatch/2007/03/01/20070301-B1-01.html http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/27/MIKE27.ART_ART_05-27-07_B2_0K6RAR0.html


P.S. My dad has NO idea I posted this in my blog! He's not about self-promotion, but I wanted to try and help out, so I've been putting the word out about Operation Buckeye. And I'm SO proud of my dad for doing all of this and just wanted to brag a little about him......

Bouncing Baby Boy

Last night, we went to the house of my friend, Diane. It was to make up for our missed St. Patty's Day dinner. Her son, Rowan, has been very sick with a virus for awhile, but he's finally better. We had a great evening, and the Ohio State Buckeyes won....all around, a good time.

Diane and Tim have this bouncy seat thing that hangs in a doorway. We put Nicholas in it, and he went NUTS. Nuts in a GOOD way, I should clarify. He was a bouncing fool. It was hysterical to watch him bouncing and spinning around and loving every second of it. We'll definitely be buying one of these for Nicholas as soon as possible.

They also have one of those rolling walker things. Rowan was in it for a little while, but he seems to get upset when he gets stuck. We tried Nicholas in it, but he only wanted to go backwards. I think he'll need a little more practice....something else to add to our shopping list. And something else I'll eventually be selling on craigslist.com!

Lord, I Miss Hawaii

I was up early with the baby. Had he not pooped his diaper something fierce, I'm sure he would have slept longer, but that's how it goes. So, I got him cleaned up, fed him a bottle and now he's asleep again! Meanwhile, Mommy is wide awake.....

Not much on at 6:11 a.m., so I switched over to the HBO channels and stumbled upon "Blue Hawaii." Now, I am not an Elvis fan, but I decided to watch just for the shots of Hawaii. I'm guessing this was filmed on Oahu versus Maui or another island. Even still -- it really makes me want to go back and soon! I'll put up with some horrible acting for the shots of the ocean....although, I really think Elvis needs to let the bitchy blond drown herself!

Today is St. Patty's Day. We have plans with a friend of mine. She was my Maid of Honor, and she delivered eleven hours after I did in the same hospital. We have that cool bond and always will. I'm hoping our boys grow up to be friends, especially since they can say they knew each other from birth -- literally!

I'm not sure if we'll do any green beer -- maybe some green wine! Should be a fun time. Seems as though we never go out or do anything anymore.....we just go to work and then work on got baby! I'm not really complaining, because I'm afraid I'd have Cafepress withdrawal after awhile....

My brackets are tanking. Unfortunately, Yahoo! isn't doing a very good job of keeping them updated! So, I'm not totally sure how I'm doing. I started out at the top of the family pool, but I keep losing ground.....however, my dad, sis-in-law and I all have OSU and Kansas in the final two, so this could get interesting....