Michael McCarthy 1940 - 2011

"...The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." (Job 1:21b)
This evening, the Lord called my dad to be with him after battling cancer for a while. We praise God for a number of things tonight: 
Firstly for the time He gave me with my dad a month ago in South Africa. 
Secondly, that I could say goodbye to him yesterday. 
Thirdly, that we believe he died peacefully in his sleep, around 12:30am SA time .
And finally that I will be reunited with him in heaven one day!

The McCarthy Christmas Letter for 2011

The 2011 McCarthy Christmas Letter

The roller-coaster ride that was the year 2011 is thankfully pulling in to the station after a rather turbulent year for the McCarthy family. 2011 had it’s shares of impressive peaks, daunting dips and even the occasional barrel roll that left us slightly disoriented.

As we started out on our ride, the roller-coaster climbed to a memorable highlight for Nathan. In February, the AWANA program at the church held their annual Pinewood Derby. It was the first year Nathan entered, and we put a lot of effort in designing and shaping his block of wood to resemble a “speed bus”. The effort paid off as Nathan won the prize for the fastest car in his age group. Needless to say, both Nathan and I were ecstatic!
The victory was soon followed by another peak in the roller-coaster track, which was having Norman and Gabi come and spend some time with us in Cleveland! We always love spending time with family, but our boys savor every second with their beloved grandparents.

But what goes up, must come down, and in roller-coaster terms, we were about to experience a double dip! In April, during his teams first soccer game of the season, Nathan broke his pinkie finger while playing goalie in near freezing temperatures! Liesel took Nathan to the Emergency Room for X-rays, and then to the Orthopedic doctors to get a full hand cast for his right hand. Being right-handed, this obviously impacted his schoolwork, and he taught himself to write with his left hand. The cast also impacted his ability to play, and it was only 10 days later, when he couldn't hold onto a pole in the playground, causing him to fall onto a wooden platform and breaking his leg! Liesel had to make the ER and Orthopedic doctor trip again, and the net result was a full leg cast and a wheelchair for our six year old. His leg remained in a cast for more than eight weeks. This proved to be a very taxing period for Liesel, since Nathan had to be carried everywhere, to and from the car, the bathroom, up and down the stairs, and into and out of bed every day! The only good thing to come from the situation was the use of the disabled parking at the stores!

Fortunately his cast came off right after the school year ended, at the start of the summer vacation! We were determined to make the most of these days, especially since Nathan had been confined to a wheel chair for so long! To make the vacation extra special, we were privileged to have my mom fly out from South Africa to spend a couple of weeks with us. Our roller-coaster was climbing again!
Liesel had booked a holiday house for us at Surfside Beach, South Carolina. The house was situated inside a “golf cart community” which meant we had our own golf cart at our disposal. This golf cart took us on our daily trip to the beach, the tennis courts, the indoor and outdoor pools as well as the playground! We all thoroughly enjoyed our week at the beach with the unbelievably warm Atlantic Ocean, the swimming pools, the tennis and of course the helicopter ride over Myrtle Beach! Unfortunately, our week in paradise was soon over, and we headed back to Cleveland. My mom had another week with us, and we continued celebrating the summer back home. She had a wonderful time with us and getting to know Nathan and Josh more intimately! But as the saying goes: “All good things must come to an end” and my mom was soon winging her way back to South Africa, sans luggage - but that’s another story!

Summer wasn’t over yet, and Liesel’s Uncle Terence and Aunt Max invited our family to join their family at their annual summer retreat in the North Woods of Wisconsin. The Edgar family had rented out a beautiful log lodge for the family that was on the shores of Lake Chippewa. So the McCarthys  flew up to Green Bay, and together with the Edgars, headed northwards to this piece of heaven on Earth. It was here where Nathan caught his first fish ever with the help of Uncle Terence and Liesel’s younger cousins. Liesel and Nathan also experienced their first tube ride behind a speed boat! We were so spoilt by the Edgars and were so very grateful to be a part of their family vacation!

After the vacation, we came back home and had to get Nathan ready for school! He enjoyed Kindergarten, but he absolutely loves first grade!! His teacher has identified Nathan as one of her top performers and has been pushing him “above and beyond” what is expected of the average first grader.
Joshua has had a rather uneventful year, besides keeping his parents on their toes! He continues growing quickly (still in the 97th percentile for weight and height), and his vocabulary is increasing exponentially! He has such a deep love of animals, which prompted us to buy a membership to the Cleveland Zoo. This allowed us to visit one of Josh’s favorite places as often as we like, and I know Liesel took full advantage of that this year. Besides his love for animals, Josh has a special love for his big brother. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Nathan must be the most flattered brother this side of the equator!

It was late September when gravity decided to take over and cause our roller-coaster to take a nose-dive and hurtle back toward the ground. This was when my father was travelling on business, when he felt dizzy and lost co-ordination on one side of his body. The doctors ran their tests and determined that he had two brain tumors. He had surgery to remove the larger tumor and further testing revealed that the tumor was a result of the melanoma that he had on his face that had metastasized. His doctor’s prognosis was not very encouraging and an unexpected reality check for us. After my dad’s surgery, and weeks in rehab, he was discharged and after a few conversations with him, he was extremely positive, and things seemed to looking up. Then a few weeks later, my father became dizzy in his apartment, fell over and hit his head. He was rushed to hospital by ambulance, and in an email from his doctor, she encouraged me to fly out to visit him as soon as possible. I bought a ticket that week and three days later I had touched down in Cape Town. I spent a week with my dad, and saw him in a very frail state. In what can only be described as a miraculous turnaround, he regained his strength, and the doctors who didn’t think he was going to make it through the weekend, said he was strong enough to be discharged on a few days later! I was happy to leave Cape Town knowing that my dad was on the road to recovery. Before leaving South Africa, I spent a couple of days with my mom and sister in Johannesburg. This gave me the opportunity to spend some time with some of my good friends, as well as an afternoon with a handful of cousins!
Our roller-coaster ride was still far from over, and had some disorienting turns in store for us. A dear friend of mine here in the USA was involved in an horrendous head-on collision while on his way to pick up his children from school on a Tuesday afternoon. He suffered massive head trauma and was rushed to hospital where they had to remove part of his skull to allow his brain to swell. He has been in a coma since November 22, and to date, has not shown any indication of intentional movement. This breaks our hearts as we are close to him and his family. He has a wife, an 11 year old daughter and 7 year old son, who is one of Nathan’s best friends. While we are praying for my friend’s recovery, we are reminded how fragile life can be, and we should never take it for granted. Please join us in praying for a Christmas miracle for the Muth family.
Finally, with the roller-coaster station in sight, Liesel and I have one last highlight to share with everyone. This past Friday, December 16, we attended our United States Naturalization Ceremony, where we officially became US Citizens! After living in the USA for five years, we applied for citizenship. This process consisted of being fingerprinted, photographed, and quizzed on US History and Civics, before being approved by the US Customs and Immigration Service. Upon approval, we were invited to the US District Courthouse of Cleveland, where the ceremony would take place. Dear friends of ours accompanied us, and took photographs for us! We are extremely honored, and humbled to finally having the privilege of calling this great country, our home!

As the roller-coaster slows down, we reflect back on 2011 with joy, gratitude and some sadness. However, it is comforting to know that it is God who is the designer and architect of Life, and none of the depressing declines, terrifying twists or gut-wrenching loops catch Him off guard. He has been on the ride before us and knows every twist and turn better than we know ourselves! He will standing on the platform, waiting for us as the ride comes to an end.  
It is with that knowledge that we put 2011 behind us, and climb aboard 2012, buckle up and get ready for the adventures that the new year will bring us!

Back to the Brrrrr

Last week around this time, I was at the OR Tambo International Airport awaiting my midnight flight to Amsterdam. My whirlwind trip to South Africa had come to an end and I was making my way back to my family in a much colder place. To put it into perspective, I had enjoyed temperatures of 90F (32C) in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. In my first week back in Cleveland, I was welcomed back with our first measurable snow fall, morning temperatures of 23 (-5C), and a day where the mercury couldn't muster the courage to rise above the freezing mark!

But I don't mind weathering these temperature variations if it means being back with my family!

My time in South Africa, although short, was quality time!
Update on my father:
When I last posted a blog, my father was still in the hospital, and was getting stronger each day. The next day (Monday), the physical therapist paid him a visit, and soon had him walking around. The doctors also resumed his radiation therapy. On Tuesday, the physical therapist had my dad walking up and down stairs. His doctors were so impressed with his recovery that he was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday! This meant that I was able to spend a day and a half with him at his home, and not in the hospital ward that I had come to know pretty well!
Today, he is still building his strength and working on getting fit! He is happy to be home and doesn't want to see the inside of a hospital anytime soon!

After spending a week in Cape Town, I flew up to Johannesburg for a few days. The time was short but productive. I spent quality time with my mom, sister and her family, hung out with some good friends, had a great afternoon with cousins, and went to Church on Sunday morning with my mom!

During my stay in South Africa, I enjoyed a delicious bounty of foods. These included Steak Pie, Chicken Pie, Pastrami Sub, Biltong sandwiches, Sweet & Sour Chicken Pizza, Choc Chip Yogurt, Nandos Lemon and Herb Chicken Burger, Grilled Snoek and Chips, Milo, Milo cereal, Boerewors roll, Custard slice, Creme Caramel, Chocolate Pudding, koeksusters, and a lot of South African chocolates! Needless to say, I didn't lose any weight on this trip!

Being back with my family in Ohio is wonderful! This weekend we shared some great times together, from eating frozen yogurt even though the temperature is below freezing, looking at our local shopping center's Christmas lights, and enjoying an unplanned Polar Express story-time at Barnes & Noble!

On Saturday night, Liesel and I had a fantastic date night with some of our dear friends, and dined at one of our favorite Italian restaurants! Finally, we wrapped up the weekend with an awesome Sunday service at Bay Presbyterian, followed by some outdoor football on the frozen lawn in the front yard with Nathan and Josh!

Where in the world is Grant McCarthy?

A week ago I was sitting in Cleveland, writing a blog and preparing for a short work week due to our Thanksgiving holiday! Little did I know that my world was about to be thrown upside down with two life-changing events taking place within 48 hours of each other! 


The first disturbing news I received was that my dad had fallen in his apartment and had hit his his head. He apparently had a seizure caused by a brain tumor, which caused him to fall. He was rushed back to hospital by ambulance, where he still is today recovering. After that news, I emailed his doctor, and she recommended I come and see him in South Africa as soon as possible, as his type of cancer is known for its rapidly spread throughout the body and to other organs. This news left me feeling numb inside, as nobody ever wants to think of a loved one in a finite sense! Also, when I spoke to my dad the previous week, he told me was doing fine and not to come out to South Africa to visit him. We even started making plans to come out for a family vacation in February! Now everything had changed! So on Tuesday morning, I went ahead and bought myself a ticket to Cape Town, leaving that Thursday, our Thanksgiving day!


Then, a few hours later that day, we found out that one of my best friends was involved in a terrible head-on collision that afternoon, while on his way to pick up his children after school! He had suffered severe head injuries and was rushed to the Cleveland's most advanced Trauma Center at Metro Health Hospital. My friend, Jim, needs a miracle, as he is still lying in a non-induced coma. His brain has swelled so much that the surgeons had to remove a part of his skull to allow the brain space to swell. To date there has been no response from Jim, making these times very trying for his wife and his two children (age 11 and 7)! Please join us in asking God for a miracle of healing.


So with all this upsetting news, Liesel and I were in no mood for a holiday set aside to give thanks! Later on, upon some reflection, Liesel made this powerful statement:  After this past week, I was not really in the mood to celebrate Thanksgiving. This afternoon I realised I needed to change my attitude as I have SO much to be thankful for: - I am thankful for the beautiful weather today so the boys & I could go have fun at a playground & for a walk this afternoon; for my boys who know when mom needs an extra hug; for local friends who are more like family who dropped off a delicious Thanksgiving meal; for my family & friends; for all the offers of help while Grant is out the country; for all the prayers going out for our friend, Jim and Grant's dad all over the world; being part of God's family. For those of you blessed enough to be with family today, go give them a hug because I am reminded anew how your life can change in an instant.

I was also reminded that it is only by God's grace that we have our health and our life, and we must NEVER take that for granted. Liesel again reminded me how important it was to go and visit my dad, so I can see him in person and tell him the things I needed to, because Jim's wife never got that chance! With that in mind, I boarded a plane to  to Cape Town via Amsterdam on Thursday evening. I landed in South Africa, after being in transit for 29 hours!! My sister (who had flown in from Johannesburg that morning) and dad's girlfriend met me at the airport and then took me straight  to the hospital to see my dad, even though it was approximately midnight. In his room, he woke up when we walked in and he managed to look up at me and smile. He was not really able to talk, but made groans and could squeeze my hand. He even managed to whisper "Hi champ" to me, which made me very emotional. I did not enjoy seeing him in that state, yet I as happy to be able to be there with him. When we went back the next day, we were so happy to see him sitting up and talking in full sentences again! Even though his voice was hoarse, we were able to understand him so much better. My facebook posts best summarize the past two days spent with my dad: 
Saturday: We went to visit my dad this morning and he is doing a lot better. He was able to talk to us and even make jokes! He also ate some of his lunch and was sipping juice regularly. We praise God for the good day he's having! He is still very emotional when we talk about certain things. Thanks for all your prayers, they are working! Please also pray for his girlfriend, so that she might come to personally know Jesus through this situation. On a another positive note, I had a Nando's Chicken burger for lunch and am now enjoying a Cadbury's caramel-filled chocolate! 
Sunday: We praise God again, as He continues to strengthen my dad. Today he spoke more, told more jokes, shared more stories and even made a few phone calls (including one to my aunt, where in response to one of her questions, he told her that I had put on some weight, while I was sitting in the chair next to him!!!) His doctors are also impressed with his progress and will most probably begin another round of radiation treatment tomorrow to help shrink the brain tumors!

As you can see he is making remarkable progress, and we can only attribute it to God answering our prayers. Thank you for all your prayers and support during this time!!!


Next week Sunday, there will be no blog, as I will be making my way back to the USA via Amsterdam again. Please pray that I make my flight back to Cleveland as it's a pretty tight connection once I land in Washington DC. I also have to make it through passport control and customs upon landing at Washington Dulles, which makes it a little stressful for me :(


After this somewhat depressing blog, here are some photos of my sister and I in Cape Town!

Celebrations and a sickness :(

This week, Liesel and I celebrated 10 years of a happy marriage! There was definitely a lot more "for better"s than "for worse"s. We celebrated the occasion by going to a fancy restaurant. Liesel had the Salmon stuffed with Crab Meat, and I had the lobster tail and filet mignon combination. Both entrees were delicious! We followed that up with Creme Brulee for dessert, but we both thought that Liesel's homemade Creme Brulee beat this one hands down. Other than that, the evening was very enjoyable!

Another reason to celebrate, is Josh's third birthday tomorrow (Monday). This meant that the Cake Decorating team of Liesel and Grant was back in action, designing and decorating the cake for a little animal lover. Liesel again, baked the cake, I cut it into shape, Liesel frosted it and I applied the finishing touches. All this resulted in a very cute crocodile birthday cake.

Included in Josh's pre-birthday celebrations, was a trip to the zoo. Unfortunately his brother and mom couldn't join us, since Nathan has been hit with another bout of Strep Throat, his fourth in three months! So while Liesel and Nathan were picking up anti-biotics, Josh and I enjoyed the Rain Forest at the Cleveland Zoo. The Rainforest is one of the most popular exhibits at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. It is contained in a large two story building with over 2 acres (8,100 m2) of floor space, making it one of the largest tropical indoor environments in the world. The Rainforest boasts more than 6,000 plants and over 600 animals from the tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas (from Wikipedia). During our visit, Josh led me through both levels of the huge exhibit, pausing occasionally to look at monkeys, fish, turtles, otters, snakes, crocodiles and porcupines. He had so much fun, he insisted on doing it all a second time!

The Good, The Bad and the Chilly

When we woke up on Friday morning and found a dusting of snow covering the roof, and parts of the garden, we were reminded that Winter is just around the corner! Fortunately, Saturday's temperatures climbed back into the 60s (16C+) which allowed us to spend some time outdoors!

I have made a list of some of the good things from the weekend, along with some of the bad.

GOOD	BAD
Doing some Christmas shopping with the family on Saturday morning	Having Nathan see one of his Christmas gifts, ruining the surprise
Enjoying the outdoors and raking up the leaves in the front yard	Having a strong wind during the night that undid most of our hard work
finding Rooibos tea and vuvuzelas being sold in local stores!
A much needed date night with my wife
Being invited to go watch the Cleveland Brown play football on Sunday morning	Watching the Browns lose in the last 2 minutes by missing a regulation kick
Having Nathan's and Josh's friends come over to play after dinner on Sunday evening	The meltdown Josh had when they were picked up at 8pm

Sleepless in San Francisco (and Cleveland)

Monday night was Halloween, and my two boys collected enough candy to feed a village!

On Tuesday afternoon, I boarded an airplane bound for San Francisco. I was attending a two-day course at Google,, Unfortunately, forty-eight hours is not enough for my body to acclimatize to the three hour time zone difference. Each night I would fall asleep around midnight (3am EST) and wake up 4 hours later. But other than the reduced sleep, my two day California trip was really good. Google fed us well, and the hotel we stayed at served up a magnificent multi-course breakfast, which included cereals, french toast, bacon, egg, sausages, fresh fruit, yogurt, cheeses and pastries!! On Thursday after the course, my colleague and I decided to kill some time by watching a movie, before making our way back to the airport for our midnight flight back. We watched the British comedy, Johnny English : Reborn, which was quite amusing, and quite silly at times. But it sure was better than sitting in San Francisco's rush hour traffic! After the movie, we had dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant, and then drove the rental car back to the airport. Our flight was packed, and I was "lucky" enough to have a woman who had a severe cold sit next to me. She is also didn't seem to want to sleep on the flight (like everyone else) and kept her overhead reading light on for the majority of the 4 hour flight to Houston. Then to top it off, the two tattoo-covered women sitting behind me, decided to crack jokes, and their cackling woke me (and everyone with earshot) up at around 4am. Needless to say, I wasn't a happy camper.... This flight was scheduled to land at 6am, and we had to catch the connecting flight to Cleveland at 6:45am. Much to my dismay, our flight landed 15 minutes late, and being at the back of the plane meant that it would take at least 15 minutes for me to get into the terminal. As soon as I got into the terminal, I started racing to the next flight, and my blood pressure was raised when I heard the announcement over the PA "Will passenger McCarthy please go immediately to gate E12 as this is the final boarding call!" To make a long story short, my colleague and I made it onto the Cleveland flight, and this was probably the best flight out the four we had during this trip. We finally landed in Cleveland just after 10am on Friday. When I got home I was physically exhausted, and that afternoon, I went for a three hour afternoon nap! While I was on the West Coast, Liesel and Josh were also "sleepless" back home. The reason for this was our new roof was installed from Monday to Wednesday. This meant that when it was time for Josh's afternoon nap, there would be some form of noise directly above his room, be it removing the old shingles, installing the ice-guard or nailing down the new shingles! The good news is that our house now has a brand new roof, although the weather has been so good, the roof hasn't had a chance to be tested by rain yet.

Fall in full force!

Above, are some photos from one of the Cleveland Metroparks within walking distance from our office. As you can see, the fall colors are putting on a spectacular display. We have also had a lot of beautiful days and a few rainy days. The latter will hopefully no longer be too much of a concern for us, as, weather-permitting, our roof will be replaced on Monday! So far, the weather forecast looks favorable.....

As for the weekend, we were blessed with two sunny days. Even though the morning temperatures are close to freezing, the sunshine brings up the the temperatures to the 50's (10C). On Saturday morning, we dropped Liesel's car off for an oil change, and then Liesel and Nathan spent some quality time together at the library, and a new neighborhood ice cream store, where you select your ice-cream (from 16 flavors), and your toppings. Toppings include: all kinds of sauces, chocolate chips, nuts, brownies, cookies and the list goes on and on. Once your frozen creation is done, you go and pay for it by its weight!

On Sunday, we had a lazy start to the day, before getting ready for Church at 10:45. The afternoon included finishing the mowing that I started on Saturday, watching football and playing Mario Bros Super Slugger Baseball with Nath. Liesel prepared a delicious roast chicken for dinner, which we finished off with her signature dessert, Creme Brulee, while watching "The Amazing Race" who were racing through Africa! It was strange how similar Malawi looked to South Africa!

Rain, rain go away!

Since last week's blog, each week day consisted of flood watches, and the occasional flood warning from National Weather Service due to the consistent precipitation that settled over North East Ohio. Unfortunately, this weather also took advantage of  the leak in Nathan's bedroom, and we literally had water rolling down the inside of the bedroom wall and pooling under the carpet. This prompted Liesel to temporarily move Nathan to our guest bedroom, as we wait for the dampness to disappear! We are also desperate for the roofers to come and replace the roof for us, so we can get his wall repaired, and then ultimately, move him back to his room. But as the rain falls, the roofer's existing work orders are put on hold, meaning longer waits for those customers further down on their list :(

So, you can imagine how happy we were to see the bright yellow orb in the sky on Saturday and Sunday!   In fact we celebrated the sunshine by relaxing and taking the weekend in our stride. On Saturday morning, we dropped off my car for a complimentary service, and then headed to some toy shops to look at potential gifts for the boys. That afternoon, was really laid back with playing baseball on the Wii, and football in the front yard. Some parts were still heavily water logged and sometimes it seemed like we were playing in a rice paddy! For family fun night, we played Twister, which Nathan loved, and his parents not so much... It reminded us that we are not nearly as flexible as we thought we were. It seemed like each spin of the wheel was accompanied by an extra groan as we struggled to move our limbs to the designated color on the mat...

Sunday was even more relaxed than the day before, as Nathan and Josh seemed to have a runny nose. So we decided to keep them home and skip church for a change. Some activities included more Wii, videos, chats with family, playing with Lego and reading books. Later on we all headed outdoors for a bit, and did the one chore that signals the eminent arrival of winter. It was time to pack away the summer furniture and equipment on the patio and store it in the garage during the harsher winter months. We could still have some fun out of it as the boys found some scooters that they hadn't used in a while, and zigzagged between the cars on the driveway.

All in all it was a wonderfully sunny, and relaxing weekend for the McCarthy's!

Nathan's Weekend of Birthday Celebrations!

On Monday, our oldest son turns seven years old! Turning seven is a big deal in our household, and we don't just celebrate it on one day. Here, we celebrate the whole weekend! Nathan was fortunate enough to have the day off school on Friday (as did most school children in Ohio), so that was a great start to his birthday weekend!

On Saturday, Liesel and I made and decorated his Space Shuttle Birthday Cake! Liesel made the cake, I cut out the shape, then Liesel covered it in a thick, smooth layer of frosting, and then I added the finishing touches, such as windows, tail, writing "Nathan" and finishing the trim. Have a look at his cake below, and see what great teamwork can accomplish (even if I do say so myself):

That afternoon I took Nathan and a couple of his friends bowling, where they had oodles of fun bowling with ultra-violet lights, glow in the dark balls and laser shows!

After two games, we all headed back to our house to "ignite" the space shuttle, sing happy birthday, and play a new game on the Wii that one of Nathan's gave him! Nathan has since spent many, many hours playing this new game!

On Sunday afternoon, we had our close friends over for another "party" for Nathan. While Nathan and his friends ran around the house, Jim and I watched football and the two ladies chatted! It was a great time together. We enjoyed pizza, brownies and another pumpkin-flavored birthday cake! Once the football was over, and another happy birthday song dedicated to Nath, our friends headed home. Liesel and I decided it was time to bring out his remaining birthday presents. The reason we gave them to him the night before was that I am taking Nathan out for a pancake breakfast before school on Monday, so there won't be time to sit around opening presents once we wake up! And on Monday evening, he will be going out for dinner too! Four full days to celebrate one's birthday is really special, and we know Nath loved every minute! So Happy Birthday Nath! Mom and dad are so very proud of you and we look forward to many, many more birthday's together!

Heavenly week of weather!

In what seems to be the polar opposite of last weekend's wet, and wintry weather, we have been graced with a string warm, sunny days! Temperatures topped out at 80 degrees (27C), and the boys were running around shirtless again. This weekend's goal was to take things easy and take advantage of the beautiful weather., and I think that we easily achieved that goal!

On Saturday morning, Liesel left the house at 6:20am because she was selling a bunch of clothes and toys that the boys had outgrown at the local Kid's Re-Sale event, which opened to the public at 7am. This left me in charge of the boys for the morning, so my first order of business was to whip up a batch of cinnamon and choc chip pancakes for breakfast. Afterwards, we got dressed, cleaned up and headed to the gym. I had an intense workout class, and 36 hours later each muscle group that was worked, is still letting me exactly how hard they worked!!! Chest, biceps, abs and hamstrings have all made themselves known...
After gym, the boys headed to Lowes, a home improvement store, to buy a flag pole for Nathan's wind sock. I had this idea to attach the pole to his jungle gym, so the windsock could easily catch passing breezes. So after we got home, I got out the saw, drill, and spray paint and got working on the new addition to his gym. Here is the end result, and do take note of the weather!

That afternoon I had the "privilege" of mowing my lawn, and although that it had been 5 days since the last rainfall, parts of the yard were still muddy! Even still, that didn't stop Nathan and I from throwing a football around in the evening after supper!

On Sunday, I took the boys shopping again, and then went to a playground to soak up this weather! The afternoon saw me in front of my computer due to some customer issues, but I made sure to take some time outs for some outdoor play. So all in all, a laid back weekend.

A touch of winter.

While last weekend came with temperatures in the mid 70's (25C), this weekend gave us a glimpse of Winter. With the continuous rainfall, temperatures struggled to rise above 50F (10C)!

So with the gloomy weather outside, we thought a cardio and weight workout at the gym would warm us up on Saturday morning. Liesel and I worked up a sweat while the boys entertained themselves in the child care of our local gym.
Since we were mostly house-bound this weekend, I did something unusual and took on the role of baker on Saturday afternoon. My creation: chocolate fudge, made from condensed milk and chocolate chips! It turned out pretty well in my biased opinion. But don't just take my word for it, ask any of the three independent judges: Liesel, Josh or Nathan. That evening as the sun set and the temperatures started dropping, it was the perfect time to get a fire going in the fireplace, the first of this cooler season.
The next morning, the temperature in the house was the coldest it had been since last winter, which prompted us to turn the heat on, another first of the season :( Hopefully this will be a temporary measure as the forecast calls for warmer weather in the coming week.
With this cooler weather, Nathan picked up another bout of Strep Throat. Liesel took him to a pharmacy on Sunday morning, to confirm our diagnosis and to pick up another round of anti-biotics for the poor boy. Josh and I headed to the Grace Baptist Church, where I got to hear a great sermon on parenting. That afternoon I took advantage of the dry hours, and managed to get the front yard mowed, before the heavens opened up again. So once again we were confined to the inside of the house, as we rode out the remaining weekend hours. However, there were a few moments that Liesel spotted when the sun put on a spectacular display as it bade the weekend farewell.

Finally, I wanted to share an update on my father's condition. He underwent surgery on Saturday morning in Cape Town to remove the brain tumor. The surgery was successful, and he was kept sedated for at least 24 hours after the surgery. When they woke him up today, he seemed to be doing well and very much his old self again, laughing and making jokes with the nurses. He feels fine and is not in any pain, and all is well. He will still be in ICU for a few days to be monitored during his recovery. Praise the Lord! Thanks again for all your prayers!

Flights, Fall and some Pro Football

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

One of the reasons I love my job, is that I get to go to some wonderful new places. On Wednesday, I boarded a flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia! This was my first trip to Canada, and although I only spent 20 hours in the neighboring country, I had a really good time in this beautiful city. After finishing up with the customer on Thursday, I had a couple hours to explore the Halifax waterfront, before catching my flight back to the USA. Below are some of the photos I took...

On Saturday, our family headed out on our annual Apple Picking excursion. Last year, we took Liesel's parents with us, and it was nearer the end of the season. At that time, most of the best apples had been picked and a few trees had some prize apples hidden in the upper branches. However, this Saturday was still very early in the season, and most trees had so many apples that their branches were hanging on the ground! Nathan and Josh had a great time, picking, sampling and throwing some apples! The highlight for Josh was visiting the farm animals, which included a couple of donkeys, goats, turkeys, pigs and rabbits!

On Sunday, a friend invited me to the Cleveland Browns football game! While Liesel and the boys headed to church, I was on my way to the Browns Stadium on the Lake Erie shore. The game was very tense as the home team was down 10-16 with a minute left in the game. The Browns took a slight gamble, which worked out for them and they managed to score the winning touchdown with 43 seconds left on the clock, making the final score-line 17-16! Very close indeed, but Cleveland are known for these close games.....
When I got home that evening, Nathan and I headed outside to play our variation of football in the front yard. The weather was absolutely stunning for a late September day, with temperatures in the mid 70s (25C). Great way to end off the weekend :)

Finally, I wanted to share an update on my father:
This Thursday, instead of operating on him, they life-flighted him back to his home-city of Cape Town. His doctors reviewed his condition and do not feel it is necessary to operate at this time, and that surgery should only be the last resort. He underwent more tests and was awaiting the results when I spoke to him on Saturday. We are still praying for a miracle and that medication will be able to eradicate the tumor. Please keep on praying with us. Thank you.

Fall Football Fever!

Before I share about our weekend's adventures, I would like to ask you to say a prayer for my father. He has been admitted into Intensive Care on Saturday because they discovered at least one brain tumor. Since he has been using blood thinning medication, they could not operate immediately. Surgery is scheduled for Thursday, and we would really appreciate it if you would lift him up in prayer at this time.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program...

As i pulled up our driveway after work on Friday evening, Nathan ran up to me and said, "Dad, can I ask you a favor?"
"Sure," I replied, not quite knowing what to expect.
"Can you please take me to the Avon Eagles football game tonight?"
The Avon Eagles is the name of the Avon High School football team. It's a tradition here to go and support your local high school sports teams, and Friday nights are usually set aside for the football games.
So we ate our supper that Liesel had prepared at a faster rate than usual, in order to get to the stadium by the 7pm kickoff. This was the first time Nathan and I went to a high school football game! We were amazed by the local support. As we were driving there, our car came to a standstill about half a mile before the school, as hundreds of people were making their way to the same game! While we were stuck in the traffic, we saw a number of people of all ages, wearing the Eagle's colors of purple and gold, walk past us on the way to the school! As we got closer to the school, we saw that police had the traffic situation under control, as they directed the cars into the school grounds. We eventually got to park the car and made our way to the stadium. Once again we were in awe to see all the support the Avon Eagles had! Children from Kindergarten all the way through to 12th graders, parents, grandparents, and many other Avon residents packed the stands, in their purple and gold shirts, caps, scarves, blankets, jackets and even socks! The school also put on a show with their cheerleaders, and marching band that entertained us during the half time break. In fact the visiting team's marching band also took part in the entertainment, and all in all, we had a great time. It also helped that Avon won 35 - 7 that night, which added to the already high spirits!

On Saturday, we went to the Cleveland Metro Park Zoo with our good friends the Bosley's. It was a beautiful Fall morning, with temperatures around 65 (18C), which meant that the animals weren't lethargic, like they were in the summertime. We took our red wagon to pull the boys around should they need a break from walking. Unfortunately, they both were not willing to walk up the steep incline to the aquatic/wild cats/primates area of the zoo! So it was up to me to get these two boys to the top. All I can say is, I think I have discovered an additional grueling exercise that future SEAL or Green Beret teams should be subjected to, in order to test their strength, endurance and mental attitude in one go!

Sunday was another beautiful Fall day, with blue skies and mild temperatures. Liesel took Nath and Josh to church, while I stayed at home to wait for an insurance assessor. Back in August we had a very strong storm with high winds and hail that damaged a number of roofs in the area. The assessor arrived and after a thorough inspection agreed that our roof was also damaged and should be replaced. We are quite happy about that, since the estimate for a new roof is around $11 000, but we are only on the hook for $500 as per our insurance policy.
In the afternoon, Nath, Josh and I played our version of football (which is actually pretty exhausting). Later on that evening, after dinner we rounded the weekend off with a bicycle ride around the neighborhood!

Autumn on its way!

Last weekend could easily be described as tropical, with the unusual heat and humidity prevailing. So when Monday's temperatures only topped out in the mid sixties (upper teens in Celsius), we knew that it was Labor Day, the unofficial end of Summer in the USA! The sun only really showed itself this afternoon for a few hours, before the heavens opened again, to soak to the already water-logged grass and garden beds. This weekend was a very low key one, with us spending the majority of the time at home. The highlight of the day was Nathan's Lego Building Club at the local public library. While I sat down with my laptop and reviewed some material for work, Nathan was letting his creative juices flow, and within an hour, had built a space shuttle from scratch with no plans or pictures for reference!

That night Liesel and were planning to have a date night. The babysitter was arranged and we were just finishing up with dinner, when Nathan announced that he wasn't feeling well, and even felt like throwing up! So we canceled the babysitter, just 15 minutes before she was due to come, and Liesel, trusting her maternal instincts took Nathan to the only medical facility open at 7pm on a Saturday night to get tested for Strep throat. The reason we wanted to do that on Saturday, was so that if the test came back positive (which it did!), we could have Nathan on a course of anti-biotics for at least 24 hours before going to school on Monday! So yet again Liesel's instinct's were spot on, and now we have some strong anti-biotics working its way through Nath's body, which means he will not have to forfeit a day of school! Since Nathan was still considered "contagious" on SUnday morning - we skipped church. Instead Nath spent the day in his pajamas. Liesel took Josh with her to the store early on Sunday morning, so that he wasn't confined to the home all day. A little later, I took him with me to pick up some photos, and then headed to the Bay Village Science and Nature Center. This is one of his favorite places after the zoo, since it houses many different kinds of animals from Boa Constrictors to a Bald Eagle, from tiny scorpions to white-tailed deer. We spent over an hour running from animal to animal, and pausing only to play with puppets and puzzles. At lunch time, I convinced Josh that it was time to go home. Since the sun was shining, I decided to drive back along the lake front, and enjoy the view of the sun and the water.

From 9/11/11

When we got home, Liesel and Nath were watching Alvin and the Chipmunks in the living room, so we decided to have a picnic lunch on the living room floor. Afterward, Liesel and Josh went upstairs for a nap, and Nath and I watched the Browns football game. Nothing like a laid back Sunday afternoon! After the boys were in bed, Liesel and I managed to salvage something from the date night that never was, and we watched The King's Speech together! Great movie!!! Great end to the weekend! Goodnight!

Global warming rears its head!

As I stepped out of my air-conditioned office building on Friday evening, I was hit simultaneously by a wall of heat and humidity. My car's instrument panel confirmed this unusual meteorological condition for September, reading 96 degrees (36C) in the shade! It's on days like these that you are thankful that your car and house are equipped with air conditioning! When I got home, the family climbed into the car and we headed out to our local Costco (South African equivalent = Makro) for dinner for the first time ever! The amazing part of this dinner was the price. For a total of $7, we had two huge slices of pizza, one large hot dog and three large (and bottomless) cold-drinks! Not too shabby! On Saturday morning, Liesel and Josh headed off to the gym. I didn't join them, since the temperature was due to hit the upper 90's again, and I wanted to get the yard mowed before the temperature rose too high. Even at 9am, I had drops of sweat rolling off the tip of my nose! This would have been the perfect day for jumping into our pool, but unfortunately, the water in the pool had past its "sell by" date. No one had made use of the pool in weeks, so my other task on Saturday was to start emptying the pool! The boys and I had loads of fun expelling the water in various ways. That evening, for my family fun night, we went to Crocker Park for an ice-cream dessert. We also used this opportunity to get some grocery shopping done. While Liesel pushed a cart up and down the aisles, I was pushing my boys on swings! It's always useful when there is a playground around the corner from a shopping store, so that Liesel can do her shopping unhindered, and we don't get to hear the groans and moans from the boys (me included :P) On a considerably cooler Sunday, we had a slow start in the morning. Once we were all dressed, we headed to a couple of stores before going to Church. This was our second visit to this church, and as we went inside and headed to the Children's wing to drop the boys off. We were quickly informed that there is no childcare or Sunday School this Sunday, since the church service was especially for kids, and aptly called Kidstuf! Nathan and Josh weren't too keen on this idea, and honestly, neither were his parents. But as we went into the church, we were greeted by some young people in costume. The stage had been transformed into a number of different sets for the various stories presented. We started off with some upbeat singing, which really got Josh going. Then, various actors came on and performed high quality skits, using all kinds of props, and even incorporating the projectors! The execution was flawless, and I commented to Liesel that this was like a mini-Broadway for kids! The amount of work that went into today's production must have been substantial. We were really surprised to find out that every first Sunday of the month in a Kidstuf service, and this has been going on for the last 4.5 years! We were very impressed, and loved the message that it brought, catering especially for kids of all ages! The rest of the day was very laid back, as spotty rain showers kept us indoors most of the time. Thankfully, tomorrow is Labor Day here, and I get another day to spend with my family! Labor Day is also known as the unofficial end of Summer, and for at least the last two years, Labor Day's temperatures have been considerably cooler than the previous days (as if Mother Nature knew exactly what day it was). Tomorrows maximum temp is forecast to be 68 (20C) and wet. At leas I won't be missing my pool any more....

Happy Birthday, dear Liesel!

Today (Monday), we celebrate my beautiful wife's birthday! I am so blessed to have been a part of her last 10 birthday's, and I pray that this year is her best yet! Happy birthday Liesel! Looking forward to celebrating many, many more together.

This time last week, I was blogging from a luxuriously appointed wooden lodge on the shores of Lake Manitowish! We had a fantastic time there with the Edgar family. In fact, we changed our plans and extended our stay by one more day. That extra day meant more tubing (Nathan's second time!), more tennis, more swimming and more relaxing! It was hard to pull ourselves away from that beautiful Eden, but we reluctantly drove back to Green Bay where the McCarthy's boarded the planes and made our way back home to Cleveland. Take a look at the slideshow at the end of this blog to get a taste of this beautiful resort!

Nathan was all ready to start First Grade on Thursday, until he complained of a sore throat on Wednesday. Liesel listened to her maternal instincts and took him to be tested for Strep throat, which came back positive. This news devastated Nathan, since he was so looking forward to going back to school. Fortunately, after taking anti-biotics for 24 hours, his throat returned to normal, and at 7:45am on Friday morning, he excitedly climbed into the big yellow school bus.
To celebrate Nathan's first day of First Grade, we went to eat at Moe's on Friday night.
On Saturday morning, Liesel and I took our bodies to another exercise class at our gym. Later that night (and all day Sunday), we began to feel exactly which muscle groups were worked out during the 50 minute class.
Sunday morning, we tried another local church, Grace Baptist, which Liesel and I really enjoyed. Unfortunately there is no children's ministry during the month of August, so Nathan had to spend the entire time with us in the sanctuary. We are eager to return next week, so that Nathan can get a feel for their Sunday School classes. After nap time, the family took a drive to the Westlake Recreation Center, where Liesel and Nathan went to hit a few tennis balls, while I burned off calories following Josh around the three playgrounds. It was a fun afternoon, and weekend, all round.

Just another day in paradise.....

Tonight's sunset over the lake

This vacation is also special because of the number of first's that we experienced! On Thursday, it was the FIRST time that Nathan and I traveled separately to Liesel and Josh. Nath and I were flying from Pittsburgh, PA to Green Bay, WI with a stopover in Detroit, MI, while Liesel and josh flew directly from Cleveland to Green Bay. This was also Josh's FIRST time in an airplane, and he did so well!

Early on Saturday day, Nathan went with Uncle Terence and his "cousins" on a fishing expedition on the rented boat. With a little coaching, he caught his FIRST and SECOND fishes!

That afternoon, all twelve of us boarded the rented pontoon boat and headed across Lake Manitowish. Once we found a good spot, we threw two large tubes into the water and most of us had a turn to go tubing! Nathan and I went on the one tube together, and had an exhilarating ride! Of course, this was Nathan's FIRST tubing experience! Even though he fell off right at the very end - he did so well, and we were very proud of him! Not to be out done by her six year old son, Liesel also joined in the fun, and she too, had a fantastic time on her FIRST tube ride! 

Some of the other activities we've been enjoying include: tennis, volleyball, kayaking, relaxing around the fireplace by the pool, and just relaxing on the deck and taking in the stunning scenery!

This week's blog come to you from the Northwoods of Wisconsin, at the stunningly beautiful Chippewa Lodge overlooking the magnificent Lake Manitowish! Our family was blessed to be able to join Liesel's uncle, aunt and cousins on the final summer vacation before the start of a new school year. We are staying in this luxuriously furnished, 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom wooden lodge that comfortably sleeps 11. The lodge is right on the water's edge of the lake, and one can hear the waves tapping gently against the concrete foundations.

So far, we have had an awesome time here, relaxing and renewing family bonds! The good news is that we still have another 1.5 days left in paradise, before we make our way back to Green Bay to board our flights back home!

Wish you were all here with us!!!!

Kayaking around the lake

Snuggling on the boat

Nathan's catching fish

Our lodge

Nathan's first tube ride

Liesel's first tubing experience

Rainy end to relaxing weekend

This week's heading sums up the weekend very well. Liesel was not feeling 100% so we declined the weekly muscle torture offered by our gym. Instead, I took the boys shopping while Liesel relaxed at home. A while later we returned home, but before going inside, Nathan asked to play some baseball outside. He got his bat out while I put on my baseball glove. Nathan's eye-hand co-ordination has improved greatly, and with his new confidence, it only took about 3 pitches before he blasted the ball back at my head! The ball traveled so fast I didn't even have time to raise my glove, but instead took evasive action to prevent serious injury!! For those who thought it was just a lucky shot, a few balls later and he sent another ball into my chest! Thankfully, it was only a tennis ball and not an actual baseball, which is similar in size and weight to a cricket ball!

That afternoon, I took Nathan to the local library to take part in the Lego Brick Builder's club again! He ha not been to one for several months due to his various broken bones, so he was excited to return to the club. He let his imagination run wild, while I relaxed in the library and caught up on the latest news on my Google tablet!

The sun was shining brightly the entire day, which meant that when it came time for me to mow the lawn, it was still uncomfortably hot! Beads of sweat rolled down my face and off my nose as I carried out my weekly home-owner's chore. Fortunately we have the pool for me to seek some relief from the summer heat. This time I had both boys in the pool with me, as we had cut their hair a little earlier and the pool provided them with a way to get rid of those itchy follicles!

Waking up on Sunday, we were greeted with the pitter patter of raindrops. The rain stopped for a while as we headed out to the store before Church. We tried another new church today, and afterward we can honestly say that we can strike this one off our list. It was a smaller church, slightly disorganized in the childcare department. After dropping off the Josh in his childcare, we went into the church sanctuary. Fortunately because of the slightly cooler weather from the rain, I was wearing my khaki work pants and a golf shirt (I usually wear jeans or even shorts), because it seemed like everyone else had dressed up for the occasion. I even felt under-dressed when I saw teenage boys in front of me with waist coats, and most men had jackets and ties! The service seemed to drag on, and it didn't help that the senior's pastor's sermon ran over 15 minutes late! So we only got out of there after 12:30pm! The boys were starving, since they usually get lunch between 11:30 and 12 :(

Because of the rain, we spent the rest of the day indoors. The boy's previous babysitter stopped by to show us her 6 month old son! It was a sweet "reunion" and Nathan and Josh just loved little Hayden! After their visit, Liesel caught up on some ATP tennis action, while the boys and I sang VeggieTales worship songs at the tops of our voices!  Overall, it was a fun, yet relaxing Sunday!

As for this coming work week, I will only be working for 3 days, before we all fly up to Green Bay for our last getaway of the summer! This be Josh's first ever flight, and Nathan's first flight in about 4 years! They are both so excited and can't wait for Thursday!!

Surprise downpours and dinner dates!

Another awesome summer-time weekend draws to a close. It was  a great weekend for me, with a few surprises thrown in for fun! Saturday morning started off with Liesel and I voluntarily heading back to the place that inflicts pain to our under-utilized muscles. After dropping the boys off in the gym's child-care, we headed upstairs for the workout class. The instructor was very creative and found ways to increase resistance to some mundane exercises, and let's just say, that it worked! Today, Liesel and I are both experiencing severe stiffness in certain muscle groups, that solicit grimaces and wincing every time we stand up, sit down or cross our legs.....
After the gym, we headed to a few stores with the boys before heading home for the afternoon. Later that afternoon, in the upper 80 degree (30C +) heat, I took out my mower to cut the grass before our friends arrived later that evening for dinner. After getting through about 75% of the task, I heard thunder starting to rumble in the distant. Then, a few minutes later, the heavens opened and unleashed a torrent over our house. I was determined not to stop, as the end was in sight for me. So I pushed on through the heavy raindrops and became soaked in the process. It was actually refreshing, since five minutes earlier, perspiration was dripping off my face in the heat!

That evening, we had some friends come over for a pre-birthday dinner with us. I grilled some lamb and salmon and Liesel made the salads and desserts! We all had a great time together, enjoying the delicious food, and company! It was a wonderful time with friends, and even Nathan and Joshua loved hanging out with their friends too!

On Sunday, we headed to another church in the morning. After a great sermon, we stopped at the local mall to go price some cell phones, and give Josh a chance to play in the child area. Afterward, it was lunch time, so we headed back home. That afternoon Nathan, Josh and I played in the pool for a while. Around 5 o' clock, Liesel stuck her head out and said we need to get out since the babysitter is arriving in half an hour... BABYSITTER?? This was news to me! So I came inside and got dressed, only to be told, that I needed to dress up a little nicer... The babysitter showed up on schedule, and then Liesel drove me over to one of my favorite restaurants, the Melting Pot! It was a wonderful surprise! The food was fantastic! We started off with a cheese fondue, where I dipped bread into the cheddar and garlic sauce, while Liesel enjoyed the fresh vegetables. Then for the main course we had shrimp, sirloin, chicken and tuna, which we cooked ourselves in the red wine broth. Finally the dessert came out witha chocolate fondue pot containing both white and milk chocolate. They even put a candle into a slice of cheesecake for me! The dessert tray included pound cake, cheesecake, brownies, marshmallows, rice crispie treats, strawberries and bananas. Decadent, but oh so good! It was a wonderful end to a great weekend! Thanks Liesel!!!

The dessert platter!

The white/milk chocolate fondue!

Family firsts

As the last week of July rambled by us, the boys of the McCarthy family had some first time experiences! For Nathan, it was the start of of his first physical therapy since breaking his leg. Liesel and I were very surprised with his orthopedic doctor did not mention anything about him needing any physical therapy after being in a cast for 8 weeks. In these weeks post-cast, we noticed that Nathan had a strange limp, and even with some coaching from his parents, it never improved. So Liesel took him to his pediatrician, and she agreed with us and referred him for some physical therapy. On Monday, Nath went for his first session, and the therapist immediately noticed that his right hamstring was much tighter than the left. One of the measurements she took was the angle between the upper and lower leg. The average is 10 degrees, but Nathan's right leg measured 58 degrees. She worked with him during the session and he really enjoyed. She also gave him exercises to do at home twice a day, that should help his leg.
Nathan also started with one on one swimming lessons this week. He had two lessons and his confidence level since last year has improved 200%. He is loving the water and is very keen to learn the correct technique to use in the pool! So on Saturday afternoon, while Liesel and Josh napped, Nath and I headed to our gym's wimming pool so he could show me what he has been learning. We had a great time together in the pool as he showed me the different floats, some new strokes, and his new found confidence in jumping into the pool!

Josh's first is a lot more daunting to parents as he takes his first strides towards becoming potty-trained! He has shown some great enthusiasm after successfully using the potty. Liesel has been quite creative in thinking of various awards to offer him after "going" successfully. One of his rewards was a trip to our local library, one of his favorite places. We went there on Saturday morning, and gave him plenty of free time to enjoy himself in the play area, picking out DVDs and playing on the computer! This also gave Liesel some time to browse and get a batch of new book and DVDs for the boys to enjoy during the week. Josh is progressing pretty well, with more successes than accidents at the moment :) Hopefully, the accidents will become few and further apart! Ah, what a wonderful thought it would be to finally have him diaper-independent!!!

Nath enjoying the "store" at the library!

Now, it's time for my first...........
Unlike Nathan and Josh's experiences, mine is not in any way encouraging, flattering or positive. In my case, I believe (for the first time ever) that I have fractured a bone! Luckily it's not a heavily utilized bone such as the tibia, fibula or any other significant bone. The bone in question in my fourth toe on my left foot! I also do not have a glamorous story related to this fracture. I wish I could say if was a sporting injury, or a car rode over my foot, but I can't. You see, we have this gate at the entrance to our living room (which my mom should know very well now), which protects our valuable electronics and games from our own Hurricane Josh. Well, at lunch time, I needed to get something out of the living room, and this gate that I have navigated flawlessly hundred's of times before, stood it's ground as my foot swung over it. Somehow, I miscalculated the height of the gate for the first time in history, and my three small toes had a direct impact with the corner of the gate and the wall.  Since then, the small and middle toes have returned to normal, but toe #4 is badly swollen and is excruciating painful to the touch! Even now, hours later, as I type this with the toes strapped, the pain is significant! I am really hoping that by strapping it securely, I will be able to get through my beach volleyball games tomorrow without too much agony :-O!!

Thunderstorms & workout torture

After a week with extremely high temperatures that reached into the lower 100's (39C+), I did not mind being woken up early on Saturday morning by thunder and lightning! That morning, we had two decent downpours before I got up at 7:30am! The rain (at least temporarily) brought the temperatures down to a more comfortable level. Once everybody was up and ready, we headed to our gym for our regular Saturday morning workout. We arrived in time for a workout class, one that we haven't taken for a while. The good news is, I survived the class. The bad news is that I now have several muscle groups that are very unhappy with me....

After the workout class, we stopped at a nursery on the way home. It was actually a fun family outing, walking up and down the various "lanes", with Josh shouting, "Wow! Look at the flowers! They're beautiful!"
By that afternoon, the sun was shining again, and with all the moisture around, it was extremely humid. Thankfully, the pool is available to us to escape the heat and humidity. All four of us spent time in the water, seeking some relief from yet another scorching summer's day. I later fired up the grill and we had our dinner outside on the patio. During the meal we noticed the clouds building up on the horizon again. As soon as everyone had finished we moved inside, and not more than five minutes later, thunderstorm number four made its presence known!

Sunday morning was a typical one with us attending a church service in the morning. When we got home around lunch time, I mowed the lawn for the first time since my mother left! Having a pool in the back garden to jump into afterwards, made the experience much more tolerable! A little later, we went for a family bike ride around the neighborhood, and afterwards, the boys headed straight to the pool again. Liesel had arranged a babysitter who arrived right after the boys had their dinner, allowing us to go on one of our rare date nights! We headed to Crocker Park and had a delicious dinner at one of the restaurants. Afterward, we browsed through a local bookstore that was closing down. Liesel could have spent all night there, but since we wre paying the babysitter by the hour, I almost had to forcefully drag her from the store! Overall, it was another great summer weekend in Ohio!

Summer is alive and well!

Before I share about our weekend, I want to give you an update of the world's unluckiest air passenger!
As you know, my mother left us on Monday morning to start her 44 hour trek back to South Africa. She left Cleveland without any hassles on her first flight to Columbus. However, the flight she was supposed to board from Columbus to Washington DC did not arrive on time, due to severe thunderstorms in the Chicago area, it's origin. The gate agents recommended that my mom catch another two flights to guarantee her arrival in Washington DC, so reluctantly, my mother flew into New York City, and then finally into Washington DC! Unfortunately, her suitcase did not make it to Washington DC in time for her transatlantic flight!!! So she boarded the flight to London, knowing that her suitcase was lost in the USA. To make a long story short, her suitcase was found and finally delivered to her home in South Africa on Friday, but a gift she bought my sister in the USA, was missing :( Moral of the story: Don't go overseas with my mother :)

As for the McCarthy family, we spent a lot of times outdoors and in the pool this weekend. With temperatures in the 90s (33C+).  We did the healthy thing first thing on Saturday morning, and went to the gym for a workout.  The rest of the day we spent at home. That afternoon we all lent a hand in washing our cars, then jumped in the pool again, before I got out to grill some hamburgers for dinner!

On Sunday morning, we tried out a different church, which the boys seemed to enjoy. I enjoyed the worship and the two girls on the worship team had stunning voices. Later that afternoon, the boys headed to the pool again before dinner. After dinner, we had planned out family fun event for the weekend, which was going on a bicycle ride with our good friends, the Bosley's. We headed to the Westlake Recreation center and did a couple of laps around the facility. Afterward we stopped at an ice cream store and enjoyed a few bowl's of ice cream together! It was such a stunning evening as we sat outside enjoying our frozen treats, with the temperature still above 85 (30C) at 9pm!

And that was another weekend where we were blessed with stunning summer weather! Tomorrow evening I will be playing in the finals of our 4-person sand volleyball league, and the temperature again is expected to be above 90 degrees (33C+)!!! Bring it on!