Nice Abs, Great Genetics!

First I must comment on all of your beautiful children. What a handsome group they make! (And smart, too, based on the blogs I've read.) You can call it a Sweeney influence; I prefer to think of it as a Raymo influence. :) Second, you ladies look absolutely marvelous... a sight for sore eyes, indeed. I try to stay away from the front of the camera lens, but will see if I can find a photo to send.
Interesting you mention boating on the St. Lawrence. One of my dreams is to take the Concorde (photo attached) through the Inter Coastal Waterway up into the St. Lawrence and through the Erie Canal. Unfortunately, that dream will have to wait until retirement, as it would probably take two weeks just to get to the Canal. I miss the St. Lawrence very much. I always refer to myself as a "fresh water baby," as the Bay is brackish and often smells like the ocean. Not a bad thing, but not the Seaway either.
Interesting that we all have Labs. (Potato Chip, Chocolate Chip... do I see a pattern here?)
I am currently the office manager and assistant project manager for the developer of the Ritz-Carlton project we are building. The office management part is pretty standard, but the project management has been a blast. I've renovated our showroom/model, redesigned office space to include a selections room for the buyers, and coordinated the bid process for the build-out of the spa that's going in at the site. Unfortunately, the owners (Midtown Baltimore) are taking on new partners and appointing a new president. They've already realigned the sales staff and we know construction is next, so I'm being pro-active and looking for a job before they start chopping the budget. I don't mind hard work, but I'm not interested in doing the work of three people. (Assuming I survive the axe!) I've interviewed for a property management position for a 147 unit luxury condo building on Baltimore's Inner Harbor. I have six years in property management, so I think I've got a shot. Am also talking to a commercial janitorial company about a Quality Assurance management position. I would prefer the latter. It would get me out of the office and I prefer their corporate philosophy.
Trina, I didn't know Todd had Psoriatic (sp?) Arthritis. When was he diagnosed? I don't know much about that form of the disease, but is sounds painful just from what you said. Richard is on a cocktail of methotrexate and anti-inflammatories. He takes so many pills, it really scares me sometimes. But they're doing what they're supposed to do, so we count our blessings and move on.
I'm looking forward to hearing about hockey season and expect to see regular updates on scores and stats. I used to watch the Skipjacks play down here before they faded away. I can't say I was a hockey ho, but I certainly enjoyed the games. Jo you must keep us all apprised of your athletic prowess. I'd love to see you post some clips from the games on this site!
Again, love, hugs and kisses to all! Happy Howl-o-ween!

All My Children..2 legged and 4 legged!!

Hey Jules!!! So very happy to hear from you. I thought I had the wrong e-mail address but mom said it was right. Just for starters I want to let the Sweeney girl's offsprings know that Ellen and Julie are our cousins. Grandma Sweeney's sister's children. We spent time together as kids.

Lou and I figured we better do a post together during coffee because Jo is totally out blogging us and we can't have that. We went to the link to your project and wow!! That is major! Tell us what part you play. Mom and I take care of the elderly in their homes and as you will see in the photo I post...I work mids and have not been home to shower. Lou works in sales and accounting. Lou and I just decided the three of us need to come to visit you in Maryland. You would probably love to boat on the Saint Lawrence river where Grandpa used to fish and be a guide.

I feel the same way about the season changing. Todd and I love to ride the motorcycle and hate to see it end. (for now) Lou has a pontoon boat and camper. Jo loves to camp so we feel your pain. We are all gearing up for the 3 girl's hockey season. I am an official groupie (aka..hockey ho) for the seaon and Jo plays!!

Lou and I were able to see your mom, dad and Mary a few weeks back. I could totally see Grandma in your mother's eyes. Where has the time gone. Lou and Jo have kids in each year of high school and my boys are in their sophmore and junior years at SUNY PLattsburgh. One wants to be a history professor and the other an art teacher. Just 90 minutes away but I still miss them.

Todd and I have three dogs and a cat. Two of the dogs are labs and the third is a mix. Lou has a chocolate. They are Todd's best friends and he walks them at the river everyday rain or shine. Todd was diagnosed 15 years ago with Psoriatic Arthritis. Very similar to Rheumatiod except his skin is involved. It has been very trying. We could talk forever about it and should. I'll write more later!!

Here we are! Coffee, knitting, blogging, and good company...what more could you ask for? And the next photo is of our sexy photographer Andy. Check out the abs man!!! By the way...chip is adorable!!

Happy Halloween

Hello Everyone,

( In case anyone hasn't met my husband.I've posted a picture!)

Happy almost Halloween. I can't believe it's the end on October already. Winter upon us already. WOW..........It's another rainy Saturday in Central New York really didn't want to get out of bed,but my arm kept falling asleep ............it was driving me crazy. Julie , it was great to here from you. Yes unfortunately summer is over. I would like to welcome Chocolate Chip to the Sweeney Clan. See we all have labs ourselves. I have had two. We had Hershey,but she was very sick so she is resting now and we have Potato Chip....she is a yellow almost white. She is the biggest baby around. Are they not the best dogs to have!!!!!! Well it's off to laundry and all that exciting stuff you do on rainy Saturdays. Have a good one.

Happy Friday, all. I hope this note finds you all happy and healthy. Cuz Julie checking in for the first time. It's raining in Baltimore and I'm completely bummed. This is the first weekend Richard and I will not have spent on the boat since before Memorial Day. I guess it's time to come to terms with the fact that summer is actually over. I have lots going on in my life right now, as I am in the midst of a job search and my current job is ramping up. Check out www.harborluxury.com to see the project I'm helping to build. Richard has his RA under control and we are still recapturing much of what we lost last year when he was so sick. We've been married almost eight years and we often comment on how we both feel like we've been given an opportunity to rediscover one another since he was diagnosed. I don't think we came close to losing one another, but we know we came through a very dark and trying time and feel that now we are basking in the sunshine. He is the best thing that ever happened to me. We don't have kids to blog about, so you'll hear much about our boats, my career and the love of our lives, Chocolate Chip. Chip (female) is a chocolate lab who is seven years old and never fails to make us smile. She is our baby and rules the house as any spoiled mutt should. She is so spoiled, in fact, that we purchased a small inflatable to tender to shore (to do her business) when we are anchored out in the Chesapeake Bay. (We often anchor out for two or three days at a time.) The dingy is appropriately named, Chip's Ahoy! and is the third in our fleet. We have a 27' Sea Ray ("Sea Ducer") and we are in the process of restoring a 35' 1970 Concorde ("Family Jules"). The boats are our hobby, our vacation home, our lifestyle. Many of our friends are boaters and a few even live aboard year round. Well... that's about all there is for me to catch you up on me. Thanks for letting me ramble. I'd love to hear about what you Sweeney Girls are doing with your lives. Trina, your knitting has inspired me. I've purchased my first sewing machine and will attempt a set of curtains. This should be intesting. Love, hugs and kisses to all.

Harvest 2007

Hello all...well we made it through the fall dance without any problems last weekend...how quickly they grown.

Emily and Andrew with there dates.

HELLO

Hello All,
It is great to hear from everyone. Josh you are so deep I have trouble keeping up with you. Love ya kid. Not much new here just trying to keep up with everyday life. Kids are staying busy. Football for a few more weeks. Hockey starts for Ash and I this week. Hopefully she will get released from the elbow injury and get on the ice. She is starting to go stir crazy. This is her last season with the Herricanes and she can't wait. I personally am afraid of finding out how out of shape i am after taking last season off.. Wish us luck ..Keep in touch Love you all !!!! JO

Epiphany Time!!

Hey Guys and Gals,

I recently was assigned the book Female Chauvenist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture by Ariel Levy in one of my courses and found that it did a lot to explain what the Rauch (or porn) culture of America does to the image of women within our society. I can assume that you all have heard of the increasing amount of casual sexual activity that is on the rise in American High schools and the decreasing average age in which our teens (just left that catagory myself) are loosing their virginity (most lose it around the age of 15). Also the soaring amount of teen pregnacies in the United States that are higher per 1,000 teens than in some third world(hate that term) countries. In this book Levy looks at the sexualized nature of our culture and asks why it is how it is and what results come from it. It is an excellent book for any female OR MALE. She isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and interviews everyone from the women in charge of both Playboy and the filming of Girls Gone Wild (even goes with them to several filmings) to San Francisco lesbians and teen boys and girls in an effort to find out what is really going on. The book is great and a fairly easy read so I encourage all of you to check it out. It has been one of the few books to create a fire in my belly, and has made me move against the porn industry. Also if you have teen girls (wink wink Aunties) it could be really benificial to see what society is telling them to be WITHOUT your permission nor control. Thanks a Ton for your time and letting me ramble about this stuff. When I get a wakeup call to our world I feel that its important to spread the message.

P.S. here is the Amazon link to the book where you can read more on it and stuff, http://www.amazon.com/Female-Chauvinist-Pigs-Raunch-Culture/dp/0743284283/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0818133-6887202?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191960869&sr=8-1

Adiosa, Josh

Quick Hello....

Well it's Columbus day already...how time passes so quickly. Ellen it was great to see your posting, looking forward to keeping in touch. Josh your posting was wonderful, I now have an understanding of Halo too ..definately need to get Andy set up so he can read it as well as post too! Welcome Todd....loved your note.

Hi Sweeney Girls...and second cousins.

Hi all! Cousin Ellen here...... I just singed up for an account so I can blog.... with you. I have to run right now but truly look forward to catching some time. Hi to all! later...... Ellen

Holy Cow!!

I had to call for silence so I could read your post Josh!! (and actually comprehend it) hehe!! Love you buddy!! Your last few sentences summed it up for me. You have not forgot where you came from and what really matters. Your parents must be proud!!! wink wink

Where is everyone?? Luke and Andy...I am waiting for e-mail addresses so I can send invites. yoohoo....

To All !

This my first time to this site and I wanted to sound off! I think that this is a great Idea. Just so you know, family is the most important thing to me. I used to write alot to help with managing my stress. I think that writing helps us all to relay feelings that cannot be relayed face to face. I would first like to say how much the sweeney girls children mean to me! That includes my own children born to a true sweeney! I believe that bonds are started early in life! The time that I have spent with all of the kids are truely the best days of my life. As they grow older and become more self reliant, I hope to continue a strong bond and friendship with all. It's crazy how growing up can be very turbulent. So to all that are going thru times of the unknown! I want you all to know that I am here as well as, all the sweeney's. Don't be afraid to ask for help with guidance in your lives. Also remember we are human and make mistakes! Well enough
mushy stuff! What do I like to do! I love my Honda cb 900 f motorcyle! My favorite ride is the road to St. Regis Falls ! There is nothing like a crotch rocket! It's the closes thing to flying a jet!
Also I love to play hockey! I started playing again last year, aftera 18 year absence. I look forward to playing a organized game with 3 lovely ladies Jo, Ash, and Emily. That would be a dream come true. So lets get it done girls.

Todd

Halo in the Post 9/11 World

Hey guys I am going to put some ideas down here. Over the weekend I wrote up a gender analysis of the much loved and played Halo 3. I know that all of you have at least watched Halo and have had enough exposure of to the franchise to credit its influence on its fans. I had a professor last semester that told the class after one of his rants that every single thing has a meaning and by looking for it you can better understand the world. So lets look at the Post 9/11 world in terms of what Halo 3 can tell us about it. The basis of the Halo storyline is this, an alien alliace called the covenant have been told by their prophets that human beings are devils. This becomes their religious view and they hold a religous crusade to exterminate them throughout the universe. While they work to do this Master Chief (your character) fights against them tooth and nail to save the humankind. Both the humans and the Covenant find the Halos througout the universe and find that they can be used to destroy the universe. The Prophets then become fanatics and attempt to use them to wipe out everyone in the universe. That is the story in a nutshell.So what does that say to us? We are living in the post 9/11 world where America is spreading its influence through military war in middle east. Since the fall of the twin towers America has become intertwined in a war against what many call the rugheads and others muslem. The Covenant are a religious group, much like what we think the Arabs are (they aren't and have many different religious views), and many believe they are warring against us in the name of their religion(nope just freedom). Like the covenant there is the belief in America that middle easterers want to destroy our way of life because it threatens their ways of thinking and living. Both the Covenant and Arabs (both Afghan and Iraqi) are fighting America. In Halo it is only America that defends the planet from religious zealots. See a connection here? Also in Halo there is the false leading of leaders. The prophets lie to their subjects and lead them to try to exterminate themselves. In this world both Saddam and Bush have falsely led their nations in order to achieve a political end. The connections of this videogame and the world we live in continue on and on but to save the post size I will move on to what it means.Unlike all of these simularities on the outside Halo in fact tells a much different and important story of the world. In the second game the Elites, a groups of aliens in the convenant, are kicked out of the group and become allies for the humans. They become an integral part of the defense on earth and is accepted by the humans. This easy acceptance of a group that is different is something that we as Americans could learn from. To accept those that are different, from a whole other world, is something that Americans need to understand if they wish to trually be part of this world. Middle easterers are just like us but in a different culture. Most are no more religious than we are in America, but the popular image of them as fanatics has poisoned our view of them here. Master Cheif accepts the elites much like we should those in the Middle east because despite some differences we are all humans. In Halo humans are humans, even though America is presented as its savior(familiar huh?) there is no speak of saving America. Instead they fight for everyone not just those of the Anglo-Saxon skin and mindframe. They are just as important as us in our rich nation. Halo also tells us we need to accept and realize that bad leaders can influence their people for the worse and that the people of a nation cannot be defined by who claims to lead them. Many of us would not say they were the same as our currtent president. The covenant wouldn't have followed the Prophets of they knew what they actually wanted. Most Iraqis are not like Saddam and Bin Laden isn't a common Afghan!!! So Listen to Halo when it tells us that we are all humans and need to be accepting of others. Nextime you here someone say towelhead or stupid Iraqis take a minute to think that they are like us and deserve the same respect that we would want from any human.

Forgive my Typos it is late ;p
Josh