Five Generations

Not something one sees often, Marie Askoak is now the head of a family branch that spans five generations with her daughter Minnie Nick, myself, my daughter Maxine Vaska and her daughter Jordan Sklyer Duffy. We were preparing for our memorial feast for my departed grandfather Simeon whom we lost May 15, 1997. My grandfather Peter Nick on my fathers side will turn 90 God willing on the 4th of July, 2008.

A picture of my Grandchild

After a seemingly long wait and an unexpected C-Section we are proud to introduce my first grandchild Jordan Skyler Duffy. She joins the very large, very happy family of Duffy's and Vaska/Nick/Askoak family. Now that she is born I can hopefully salvage some of my grades for the spring semester.... Congratulations to my daughter Maxine and her boyfriend Stephan "Blacky" Duffy, grandparents Jim and Lovey Duffy, Great Grandparents Alex and Minnie Nick, John and Emma Vaska, mr and mrs Duffy, Great-GREAT- Grandparents Peter Nick and Marie Askoak....along with all their extended families...and welcome to the world baby Jordan - you have a lot of love around you and a lot of babysitters :D.

HELLO GRANDBABY!!!!

My daughter had a Mothers Day baby girl weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces, stretching 20 and a half inches long at 3:48 P.M. May 11th 2008. Mother and daughter doing fine, impatiently sitting at the hospital as the new mother recovers from an unexpected c-section. We were blessed though that we went to the hospital early enough that nothing was rushed. Turns out that the baby was wanting to come into the world feet first. She was breached. My grandmother told me to tell the baby "just like Grandma!" because turns out I was born feet first. It was a wonderful Mothers Day present. The other grandmother was there in the lobby, along with my parents, the father Stephan "Blacky" and his sister Nadia, their cousins Diane and Brian, my sister-in-law April, my niece Rachael and the new uncle Nicholas. Sadly we all did not have a camera between us. We are in the process of finding one. I will post pictures as soon as possible. Until then...

How much is too much???

These semesters at home have been pretty rough and my grades are reflecting it. I am becoming so discouraged because it seems that getting good grades are important only to me, and little by little I get asked to do "one little favor" after another that I cannot focus or my baby gets sick and I can't focus, or one of my grandparents get sick and I can't focus. How much is too much that it would be better to just say "Okay, come here let me do what I can and I will try again later when no one needs help." I am not going to, I have come too far to walk away now and I know I will be a good teacher someday...

I detest getting low grades, I really beat myself up mentally because I know if I had that focus I would have done great. It has come to the point where I cannot concentrate on anything. I am tired. I am worn out. I am sick to my stomach about a pitiful grade that I seen go downhill very early in the semester and knew I did not have the energy to get it up to my standard. Truthfully I am not depressed, just mad at myself for a while and needed to vent. I am not used to being a hermit and these audioconference and correspondence classes have caged me into my home practically. It must be a combination of a bad grade and cabin fever. That and the knowledge that my brothers have seen the geese and I am the only one who plucks the damn birds and gets them on the table for my grandfather. I like the product, just hate plucking :)).

Okay - enough venting. I do feel a lot better getting it out there. [Muuusssaaaa] [auummmm]

Here's to melting snow (I hope).
enjoy your summer
OOHHH yea - Congratulations to my sister Olga F. Evan on her graduation today! She is a health aide here in Russian Mission