August 11-12,2006

Being a sister means a lot to Kathy; she has three sisters and she adores them all. She is so proud of each one and how they have grown and gone through life's challenges. Kathy began five years ago celebrating her birth into this great group of girls. This year she planned an overnight. She booked a suite at the Ligionier Country Inn. We picked up Maria on Friday after work. She works in the Conway building in Cranberry, PA for a broker. It is her job to make sure claims are in order before filing them. Maria had had a slow day a work and was ready for the weekend to begin. Maria had Kathy open a birhday present so that Will could see too. It was a wooden walking stick with a built-in whistle and the whistle was really loud.

We then drove about two blocks to where Carmine works for Erikson, once Marconi and before that Fore Systems. She is Team Leader of her division and is responsible along with other things for making sure purchase orders are correct before processing. She was a little late getting out today; a conference call with the Texas office.

Maria and Kathy piled their stuff into Carmine's car. Will gave us each a hug; Maria ran after him for a second hug. We were off for sisters overnight.

We picked up Sueann at her house and headed toward Ligonier. We stopped a The Barn, an elegant restaurant housed in an old barn. The crystal chandleiers, cloth tableclothes and napkins add to the atmosphere. This establishment is very special to Sueann as she and Don have been here several times and they are bring their children here the night before the wedding in a few weeks. The food was excellent;we started off with a spinach dip apitizer. Three of us had the baked cod with crabmeat served with sweet potato. Sueann had tortilini that was devine.

It was after 9pm when we arrived at our rooms. We put on our jamies and piled on the queen size bed in one of the room, the other room had two single beds. Sueann had found a video tape at her house and wondered what was on it so Carmine had brought her camcorder. The tape had movies of 1995: Brian in New York, Sue&Forrest's 25th anniversary renewal of vows, cookie day and christmas. We enjoyed going down memory lane. Kathy opened birthday gifts: new slacks, Olay cream, candy. Then she gave gifts to her sisters: Precious Moments plaque for Carmine, Collector's rainbow plate for Maria, and Teapot candle holder for Sueann. Maria brought a birthday cake; we cut it with a paper plate and ate it with our fingers! We talked and giggled til after midnight.

The next morning we walked over to the Inn. Our suite was in the Shaffer House next door. Breakfast was a buffet of sweets, hard boiled eggs and fruit. The diningroom was beside the bar and unfortunately was dark. They said the lights were burned out. We suggest they get some light bulbs. Back at the Shaffer House we met Nicole, Will's daughter. Kathy had arranged sisters massages, part of her gift to them. While the sisters took turns with Nicole up in the bedroom the others either sat at the pool or up in the little bedroom or downstairs in the entry room of the Shaffer House.

Everyone was relaxed when we left just before noon. We met Don at the Lionier Tavern for lunch. It is in a neat old building painted festively in yellow and blue. Hugs all around. We departed leaving Sueann and Don. Carmine dropped off Kathy at Jayne's and Maria at home and made it back to her house before the Steeler's pre-season game.