A Barrel of Monkeys

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit!

Guten Tag readers! It's that time of year again when we dust off our lederhosen and bier steins and get down to some serious business. It's Oktoberfest season! This year we had an extended celebration of the German festivities. Oh boy, did we have ourselves some fun!

These Kinder could not wait to party

Fussball! Fussball!

Don't forget the food!

Die Gemütlichkeit!

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Finishing up "Summer"

Well the polar vortex has not really provided us here in Indiana much of a summer. It has been the coldest on record. We have had a few nice days here and there. But the last few weeks has just been enjoying life.

How we hang before picking up Elias' from school

CFI chickens are awesome!

"Krakenwagon!" So obsessed with emergency vehicals.

Opening home game

Oma in Germany with her brothers!

Serious zucchini this summer. They were all so huge!!!

Target is more fun when Mama let's us go!

Pre-loading sugar (and coffee) rush…3,2,1...

What happens when two little boys steal Mama's phone and hide

LEGO's hurt. Well, they do cause bloody messes for hemos...

Factor Up!

Hungry, Hungry Hippos

Above Indy with Daddy

We were all sick and cold and in the depths of hand-foot-mouth disease this year for the walk. So our pictures are lacking although our fundraising did not. We just barely squeezed this event out.

Jedi's at the Hemophilia walk!

Harry.

Lightening Chucks. Learning to tie.

A Great Flora Man

Last week was a very sad time in our family. Gramps was called back to the Lord after 93 full and wonderful years. We will truly miss his love, wit, and kindness. Our little Emmett will carry his memory in his name.

The last 4-generation picture.

Richard “Dick” Harkness Flora, 93, went home to be with his Lord on Sept 16, 2014, surrounded by his beloved wife of 73 years and all of their children. He was born in Wabash County on Jan 30, 1921 to Richard Donaldson Flora and Edna Lou (Harkness) Flora. He was their only child.

Dick grew up on a farm on “the prairie” near Richvalley, IN, where his parents instilled in him honesty, integrity, and the value of hard work. He graduated from Somerset High School in 1939. Soon after high school, he moved to Indianapolis, where he met Martha Brown in November of 1940. It was only she who could capture his heart, and they were married on July 3, 1941. They moved to Wabash County four years later. He began a farm drainage business soon after, installing clay farm tile in hundreds of farm fields in the surrounding area. In 1970, he, along with his son and brother-in-law, started Hiz, Inc., a hardwood products manufacturing company in Wabash. He continued to work in the business until the early 90’s. His character, integrity, sense of humor, strong work ethic, and respect for others endeared him to those who knew him. His love for his Lord, love for his family, and great love and respect for his wife made Dick a tremendous role model for his children and grandchildren, and he likely influenced others to choose those life priorities.

Dick always enjoyed fishing, hunting mushrooms, and spending time with his friends and his family. He also thoroughly enjoyed watching IU basketball.

Being a man of strong faith, the Church became a major element of his life. He served as an elder at The Church of Christ at Treaty for many years and also taught an adult Sunday School class. Later, while living near Warsaw, he was a member of Warsaw Christian Church. Returning to Wabash, he has been a member at Bachelor Creek Church of Christ for the past several years

Surviving are his wife, Martha, of Peabody Retirement Center, his four children, Diana Minnick of Bloomington IN, Rick (Claudette) Flora, of Fishers, IN, Kathy Jackson of Frontenac KS, Pam (Tim) Roberts of Wabash, 6 grandchildren, Shelley (Minnick) Helton, Chad Camp, Jenny Whitney, Cory Roberts, Jason Flora, Derrick Flora, and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, a grandson, Jamie Roberts, and a son-in-law, David Minnick.

In support of medical education, Mr. Flora chose to donate his body to The Anatomical Education Program of the Indiana University School of Medicine, after which burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Please join his family in honoring and celebrating Dick Flora’s life. Visitation will begin at 10:30 am on October 4th at the Bachelor Creek Church of Christ, Wabash. A Celebration of Life service will follow, beginning at noon.

As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent to Autism Involves Me, Box 866, Bentonville, AR 72712 and/or The Indiana Hemophilia Foundation, 5172 E 65th St., Suite 105, Indianapolis, IN 46220. Envelopes for donation will be provided at the services for those attending.

Mama goes to the Hill with Hemos

It has been a few busy 6 weeks side we last checked in. But first, some highlights from this past weekend when Mama went (alone!!!) to Washington, DC to attend the National Hemophilia Foundation's Annual Meeting. She went on behalf of a patient advocacy board and with a few personal questions to be answered. She meet up with old friends and new, as well as snuck out for a little late night silliness on the hill….

Indiana Crew

Important folks during the passing of the Ricky Ray Act 20 years ago

New Blood Sisters!

Celeb Sighting!

The POTUS' with the Mostest

Dinner at Mintwood…yum!

IN might be humiliated here in a week…. it's a good thing.

Vintage Inaugural walks

As close as we were about to get...

Apparently hours before arriving to the famous house of white, a man with a knife broke into the place. Needless to say, the grounds were swarming with security and secret service. Furthermore, we were only allowed to view from a distance.