What Up Grandma and Grandpa?

Milena is the 10th Ginn to sleep in the cradle Dad built

Nathan, Bobby Jeff, Cindi, Alexa, Brinley, Stacia, Landon, Natalie and Milena. Who's Next? Thanks Edmund C Ginn Jr. For the longlasting Heirloom

Fri night and Jeff and his friend Chris cook Omaha Steaks
for the Holst and us. Chris cooked up as mean bell pepper
onion mushroom and garlic veggie dish wow!
after dinner we played phase 10 until a little after 10pm.
The Holst went home and the boys went out to play? My wild
son Jeff!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeff came home for a few days. We picked him up at the airport and went
immedidately to the Niguel lab to fix a broken toilet seat!! If that isnt classical
Ed Ginn Sr. for you I don't know what is!!!! It was always work. so here are some lab pics
and then we went to A's Burgers for dinner. In and out was way too busy so we went back to A's
We will continue to post the activities of the weekennd with Jeff and his friend Chris

Well It sure is hot in California even at the beach so last weekend
we went up to Big Bear it was cool and rainy. We had to go up because the
roof had begun to leak and we had to sign off on the replacement. Cassy
and I went up a few weeks ago to pick out a color. We couldnt decide so
I broght home some samples. Marie and I picked the yellowish tan color.
The roof looked very well done. Here is how it looks from the side/

Our big outing was to big Kmart for some shopping. We stayed out of the rain
and got some VERY IMPORTANT STUFF we couldnt live without??????? sure

I still havent fgured out how to place pixs so you will just have to figure it out.
It is vewry hot and muggy
Love DAD

Hola to all. Thanks Abby, Cass and Joc for all the great information about Paris. Needless to say, I´m just excited about seeing my parents. My dream would be to have EVERYONE over to Europe for a family reunion!!! I think we´ll have to wait a while for that one! But Joc, we would LOVE to see you and the family if it´s not too much trouble for you!!!

David and I are heading off to Menorca (island off the coast of Spain) today for a week on the beach. We are going to rent a car and camp for the week. The island is small so we should see a good part of it, if not all! David is sooooo excited (he´s always wanted to go to Menorca and his idea of a perfect vacation is being at the beach 24 hours a day).

Love you all and hope everyone is doing well. Hugs and kisses.

Thank you Jocy for the info. We would like to try to get together too we will make
more detailed plans as our itinerary gets more focused. Here is a pix of Cassy the
day she drove me up to the cabin. We really enjoyed that time together.

Sorry, it's me again - I'm on a roll! Just this last post to ask Cindi what you are doing at the end of the summer? We will be in south west France the last week of Aug and first week of Sept. I haven't checked to see how far away you are from that area but wondered if we could meet you somewhere. I just wondered what your schedule was like?

Oh, Carcassonne is a medieval town in SW France that we'll be going to visit. It's probably the best preserved medieval town in France. I'll let you know how our visit goes and if we recommend it.

Now that you're talking traveling in France, you're not going to be able to shut me up!
Jocelyn

One morning last week Margot decided to make a puppet (a girl). Guillaume followed suit (a dog). When Alienor came home from school she made one too. She got the prize for most elaborate. Perceval had to keep up with his siblings so he glued paper to his puppet to decorate it. I forget what he said it was. Overall, the puppets turned out great and I was really impressed that they did it all by themselves with no help from me. I just had to post the pictures so they can see themselves on the computer!! They get such a kick out of that.

It's been really hot here the last few days. Of course, not like Spain-hot, but for Luxembourg it's hot. I made the comment to Patrice tonight - wouldn't it be nice to live somewhere again where air conditioning is common and not an eccentricity?!

Well, gotta get to bed so I'll stop posting for tonight.
Jocelyn

Here is a picture of us with Adriana, from the OTHER side of the family! (She is my half-sister) Dad dropped her off and she spent a few days with us. We had a nice visit, with no upsets. I haven't seen her since my father's mother died in July 98 so it's been a few years. She's a typical 23 year old, but leans toward what I consider the bizarre (fantasy/gothic/Rocky Horror cast-need I say more?). I CAN say it was nice to compare notes on my father!! Thank goodness I have some GINN genes in me to balance things out!!
Jocelyn

Here's one of the tours I've always wanted to take - but haven't had the chance to yet. It's also something that would be better to do during the colder months.

http://www.ooze.com/sewer/howto.html

Let me know what you think!

If you want to see the Louvre just to see it (and the Mona Lisa/Venus de Milo/and miles of hallways of huge, dark paintings) then I would go. But I prefer the Musee d'Orsay because it has the impressionists and more of the paintings that I would say we all 'recognize'. It was nice of Mom to mention the fountain with the sailboats but it might not be as exciting in November with no children!

Here is another tour I'd like to take. If you can't go in person (lots of walking) then take a virtual tour at the following website:

http://triggur.org/cata/index.html

By the way, would you mind if we met you in Paris to go out to dinner? I promise we won't tag along and slow you down with our 4 kidlings. Just thought it would be fun to get together, and see Cindi and MEET David (Patrice has, I haven't yet!).

Let us know. I'll look for some more interesting stuff on Paris.

Oh, a restaurant Patrice has been to and which sounds interesting is the following:

http://www.nosancetreslesgaulois.com

Reviews said it was a little pricey (35Euros) but that it's all you can eat so at least you leave full!

Jocelyn

Hello Everyone,
Thank you Aunt Cass and Uncle Ed. I really do like the blog, I could really get into this.
Blog Away,
Abby

Just a quick Hello to All!
Wanted to say how surprised I was when I saw that Abby had contributed to the Blog. That she had done it all on her own - YEA - ABBY!! How great it is that we have a 'younger' generation growing up, contributing to the history of our Family. Keep up the good work Abby, it was great! We all will be watching for all those younger ones coming up to add their thoughts too! As for suggestions for things to do in Paris for the Ginn's upcoming trip - Making it to the Louvre should be one the of the top ten things to do. Make sure you have more than just a few minutes because there is soooo much to see and experience within the walls of the Louvre, and it takes time to get from painting to painting, exhibition to exhibition, statue to statue. Also, something I really enjoyed with the Toulare Gardens (probably didn't spell that correctly) but they are across the way from the Louvre. It has the famous fountain where the children push the little sailing boats with sticks to head them out on the water. I have great memories of watching Alienor, Guillaume, Margot and even little Perceval playing with the boats - even, Patrice helping them all! It was very special for me, so maybe you might enjoy it too!
Well, love you all!
Take Care,
Grandma Cass / Aunt Cassy

This is me wearing the shirt that Stacia picked out for my birthday when we were in Utah last month. It workes well with the new brown pants i got. THANK YOU STACIA!

This is a BIG THANK YOU to Abby for taking of her reading time to send me that info about Paris.
We welcome input from any of you that have suggestions about France. What to do and what to see.

Hi everyone,
It is I Abby the great with news on Paris attractions. I hope all the spelling is correct. Ok here it goes. You can ride to the first floor of the eiffel tower for 4.20 euros, second floor 7.70 euros, top floor 11.00 euros. You can drive by the Arc De Triomphe. Go to Notre Dame. Visit the Louvre.To see ticket prices go to www.louvre.fr. Then go to visit and click on admission fees. You can also visit Palais de la Porte Doree-Aquarium Tropical
293 ,avenue Daumensil ,Paris ,75012 France. That was pretty much all I could find even though it took me like, two hours. I need to keep adding to my 26 hours read since June 27 so I better go. Happy 3rd Birthday Landon!! Oh, and congrats. on getting to take Milena home. She is so cute and tiny I wish I could see her in real life. I love you all so much.
Keep on Blogging,
Abby

It has been a busy week so here is a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to LANDON.
We now have tickets to Paris on the 2nd of November. We will meet C&D there
and probably be in the city for 3 days. So if any of you world travelers have suggestions
about what to see and where to go-let us know. Also, we will be driving south thru
France so again what is important to see and where do we stay. It is kinda scary but if
my eyes and feet hold up i am sure it will be fun
Love DAD

Landon turns 3!

Happy Birthday Landon.

Milena's first real Bath at home. (she didn't like it)

OH THE BEAUTIFUL GAME!!!!!!!!

I will miss being able to come home and watch a match every evening (thank heavens for FOX Soccer channel and DVR). The 3rd place match was a BLAST...I hate Portugal and their frantic (X Brazilian manager) Coach. The diving from the Portuguese discusted me...the whistles from the crowd when Christiano Ronaldo (amazing ball ahandler) touched the ball made me happy...he made a fool of himself the entire cup. The Germans were classy, well coached and dominant. I doubted them at first and they grew on me. Similiarly, I doubted France. The best midfield and midfielder in the tournament. Zidane, regardless of his crazy antics rightfully earned the Golden Boot at the end of it all. We all snap at sometime...he simply chose a poor time to do so...and FYI he did not loose the game for him...a very qualified French men struck the cross bar...Remember? It is not like he replaced Zidane, he would have shot regardless.

I used to hate games ending in shoot outs...I don't mind it so much now that I have been part of soccer so much. The fatigue, the mental strategies (mind games) all add up to the most dramatic finish in sports...we were on the edge of our seats the entire 2.5 hours. I wish France would have won, but the honor was all mine as I got to watch one of the finest matches in world cup history...it was fast, attacking and creative. Italy's goal was nothing short of amazing, as as the earned P.K. that Zidane so confidently lobbed in to the frame.

It is a beautiful game, we learn so much from it...I love it and adore it and can't wait for the women's world cup next summer, then the olympics the following summer and then repeat.

In Iowa; the beautiful game continues. In a month I wil have 60 players wearing the Blue of IWCC learning to battle for a national title. We have tremendous soccer players coming to Iowa. We have three months to develop them as individuals and as a functioning team. I am very excited. The other part, Council Bluffs Futbol CLub (CBFC) is thriving, especially on the girls side...We have 7 fully rostered girls teams...U11, U12A, U12B, U13, U14, U15 & U17. I personaly coach the U14 and U17 teams and am in charge of the coaches development for the entire club. On the boys side we had fewer boys...as you can imagine, the daddys around here think baseball and football are more important...another reason to not be a Huskers fan! We have a U11, U12 & U14 with barely enough for a team in each age group and the U17 team, we had to turn 9 kids away. And the 17's are very good, they should earn their way in to the premier division this fall.

Things here are busy, I am a stress ball with all of the things I am doing, but I am growing up and learning to deal with people and issues as well as learning to delegate a bit more.

If you want to follow the progression of the college you can follow it at www.athletics.iwcc.edu and for the club www.cbsoccer.com

I have also learned the art of developing and updating a web site as you will see on the club site.

You always telll me to just blab away so I did...hope i didnt make you snooz!

Love y'all!

Well, just so you know, once Brazil lost to France on Saturday, we were rooting for Italy to win the finals. So, the final was happy for us in the end. A very exciting game to say the least.

Well, just so you know, once Brazil lost to France on Saturday, we were rooting for Italy to win the finals. So, the final was happy for us in the end. A very exciting game to say the least.

I'm so sorry for everybody 'cause nobody
the family was rooting for won THE cup

maybe next time

Nurse Anne had to carry her to the car and check that we put her in correctly.



Milena went through a bit of a struggle but in the end was and is a strong little girl. She is still only 4 lb 7 oz or so.

She will have the heart rate and resp monitor for about 5 or 6 weeks. (you can see it over nurse annes shoulder)


Thank you to everyone that sent gifts and kept us in your prayers.

CONGRATULATIONS! AND YEA!!!!!
FOR GINA, BOBBY
AND THE
ENTIRE GINN FAMILY
MILENA IS WELL ENGOUGH
AND IS COMING HOME
TODAY - YEA!!!!!!!!!
GOD HAS BLESSED HER
WITH THE STRENGTH OF
BODY AND SPIRIT
TO OVERCOME AND
TO THRIVE!!!
LOVE TO HER AND TO HER FAMILY
LOVE, AUNT CASSY

Milena gets to come home Friday afternoon!!!!!

We are excited.

We will bring home a heart rate and respiratory monitor.


Life is busy, Grandma Lemke watches the kids all day and night. Gina has been at the Hospital 24 hours a day for the past few days. I go visit as often as I can. We will post pics soon.

Thanks for the prayers and keep smiling

Here are a few pictures of the most recent road trip to Pennsylvania. We went to visit Andy's Dads side of the family. A fun time was had by all! Even though the trip did take about 9 hours, the return trip was eventful as we drove into Chicago there were hundreds of fireworks shows throughout the city. Since the city is so flat, there was no problem seeing all different shows from different towns. It's nice to not have the hills and valleys that get in the way. There was an abundance of illegal fireworks to be bought in Pa, which made Andy very happy. He was smart and didn't bring any back; all were set off within the borders of Pennsylvania. We didn't take any pictures of the festivities because there would have been hundreds of pictures due to the amount of fireworks that Andy and family set off in the back woods. Now that we live so much closer, we have promised to visit more often. One more thing, we have a new addition to the family. Shawnna can be seen holding "Carmel" the new bunny rabbit that she received from Andy's aunt Dolly. We'll see how long he lasts in the family.

Sorry Cindi
my camera is broken so no mo pics for awhile
we had a great time at san juan's fireworks show. we sat about 50 yards in front of them! Very loud and perty.
love dad

Yea France
go cup

Hope everyone had a great fourth of July. Sad but true... the people I work with had to remind me that it was the fourth of July!! Then I called home to talk to mom, and dad answered, I asked him why he was home and he told me it was the fourth of July (I´d forgotten...again). Anyway, since I obviously didn´t do anything exciting for the fourth, I´m waiting for pictures from all of you!! Hugs and kisses for all of you!

Well we made it to see the Tour de France pass by - all 20 seconds or so of it! We were just about the first people out there waiting around 9:30 this morning. I didn't want to miss the caravan. The caravan probably didn't come until around 11. Alienor and Guillaume had fun trying to catch things that they throw at the crowd. They got a variety of advertising junk which they thought was exciting. I was surprised by the lack of turnout - I mean I thought there would be way more people lining the road. We had a good seat on a wall which kept Perceval and Margot from wandering off. I wouldn't let them down. The caravan lasted about an hour, hundreds of cars painted with company logos, blaring music, etc. passing by. It's amazing how many vehicles precede the cyclists. There were tons of cars that just drove by which made me wonder what part they play in the whole competition, or what important people were in those Skoda cars (official vehicle of this years Tour). The cyclists didn't come until almost 12:30. And like I said, they came and went in all of 20 seconds! There were a handful of cyclists in front, but other than that it was just a mass of cyclists (I think they said 125 or so) all in one long group. Obviously we've all seen it on TV so you know what I'm talking about. It was neat to see it in person. Being able to witness events like this always makes me a little teary-eyed. Kind of like seeing the Olympic torch pass by.
When we got home, the kids dumped out my backpack and went through all the handouts they had received. My souvenir was the arrow that you see in the picture. We sat there the whole time and as we started to leave, I just decided to take it with me!
Well, we didn't get fireworks for the fourth of July but at least we got a little holiday (Alienor's school was closed for the Tour) and a little excitement.
Hope you all have a great 4th!
Jocelyn

Sorry Andy
Whooooopeee Patrice
it is so nice not to be embarrasse anymore
Go Cup

Well this just a thank you to all who made me feel special
on my 65th birthday. Nice notes and cards from Marion and Jimmy
An early phone call from Shanna Amber and Drew
Emails and calls from the rest of you. It is nice to know that you are loved
by so many. Here is the one picture I got at Sizzler before I dropped my camera.
Not very good but it includes the Agles, Virgins, Holsts, and the Tanakas, Can't see the
Agels at all... but the pink lemonade showed up pretty good!
Here is wishing all a safe
and sane 4th.
Love Dad

HAIR...I cut my hair last weekend....not happy... I didnt want cut as short as it was cut, but if I was still living at home, I would not get kicked out of the house because of the length of my hair. I have a hair cut that I think they call a MOP TOP...sadly I think thats what I had when it was long too? Chris Seamons is coming out to visit for a week. I am sure we will get some pictures up here for you guys to see my hair.

Club soccer try outs ended yesterday and we had TONS of girls try out and it seems that the girls teams are going to be awesome from u-10 to u-17. The boys will be awesome at the younger ages as well as our U-17 boys. Total, we have 11 teams in the club and 25 coaches/assitants/trainers. Things here are progressing rapidly and my experiences here are proving to be more and more valuable as the days go on. The last three weeks of camp and try outs have been very exhausting, but seeing soccer in this community thrive is very rewarding.

Oh yeah, Dad, Bobby wanted to give you another Kid for YOUR birthday...I guess my gift to you is that I DID NOT HAVE A KID on your birthday.

Love y'all

Happy Birthday POPS!I hope that you had a wonderful birthday and have a fun weekend. You need to godown to grandmas house on the bluffs and sit in lawn chairs on the bluffs and watch the bardge shoot fireworks like we did back in the day. I hope all is well and that you are happy. Thanks for everything...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday Dad

Sorry I don't have another baby to have......but if I did we would try to have it today!!!!!!!


We love you,


Bobby, Gina, Stacia, Landon and Milena
_______________________________________________________________

Milena is doing great. She has been transferred to the B nursery and Gina is nursing 3 times a day. She is off all meds and oxygen....She just needs to beef up, get some strength and eat a full meal consistently and she can come home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
CHAMP, CHAMPLIN, ED!!
I AM SO THANKFUL
YOU ARE MY BROTHER
AND THAT YOU HAVE MADE IT TO
THE AGE OF 'SOCIAL SECURITY'
IT GIVES ME HOPE THAT I WILL
MAKE IT TOO!
LOVE YOU LOTS!!
YOUR SISTER, CASSY

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY

BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!!!!!

We hope you have a wonderful day. We wish we were there to celebrate with you. Love you lots and lots.

Hugs and kisses!!

Found out more info on the Tour de France and unfortunately it doesn't pass in front of our house, but at the bottom of our hill. Luckily it's still within walking distance and we'll still go see them go by. Fun to be a part of a bit of history.

How is Milena doing?

How is everyone else doing?

Patrice is happy!


Change of subject - We are celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary today - and Patrice is in Dresden. Usually he is away on business for my birthdays and we have company (or ARE company) for our anniversaries. Luckily I am low maintenance!!

Hope you all have a great day!

Jocelyn

It is a good thing that we have family spread out all over the world. 'cause
that way no matter who wins the CUP someone in the family gets to celebrate!
This is a pic on Milena just a few hrs after she was born. the card that the nurse made
for this picture is 3.5 inches wide and three inches high. gives you a better idea of how small she was that day.
She is now off the ling meds and most of the heart meds and sge is beinning to nurse so it wont be too much longer before
she is able to go home. I know Gina will be happy when that day comes. making trips to provo every day
is a little bit of a pain.
Love to see everyones postings !!!!! Keep up the good work. Love Dad

Ok, so sad. Spain lost big time. Oh well, Patrice will be happy at least!!
Chaning the topic, who else thinks that in the pictures Jeff posted he looks like a total hick!! Just give him a tracter and tight jeans and he´s ready to be the Ginn "red neck". Love HIM, not the HAIR. But he told me he cut it....thank goodness. Jeff, would love to see a picture of the hair now!!
Love you all. keep smiling.

Fun news!
Last week I heard that the Tour de France was passing through Luxembourg July 4th in a town not far away from us. I thought I'd make an effort to take the kids, just for fun. Then yesterday Alienor brought home a paper saying school was cancelled for next Tuesday because the Tour de France is passing through Leudelange! AND THEY'LL PASS IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE!! How fun! For once it pays to live on a busy street. Now I just have to dig out that American flag to hang up for next Tuesday!

Jocelyn

Marie got to renew friendships with SanDee Wall (Skaggs)

and one more