Busy March/April!

If you follow this blog, you know that basketball saves us through the difficult holidays and that first part of January.  Keeps us busy, and Spring is here before you know it. 

This year, we travelled a little more to basketball games than in past years.

Started out traveling to Washington DC for the Notre Dame/Illinois game.  I wore a shirt that said "Basketball is my favorite season" because we were rooting for both teams.  ND won that game.

Travelled to Champagne, Ill for a couple of Ill games, Indianapolis for the Ill/IN game,  Ball State for 

Ball State/ND game, South Bend for a couple of ND games, Louisville for ND/Louisville game,

Albany, NY for Sweet Sixteen - ND vs. Oregon St.  ND lost (we came home early, and were here for the call from Ed about Lynn.  Things happen for a reason.)

Then to Indianapolis for Final Four for WBIT - Illinois vs. Wash St (Illinois won), then back to Indy two days later for finals.  Illinois won the Championship!

Kind of going through basketball withdrawal...don't know if Maddy is staying at ND (hope so, ND is going to have a great team next year with Olivia Miles back, Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron.   Maddy would make it even better.

Took a few pictures that last couple of months too.  Reminds me that keeping busy keeps us going.

Notre Dame game - Sweet 16 in Albany, NY

Tony, Leanne

Teresa and Matthew

Cousins - Donna, Sharon, Pam

Sisters - Donna & Pam

Family - Tony, Donny, Donna, Leanne, Pam, Jim Sharon

Happy 16th Birthday, Andrew (& Mimi)

Congratulations Teresa & Matthew! We are so happy for both of you!!

Leanne & me celebrating Matthew & Teresa

Sharon, Jim, Teresa, Matthew

Aunt Donna, Teresa, Matthew

@ Illinois game

Fighting ILLINI!

Notre Dame

Me and Hannah Hidalgo

Celebrating after ND game!

Iowa Coach, Lisa Bluder.  Iowa was staying in the same hotel as ND in

Albany, NY for Sweet 16.  Caitlin Clark was just to her left - didn't 

see her in time to get a picture! Darn!

me, Susan, Vicki  (Maddy's Mom and Aunt)

Fortener Easter hunt

Hinkle Fieldhouse for Illinois vs. Washington State

Final Four - WBIT

Let the celebration begin - ILLINI win the Championship!

me, Shauna Green (head coach), Donny 

Jenna Giacone, me

Donny & Jenna

Donny & Calamity McIntire (assistant coach) She's on a radio interview!

My WBIT Bracket - I KNEW Illinois would win!

CONFIDENCE!

Happy 16th Birthday Andrew!!!

Family

Nick wins the final game in the 100 Square pool!

(it was a birthday gift from me!)

Max - lacrosse

Max and teammate (they are the same age!)

Andrew - goalie

Albany, NY

Donny, me, Vicki, James, Jim

me and Kendall Bostic (plays for Illinois)

Another ending to March Madness.

It was a good season for all of our teams!

A Tribute to Lynn

Cancer SUX.

Ed (Donny's oldest cousin -Sorry Ed) on the Fortener side and Lynn were married the week before we were...June 1976.

That is the first thing Lynn and I had in common.  We married cousins.   We started our family earlier than Ed and Lynn - they enjoyed their newly married life a little longer than we did - Melissa was born in 1978, Adrienne, their oldest a few years after Nick.  We saw them every year at the Fortener Christmas, at Fairmont when Adrienne was a freshman and Nick was a Senior, but didn't really hang out together until about four or five years ago.

Started out meeting them for dinner, mostly at local breweries. Lucky Star Brewery in Miamisburg was one of our favorites.  Taco Tuesday.  Then UD games.  Ed shared tickets with his brother, and they invited us quite a few times.  

Another thing we have in common, politics.  Lynn was unapoligetically Democrat.  We had a lot of great conversations in the last five years.  

We had a lot of fun with them, and talked about going on a vacation together.  Fall of 2021.  Donny made all of the reservations.  We were going to New England.  Boston, Cape Cod.  We were driving our new van.  Ten days.

About a month before we were supposed to leave, Ed called.  "We can't go.  Lynn just found out she has breast cancer."    After a few doctor appointments, she found out it was Triple Negative.  An aggressive form of breast cancer.  She started treatments right about the time we were supposed to leave for our vacation.

She reminded me so much of Melissa and her journey with breast cancer.  She NEVER stopped living life.  Ed and Lynn have 3 kids, one lives locally, one in Cincinnati and one in Columbus.  They have four grandkids.  Once a week they would go to Cincy to help out, and once a week to Columbus to help.

Lynn was a thrift store shopper.  The BEST thrift store shopper.  I remember her saying "why would I buy a $40 pair of boots for my grandkid when I get a barely worn pair for $2?"  Good point.  That was something we DIDN'T have in common.  I'm not a good shopper.  Or a patient shopper.  I go, get what I need and leave.  I think Lynn loved the browsing and finding great deals.  OH!  I think it was one of her girls that called it the "dirty store".  Lynn didn't care.

We laughed a lot.

During the last couple of years, I don't think there was ever much of a break from her chemo/radiation treatments.    She just kept on going, even when the cancer progressed.  We still went to dinner, we still went to basketball games, and even to the Schuster for a show.  

And I can't NOT admire Ed for the care that he gave Lynn.  You know, when you say your wedding vows, "in sickness and in health"...he took that seriously.  What we witnessed the last couple of months was pure, TRUE LOVE.  He never complained and never thought of himself.  

Lynn passed away Easter Sunday morning.  We are missing her so much, and wondering how you live without the love of your life.  

 

This popped up in my memories on Facebook the other day - from Lynn.  She was really good about 

sending me these messages...reminding me that she remembered Melissa too.  And now they are together .

This one in my memories on the day she passed away.  How appropriate.

Thank you, Lynn.  

We celebrated our 40th anniversaries together at Coco's Bistro.

Lynn and her sisters on her birthday this year.  So glad they planned this celebration this year!

Christmas Day.  Lynn wanted to go to a movie.  Hard to get seats at big theatres on Christmas Day, 

so we went to see Poor Things at Neon Movies.   They really like Emma Stone.  Didn't have a 

chance to look up what the movie was about.  OMG.  Won lots of awards, but I wouldn't recommend it.

We laughed about it all day.  Great Christmas memory!

Ed & Lynn came to the last Fort 5K

Lynn with Rooster and Mary and Ed.

Me and Lynn

At The Schuster to see To Kill a Mockingbird. 

Yellow Cab Co. pub.  Beatles Tribute band -best ever!!!

The guy in the middle was the lead guitarist.  When they said his 

name (Patrick Himes) I KNEW I knew him.  I worked with 

his mom at Moraine Meadows!  Small world.

Rooftop Beatles tribute band.  They do this every August.  

We'll be back.  Best ever!

Celebrating our 47th anniversary (last year) at the 

Pine Club.

Dinner at Carmel's.  We loved our margaritas.

We'll still do all the things with Ed that we did with Ed & Lynn...but it sure won't be the same.

We love you and miss you Lynn.