Mary's Impromptu Illinois B-day Party.

Since we had to cancel Mary's birthday party due to our unexpected trip to Illinois, we quickly threw together a small get-together with family and Gene's hetero-lifemate's, Joe Strejc, family. It was a nice evening for all:) Click to view pictures.

The moving truck will be rolling out of Texas on July 29 for my permanent move to Illinois. Gene will return to finish up odds and ends; he will be joining us in Illinois the weekend of August 12.

Headed Back to Illinois

Well, after nearly 3 years as Texans, the Kanaks are headed back to Illinois. When we moved to Texas, it was for Gene's dream job--a chance to work with the brightest and the best in the bowling industry; however, since Gene was part of a large corporate downsize back in February 2010, staying in Texas lost its purpose. Though we have enjoyed our time here and will treasure the friends we have made, it's time to return our children to Illinois, where they can be raised around our large, supportive extended families. The moving truck is scheduled to arrive at my parents' house in Bonfield sometime around July 30. We will be staying at the Schafer Homestead until more permanent arrangements are made (or until they kick us out).

Mary could not be happier. It seems as though her heart never left Illinois, and she is anxious to return. On the other hand, Geno has permanently etched Texas in our hearts since he is the only true Texan Kanak. This will be a new adventure for him.

This was a hard decision for me as I truly loved my job, my fellow teachers, and the friends I have made along the way, but in the end, it came down to what was best for our children. Looking back on my childhood, the memories of family meals, huge holiday get-togethers, and sleep overs at grandma's are among the most potent, wonderful recollections. Taking the same opportunities away from my children because I like my house and job seemed petty in our situation.

So...Thank you for the memories, Texas.

album 01\03\11 (24 photos), by Angela Kanak

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Our Year at a Glance Kanak Update--2010

Season’s Greetings from the Kanaks!

We hope that this find you and yours healthy, happy, and anxiously awaiting another fun-filled holiday season. As usual, our family has undergone a great many changes in the past year. Here are some of the highlights:

Geno is now a walking, talking (kind of) 20-month old. His primary hobbies are eating, dancing, and watching TV. His favorite shows include Blue’s Clues, Yo Gabba Gabba, and The Fresh Beat Band. If you haven’t seen one of the Facebook videos of him dancing, do yourself a favor and check it out. I don’t care what kind of day you’re having; watching his moves will be enough to bring a smile to your face. Speaking of smiling, he’ll be doing a great deal more of that soon, as he is preparing to start up at a new preschool. He takes very well to the preschool environment, as he loves being around toys and other kids his age. Unfortunately, we had to pull him out of his previous preschool environment because he kept getting bitten by a teething female. She may actually be a vampire; the authorities are still looking into it; nevertheless, Geno emerged from the situation just fine, and now he’s ready to move on to bigger and brighter things. In between preschool settings, Angie’s good friend Allison cared for Geno during the day. In many ways, Allison’s house was better than preschool! She taught him sign language, fed him nutritious food, and nearly weaned him from his pacifier. We are in a great deal of debt to Allison—literally, we owe her a ton of cash.

The same can be said for Mary Christine, who will also be attending a new school after the New Year. Mary did very well at her Montessori school during the first half of the year. Her teachers said that she was sweet, smart, and a pleasure to have in class. Of course she was; she’s a Kanak! Nevertheless, she was only able to attend that particular school three days per week, and she wants to go all five days like the big kids do. How can you argue with that? Outside of school, Mary’s hobbies are many, but her biggest loves include books, art, dancing, American Girl Dolls, and bowling. She has become quite the little keggler. During the first half of her youth league, she carded 3-4 games over 100, including a personal best of 118. The league didn’t keep track of averages for the bumper bowlers, but it seemed pretty obvious that Mary was the leader of the group. At her current rate of progression, we figure she’ll card her first 300 game by age 6 or 7. Stay tuned.

Speaking of remaining in tune, over the last year, Angie has continued to find her groove in regard to living and working in Texas. She is now halfway through her second year teaching at a prestigious local high school, and, as expected, she has excelled. She has impressed her colleagues and administrators a great deal. However, she is excelling outside the classroom as well. As many of you know, she has been faced with some extremely difficult medical issues. Despite the challenges, she met some extremely difficult health situations with more strength and grace then can scarcely be imagined. The penultimate example was when, less than four months after undergoing major surgery, she walked 60 miles in three days while completing the Susan G. Komen 3-day Breast Cancer Walk in Dallas. Obviously, we were all quite proud of her.

Point of View Change:
Since Gene didn’t feel comfortable writing his own paragraph, I (Angie) will be taking over for the next few sentences. It would be a lie to say that Gene has had an easy year. After being part of a large corporate downsize at USBC in February 2010, Gene was offered a sales job at Strike 10 Entertainment. Though he was still in the sports industry, spending all day on the phone with billiards facility owners asking them what type of food and beverages they serve was not his idea of a career, and it certainly was not reason enough to move his family 900 miles away from all their friends and family. After hopes of moving back to Illinois were squelched by a poor education job market, we all accepted the fact that we needed to stay in Texas until the education system in Illinois financially recovered. Gene was fortunate to find an English teaching position at a magnet high school, Cedar Hill Colligate High School. Though he was told the teaching atmosphere at a colligate high school was intense, the over-testing, constant observation, and endless parent contact are making him realize that this is not the atmosphere for him. However, he is hell-bent on completing the school year with gusto—teaching the best he can in the high-stress situation. Needless to say, he is constantly browsing websites and networking with friends attempting to find different employment for next fall. Though he often talks about opportunities that would bring us back to Illinois, the wonderful people we have met in Texas, make our life here worthwhile and enjoyable—not to mention year-round softball and access to the best bowlers in the world. Despite Gene’s bad luck, he has remained a wonderful father and husband.

Here’s hoping for a great new year!!


The Kanaks (notice that no apostrophe is needed as nothing belongs to us in this context)

Summer 2010...so far...

Summer started off with a visit from Papa and Grandma. It was a short visit, but we managed to fit in a Rangers game. The purpose of the visit was to provide Mary, Geno, and me with transportation back to Illinois for a 10 day visit. While in Illinois, we got to visit with a lot of family and friends. One of the highlights for me was being able to participate in Relay for Life. My family's team "Friends and Family" won a Gold fundraising award. Their fundraising was a wonderful tribute to my Aunt Rose, who lost her battle to cancer in February. Rose's presence was felt throughout the whole day, especially during the survivor lap. I was so moved by the day that I put together a tribute video that is linked on my fb page.

As usual, our trip to Il was filled with play, play, play for Mary. She played hard with all of her Il friends and cousins, especially Ella. She also enjoyed her special visit with Nana and Pappy. Geno also took advantage of his trip by forming a special bond with Papa. You could bet wherever Papa was, Geno wouldn't be more than 3 steps behind. It was hard to return to Texas after having so much fun, but we desperately missed Daddy, so we flew back on June 23.

Geno got his eagerly anticipated ear tubes on July 2. Our hope is that he'll start talking now that he can hear us clearly. Mary was already speaking full sentences by the time she was 15 months old, so it's so different for Gene and I to not be able to talk with Geno. Unlike Mary, however, Geno has picked up a lot of sign language. We typically only have to use a sign 2-3 times before Geno picks up on it. Even if he decides not to use it, he still understands what the sign means, which really helps us communicate with him. After his surgery, the doctor came to the waiting area to discuss how everything went. He told us that there was "TONS" of thick fluid behind his drum, but that it all seemed to be draining now that the tubes are in place.

This summer has been especially great because both Gene and I are home with the kids. Gene left his job at BPAA a bit earlier than necessary (partly by choice and partly not). He's getting his first taste of life as a teacher with summers off. His presence will especially be helpful when I have my surgery on July 20. I will need a ton of help. One wonderful aspect of my surgery is that people are coming to visit in order to help. My mother-in-law, JoEllen, has already booked a flight for July 18. We are so excited for her visit. Mary and I talk about all the fun we're going to have. My mother and sister, Terra, are also planning trips down to help out. We can't wait!!!

I am still fundraising for the 3-day Breast Cancer Walk. So far, I've raised $1800! I only have $500 to go. My biggest donation so far has been from my parents; they gave me $500! I have also received other very generous donations, including $200 from my Uncle Raymond and a $150 check from my brother. Along with many more. Thanks to everyone who has been so generous to this cause.

Another summer highlight: Mary has started her ballet and tap classes. As expected, she loves it!

Well, that's it for now. The Kanaks wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July!