The cost of gas isn't that high!

Goodness, Cordy.....the cost of gas should not mean resorting to this! You must be quite the sight in downtown St. Cloud.

And rounding off the month.....

Last, but not least, for April we celebrate the birthday of Kristen Korkowski (Joe & Sue) who turns 19 today. There is sure to be music involved and maybe a bit of partying? (Just a bit, mom and dad!) Happy birthday, Kristen, and keep on singing.

I do, I do

Two anniversaries but four years apart....today Tom & Jody (Korkowski) Evenson are celebrating their 5th anniversary, while Cory & Jennae (Korkowski) Stadsvold are celebrating their 9th anniversary. Congratulations to you all!

Lila's Baptism

 

Here is another photo from Lila's baptism day. Lila Grace Murray was baptised at the Church of the Risen Savior in Burnsville on Sunday April 19, 2009.

All dressed up and off to prom they went

This is one good-looking couple all gussied up for the prom….Christopher Korkowski (Tom & Caroline) and his date for the night, Julie.  It seems Julie’s mother even sewed the vest and tie for Christopher; now that’s dedication!  But it sure makes for a great touch to go with the dress. 

This time it's an anniversary!

No birthdays today but a wedding anniversary instead.....Ray and Melissa (Korkowski) Murray are celebrating #7 today. There are sure to be a couple of little people who will help them party as well. Congratulations, Ray and Melissa!

To the Korkowski family:
I apologize for the “SPAM” mail, but it is time to start gathering my pledges for the MS 150 ride for this year, which occurs June 12-14th. As everyone knows, I am a very avid biker, and have over 4,000 miles on a bike this calendar year already, and love riding. I am taking something I love, and doing what I can to help raise awareness and support to help cure this terrible disease. For those of you who don’t know, the MS 150 ride is a “ride”, not an official race. That being said, after a 45-minute delay on Saturday last year, I came in 15th, and on Sunday I came in 1st. My personal goal is to cross the line first on both days. Please sponsor my ride by pledging online using the link below, and thank you very much for your support towards curing this terrible disease! Paul

Dear Friends and Family, Consider a pledge to end multiple sclerosis and support me during Bike MS: Larkin Hoffman MS 150 Ride 2009. MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. Please help by making a donation — large or small — to move closer to a world free of MS. Or, why not join me on the event? Become a participant and side by side, as teammates, we will move together to raise the funds that make a difference. Whatever you can give will help. I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress. Sincerely,Paul Korkowski Click here to visit my personal page and make a secure, online donation. To send a donation: Make all checks payable to: The National MS SocietyPlease note my name and Bike MS: Larkin Hoffman MS 150 Ride 2009 on your check. Mail to: Paul Korkowski : 121 Grove St N : Cannon Falls, MN 55009-2201

Vince Korkowski is turning 80!

Vince Korkowski called Cliff and wanted us to forward the following information onto the family. He will be hosting a party for his 80^th birthday on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at the St. Therese Home, 8008 Bass Lake Rd, New Hope MN, from 1:30 to 4:30 PM. Coffee and cake will be served. There will be entertainment provided by a friend from Trinidad, so there will be calypso music to be sure! No RSVP required.

He’d be thrilled to see a bunch of the Korkowski “klan” there!

The 'Queen' Turns 62 today!!

Happy Birthday to our 'Queen Blogger!'  Thanks for keeping us all connected in the 21st century!  Hope there's lots of chocolate and wine today! 

 

Have a great one!

Jennifer

 

It's another birthday!

Today the birthday boy is Al O'Donnell down in Kasson who is 55 today. Hope Annette has a yummy birthday cake for you...happy birthday, Al!

Happy Earth Day 2009

Your name must be Joseph to join!

It seems we have an exclusive little birthday group for today....your name must be "Joseph" to join! One celebration will be for Joe Korkowski (#41) "up north" and another for Joseph Majhess (#8), son of Joe and Jennifer (Korkowski) Majhess down in Florida. It will be much warmer for Joseph's party than Joe's with temps in the 80s for Florida. Have a great birthday, gentlemen!

He's 2!

There'll be 2 candles on the birthday cake today for little Gavin Nicholas, son of Bill and Megan (Korkowski) Nicholas. Mama tells me that he definitely has the personality to go with the red hair....we can only guess at what that means! With his smile, who could stay mad for long?? Happy birthday, Gavin!

Another birthday!

Hello, Our family just added another name to the April birthday list. Baby Zachary Michael Stark was born at 10:39 AM on Saturday, April 18th. He weighed in at 7 lbs and 7 ozs. Mama Lisa , Daddy Mike, Big brother Tyler and Baby are all doing well. He is a cutie. I am attaching a picture of the new family. Not sure if it will post correctly. I have asked my computer pro, Rachel, to help out if this does not work. Theresa

A new week and lots of birthdays to come

It's been a long dry spell without birthdays to announce, but we're on a roll now! Today is Adam Korkowski's (Paul and Sue) 5th birthday. Hopefully it will be nice enough outside to play on that new deck finished off last week. Happy birthday, Adam John!

Lots of candles today!

Two birthdays to celebrate today.....Jim Korkowski (#68) will undoubtedly be out swinging his golf clubs. He knows that he has to keep his game in top form to defend the "Korkowski Open" title he captured last fall. Should be some stiff competition this year!

Then there's little Abby Faye Oxentenko (Shawn and Amy) who turns 3 today. A whirlwind of blond hair and blue eyes, she has been busy sharpening her in-and-out-of-the-crib skills. We all thought that the little female Houdini hadn't yet accomplished that, but she's even smarter than we thought.....she's been getting out and then back in, often times holding some "forbidden" object in her little hands when someone comes to get her. Seems lipstick and chapstick are some of her prized items!!

Be afraid, be very afraid!!

This little cracker-jack, a.k.a. Jacob Korkowski, son of Ron & Sue, had surgery today to have a piece of glass removed from his foot. He stepped on a piece of broken microscope slide glass. Sue got some of the glass out at the time, but apparently some was embedded deep in the ball of his foot. He has been walking on curled up toes ever since. They have to put him to sleep for the surgery which is quite understandable! At least he didn't injure his hands which should be good for another "Picasso" sometime soon....the boy is talented!

Under-buns!

Seriously, what is cuter than 'Under-Buns?' as we call them???  Andrew is proudly showing you his new underwear and his muscles.  Smile and have a great day!

Have a great one!

Jennifer Majhess

 

I remember!

Hi, I remember what we were doing during the "Hairdo 101" seminar.
We were gathering green chokecherries for those wonderful wedding mud
pies. Why mess with something so vain as great hair when we had those
culinary masterpieces to create. Or maybe we were using those
hollyhocks to create the bridesmaids. There was always stuff to do.
David and Norb do look rather dashing with that tame hair. Flavia,
your hair does look like it would have been a bit painful to comb
through. Maybe that is why you preferred "Advanced Mudpie" over hair
taming. Then again, maybe we were roasting green
apples..........Theresa

Hair 101?

Looks like Norb and David must have showed up for "How to comb hair 101". Cordy, Theresa, and I must have found something much more interesting to do. I wonder what it was?
Flavia

We finally have a birthday!

After a long dry spell, we have a birthday....today is little Haley Korkowski's 3rd birthday (Nate and Edith). With that head of gorgeous hair, she's bound to be a star! Happy birthday, Haley!

Ed Korkowski on YouTube

Ed Korkowski is currently involved with the Toastmasters group down in Florida, where he hones his public speaking skills. He recently did a speech on a work-related experience in Germany which should tickle your funny bone. Just click on the link below for direct access www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuFiIc11I3g

Another Great Hair Day!!

Just have to love the hair days had by the young Korkowski gals!  I think that Theresa must have fashioned her hair after her older sister!!!  Sure are some cute kids on these pictures.

 

Donna

Easter 2009 at the Majhess household

Hurray....we have one entry in the Easter 2009 photo quest.....Andrew, Ellie, and Joseph Majhess (Jennifer and Joe) got all gussied up for the Easter bunny's visit in Florida. Looking good!!

The closest to Easter photos on file

Since we don't have any current Easter photos to share, it was time to dig into the "skeletons in the closet" and see what we could come up with! They may not have been Easter pictures, but they're as close as I could find....think the hats make the ladies, Annette and Rosie! Top picture: David, Norb, and Flavia.

(This is the longest stretch....10 days....in the Korkowski anniversary or birthday calendar where we have no one celebrating so we're looking for any news you may have!)

HAPPY EASTER

Easter Greetings

I just finished writing a story for the Franciscan Blog, which I write for every month.   You can find it under www.fslf.org, but this one was about planting seeds.  I wrote the article and had the two little neighbor girls help plant some spinach and onions on Good Friday.  The four year old Grace said, "Sister Cordy, we need to water the seeds".  She got the watering can out and poured a half gallon or more into the pot.  The seeds didn't know what hit them. They were swimming. The pictures should  be on the blog in the next two weeks, I suppose.

 

Anyway, a very Happy Easter to all of my family.  I  very much love  going to this site every day.  Thanks Bev, for your marvelous upkeep.  It is so well done.  I listened to some of  Kristin's music yesterday. Beautiful voice! Thanks for letting us know about your stardom experience on April 8.

 

I will be going to Norb and Donna's on Easter morning and  returning on Easter Monday.  I am excited.  I hope each and every one of your will have a nice Easter.  Celebrate this great and glorious feast of Resurrection.

 

I planted tulips in memory of  Gerald in October - 60 of them, and it looks like almost all of them are sprouting. I will put pictures on the blog when they are in full bloom.  Way to go, Gerald!!!!

 

Love to all of you.  Sister Cordy

Samples of Kristen's music

Hopefully my attempt to let you experience a bit of Kristen's music will work; we'll see what happens. Click on the link shown here....www.myspace.com/kristenkorkowski. The page should come up and the little gray "box" on the right side of the screen should show you her songs. You can click on any one of them and hear her singing. Hopefully some day we can all say "we knew her when...."

A rising star in the family!

Tonight, one of our own is going to experience “a dream come true”. Kristen Korkowski, daughter of Joe and Sue, is opening a concert tonight for Mason Jennings. This write-up was in the campus newspaper, and it is printed here in its entirety. I personally have listened to some of her music on another site, (think a bit like Norah Jones) and hopefully I can get a link to that site posted here in a bit. In the meantime, take time to read about Kristen’s exciting evening.

The opportunity to open for a chart-topping musician is one that most of us, musician or otherwise, may never see. However, for University of Wisconsin-Stout freshman Kristen Korkowski, this “experience of a lifetime” is just around the corner. Korkowski, an apparel design student, will be opening for Mason Jennings at his April 8 concert. What follows next is an email interview conducted with the talented Kristen Korkowski.

What is your musical background? Have you taken voice/instrumental lessons? Do you come from a musical family?

Well, I'm pretty sure I came out of the womb singing. My baby videos can confirm this. It's always been a passion. I took piano lessons as a kid, but nothing elaborate. And as far as voice lessons go, I had one and then my teacher moved to Maine (not because of me, I hope). My family was never extremely “musical” so I'm not sure where I got it from. I'm glad I did though!

Do you write all your own music? What is your greatest source (or sources) of inspiration?

Yes, I write all of my own music. I have so many things that inspire me, whether it be some really good pie, a movie or a cute boy I saw. One of my more recent songs, “Color Me Lovely” started out because my grandma e-mailed me telling me that I should write some happier songs. My immediate thought was, “What's happier than coloring?”

Do you have any published CDs or plans to make a CD?

Yes, actually, I am working on getting a CD released right now. Hopefully I will have them ready to go for the Mason Jennings concert.

Have you ever performed in a concert or opened for an artist before?

Nope. My biggest gigs have been playing at the Acoustic Cafè and/or singing in my kitchen (which, I might add, is quite the production). This is a completely new experience for me.

How did you learn of the opportunity to open for Mason Jennings?

I was contacted by Blue Devil Productions, actually. Hannah, the musical director, e-mailed me saying that a friend of hers showed her my music and she really liked it. So it kind of went from there.

What was your reaction when you learned you'd be opening for him?

I think I might have actually fallen off my chair and choked on the candy I was eating, and then proceeded to squeal and dance around my dorm room. After that, I immediately called my mother.

Are you a fan of Mason Jennings?

I adore Mason. I am really hoping to get his autograph or, if I'm lucky, a picture ... hopefully he reads this...

Is music something you've ever wished to make a career of?

Only every day of my life! I didn't pursue it earlier because I didn't think I had what it takes. I'm a lot more confident about it now and am definitely looking at trying to make a career out of it. I've got a shoe addiction I have to feed (buy my CD, cough cough).

What is your next hope/dream for your music?

Well, in a perfect world, I guess it would be for me to get a record deal. I'm crossing my fingers on that one. Then maybe a tour, perhaps in local shops around the greater Menomonie area, or one where I'd actually leave the state of Wisconsin. I'm not picky.

What is your favorite aspect of music and/or performing?

Just the rush I get. It's so amazing. Though I do get super nervous at first, so don't make fun of me if my hands are shaking an excessive amount.

Is there ever anything about music that frustrates you?

There are some times when the music will just come, and all I'll have to do is write it down. There are other times, though, when I just get stuck. That's probably the most frustrating thing about it. Also, I wish I were more knowledgeable about music. My piano knowledge basically stops at knowing the names of the notes. My songwriting process consists of me just trying to find notes that sound good together and going from there.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years (musically or otherwise)?

Hmm, I'm going to set my hopes high on this one. Married, living in London, singing for a profession. Dream life.

What is the most rewarding aspect or most rewarding experience/moment of your musical career?

I was playing once and looked out into the audience and saw someone mouthing the words to one of my songs. There was just something about that that was so amazing.

Kristen Korkowski’s musical career, while a lifelong endeavor, is reaching new heights this coming week. In response to this opportunity, she stated, “I just want to thank everyone [who has] helped me; I would still be plunking out chords in the South Hall basement if it weren't for all of the support I've gotten. Check me out on MySpace, and mosey on over to the Great Hall, April 8 at around 8 p.m. I promise it'll be a good time! And if you don't like it, I'll buy you dinner -- anything off the dollar menu.”

Even the worst golfer??

 

 

 

For all you golfers out there.                                    An Inspirational Story                       Recently I was asked  to play in a golf tournament. ..                       At first I said, "Naaahhh!"                       Then they said to me ...  "Come on, it's for handicapped and blind kids."                       Then I thought...                     .........                     ........                     .........                     shoot - I could win this!"

 

Never, Ever Be Late

A local priest was being honored at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish.

A leading local politician and member of the congregation was chosen to make the presentation and to give a little speech at the dinner.

However, he was delayed so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited:

"I got my first impression of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when questioned by the police, was able to lie his way out of it. He had also stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his employer, had an affair with his best friend's wife, and taken illicit drugs. I was appalled.

"But as the days went on I learned that my people were not all like that and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people."

Just as the priest finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies for being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and said: "I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived. In fact, I had the honor of being the first person to go to him for confession."

Moral: Never, never, NEVER-EVER be late.

---

Twelve years of matrimonial bliss

Happy anniversary to Ron & Sue Korkowski as they celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary. In case the two of you still need gift suggestions, it appears that the "traditional" suggestions are linen and silk; "modern" ideas are colored gems and pearls; and the "12th anniversary flowers" are peonies. Go for broke and select one from each category! Happy anniversary, Ron & Sue!!

Oh, the celebrations she's seen in her life!

We acknowledge a birthday like no other....Christella's mom is "officially" 108 years young today!! I think it's safe to say that she has seen and experienced maybe two lifetimes. Just imagine the many, many changes in her life from the time she was born until this day. We wish her the very best on this special day!!

Let the music...and the party....begin!

A big milestone for Christella as she celebrates her 70th birthday today; how can that be??? Who knew we had the beginning of a big band sound in the family? Hope you have lots of music today as you celebrate. (And with her mother having her 108th birthday this weekend, we can only say you've still got a long way to go!) Happy birthday, Chris!

Happy April Fool Day!

Remember to be on guard today for those April Fool's Day tricks...one never knows who, what, where or when!