Week 18 (April 29-May 5): Road Trip

 Road Trip

Week 17 (Apr. 22-28): At Worship

At Worship

So.  We were Catholic. Mom converted for marriage-  Dad grew up going to Catholic School... so guess who was "MORE CATHOLIC".

I have lots of funny stories about church and First Holy Communion and whatnot, but they are all stories about my immediate family.

Grandma and Grandpa Oltmer did help build a church in Demarest - St. Joseph's.  Mom and Dad were married at St. Joe's ... but it was at the end of Brookside Ave. when they were married on May 17, 1949.  But shortly after, a new St. Joe's was going to be built and the Oltmer family was a large contributor.

This window (dedication enlarged in photo 2) are still in St. Joseph's Church in Demarest.

Aunt Florence and Aunt Mary were both married there -  and were eulogized there as well.  We were strictly St. Therese in Cresskill -  for most everything.  

You do need a fun story -  So I'll just give a link to one of my favorite church stories:

"The Loudest Things in Church"  http://thesisters3.com/st_loudest.html

Week 16 (Apr. 15-21): Out of Place

Out of Place

So. I am WEEKS behind again. Well.. really 1.5 

I have no clue what to write on this one.  EVERYONE in our family was out of place!

Not to mention that Ancestry is having ISSUES right now.  I'll leave this one "as is" and see if I can come up with something ...  eventually.

Photo for today...

Here we are -  Maybe not OUT OF PLACE-  but surely in dire need of "CORRECTION" according to the photographer's notes.   This was either the time MB cut her own bangs- or just the normal "Ma Haircut" badly in need of CORRECTION!  

I had the typical 9 year old bags under my eyes and TOO DEEP smile lines??!?!?   and I can't read Patty's needed fix... but this is all I can think of for this topic-  for now.   I will come up with something.

Week 15 (April 8-14): DNA

DNA

So-  we (my sister and her husband, my husband and I) paid and had our DNA done.

My husband and I sent it in immediately-  my sister and her husband STILL never sent it in (after paying and receiving the kit).

In January, her husband passed away-  so his will not be sent in... I hope she sends hers in eventually.  

All in all-  what my husband and I saw in our results seemed correct... but things we basically already knew.

As for Ancestry -  I feel duped and angry.  I got some connections but they were all people I already knew.  My husband's has gone NO WHERE.  I REFUSE to pay for another account... I'm already planning to DROP mine when my 6 months is up-  what a joke... without a tree- and an account, the DNA results are USELESS...

That's the end of my rant.

Week 14 (April 1-7): Brick Wall

Brick Wall

And I'm behind again.

I have hit a brick wall of sorts.  I have relatives of my husband -  who are "sure" that they have info on his grandfather- Louis Wieme... but I have not seen concrete evidence.

Apparently, he has used several different first names-  all variations of Louis, but his name is part of the stumbling I've experienced.  Through all of the "proof" of his existence, his name has been Louis -  but his earlier records (not in America) use Aloyious and Aloijsius IF it's even him. 

I can track him until the 1940s.   He left his family and seems to have fallen off the face of the earth.  I have no death record.  I have hit a BRICK WALL.

So.  That's all for now- as I try to come up with other info to include in this blog.

Week 13 (March 25-31): In the Paper

In the Paper

Well. Now I have to do some searching.  I have a few posts where I mentioned newspaper articles... and I am stumped as to what might be new.

I will take this time to mention that IT BUGS THE CRAP OUT OF ME that we, the little genealogy people have to PAY THROUGH THE NOSE to get access to some things... like old census records and newspapers!  I KNOW that at one time in this great Internet era, newspapers were FREE to peruse.  So-  this may be tougher than one thinks.

I will troll the library resources and see if I can find something more interesting than my children's sports accomplishments  (one referenced in last weeks blog) or the poor choices made by some of my ancestors-  running through train stations so as not to be caught by their paramour's husband... or jumping off a cliff to elude capture lol. 

Well... here's on I don't want to forget:  (I have the actual paper-  probably 10 copies-  but not available to me right now)

Paramus ace a winner - Sophomore right-hander deals Wayne Hills a defeat in opener

NewspaperMay 18, 2004 | Record, The (Hackensack, NJ)

Author: By MARK J. CZERWINSKI, STAFF WRITER | Page: S07 | Section: SPORTS

586 Words

PARAMUS - Kevin Wieme is 6-feet-6 and thin as a rail.

When the Paramus sophomore delivers the ball to the plate, he's a tangle of arms and legs ending up a giant step onto the grass in front of the mound. Wieme doesn't throw hard, but, as Wayne Hills discovered Monday afternoon, he's hard to figure out.

"I just try and throw strikes," Wieme said after the eighth-seeded Spartans held off the No. 9 Patriots, 4-2, in the opening round of the North 1, Group 3 State baseball tournament. "I don't try to overpower anyone. I make them hit the ball, on the ground or in the air, because I know the fielders will make the plays behind me."

It's a simple philosophy, but it has been working wonders for Wieme (7-1). He wasn't part of Paramus' rotation at the start of the season, but he has emerged as the player who will pitch most of the crucial games over the next few weeks.

And Monday's performance is the latest in a string of wins against quality opponents. Wieme, who'll be starting against top-seeded Sparta on Friday, has beaten New Milford and Bergen Catholic, who have four losses between them.

"I read about him, and I thought he'd be a little more overpowering," said Wayne Hills' coach Chris Ianneillo, whose team left nine runners on base. "He tipped his curve a lot, and he looked like he struggled a bit. But as off as he was, he was still tough."

Wieme was leading, 3-0, in the fourth inning when Wayne Hills third baseman Antonio Imbimbo cracked a two-run homer. The Patriots (14-10), ranked No. 24 in The Record Top 25, loaded the bases with two out in the fifth inning, but couldn't score.

"Kevin didn't have his best stuff," said coach Joe Cervino, whose Spartans (16-6) are The Record's No. 6 team. "He was slowing up his arm motion, and his curve was dropping in the dirt a bit. But when he needed it, he got most of his outs with the curveball."

The Spartans did a good job of manufacturing runs and taking advantage of three errors and an early spell of wildness by Wayne Hills' starter Ryan Hourihan (4-4). One run scored on a wild pitch, another on an infield out, and a third on a double play grounder with the bases loaded.

"That's what we do," said left fielder Mark Hirata, who doubled home a run. "It's the little guys like me, the ones who don't get any credit, who bunt all the time, get on base, and score on an out or a sacrifice fly."

The Spartans are the defending sectional champions, and that's both a burden and a spark for the players.

"It is a little bit of both," said catcher Donnie Hays. "It's a little pressure because the crowds come here expecting a win. The coach expects big things, too.

"But it's also an emotion thing. You have to be prepared. Just because we're the defending champions doesn't mean we're going to win every game."

All of which means that a No. 8 seed doesn't tell the full story of a team that has been one of the hottest in North Jersey over the last few weeks.

"We feel we've won some good games," Cervino said. "We beat New Milford, Bergen Catholic, and Nutley - three of the best teams in New Jersey. We beat [BC ace Steve] Fox and [New Milford's No. 2 starter Jeremy] Golomb, and we feel we can play with anybody."

And a second one:

A winner in Wieme - Paramus discovers the staff's go-to guy

NewspaperMay 10, 2004 | Record, The (Hackensack, NJ)

Author: By MARK J. CZERWINSKI, STAFF WRITER | Page: S10 | Section: SPORTS

1142 Words | Readability: Lexile: 1080, grade level(s): 8 9

Paramus has found an ace.

Kevin Wieme, a sophomore who still hasn't filled out his 6-foot-6 frame, wasn't penciled in as one of the Spartans' top two pitchers at the start of the season. But he earned the role as the go-to guy with one strong outing after another, capped by last week's impressive 1-0 complete-game victory over Bergen Catholic.

"He just developed," said Paramus coach Joe Cervino, whose team is ranked No. 11 in The Record Top 25.

Wieme (5-1), the center on the Paramus basketball team, has a fastball that tops out in the low 80's and an outstanding curve. That curve was his out pitch against Bergen Catholic as he scattered five hits and outdueled BC ace Steve Fox.

"I thought he was pretty good," said Bergen Catholic coach John Picarello. "He throws with decent speed, but his curveball was excellent that day. We had trouble picking it up and getting good swings at it."

Wieme, who also plays first base, picked up a save earlier this season when the Spartans knocked off previously unbeaten Nutley. He didn't allow a run in 12 innings last week, striking out 12.

"He's a real quiet, introverted kid," Cervino said. "He's always nice and easy going, but he was real excited for that [Bergen Catholic] game. Now, he's the one who I'm going to try to pitch in all the big games in the States and County tournament."

YOU GOT TO HAVE HEART: Wieme isn't the only NNJIL pitcher who has emerged as an ace over the course of this season. Don Bosco junior Spiro Molfetas is one of three seven-game winners in North Jersey, playing a key role in the club's revival.

Week 12 (March 18-24): 12

12

Hmmmm.  I'm drawing a blank. Totally.  Nothing in old ancestors comes to mind... so I will have to think "newer".

12 makes me think of Joe Namath. And Joe Namath makes me think of Kristen's volleyball news article.

The headline in the Bergen Record (which I can't get access to without paying-  SHEESH-  what a racket!  I have the article somewhere... I will find it.)

NOVEMBER 7, 1999 Paramus stuns Paramus Catholic for crown 

But Joe Namath, you say???   When I find and post the article, it will become very clear.  

Thank goodness for LIBRARIES!  Here is the text from the article... #12 - Joe Namath lol

PARAMUS STUNS PARAMUS CATHOLIC FOR CROWN

NewspaperNovember 7, 1999 | Record, The (Hackensack, NJ)

Author: JIM DRISCOLL, Staff Writer | Page: S19 | Section: SPORTS

621 Words

Kristen Wieme was born in 1982, too late to have heard Joe Namath's boast prior to Super Bowl III in 1969. But she sounded like the former Jets' quarterback when she all but guaranteed a Paramus victory in the Bergen County girls volleyball tournament.

And like Joe Willie, the 17-year-old sure delivered.

Fittingly, a kill by Wieme ended Saturday night's 15-3, 15-10 Paramus victory in the County final over Paramus Catholic - the team she said she wanted to play, and beat, after Friday night's semifinals.

"Why I said what I said was because I just knew in my heart that we could beat them," said Wieme, who had been on the losing end in two previous matches against previously unbeaten Paramus Catholic. "I wanted to stay by my words and beat them, and we did. I'm overwhelmed."

So were the top-seeded Paladins. Paramus Catholic (19-1) had a 3-1 lead in the first game, on three aces. From there, it was all downhill for the Paladins, and considering how the PC points were scored, it was serving that plagued coach Don Guide's team. PC finished with 10 service errors, six in the first game alone.

"Service errors and poor passing did us in, and that's usually our strength," said Guide. "I can't figure it out. Maybe it's nerves. Maybe it was [the pressure of] being undefeated. But Paramus played well."

As well as the Spartans have all season. Wieme finished with a team-high nine kills, while Kim Farhat had eight service points. But statistics alone don't do the justice to the Spartans performance.

Wieme, a senior, was everywhere. In the backcourt, digging - along with Amanda Soares and Tiffany Farhat - what seemed to be every kill attempted by the Paladins. And when Paramus Catholic made a run in the second game, closing from a 10-3 deficit to 10-8, Wieme delivered an ace to stop the Paladins' momentum.

"She's had her games," Paramus coach MariaElena Bellinger said of Wieme, who had 18 kills in a match against Immaculate Heart Academy. "When she's in a zone, I tell her, `No one can stop you.' And the same is true of my entire team."

Paramus (20-2), the tournament's third seed, proved to be unstoppable starting early in the first game. Crystal Sullivan recorded six consecutive service points to give the Spartans a 7-3 lead. And on game point, with Marcela Gomez serving, a stuff by, who else, Wieme, gave Paramus a 15-3 win and set the Paladins reeling.

But PC didn't die easily. Rachel Rivers scored five consecutive points to close to within two points of Paramus, and Anri Koike added another point for Paramus Catholic on serve to make it just an 11-10 deficit, but another ugly service error followed.

"We really wanted this game," said Kim Farhat, who lead Paramus with eight service points. "This whole season, we wanted to show them we could do it. And we did."

Northern Valley at Old Tappan, the tournament's fifth seed, defeated No. 10 Ridgewood, 16-14, 7-15, 15-9, in the consolation match.

"They were a little deflated, and a little disappointed after losing [Friday] night," Old Tappan coach Melissa Landeck said of her team. "But they deserved to be out here, among the best four teams in the County. Sometimes people don't think we belong here, but they played like they belong here, and I'm proud of them."

Rachel Goldstein and Lauren Ascolese led Old Tappan (18-4), as each finished with 11 service points and nine kills. Danielle Cafasso added 12 kills.

"This is a very difficult game to play," said Ridgewood coach Ron Knott, "because it doesn't really mean anything. So you're basically playing for pride and a state ranking, which is tough to use as a motivator."

Mariko Boswell had 19 assists for Ridgewood (16-7), and Stephanie Kaliades had 14 kills and four blocks.