The Bierwas Family

Man, I am WAAAAY Behind!

2009-07-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I guess I've been slacking the last year, because I've hardly posted anything on the blog. I have so many photos over the past year, that I'm not even sure where to start. So, I'm just going to add them as I get to them, starting with Hannah's 12th birthday photos.
One of Hannah's friends shares the same birthday with her, even the same year, so the girls decided to have a double birthday party. They decided on a trendy rock and roll theme, with lots of bright colors, and polka dots. We just had a small party, with each of them inviting a couple of friends, and just family in attendance. Because of this, we decided to go with a cupcake tower, rather than a traditional cake, and it turned out GREAT!
The kids had a blast playing games, including limbo, and they even rocked the house with the karaoke machine.
Dawson had a great time playing the guitar, and dressing the part, and he even rocked the microphone, with a duet with his friend.
This party was much more successful than the last one, with regard to RSVP'd guests actually showing up, and Hannah had a great time.

4th of July Fun

2009-07-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

For the past several years, we have celebrated the 4th of July by spending the day at the local lake. This year, we were blessed to have close friend and family share the day with us, and we had a blast! The weather was nice, only in the upper 80's, and the clouds provided some welcome shade from the sun.
The boys, Dawson, my nephews Justin and Logan, and my friend's son Clayton, spent most of the day fishing. This is one of my favorite photos from the day, showing them all relaxing, with their fishing poles in the water.

It was a great day for Logan, who at 4 years old, caught his very first fish. He is now tied with Uncle Dave, who at 31 years old, just caught his very first fish in Kansas back in June. After the big catch, it was a mad ash back to the lake for a little fishing competition. I mean what adult wants to be outfished by a 4 year old? Unfortunately, the fish were not very cooperative, at least not for the men. Our neighbor Brenda caught several fish, and Hannah had one on the line, but it escaped as she was reeling it in.
Aside from fishing, we spent the day playing badminton (I beat Dave at both games we played, as I do every year) and we also played football and soccer throughout the day. Dave grilled up some hamburgers, hot dogs, and bratwurst, and we enjoyed dinner together.
A little after 9, the fireworks show began, and although not as long a last year, it was a beautiful show. After the show, we packed everything up, and headed back to our neighbor's house to set off our own fireworks. We set off fireworks until after midnight.
With good food, great company, and lots of laughs, I do believe a great day was had by all!

Dawson's 1st Mutton Busting Experience

2009-05-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

We went to the Abbyville Rodeo, and Dawson had his 1st mutton busting experience. He LOVED it! It scare me to death, but it was worth it, to see the smile on his face after it was over. There were about 10 children in the competition, and Dawson rode the second longest. Most of the kids fell off right after they opened the gate, but Dawson held on for dear life!
Conversation of the day:
Daddy: "Ok Dawson, make sure you hold on really tight when they open the gate."
Dawson: "Hold on to what daddy?"

Happy Halloween, a Few Days Late

2008-11-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

This year, Dawson decided he wanted to be a pirate. So, I checked Wal-Mart for a costume, and decided very quickly that I wasn't going to pay $20.00 for a costume, so I set out to make it myself. I bought a pirate package for $5.00 that included the eye patch, bandanna, false teeth, and earring, and I used the make-up we had leftover from last year. The hook and bucket came from an auction, and the sash was 2 yards of ribbon I bought for $0.49 each. I made him a sword out of cardboard, and wrapped it in foil, and the wooden sword was made by Pop Pop for Dave when he was little. The black t-shirt was on clearance for $3.00, and the blue pants are just a pair of sweats he wears. Put it all together, and you have an instant pirate costume.

Hannah was grounded from trick or treating this year because of her grades, so she had to sit at my dad's house and pass out candy while we were gone. I don't think she minded too much though; she's too cool for trick or treating now.

Dawson filled up his bucket twice while we were out, and had a blast. It took us about 4 houses for him to remember to say "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You" but once he did, there was no stopping him.

Let's Go Fly a Kite...

2008-11-02T19:03:00.001-08:00

For your viewing pleasure, I present Dawson and Daddy, trying to fly a kite. The kite was one of 3 in a box of items we purchased at an auction, and Dawson was adamant that they were going to fly the kite, even though, miraculously, there was hardly any wind. The result was a kite flying attempt too hilarious not to record. enjoy! :)

Our tax dollars at work...

2008-11-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

Space Station Trash Plunging to Earth By Tariq Malik, (Oct. 31)
- A piece of space station trash the size of a refrigerator is poised to plunge through the Earth's atmosphere late Sunday, more than a year after an astronaut tossed it overboard.

NASA and the U.S. Space Surveillance Network are tracking the object - a 1,400-pound tank of toxic ammonia coolant thrown from the International Space Station - to make sure it does not endanger people on Earth. Exactly where the tank will inevitably fall is currently unknown, though it is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere Sunday afternoon or later that evening, NASA officials said.

"This has got a very low likelihood that anybody will be impacted by it," said Mike Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager, in an interview. "But still, it is a large object and pieces will enter and we just need to be cautious.

"NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson threw the ammonia tank from the tip of the space station's Canadian-built robotic arm during a July 23, 2007 spacewalk. He also tossed away an unneeded video camera stand overboard as well, but that 212-pound item burned up harmlessly in the atmosphere early this year, Suffredini said.

NASA expects up to 15 pieces of the tank to survive the searing hot temperatures of re-entry, ranging in size from about 1.4 ounces to nearly 40 pounds.If they reach all the way to land, the largest pieces could slam into the Earth's surface at about 100 mph (62 kph). But a splashdown at sea is also possible, as the planet is two-thirds ocean.

"If anybody found a piece of anything on the ground Monday morning, I would hope they wouldn't get too close to it," Suffredini said.

Known as the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS), the coolant tank is the largest piece of orbital trash ever tossed overboard by hand from the space station. Larger unmanned Russian and European cargo ships are routinely destroyed in the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean after their space station deliveries, but those disposals are controlled and preplanned.

The recent destruction of the European Space Agency's Jules Verne cargo ship was eagerly observed by scientists hoping to glean new information on how objects behave as they enter Earth's atmosphere. Observers aboard two chase planes caught photographs and video of the double-decker bus-sized spacecraft's demise, but no such campaign is possible with the returning ammonia tank.

The last object to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere with prior notice was a small asteroid the size of a kitchen table that exploded in midair as it flew over Africa on Oct 7th.

It's taken more than year for the ammonia tank to slowly slip down toward Earth due to atmospheric drag. During its time aboard the station, the tank served as a coolant reservoir to boost the outpost's cooling system in the event of leaks. Upgrades to the station last year made the tank obsolete, and engineers were concerned that its structural integrity would not withstand a ride back to Earth aboard a NASA space shuttle. Instead, they tossed it overboard, or "jettisoned" it in NASA parlance.

Suffredini said that while astronauts have accidentally lost a tool or two during spacewalks, the planned jettison of larger items is done with the utmost care to ensure the trash doesn't hit the station or any other spacecraft as it circles the Earth. Engineers also make sure the risk to people on Earth is low, as well."

As a matter of course, we don't throw things overboard haphazardly," Suffredini said. "We have a policy that has certain criteria we have to meet before you can throw something overboard."

Ok, now maybe I'm a little confused here, but did they just say that the tank's structural integrity was at stake with a ride back to Earth on a shuttle, so they decided the better idea was to toss it overboard into the atmosphere? Um, where exactly did they think it was going to go? Did they think there was one of those gigantic Glad trash bags floating around up there, protecting the planet? (You know the one; the commercial with the piano that falls from several stories high, and misses the trash bag, so the furniture movers throw all the pieces into the trash bag, and take it up to the owner).
I used to be supportive of space exploration, and even wanted to be an astronaut myself, but I hate math so that pretty much tabled that dream. But, there have just been too many catastrophes and bone headed decisions made over the past 20+ years to warrant spending so much money on the program. That money could be put to better use in school systems across America. We have more students than the classrooms can hold, and not enough teachers to go around. Did you know that NASA's proposed 2009 annual budget is $20.211 billion? Yes, I said billion. That works out to be approximately $0.15 per day for every tax paying US citizen. We can sponsor a starving child for only $0.10 per day. Imagine how many children could be saved with that kind of money, either from starvation, or from dropping out of school due to cuts in programs such as art that keep them interested.
With our crippled economy, and the unemployment and dropout rate steadily increasing, I don't see how congress can continue justifying a program with no definitive purpose. They have been spending billions of dollars over several decades, and have managed to accomplish 2 things:
1. A space station with no real purpose other than accommodating the occasional docking shuttle
2. A space shuttle who's only purpose is to fly to the space station with no real purpose
Without the shuttle, there isn't a US purpose for the space station, and without the space station, their isn't a purpose for the space shuttle. So, why is so much money being continuously pumped into a program with no real purpose, and no real accomplishments? Seems to me, if more money was spent on the education of American children, we wouldn't need an expensive space program to give us something to be proud of. We could instead be producing scholars in every field. That would be something to be proud of.

Fun Pics. Enjoy! :)

2008-11-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

And before you ask, no, I am not a mean mommy who makes my 4 year old son vacuum the living room for my own amusement. Dawson LOVES to clean! This was a $2.00 vacuum we picked up at an auction for $2.00. It lasted a little over a month before it gave out, but he enjoyed every second of it! He now has a new vacuum, a $4.00 auction find, that he enjoys almost as much. I think he has the cleanest room of any 4 year old around! :)

Look Ma, no baby wheels!!

2008-10-14T13:22:00.001-07:00

Since Dawson is convinced that he is no longer my little boy, but is instead a big boy, he has decided that he no longer needs the "baby wheels" on his bicycle. So, big sister Hannah rummaged through daddy's garage, until she found the right tools, and removed the wheels for him.

All in all, it went very well, once he figured out how to fall gracefully, so that he wouldn't hurt himself. Then I think he started having more fun falling then riding the bike, so the wheels went back on, then off, on, and finally back off again. They are still off right now, but it is too muddy for him to ride right now, but hopefully it will warm up by the end of the week, so he can try again.

Where did the month go?

2008-09-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry I have not posted in such a long time, but it has been such a hectic month. I was sick for almost 3 weeks with what the doctor thinks are allergies, and then when I finally got over that, I started a new job. So, we have been busy getting our new routine down, and I'm still working my home based business, so that doesn't leave a lot of time for anything else.
I do have a lot of new photos and stories to share with you from the past month, so I promise to start posting those tomorrow. :)

We will Remember...

2008-09-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

I thought I would take this day to remember

9-11-01. I have collected numerous photos and poems over the years, and I thought this would be a perfect time to share a couple of my favorites.

Calling All Angels

Written by Lea MacDonald

SFFD-Captain-227
Submitted 10/5/05

As a firefighter, I decided I'd send along a poem I wrote to help folks understand what might have happened that horrific day. There are several layers of meaning marbled within it; words of healing as well. It is written in iambic pentameter, the preferred style of Robert Service - you'll find the rhythm.

"Calling All Angels! Calling All Angels!" Went out his thunderous plea.

"I am thy Lord beseeching my horde to assemble in front of me!"

In a flash the angels did dash to gather at His feet,

And hear His plan to help all man by use of Heaven's elite.

"The Devil's made a play this September day to hurt the ones I love,

He's loosed upon earth his demonic worth now push has come to shove.

I'll not stand by and have good men die without awareness in their heart,

So this day in my plan-full way a battle I'm going to start."

"Gabriel old friend to this end welcome every woman and man,

That'll come our way this fateful day who died by Satan's hand.

And before you go you need to know a few you'll bring straight to me,

Firefighters all now standing tall known as The Three-Forty-Three."

With Gabriel gone and quiet the throng they wondered at His plan,

To send and quell the flames of hell by use of mortal man.

All manner of doubt filled the strongest and stout of Heaven's holy array,

And fear fell upon the heavenly throng at the plan the Lord set this day.

"I can sense in thy hearts hesitation to start a battle you don't understand,

But confused as you Satan is too and that is the heart of my plan.

Fear yea not for what I've wrought I'll ask none here to face his fork,

But I'll send into hell those who fell the firefighters from New York!"

Then Lord raised his staff and began to laugh in roaring thunderous glee,

And in a booming blaze they stepped from a haze The Angelic Three-Forty-Three.

They fell into line in very short time making perfect formations of rows,

And the Lord caused to slip onto every man's hip a golden heavenly hose.

"The gravest mistake Satan did make when he struck down these men so brave,

Thinking idle I'd stand not extending my hand and their souls I would not save.

Have no fear for the men standing here the way to his place they know well,

For verily each day they've collected their pay by stepping into hell.

These men know their task now angels I ask that you hasten straight to earth,

Then comfort their friends when the tally begins and they start to question their worth.

Console them with wings and all heavenly things on their shoulder your head is to rest,

Send whispers of thanks from our heavenly ranks, say: 'God knows you did your best.'"

Are you ready for some football?!?!

2008-09-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again. Time for Some Orioles football. Unfortunately, I think someone forgot to tell the football team. They played the Haysville colts, rather the colts played them, as the score was Haysville 26, Augusta, 0. I am so hoping that they can get it together, and get that first touchdown. Sometimes, that's all it takes to turn a team around. Of course when the opposing team look like 12th graders instead of 6th graders, it can be pretty intimidating. They grow their boys big down in Haysville!!

The cheerleaders, and the football players, were lucky enough to get new uniforms this year. The cheerleading uniforms are a vast improvement over the old ones. The girls call themselves the Oreos instead of the Orioles because the uniforms are black and white with a little orange, but they are cute none the less.

I only snapped a couple of photos, and one video from this game, because I wasn't feeling well, and it was cold and rainy on top of that. I promise to add more photos and video from future games. :)

God has truly blessed our family...

2008-09-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to announce that I have a job! I have been trying to get on with the school district for a couple of years now, and it finally happened! I am a para-professional, and I will be working with special needs children in the elementary school that Hannah attended here in Augusta. I had my TB test and physical today, and should start next Monday. I am so excited!! This is such a blessing for us, as the hours are perfect. I will be working 8-2:55 M,W,F, and 8-2:15 T,Th. This will give me 5 minutes to get to Dawson's pre-school on M,W,F to pick him up by 3, and will allow me to be at home on T & Th, so that Dave can get to work on time. As many of you know, my college major was elementary education, and I have about 40 credit hours left to complete it. I am planning on going back to school once Dawson starts kindergarten next year.
I also rented a small space at our local antique's mall, so we can have an extra outlet for all of our auction finds. I have so many glass pieces, that I just don't have the time to list them all on Ebay. Besides, Ebay isn't the best place to sell anything these days. It is only $27.50 per month for the space, so it is incredibly reasonable. And most importantly, it gives me a new excuse to go to an auction every weekend. :)
I am also going to keep my business going, I'm just going to scale the advertising back a bit. Since I will be working a school schedule, I will need to have some sort of income coming in over the holiday, and summer vacations, so hopefully, these avenues will work out. :)

When in Doubt, Look Up

2008-09-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos I took in the Dillons parking lot Tuesday night, of a gorgeous sunset.

Little Man on Campus

2008-09-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the big day. Dawson started preschool, and he has been excited about it for weeks. He was up at 9am this morning, dressed, and ready to walk out the door. The only problem was, it is very cool here today, and he was in shorts, and school didn't start until 12:30. So, we spent the next 3 hours counting down the time, and listening to a lot of "I can't wait".

Once we arrived at the school, I snapped a few photos of the mementos occasion, and took him in to find his coat hook, and his cubby. We then had to wait about 10 minutes for the teacher to open the room, and during that 10 minutes, his shyness kicked in again. He wouldn't let go of my hand, and was glued to my side. When it was finally time to go in, I had to push him in, find the necklace with his name on it, and tell him several times to go sit in the circle. I backed out of the room, and he was looking all over the place for me. The teacher finally got him to sit down, and Dave and I left. I'm not sure if it was harder on me or him.

Jake strikes again...

2008-09-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted. I've been so busy this past week, I just couldn't find the time, or the quiet, to sit down and concentrate.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about our not so little puppy Jake, and his chewing problems. Well, he struck again, and almost became a pound puppy again. Apparently, Jake missed the memo on what a complete fanatic Dave is for the Nebraska Huskers. That, or he just doesn't care. Either way, it doesn't matter.

Dave and I have had the discussion time and time again that you can not leave anything that might make a good chew toy at eye level of the dog. That means regular eye level, or standing on his hind legs eye level. I guess he thought I was being ridiculous, and not learning from his past mistakes, he left his beloved Nebraska Huskers hat on the coffee table. The result is a Nebraska Huskers hat, with free A/C. I told him you could barely notice, but for some reason, he didn't buy it.

Poor Jake. He ended up spending a couple of hours in his pet taxi, and was a hop, skip, and a jump away from a car ride to the pound.

Now, one would think that after losing 2 hats Dave would have learned his lesson, right? Wrong. Over the weekend, Dave left his leather boots laying in the middle of the laundry room floor. He always puts his boots up, and out of reach of the dog, but for some reason, he neglected to do it this afternoon. The result is one funny looking boot, that he wouldn't let me take a picture of, but I will take one while he's sleeping. He's still wearing the boots, but part of the back is missing on one of them. I tell you, there is never a lack of humor in our house.

Combatting Auction Boredom

2008-08-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon, we went to an auction in El Dorado. The sales bill showed several things we were interested in, so we anticipated a good day. I collect different types of cut glass, mostly milk glass and clear glass depression pieces, and there were several of these pieces at the auction. The problem was, the collectors with unlimited funds were out in full force, so I did not purchase one piece. They were bidding individual pieces of glass up to $40 and $50 per piece. Many of these pieces won't even sell for half of that in today's market, but I guess a true collector isn't concerned with money. I purchase glass to use in my business, and I keep some of the pieces to either use in the kitchen, or collect if it's nice. I also have several flats that I plan on reselling, as we picked up the flats of 6 or 7 pieces for $1.00 each, and each piece will sell for $10.00 - $30.00 a piece. Not a windfall, but nice none the less.

The kids were pretty bored, so they went to visit the horses that were on the property. They had fun feeding them grass, and petting them. Dawson was a little apprehensive at first, because he was afraid the horsey was going to eat him, but Hannah helped him, and he warmed up to the idea.

I took these photos with my new camera phone, and I have to say I am pretty impressed with the quality. They are large enough to do something with, and they are not grainy, like the last 2 camera phones I have had. I don't always have my digital camera handy, so it's nice to know I have a cell phone camera I can rely on.

Broken Tooth

2008-08-22T08:30:00.001-07:00

About 3 months ago, I was eating some peanuts, and I bit down on a particularly hard one. It hurt like heck for a few minutes, and then felt better. I didn't think too much of it, but over the next 3 months, I noticed that I have been unable to chew anything on that side of my mouth, without it hurting. Since we do not yet have dental insurance, I just learned to avoid chewing anything hard on that side. Well, last night, I took the kids to Sonic to get some ice cream, and I bought one of those new Fried Ice Cream Blasts. It has tiny pieces of cinnamon toast crunch pieces in it, and I didn't think anything of it, since they aren't that hard, and I chewed on that side of my mouth. I felt that same immense pain I had felt three months ago, and then noticed that I was chewing on something incredibly hard. Well, that turned out to be a corn kernel sized piece of my very back molar. Apparently, I had cracked that tooth 3 months ago, and it finally broke all the way off last night.
Luckily, there is absolutely no pain of any kind. No sensitivity, so swelling, no throbbing, nothing. I think I may be lucky as far as any exposed nerves or major problems. And that's a good thing since our dental insurance waiting period is not up until September 28. When Dave returned to his old job, where he had been working for 9 years before leaving for 10 months, he discovered that they had switched insurance plans, and now had dental insurance. But, that insurance had a 240 day waiting period before we could use it. That is completely ridiculous!!
To get me through the next month and a week, Dave bought me some Temparin One Step Repair at Wal-Mart. It's technically filling repair, but it should work to cover the entire top of the tooth, until I can get to the dentist. The break left a very jagged area on the inside of the tooth, and I cut my tongue on it sometime while I was sleeping. I also just want to make sure that no further damage is done to the tooth between now and the end of the idiotic waiting period, so I'm hoping this will work.
I have always had good teeth, and have only had 2 cavities in my life, and have 2 fillings in those teeth, so this is new to me. I am definitely not looking forward to a trip to the dentist, especially for whatever procedure awaits me to fix this tooth.

Not a lot going on in Kansas...

2008-08-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a lot to post lately, as we are still settling into our school routine. Hannah enjoys middle school, and wants to be dropped off half an hour early each morning to walk the halls with her friends. That brings back memories.
I have requested information from the local pre-school for Dawson as he is adamant that he wants to go to school, so we'll see what happens. I want him to go, but I also don't want him to go. I guess I'll just have to ask them for a desk right next to him, then I can have the best of both worlds. I don't know what scares me more, him missing me so much he cries to come home, or him not missing me at all.
We've been going to one or two auctions a weekend, and we have managed to accumulate a massive collection of glass, furniture, and odds and ends. We picked up a very nice coffee table for $2.50 last Saturday, and it makes a nice addition to our living room. We had been wanting one for quite sometime, so I was happy to pick this up for such a bargain. I also picked up 2 very nice shelves for my office. Once is a large 3 shelf wooden bookcase, and the other looks like it was a tv stand, and has doors on it. They were both also $2.50 each. You just can't beat that. We are going to an auction this Saturday in Derby, and it looks like it will be a good one too. The weather report shows that it might rain, so we might pick up some even better deals. We seem to do better when it rains, as it keeps people home, so we don't have as much competition. I can't really think of anything that we need now, but I'm sure I'll see something that just has to come home.
I am still trying to photograph our very elusive hummingbirds. We have a brown one and a green one in our flower garden, but by the time I see them, make a dash for my camera, and return to take their photo, they are nowhere to be seen. I thought I was just imagining them, but the mom of one of Hannah's friends dropped Hannah off here at the house the other day, and she saw one of them dining on my red Cannas. Then yesterday, she saw it again in the same place. When I returned home from dropping Hannah off at cheerleading practice yesterday evening, I saw the brown one near the Cannas, but it flew away before I had a chance to photograph it. I will have photos to post soon because I am not giving up!!
Let's see... Oh, Hannah is having some knee problems, so I am taking her to the doctor. She started having problems with her knee during cheerleading last year, but the problem went away when cheerleading ended, and didn't bother her again until this week. Her knee was twice the size of the other one, and very stiff and sore, so we're going to find out what's going on. It never bothered her when she played softball this year, so I'm sure it has something to do with the range of motion used in the cheers. But we'll see. :)

ATC's and Swap-Bot

2008-08-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

I found this cool site called Swap-Bot, http://www.swap-bot.com/ and it's been keeping me pretty busy lately. This site deals with swapping items, mostly craft related, with partners from all over the world. When you sign up for a swap, on the last sign up date, the computer randomly selects the partner you send your items to.
I am hooked on their ATC swaps. ATC's are artist trading cards, that measure 2-1/2 x 3-1/2. They can be made from any medium; stamping, paints, pencils. stickers, scrapbook paper, etc, and embellished any way that you would like. You trade these cards with other ATC collectors, similar to baseball card trading. The only rule for creating an ATC is that it must measure 2-1/2 x 3-1/2, and the backing you use for the base of the card must be a heavy duty card stock or chipboard, which can withstand glue, all of your embellishments, and of course the US Postal system.
The picture above are 4 ATC's I made for the baby ATC swap on Swap-bot. When creating your cards, you are limited only by your own imagination, and the theme of the swap. I enjoy using various scrapbook papers and Jolee's stickers, as well as patterned ribbons, and lots of sparkly things.
Between my business, and the kids, it was hard finding the time to do something just for me, but making these ATC's only takes an hour or so a night, and it gives me something to look forward to. If you have the time to give something new a try, check this out. You can sign up for as many or as few swaps as you have time for, so if you're afraid you might not have the time, just try one at first. You can always join more swaps later. Happy swapping! :)

Hummingbirds in Kansas... Well, almost.

2008-08-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights ago, Hannah started yelling that there was a hummingbird in our flower garden. I ran to the window, but didn't see anything. Well, yesterday afternoon, I was walking past the window, and happened to look out right as a black and white hummingbird was flying by, en route to my red canna plants. I hurried to the office to grab my camera, and was in position to snap a few shots, when Dawson came out the door and let out a big "Mom what're you doing?" which scared the bird away.

Last night, the kids and I went for ice cream, and were sitting on the porch swing when we saw another hummingbird dining on my pink Naked Lady Lilies. (On a side note, the naked lady lilies came with our house, and there were only a handful of them when we moved in back in 2005. They have steadily multiplied, and I have around 135 this year) I ran inside and grabbed my camera, and proceeded to snap several great shots of what I thought was a hummingbird. I was able to get very close to this creature, and not startle it, which was my first tip off that this was not a normal hummingbird. As I was snapping the photos, a second one joined the first, so I was able to take some great shots of both.

After they filled their tummies and flew away, I went inside and uploaded the photos to the computer so I could see what the creature looked like. It's wings were beating so fast, and it was flying so quickly, that I wasn't able to get a good look at it, but my camera did. I was amazed with what the camera caught. What I though was a hummingbird was actually a species of moth known as the Sphinx or Hawk moth, but is more commonly known as the Hummingbird Moth, because of it has similar characteristics to the hummingbird.

From what I have read, these moths are very rarely seen because they fly at night, or at dusk, when there is an overcast sky, as it was last night. Although I was hoping to see a hummingbird, this was still a wonderful thrill for this nature lover.

Other than the quick glimpse yesterday afternoon, I haven't seen a hummingbird since we moved back here from Missouri. They are the most beautiful creatures, and I hope to see the one that visited here yesterday again.

First day of middle school... Is it really possible?

2008-08-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Today was Hannah's 1st day of middle school. She's had her 1st day of school outfit planned out for months. She's explained to me in depth, on numerous occasions, how she was going to curl her hair. Her alarm was going to wake her up at 6:30 am, so she could get ready, and arrive at school 20 minutes early. That way she would have time to talk to all of her friends, find her locker, practice her combination, and put her school supplies in her locker, etc. What a lovely dream.
Reality check...
7:20 am - Mom gets dressed to take Hannah to school
7:25 am- Mom goes down stairs to make sure she is up, dressed, and has eaten her breakfast
7:26 am - Mom finds sleeping beauty in bed, still dreaming about her 1st day of school plans 7:26:01 am - Mom yells at sleeping beauty to get up because it's now 7:26:10, and she is going to be late
7:26:20 am - "Oh crap" is sleeping beauty's response as she throws off the covers, and makes a mad dash for the bathroom
7:30 am - Hannah emerges from the bathroom, and goes to her room to get dressed. Mom impatiently waits on the couch
7:32 am - Hannah asks if she needs to wear a certain undergarment since she is wearing a tank top underneath her shirt. Mom shakes her head in utter disbelief, and walks out of the room.
7:37 am - Hannah gets dressed, and fixes her hair.
7:45 am - Hannah thinks she is ready to go, but she has the wrong undergarment on, (the sports type underneath a spaghetti strap tank top). Mom yells, and then realizes the problem the entire time has been that she is wearing the wrong tank top (she should be wearing the one that has the undergarment sewn in it). Hannah finds the right one, and is finally ready to go
7:49 am - Mom asks Hannah if she brushed her teeth
7:49:30 am - Hannah brushes her teeth
7:51 am - We are finally ready to go, but the car keys are missing
7:51:30 am - Hannah sits in the car while Mom wakes up Dave to ask him where he put the keys when he got home from work
7:52 am - Dave finds the keys, and mom is out the door
7:54 am - Mom realizes the road she was planning on taking to the school is closed, so we have to go the long way around
7:59 am - We arrive in front of the middle school with 1 minute to spare
7:59:45 am - Mom drives home still shaking her head
Man. Middle school is tough!

More Swimming Pool fun

2008-08-09T21:19:00.001-07:00

On Friday night, my dad took Dave and I out for dinner for our birthdays, and afterwards, we went back to his house to swim. Hannah starts school on Wednesday, so this was the last weekend of swimming for the year. I wanted to get a few diving board photos before the summer ended, so I made sure to bring my camera.

Hannah and Dawson are like night and day when it comes to swimming. Dawson has been a fish ever since the first time we took him into a swimming pool when he was 1 year old. From that day forward, he has looked forward to every opportunity he has to swim, and makes sure to let you know every chance he can.

We used one of those floating bathing suits the first 2 years, and last year, we started using just the floaties, and he loves them. He was jumping in the pool on his own at 2, and off the diving board at 3. This kid loves water.

Hannah on the other hand, is just now at 11 learning to enjoy the swimming pool.

When she was 1, I bought her one of those floating bathing suits, and she hated it. She climbed on my shoulders to get as far away from the water as she could. We tried for years to teach her to swim, or at the very least come off of the steps in the shallow end of the pool, but she refused to even try. Finally, over the last couple of years, she has learned how to go under water, while holding her nose, and this year, she actually learned to swim. She also amazed me by jumping off the diving board numerous times last night. We had a tough time getting her out of the pool this time!

Hannah's grandma bought her a pool pass the our city pool, and she has gone several times this year with her friends, so that may have helped. Although, I honestly think she was going for a different purpose, and his name is (can't tell you, or she'll be very upset), but that's another story. Whatever the reason, I am very happy that she has learned to love swimming as much as her brother does.

Enjoy the photos! :)

Thank you Julie, this is hilarious!

2008-08-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

A tribute to all you hard working Moms out there...
A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.
The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog.
Proceeding into the entrance hall, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.
In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.
He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him; He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?'
She again smiled and answered, 'You know everyday when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?' 'Yes,' was his incredulous reply. She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

Random Fun

2008-08-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

Cool Image Effects

Just another boring rainy day in Kansas

2008-08-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

I don't have a lot to talk about today. It's at least 20 degrees cooler than it has been, which is good, and it's raining, which is a blessing.
Hannah has her first cheerleading practice tonight, which she is excited about. This is her last year to cheer for the Augusta Little League. Next year, she will have to try out for the Middle School squad, which she isn't really interested in doing. The thought of trying out for anything terrifies her, and I don't blame her. I'll have lots of cheerleading photos and video to post as the season progresses, so be sure to watch for those. Since Hannah has decided she no longer likes to have her picture taken, I take all I can at the games because she can't run and hide, and she has to smile. I love it! :)
While I was surfing over on BlogHer, I came across a blog post about Paris Hilton's response to John McCain's Celeb ad. If you haven't watched the video, you can see it here:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2008/08/paris-hilton-sn.html
It is hilarious! I was shocked that she was able to string together that many big words, and come across sounding intelligent. I'm sure it was written for her, and someone was holding big cue cards off to the side, but it was funny all the same. :)

To chew or not to chew. I would prefer not, but he doesn't listen...

2008-08-06T08:32:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, we adopted a chocolate lab pointer mixed puppy back in May. Jake is now 9 months old, and as big as a small horse. We love him dearly, but we have a major chewing problem on our hands.

My nightly routine includes walking around the house, and making sure that anything and everything that could be miss-identified as a chew toy is put up as far as I can reach. Well, last night I must have been half asleep, because when we awoke this morning, right there in the middle of the living room floor, laid one of Dave's most prized possessions... his Nebraska Husker's hat. It was chewed into a thousand little pieces, completely beyond repair. As I'm typing this, Dave, although vaguely aware of the destruction, is still asleep, so the realization has yet to set in.

This dog chews everything. He has chewed several of the lattice boards on our deck, chewed a hole in Dawson's carpet, chewed countless shoes, sometimes when we were still in them, chewed up a dining room chair, tried to chew our brand new braided rug we purchased at the auction over the weekend, chewed Dawson's Thomas the Train sheets, chewed Dawson's huge Cars pillow his grandma made for him, clothes, plastic bowls, toys, etc. etc. I am at my wits end with this dog. Rocket chewed a lot when he was a small puppy, but he outgrew it at 6 months old. Jake doesn't seem to have any non-chewing ambition. We can't even leave him out of his kennel when we leave for a few minutes, because he will chew up everything he can get his mouth on while we are gone.

We have tried to redirect his attention, scolding, even hot pepper sauce. NOTHING WORKS!!! If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears. It's just funny. We can teach him commands like sit, lay down, play dead, and shake, and he learns them in 5 minutes, but we can't teach him to not chew.

Mexican executed after appeal denied in Texas

2008-08-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/05/scotus.execution/index.html

This is a pretty lengthy story on CNN, so I decided not to re post it here. I just found it interesting on many levels, and I guess I'm just not understanding the judicial system in this country.

First of all, the article mentions that Medellin was denied the right to confer with counsel from his home country. That can only mean that he was using counsel from the United States, most likely a team of public defenders. Who paid for this? My guess is that American tax paying citizens paid for his defense, and flurry of last minute appeals that were filed on his behalf. If he had counsel in Mexico, paid for by Mexican money, ready and willing to aid him in his defense, why was that not allowed?

Unless my math is wrong, Medellin has been a part of the American judicial system for 15 years, since he committed the heinous act in 1993. He has been sitting in an American prison, eating food made here in America, staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter with utilities paid for with American dollars, and as mentioned above, having the advantage of a team of American lawyers, paid for by American tax payers. Why? He was a national of another country, not an American citizen, so why was he afforded the same rights that American citizens have. The same rights that countless men and women have laid down their lives to protect, and in fact are still dying for as we speak?

I completely understand the families need for closure, and that his execution probably gave that to them. I am in no way trying to diminish the pain and anguish they are inevitably still feeling to this day. I just do not understand why we are throwing away millions of dollars every single year to house criminals who are are not supposed to be here in the first place. That is money we can put to good use in our school systems, hospitals, police departments, and the ever increasing budget deficit.

"The Mexican government filed an appeal with the international court against the United States in January 2003, alleging violations of international law. Medellin filed his own federal and state appeals based on similar complaints, as well as a claim of ineffective counsel. Medellin has the support of the European Union and several international human rights groups."

Again, I have to ask why? Do the European Union and the various international rights groups have nothing better to do than lobby for the "rights" of a man who gang raped and murdered a 14 and 16 year old girl? There are people starving, being tortured, or abused all over the world, so I wouldn't think it would be too difficult to find a better cause. I also do not understand why he was afforded the right to appeal to our state and federal governments on his behalf. I'm sure there was some sort of ridiculous piece of legislation that was signed into law allowing all of this, but it makes absolutely no sense.

"The world court again last month ordered the United States to do everything within its authority to stop Medellin's execution until his case could be further reviewed." Was more review really necessary? He raped and murdered 2 teenage girls, and was tried and convicted. Review over.

I believe that if you commit a crime in this country, and are not a citizen of this country, then you should be sent back to your country to face whatever punishment might be waiting for you there. I know that in most cases there wouldn't be a punishment, but think of the resources that would be made available for other things when the money wasn't being spent to house, try, defend, and execute illegal immigrants. It was reported by Lou Dobbs that 33% of the United States jail population was comprised of illegal immigrants. Imagine what we could do with a 33% national revenue increase.

Living conditions in other countries may be so bad that leaving to pursue a better life here in America is necessary. I have no problem with that, as long as you have every intention of becoming a citizen, and making a better life for yourself. I just don't think we should be spending our tax money on legal fees for non-citizens.

A Movie Review - The Dark Night

2008-08-05T12:48:00.001-07:00

For our anniversary on July 26th, Dave and I took in our first movie since Walk the Line was in theatres. We enjoyed the first installment of the series, Batman Begins, so we decided to see the latest installment, The Dark Night. The only word that comes to mind is, brilliant.

As we all know, this movie marks the last completed role for actor, Heath Ledger. This movie, while brilliant, is also incredibly sobering, as it brings to light just how much we lost with Heath Ledger's passing. Heath's Oscar-worthy portrayal of the maniacal Joker was awe inspiring, and showcased his true potential. With each role, an actor gains screen credibility; desperately searching for that one role that will break the mold, that one memorable role that will catapult them into infamy. This role was all that and more for Heath Ledger.

If you are familiar with Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the joker, you will be more than a little surprised with Heath's version. He took the character into the darkest of shadows, so dark that even the slightest hint of a joke was light years from humorous. From his sinister carved smile, and smudged clown makeup, to his deep gravelly voice and yellow teeth, he made this character uniquely his, yet remarkably different at the same time. Combine his stellar performance with the dark somber backgrounds and seemingly endless violence, and you have a Batman movie unlike any other.

Although Heath's performance was incredible, I can not forget to mention Christian Bale as well. I have been a longtime fan of Batman movies, and Christian's portrayal of "the Bat Man" is by far my favorite. I have enjoyed Christian Bale as an actor for some time now (Batman Begins, American Psycho, Little Women, Empire of the Sun), and let's face it, he fits into the Bat suit quite nicely.

The dance that good and evil share in this movie is gripping. The joker's sole purpose in life is to strip mankind of every last shred of humanity and decency that may be left. "I choose chaos", says the joker, and he pulls out all the stops to convince "the Bat Man" that he should choose chaos as well.

The Dark Night is definitely one movie that should be viewed in the theatre. If you are looking for an action packed movie, that will be well worth your money, this is the one for you. Don't miss it!

Auctions

2008-08-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today, Dave, Dawson, and I spent the day at an auction in the small town of Douglass, Kansas. This was my first auction, and let me tell you, I'm hooked!
This particular auction was a moving sale for a widow who could no longer take care of her home on her own. Her home was beautiful, and it was set back off the road on a secluded 3+ acres of land. She is downsizing to a much smaller space in Wichita, so she had to part with the majority of her possessions. I was able to talk to her for a few minutes after the sale was over, and it broke my heart to hear what she was going through. But she was very happy that the items we had purchased would be put to good use. They all thought my little boy was adorable, and were happy that he would get to enjoy the items.
We spent much more than we had anticipated spending, but it was a fraction of the cost we would have paid for all of it in a store. Dave paid around $20.00 for all of the wood trim and boards he will need to finish our house remodel. We are in the process of fixing up our home to sell it, so anytime we can save a little money is a blessing!
I purchased just about every Christmas and Halloween decoration the woman had, and it was a very extensive collection. I picked up bags of miscellaneous items for $1.00, and there were some great finds! She said that she had been collecting odds and ends of holiday decorations for over 20 years, but doesn't have a reason to decorate anymore. There were cookie jars, unopened packages of Halloween lights, a large box full of Christmas bows, tags, ribbon, etc., 9' of lighted garland (free), and tons more. Let's just say that when the auctioneer has your number memorized, and looks right at you anticipating your bid, it's time to stop!
We also picked up a dining room table with 6 matching chairs for next to nothing. We are table poor as it is now, but we needed the chairs, so it was worth it.
They are having another auction on the 23rd, and we are planning on attending it as well. We were out there in the 100 degree heat for 6 hours today (I lost 3 more pounds. YEA!), and I hope it's a little cooler by then. I'm sure it won't be, but it doesn't hurt to dream. :)

Recipe Blog

2008-08-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for new recipes to try, or want to know if a recipe is worth trying, check out my Recipes blog:
http://www.recipesreviewsrantsandraves.blogspot.com/
I also have a list of our favorite recipes on the left side of the page. This is just a list of the recipes we have tried and liked enough to make again. :)

Happy Birthday Dave!

2008-08-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Happy 31st Birthday Dave!! As he mentioned to me early this morning, he is no longer just 30, he is now in his thirties. I think he's a little depressed about it, but he doesn't look a year over 30 if you ask me! :)
Anyway, I just wanted to take a moment to publicly wish him the happiest of birthdays. He has to work overtime tonight, so we won't celebrate officially until tomorrow, but that's ok. Dave is always thinking about the family, and never just about himself. He is the best husband and father anyone could ask for, and I am truly blessed to have him. My birthday wish for him is that we have many, many, many more birthdays to celebrate together.

Dave's favorite cake is red velvet with cream cheese icing, so Dawson and I baked one for him. Dawson added the lest set of letters to the cake, and did the best job he could. :)

A Night on the Town in Wichita

2008-07-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

Dave and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary this last Saturday, and to celebrate, we set out for a night on the town that included dinner and a movie.

We had decided on Chinese food, as we love the Shanghai Buffet on Harry Street, but as we were driving to the restaurant, Dave mentioned he was craving fried chicken, and that sounded great to me, so off in a different direction we went. We drove across town, hoping to locate a suitable restaurant close to the 13th street Warren where our movie tickets were reserved. As we were driving down Rock Road, we noticed Amarillo Grill in it's new location. Amarillo Grill's parent company filed chapter 11 bankruptcy back in May of 2003, and as a result, all of the Wichita area stores were closed. The founder of the chain repurchased several of the stores, and also reopened this one here in Wichita. We remembered hearing that the menu still contained many of the local favorites from the original restaurant, so we decided to give it a try. When we arrived, we were told there was a 20 - 25 minute wait, which we agreed to, although we weren't sure why as there were numerous empty tables in the rather small dining area. So, we went ahead and took a seat on a long couch, and waited about 15 minutes for our name to be called. The restaurant was very dimly lit, but on the swankier side, that is until you are seated. It is only then that you can then see the food prep area, as it is arranged similar to a diner, in which you can not only see the commotion behind the scenes, but you can hear it as well. It was extremely loud for the type of customer the owner was obviously trying to attract.

As soon as we were seated, we quickly scanned our menus, and noticed that a huge portion of the original menu was missing, and I need to add here that it was the majority of the good foods that were given a permanent vacation.

The quick scan of the once enticing menu revealed that among the remaining items were plenty of expensive steaks, a barbecued chicken, a mushroom smothered chicken, and a few other meals that weren't noteworthy enough to make it into my memory. That coupled with the fact that they had a separate wine list in a diner style atmosphere made us quickly realize this was not the restaurant for us. So, we advised the server that we would not be dining there, as we were hoping for a few more choices for dinner (there were only about 15, and 8 or so of them were steak, and not one of them was of the chicken fried variety!) and we left. I have never left a restaurant before ordering, but there was absolutely no way I was spending over $50.00 on a meal that wasn't what I wanted. Do you remember the little loaves of bread they used to serve with every meal? They don't anymore. It's a sad day when a family favorite restaurant turns into this. Although I do not wish for the demise of any business, I do not see how this restaurant can survive with this type of atmosphere, and limited menu choices.

So, we decided to just drive to the Warren and have dinner in their restaurant. It was loud, and the service was horrible, but the food was at least affordable, and tasted great. We were out of there for less than $20.00.

In my next post, I will review the move we chose for our viewing pleasure - The Dark Knight.

Gum and Peanut Butter

2008-07-30T00:44:00.000-07:00

I hate gum. I didn't used to, but when you have to spend 2 agonizing hours trying to remove the stickiest gum you have ever seen from your 4 year old son's hair, you learn to hate it.

During the afternoons, I babysit for 2 children, a boy who is 7, and his sister who is 2. Today, the 2 year old had gum in her mouth, unbeknownced to me, and only because she is a sneaky snake. I guess since I make her spit it out every time I catch her with it, she has decided to hide it in the roof of her mouth, so I won't know she has it. I make a point of watching her for a few minutes when she arrives, just to see if she's chewing on something, but today, there was no evidence of chewing.

The kids were happily playing in Dawson's room, so I left them alone, and went on to work on some things around the house, and catch up on some orders. About 10 minutes later, Dawson comes out of his room, and yells down the hallway that Sissy (that's what they call her) put something in his hair. So, I go in to see what it is, thinking it is most likely a toy of some kind, only to discover to my horror that the little sneaky snake took a gigantic wad of gum and decided to use my son's hair as a trash can. Poor Dawson is all I can say at this point. The poor little guy grabbed it, and pulled, and when he did, it went everywhere. It started out as a wad on the top of his head, and ended up a stringy mess that covered the left side of his head; hair, ear, skin, and shirt. It even ended up on the door, wall, trim board, and floor of his room. Did I mention that it was the stickiest gum I have ever seen?

So, I sat him down, and asked my daughter, who was laughing hysterically at this point, to bring me a glass of ice, and a wet wash cloth, which made her laugh even more as she thought I has lost my mind. As soon as the requested items arrived, I began the painstaking process of icing my poor son's head and skin to freeze the gum. I think I forgot to tell you that this gum was STICKY, and refused to freeze. So I started pulling. I do not recommend that remedy at all, and neither does Dawson. In fact, he is adamant that it should be avoided at all cost! So, not thinking too clearly, I call Dave, hoping for some words of wisdom, and he gives me the wackiest solution I have ever heard of in my life. Are you ready for this... Peanut butter. Yep, the same stuff my son loves to eat for lunch. Really, are you serious? Peanut butter? Convinced he was completely off his rocker, I went to my trusty friend Google, and asked him what he thought. Would you believe he agreed with Dave? Peanut butter?! I was shocked. So I grabbed the jar, smeared it on, and couldn't resist this hilarious shot. The peanut butter worked on his skin, but nothing could remove it from his hair except my trusty scissors. So, he now has a little bald spot on the top of his head, and is missing a small patch of hair at the base of his neck, but at least it's all off of his skin now.
So, my poor sticky mess of a son is missing some hair, my daughter thinks we've all lost our marbles, and we found a new use for a yummy sandwich filling. Not a bad day after all.

All About Me

2008-07-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

I don't have anything really exciting to talk about today, so I figured I would answer this little survey one of my friends e-mailed me. So, here goes. Probably more information than you would ever want to know about me. :)

1. What time did you get up this morning? 9:30
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Dark Night, last Saturday for our anniversary- Awesome movie!
4. What are your favourite TV shows? The Closer, Psych, All Law & Orders and CSI, Bones, House
5. What did you have for breakfast? I skipped it.
6. What is your middle name? Michelle
7. What is your favourite cuisine? Chinese or Mexican
8. What foods do you dislike? Smelly fishy things.
9. What is your favourite chip? Cheese Doritos
10. What is your favourite CD at the moment? I haven't bought a CD in ages, so I don't have a favorite right now.
11. What kind of car do you drive? 2001 Chevy Lumina
12. What is your favourite sandwich? Dave's Mom's Egg Salad. It's delicious!
13. What characteristics do you despise? People who think they are better than everyone else, and treat everyone like dirt.
14. Favourite item of clothing? comfy t-shirt
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? I would have to say Maine believe it or not. I have no desire to travel outside of the country, and Maine is the most beautiful place I have ever seen.
16. What colour is your bathroom? One is lime green, and one is white
17. Favourite brand of clothing? Wal-Mart brand. Cheap and long lasting.
18. Where would you want to retire? See question 15.
19. Favourite time of day? 1:30 am, when Dave gets home from work. I like knowing my family is all home and safe.
20. Where were you born? Wichita, Kansas
21. Favourite sport to watch? Nascar
22. Who do you least expect to send this back? Well, since it's posted on my blog, I don't think anyone will send it back
23. Person (people) you expect to send it back first? See above.
24. What type of detergent do you use? Whatever is on sale
25. Coke or Pepsi? Coke
26. Morning person or night owl? night owl
27. What size shoe do you wear? 10
28. Do you have pets? Yes, 3 dogs.
29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? Nope.
30. Favourite candy bar? Snickers
31. What is your best childhood memory? Our last family vacation to Branson, Missouri. My dad, my brother, and I told my mom the American Plunge at Silver Dollar City wouldn't get her wet, and that the drop wasn't that bad... She didn't speak to us for hours.
32. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? Opening shift manager at Wendy's, advertising rep, call center rep, nanny, daycare provider, business owner.
33. What colour shirt are you wearing? blue
34. Piercing? 2 in each of my ears
35. Eye colour? blue.
36. Ever been to Africa? Nope
37. Ever been toilet papered? No...but have I ever BEEN toilet paper-ing?! Oh, heck yeah!
38. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yeah, and thanks for bringing it back up.
39. Been in a car accident? Yes.
40. Croutons or bacon bits? Both.
41. Favourite day of the week? Sunday
42. Favourite restaurant(s)? Red Lobster, Big Cheese Pizza, Chili's
43. Favourite flower? Carnation or Bleeding Heart.
44. Favourite ice cream? Tin Roof Sundae (my grandma would have this for me every time we went over there)
45. Disney or Warner Brothers? Warner Brothers
46. Favourite fast food restaurant(s)? Wendy's
47. What colour is your carpet? We have wood floors in the main rooms, but Dawson's carpet is blue, and Hannah's is gray
48. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Zero times
49. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Michael's, or Wal-Mart
50. What do you do most often when you are bored? Watch TV, surf the net, work on my blog or website, design new products, text Dave

Family Reunion Continued

2008-07-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here is my second post about our family reunion. Guess what the kid's favorite thing to do when we get to the hotel is. You guessed it, swimming. Dawson and Hannah started talking abut swimming at the hotel pool a couple of weeks before we left, and they started begging as soon as we got there. So, after a little nap, it was off to the pool. We were lucky on Friday night because we had the entire pool just to ourselves. Saturday night was a completely different story. There was a family of 4 who were staying in the hotel, and apparently had come from their own reunion because they were wearing family reunion t-shirts. Anyway, they, along with about 15 other members of their family, were monopolizing the shallow end of the pool all night Saturday night. At about 5 minutes until 10 (keep in mind that the pool closes at 10) they finally left, and all you see is car after car pulling out of the parking lot. Only 4 of the 20 so people were registered guests of the hotel. So, we were able to enjoy the pool for 5 minutes before they locked it. I guess 5 minutes is better than no time at all. :)

While I was talking to family at the reunion, Dave decided to use my camera to get a couple of shots of myself, and a couple of my father and my grandfather. What he captured in the first photo is enough to make any true camera professional proud. I think this photo was supposed to be of me, since I was standing on the other side of the food counter, but I'm not sure. In any case, the photo will be a constant reminder of why I should be the one behind the camera, and he should continue to be one of my favorite models. In his defense, he has always had a problem with taking photos, no matter the camera. It seems he is always cutting someones head off in the shot, or forgetting to set the flash, as I think was also the case in this shot. But, at least he tries. :)

He did manage to take a decent photo of my father, and my grandfather though, so I can't fault him too much. I did forgot to ask them if he captured their good sides in the photo. I do like this photo, and plan on having it framed. It's nice to have a photo of at least two of the generations together. My brother, and his sons, couldn't make it this year, and when we took the generational family photo at my grandfather's 90th birthday party last year, my brother and his sons were also mysteriously missing from that one as well.

I hope that we are able to get a photo of everyone together in the very near future. A photo with my grandfather, his kids, and all of the grand kids, and great-grand kids (congratulations Shannon) is one photo we are all going to wish we had. With our family spread out all over the map, it is difficult to get everyone together at the same time, but it will be well worth it. The photo taken last year had everyone in it, except my brother and his kids, so it was close. But, the grand kids keep having kids, so we are going to need a new photo before long.

Ok, I'm losing track of my post here. This is a family reunion post, so I need to talk about the family reunion. We left at 7am on Friday morning, July 18th, and arrived in Conway, Arkansas at around 1:30 Friday afternoon. We checked into the hotel, and promptly took a nap. We then readied ourselves for dinner, and met the rest of the family at Ryan's Steakhouse for dinner. After dinner, it was off to the hotel to swim.

Saturday morning, we left for our Saturday morning trek to Wal-mart at around 8:30 am. We did our shopping, my dad bought his normal 50 pieces of chicken, and we were off the 20 or so miles to the 1st Baptist church in Damascus. We arrived at a little before 10 (the reunion is scheduled to be from 11 - 2), and the men put the tables and chairs up for the event, while the women began cooking. At a little after 11, my grandfather grabbed his gavel, and began tapping the podium to get every one's attention. It always takes him several minutes to gain control of the unruly crowd of people who seem to think that we are there to talk to one another and catch up on old times. After a few unsuccessful minutes of tapping the podium, someone stands up and let's out a loud whistle, and at last, it's quiet. So, my grandfather begins one of his speeches that we have all come to know and love. This one was about the most painful experience a person could suffer through, the pain of undelivered speech. After the speech comes the prayer, and then the mad dash to stuff ourselves. We sit around for an hour or so talking and eating (an my dad and Rose bought me a birthday cake since it was also my birthday), we pass the hat to collect money to "rent" the hall next year and pay the postage necessary to mail out the reminder postcards throughout the year (we raised over $200 this year) and then a little after noon, it's time to take the annual family photo, outside in the dripping hot. And I do mean dripping hot. It was 96 degrees and HUMID! It takes about 20 minutes to round everyone up and get them outside, and then another 15 minutes or so to get everyone situated so we can take the photo. Then another 5 minutes (every one's hustling to get inside) for everyone to get back inside. So, that puts us at almost 1, and people start to leave. Oh, I forgot to mention the 4 huge pieces of paper that adorn the walls of the hall. You know what I'm talking about. The family tree.

Anyway, we are all out of there by 1:30. We make a stop at the statuary place, that last about 5 minutes since they don't have what I'm looking for, and then we stop at Pickles Gap, a very small town along the highway. We buy useless stuff in the gift shop, walk through the pouring rain to the fudge shop, have a cold drink, and then head for the antiques shop. I spot a sign the owners of the shop have posted about children (very rude and unnecessary) so I take my children and make my exit. We then head back to the hotel for more swimming, and relaxing. The older generations head to the fish fry, and Dave and I, having pawned or kids off on my dad for the evening, head to the Chinese restaurant to celebrate my birthday, and then head to Wal-Mart for a little "I want that"-less shopping. Then it's back to the hotel for more swimming.

That's the reunion in a nutshell, and I'm sure next year will be the same, as it's pretty predictable.

Sunday morning, we were on the road at 8am. I snapped this photo of Dave while he was driving, before he had any caffeine. He does this cute squinting thing when he is trying to stay awake, and I'm constantly yelling to wake him up. He went off the road and onto the rumble strips several times, so many times in fact, that Dawson can make the rumble sound himself. It's so cute. After the 15th time or so, he asked his daddy why the car was going "HMMMMMM". It was hilarious!

The trip home is always the longest. We are tired from the long weekend, but don't want to go home as that means back to work the next day. That and the fact that Kansas doesn't offer the most scenic of views, so the last few hours of the road home are boring. But, we can always count on Dave to provide some much needed comic relief along the way. He got mad at me for grabbing the wheel when he drifted off the road for the gazillionth time, and threw his sunglasses on the dashboard. The resulting photo is one that is sure to haunt Dave for the rest of his life.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. While we wish more than anything that we could go to Maine this summer, we are fortunate to have been able to afford the trip to Arkansas. Gas prices are astronomical, so we weren't sure we were going to make it. But, we managed to save a little for the trip, and made the best of it, since it is the only vacation we will have this year. Dave started working at his old job early in the year, so he had to start over with his vacation days. But next year, we will be taking a lengthy family vacation, and I plan to start saving now. :)

Family Reunion

2008-07-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a few days since I last posted, but with good reason. We left on July 18th for our annual trek to Damascus, Arkansas, for our family reunion. I have been attending this family function for years, and I can honestly say, that I still don't know who half of the people who attend this thing are.

This year, the attendance was rather lacking, but it was still an enjoyable time. Some of the more annoying family members were still there in full force (Julie, you know who I'm talking about), and many I look forward to spending time with could not make it this year (you of course Julie). But, we still found fun things to do.

My favorite part of the entire trip is always the car ride. The first set of pictures below are of the wind farm in eastern Butler county, called the Elk River Wind project. This wind farm has 100 1.5 MW wind turbines, and is the largest wind farm in Kansas. Joplin-Missouri based Empire District Electric Company entered into a 20 year contract to purchase wind energy from the facility. They plan to purchase 555,000 mega-watt hours of energy a year, which is enough to power about 42,000 homes annually. Not too shabby for an endless, free resource here in Kansas.

The first photo was taken on the ride down, and it was cloudy and rainy. I snapped a couple more photos on the way back, when it was sunny and clear. Of course my father, who we were following, as well as my husband, were in an all fired hurry to get home, so the photos were taken at 75 miles an hour. Next year, we plan to leave a couple of days early, and take our time driving down. There is a scenic drive through the Ozark mountains that we want to take every year, but just don't have the time. Next year, we are making the time.

The next pictures are of the Ozark mountains. I was researching the mountains, and discovered that although they are referred to as mountains, the region is actually a high and deeply dissected plateau. A dissected plateau is a plateau that has been uplifted and severely eroded so that their relief is sharp. There are several features that mountains have that dissected plateaus do not, but I won't bore you with the details. I just thought it was an interesting point to mention.

The Ozark Highland region occupies 55,000 square miles of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Illinois. 33,000 of those miles are in Missouri, 13,000 are in Arkansas, and the last 4,000 are in Illinois and very Southeastern Kansas.

The photos below are of the cooling tower for the nuclear power plant in Russellville, Arkansas. This is always a sight to see, and a welcome point on the trip down, as it let's us know that we are less than an hour away from our destination.

Construction began in 1969 on the nuclear power plant, formally known as Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO). It took only 4 years to construct the plant, and it is Arkansas's largest industrial plant investment.

"The first reactor was named Unit 1, and the second reactor was named Unit 2. Together, they have a combined output of about 1,800,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. The total cost of the entire project was about $901,500,000. Unit 1 started to produce electricity on December 19, 1974. Unit 1 alone produces 850 kilowatt-hours. Unit 2 started producing electricity on March 25, 1980, and Unit 2 alone produces nearly 1000 KWH. To put these numbers into perspective, 1,800 KWH would meet the needs of 2,572 homes or 600 commercial customers . . . for one solid month. This is based on the 1972 average consumption 701 KWH a month for residential consumers and 2,996 KWH for commercial customers in the Russellville area. AP&L officials expect electric requirements in the company's service double about every seven years. (Estimates obtained from the Daily Courier-Democrat, 4-10-73.) Currently, ANO supplies electricity for 50% of AP&L's 575,000 customers." -http://asms.k12.ar.us/armem/terrell/const.htm

Ok, I'm going to split this into 2 posts, so check back for more tomorrow. :)

Slumber Parties

2008-07-16T12:41:00.001-07:00

Ah, to be a kid again. Back when the world was small, and there wasn't a care in the world. When you looked forward to the weekend, so you could spend time with your friends, and have a sleepover. Back when I was Hannah's age, our sleepovers consisted of our favorite foods, prank calling boys, playing truth or dare, sneeking out of the house to "tp" the neighbor's house, and freezing the bra of the first girl who fell asleep. These days, they consist of tying up the phone to call Radio Disney a million times, watching High School Musical (is this ever going to go away?), and of course, video games. I snapped the first video while Hannah was playing a High School Musical PS2 game.

The next video is Hannah and her friend being silly last night. They took my old cell phone, and performed a silly little dance routine to one of the ring tones. Girls are so funny!

We are the Champions!!

2008-07-14T18:09:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to the Augusta Rental softball team for a fantastic season! Hannah's team had their championship game(s) tonight, and they won 4-2. The tournament is a double elimination tournament, and her team lost 0 games and took 1st place! It was an awesome game, and full of tension until the very end.

Hannah had a strike out on her first at bat, but had a whopper of a hit on her second. I of course recorded the strike out, and missed the hit. I missed it on purpose because I think the camera makes her nervous. It seems that every time she knows I'm taking a picture or shooting a video, she strikes out. So, I opted to let her have that last at bat camera free, so now you'll just have to take my word for it. It was an awesome hit!

The girls were all very excited, and promptly put on their championship t-shirts, and held up their trophies for all to see. Last year the team that Hannah was on ended up in 2nd place, so this was very exciting for her.

She's already looking forward to next year, and so am I! We are hoping to get her into a clinic between now and then, to give her some more confidence, and improve her skills. She loves to play 1st base and catcher, but doesn't care for 3rd base that much. Maybe with a little more practice and coaching, she will like the other positions.

S'mores Anyone?

2008-07-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

It never dawned on me that Dawson had never eaten S'mores, let alone heard of them before. S'mores is one of my favorite ooey gooey treats, and it never occurred to me that I had never made them for the Dawson, until last night. I just happened to have some Hershey's chocolate bars and graham crackers lying around, and I mentioned that all I needed were some marshmallows, and I could make Smores. Hannah responded with "Ooh yum!" and Dawson responded with "What're mores?"

So, I ran to Wal-Mart, my home away from home, and picked up a bag of marshmallows. I came home, and let Hannah prepare the S'mores for her and her brother. It was quite comical watching her get frustrated because the top graham cracker wouldn't stay on the marshmallow (she was microwaving them). They were quiet for about 10 minutes, enjoying their treats, and then Dawson ran in and announced, while showing us his chocolate covered hands, that he was finished. I just couldn't resist the photo opportunity that presented itself. Enjoy!

A Bountiful Harvest

2008-07-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

For the past three years, Dave and I have planted a small garden in our back yard. The first year, we had a fairly decent crop, several yellow squash, a few green beans, and a few cucumbers; enough to prepare several dinners throughout the summer. The second year, all of our plants died while we were on vacation, so we did not have any vegetables to eat.

This year, we changed locations of our garden, and planted in a sunnier spot. We increased the size, and planted a variety of plants and seeds. We both love summer squash, so we planted 3 plants, and 2 packages of seeds. We planted a package of cucumber seeds, zucchini seeds, several packages of Kentucky Wonder green beans (my grandmother planted these every year, and they are a family favorite), three tomato plants, corn, and 1 green pepper plant. Today, we checked the garden, and brought in our first harvest. I am awe struck at what God can do!

This is the first harvest from the garden, and there are at least 50 more summer squash growing, tons of beans, and several tomatoes and cucumbers. We even have 8 ears of corn growing! I know I am probably way more excited about this than I should be, but I just can't explain the joy I feel when we plant a small see, water it, and receive such a bounty in the end. With the high price of groceries these days, this is a true blessing for our family, and our neighbors as well, as this is more than we could ever eat by ourselves, so I sent several squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes home with them today. They planted a garden in their back yard, but because of the excessive rain we have had this spring and summer, their entire garden was under water for weeks, and everything died.

The squash pictured here is 17" long, 12" around at it's widest part, and weighs 3 pounds 12.8 ounces. Dawson just had to hold it for the picture, and he complained about how heavy it is. I have washed, cut, blanched, and froze all of the vegetables, except for this big guy. I think I will cut and use half of it throughout the week, and freeze the other half. The green beans are soaking in water as we speak, and we will be eating them with our ham and scalloped potatoes for dinner tonight.
I cut up half of the cucumber, one of the smaller squash, the green pepper, and several of the tomatoes (we have Roma, grape, and Big Boy hamburger tomatoes), and added a little garlic and onion, and New Potatoes, and will make my famous chicken packets for dinner tomorrow night. I just toss the veggies and chicken together with some Italian dressing, and place them in foil. I make little packets, and place them on the grill. In about 20 minutes, we have a complete meal. The kids don't care for the veggies, so I just make a couple with chicken and potatoes only, and that makes them happy. I'd love for them to eat more veggies, but I'll take what I can get. :)

Pretty Present in a Pinch

2008-07-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Hannah's friend called her and asked if she had received an invitation to her birthday party. The girl's father was supposed to hand deliver them for her, to save on postage, and the girl had only received 1 RSVP. Since we live in a small town, this happens a lot. Unfortunately, the girl's father delivered 2 of the 15 or so invitations he had agreed to deliver, and Hannah wasn't one of those 2 girls.

The party was at the local pool at 8pm that night, and we were notified of the party at around 2 in the afternoon the day of. Needless to say, that didn't leave a lot of time to find a gift, especially since we have a very small Wal-Mart that doesn't carry a whole heck of a lot. So, I did my best to create a unique gift, that any 11 year old would love. I started with an empty gallon paint can that I purchased from my local Ace hardware. I then glued scrapbook paper to the sides, and lid of the can. The scrapbook kit I purchased had several embellishments with it, so I added those to the can, and added some pretty fringe yarn around the top and the bottom, and lid. I stuffed some tissue paper down inside the can, and loaded it full of make-up. I then finished it off with pony beads on the handle, and matching curling ribbon on the bales.

I put the entire can inside a shrink wrap bag, and tied the top with more curling ribbon. Hannah said that everyone loved it, and her friend even called the next day to thank her again for the gift.

I sell these altered paint cans on my website, and they have been a popular item for years. They offer a unique alternative to the traditional gift wrap or gift bag, and they can be used long after the gift has been removed. Wal-Mart sells packages of scrap booking paper rather inexpensively, that contain papers for any occasion. These are nice to keep on hand, for those days when you need a last minute gift, and store bought gift packaging just won't do. :)

More Pool Fun

2008-07-12T16:02:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Hannah had the pool all to herself. The rule is that the kids can't swim until their chores are complete, so Dawson was in his room "cleaning". More on that later. Hannah loves to be the center of attention, until she sees a flash bulb, and then she becomes a wall flower. I snapped some of these photos when she wasn't looking, but then had to threaten her with an end to her swim time if she wouldn't let me take some photos. The end result were some fantastic shots, that of course, embarrass the heck out of her.
I wonder if she knows that all of these photos and video clips will be filed away, until she starts dating, and then will suddenly reappear? Between the embarrassing photos, and a dad and step-dad who are saving all of their gun cleaning time for her date nights, the poor girl will probably never date. :)
I love water shots, so I had her splash around, so I could snap a photo or two.

She wasn't exactly thrilled that I was taking more photos of her, but she'll get over it.

Ok, so I mentioned that Dawson wasn't able to swim because his chores weren't done. His chores include keeping his room clean, making his bed, feeding the dog, and helping Hannah put his laundry away. The only chore he manages to do on a regular basis is make his bed. In fact, when we started the chore list a month ago, he made his bed the first day, and hasn't unmade it since. He sleeps on top of all the covers, and uses another blanket to cover up with. That blanket ends up wadded up on the floor every morning, but at least his bed is made, right? The video is dark, because it was cloudy outside, but you can get the gist of his cleaning efforts.

Since he didn't clean his room yesterday, we decided to try again today. As you can see, he still was not very productive. He seems to think that if he falls asleep, instead of cleaning, mommy or daddy will come along and do it for him. That's probably because we used to do just that, but he's a big boy now.

Wow, I just noticed that he finally unmade his bed. I wonder if he'll remake it before going to bed tonight. He's so comical.

Sleeping Habits

2008-07-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, bedtime. The time of day that parents look forward to, so we can get a few moments of silence before we turn in for the night ourselves.

Bedtime at our house has been a 3-ring circus for the past several years. Hannah likes to consider herself to be an adult, and tries to stay up as late as she can. Either that child has a bladder the size of a pea, or she's drinking a thousand gallons of liquid each time she gets up for a drink. It's a routine now that she goes to the bathroom at least 10 times a night. Her bedtime is 10 pm during the summer, and 9pm during the school year, but she never seems to fall asleep until sometime after midnight. I guess that's when all her trips to the kitchen and bathroom finally wear her out. She also seems to remember all of the things she forgot to tell me during the day, at 11:00 at night. I sound like a broken record, "Go to bed Hannah!", Go to bed Hannah!"

And then there's Dawson. For the past several years, we have been battling with him to sleep in his own bed. When he was 3, we were finally able to keep him in his bed, long enough for us to fall asleep. But, when we would wake up in the morning, there he was. He had crept into our bed at some point in the wee hours of the morning, and didn't make a peep.

A couple of weeks ago, I spent the better part of an evening battling with him to stay in his bed, and this photo is the product of that battle. I don't allow him to take a drink to bed, because, while he is potty trained, he still has accidents at night. As you can see, he must have decided he was thirsty, and tip-toed into the kitchen to get himself a drink. He was so tired, that he fell asleep mid-drink, with the straw still in his mouth. Last week was a big week for Dawson. We ran out of pull-ups, which he was wearing at night only, and he had to start sleeping in his underwear. It's been almost a full week, and I'm happy to report that there have been no accidents. He truly is a big boy now. :)

Dave never sleeps. At least, that's what he says. But when you tell him he fell asleep, (because he usually does at a family function) and that he was snoring, then he claims he never snores. So, when the opportunity presented itself at our Easter gathering at my mom's house this year, I couldn't resist recording him not sleeping, and of course, not snoring. But in his defense, he was working a lot of overtime back then, and still is today. But even when he is working a straight 40 hours per week schedule, he is still exhausted, because his job is very physically demanding. He does a lot for our family, and we would be lost without him.

The Bierwas Family

2008-07-11T14:50:00.001-07:00

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Dog Days of Summer

2008-07-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Even though it has been unseasonably warm here in Kansas, it is still hot and humid by summer standards. Instead of highs in the low to mid 100's, we have been experiencing temps in the upper 80's to upper 90's. Still hot, but a far cry from the sizzling 100 degree heat we are usually plagued with this time of year.

To help combat the heat, we set up a little swimming pool for the kiddos, and they LOVE it. (Please ignore my husband's hideous mess in the background. It is a work in progress, and has been for over 3 years now) It's small enough at only 3' high that Dawson is able to stand up straight, without fear, but large enough to keep them cool and entertained for a couple of hours a day. I must say though, that for a little pool, it still requires a heck of a lot of maintenance. I check the PH balance daily, and add Pool Shock and Chlorine every day, to prevent algae and keep it crystal clear. The pool has been "open" for almost 3 weeks now, and except for the 3 days that I was too lazy to maintenance it, it has stayed clear and algae free. The trick I learned was to mix the chemicals in a bucket with a little warm water before adding them to the pool. This helps the chemicals dissolve faster, before adding them to the pool. Even though the packages say they dissolve instantly, that is simply not the case. The first time I followed the instructions, there were chemical granules laying on the floor of the pool for days. Needless to say, this was not what I had intended, so I turned to my pal Google, and found this neat little tip from someone clear across the country who had the same problem. Her tip worked like a charm.

I purchased a pool skimmer at Wal-Mart for $9.98, and that has worked wonders for keeping the pool relatively clean. With our infamous Kansas wind, it's next to impossible to keep every fleck of dirt out, but the bigger pieces of dirt and cotton can be easily removed with the skimmer. Unless you're 4 years old, and your name is Dawson. Then you become agitated with the slow skimming process, and decide instead to just hold the wall of the pool down until you remove both the dirt and about 200 gallons of the water. True story. It wasn't that funny last Saturday when it happened, but looking back now, I find myself chuckling.

However you decide to beat the heat this summer, please stay safe, and make the most of your vacation, if you are fortunate enough to get one. :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2008-07-11T01:37:00.000-07:00

It's been an exciting softball season this year; just trying to keep track of the schedule with all of the rain delays was exciting in and of itself. The tournament started on Monday, and Hannah's team is in 1st place so far. It is a double elimination tournament, and they haven't lost a game yet! The championship game is Monday at 6, and if they win, they will be the champions. If they lose, they will play another game on Tuesday night, and the winner of that game will be the champ. So, they are guaranteed to either be in 1st or 2nd place, which is exciting. Last year her team ended up in 2nd place, so we're hoping for 1st this year.
Here is a video of one of her at bats this season. I'm kicking myself for not taking the camera to last night's game because she had her best hit of the season. She knocked it all the way out into the outfield. Just a few more feet and she would have had a home run. Okay, so maybe it was more than a few feet, but it was an awesome hit! I was one proud mama, and to celebrate, my dad took us out to Dairy Queen for ice cream. That made her night!

Hannah's Talent Show

2008-07-11T00:54:00.001-07:00

This is Hannah's elementary school talent show performance, performed Wednesday, May 14, 2008. She is singing "Our Song" by Taylor Swift.

Welcome to Our Blog!

2008-07-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Dave and I are starting this blog so that friends and family can keep up with everything going on in our lives, and so I can have a hobby.

This is the latest photo of the family, taken on May 3rd at Caring Hands Animal Shelter in Newton, Kansas. This was adoption day for Jake, our chocolate lab red tick coon hound puppy. He is now 7 months old, and has become a big part of our family. On April 26th, we lost our wonderful Rocket, when he was hit by a car right out in front of our house. This was a very traumatic event, especially for me, because we were joined at the hip.

Even though we were completely devastated, we decided to turn our tragedy into something positive, and we started looking around on the internet for a puppy to adopt. As soon as we saw his photo, we knew he was the one. So, the next day I called the shelter to see if he was still available, and was upset to learn that while he was still available, he was in the sick unit because he had developed a bad cough. Luckily, it was nothing serious, and we were able to adopt him that next weekend. Little did we know we would be adopting a small horse! :)

He is a joy to have around, and we look forward to many years together!

Rest in Peace my Rocket Sprocket!