Mizell-Flint Follies

Too Long!

2011-05-31T08:14:00.000-07:00

Wow! I cannot believe it has been almost a year since my last post on here... To my credit, though, I have been keeping fairly current on Facebook. Wonder if that is the "new" method of blogging?

Anyway, now that it is summertime, and the kids are out of school, I am going to make it my goal to update more. At least once a week! We'll see how I do :)

Breaking News

2010-06-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

I have been a freelance reporter for almost three years now. The typical story I am assigned to is several days in advance, and pretty much runs the way I expect it to.

Last week, the editor asked me to cover the Drag Boat Races, out at Lake Nasworthy here in San Angelo. I'd never been out to the Boat Races before, and was looking forward to doing something new.

I went out on Saturday, spoke to sponsors, drivers, and volunteers. Before I knew it, I'd been out there for three hours! I called and left a message for the weekend editor to tell her that the story would be on its way shortly. She called me back soon after, apologizing, and told me that the story was actually for the NEXT day! Not a problem, I figured I would go out and speak to some spectators on the final day of the event.

When I got there, Peggy, the lady driving the golf cart, introduced me to two Marines who had just gotten to San Angelo the day before. They were out enjoying their weekend before they started work/school on Monday.

The event went as I expected, speaking to lots of great people. There was lightening nearby, so I even got to speak to people uninterrupted by the noise of the boats.

After getting all the interviews that I needed, I was trying to leave. I had already been there longer than expected. It was starting to rain. Finally, I got in the golf cart that was going to take me back to my car. As we were getting in, I watched two of the LOUD boats racing each other, both going in speeds in excess of 200 mph. I had just gotten in, when I heard the crowd start groaning. Something had happened.

I was already late leaving, so in my mind, I was thinking, "I need to get home to get this story done." But, fate intervened, as Jenni, the lady I had interviewed moments earlier, said, "move over, we have to go!"

I tried to get out of the cart, but she and Peggy, also in the cart, said, "You're a reporter; this is your story!"

As we ZOOMED, and I mean ZOOMED to the exit ramp where the boats were to be taken from the water, I was amazed at the skill of the driver- one of the Marines I'd met earlier. He got us to the ramp literally minutes before the second ambulance arrived.

Luckily, both drivers were ok. But, I realized when I got there, and saw the lines of people holding hands in support and prayer, that I did indeed have a story. The adrenaline, both from the accident itself and the golf cart ride to the scene, had me jittery to say the least. Then, as I was looking for people to interview, I realized I was rain-soaked, wind-blown, and covered with mud. My glasses had rain on them, but my shirt was too wet/dirty to clean them! From sitting in the back of the golf cart, my legs were muddy from the knees down!

Later, I laughed to myself, thinking what people must have thought when I introduced myself as a writer for the Standard-Times. There were a lot of them, too- I realized that I had to speak to a lot of people to get what was the closest to the real story.

But, it was my first breaking news story! And, luckily another reporter was there to add details that I couldn't get... So, that was my first "joint" story as well.

Here's the link-
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/jun/27/drivers-pulled-from-boats-after-accident/

Waiting for the driver to get out of surgery today, so I can call him to interview him!

Crisis Averted

2010-05-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

This week, we almost had a crisis...
On Wednesday, Matthew came home with a letter, saying that he should come to the Glenn awards ceremony. (We never know what the award(s) is for, just that the student is getting something.) The problem: Megan did not get a letter. She has gotten one every year, and has had a good year this year, but for whatever reason, no letter.

While somewhat surprised, I told her that not every child could receive awards. She has been lucky to be recognized in previous years. I suggested that maybe more letters would be given out the next day. "No," she said, "everyone got their letters today."

I have learned not to argue (out loud) with Megan when she thinks she is right. She is too much like me. So, we kind of just left the conversation there.

That night, though, Megan was in a baaaaad mood. She said she was just tired, and she probably was, but I couldn't help but think that part of it was not receiving the letter.

The next day, I picked the kids up from school, asked them how their day was, and if they had any homework. Megan casually slipped in that she got her letter.

"YAY!" I said. In typical Megan-fashion, no extreme emotion was shown.

But, she was in a much happier mood. We'll see what my two little award winners receive on Tuesday.

NJHS Induction

2010-05-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

Shaking hands with Principal Stinnett...

Signing the "official" NJHS record... Official NJHS Member!

Last week, Matthew was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. NJHS is not easy to get into- the kids have to have an overall 95% GPA, have community service hours, and letters of reference.

171 kids in 6th & 7th grades got inducted (or re-inducted) that night. I estimate that there are 750-800 6th & 7th graders at Glenn, so that percentage is pretty impressive. We are so proud of him!!

Detective Jacob

2010-05-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

For several months now, Jacob has been a detective. He takes his job seriously, and has gathered many pieces of his "uniform" that he wears on his belt, in his pockets, etc. While shopping yesterday, he found a tie (a detective tie) that "matched" the shirt he'd already picked out. There's no telling that boy "no" when it comes to his wardrobe; so we've basically given up, knowing that in 10 years he'll be asking us "WHY did you let me wear that???"

A year's worth of info in one post

2010-05-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

Ok... So it's been over a year since my last post... No excuses. Busy, yes, but seriously? No posts in a YEAR?? Several months back, I even made this blog my "home page," thinking that would get me in the habit of posting. But even that didn't work.

Now, I am not one to place blame on anyone or anything for my laziness, but if I had to blame someone for my not posting, I would have to say it is Facebook's fault! I try to update my status there at least once a day/every other day. I just love the concept and have reconnected with so.many.friends!

So, just how does one tell everything that happened in a year, without writing a novel?

I think the easiest (most organized?) way is to do each person individually:

John: Since I last posted, John left Foster Communications, where he had been working for 8 years, to become the general manager at Gold's Gym. It was an amicable parting, and a much-needed change for John. The best part about the change~ it gave John an opportunity to work out, almost daily, and get back in shape. (Since his back surgery 2 years ago, a sedentary lifestyle (before and after) caused him to put on some extra weight.) During this past year, he started his own small business, doing voice work for some previous clients.
As of this week, John is back in the sales/marketing world. He left Gold's to work with an advertising agency here in San Angelo. Looks promising, and he's really enjoying it so far!

Megan: Still playing oboe in the band, and a member of the swim team, Megan is currently trying to determine which classes she will be taking next year, in HIGH SCHOOL! Yes, she will be a freshman next year. Aside from that, this year Megan started wearing make-up, and also is choosing clothes that are more fashionable (and may I say girl-y?). Since her personality has blossomed so much this year, it is only fitting that her wardrobe blossom as well.

Matthew: This year, Matthew started middle school. And, for the most part, the transition has been very smooth. Several of his teachers have even pulled me aside to tell me what a great kid he is (but we already knew this). He started playing the trumpet in band, and has been consistently in the top 8 or 9 out of 44 beginning trumpets. Matthew played basketball earlier this year, and is playing baseball now.

Jacob: Our youngest son is by far the most precocious of the three children. Not really a brat, but outgoing, imaginative, and just really his own person. For those of you who don't know yet, Jacob has announced to us that not only is he "married" to the 4 year old sister of one of Megan's friends, but also that he/they also have 2 sons (Drake and Josh). Don't worry about him being married with children at such a young age, though; after about 8-9 months of changing careers (judge, Gold's Gym assistant manager, Lowe's employee, etc.), he has finally settled on a career as a police officer. Depending on the day, his position may change from Detective, to Chief, to Security, but he has been a proud member of the SAPD for several months now.

Me: Part of the reason that I started not posting last year was that I was pregnant! Although I had my typical tired first trimester, the rest of the pregnancy was easy and non-eventful, though rather stressful after having two miscarriages and a still-birth in my last three pregnancies. In January, our family was blessed with the birth of Allyson Rose, who was born healthy and beautiful. I have been doing freelance writing for our local newspaper for the past 2 1/2 years, but in this past year have been writing considerably more. I love it!

Allyson: Our newest little addition, Allyson was born on January 14. She weighed 8 lbs, 4 ounces, and was two weeks early! She was also born with a head full of brown hair. Her eyes are still a beautiful grayish-blue color. Most importantly, she has an adorable, sweet personality. She is at the age where she has started smiling at people who talk to her... SO Cute!!!

Well, while I know that isn't all the details from this past year, it is at least the highlights for each family member... I am going to work hard to post waaaaay more often. And if you don't see me here for a while, look for me on Facebook!

Passover Seder

2009-04-14T20:44:00.001-07:00

Woohoo! Matthew found the afikomen!!!

Too bad there's not ham on the seder plate-

Jacob would fit in perfectly! hmmm... no turkey either :)

SO much fun! Somehow, I got put in charge of our synagogue's congregational Passover Seder... Not complaining, just funny to me... But, I really do enjoy planning/organizing events; it's almost like it gives me a goal that I can actually reach and complete. There were 24 people in attendance this year! All but 2 of them were members of the synagogue (the other 2 were guests from Goodfellow AFB).

I've heard that everyone enjoyed it, so I am hoping to make this an annual event.

Technical Difficulties?

2009-03-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

No! Just stupidity~ I haven't been posting all the great pictures/events I've been taking lately, because I couldn't find the cord that connects my camera to my computer... I found it today... IN MY LAPTOP BAG!!! Go figure~ where it was supposed to be... (but I know I looked there first)... Anyway, I'm back in business!

My Book Resolution

2009-02-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, so last year, I made a New Year's resolution to read at least one book a month. And, for the most part, I did. But I realized at the end of the year that I didn't keep track of the books that I read, so I had no "proof". Not that anyone cares except me... But, if a friend of mine read a book that she really enjoyed, I would want to know. On the other hand, if a friend read a book that she didn't like, I'd want to know as well (I might not want to waste my valuable reading time :) ) I have re-signed for the same resolution this year, with the addition of now posting my books to the blog (and probably to Facebook :) )...

Last month, in addition to Marley and Me, which I already posted about, I read an amazing book called Escape. It was written by Carolyn Jessop. She was one of Merril Jessop's wives. Merril Jessop is now one of the "elders" at the FLDS polygamist ranch that is not far from here. The book tells her amazing story of her life while part of the sect, and her escape from the FLDS. I went to a book signing she attended at a bookstore here in town, and she seemed like one of those just awesom people that you want to be friends with- and that was before I read her book.

Last night, I finished reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas... It is an beautiful fiction story about a naive young boy whose father is a Nazi Commandant. They move to a house near Auschwitz (although the name of the camp is never mentioned in the book) so that the father can be closer to his work. The young boy befriends a Jewish boy on the "other side of the fence". Neither one of them can comprehend the other's way of life. Even though it is fiction, this story is such a good teaching tool, and introduction to the Holocaust. I cannot wait for it to come out on DVD (The movie did not make it to San Angelo).

On to my next book...

It's Jacob's World, we're just living in it...

2009-02-05T05:54:00.000-08:00

Jacob has always been an early riser. I'm blaming his Daddy for that. ;) For the past several months, we have gotten him trained to come snuggle with us (and get another 1-2 hours of sleep) in the mornings. Yesterday, I was at the computer in our bedroom, and Jacob was playing one of his imaginery games.

All was going well, until I heard him say, "Good job." I have learned that when Jacob says "Good job", it's usually not good. That usually means that Jacob has fixed something (Bob-the Builder/Handy Manny style) that didn't need to be fixed.

I asked Jacob, "What did you fix?" His answer: "The alarm clock".
Me: How did you fix it? Jacob: I turned the lights off. (i.e., he unplugged it.)
Me: Jacob! Now the radio won't work, and we have no clock to tell us what time it is.
Jacob: That's good.
Me: Jacob! Why did you do that? How does turning the lights off fix the alarm clock?
Jacob: Now it won't wake us up in the morning.

How do you argue with that logic?

A Matthew-ism

2009-02-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

Very often, Matthew says something, which, in his innocence, just makes us laugh. Today, he was looking at coupons in the phone book, and noticed that many of them required the purchase of fountain drinks. The conversation went like this:

Matthew: "Mom, what's a fountain drink?"

Me: "Well, a long time ago, drinks used to come from what was called a soda fountain. It dispensed all kinds of drinks... Cokes, Root Beer, Sprite. So a fountain drink is anything that comes from a fountain."

Matthew: "So, now, that would be, like, Water?"

I guess my explanation wasn't quite as good as I thought it was!

Back to Our Busy Lives!

2009-01-27T05:46:00.000-08:00

Ok.. So I know that I intended to be blogging at least weekly. But when it comes to reality, that is HARD! Weekends, which I planned to use to catch up on this thing, have been becoming busy again... I always forget how crazy the second half of the year gets.

Basketball started up for the boys last month, and games started two weeks ago. That means in addition to two practices each during the week, we have one game on Friday night (Jacob's) and one on Saturday afternoon (Matthew). I have been so looking forward to Jacob playing "pee-wee" basketball- they are always so cute, running up and down the court with their arms in the air. But what I didn't factor in to this season was Jacob's personality. We have had to yell across the court to tell him to "Stop dancing!", "Leave your shorts alone!", "Get on the other side of the line!", and many others. And there's only been two games! Luckily/Sadly, there are just 4 more (depending on how you look at it). I think he is finally "getting it", that the object of the game is to get the ball from the other team. He actually tried to steal a ball at the last game, but he had such a cute look on his face, the other team member just dribbled away from him. (It was almost a "please, can I have the ball?" expression). Anyway, we know from experience that as hard as this first year is, in a year or two he will be infinitely better. Thank goodness!

Matthew, on the other hand, is having a great basketball season. Like Megan, he is mainly a defense player. I don't think he's missed a rebound yet this year, and really seems to be understanding the plays. His team has won both games easily.

Matthew also just decided on a Boy Scout troop to join last night. In February is the Cub Scouts' "Blue and Gold" ceremony, where he will officially move up to Boy Scouts. Unlike Girl Scouts, the Boys have an option of which troop to move into. He is excited about his decision.

Today, Matthew is starting his trumpet lessons! He will be playing trumpet in band next year, but really wanted to get a head start on it.

Megan is still on the Middle School Swim Team. She seems to be really good. I think she is the 2nd fastest in her group.

This past weekend, Megan was a part of the All-Region Honors Band. She was second-chair oboe. They practiced for three hours Friday night, then all day Saturday. Then, they had a concert Saturday night. It was great! The band sounded really good, and they had a great experience. The conductor was the retired conductor from the University here in San Angelo. I think he was having as much fun as the kids.

I have been taking lots of pictures, which I promise to post here soon...

The New Monopoly

2009-01-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

Matthew got the Monopoly Here & Now: World Edition for his birthday. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant to play it with him. I remember the Monopoly marathons we played while I was growing up~the game that would never end. But this version is SO much better. First, it's more interesting- The spaces are all cities from around the world; the "Chance" and "Community Chest" cards are based on real-world events, such as, "You profit 2Million from a fashion show in Hong Kong." Then, underneath each card entry, there is a fact about that specific event, or something having to do with the country it takes place in. Very Cool!!!
The most fun change is that instead of money, each player is given a debit card; every transaction takes place with the "banking unit" in the game. No more patiently waiting for young children to s-l-o-w-l-y count each transaction. The best part about the cards is that if you decide to stop playing and play later, the dollar amounts get stored on the cards! No more keeping the money straight, keeping the game out, etc.
Yet, the game has all the parts that make it Monopoly. Still a GO TO JAIL space. Still collect $$ for passing GO (now it's $2Million!) Same basic premise, just updated. Highly recommended.

1st book of the year~ Marley & Me

2009-01-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading the book, "Marley & Me." I cheated and saw the movie first, which is usually a huge mistake. But not this time. The movie, while definitely based on the book, was very different. And even after reading the book, I had a hard time deciding which I liked best. The biggest advantage of the book is getting to read John Grogan's writing. He is a phenomenal writer, able to put his reader in the middle of his life. My recommendation: Read the Book AND See the Movie... Not necessarily in that order.

Our Anniversary Tradition

2008-12-21T08:00:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was our 5th anniversary! Every year on our anniversary, we have had a limo pick us up to take us on the Christmas Light Tour along the River. This year was no different, except that we had the limo come after the ASU boys' basketball game! (John announces the games. He was going to have someone else announce the game, but I said I'd like to go!) The lights were beautiful, as always. We had a wonderful time together.

The Boys make breakfast

2008-12-20T12:41:00.001-08:00

Today is our 5th anniversary! All week, Matthew has been saying that he wanted to make John and me an Anniversary breakfast. So this morning, John, Matthew, and Jacob went to the store to get the ingredients they would need. No recipe, just bought on a whim. They bought frozen hashbrowns, red potatoes, mushrooms, eggs, breakfast sausage and velveeta cheese. We had to explain to Matthew that there was a certain order to cook everything in, since the sausage and potatoes would take longer to cook than the eggs. They had so much fun doing it! We added some Julio's seasoning to it at the end, and it was delicious!!!

Family Pic

2008-12-20T12:35:00.001-08:00

This past Thursday was Jacob's school performance... It was so adorable! Afterward, we were taking pictures of Jacob w/ the poinsettias, and the music teacher, Mrs. Ochoa, offered to take a picture of all of us. So sweet! (even though were weren't dressed to have our pictures taken :) ) Too bad I didn't realize that all we could see is Jake's head~ Oh well... His little head looks cute over the poinsettias.

How cute is SHE???

2008-12-20T12:26:00.001-08:00

Megan got her hair cut this week~ She got about 6 inches cut off! I think she looks adorable... and of course, SO much older :)

We're Trying!

2008-12-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

As often as possible, I try to have make "Shabbat Dinner" Friday nights, complete with candles and challah. Last Friday night, we turned off the lights and took this picture. With everyone's schedules, it's not always possible, but it sure is special when we can!

Boy Scout Camp

2008-12-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am waaaay behind on updating this thing. But, well, to say the least, it has been a busy couple of months. And, like the economy, I fear it's going to get worse before it gets better (except mine are all *happy* events!) This month alone, in the next two weeks, actually, we have: Our Anniversary, Hanukka, Christmas, and Matthew's birthday. Nope, never a dull moment in December ~ even more so than normal ;)

Below are pictures from Boy Scout Family Camp in October. ~The VERY NEXT WEEKEND after Girl Scout camp. We had so much fun! It was a little sad, as this is Matthew's last Family Camp, since he moves up to Boy Scouts next year. (Family Camp is for Cub Scouts.) An added bonus to this weekend was that Meme came with us! She was trying to find a weekend to come spend with the kids, and this particular weekend just seemed to work well. She had a great time. No, really she did! And we had a blast with her.

We made a yummy breakfast on Saturday~ Pancakes, Turkey Bacon, and Eggs! We used Kelli Sudduth's (Matthew's teacher) new grill! Pancakes taste so much better when they are cooked outside!

One of the skills that the kids work on at Family Camp is Archery. M & M have gotten pretty good! i.e., they don't have to go running past the targets to collect their arrows! A couple of them even make it close to the bullseye!

The Boys (and Megan) clowning around before getting on the paddleboats. Aren't they sweet? (actually, they are :))

The Mud Pit. Need I say more?
(Except that John brought Jacob later in the afternoon, so that he could play for a little while, then camp with us that night.)

BS Pack 374. Someone donated the flags to each den at this campout.

Matthew is standing under the Bear flag (even though he's a Webelos).They got more organized at the flag ceremony!

Me, Magan, Meme (yes Meme!) and Kelli on the paddleboat

The Webelos cooked dinner for for us on the last night of camp (mmmm... mango-stuffed tilapia)

Both mornings, because it was so stinkin' cold, we woke up to a beauiful mist on the river. I took the one above; Matthew took the one below. (He is quite the little photographer.)

Girl Scout Trip

2008-10-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

Megan and her tent-mate and good friend, Jondalynn, poking their heads out of their tents. They were in the same kindergarten class, and have been in the same Girl Scout troop for three years. They usually hang out together at Boy Scout Family Camp, too!

So I have officially survived my first camping trip of the year, and the first of TWO this month! Our Girl Scout troop and our sister troop took a trip to the Lubbock Corn Maze, at the suggestion of one of my Girl Scouts. It was FABULOUS!! The girls (and the leaders) had so much fun!

We went through the corn maze, which was a-maze-ing, ;)

then took a hay ride to the pumpkin patch.

There, the girls each picked a little pumpkin.

They also shot corn husks out of a corn cannon,

and rode in a tractor-pulled cow train!

All 10 girls from both troops outside the Texas Tech Art Museum. This was the first time some of them had been to an art museum, and the first trip to a planetarium for many of them!

Then, we went to the Texas Tech Art Museum, which was just- in a word- great~ Anthony Quinn's Art Collection was on display there. It included works of art that he collected throughout his life, as well of his own pieces of art. We also went to the Museum's Planetarium, which was unexpectedly more interesting than I thought it would be (I didn't get the nap I usually get to take in planetariums :) ).

Never Met a Stranger

2008-10-01T08:25:00.001-07:00

We have finally decided to change over our phone service, so it is the same as our cable company. The Suddenlink man rang our doorbell, and Jacob ran to answer it (with me running behind him). He opened the door, saw the truck, and said, "Oh, our email is working fine. Thank you!" When I explained to Jacob that now Suddenlink will be our phone company too, he finally stepped aside to let Ray in.
Jacob being Jacob, he spent most of the time Ray was here asking questions, telling him about HIS tools, and basically making a new friend. By the time Ray was leaving, he and Jacob were keeping up a good conversation. Not sure how this come about, but as I followed them outside, I saw him handing Jacob his hat, then reaching in to the truck for his "backup" hat.
I ran inside to grab my camera, so I wouldn't miss this adorable moment. After I took the picture, Jacob gave Ray the hat back, and said, "Thanks for sharing." Too Stinkin' CUTE!!!

What a FUN day!

2008-09-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

Oh MY GOSH! We had so much fun yesterday! But, we are SO exhausted! Megan was in the Canoe Flag Ceremony PLUS three races. I was in two sponsor races- one for San Angelo Family Magazine with Megan (we came in 4th place), and one with one of my Girl Scouts' moms, Christine for Gandy Ink (Christine works for them). We came in 3rd place in that one! I am just glad that none of the races that Megan or I were in ended with us in the river! (Several canoes tipped yesterday.)

We had the Girl Scouts Family FunFest in the morning before the Canoe Races, for which I was the Chairperson. It was so much work, but I think the people that came had lots of fun.

It is Sunday morning, and I am exhausted, but please with the day yesterday. Hope to get back in a canoe soon!

Back in the canoes!

2008-09-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

This morning was practice-time for the girls in the flag ceremony for the canoe race. Since John had to take Matthew to a football practice {Ami cringing}, I got the short straw and had to take Jacob to the canoe practice. Because of his sweet perseverance, Ms. Becky told him that if he behaved and let her train the girls, she would let him get in the canoes. That was all it took~ He was perfect for the rest of the morning.

The girls looked great practicing for the flag ceremony. It is going to be beautiful! (I'll make sure to take pictures and post them here.)

Christine (my canoe partner) and I got to practice for a while too. As much as I hate to admit it, I really do enjoy being out on the water. (I think I'm becoming more "out-doorsy" than I'd like to admit!

Matthew is a Safety Patrol!

2008-09-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am no longer the worst mom ever! Matthew signed up to be a Safety Patrol at the end of last year, but wasn't chosen because of recurring tardies!!! , His grades were great, his behavior perfect, attendance fine, just more than a few late mornings. Now, I am not going to say Matthew is completely innocent in the tardy situation, but more than anything, it was because I couldn't find my keys (or my phone, or Jacob's shoes, or my shoes) in the morning. But, I have turned over a new leaf! If you believe that, well, you don't know me very well... But I asked the Safety Patrol teacher to please consider him if a space opens up. I said that if a space opens up in an afternoon slot, even better, since I have no problems getting to the school a few minutes later in the afternoon! Anyway, yesterday, a space opened up~ It seems one of the safety patrols didn't want to do it anymore. Matthew could not have been more excited!
He had to be at school by 7:25 this morning! But here's the very cool thing about that: He left with John and Megan! John dropped off Megan at 7:10, then Matthew by 7:20! I think I might like this early-morning thing!

Way to go Megan!!!

2008-08-21T12:12:00.001-07:00

Last April, Megan told me she wanted to try out for the middle school swim team. I can't remember why now, but we were not able to make it to the tryouts.

Two days ago, a friend of mine told me that her daughter just tried out for swim team... So I called the coach, and he let Megan try out today.

She had to swim 50 meters in 50 seconds to make the team... While she was trying out, the coach told me that the reason they like to have the kids try out in April is so if they don't make the team, they can have time to practice and try out again.

She did it in 45 seconds! She was very excited. The coach said, "not bad without practice." Now, she gets to swim every morning for 1st period... PLUS an extra hour before school! so much for school starting at 8:20; she has to be at the high school (across town) by 7:20 a.m.! No rest for the weary!

Fun in Florida

2008-08-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I went to Florida for a friend's wedding. It was the first time in years (ever?) that I had been to Florida without kids, and without a more serious purpose. It was so nice to catch up with relatives~I stayed with my Aunt Lynn & Uncle Gerry in Boynton Beach. While there,I got to know their friends, Phil & Barbara. Phil and my uncle have been friends since they were little boys in Brooklyn. It was so cute watching them interact with each other, telling stories and just "being boys". They told hysterical stories of their youth. I have heard most of them before from my mom, but these were told from the boys' perspective...

I also got to spend some time with my Great-aunt Rose and Great-uncle Fred. It was fun to see them. They are getting older, but overall, doing well. My aunt has the same cute sense of humor that she has always had. She is legally blind (from macular degeneration), but she still tells great stories, and has the same great smile that I remember when I think of her. It was wonderful to see her and Uncle Freddy. I went back to see them a second time, and we went out for breakfast to one a diner near them.

I got to spend some time shopping at Sawgrass Mills! This is a h-u-g-e outlet mall. When it was built, it was the largest in the country. Not sure if it still it, but it is pretty big! I was there for almost 2 hours and only saw a very small part of it. I didn't find a dress to wear to the wedding, my purpose for going there, but I did find gifts to give to the Peace Ambassadors for our holiday party! I can't say what they are yet, in case they read this, but I am SO excited!

Probably the best part of the trip was reconnecting with friends and family. I also got to see Ellie Riskin for (about 45 minutes). We were such good friends when I lived in FL, but have not seen each other for a long time. She was just as sweet as ever, and has the most adorable house!

I also got to meet Larry's (brother of the bride) Emilie for the first time, in person! We have talked at length on the phone for years, but never actually met. The only bad thing? My camera battery died before I could get a pic of her and Larry! We all had so much fun at the rehearsal dinner party- It was a bbq on the beach!

Lauren & Steve- the Bride & Groom!

At the wedding, I sat with Larry & Emilie, Jan & Aley, and Larry's cousins, Rachel and Ben. What a great table! Rachel and Ben are going to be my newest "Facebook" friends.

After the wedding I stayed at Jan & Aley's house. It was so nice getting to know their son, Michael. He is a great kid (19!) with a fun sense of humor, and a phenomenal nusic career ahead of him. Even though I had just seen Jan last month, it was nice to see her while I was stress-free! It was so much fun to see Aley~ while at dinner, he showed me how to do "Torah-gami"- folding a dollar-bill into a Torah! M & M are amazed, and cannot wait to learn how to do it! I hadn't seen him in at least 10 years! We need to make sure that doesn't happen again!

Megan's Birthday Party

2008-08-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

We had Megan's 12th birthday on Sunday~ (She will actually turn 12 on 8/18, but I will be out of town this weekend. In the interest of making at least one of my children not think I am a "bad mom" for missing their birthdays, I opted to make the party for the one who could actually read a calendar.) I was planning on having both Megan's AND Jacob's parties on Saturday, but then realized that Matthew had a Boy Scout bowling event that day, too. While I could have done all three, NONE of it would have been fun, so we postponed Jacob's until 8/23.

Anyway, this was Megan's 8th pool party! For those of us that scrapbook (or try to), it is not an easy task to come up with creative pages for a birthday party with the same theme year after year after year! But, I guess that is the norm with a birthday in August.

We got Megan a camera for her birthday. She likes it, but she really wanted a kitten. The irony here, is that a kitten walked up to Megan last week while she was playing outside with some friends. We keep telling her that we can not, do not, will not take care of another cat. That our neighbors will start (if they haven't already) thinking that we are "that crazy cat-family" if we take in another one (We have one "inside" cat, and two inside/outside cats. Since they are both inside approximately 1/2 of the time, I count them as 1 full cat).

Where Did the time go?

2008-08-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

This week was our local Girl Scout council's Twilight Camp. Megan has been a "camper" there for the past 4 years, but this year she was old enough to move up. She took her "Program Aide" training last week, so this week she was able to be an assistant to the leaders. I *think* she had fun. So hard to tell sometimes!

From the title of this post, you're probably thinking that this will be about how my little girl is growing up, and how I don't know what happened to her childhood. Actually, no. I mean, yes, she is growing up. But that is not what this post is about.

I dropped off Megan at Twilight Camp every night this week at 6:00. The camp went until 8:30, but my friend picked her up and got her home a little after 9:00 each night. So my question is Where did the time go? What did I do with all that free time???

Monday was productive... I met Rashda at Wal-Mart to buy school supplies for two children that the Peace Ambassadors adopt each year. While there, I got Matthew's school supply list bought too. Very Productive night.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are a blur. Honestly. That's 9 hours unaccounted for.

THAT's why parents say time goes so fast when their kids are growing up~ I am in no way diminishing the fact that time does go quickly; but when I can lose 9 hours in a week, with no explanation, it becomes easier to undestand how we lose some of the time where our children are growing up.

I have been very fortunate to be able to attend many of my kids' events... Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Sunday School, school field trips, classroom visits... But since I was not part of this week's camp (for the first time), the time, for me, was lost. doing nothing. hmmm...

Canoe Craziness!!!!

2008-08-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Okay... So in the name of being a "good mom", or perhaps in the quest to be a fun Girl Scout Leader, or maybe just due to temporary insanity, I attended a week-long Canoe Clinic with Megan and several of the girls in my Girl Scout troop. The pictures below are from the second-to-last day, where we took the canoes to the nearby YMCA pool to practice swamping and rescuing canoes. The reason there are no pics of me or Megan is because my partner and I were practicing with Megan and her partner. But just realize that we (ahem, I) did the same thing!

When a canoe is "swamped", or flipped and filled with water, it must be rescued by another canoe. So, first, the rescuing canoe musct get perpendicular to the swamped canoe, and work to turn it over to empty the water from it.
As the canoe is being turned over, it must be lifted onto the rescuing canoe. It is heavy! (The girls from the "swamped" canoe are at each end of the rescuing canoe to keep it from flipping. Hopefully)
Then, the canoe has to be flipped back over before it can be launched back into the water.
It is amazing how much teamwork it takes to do this. Today is the day I realized the reason girls have to be in 7th grade before they can be in the canoe race.
After getting the canoe back in the water, the rescuing canoe gets parallel with the canoe to be rescued, and then has to help the girls back in. The canoe gets tipped over so the girls can get their hands in the bottom for leverage...
Then as the rescuing canoe is pushed back to it's normal position, the girls *should* be hoisted into the canoe. Today we learned that it doesn't matter how you get in, as long as you get in~ There is no such thing as gracefully getting into the canoe!

If this week didn't get me points toward the "Mom of the Year" Award, I don't know what will!

I was trying so hard to get out of doing this particular day of the training, but I was told that if I didn't learn how to rescue canoes, I would not be able to take my troop out without another trainer.
It was a good thing I did, because the next day, while taking a canoe trip down the river, another canoe collided with Megan's canoe, and TIPPED it! The lifeguard in the "rescue" canoe jumped out without realizing that we needed him in the canoe, so MY canoe became the rescue canoe! (Now is the time that I should mention that the lady in my canoe, Christine, had never been in a canoe before.- But she was a trooper, and did an awesome job!) After rescuing Megan and Jondalynn, we had to rescue the lifeguard! Fun times...

I joined!

2008-08-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

After attending the meeting of the TJHS on Sunday, 7/27, I knew I had to join this group. Not only were they all so friendlythis weekend, they also donated $500 to our synagogue to "keep the jewel alive" as one member put it. Thank you TJHS~ our congregation appreciates it very much!

What am I getting into now???

2008-07-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

I think that I have found a new group that I want to be part of... This weekend, the Texas Jewish Historical Society is having its quarterly meeting in San Angelo. The group chooses different cities throughout TX with Jewish communities to hold its meetings. We are lucky enough to host them this time. The group is very friendly and welcoming, and focuses on keeping Judaism alive in TX, even in the smaller communities, as well as preserving the Jewish communities' histories. Fits right in with my scrapbooking tendencies, and gives us a reason to go to services at different synagogues, at least quarterly.

Is Summer supposed to be relaxing??

2008-07-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

I thought so. But this summer, not so much.

John had two back surgeries in June, one 6/2 & one 6/9. We knew going in that this was a two-surgery procedure, to correct his kyphosis. the surgeries went very well, correcting his 78-degree spinal curvature to a 28-degree curvature (normal is 20-40 degrees). What we weren't counting on, however, was that John had an allergice reaction to one of the antibiotics while in the hospital, which caused his blood platelet level to drop dangerously low. After removing John from ALL meds for 36 hours, the level finally started to come back, and continued to until it was back to normal. However, while he was in the "danger zone" of the platelet level, he developed sores on his heels, that have turned out to be bed sores. After one of them started to ooze, we went to the emergency room, like we were told. We have now been going to the wound clinic at least once a week (down from every other day) for the past 6 weeks. And I have been cleaning/redressing them at least once daily. ugh! Poor John has to wear an orthopedic boot, as one of the heels is healing fine, but the other one is not doing as well. The boot is to keep ALL pressure off of John's heel. To my untrained eye, it does seem to be helping. We'll see Monday, when John goes back to the Wound Care Clinic.

WITH all this going on, Megan had her Bat Mitzvah on July 11. I have imagined for years what the event would be like, and it was exactly as I'd pictured, but better! Megan did an amazing job reading her torah portion and haftarah portion, she an dLeah (the other girl Bat mitzvahed that day) sounded GREAT together, and most of our closest family and friends were able to share the weekend with us. The event could not have been better. I'm SO glad it's over! Tons of work, but worth every minute. Time to move on to Matthew and Leah's sister, Elisha.

Life did slow down after the Bat Mitzvah, but got busy in a different way. One of my best friends, Vivian and her daughter came for the Bat Mitzvah, and her daughter Jordan, who is Megan's age, stayed with us for two weeks. The girls, who have literally known each other since they were babies, had a very good time together. One of the highlights for me was a photo album that Jordan and Vivian gave us that had pictures of the girls from the time they were babies until last year. Hopefully I can continue to add to it. (Although I didn't do a good job of taking pictures while she was here this time-- It's okay, though, we are planning a trip to Carrizon Springs next weekend).

This past weekend was very, very busy... Megan and Jordan had Basketball Camp, and Matthew and his friend Dalton had Computer Camp. They all had so much fun~ M & D learned lots, and M & J were exhausted- in a good way.

This afternoon, I took Jordan down to Sonora to meet Viv and make the "switch". We had a fun (but short) visit at DQ, before we headed back to San Angelo.

B-U-S-Y Weekend!

2008-01-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

For a weekend that I didn't have to work, we sure were busy! Yesterday, Megan and Matthew each had a basketball game-- Megan's team won theirs 26-10, and Megan got a basket! Considering she is still recovering from a badly sprained elbow, that was awesome! On Friday, she was still wearing her sling;I really wasn't sure she would even play.
In between the two games, Jody called me to see if I would go to a movie with her. I feel like I never have the time to be spontaneous, so since I was able to, I went. We ended up seeing Mad Money, which was actually better than I expected it to be. It wasn't our first choice, but the line to buy tickets was SO SLOW we had to change.
Matthew's team lost 10-6, but for their first game, they played really well. (They had a bye-week last week.) Matthew is quite the blocker- It is fun to see him on the court- So out of character for him to be tough and physical.
After Matthew's game, a Girl Scout came over to pick up her cookies, and then it was off to the ASU basketball games! Tonight was Girl Scout Night at the games, as well as every other group-night in San Angelo-- YMCA, Boy Scouts, several other area basketball teams, and more, I am sure. There were so many people there! It is just amazing to me how much people love that University... In between the two games, there was a HUGE presentation-- Dr. and Mrs. Legrand, huge fans of ASU sports, were honored for their recent donation of $1Million to ASU Athletics! A Million! Needless to say, every member of every sport team of the university was center-court to thank them for their support.
Today, Megan and I spent two hours working on her Bat Mitzvah prep. I realized that she had forgotten some of the key letters of the Hebrew aleph-bet, so we did a review of every letter. Then, when we worked on the blessings again, she was much more confident. We are going to have to practice more diligently between now and July... Speaking of practicing, we have decided to take some time off from piano. She is busy practicing clarinet, will soon be learning oboe, her Bat Mitzvah prep, and basketball. I think piano is putting her over the edge... So now I just have to work up the newve to call our (new) piano teacher, whom I'm sure already thinks I am a bit of a flake!
We finally got enough Girl Scout cookies out of our front living room to take the ornaments off the Christmas tree! Tomorrow, we will get the tree down. It has been giving me the "heeby-jeebies" to have a Christmas tree up this late in January, but after being sick for the first 1 1/2 weeks of January, then getting the cookies delivered before I had time to recuperate, I guess there was no other choice. Anyway, it will all be better after tomorrow!
I made the yummiest dinner tonight!! Steak, rice pilaf, and twice-baked sweet potatoes. So good! All that, along with doing 4 loads of laundry, and cleaning out the freezer, makes for one B-U-S-Y weekend!

Megan's First Band Concert

2007-12-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to Megan's first Band Concert. It was actually quite a production... It was for Band, Choir, and Orchestra, for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Since Both 6th and 7th graders are new to Middle School this year, 2/3 of the performances were beginning groups! They were actually very good-much better than I remember beginning bands sounding when I was in middle school... What I was most impressed by, though, was how amazing the 8th graders were. Since they were new to middle school last year, that means that they have only been playing for a year and a half. The difference was incredible! It will be very interesting to see what Megan's group sounds like in 8th grade, since they will be playing for almost three years by then.

Megan has been playing Clarinet since the beginning of the year, and the plan is for her to switch to oboe in January. We are planning for her to play each instrument for half the year, so when she gets to High School, she can play Clarinet for Marching Season, and Oboe for Concert Season.

I know this picture is just aweful... I only had my camera phone with me, since my good camera is not working. Since Hanukkah Harry hasn't brought me a new one yet, I am hoping that Santa brings me one. (Or, maybe I will get one for our anniversary!) (Don't ya just love subtlety?)

Anyway, Megan is at the edge of the stage (you know I was hating not having my camera!), in the third row (the easiest way is to count knees:))

I know you can't tell at all in the picture, but they all looked so cute in their Santa hats.

After the first half of the groups went, I went to go sit with Megan's band. The kids were very sweet, and all the little girls in my Girl Scout troop were waiting for me to tell them how great they all were. (Of course, they all will be earning a music badge of some kind).

Jacob's First Movie

2007-11-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

We took Jacob to see his first movie today. It might not "Bee" a classic, but I think he enjoyed it. He sat still through about half of it (that's how long his popcorn lasted). After that, he still did okay... It's always easier to judge your kid's behavior, when there are other kids around acting crazier!

Megan and Matthew said they "kind of" liked it. I guess they would rate it a solid "Bee". John and I thought there were a few GREAT lines. I can't say our favorite, since I know that Mike reads this regularly. :) ...it was a lawyer joke...

Overall, we did enjoy it, but it's not really worth all the buzzzzz... okay I'll stop now.

While on the topic of movies, last week, Megan, Matthew and I went with Megan's Girl Scout troop to see the movie, Dan In Real Life. It was a big deal, since Peter Hedges, the writer/director of the movie, was in San Angelo for the premier. (His father lives here, so SA claims him as our own.) The movie was good. I think I would have enjoyed it if I didn't have to worry about 10 11-year-olds and Matthew being in the audience. There were some inuendos that I'm not sure they "got" (hopefully).

But, after the movie, Peter Hedges took time to sign autographs for all the girls in my troop and Matthew. He even came back outside to meet them, and talked to each one as he was signing. It meant so much to them, and Peter Hedges now has a new fan (me). It doesn't matter to me whether his movies are blockbusters; it is much more important that he took the time to make 10 little girls and my little boy feel important enough for him to spend 20 minutes with them on the premier night of his newest flick. And, it was even between shows. After our showing (all Girl Scout people), the next showing had an audience of all the "high society" people in this town. (We like to let them think they are, anyway :) )

Boy Scout Family Camp

2007-10-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun camping this past weekend! The kids did so much in one day-- Archery, Paddleboats, shooting Beebee guns, an obstacle course, the VERY popular mud pit, campfires, and of course, s'mores! Here are just a few pictures from our great weekend. Matthew on the obstacle Course

Matthew in the Mud Pit!

Boy Scout Family Camp

2007-10-23T20:48:00.001-07:00

The kids had SO much fun in the MUD PIT!!!
Megs getting ready to shoot an arrow...

Camping Pictures

2007-10-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Matthew was reading Harry Potter by the lantern's light!

Megan just loved roasting marshmallows by the campfire... All the kids had a great time making s'mores!

A Busy Day for the Kids...

2007-07-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of Matthew's basketball camp at ASU. He has had a great week, even though it started off not-so-great. It seems there was a kid who was bullying him on Monday. I had to talk him into going back on Tuesday, and I'm so glad I did! He was all excited when I picked him up, saying that his group played a game of Hot Shot, and he got the second highest score in the group! After that, "the Bully" started showing him some respect. And, today, Matthew won "Most Improved Player" of his group at camp. Way to go, Matthew!

Earlier today, Megan got her hair cut. This was not just a regular haircut; Megan was planning to cut off 12 inches of her hair, and make a donation to "Locks of Love". We have been talking about this for months, and we both finally got tired of brushing it out every day. It looks so great, and on the way to basketball practice today, I asked her to brush her hair. She was so cute-- 5 seconds later, she said, "I'm done!" She has been complaining that it is too short (Jenny had to cut it shorter than we'd planned to make it even), but I think she will love it when the compliments begin.

While Megan was getting her hair cut, Jacob was sitting in his stroller, waiting patiently. He'd just woken up from a nap, so he was looking a little tired... Ms. Jenny offered him a sucker, and since he was so sweet when he answered, she gave him two! Of course, he had to have them both at the same time. And, of course, I had to take pictures.

Jody and Ami

2006-10-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Jody and I just had to take a quick picture before going to do our final presentation for the Business Plan Competition, on Sat. 10/14.

A Little Ridiculous...

2006-10-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know it's been three months since I posted last (several people have reminded me), but, to say the least, I have been BUSY!
All summer long, I had been working on a business plan for my scrapbook store. My partner and I had entered a business plan competition, sponsored by the Concho Valley Center for Entrepreneurial Development. To say the least, it was all-consuming. The first presentation that we had to do was in September. We were voted to go on to the third and final phase, which was another presentation yesterday. YAY! No more business plans to work on from 10 pm-midnight! We find out Wednesday if we win... Keep your fingers crossed!
August was busy! Megan and Jacob both had birthdays, my parents came to visit, and school started. Megan had a pool party (one week late, due to a rain delay). I figure that this will be the last year I can get away with not having a party for Jacob (bad-mommy moment:) ). We still bought him presents, but we just never thought to plan a party for him, until it was too late and crazy. Promise not to tell him, okay?
In September, I went to a consumer scrapbook convention in Houston with a group of my customers. We had SO much fun! We were part a "dorm" that was chosen to perform in front of the 600 other ladies attending. Our theme was "Scrappin' to the 80's". We wrote parodies to 80's songs, like: Hey Elsie (To the Tune of Hey Mickey- Elsie Flannigan is a scrapbook celebrity that is popular right now), I Love Scrapbooking (to the tune of I Love Rock and Roll), and Husbands Just Don't Understand (to the tune of Parents Just Don't Understand- Remember that one??) Anyway, each song had a group of three ladies dressed accordingly, and I wast the announcer! I was dressed in Boy George attire. And the most amazing thing-- WE WON FIRST PLACE! It was fabulous.... We were like celebrities for the night, and ended up on several scrapbooker's blogs. Waaay to much fun!
Last weekend I went to a scrapbook retreat in Eldorado, about 40 miles south of San Angelo. It was very fun, and nice to spend time with some of my other customers/friends.
With all that, plus the kids being in school, Girl Scouts starting up again, 8 kids in my Sunday School class, several Peace Ambassador commitments in the past several months, and whatever else has come my way, you can see why I haven't had time to blog! But, I am turning over a new leaf.. I will start being more consistent, and adding more picures. Tomorrow.

Chicken Soup for the Scrapbooker's Soul

2006-07-26T20:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is really a book title. And I can proudly say that I am a published author! I submitted a story for the book last year, and found out not too long ago that my story was going to be in it! We totally took advantage of this at my store... Last week, we had a Chicken Soup party. No one know why they were coming; we just told our customers that we were having a big event, and they needed to be there. Jody and I wore vintage aprons, and had 100 cans of chicken noodle soup displayed throughout the store. We autographed everyone's book. The TV news came, and we got GREAT PR. Can't do any better than free advertising! The news reporter from Foster Communications did a report on us, which played on all four of their stations for two days! (So nice to know people in "high" places!) For every one of the books we sell, we are donating one can of soup to the local Soup Kitchen. (Hopefully another PR event!)

SUCH a Busy week!

2006-07-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

The after returning from a vacation is usually extremely busy. This week has been no exception. That is why I have not posted pics from our vacation yet. M&M are coming home today! We are anxious to have them back with us. Plus, Suzie will be staying with us for a week. We have lots of fun activities going on in San Angelo this week, so it should be lots of fun.
John, Matthew, and Matthew's friend and his dad are going to Abilene tomorrow, to go to WWE's Biggest Party of the Summer- Summer Slam. Wrestling. Exciting. So glad it's a "guy thing". But Matthew and his friend are psyched!
Megan starts Basketball Camp on Monday, so she has something to look forward to as well.
This was a busy week at my store- we are getting ready for a big surprise event. I can't post it on here yet, because I have customers who are "lurking", trying to figure it out. The event will be on Wednesday, so I will post it after then.
Oh well, I guess it's off to get ready for work, then to the airport!

Home again!

2006-07-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

We got home earlier today... Jacob and all the animals were well taken care of. :) We sure did miss Little Mister, and he missed, well he missed John. He went running right by me, to get a hug and kiss from Dad. (Mom got hugs later.)
Anyway, so here I am, trying to catch up on a vacation agan. I'll upload pictures tonight, and try to get caught up soon!

We're in Wisconsin!

2006-07-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to post this from my cell phone! ...SO high tech... anyway,we (John & I) were in Indiana for the past three days, and have had a fabulous time visiting family. -pictures and details to follow- We spent the afternoon in Chicago. Went to the Sears Tower, then went to Gino's for some UNBELIEVABLE Chicago-style Pizza. We have been driving for 2 hours, and are just getting into Milwaukee. LOTS of fun stuff planned here- I'll post again soon!

And.. they're off!

2006-06-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

After visiting for a few days, Meme took M&M to Alabama for the next two weeks. (They left on 6/28) I just talked to them this morning, and they were all excited about all the things that Meme and Pepa have planned. They were going to ride scooters this morning, before it got too hot, then go swimming. Megan in particular loves the pool they go to, because it is indoors, so she doesn't need sunscreen!

They are all excited about going to get to play with their cousins, Ricky and Chrissy this week, and then Zachary and Hunter next week. I'll post as I get details.

pics crom the Grand Canyon

2006-06-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, Blogger does not want me to post these pictures with the actual Grand Canyon post, so here are the pictures that go with the story!

Bad Scrapbooking Mom! I didn't think to ask anyone to take a picture of all three of us! But looking back, everyone was so busy-- getting ready to go on hikes, painting pictures of the view, or really photographing. Very few casual sightseers...

For a while, Megan and Matthew were awestruck

by the size and beauty of the Grand Canyon. I don't

think they had any idea how big it would be (and

neither did I).

This was the little rock that Megan was so concerned about, when Matthew wanted to throw it into the Canyon. Not to worry, Matthew chose another rock to throw in, and the Grand Canyon has managed to survive the impact.

Happy Birthday, John!

2006-06-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

Actually, John's birthday was yesterday, but I am just now getting to the computer! We had a fun day-- We went to IHOP for breakfast. John went off his diet for the day, and started with a hearty IHOP breakfast. He came home and took a birthday nap :), and then had to go to work! The radio stations are getting new computers, and he needed to be there to help.
I had to teach a class at my store, so Suzie stayed with the kids for a few hours.
When I got home, Patti and Chuck were here visiting. It was so nice to see them again... I think it's been about two years! Very sad, since we live just three hours away. We all promised to see each other more often, and I hope we do.
After visiting for a little while, P&C took Suzie out to dinner, for an early birthday present, and I took the kids to the pool for a short swim. Finally, John got home, and we went to a Colts baseball game (one of our favorite pasttimes).
Jeremy (John's friend/co-hort, sports partner)announced to the crowd that it was John's birthday, and made up a very, very funy list of "10 Reasons We Know John Flint is Getting Old". It was hysterical! Several members of the crowd came up to us, and said that they, too were able to relate to many of the things on the list. (I had the list, but Jeremy needed it back, bacause someone wanted a copy of it-- I will get it back in the next day or two, and post it here.) Anyway, everyone was tired, so we left the game early and went home. I can't believe I didn't have my camera for any part of today! I will do better next year!

The Grand Canyon!!!

2006-06-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

While we were driving through AZ on the way to CA, we were talking about how AZ is called "The Grand Canyon state". We talked about how every state has something special, which gived them their nicknames, and the Grand Canyon is what AZ is known for.
We decided that this was the perfect trip to go to the Grand Canyon, since we didn't have Jacob with us (and that was before I saw that there is just a guardrail -not a fence- between the viewing points and the Canyon itself. Also, it was a rare driving trip that did not require us to be home by a specific date. So, after eating lunch with my parents in Hollywood, we left for the next part of our journey.
First of all, our country is FreakingHuge! Mapquest said it would take almost 8 hours, but they obviously didn't account for an eight year old boy with a bladder the size of a marble. So, at 8:30 p.m., we exited the interstate, then began the 54-mile drive north to the Lodge we were staying at on the South Rim. Mapquest also didn'taccount for the 35-40 mph speed limit, which you can only do during daylight hours. At night, the road is pitch-black, with signs every 1/2 mile thatsay "Watch for Elk." And they weren't kidding... a female elk ran out infront of us, and we avoided meeting personally by about three feet. Needless to say, my heart was going a million beats a minute, but I slowed down to about 25 mph. So at 10:00 p.m. we pulled into the parking lot, got to our room, and discovered that the hotel did not have air conditioning!(They were nice enough to mount an oscillating fan on the wall...) We woke up the next morning, and went to see the IMAX movie of the Grand Canyon. Itwas awesome, and air conditioned.. After the movie, we went to see the real thing. It was hot already- at 10:30 a.m., and let's just say that my kids are not exactly hikers. We stopped at the first point of the rim, and thekids were oohing and ahhing like everyone else. When we got to the next point, Matthew found a rock that he decided he wanted to throw into the Canyon. Megan wasn't so sure. "Matthew, if you throw that rock in there,you might change everything, then other people won't be able to enjoy the same thing we see." (Spoken like a girl that just heard a conservation talkat the Ft. Worth Zoo several weeks ago.) After I assured her that the Grand Canyon had been there for at least 4000 years, and that Matthew throwing a rock in it would not change a thing, she decided that it would be okay forhim to throw a "small" rock in. Literally 15 seconds after he threw therock, which barely made it past the trees, they decided that they had seen enough! After seeing the movie, which included river-rafting, an airplane trip through the canyon, and where they were cool and seated, the real thing didn't do much for them after the first impression. Leave it to my kids to be barely impressed by one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World! (They did want to make sure I took lots of pictures, though.) After a trip to the gift shop, we left to get lunch, and head back to Scottsdale. We got to Scottsdale, and as soon as possible, they went swimming with their cousin-- for two hours!The next day, we left AZ and got home at 11:00 that night. I would have been home sooner, but the last 90 miles or so was a dark road with many, many deer alongside it. Since I was successful at avoiding the elk, I decided that it would be best to keep all other game off my suburban (although Ithink I did hit a rabbit) :(

A couple more pictures from Hollywood

2006-06-17T23:53:00.000-07:00

We found a NY pizzeria on Hollywood Blvd. YUM!
Today, Megan learned the "Super Woman" pose!

Look out Hollywood... Here we Come!

2006-06-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Megan thought it was cool to match her hands to the stars' hands.
Can you pick out the biggest characters in this picture?
M&M posing with Shrek!
The characters on Hollywood Blvd. come from all different eras.
Matthew's feet aren't quite as big as Donald Ducks'!

Today, we went with Grandma and Grandpa to Hollywood... So many freaks, so little time. We only had the morning to spend there; after lunch, we had plans to leave for the next segment of our trip. Here are some of the fun pictures we took... There are LOTS more for the scrapbook pages!

More pics from from 5/31

2006-06-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is the prize picture for M&M

Blogger was being finicky, so here are some more pics from the second day in CA...

How cute is Little Sarah?

and who was smiling more, Megan or Grandpa?

Universal Studios, Here we come!

2006-06-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

Ami, Megan, Matthew & Andrea
Today was the day we had decided to go to Universal Studios. The kids we very excited. We started off going through Dracula's Haunted House, which was a little scary, but fun. They are finally old enough to know the difference between real and make-believe. Universal had lots to offer- Shrek in 4-D, photo ops with Spongebob, an Animal Show, but the highlight for Matthew was the Studio Tour. He was just amazed at the behind-the-scenes views- Like the fake earthqake and the "impromptu" flash flood. When I asked him what he thought about the tour, he said "That was AWESOME!". (I was afraid he might be bored during the 45-minute tram ride.)
The only bad part of the day was when Megan fell in the "Blast Zone"- a water playground. She had taken her shoes off, because they were soaked, and as she was walking away from me, she slipped and fell, hurting her back and head. After sitting in the First Aid office for about 15 minutes, she bagan to feel better. The manager of the park gave us some "Front of the Line" passes for the rest of the day, which helped cut down on the wait time for several rides. Megan's head hurt for a couple of days, but she is fine now.
When we got back to Simon and Andrea's, my parents (Grandma and Grandpa) were on their way over to visit. Everyone enjoyed seeing each other, and we took lots of pictures. The kids went swimming for a while, then Simon and Andrea served a delicious dinner.

Santa Monica Pier

2006-06-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Matthew and Megan just couldn't get enough of the ocean. It was such a beautiful view!
Okay- So this picture was placed here out of order... Andrea and I in front of an unbelievable mountain view.
Before we left the pier, Matthew and Megan begged for me to let them "just put their feet in"... You can see from this picture how that worked out. A few seconds after this picture was taken, a wave came, and knocked them both over. After I finished laughing hysterically, we went up and both them towels! We learned two things today. 1) The Pacific Ocean is cold. and 2) There is no way to go in the ocean and stay where just your feet get wet.

Andrea and Simon suggested that we go to the Santa Monica Pier on the first day we were in CA. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. It was great! There were carnival rides for the kids (and me), beautiful views all around us, and even a man who painted scenes with his fingers! Of course, M&M would not let us walk away from him without buying one. For $10, we got a finger-painted scene of the Santa Monica Pier. You would think I had just bought the kids an X-Box, they were so excited! For lunch, we ate at "Bubba Gump Shrimp Company", and just like the name suggests, it was a restaurant with a Forrest Gump theme. Fabulous food. Great service. Now I have to let the kids see Forrest Gump, so they understand why everything was so funny to us.

After we left there, we left to go to Scrapbook Safari, a scrapbook store in Woodland Hills that I had read about on the internet (occupational hazard). Simon led us down this amazingly beautiful road, Topenga Canyon, I think. That is where the picture above of Andrea and I was taken. Then, we went back to Simon and Andrea's apartment. It is small, but set up so nicely. Their baby, Sara (6 weeks old), is just beautiful. I will post pictures of her as I find them in their files!

Home Sweet Home

2006-06-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

After a fun-filled week, we are safe at home. Over the next few days, I will be posting pictures, and telling about all of the fun stuff we did! I am uploading pictures to my computer now, so starting tomorrow, I will be posting them to the blog!

Finally in CA!

2006-05-29T23:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we finally made it to California. We left on Sunday morning and drove to Scottsdale, AZ to visit Joe & Debbie. Such a long drive! Let's just say that the U.S. has lots of mountains, and way more desert than I ever realized. TX desert. New Mexico desert. Arizona desert. California desert. aaaggghhh!!! California tries to trick new visitors, by putting palm trees and a little lake, even with a small beach, right at its border. They even have a small green patch of astroturf off to the side. But just when you think you've made it through all the desert, the facade ends, and it's desert once again.
Megan and Matthew were so good in the car. It is fun for me to listen to their conversations, jokes, and even sometimes their arguments. It was funny to me that for a long part of the drive, they wanted to listen to music, instead of watching movies or playing games. (Well Matthew played games while listening to music.) Their favorite CD's are "High School Musical" and a CD that John burned for them of a bunch of popluar songs. Matthew was singing "California Man", and was so cute that I wish I had my video camera. Megan is developing a beautiful singing voice, and knows almost all the words to the "High School Musical" soundtrack. (Which, as I found out, is a Disney movie that just came out on DVD last week. It's evidently all the rage among older elementary/middle school kids.)
The kids were really excited to play with Christopher, even though it was for a short time. We woke up this morning, ate breakfast, then the kids went for a quick swim. We finally left at about 12:30 AZ time. At 8:30 CA time (same time zone), we made it to Andrea, Simon, and Sarah's house. Sarah is an adorable baby. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a beautiful dark compexion. And so sweet! Simon and Andrea are having lots of fun with her. I will be taking lots of pictures, and will upload them and post them when I get home. (Since I've gotten a complaint that there aren't enough pictures on this blog.) (Michael.)
It's 11:30 here, but 1:30 a.m. in my world, so I'm going to stop now and go to sleep. I'll try to log on tomorrow and write about all we've done!

It's Off To California

2006-05-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well, Ami , Megan and Matthew are on their way to California to see Ami's sister Andrea, her husband Simon and their new baby girl Sarah....Which means Jacob and Daddy FINALLY rule the roost for a week...

We will attempt to post daily and keep you updated. (for example, we'll see if we set the house on fire before they get back...)

Just busy, busy, busy!

2006-05-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

okay, so maybe when I started this thing, and said that I was planning on posting several times a week, I was being a little over-zealous. Looks like I'm doing good to post several times a month. It certainly isn't because our family hasn't been doing anything...
Matthew is still playing baseball. He usually gets at least one "hit" per game, and has made several home runs. I think he is finally over his fear of the pitching machine. Since baseball started, he hasn't been very active in Boy Scouts, but he has managed to get to several meetings. He has earned his "Gold Arrow" award, and one "Silver Arrow" award. Very exciting for Mr. Matthew. Last weekend, (Mother's Day weekend) Matthew went camping with some of his Boy Scout friends. They had a BLAST! They had to come back Saturday night, instead of Sunday morning, because of some bad weather that was making its way to the campground. But, the boys got to practice with bows and arrows, cook their own meals, and their favorite, play in the mud pit!
As for Megan, she is busy too. She is still playing softball, and just loving it! She was having trouble seeing the ball without her glasses on, and it was hard for her to wear her glasses with the helmet they wear when they bat. Her solution? Contact lenses. So after two eye dr's appointments and 2 1/2 hours of Megan trying to get up the nerve to put her lenses in her eyes, she finally became proficient enough to leave the dr's office. She is quite the little contact lens pro now, though. Her game has improved, too. It's amazing how much easier it is to hit the ball, now that she can actually SEE it! Our Girl Scout troop just went on an overnight trip to the Fort Worth Zoo last weekend (The same weekend Matthew went camping,) We had a great time.
While we were gone, John and Jacob were home alone. They had a great time. Since it was Mother's Day weekend, and both colleges in town had their graduations, there were no babysitters to be found, so Jacob went with Daddy to work for a while, to a remote that Dad had to go to, and to the store. They found all kinds of great Mother's Day gifts for me, from both of them and from Megan and Matthew. They are great shoppers!
On Mother's Day, we all went out to brunch, to a restaurant names "River Terrace". The food was just fabulous. It's a good thing that Megan and Matthew have some mature taste buds...They just loved the salmon, arugula salad, and everything else that was served. On the dessert table, there were creme puffs that were shaped like swans. These were a BIG hit!
Jacob is busy just being Jacob. He is such a sweet boy! A little bit of a monster some days, but sweet nontheless. We have started working with puzzles with him, and he really enjoys trying to fit the pieces in.
John is getting ready to co-host the Children's Miracle Network telethon next month. He is also doing the PA for San Angelo's minor-league baseball team, the Colts. needless to say, our lives are little full!
But they are about to slow down a little... School ends at the end of next week. Boy Scouts is over for the year, and Girl Scouts will be over for the year after this Monday. Baseball and Softball seasons end soon too... What will we do with all our free time????

P.S. I tried to upload pics with this post, but I blogger isn't letting me... I will try again to upload them tomorrow!

Craziness!

2006-05-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I really did plan on posting several times a week... But to say that our lives are crazy at this time of the year is an understatement! M&M have had baseball/softball games. Two weeks ago, Megan was at bat, and got hit by a softball. She wasn't hurt too badly, just a red mark on her stomach. It was actually a good lesson for her- for the next game, she wore her glasses when she was at bat. The game really works so much better when you can actually see the ball coming. (!) She didn't get to hit the ball, but she got "walked" to first base. (The pitcher threw 4 bad pitches in a row, and she didn't try to swing at them.)
She was so cute, as she was running to 1st base, she put her arms up to celebrate. Everyone in the stands, on both sides, chuckled. That night she learned how to "steal" a base. She made it all the way to 3rd base, and then the team got three outs. She was so excited to make it on base at all, let alone 3rd, that it was all fine with Megan.
Fast forward to tonight... Again, she got to walk to 1st, stole second, and then got to run to third. Then, there was lightening. several times. close. So, the game got called. Poor Megs! We got home before the rain got too bad, and the storm that was expected went around us. (whew!)
Matthew has also been busy with baseball. The team didn't win the last game, but Matthew got a home run! In the game tonight, Matthew didn't get to hit the ball, but they won the game!

I took M&M to see Akeelah and the Bee on Sunday. It was SO good! So many different story lines going on at once. It was the kind of movie that made us talk about it all the way home. I asked them questions, to make sure they understood the movie, and they asked me questions about things they didn't understand. They were the perfect age to see it.

Last night was our Girl Scout Troop talent show. It was so much fun. For the most part, the girls in our troop are not shy, and had no problems getting up to perform their dances, songs, magic tricks, etc. But, there were a few that needed some "prompting". They were all wonderful! Megan played a piano solo.

Lots of stuff coming up this week. I will try to write more, and more often!

Kite Fly

2006-04-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day. I had a meeting with the Peace Ambassadors in the morning. Then, we took the kids to the "Kite Fly". This is an event held each year in San Angelo. One of the TV stations gives out kites to all the children, and then they all work to get them up in the air. It is very fun! This year was by far the most fun for Megan and Matthew. First because they are older, and also because it was so windy. John helped Matthew get his kite up V E R Y high! So high, that my friend's husband had to help him wind the string to get it down. After that was over, we went home to rest. I went to my store to help with the crowd that was there, and then we all went to an ASU baseball game. There was a double-header tonight, but we only there for the first (3-hour) game. We were all tired, and ready to go home. The kids have a friend spending the night tonight. BUSY day tomorrow. (Hint: think Chicken and Children.) I'll take pictures!

The Golden Arrow

2006-04-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

Matthew received his 'Golden Arrow" award this evening in Boy Scouts. Photo Op pending.

I think I'm caught up!

2006-04-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

What I thought would take weeks to do, actually got done in a couple of days. With the exception of some pictures that were taken with our other camera (not uploaded to the computer yet), I have uploaded all the significant pictures that I have taken since February!
I hope that you enjoy this blog, as I enjoy posting to it. I will try to post to it several times a week, or whenever someone in our family does something fun (which seems like it is almost every day). Spring is a busy time of year for us; keep up with what we're doing through our blog!

My Talented Children

2006-04-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

These pictures were all taken on the way home from AZ in March. Jacob had finally decided to clap his hands. He also decided that since we weren't giving him enough snacks, he was going to chew on his toes. Not to be outdone, Megan decided to show off, by touching her forehead with her foot! Crazy Girl! Matthew was totally oblivious to it all, since he was busy playing his game.

Passover Seder

2006-04-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, April 13, we celebrated the second night of Passover at the Synagogue, with a community seder. We invited our Peace Ambassador group. It was a wonderful experience to have Muslims, Christians, and Jews celebrating, learning, and of course, eating together. It is such an honor to be part of this special group.

Opening Day- Baseball

2006-04-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday, March 25 was Opening Day for Matthew's Little League team. The boys all looked SO cute in their uniforms. Matthew had a fun time, but his team didn't win. (At the next game, which I didn't take pictures at, Matthew's team won 6-4, and Matthew got TWO of the Home Runs.) Way to Go, Matthew!

Road Trip to AZ

2006-04-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

In March, we decided to go to AZ, to see John's brother Joe, and his family. Here are a few pictures from that weekend. Joe and Debbie's boys, Kevin and Christopher are such nice kids. Megan and Matthew had a good time with both of them. Jacob had a good time just being Jacob. I just love the scenery in AZ. It is just beautiful! We always have fun when we go there, but this time, we went to an Outlet Mall with Joe and Debbie. I think Debbie and I are shopping soul-sisters.

Mutton Bustin'!

2006-04-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

One day in January, Matthew got a letter in the mail, from the Rodeo Chairman. He called me at work to read it to me. It began, "Dear Cowpoke"...
It went on to read that he had been selected to participate in the Mutton Bustin' Competition. This means (for all you rodeo-vocabulary-impaired folks) that Matthew would get to ride a sheep! It is a contest for kids, who weigh less than 60 lbs (Matthew weighs 59), to see how long they can stay on. He had been selected because of a paragraph he had written about why he likes the rodeo.
On Feb. 24, we took him to the Coliseum, where he was given his protective gear (a helmet and padded vest). He looked so cute! John was calling him, "Bucky Goldstein, Jewish Cowboy". Matthew was grinning from ear to ear.
They called his name, and he was out of the gate! He stayed on the sheep for about 2-3 seconds, before he fell off. Unfortunately, the sheep kicked him when he fell off, and bruised his collar bone. I don't think Matthew will ever go near a sheep again. He probably won't even wear a wool sweater!
Sorry about the blurry sheep picture- I was still getting to know my new camera settings. I am waiting for a professional picture to come, that shows him much more clearly.

Megan's last Basketball game

2006-04-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Megan at her last basketball game. Unfortunately, they didn't win this game, but all the girls had a fun season, and learned lots. Softball season starts soon!

Matthew's Field Trip to the Rodeo

2006-04-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at Matthew's class field trip to the Rodeo Fairgrounds. (For all you non-Texans, this is a HUGE deal!) We all went through "Planet Agriculture", where the kids (and grown-ups) learned about the cotton farming industry in TX, wind power usage in TX (it seems that TX has a lot of hot wind that someone decided could be put to good use. Yes, I laughed out loud when the lady exhibitor said that!), all the TX wildlife, and so much more. Afterwards, we went outside to watch "Sister" the cow be milked. Poor Sister- she looked like she was about to bust! And, wasn't it nice of Mrs. McCrea to wear a scarf that perfectly matched the tent behind her?

Jacob at the Petting Zoo

2006-04-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

I took Jacob with me, when I went with Matthew's class to the Rodeo fairgrounds. He just LOVED the Petting Zoo!

Matthew gets his Wolf Badge!

2006-04-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

On Feb. 21. Matthew earned his Wolf Badge in Cub Scouts. He couldn't have been prouder! (And how cute does he look in his uniform?)

Easter Sunday

2006-04-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

We had a great day today. Megan, Matthew and I took a long bike ride. It was probably 3 miles or so, but they were convinced it was more. We came home and washed the bikes, which the kids loved doing. Jacob had fun playing outside. Then, we came in and did Sunday School. M&M are getting pretty good at Hebrew. John came home, and bbq'd hamburgers for dinner, while the kids and I played outside. Then, we watched Zathura, a great movie that John had rented. Then, off to bed for the kids and John! (and off to the computer for me!).

Playing Catch-Up

2006-04-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Okay... We're finally taking the plunge...I've been thinking about doing it for a while, but finally, I have set up our family Blog!
For the next few weeks, I will be playing Catch-up-- I'll insert all the adorable pics that I have telling everyone about, and fill you in on our crazy family life.