Thursday, May 26, 2011

FIRST AND LAST

August 2010-First Day of School

May 2011-Last Day of Kindergarten and 5th grade

MAY....IN PICTURES

AWANA AWARDS AND SAYING GOOD-BYE TO HER LEADER


CREATING GLASS ART WITH THE GIRLS


KINDERGARTEN TEA


GIRLS ON THE RUN 5K


CARNIVAL AT SCHOOL


COUSINS, MERRY GO ROUND AND DAD PUSHING


HOLDING SWEET NOAH


HANGING OUT WITH DAD


MAKING MEMORIES WITH FAMILY


FIRST SWIM OF THE SEASON


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

IT'S HIS OBSESSION.....

There are many things I could discuss here today but I guess I'll explore the following topic:

WHY is my son obsessed with former Nebraska football coach Bill Callahan??
Bill Callahan Pictures

Sunday night as we were driving home from our weekend trip we were playing 20 questions.  They had the following info about my person:  male, older than me, a politician.  Who would you guess?  Camden yells out, "Bill Callahan".  (The answer was Barack Obama if you were curious.) 

Earlier this year I chaperoned the Kindergarten field trip to a museum in Lincoln.  There was a bust of a man's head and I heard one of Camden's classmates ask him if he knew who that was.  Camden said, "Oh I know who that is.  That's Bill Callahan."  (It was a bust of Charles Darwin if you were curious.)

One day we were driving in the car and I was listening to a talk radio program.  Camden asked me who was talking and I said, "Who do you think it is?"  He said, "Oh, I know who this is.  It's Bill Callahan."  (It was Rush if you were curious.)

Another day someone rings the doorbell here.  Out loud I said to myself, "I wonder who that could be."  Camden said, (You may have already guessed!) "I bet it is Bill Callahan." 

These are just a few examples of this weird phenomenon...there have been many others!!

Bill Callahan.....the man who single-handedly almost caused Sam (and most grown men and some women in the state of Nebraska) to have a nervous breakdown in 2007.  This is a person who is persona non grata around here.  Sure we talked about him plenty in 2007.  Well maybe talked isn't the right word.  We yelled, screamed, cried often during that season and I'm sure his name was mentioned but Camden was only 3 then.  I don't think we have even uttered his name since then so we aren't sure why this man is Camden's "go to guy" as an answer to almost every question. 

This is one of those moments where I wish I knew exactly who Camden thinks Bill Callahan is.  Evidently  he's the most powerful man in the world, with a bust in Morrill Hall, who also has his own radio talk show but who still has time to stop by occasionally!

Monday, May 16, 2011

LOVE THESE....

I'm not too crafty (although I love doing crafts) but I think I can recognize cute things
when I see them and aren't these the cutest?

family...with whom you are always loved
home...where your journey begins

Happy Monday!


Friday, May 13, 2011

5 QUESTION FRIDAY....THE FIELD TRIP EDITION

CM was suppposed to go on her 5th grade field trip today.  They were headed to a camp where they were going to zip line, rock wall, canoe, and hike.  The trip got postponed but the questions are still happening today!

1.  What was your favorite field trip when you were a kid?

2.  If you have ever chaperoned a field trip, what was your favorite?

3.  What special treats do you put in your child's lunch for field trip day?

4.  What special treats did you get in your field trip lunch when you were a kid?

5.  Don't you think adults should get field trips?!!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

SLEEP TIGHT....

This morning I had the displeasure of reading the following article that has left my skin crawling:  "Scientists Discover Bedbugs carrying the MRSA Germ".        Ewww!  I don't know about you but those little bugs scare me.  For the last few years I have been paranoid anytime we go anywhere and stay in a motel that we will bring them home with us.  Yes....I always do check our rooms before we bring our stuff in but you never know where those little nasty creatures are hiding.  I thought I was being pretty nonchalant about my room checks, trying not to pass my paranoia on to my children but the last time we walked into a motel CM yelled, "Time for a bedbug check!"  See....I am teaching my children lots of valuable life skills! 

There's also a website you can check and it tells you all the motels in the United States where bedbugs have been reported.  DON'T LOOK AT IT!  If you choose to ignore my warning and look at it you will never stay in a motel/hotel again.  (I know it is definitely complicating our choice of lodging for our vacation this summer.)

From what I've read about them once you get them they are very hard to get rid of.  I've always comforted myself the following mantra, "It will be ok even if we do get bedbugs.  Sure the bites will be irritating and it will be hard to get rid of them but they won't kill us."  It turns out I may be wrong about that.  Now not only are they disgusting they may even be life threatening!! 

Bedbugs were virtually eradicated in North America in the 1940's but are now making a comeback and seem to be immune to most treatments.  That is not good news.  I'm sure there is something that can kill them but it is probably illegal now because it is bad for the environment.  I say bring on the good stuff and let's get these things under control!!  

Sorry I had to bring this subject up but if I have to itch all day I want company!!

Friday, May 6, 2011

5 QUESTION FRIDAY-Mother's Day Edition

1.  Mother's Day.....a chance to really be extra special nice to your mom or a made up holiday??

2.  Breakfast in bed.....a nice idea but pretty impractical or something you have to do on Mother's Day?

3.  Who is your all-time favorite television mom?

4.  Mother's Day cards....store-bought or homemade?

5.  Rank the following mother's day gifts from best to least desired (by you):  flowers, jewelry, time alone, chocolate.  (Feel free to add your own favorite!).

Happy Mother's Day to all my female readers and have a great weekend everybody!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

WHY I THINK IT IS OK TO BE "HAPPY" ABOUT OBL'S DEMISE

It didn't take long for the news to spread Sunday night.  Finally....we got him.  Facebook, twitter, and blogs were alive with messages of victory, happiness, and pride.  And then came the self-righteous posts.  Posts talking about how wrong it was to be happy about someones death, especially someone who died without knowing the Lord.  As a Christian, I'll admit, I was a bit conflicted. 

After thinking about it for a few days here's what I think was going on Sunday night.

In my opinion, most people weren't "celebrating" the death of someone. 

People were just excited to have some "good" news for a change.  This war against terror has drug on and on and grown very weary.  Every day we hear about these young men who are killed by cowardly IED bombs (Iowa and Nebraska have been hit especially hard lately).  There is never any mention of the good we are doing in the middle east.....only negative news is reported.  So to hear the news that we have finally found one of the bad guys and that he will no longer be a threat was very welcome.

People were celebrating a military victory.  Those men were carrying out a mission that their commander in chief ordered and they completed it with bravery and skill.  I can't imagine the nerve it takes to fly into a compound, unsure of what you will encounter.  Your helicopter crashes and you have no way of knowing how you will get out of there but you carry out the mission anyway.  That is amazing!

People were happy to have something to feel pride about again.  (I'm not going to lie here.  When we heard the news Sam went and hung up our flag, quickly setting the trend on our street as several neighbors followed suite.) We have a President who went around the world on his "apologize for America" tour soon after he was elected.  We have a first lady who said she had never had a moment of pride in this country until her husband was elected.  Our military has been called every name in the book.  Every day we are told how we are ruining the planet.  Unemployment is at an all-time high and let's not even talk about the price of gas.  The spirit of America has been demoralized by all of these things and it was nice to have something to bring that back a little bit.  Whether you believe it or not, this is the GREATEST country in the world.  It is a country, which from its very beginning, has fought against amazing odds to survive and thrive.  We have done more to help people in this world than any other country ever.  We financially support many countries (including Pakistan) and causes and we are a moral authority in the world (oh yes I said it!).  We are given that responsibility because of the way we were founded, on Christian principles and values. 

Any psychologist will tell you how important/helpful it is for victims' families to have some closure by facing down the criminal who harmed their loved one.  Obviously that was never going to happen with OBL (much to Eric Holder's dismay) and the 9/11 families.  But this is probably the next best thing for them.  To know he is gone and will not harm them or anyone else in the world does bring some measure of comfort to them.  I heard the brother of a lady who was killed in the south tower on the radio yesterday and he was so relieved with the news.  It made me cry just listening to him talk about his grief and how no one ever called to tell them Julie was gone, she just was.  There was never any body to bury, just a pot of ashes from the site.  OBL's death won't bring Julie back but to Mike it was justice.   

OBL was an enemy of this country.  He irrationally hated us and wanted to see our downfall.  His sin of plotting the death of innocents has a consequence.  Yes it is sad that a man died, in all probability without the Lord, but his heart was hardened against the things of God long, long ago.  He chose the way he lived his life and that ultimately led to his demise. 

So am I happy (or rejoicing) about his death?  I don't know if happy is the right word.  But I definitely do identify with all of the aforementioned things.  So does being human make me less of a Christian?  God will let me know the answer to that.

For now, if I'm going to feel bad about someone dying (or worry about whether they were ready to meet their Maker), I think I'll save my sympathy for the victims who perished without warning because of nothing they had done. 

•93 (Feb.): Bombing of World Trade Center (WTC); 6 killed.

•1993 (Oct.): Killing of U.S. soldiers in Somalia.

•1996 (June): Truck bombing at Khobar Towers barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killed 19 Americans.

•1998 (Aug.): Bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania; 224 killed, including 12 Americans.

•2000 (Oct.): Bombing of the USS Cole in port in Yemen; 17 U.S. sailors killed.

•2001 (Sept.): Destruction of WTC; attack on Pentagon. Total dead 2,992.

•2002 (April): Explosion at historic synagogue in Tunisia left 21 dead, including 11 German tourists.

•2002 (May): Car exploded outside hotel in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 14, including 11 French citizens.

•2002 (June): Bomb exploded outside American consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12.

•2002 (Oct.): Boat crashed into oil tanker off Yemen coast, killing 1.

•2002 (Oct.): Nightclub bombings in Bali, Indonesia, killed 202, mostly Australian citizens.

•2002 (Nov.): Suicide attack on a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, killed 16.

•2003 (May): Suicide bombers killed 34, including 8 Americans, at housing compounds for Westerners in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

•2003 (May): 4 bombs killed 33 people targeting Jewish, Spanish, and Belgian sites in Casablanca, Morocco.

•2003 (Aug.): Suicide car-bomb killed 12, injured 150 at Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia.

•2003 (Nov.): Explosions rocked a Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, housing compound, killing 17.

•2003 (Nov.): Suicide car-bombers simultaneously attacked 2 synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey, killing 25 and injuring hundreds.

•2003 (Nov.): Truck bombs detonated at London bank and British consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, killing 26.

•2004 (March): 10 bombs on 4 trains exploded almost simultaneously during the morning rush hour in Madrid, Spain, killing 191 and injuring more than 1,500.

•2004 (May): Terrorists attacked Saudi oil company offices in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, killing 22.

•2004 (June): Terrorists kidnapped and executed American Paul Johnson, Jr., in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

•2004 (Sept.): Car bomb outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, killed 9.

•2004 (Dec.): Terrorists entered the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing 9 (including 4 attackers).

•2005 (July): Bombs exploded on 3 trains and a bus in London, England, killing 52.

•2005 (Oct.): 22 killed by 3 suicide bombs in Bali, Indonesia.

•2005 (Nov.): 57 killed at 3 American hotels in Amman, Jordan.

If you are still with me, thanks for letting me get that off of my chest.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

RELAY FOR LIFE 2011

Uncle Richard with his grandson Noah
This year my family and I will be participating in Relay for Life in honor of my Uncle Richard.  I've lived most of the years of my life relatively unscathed by the insidious disease of cancer and its even more horrible sister chemotherapy, but this year cancer has hit home.  If you are interested in donating please visit my personal page at the following link:  http://main.acsevents.org/goto/sherpark