Larson8

It's in the air...

2009-07-25T08:52:00.002-05:00

...I can feel summer starting to slip away..

The walnut trees are heavy with their walnuts, waiting for the day they drop to ease their load.
Everything in nature just has that tired end-of-July appearance.
School sales are starting, and school supplies are everywhere.
Plans are being made for getting kids to college.
No matter how fast or slow the pace of activities, no matter what the ages the kids get to be, summer never takes its time.

Home again

2009-06-28T21:40:00.006-05:00

6300 miles in a little over two weeks. We had a taste of everything out west--11 states and two Canadian provinces. From the Badlands in South Dakota and Devil's Tower in Wyoming to Glacier National Park, Montana to Vancouver, B.C., to the rocky Oregon coast. We climbed sand dunes in Oregon, threw seagulls crumbs in midair that they caught like a pet dog, drove our car through a Redwood, and walked the Golden Gate. We sipped wine at several vineyards and dined at quaint hometown cafes. We saw the Great Salt Lake and numerous minor mountain ranges that don't make the tour guide books but are nevertheless beautiful and awe-inspiring. There is no doubt about it, we live in a beautiful country. With plenty of room, once you get out of the cities!

Oregon coast

2009-06-22T09:52:00.004-05:00

The Oregon coast is awesome as always. We had to fight a traffic snarl in Portland to get here, but it was worth it.

Vancouver is quite a city

2009-06-20T23:10:00.003-05:00

Any big city you are going to see "characters." This guy with his cat, Kali Nash, was quite a character. Kali even has her own facebook page.
Also saw a few of the local sites while we were there, like the Capilano suspension bridge and the art museum.

Glacier National Park

2009-06-19T09:52:00.004-05:00

2009-06-14T08:09:00.003-05:00

Our Chevy Chase vacation

2009-06-14T07:52:00.004-05:00

Northwest Ho! Keep a movin', gotta get to Glacier National Park! Gotta get to Vancouver, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco aka Wallyworld. Can't stop more than half hour at the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore or Devil's Tower. Forget about any other attractions along the way. This is a drive-by vacation.

What a month May was!!

2009-06-03T20:01:00.008-05:00

What a beautiful month--two graduations, an 80th birthday celebration and a lilac-filled Mother's Day.

Oh boy! A new toy!!

2009-04-09T14:27:00.001-05:00

Vacation at home

2009-03-19T13:22:00.002-05:00

Who needs air travel hassles?? We had a wonderful spring break mini-vacation right here in town, at Stoney Creek Inn. Here is their indoor/outdoor pool. The flaps in the upper part of the photo lead to the outdoor pool.

Art/Not art

2009-02-01T15:42:00.003-06:00

We went to the Des Moines art center (which is free) to see Grant Wood paintings, including the original American Gothic. That IS art. And we saw beautiful paintings which captured such emotion and desperation of the early 1900s. We saw Monet and Picasso. Then we went down the hall to other exhibits. No one can convince me that a 3 way plug made out of limp inflatable type plastic material is art. Or 3 vacuum cleaners with fluorescent lights under them. Or a puppet that looked like the family dog had chewed on it. I guess I am just not sophisticated enough to tell a child's crepe paper creation from a famous "artist's" creation. For that, I give thanks.

Where I want to be

2009-01-27T19:21:00.002-06:00

A day spent grocery shopping, making bread, cookies and homemade chicken noodle soup. Nothing else I'd rather be doing!

Maestro in black and white

2009-01-10T20:56:00.000-06:00

2008-11-21T09:30:00.002-06:00

Psalm 18
2
He said: I love you, LORD, my strength,

LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, my saving horn, my stronghold!
4
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim! I have been delivered from my enemies.
5
The breakers of death surged round about me; the menacing floods terrified me.
6
The cords of Sheol tightened; the snares of death lay in wait for me.
7
In my distress I called out: LORD! I cried out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry to him reached his ears.
8
The earth rocked and shook; the foundations of the mountains trembled; they shook as his wrath flared up.
9
Smoke rose in his nostrils, a devouring fire poured from his mouth; it kindled coals into flame.
10
He parted the heavens and came down, a dark cloud under his feet.
11
Mounted on a cherub he flew, borne along on the wings of the wind.
12
He made darkness the cover about him; his canopy, heavy thunderheads.
13
Before him scudded his clouds, hail and lightning too.
14
The LORD thundered from heaven; the Most High made his voice resound.
15
He let fly his arrows and scattered them; shot his lightning bolts and dispersed them.
16
Then the bed of the sea appeared; the world's foundations lay bare, At the roar of the LORD, at the storming breath of his nostrils.
17
He reached down from on high and seized me; drew me out of the deep waters.
18
He rescued me from my mighty enemy, from foes too powerful for me.
19
They attacked me on a day of distress, but the LORD came to my support.
20
He set me free in the open; he rescued me because he loves me.
21
The LORD acknowledged my righteousness, rewarded my clean hands.
22
For I kept the ways of the LORD; I was not disloyal to my God.
23
His laws were all before me, his decrees I did not cast aside.
24
I was honest toward him; I was on guard against sin.
25
So the LORD rewarded my righteousness, the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
26
Toward the faithful you are faithful; to the honest you are honest;
27
Toward the sincere, sincere; but to the perverse you are devious.
28
Humble people you save; haughty eyes you bring low.
29
You, LORD, give light to my lamp; my God brightens the darkness about me.
30
With you I can rush an armed band, with my God to help I can leap a wall.
31
God's way is unerring; the LORD'S promise is tried and true; he is a shield for all who trust in him.
32
Truly, who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is the rock?
33
This God who girded me with might, kept my way unerring,
34
Who made my feet swift as a deer's, set me safe on the heights,
35
8 Who trained my hands for war, my arms to bend even a bow of bronze.
36
You have given me your protecting shield; your right hand has upheld me; you stooped to make me great.
37
You gave me room to stride; my feet never stumbled.
38
I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till I destroyed them.
39
I struck them down; they could not rise; they fell dead at my feet.
40
You girded me with strength for war, subdued adversaries at my feet.
41
My foes you put to flight before me; those who hated me I destroyed.
42
They cried for help, but no one saved them; cried to the LORD but got no answer.
43
I ground them fine as dust in the wind; like mud in the streets I trampled them down.
44
You rescued me from the strife of peoples; you made me head over nations. A people I had not known became my slaves;
45
as soon as they heard of me they obeyed. Foreigners cringed before me;
46
their courage failed; they came trembling from their fortresses.
47
The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock! Exalted be God, my savior!
48
O God who granted me vindication, made peoples subject to me,
49
and preserved me from my enemies, Truly you have exalted me above my adversaries, from the violent you have rescued me.
50
Thus I will proclaim you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.
51
You have given great victories to your king, and shown kindness to your anointed, to David and his posterity forever.

Enlightened Cat

2008-11-05T12:27:00.002-06:00

Maestro is adjusting to the darker, shorter days.

ISU Homecoming

2008-10-29T12:53:00.003-05:00

It was too bad they had to schedule a football game to put an end to our daylong tailgate!

Bandit

2008-10-21T15:38:00.003-05:00

Here's Bandit, trying to "lick" his hat off!

Happy Birthday Zach

2008-10-17T15:12:00.000-05:00

Where have the years gone? Zachary John turns 17 today.

Pointe West is still standing!

2008-09-25T09:05:00.002-05:00

Amazingly enough, Pointe West, west of Galveston is still standing, and looks like it's in pretty good shape. I hope to go back there again someday.

Enjoying the ride

2008-09-25T08:54:00.002-05:00

Stupid human that I am, I always forget to enjoy the journey while heading toward life's many destinations.

fall camp

2008-09-21T18:51:00.003-05:00

Catherine celebrated her 9th birthday at Wesley woods. The weather was awesome and we went canoeing, fishing, for a wagon ride, horseback riding, etc. A LOT in 24 hours. Whew. We will sleep well tonight.

Twas a great summer

2008-08-23T05:42:00.003-05:00

internet woes

2008-07-04T20:49:00.002-05:00

Snapfish and Blogspot hate me.. I captioned 300 pics tonight at Snapfish and clicked on the yellow "change captions" button, and it deleted all the captions. ARG. Blogspot won't let me upload photos.Tells me to try later or gives me an error message. We really did go on vacation and had a great time!

2008-06-29T15:31:00.000-05:00

East coast vacation

2008-06-29T15:10:00.002-05:00

Flowers

2008-05-09T15:36:00.003-05:00

Tim gave Catherine a dozen white roses since he couldn't be there. He also gave Maria one white rose so she wouldn't get too jealous!

2008-05-09T15:34:00.000-05:00

2008-05-09T15:31:00.000-05:00

Catherine's first Holy Communion

2008-05-09T15:26:00.002-05:00

Catherine received first Holy Communion last Saturday. We had a beautiful day. My computer does not like Blogspot or vice-versa so I am trying to send one pic at a time but each pic takes 20 minutes. Hopefully I'll get a few uploaded before she graduates.

Confirmation

2008-05-09T15:22:00.000-05:00

Matthias received Confirmation with Tim being there to be his sponsor.

Easter

2008-03-24T14:12:00.003-05:00

Maria and Catherine did a great job decorating the eggs!

Chicago

2008-03-24T13:57:00.002-05:00

We had a nice, albeit brief, time in Chicago for part of spring break. Maestro would have loved our hotel--it even had a pet food room service menu!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T15:40:00.002-06:00

The perfect Valentine's gift--Maria is finally well, and everyone is back in school. Maria had a three-day week two weeks ago, a two day week last week (got better, but we had a snow day), then this week had a one day week (was sick Monday through Wednesday but went back to school today but there's no school tomorrow). Next week, Lord willing will be a better week for her! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Sledding Fun

2008-01-26T20:21:00.002-06:00

..........Finally, a day warm enough to go sledding!!

Zach's Maestro impersonation

2008-01-26T20:02:00.000-06:00

.........Quite a close resemblance, don't you think? Maestro thinks he is the more handsome one, but I tend to disagree.

Ahh the memories

2007-12-26T08:32:00.001-06:00

Tim got Alex a chocolate fountain, bringing back memories of last Christmas when I got one, and something got stuck in it, causing chocolate to spray every where in a three foot radius of the fountain. Tim also surprised his brothers with random statues and the girls with three foot tall bears!

The Perfect Gift

2007-12-25T07:01:00.000-06:00

Our Lord Jesus Christ, given to us by the Father for our salvation.

And as the saying goes, God can never be outdone in generosity. May Christmas live in our hearts all year long!

A mother's worry is as thick as...

2007-12-22T06:33:00.001-06:00

this with a snowstorm coming soon. Alex is still on his way home from a long road trip that took him to Tallahassee, Atlanta, Bowling Green and other cities. And the fog might be thicker than my worry, but not by much.

Country Music

2007-12-17T08:55:00.001-06:00

My family is quite sure that I've developed a brain tumor. The last month I've been enjoying all kinds of country music. Some lyrics just make me laugh, like "International Harvester"

http://www.lyricsmania.com/lyrics/craig_morgan_lyrics_4482/little_bit_of_life_lyrics_32243/international_harvester_lyrics_349037.html

Or "Firecracker"

http://www.completealbumlyrics.com/lyric/131835/Josh+Turner+-+Firecracker.html

Some make me cry, like "My Front Porch Looking In"

http://www.lyrics007.com/Lonestar%20Lyrics/My%20Front%20Porch%20Looking%20In%20Lyrics.html

A song about a daughter leaving home, called "Ready, Set, Don't Go"

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/billyraycyrus/readysetdontgo.html

And "Don't Blink" (though this is played too much lately)

http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/chesney-kenny/dont-blink-22679.html

There are songs that make me wish I lived in a different place, like "What I love about Sundays"

http://www.onlylyrics.com/song.php?id=26906

Then of course there are your typical country music songs that still do drive me nuts, like

"The More I Drink".

http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/shelton-blake/the-more-i-drink-21465.html That is typically what I remembered country music to be when I was growing up. I think it has matured.

But some of the lyrics I just have to say WHAT WERE THEY THINKING???? Rascal Flatts' big hit "Take Me There" --one line says "I want to know the girl behind that pretty stare.." What STARE is PRETTY??? I guess he needed something that rhymed with "there" and couldn't find anything! Come on!! I've heard several other examples of poorly thought-out lyrics and it just makes me cringe.

Anyway, I'm listening to a different station, brain tumor or not, and enjoying most of it.

Fun-packed week

2007-12-15T11:18:00.000-06:00

The week started out calmly.
Matthias---Tuesday was an "ice day" but Matthias was scheduled to have a choral concert, which was then canceled. He was in a one act play which was also supposed to be Tuesday but ended up on Thursday. Great job, Matthias! He is also in an improv show tonight at the DM Playhouse.

Zach---He had his choral concert, in which he did a flute solo. Last week he had a band concert, where he plays bass clarinet in the concert band, and had a solo on the alto sax in the jazz band. (Way to go, Zach!) Zach's combo group, where he plays tenor sax, also had "gig" on Thursday for the Kum and Go Christmas party. The corporation gives a donation to Dowling for playing at their party, the band director in turn takes that donation and divides it among the players in the combo, so everyone wins.

Maria---She had her choral concert Friday where she played the Boomwacker. It's fourth grade, so they did the traditional 3 note recorder concert also. Never knew you could play so many songs with three notes. Good job Maria. Since we were rushing around Friday to get to Alex's graduation, we also attended the 4th grade concert that was given for all the other students on Thursday. So Dave taped her performance then instead of Friday when we were rushed.

Catherine---Well she had basketball this morning but has had an otherwise light week.

Tim--He made it home to Iowa at 2 a.m. Friday morning. Thanks be to God for safe travels.

Alex---CONGRATS to Alex for working so hard and graduating from ISU!!!

Maestro, Abby, Bandit---They met Ascii this week. So far it is going okay but Ascii is still very unsure of all these new people and pets.

Dave---is grumbling about the snow and ice and is thinking we really need to move south.

Me---just trying to enjoy life.

Alex graduates!

2007-12-15T11:11:00.000-06:00

Congrats to Alex, ISU class of 2007, double major in marketing and management information systems!

Let it Snow! But keep the ice

2007-12-11T10:06:00.000-06:00

No school today because we have a half inch of ice on the roads (so far). The girls are being icicle connoisseurs this morning.

Monster Cat Invades Village!

2007-11-28T08:47:00.000-06:00

Villagers huddled in fear in their homes, hoping the freakish cat was not hungry.

family time

2007-11-25T09:30:00.000-06:00

It sure was good to have everyone home at Thanksgiving. In Apples to Apples, Puff Daddy won for "Puffy"-est, and Barbara Walters was judged most "handsome." For the topic, "Mean", one card played was "the judge." Grandma L was doing the judging. Hey, that's not nice! Guaranteed winner Helen Keller did not make an appearance in any games this weekend.

Alex left Thanksgiving day evening but Tim was here till today. Here are four of the gang. "Hey you didn't include me!" Sorry, Bandit. FIVE of the gang.

I won't hurt you...

2007-11-25T09:27:00.000-06:00

Here is Abby, trying to coax the little birds to come and get some more seeds.

Decorating Service

2007-11-25T09:25:00.000-06:00

Maria and Catherine got antsy to decorate the tree. We were watching Texas A&M beat up on TU. They ended up doing the entire tree by themselves! It looks great, doesn't it?

Snow for Thanksgiving!

2007-11-25T09:23:00.000-06:00

Tim arrived home from Texas and the next day it snowed a record snowfall for that date, around 5 inches. Catherine sure enjoyed it though! Maria, unfortunately, was sick with a fever but fortunately was better the next day for Thanksgiving. She got a chance to play in the snow then but I was too busy in the kitchen to take photos.

Maestro's patience

2007-11-11T18:41:00.000-06:00

"The things I do for wet cat food.. Oh, the humiliation of it all..."

Tim's Maestro Impersonation

2007-11-05T19:59:00.001-06:00

...and Maestro says "Wehll. Why aren't you wearing that stupid little bell that they put around my neck?"

Or maybe Tim's doing a Planter's Peanuts guy impersonation?

Reggie's Sleepout

2007-11-03T07:35:00.000-05:00

Matthias took part in Reggie's Sleepout. Reggie was a mentally challenged teenager who aged out of the foster care system, and was sent out to live on his own. Three months later, he was found dead in a cardboard box, on the banks of the Des Moines River. Reggie's Night Out seeks to raise awareness and funds for the homeless, and this year they raised around $83,000. They had a lot of fun too!

Maria's pumpkin

2007-11-03T07:31:00.000-05:00

Our drum majorette and snow queen

2007-10-28T07:10:00.000-05:00

Maestro's other car

2007-10-28T07:06:00.001-05:00

Stupid Criminals

2007-10-18T11:05:00.001-05:00

Someone tried to steal one of the big metal Anderson Erickson dairy cows. That reminds me of the person who tried to steal the giant fish sculpture a few years ago. They didn't get very far, and I doubt this cow will be missing for long either!

"It's not a Corvette but..

2007-10-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

I suppose this Chevy will do. Next time, leave the hood down. Do you know how hard it is to leap up here?"

New Family Member

2007-10-14T05:38:00.000-05:00

Tim got a new cat, ASCII. I tried to find a "Welcome" in ASCII but didn't see one, so I'll just write "WELCOME" the regular way.

Our Spaghetti Connoisseur

2007-10-09T06:23:00.000-05:00

I used real parmesan, freshly shredded, on the spaghetti last night, instead of using the "green can." Maria commented on how the spaghetti reminded her of the spaghetti at the restaurant in Galveston. Nope, there were definitely no green cans$ at that re$taurant. She was right though, there is a big difference, and I'll have to use the "green can" for backup only, from now on.

Where is Waldo--er, Maestro?

2007-10-07T15:59:00.000-05:00

"You think I'M going to get in that little cat carrier and be carried to the church for a blessing, at the annual St. Francis blessing for pets? Humph! I, the GREAT I AM, have no need of a blessing. JUST SEE if you can find me!"

Very well, Maestro. We took Bandit and Abby though. They need to receive a special protection from your dark side.

Happy October!

2007-10-01T10:53:00.000-05:00

What a fun-filled weekend. Began with soccer, then a trip to the apple orchard, baking apple pie, catching a little football on t.v., going to Mass, and touring a 14 acre prairie maze. It is a great time of year to live in the heartland. The weekend ended by catching a beautiful rainbow out our back window.

September blur

2007-09-24T08:55:00.000-05:00

Well you can wake me up now because September is drawing to a close. What a blur it has been with football games, soccer, band, parent's nights for this and that, and last but not least, fall Girl Scout camp. No one broke a bone, fell off a horse, tipped over a canoe, or got lost in the woods, so all in all, it was a good weekend. Oh and our "baby" Catherine had a big birthday party with friends and a small one at home, celebrating turning 8 YEARS OLD.. I can't believe she is 8--where did the years go????

Our Aggie has left

2007-08-25T14:57:00.000-05:00

Tim left today for A&M. We miss you already, Tim!

Back to school!

2007-08-21T07:25:00.000-05:00

Alex has begun his last semester at Iowa State. Zach started today at Dowling and Matthias, Maria and Catherine go back tomorrow. Tim starts next Monday for his second year at Texas A&M. Today is also Maria's birthday. She had her skating party with friends Saturday, and we ate out at Outback with all of us home on Friday. We'll do some more celebrating today too, with cake and a trip to a local fun center.Yesterday was bring-your-supplies day at elementary, and open house at junior high. Here we go!

Zach Jazzin' away

2007-08-13T18:26:00.001-05:00

Zach and his combo performed live today at a downtown coffee shop. They were awesome!

Live at the Improv!

2007-08-12T08:21:00.000-05:00

It's Matthias!

He had a great time at the Improv camp this week, and they ended the week by demonstrating for the parents and families some of the things they did during the week. He wants to be in it again during the school year.

Wasted time...

2007-08-10T21:03:00.000-05:00

Oh, what joy to find a few things in my size at Kohl's, at 50% off, only to have someone else STEAL THE CART!!!!! ARGG!!!!!!!!! Searched high and low, checked with managers, checked with cashiers, checked in the back and front of the store in the discarded items bins, waited, spied in people's carts to see if I could see my articles,,, to no avail... Several things were marked WAY down, only one of my size... That is what I get for being cautious, putting my cart at the start of housewares so it wouldn't break any dishes. FRUSTRATING!!!!!! Either someone realized the cart had items and took them out somewhere in the store, or else they bought them by mistake (like if they were shopping with family and thought the items belonged to the other person). I left my number with the manager--I hope the things turn up.

On location in Pasadena, CA (Alex)

2007-08-09T23:34:00.000-05:00

Finally at the Rose Bowl.... only a few days left of a very long summer.

Gearing up for fall

2007-08-07T08:33:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year and everything is starting to gear up again. Two birthday parties to plan, school to get ready for, soccer, band, etc...You'd think I'd be used to it by now but I still feel like the woman in this photo.

Blue Stars travels to Arizona (Alex)

2007-08-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

In arizona today, up in sedona, about 4500 feet up. Great views all day.

Everyone has stories...

2007-08-01T06:58:00.000-05:00

of airfare nightmares. We'll add one. Yesterday we were to fly out of Houston Hobby airport, and then to Dallas for our connecting flight to Des Moines. There was an hour in between flights and, well, you probably see it coming, the first flight was delayed. Which meant there were no flights for six people to Iowa at that airport. The American Airlines got us on a Continental 8 p.m. flight to Des Moines out of Houston's other airport, Bush Int'l. It was 11:45 a.m.. arg.. Well Dave did some searching and it appeared there were seats on a 2 p.m. flight to Des Moines from Continental also. So while we went across town ($65 taxi cab covered by American) he was on the phone trying to get seats on that. Finally they said we were on!! We arrive at Bush Int'l, only to find Continental has NO record of us on that flight, but does on the 8 p.m.! We stand there for an hour and finally, we get 5 tickets with one more for standby. And you know what goes with "last minute flight changes"?? Everything!! Fine-tooth combing your luggage, body searches, being put in your own little roped-in area and then transferring you to your own little plastic box, where everyone looks at you like you are a sideshow exhibit. Arg. All because of American's delays in the first flight. BUT.. we DID all make it on the 2 p.m. flight and got home around 5 which was MUCH better than 11 p.m. or later. So I am thanking God for that!
I spent the evening finishing up cleaning the freezer--the door had been left ajar ever so slightly, which means everything in it was ruined. Our niece Amanda, who has been checking our cats and getting the mail, smelled something a few days ago, and found the problem, and bless her heart, she and her boyfriend Scott threw out everything and got it wiped down. Raw meat, melted ice cream, etc. Arg. Not a job I'd wish on anybody. We owe them bigtime!
But we are home, and it feels great to be home in little ol' West Des Moines, Iowa.

Another day in paradise

2007-07-30T20:55:00.001-05:00

I will never get tired of sitting in the pool, looking at the ocean! That is my idea of paradise.

The second picture is the kids at the Olive Garden. I believe Alex was somewhere in Missouri or Oklahoma.

Jumping Fish?

2007-07-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

I guess there is always something new to see in your life. Yesterday for the first time in my life, I saw leaping fish when we were in the ocean. There were a LOT of them leaping. Today we saw them too. They look to be at least a foot long, lighter colored, and jump several feet in the air. The web gave us the answer--stripped mullets, used as bait around here, but not usually eaten. No daytime rain yet, except for a brief shower when we were getting ready to go to church. We are all sad that tomorrow is our last full day here...

Thank God that Super Mega Jumbo Dopplers don't work

2007-07-28T08:51:00.000-05:00

We had a gorgeous day here west of Galveston yesterday. It only rained in the early morning hours before we were up. We spent the rest of the day at the beach and pool. They are again predicting rain today so I am hoping they are wrong again! Please, Lord? I haven't gotten my camera out yet but here is a picture from March. It looked about the same yesterday, with clouds, some sun, but fortunately no rain.

Historical, and not so historical

2007-07-25T08:40:00.000-05:00

We saw a couple of the missions today. Mission San Jose was interesting to see and we visited the cathedral downtown. Catherine is pictured in one of the places that the indians lived in at the mission. We also took a cruise down the riverwalk and saw the "wall" above, which actually is a triangular shaped hospital. We did some touristy stuff too--went through the mirror maze, ripley's haunted house, Guiness book of world records, etc. Matthias and Dr. Phil had a good chat, and Maria told Oprah about her crazy family.

Remember the...

2007-07-25T08:14:00.000-05:00

Texans are really good about reverence and honor. There is a sign before you enter the church of the Alamo reminding you to take off your hat and says no food or drinks are allowed. If you don't obey, there is an officer who blows his whistle at you to remind you. This didn't happen to us but we did see it happen.

San Antonio!

2007-07-23T16:39:00.000-05:00

Howdy from San Antonio, y'all. We just had to eat at the restaurant at the top of the Tower. It's not every day that you can eat 600 feet off the ground. It rotated too. It was a beautiful way to end the day. The kids also enjoyed making "music" on the tops of their glasses, though we had to put a stop to it when it began to sound like sounds from the Twilight Zone.

Feeling of Impending Chevy Chase Vacation

2007-07-21T09:55:00.000-05:00

Oh it's that day I've grown to "love." The day we pack up for vacation and I am filled with fear and trepidation for what it will bring. Will anyone get lost at the ocean? Will anyone get stuck with a stranger in an automated bathroom? Will any one's cell number get stolen? Will anyone get their arm stuck in a monument? Who will get sick or hurt? What will we forget? At least there should be no altitude sickness or broken down camper to worry about and hopefully no fire ants. But maybe portuguese man o wars.. I have to leave it in the hands of God..Oh me of little faith..

Ho Hum?

2007-07-20T07:28:00.000-05:00

Maria and Catherine have taken gymnastics at Chow's for years and have had Chow and Lee for teachers in the past. Shawn Johnson, who just won four gold medals at the Pan American games, also trains at the facility. Zach had Shawn in many of his classes in junior high. She looks to be the next olympic "darling." None of the kids appreciate just how rare that is to have an olympic champion that close to home!

Dubuque cable car

2007-07-20T07:11:00.000-05:00

We all remember this from our childhoods. Well at least if we are native Iowans!

July 4th

2007-07-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

We had a relaxing time in Iowa Falls. We enjoyed catching up, and the kids played bocce ball and cards and playing in the "cave". Don't Meredith and Camry look like sisters instead of second cousins?

My Summer Tour (Alex and the Blue Stars)

2007-07-20T02:53:00.000-05:00

All over the country, as you can see above.

Jenae and Josh--07/07/07

2007-07-19T21:37:00.000-05:00

Jenae and Josh had a beautiful wedding. Doesn't she look triumphant in the middle pic? Zach, Maria and Catherine are pictured with Jenae and cousin Amanda.

Saylorville Reservoir

2007-07-19T20:40:00.000-05:00

We had a great time last weekend at Saylorville Lake, on a boat of some friends of ours. Thank you Ed and Sherry! Would you believe the water has gotten up almost to the top of the bridge in the photo? There is graffiti near the top of it. The kids had a blast tubing, and mom and dad had fun enjoying the sun and some liquid refreshments too!

One more time!

2007-07-19T20:36:00.000-05:00

This is Pointe West resort near Galveston, and where are are staying again next week.

Time to get with the new century

2007-07-19T20:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm finally going to do this blogging thing. We've got two days before we take off for vacation, so it's a good time to start. We're going to San Antonio for a few days, then go down to that great condo we stayed in, in March west of Galveston. I guess that is why they call it Pointe West. It is gorgeous. If I can figure out how to stop getting error codes, I'll upload some pics.